Senator Crown.

I am sorry; did somebody call my name? There was a bit of a melee.

The Senator has risen to speak so he must have heard something.

I am sorry to interrupt the latest edition of why we should have abolished the House but I would like to raise three issues, which are interrelated, although at first glance they may not appear to be. We all understand what is going on here. Senator Barrett is the only qualified person in either House to ask the appropriate questions of bankers and regulators at the banking inquiry. He may find himself removed from the committee holding the inquiry for reasons that have nothing to with his competence or the national interest and everything to do with party political interests and pique. I ask Members to look into their hearts for one glorious moment, pretend they are not in a party and look at the 4.6 million people in the country and what they have gone through as a result of the behaviour of the banks and decide who they think are the best people to have on the committee of inquiry and if Senator Barrett is one of them. That is the only question Members should ask.

He was selected unanimously.

Second, if he is removed, it will be in the crass realm of political stunts. We have witnessed several other examples in recent times. People who supported the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Gilmore, to go into a coalition with a conservative party then criticised and ousted him for having conservative policies at a time when many conservative parties could have gone into opposition if they had not had a disagreement 90 years ago.

Has the Senator a question for the Leader on the Order of Business?

The same is happening with respect to the Minister for Health. Everybody knew when he took up office, he had been dealt the worst set of economic cards possible by the outgoing Administration and at a time he was under the thumb of international financial spigot turners who made sure no money was available for anything, he had his own Cabinet colleagues beating him to death to cut back and everyone knew he would cut back. I do not agree with the cutbacks. Everything was done wrong. All these problems began the night the two main parties supported the bank guarantee. That is the reality he found himself in with a legacy problem-----

Has the Senator a question for the Leader?

Will the Leader pass on my best wishes to the Minister? He is the only one of the past four Ministers for Health who attempted to reform the system. He has made a few awful blunders during his tenure but it is incredibly unfair that he is being held responsible for what is essentially a party political problem.