Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, too, would like to contribute to this debate and I indicate that I oppose the motion moved by Senator Fifield to amend the Selection of Bills Committee report. The reason I oppose the amendment is that once again this is just a delaying tactic by the opposition. They want to delay parliamentary consideration of a package of bills because, as we know, they are determined to do only one thing, and that is to never take any action on damaging climate change.

So that people understand it, the proposal here from the opposition is that the clean energy bills be referred to no fewer than eight Senate committees. The proposal is that those eight Senate committees would all be looking at the same legislation. It is a ridiculous proposition because the same legislation is currently under consideration by a joint select committee established, as Senator Milne said, by both houses of the parliament. Indeed, as we have heard, Senator Birmingham and Senator Cormann are on that committee and have an opportunity there to participate meaningfully in the debate on these bills. But they have chosen not to participate in—

Senator Cormann interjecting—