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

Yes, funnily enough, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, I have got a fair idea of how people are going to vote. That is why you have not won one yet. I have got a fair idea—and I do talk to people and treat them with respect. I am treating the crossbenchers with respect now, because I say to you that the motion moved by the member for Denison would clearly be out of order had the suspension been carried. The Speaker would have had to rule that way and if it then came to the point of the Speaker's ruling, upon advice from the clerks being dissented from, we would have had an issue that went beyond the issues of substance on national security before us today.

Common sense tells you that while an issue about an individual is being dealt with, it was not appropriate for this resolution to have been moved. Had there been some consultation with the clerks or with appropriate parliamentary practice, I am absolutely certain that common sense would have prevailed. But I do expect the Manager of Opposition Business to act with some responsibility on this matter and not seek, at each and every opportunity, to gain opportunistic political advantage over an issue that should be above opportunistic politics.

National security cannot be a plaything. That is why I objected to questions being raised about what happened at the National Security Committee of the cabinet. That is why we objected to the track of a number of the questions that went down before the parliament today.

The Prime Minister has acted absolutely responsibly and appropriately in asking the appropriate authority, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, to undertake the action as requested by the Prime Minister. So I say to the crossbenchers and to everyone else: don't play politics with national security—act responsibly and think about the consequences and implications behind this motion that was attempted before the chair. This is why the suspension should certainly not have been granted.

With regard to the member for Sturt's motion, I say to him that if it is the case that the member for Flinders missed a vote through misadventure then, of course, in terms of it making a difference to an outcome, if the member for Flinders—

Mr Pyne interjecting—

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