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

As foreshadowed, I move on behalf of the Greens that the motion moved by Senator Ellison be amended as follows:

Omit ‘immediately’, substitute ‘immediately after the Senate has completed consideration of the orders of the day relating to the Tax Laws Amendment (Luxury Car Tax) Bill 2008 and related bills and the Tax Laws Amendment (Medicare Levy Surcharge Thresholds) Bill 2008 and the Excise Legislation Amendment (Condensate) Bill and the Excise Tariff Amendment (Condensate) Bill 2008’.

I move this amendment because the Greens are firmly of the opinion that the bills should be dealt with in the order that we deal first with the bills which are to raise some $3.274 billion over four years and then proceed to the opposition bill to increase the single age and veterans pension by $30 a week. I can foreshadow that we will move to extend the single age and veterans pension increase to people who are on disability pensions as well.

There was a filibuster from the opposition at the end of last week, and we want to see these matters comprehensively, properly and seriously dealt with. Our proposal, particularly in view of the fact that we will be sitting longer hours this week, is to deal with the three government revenue-raising bills and to then bring up the expenditure bill. We can deal with all of those. If it is done in that order then the pensions bill can be taken through to determination later this week.

Of course, this does not at all interfere with the urgency of any of the matters, and I can tell senators from long experience in this place that if this course of action is supported and taken, we will get the same outcome but we will get a much more concentrated, pertinent and serious debate in the chamber in the coming few days. We have put forward this proposal seriously. It does not amend the outcome, but it does responsibly alter the trajectory to that outcome.

I would counsel the government to think again about not supporting this course of action. It is obviously in the interests of the government to get its revenue-raising legislation dealt with and determined, one way or another. The course of action that the Greens are putting forward will concentrate the minds of the Senate on that task because of the generally felt urgent nature of the Greens longstanding policy to have the pension increased by $30 a week in the way stated in the opposition legislation and which is now coalition policy, although it was not at this time last year.

I say to the government and to all members of the chamber: you ought to support the Greens amendment so that we can best get an outcome on all six pieces of legislation by the end of the week.