Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I am indeed being relevant, Mr Speaker, because what I am discussing is the ways in which the processes of this parliament function, particularly with regard to private members’ business. We need to make sure that everyone knows what is coming on, just as they do with government bills. We do not come in here and say: ‘Oh, we will just change the order; today we will have a vote on some legislation that we brought in yesterday.’ They never did that in government and we have not done that in government. It should not happen because it is not conducive to people being able to make a decision.

All 150 members have to make decisions today about what they think through the processes—what they think about the NBN financial transparency bill, what they think about the motion and amendment relating to same-sex marriage and what they think about the motion relating to asbestos. I would hope that they have looked at the Notice Paper and made an appropriate determination as to what they think about those issues.

If we come in and decide on the spur of the moment that we will have votes on other things, it is simply not conducive to good decision making. If those opposite were at all fair dinkum, I say to the Manager of Opposition Business, they would have moved an amendment including the motions from Mr Scott on overseas trained doctors, Mrs Moylan on special disability trusts and Mr Murphy on climate change. They would have moved those motions. If they had moved a week ago on the joint select committee on broadband or mental health—

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