Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, Senator Xenophon has been open and upfront. I disagree with him; I think he is wrong. But he has at least said: ‘If you force me to do it’—as with this motion today—‘I’m not up for it. I’m not going to vote on these bills or the second reading this week. I am a vote for a deferral. I’m a vote for not dealing with it.’ At least he has been honest. I think it is wrong. I think he ought to take his responsibility to debate the bills this week, but he has been frank about that.

After Senator Fielding’s contribution to the last debate, yesterday, on these matters, I am a little confused about what his position is. I think he is currently a climate change sceptic, which is a perfectly reasonable position for him to adopt if that is his position. But, at the last debate on this matter, Senator Fielding argued that he did not want to be dealing with these bills late at night. The reality is that, if this resolution is carried, we will be dealing with the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme bills late at night at the end of the week because it pushes them all back to that period, rather than dealing with them early in the week when he is fresh and when we are able to deal with them in a non-rushed manner. We could bring them on. But, Senator Fielding, if your position is that you do not want to deal with them this week, say so. Do, for the chamber, the honest thing and say so, because then we will all know where we stand.