Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I was not going to speak but I have been summonsed to speak because of Senator Evans’ commencement. Let us just go back to this: we could be dealing right now, right at this very minute, with the CPRS bills. That is what is scheduled for debate at this point in time. I did not speak when I got up because I thought it was a straightforward motion. Yesterday I did not waste half an hour and take up time with a suspension motion, nor did I today—and Senator Evans got up and spoke for 15 minutes. He wasted 15 minutes of the time for CPRS debate, and now it has gone around the chamber. Senator Minchin spoke only for five minutes; Senator Xenophon spoke for just under five minutes; Senator Fielding has done the same thing; Senator Brown spoke for slightly longer. But Senator Evans has taken up the most time in this debate.

We are keen to get back onto the CPRS now. Also, we have made it very clear that the opposition will not sit for extended hours this week, that we did not want to do it in any other week and that we would only do it if it was urgent legislation that had a start date of 1 July. We have facilitated this. I know the government are secretly happy that this motion has come forward, because they would have had to move a motion or come cap in hand and ask us to get back onto urgent legislation because they had run out of time. This is the crux of the matter: they have run out of time. So now we are going to get back onto the urgent legislation. We are going to transact the business of the Senate that is going to facilitate the 1 July start-up issues.

Also, Senator Brown indicated that this is a procedural debate and a time-wasting exercise. Through you, Mr President, I say to Senator Brown that this is not the case, because we have limited our time just to prosecuting our issue so that we can get back to legislation. With those words, let us bring back on the CPRS after this vote has been taken.

Question put:

That the motion (Senator Parry’s) be agreed to.