Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent private Members' business, order of the day No. 4 (Marine Engineers Qualifications Bill 2013) on the Notice Paper, for the Federation Chamber being returned to the House, and debated and proceeded with forthwith.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent private Members' business, order of the day No. 4 (Marine Engineers Qualifications Bill 2013) on the Notice Paper, for the Federation Chamber being returned to the House, and debated and proceeded with forthwith.

Speaker, if I could just take up a moment of your time, I seek to suspend standing and sessional orders because I think it is absolutely vital that this bill be dealt with before this parliament rises and because, without this suspension, the bill will lapse. The essence of this bill is to preserve the high standards currently in place among maritime engineers in Australia. There is an urgent need to preserve those standards, because there is every possibility that the current pressure to drive the standards down will succeed and, in particular, that the push to drive down the standards will result in the minimum training period being reduced from three years to just one year. We are a maritime country, and it is simply not an option to reduce maritime standards, which would diminish our good name and, more importantly, put our crews, our passengers and our vessels at risk. That is why this suspension must be supported.

I would add that it is my understanding that the Selection Committee had in fact decided that this matter should be dealt with today and the government has somehow moved the business to the Federation Chamber. I think we should respect the wishes of the Selection Committee. I think—

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