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

by leave—I welcome Senator Boswell’s legislation coming into the Senate. There is at least another bill to come today, and there were some yesterday. But I put this to the Senate: how on earth are these private members’ bills going to have any effect at all if, as today, we see what little private members time there is given over to government business? I put it to the Senate, Mr President, that there needs to be a very serious look—not just by the Procedure Committee but by the Senate itself—at facilitating private members’ legislation being dealt with by the Senate and the Senate not simply being given over to government business. The opposition has made a major mistake in facilitating that process this afternoon and I think it needs to think again. If Senator Boswell’s legislation is important, and I am sure it is, it should be dealt with, but there is no hope for it if the opposition keeps giving what little time we have for dealing with important pieces of legislation like this across to the government for government business.