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

I totally reject comments that we have not provided sufficient notice in relation to these reasons for applying urgency. I think Senator Carr might have mentioned that. The reasons for applying urgency to all of these bills, except for the datacasting bill, were incorporated in Hansard on 9 November this year. The reasons for urgency for the datacasting bill, I understand, were circulated last week. That is more than adequate notice in relation to the reasons for urgency.

On the issue of the government abusing its ability to seek the cut-off now that we have the numbers, I remind senators that this year the bills that we have sought to exempt from the cut-off number about a third of Labor’s average when it was last in government, in 1994-95. That demonstrates a significant deal more restraint than the previous, Labor, government. This is something that we approach on an as-needed basis. We have circulated the reasons for urgency for the cut-off and we stand by those reasons. I understand that we will deal with these bills in two parts.