Mr BROADBENT (Monash) (16:43): This job can be challenging. I have been in a position where I have been opposed to my own party at different times. These issues are normally resolved in our party room; at other times they become more public. What are our responsibilities? I know I've got a responsibility to the people who put me in the place—the electors of Monash and my party; those who work hard in the Liberal Party right across the electorate of Monash and decide to support me into this place at each election campaign. And I have a responsibility also to the party room, which is quite separate from that again, which may have a different view to what my party members might decide is the right thing to do. And, over and above that, I have a responsibility to this parliament and the people of Australia. Can I act every time on my conscience, my compassion and my heart over what my head wants to do? No, I can't. There are issues deserving consideration where the head must rule over the heart, because that's what the nation deserves, what the people of Australia deserve. More importantly, and over and above all those things, I offer my electorate, my party, my party room and the people of Australia my judgement on an issue. My judgement may not be in accordance with how people perceive this parliament and how it should work—how I should just obey the command of the Prime Minister of the day or my party or the whip of the day. It's actually about the challenges we face, which I mentioned earlier. It's very, very important to me and to this nation that the right decision is made, and that right decision—in my view, in my judgement—at times may not be that of my party, the people of Australia or those in my electorate broadly, as a whole. That doesn't mean I step back from what I view as being right at any given time. In essence, in the end, when it comes down to it, I always offer the people that I represent, this parliament and this nation my judgement as an individual on any given issue. Having said that, it doesn't mean I'm about to move in any particular direction. But for those who have deigned to offer their advice to me in very strong terms, I need to explain that this is the position I take. Many members on different issues will take that position on behalf of their community when they need to represent their community in a fulsome way because their constituents are directly affected by an individual matter. These issues are important. When it comes to matters of principle where you have taken a stand for a long time, I don't believe the nation wants members of parliament who say one thing on Monday and then, under pressure, say another thing on Friday. It doesn't mean a member of parliament can't be advised, for instance, over embryonic stem cell research. I had a conservative position until my genuine staff at the time said, 'Before you take that decision, let's go talk to the experts.' After I did I changed my position and supported the legislation in this House on embryonic stem cell research. It gained me a lot of criticism from other areas at the time, but it was the right decision. In the long run, it proved to be that the first position I took was wrong and the position I took after further information was right. It's not that we do not have a position to change our mind on a particular principle; we have. But it is important. In this parliament, in this place, principles are important. The practices of the parliament are important and the rule of law is important—and what surrounds that rule of law.