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

You are right again, Chair. The position is that Senator Brandis should answer questions, if he sees them as questions being put to him, in his own turn. That is what the standing orders require. And I do not want a lecture from Senator Brandis, putting down the people of Tasmania; I will not stand for it. This is an important matter. This is about the rights of Tasmanians to have a registrar. My information is that that position ended today, so it is absolutely incumbent upon the opposition to support this amendment now. It is just unacceptable that that is not happening.

I again ask the parliamentary secretary: will she give an assurance that the government will deal with the other bill, which has a similar amendment, and see that bill pass the parliament before the end of this year, if that alternative option is taken up?