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

I thank the Senate. With due respect to Senator Heffernan, after 2007, this Senate came to an agreement to restore the committee system which existed before the majority Howard government changed it in 2004. That committee system was to deal with all the issues that came before the Senate. There were, pre-existing, some special committees, including this one, which were to be wound up and were to have their business dealt with by standing and reference committees. This motion cuts right across that. It extends into the never-never a committee that ought to have been wound up in July last year if not earlier than that. The process is wrong. We ought to have kept to the commitment and the original committee system, which was totally adequate for dealing with these issues, ought to prevail. That is just good process, and that is the point of view the Greens have, so we do not support this motion.