Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Urban Development) Share this | Hansard source

The opposition will be supporting this amendment. As I understand the situation, we have a Selection of Bills Committee report where the government has proposed the reference of a bill to a committee, with essentially a two-week period of notice, to consider a bill that this chamber has not seen. I asked the clerks: ‘Where is the bill?’ They indicated to me that it has not been introduced to the Senate. I asked: ‘Perhaps it is in the House of Representatives?’ They indicated to me that, no, it has not been introduced into the House of Representatives. Then I asked what I thought was a perfectly reasonable question: ‘Well, can I have a copy of the bill?’ And I am told that a bill is not available! It’s not available!