Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I disagree with Senator Xenophon on this matter. He has just indicated that he has been dealing with this matter for some time. We are in the last day of this last week of sitting in the financial year. The senator can bring back a different motion in the future. Senator Fielding is quite right: we all had this very complex and highly charged motion brought before us yesterday afternoon. Senator Xenophon ought to have brought it to senators' attention earlier than this and ought to ensure that there is due time for it to be properly considered. It is not a good process that we are having put upon us. I repeat that there have been three Senate inquiries into this matter. You can come back with differently configured terms of reference, but there needs to be due justification for that, and then we need to absorb that and take it into account. I do not think this process is a good one.

Question put:

That the motion (Senator Xenophon's) be agreed to.

The Senate divided. [12:27]

(The PRESIDENT—Senator Hogg)

Question negatived.