Senate will not be bludgeoned on budget, says DLP’s John Madigan

    The Australian
    June 25, 2014


THE Coalition has warned there can be “no alternative” to its budget cuts without damaging living standards, as a crossbencher accused the government of using abuse and threats to “bludgeon” the upper house.         

The Senate battle over the Abbott government’s first budget has escalated after Labor and the Greens yesterday pledged to block a further $3.3 billion from planned budget savings, comprising the $2.2bn reindexation of the fuel excise and a $1.1 billion cut to welfare payments for self-funded retirees.

Tony Abbott is today meeting with Clive Palmer, who is expected to announce his party’s position on key measures, including the proposed repeal of the carbon and mining taxes, this evening.

The government will need six of the eight crossbench senators — including three Palmer United Party senators — to pass its legislation from July 1, unless Labor or the Greens agree to support the draft laws.

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Democratic Labour Party crossbencher John Madigan, in a speech last night, accused Treasurer Joe Hockey of using “abuse and derision and threats of a double dissolution” rather than negotiating with the Senate.

“I challenge the government tonight: if you are serious about getting the nation back on track, then begin dialogue with the crossbench. Stop using families as a punching bag,” he told the Senate.      

“Let’s sit down and discuss common ground more than just a couple of days out from when we are expected to vote on legislation.

“Man up and get real. We will not be bludgeoned. We will not be hijacked. We will not be taken for fools.”      

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said today the government will “engage constructively and positively” when the new Senate is installed next week.

“If we don’t get these measures through first time round we will reintroduce them a second time around,” he told ABC Radio.

“There is no alternative to the budget that we’ve delivered if we want to protect our living standards and if we want to maintain and build prosperity into the future.      

“If we don’t make the difficult decisions now, it will not become easier; it will only become harder into the future.”

Greens leader Christine Milne criticised the government’s “crash or crash through” negotiating style with the incoming Senate.

“The government needs to recognise that making their emphatic statements about not negotiating with anyone and you’ll do as you’re told doesn’t lead to good outcomes with negotiation.”      

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the opposition would not “bully the crossbench senators”, saying they were responsible for how they vote.

“Labor will not bully the crossbench senators but … it is government senators who are deeply uncomfortable at what Tony Abbott is trying to do,” Mr Shorten said.

“This crazy economics from this government. Tony Abbott is so out of touch with the real world of Australian people, he should show some real courage and start redoing his budget from scratch.”

Senator Cormann said the Greens had “lost all credibility” by blocking increases to the fuel excise, purportedly because the revenue would be reinvested in roads rather than public transport.

“Since 2001, ever since indexation of fuel excise was frozen, fuel excise in real terms has been falling, so the Greens are the political party that now stand for real reductions in the fuel excise. That is completely inconsistent with everything they’ve said they’d stood for.”

Well said Knight Errant Sir Grappler, the senate is supposed be the house of review.                  

“If we don’t get these measures through first time round we will reintroduce them a second time around,” he told ABC Radio.

“There is no alternative to the budget that we’ve delivered if we want to protect our living standards and if we want to maintain and build prosperity into the future.   


They should go to a DD if they get rejected twice. I hope this will be the outcome.

Should we build prosperity by building poverty at the same time? Who is becoming prosperous? Certainly not the lower and middle classes. I think he means that we should widen the gap between the haves and the have nots.