Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I want to respond to the criticism from Senator O’Brien. Senator Siewert has brought in some very compelling and important amendments to this legislation. Senator O’Brien ought to have been introducing amendments. The Labor Party has enormous wherewithal that the Greens do not. The pressure cooker situation here is an outcome of the government putting major legislation without time for proper Senate scrutiny and without time for proper Senate consideration—we all understand that. Notwithstanding that, Senator Siewert and her staff have been able to look at the 233 pages of legislation and at the evidence before the committee and its findings and come up with a suite of very important and sensible amendments. Then Senator O’Brien comes in and says, ‘I haven’t had time to look at them,’ although they were circulated and available yesterday and we sat here until 12 o’clock last night. Most senators were waiting on the deliberations of the Northern Territory legislation, and yet he says he has not had time to look at them and so he is going to vote against them all. The Labor shadow minister has a decision to make here. The legislation—