Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I move the motion that has been circulated in my name in the terms in which it appears on the Notice Paper:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the following from occurring in relation to proceedings on the National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill 2022 and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2022:

(1) notwithstanding standing order 31, if the second reading debate has not concluded earlier, at 8 pm on Wednesday, 23 November, the bills being called on together for further consideration, with the second reading debate continuing until either:

(a) no further Members rise to speak; or

(b) a Minister requires that the debate be adjourned at no earlier than 10 pm;

at which point, debate being adjourned and the House immediately adjourning until Thursday, 24 November at 9 am;

(2) from 7.30 pm on Wednesday, 23 November until the adjournment of the House:

(a) any division called for being deferred until the first opportunity on Thursday, 24 November; and

(b) if any Member draws the attention of the Speaker to the state of the House, the Speaker announcing that he will count the House at the first opportunity on Thursday, 24 November, if the Member then so desires; and

(3) any variation to this arrangement being made only on a motion moved by a Minister.

The impact of the motion that I have moved will be to help us meet the government's objective of making sure that we can get the National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill across to the Senate this year. If the motion is carried, speaking times will remain at 15 minutes. We should actually finish at the normal time, if you look at the number of people on the speaking list at the moment, but sometimes people add themselves late. As a way of making sure that we can get through this today, this motion will allow speeches to continue until at least 10 pm. The adjournment debate will still happen between 7.30 and 8 pm. Having debated whether the House will adjourn, we will then not adjourn and will return to the National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill. If we get to 10 pm—and I don't think we will—it will be at the discretion of the minister at the table to make a judgement as to whether there is only one or two people left and allow the House to continue to sit; or, if we run out of speakers, for the minister at the table to have right of reply, at which point, when there are no further speakers, the House would automatically adjourn.

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