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

Several minutes ago, I asked the minister a very, very straightforward question, and that was whether or not the government consulted with the opposition on today's third reading amendments before those amendments were circulated to all members, we now learn, late yesterday afternoon. I think it would be fair to say that the minister's answer was evasive. It certainly didn't answer the question of whether or not the government had consulted with the opposition on its two very important amendments today: (1) that the deputy chair of the joint parliamentary committee will be a position reserved for the opposition; and (2) that the privileges committee will select the membership of the joint committee.

To be fair to the minister and to give him an opportunity to assure the community that this isn't another major-party stitch-up to maintain their stranglehold on power in this country, I'll ask the minister one more time: does he rule out that the government discussed these amendments with the opposition before the amendments were circulated—amendments that were not seen by any of the 18 crossbench members of this House until they were circulated?

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