Aly, Anne, MP

Dr ALY (Cowan) (16:00): Twenty-six—just to put that in perspective: that's about eight more than the number of women in the Liberal caucus. Also, it's the number of times that this Prime Minister voted against a royal commission over a period of two years. This isn't anything unusual. This is in the LNP government's DNA. Their DNA goes to protecting the banks over the victims. Their DNA goes to engaging big business and engaging the banks over and above supporting the victims and looking after everyday Australians. Their DNA goes to dismissing successive calls for a royal commission, terming it a populist whinge, a political exercise, crass populism and a distraction. Their DNA goes to accusing Australians of being whingers, of being beggars and of lacking aspiration when they dare to ask this government to do their job. It's in their DNA. How does the Prime Minister respond to some of the abhorrent revelations that are coming out of the banking royal commission? There was the evidence that we saw about Grant Stewart's son, with Down syndrome—bullied into signing up for insurance that he didn't want, didn't need and didn't understand. How does the Prime Minister respond to that? He said: ... the problem I didn't see and I should have seen, the problem that also needed to be addressed, was the hurt that people were feeling as a result of the banking and financial sector. 'The problem I didn't see.' So, because he didn't see it, it didn't exist, but on this side we saw it. On this side we knew, and that's why we kept calling for a banking royal commission. We spoke to the people, we heard their concerns, we listened to Australians and, time and time again, called on the government to instigate a royal commission that they had to be dragged to, kicking and screaming. I don't care how many pins you wear on your lapel. It doesn't matter how many you wear or where you wear them. This government will always be on the side of the banks. They'll always be on the side of big business over Australians. As I said, it's in their DNA; it's who they are. The advice that this Prime Minister has for Australians who are whingers or beggars is: 'Get over it.' 'Get over it,' he says. Ms Claydon: That's what he said. Dr ALY: That's what he said yesterday in question time: 'Get over it.' That's the advice he has. Suddenly, this Prime Minister has awoken. Suddenly he's reading the room. All of a sudden he woke up to the fact that, for years, the banks and the financial sector has been treating Australians abhorrently. We've had evidence and evidence and evidence—and I don't need to go through it all here, because I know that my colleagues, and particularly the member for Hotham, has given a very, very strong account of some of the claims we heard over the period of this banking royal commission. We on this side didn't need to be told that we needed a royal commission because we didn't see it. We knew it was there. We knew that a royal commission needed to be had. I think it's particularly disgraceful that those on the other side now stand up and claim some kind of victory over having called a royal commission only after they voted against it consecutively 26 times. If this royal commission had been done two years ago, when we first called for it, we would've had it over and done, and we would've had practical and substantive solutions in place now. But, again, all those opposite care about is protecting the banks. It's in their DNA. It's who they forever were and who they always will be.