Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Under the government’s legislation this scheme does not take effect until 1 July 2011—19 months away. The government wants us, in the next 19 minutes or perhaps the next 19 hours, to make a decision on an issue that it is not going to implement for 19 months. I will only say that as I do not want to hold up the Senate, but I think the Australian public need to know the hypocrisy of the Labor Party in demanding an urgent conclusion to this deal—this legislation which it says is vital to the world but which does not commence until 19 months time.