Grant Chapman (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I inform the Senate that at 8.30 am today Senators Milne and Stott Despoja each submitted a letter in accordance with standing order 75 proposing a matter of urgency for debate. The question of which proposal would be submitted to the Senate was determined by lot. As a result, I inform the Senate that the following letter has been received from Senator Stott Despoja:

Dear Mr President,

Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today I propose to move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

That Australian citizen David Hicks will be subject to a Military Commission process that, among its flaws, allows conviction on evidence obtained through coercion and on hearsay, and strips away habeas corpus.

Further, that Mr Hicks’ mental and physical health has deteriorated in recent months, particularly after eleven months in solitary confinement, and he should be repatriated immediately.

Yours sincerely,

Senator Stott Despoja

Senator for South Australia

Is the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

I understand that informal arrangements have been made to allocate specific times to each of the speakers in today’s debate. With the concurrence of the Senate, I shall ask the clerks to set the clock accordingly.