Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, this is another opportunistic attempt by the Greens to suggest to the Australian public that due process is not being followed in relation to some important legislation that is coming before this place. There are two pieces of legislation. To start with the last matter first, the simple fact is that when you deal with two bills together, of course it is possible to put the two bills to a vote separately, and we would be putting the two bills separately. There would be separate votes. I think most of the senators would have known that and I would have thought a very brief phone call to the Clerk’s office would have revealed that—rather than trying to make suggestions in this place that a separate vote would somehow be denied.

In relation to the bill that the Greens tell us they support but want to have an inquiry into, can I just remind honourable senators that this bill has been floating around for about five months. It was introduced late last year and there was a report by the Selection of Bills Committee—and the Greens have a representative on that committee. The report of that committee was tabled and adopted on 19 October last year, and do you know what the recommendation was? That there be no report or inquiry into the bill. That is what the Greens agreed to. That was tabled and reported to this place on 19 October last year. Here we are on 28 March, being broadcast, and as a result the Greens are trying to say that they are here trying to rescue the Senate from the evils of the Howard government. Well, the Howard government has had this legislation on the table for nearly a full half-year. The Greens did not want an inquiry into this bill. Now, all of a sudden, when we are about to debate it, they do.

What I say to the honourable senator is that if she has any questions about this bill they can be raised during the committee stages. We will be going through the normal committee stages, the normal processes of the Senate, but we think that from an expediency point of view it makes good sense to debate two bills that relate to matters of immigration together. If there are any specific problems or concerns—genuine problems—that the senator has, I wonder whether she has actually rung the minister’s office and inquired as to whether or not she might be given the benefit of certain advice from advisers of that office? I just have a hunch that, like with the Selection of Bills Committee, no such request was made, but the Greens come in here in a flurry suggesting that they are genuinely interested in the legislative process and in informing themselves as to the detail.

The simple facts are that these bills will be voted on separately and there will be a committee stage where these matters can be explored. I am sure that my colleague the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship would be more than willing to provide advice to the honourable senator so that she can be even better informed when the debate commences.