Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am delighted to enter this debate on the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Amendment (Disallowance Power of the Commonwealth) Bill 2006. I support most of the arguments that my colleague from Queensland Senator Trood has very carefully and eloquently delivered to the chamber. I had a glance at Senator Brown’s second reading speech; I have to say that it goes down in history as quite the shortest speech that Senator Brown has ever made. It is strange that, when we are trying to get important government legislation through this parliament, we continually have not only long speeches from Senator Brown at the second reading stage—