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

Mr President, I add a word of con­gratulations for you winning the ballot and resuming your seat as presiding officer of this chamber, and I can assure you that the Greens will be respecting that and assisting you in the good governance of the Senate. I also honour and thank Senator Ludlam for offering as an alternative. He no doubt will continue to serve this Senate in a wider capacity, if not in the chair.

I will say that it is notable that the National Party will not be, as I just heard from the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, putting forward a candidate and that we now have the Greens in the position of being the third party in this chamber. And we do intend to take a vigorous role in offering alternatives to an arrangement like we have just seen, which is going to be the pattern of this Senate, where on many, many issues the two peak parties will be getting together to use their numbers against the innovation of this very progressive and growing force in politics here on the crossbench, the Australian Greens.