Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Can I make an intervention at this stage for the orderly conduct of the committee stages. I understand that a number of Labor senators want to, in effect, give speeches during the committee stages. That is their right and it is appropriate, should they want to do so. But if that is the case what I am suggesting to the committee is that possibly a time limit be allocated to that because, for example, if I were to ask a question of the minister it would then be open, if the minister did not respond, for a Labor senator to get up and give a 10- or 15-minute speech—whatever the time allocation is—and I think it would be very disjointed. Some might say that this tactic—if that is right—is a bit of a filibuster of their own bill. I will not go down that track other than to say that, for the orderly conduct of the committee stages, if people do want to give speeches can we get them out of the way by arrangement and by agreement at the beginning so that we can then have questions and answers, because I have a whole host of basically one-line questions that I want to ask of the government. But if they are being interrupted with what I am sure will be very worthwhile contributions by government senators then it just seems that the flow will be lost. I am wondering whether I could have the indulgence of Senator Ludwig for some sort of agreement on that. If we cannot, then so be it and we will try to proceed, but I think it will be disjointed for everybody.