George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move a motion that would enable the consideration of the committee stage of the debate to be extended until 4 pm today.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent me from moving that debate on the consideration of the committee stage of the bill be extended until 4 pm today.

This is, as the opposition has maintained throughout this debate, the most important decision in relation to infrastructure, in relation to the expenditure of public money, that this parliament has ever considered. Let me say that again: the commitment of $42 billion of taxpayers’ money, at a minimum, at the lowest estimate of that expenditure, by this parliament is not something that should be rushed. And yet here, on the last sitting day of the year, the government is trying to guillotine consideration of the matter through the parliament.

Let me remind honourable senators what has happened in the course of this debate. Yesterday morning the opposition spent two hours trying to extend the time available for this debate, beyond the end of today and for all day Saturday. Had we succeeded in doing so—