Matt Smith: If you can’t go upsetting your bosses at this point in the electoral cycle, when can you?
Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas as well as Steven Marshall have every right to be angry after our Federal Senators bailed out on the state’s subs mission this week.
Opinion
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Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas has every right to be frustrated with his federal teammates in Canberra over their handling of the lucrative submarine maintenance contract that Western Australia is seeking to wrest from South Australia.
So, too, should Premier Steven Marshall.
In fact, all South Australians should be disappointed by the behaviour of their elected representatives in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon.
Given the opportunity to back SA’s ability, and earned right, to keep full-cycle docking in Adelaide, senators from both Liberal and Labor went missing in action, or worse still, voted against the motion.
Former submariner turned Centre Alliance Senator Rex Patrick put forward a motion, in short, calling on the Senate to urge the Federal Government to keep the contract in SA. The motion cited a number of reasons, including that a move would jeopardise national security, the costs of shifting were unknown and SA had proved itself capable of keeping the contract.
Make no mistake, the motion was a political stunt from a man who had this week, in a move reminiscent of his former boss Nick Xenophon, walked the streets of Adelaide dressed up as a submarine.
SA senators were left in a difficult position.
A vote in favour was always going to upset their leaders, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who clearly wants the issue to just go away.
Federal Labor Leader Anthony Albanese pleaded ignorance on FIVEaa radio yesterday morning when asked about it.
Despite the fact many SA senators have only arrived where they are because of factional deals organised by party powerbrokers, they are still there to represent SA first and foremost.
But if you can’t go upsetting your bosses at this point in the electoral cycle, when can you?
When it came to the Liberal senators, Cabinet minister Anne Ruston and David Fawcett were both conveniently not present when the vote was taken. Liberal newbies Alex Antic and Andrew McLachlan appear to have been at the same afternoon tea.
Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham and Labor’s Alex Gallacher are both away from Parliament this week. Labor powerbrokers Penny Wong and Don Farrell were missing in action. New Labor Senator Marielle Smith stayed but voted against the motion, arguing it was just a “nonsense attempt to distract from the real advocacy work”.
Mr Malinauskas disagreed, describing his federal colleagues’ actions as “incredibly disappointing”.
Mr Marshall was not so quick off the mark. His lack of reaction on Tuesday night was seized on by the Opposition.
It is clear the motion was little more than a symbolic gesture. But politics is all about perception. And the perception from South Australians is that senators, elected to represent their interests, went MIA on Tuesday.