Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

That would be difficult to see, I would have thought. In terms of the quip about regulations, it is quite normal practice—and the senator knows this—for delegated or subordinate legislation to come after the primary legislation. That is not an unusual situation. In terms of the senator saying to me, ‘Well, we had better tell him now; otherwise, when the regs come along, the whole scheme will follow.’ But the senator has made it clear that he is going to vote for this no matter what. So, I appreciate his concern, but he has already decided that, no matter what I say in this chamber, he is not going to vote for it, because he does not believe that Australia should take action on climate change. He can come in and ask questions all he likes and I will continue to answer them as best I can, but everybody knows he is not going to support it.

We have been some 20 hours in committee and have progressed, I think, eight sets of amendments. Has the committee got any time frame in mind for bringing the discussion of this set of amendments, which has occupied much time, to a conclusion, or is it proposed that this simply go on ad infinitum—that is, forever?