Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is true; they have shot me up the list. Lucky me! I have a good 15-plus minutes to go. So that is the first test, for those listing on broadcast. After all that hyperbole and exaggeration—and it was unbecoming of you, Senator Ludwig—I hope Senator Ray will have a far more balanced approach to this. Senator Ray, for all his rantings and ravings, his spittings and explosiveness, does not go for hyperbole. I will give him that. He, too, would be embarrassed by your leader’s comments with regard to this ‘evil’ act. I think you reserve the word ‘evil’ for far more dramatic and worse actions than what we are doing here today.

What the government will not accept in this motion—and we have moved an amendment accordingly—is the move by the other side to, typically, stretch this inquiry out beyond the time the Procedure Committee normally need to have a decent look at such a matter. We are not going to fall for that again, because that is your habit. Your habit is to go on fishing expeditions in committees, to stretch what you would think is a political advantage in all of this. We believe there is enough time for this to be investigated by the Procedure Committee over the winter break and to report back to the Senate in August. That is fair enough. Perhaps you could just put it down to a difference of opinion, but the point is the motion is going to the Procedure Committee. All we differ on is the time to investigate it.