Senator JOYCE (Queensland—Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) (15:13): It is amazing: every time you think the Labor Party has got as mad as they can possibly get, they outdo themselves. We always remember the Craig Thomson story and we always remember the Peter Slipper story—an appointment by the Labor Party—and now, of course, we have the latest one, the Bruce Wilson story. Senator Cameron: Very funny! Even your advisers are laughing! Senator JOYCE: You will be laughing at this. This is what we have got. We are back in the 1990s. The Prime Minister comes back to her boyfriend, Bruce. She comes in: 'How are you, Darling?' 'I'm not bad. How are you, Petal?' 'All's good. What have you got on for dinner?' 'I've got a casserole on.' 'Oh, isn't that lovely! What's that out in the backyard?' The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator JOYCE: 'Well, that's Ralph Blewitt.' 'What's he up to?' 'Just burying money.' The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Sit down, Senator Joyce. Senator Wong, on a point of order. Senator Wong: That contribution is completely out of order, Mr Deputy President. The standing orders are quite clear about reflecting on members in another place. The imputation there was quite clear, of criminal conduct, and should be withdrawn. It really says something about the senator that he would use the Senate chamber to make those sorts of allegations. Senator Ian Macdonald: On the point of order, clearly nothing Senator Joyce has said makes any allegation, Mr Deputy President, in relation to criminal matters. It was a humorous account and unfortunately Senator Wong has lost her humour—and I do not blame her, I might say. I would urge you to dismiss the point of order. Senator Thistlethwaite: On the point of order, Mr Deputy President, the motion was moved to take note of answers given by government ministers. The point that Senator Joyce is making has no relation whatsoever to anything that was said by a minister of this government. On that basis he should refrain from seeking to smear the reputation of people in the other place without basis. Senator Cameron: On the point of order, Mr Deputy President, it is quite clear and unequivocal that this was a reflection on the Prime Minister. It should be withdrawn. I think it is the clearest reflection I have seen here in many times. You cannot hide a reflection on the Prime Minister by saying it was a joke and it was supposed to be humorous. It is clearly unacceptable. Senator JOYCE: On the point of order, Mr Deputy President, there was no reflection on the Prime Minister whatsoever—so if may continue. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Joyce, I will just rule on the point of order first. First of all, there is no point of order and there is no need for you to withdraw anything but I will say this, Senator Joyce, and to all senators: firstly, the debate is wide ranging and we have steered off the topic but all speakers to date have steered widely from the topic and, secondly, be careful with your language and what you do say and how you reflect on people in the other chamber. Senator Joyce, you have the call. Senator JOYCE: Thank you. So we had Bruce Wilson saying the other night that Ralph Blewitt was occasioned to burying money in the backyard. Of course, that is what you do! So she looks out the back and says, 'What's Ralph up to?' 'Oh, he's burying money.' Senator Cameron: On a point of order, Mr Deputy President: I accept that we do range widely in the take note debate but what Senator Joyce is talking about now has got absolutely no relevance, absolutely none, to any of the issues that were raised by a government minister in response to questions today—absolutely nothing. Senator Ian Macdonald: On the point of order, Mr Deputy President—and I am sure you do not need my help—it has as much relevance as Senator Cameron's comments about Gina Rinehart and Godwin Grech. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I will rule on the point of order, Senator Cameron. There is no point of order and I would take you back to the comments I used when you were pulled up on a point of order for your comments. So I remind Senator Joyce of the question before the chair. Senator JOYCE: So Bruce Wilson, the Prime Minister's ex-boyfriend, has said, 'Well, what happens is that Ralph Blewitt—he's a funny bloke—used to bury the money in the backyard.' Of course, why do we need a bank when you have got a perfectly good backyard! That is where you put money these days. You put money there because you want to be transparent and you want to be above board. What was the source of this subterranean benevolence? Where did it come from? Why would people be burying money in a backyard? I do not know, but they were probably getting it from somewhere. Who would know? Anyway, there is a bit of a pattern here, and it goes with the Craig Thomson story and it goes with the Peter Slipper story and it is all part of this 'there's something that's not right'. The Australian people wake up and go: 'Who on earth is running the show? Who are these people? Where did they come from?' Let us go back. Imagine we had a story of Menzies or someone and somebody said, 'Oh, yes, and then he had this mate who was a bit of a one.' You see we have the description of Ralph Blewitt by the Prime Minister: he was 'an imbecile', he was a 'sexist pig' and he was 'an idiot'. They are the sorts of thing that I want to hear my Prime Minister say at a press conference! That is the sort of character I expect to be running the country! And who was their associate back in the 1990s? Well, it was a person who was getting money from somewhere and just hanging around the petunias burying the dough. There might be still a bit there. We should go and have a look and we could give it back to the AWU and probably back to the members. That is probably where it could go. Maybe it could go back via the way it got there, through this slush fund. That is possibly how it could go back there. So this is running the country! The country has descended into anarchy. It is totally and utterly out of control. This is why we can find ourselves $252.9 billion in debt as I speak now. This is why we borrowed in excess of $3 billion last week, because of this absolute pandemonium palace and every day just when you think it could not get any stranger, that it could not get any stranger than Craig Thomson or that it could not get any stranger than Peter Slipper, Bruce Wilson then comes out to help the Prime Minister out and, by gosh, didn't he help her! What help! Such friends like that! There are still some serious questions that need to be asked and I will ask just one. So there is only one question and it is serious: did the Prime Minister witness the power of attorney? I do not want to hear the answer that she has witnessed lots of powers of attorney and she has witnessed lots of documents. Did she witness the power of attorney that was responsible for being able to move a house from Mr Wilson's name into Mr Blewitt's name and what was the reason for that? Did she witness it on the day and at the time that they signed the document? I ask because if you do not witness it at the time they sign a document, then, as any solicitor will tell you, you have done something very, very naughty. Anyway here we are and we have got the NBN story and we could go on with the ceiling insulation and houses burning down story but let us stop it there and see if we ever get an answer.