Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The debate on the Wild Rivers (Environmental Management) Bill 2010 [No. 2] in this chamber this evening is nothing but a political stunt, and I want people listening to the broadcast and people in the press gallery to clearly understand that this is a political stunt. The fact that as Chair of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, which inquired into this legislation, I have only five minutes to contribute to this debate and that this legislation will be debated within only half an hour proves how desperate the Leader of the Opposition and the people opposite me are to try to gain support, for some reason or other, in the Cape York Peninsula.

I say on record that never in my history of being involved in committees in this parliament and as chair have I seen my committee secretariat harassed, bullied and verballed by witnesses—by one particular witness, in fact—as I have during the course of this inquiry, to comment on the way in which committee decisions were made. With no dissent, committee decisions were made, and particular witnesses—one particular witness, in fact—then had the audacity to ring and verbal my committee secretary about that. We have had undisclosed material—an undisclosed privilege matter—and the whole conduct of this inquiry has been nothing but a sham in respect of the opposition, who have tried to bully, filibuster and bring this debate on well before time.