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

Indeed the standing orders should be suspended because I should be permitted to make a statement about exactly what is at stake here in terms of the proper functioning of the parliament. People would be aware that we have processes of pairing such as the Australian government and opposition sending a representative to the United Nations in New York, and yet the opposition's representative, the member for Moncrieff, has been told that he will have to come back from that visit representing Australia.

I would hope that he would have the decency to not suggest that Australian taxpayers' funds should be used to fly him back for a vote on the carbon price, in which the outcome has already been made clear because 76 members of this chamber have indicated their support for it, and then fly him back over to New York. I would hope he would have the decency to not even request that taxpayers' funds be used—

Mr Chester interjecting—

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