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

I ask leave of the House to move a motion for the appointment of a member to serve on the Selection Committee.

Leave granted.

by leave—I move:

That Mr Entsch be discharged from the Selection Committee and that in his place Ms Marino be appointed a member of the committee.

In speaking to that motion, I find it absolutely extraordinary that the Chief Opposition Whip has been stood down from the Selection Committee. One of the things that we did when we established the new processes in the parliament was to agree that the Chief Government Whip and the Chief Opposition Whip would be the key people from the government and the opposition in determining the issues that came before the Selection Committee and that private members would be given increased rights as a result of the formation of that committee.

What we see now is that people are being replaced—indeed, we have the extraordinary proposition of the Chief Opposition Whip writing to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to replace himself as a member of the Selection Committee. We see members of the Selection Committee coming along to that committee with pre-typed resolutions having been given to them and not participating in the spirit in which that committee was established. It is of great concern, and this typifies the abuse that is occurring with regard to the Selection Committee, whereby it is being used to try to distort the outcomes of this parliament and try to defer the discussions of legislation and other business before this House. It is quite extraordinary that this has been occurring. Of course, the member who is replacing the Chief Opposition Whip was herself replaced during the previous sitting.

The fact is that the opposition are at war with themselves, not just in terms of leadership but when it comes down to minor committees of the parliament, including this committee. I commend the motion to the House.

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