Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Xenophon has now explained to me his very good reason, which I will not disclose, for not being here. I do not care whether they are here or not. My only concern is whether they are around in the department drafting the next set of amendments. Clearly they are not. Perhaps their advisers are. That is all we want to know. Minister, if you could tell us that, you could curtail this debate quite considerably. Please confirm, as Senator Birmingham has asked you, whether or not additional amendments are currently being drafted. If they are, why are we proceeding with this farce of a debate? If they are not, let us get on with it and debate the amendments before us.