Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I would have thought that on reflection the Greens leader would have withdrawn this motion. This motion was born out of petulance about a fortnight ago when the Labor Party quite properly, albeit on very short notice, suggested to us as a Senate that we should convene for the purposes of having a joint two minutes silence with our brothers across the Tasman for the Christchurch disaster. We as an opposition were notified at the same time as the Greens were. Was there inconvenience occasioned? Yes, of course there was. But was it a worthy, proper and upstanding thing for this place to do? Absolutely. That is why we as an opposition did not seek to object to the government’s suggestion and, in fact, we actively supported it.

This, unfortunately, is yet again an indication of the Australian Greens approach—it is all about me, it is all about the Greens, rather than looking at the sensitivity of the moment. In the sensitivity of the moment we in this place were able to share, at the same time, two minutes silence with our cousins across the Tasman in the wake of the Christchurch disaster. It did not require us to prepare speeches or anything of that nature and I thought it was a proper and decent thing for the government to suggest. It was a suggestion we were willing to conform with and expedite. That this motion is still before us and is still being pursued is an unfortunate reflection of petulance.