Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

He is giving us more time. There is a pathetic excuse from the Government Whip. Many of them are cowards on the other side. Either they are not up to the debate—I see Senator Bishop is here; he is up for the debate—or they are being told by the Prime Minister’s office not to jump up and speak. This is the pattern on the other side. Only three of them spoke on the emissions trading scheme debate, one of the great moral issues of our day. This is the pattern. They have utterly abandoned the legislative process. They are so cowered by the Prime Minister’s office—through the whip, I should add, who threw his little comment in before that they are giving us more time to speak. This is the chamber of debate.