Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

This is clearly an abuse of the Senate and Senator Cormann knows that, which is why he protests so much about the position that he has taken. It is also tactically dumb. The opposition will have to call themselves on to decide how they are going to vote on this—whether they are going to support the delaying tactic that Senator Cormann has put forward or whether they will pull him into line and indicate to this chamber that it is the government’s prerogative, not the opposition’s prerogative, to deal with the legislative program. There is no argument about how you might want to vote on a particular piece of legislation; that is clearly within your purview—although I am not sure you will be up to it when we turn to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, Senator Cormann.

Another thing I want to deal with is that the bill Senator Cormann seeks to give precedence to does not deal with the substance of the matter. (Time expired)