Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to place on record that my office contacted Senator Brown’s office about this motion procedurally, there having been, as we understood it, an agreement that the only matter that would proceed would be the first bill on the list of bills and that it was necessary to clean up the list for that purpose. The discussion took place and as far as we were aware there were no issues with the moving of this motion. We believed it was procedural. We hear what Senator Brown says and I can assure him that it is not our intention to establish any precedent of interfering with general business in any way. On this occasion, this was a procedure to give effect to what we understood was an agreement.