Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I want to speak on the exemption from the cut-off. Labor has been dealing with the legislative program as ordinary pieces of legislation. It is not unusual for the government to ask for an exemption to the cut-off in relation to a bill that they can justify as urgent. I understand that the government has been able to make a case that this is an urgent bill that should be put on the legislative program for this week. I am not going to cavil with that. The exemption from the cut-off is to ensure that the program is not unduly loaded up at the end of the session and it allows, in this instance, bills to be dealt with in the ordinary way. If I take that broad view, then what the government is asking for is that this bill be exempt from the cut-off so that it can be dealt with in that way—therefore, it is not an unusual process.

The more unusual process is that of the motion that we just lost a little while ago, but I will  not go there in any substantial way other than to remind the Senate that this adds one more bill to the program which the government sees a need to finalise this week, it appears. Labor has indicated that it will continue to deal with the bills in the usual way and address them on their merits as they arise. I will not go to the merits of the ACC bill itself. That is a matter that will come up in due course and we can then address the substantive issues that are associated with the bill. There is no need in this debate to raise those matters. It is broadly a bill that deals with, as I understand it, an amendment to ensure that that the Australian Crime Commission can deal with their usual summons processes. The EM explains that adequately, it appears, and the government will obviously support their position and demonstrate the need for the urgency of this bill. On that basis, Labor will not oppose exemption from the cut-off.