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

Senator Parry complains that they are not on the urgent list. No, that is set aside by this motion from the opposition. What the government thinks is urgent and not urgent no longer pertains. If the opposition has its way with this piece of legislation, it is responsible for what is urgent and what is not, and I am pointing out some pieces of legislation that it has left off the list for consideration altogether because they are not politically convenient to the opposition.

The opposition is on very dangerous ground here. Where it is safe is in believing this is going to delay debate this week and make it more difficult to get the government’s legislation through. Every minute we spend on this ill-thought-out effort by the opposition to take over the running of government business in this place is a minute lost on determining the legislation—