Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, so much for the system indeed! Thank you, Senator Ferguson. What we have is an arrogance by the opposition, teaming up with the minor parties to pervert the current system. That is their record and that is what should be looked at.

What we are proposing is a reasonable reform to the Senate committee system. We have done it in a way which brings in the opposition and minor parties. We have proposed that it be discussed over the break. The opposition has said that it wants this to go to the Senate Standing Committee on Procedure. We agree with that. But what we do say is that this matter should be resolved in that sitting fortnight when we return from the winter break. We do not want to delay this any longer than it needs to be. We have adequate time for this to be looked at. The opposition, of course, wants to string this out. It is not interested in seeing legislation get through in the second half of the year. It is not interested in an orderly Senate program. It wants to delay and obfuscate. That is what it is about.

Finally, I just want to touch on the reaction of the Leader of the Opposition. We had the Leader of the Opposition quite seriously saying that this is an act of evil. I say to those people listening in the community at large: how can you take the leader of a major party seriously when he looks at a reform of this nature, which will increase Senate estimates scrutiny, and calls it an act of evil? Such is the desperation of the Leader of the Opposition and such is the hysterical aspect that you find in the opposition in the current environment. It was taken further by the member for Lilley, Wayne Swan, who said that Darth Vader would be very proud of the Howard government this morning. He said, ‘What is next—the Death Star?’ Can you take a bloke like that seriously? Who does he think he is—Yoda? Does he think he is Luke Skywalker, or R2D2 maybe? When you get a reaction like that, you have to ask yourself whether these blokes are really serious.

What we are proposing here is a Senate committee system which reflects the majority of the government of the day, which existed for 24 years from 1970 to 1994 and which increases the number of estimates committees which in turn scrutinise government activity. Where is the evil in that? Indeed, where is the Death Star? I seriously think that the opposition should have a good look at itself and see how it can contribute constructively to this debate rather than carrying on in a shrill and hysterical matter.