Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

You are quite right, Mr Acting Deputy President: on this occasion there is no point of order. But let me repeat to you what I thought you could hear: Senator Stott Despoja need have no worry; and I think Senator Fielding is wrong, because I do not think his motion will have the impact of cutting off pollsters, and we would not be supporting it if it did. But, sure, stop politicians and big money.

We have just had legislation go through the chamber which allows an enormous increase in secret donations going to the party machines. The Greens voted against it, but the government got it through. We have just opposed provisions which cut tens of thousands of young people out of voting on polling day. We think this is a black day for democracy. It is a day on which the debate is also on about the government taking over the Senate committee system. I want to make it clear that the Greens would not support another indirect attack on democracy by supporting any motion that would prevent pollsters from doing phone polling on the big issues of the day to gauge what Australians think, and to feed that into the political firmament.