Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

I will be brief. The Democrats will not oppose this. It would not greatly surprise Senator Ludwig that I want to take the opportunity to repeat my view that there should be a greater number of sitting days in general for the Senate this year, as there should have been in a number of years in the past. Extending the hours in the evenings is the inevitable consequence of not having enough time to properly consider legislation. I would also note with regard to this, and maybe even with regard to the usual arrangements for Thursday afternoons, the number of impassioned comments made in the House of Representatives about how terrible it is to have sittings without any sort of expectation that quorums would be called. I am sure there will be a full quorum of Liberal Party senators here throughout both of these evenings, given their new-found desire to have quorate chambers at all times.

I think the broader point needs to be made that, whilst there is a valid case being put, obviously it will be up to the discipline of the major parties and probably, as usual, opposition senators as to whether or not this will be sufficient time to get through the legislation that is desired to get through next week. None of us can know that, other than the opposition, basically. But I do think it needs to be re-emphasised that there is not a sufficient number of sitting days in general for the Senate this year. It is not a particularly good practice, I think, to have this sort of approach as a fall-back arrangement instead.

Question agreed to.