Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I will only need a minute of the Senate's time to set up my position in relation to this motion. For the 11 or so people who may be listening on NewsRadio in relation to this, what is at stake here is whether there ought to be a suspension of standing orders to debate the coalition's censure motion. That is the issue; it is a procedural motion. I think there ought to be a suspension of standing orders. Whether you agree or disagree with the intent of the censure motion it is an important issue and there ought to be debate on it. It is a fundamental issue. It does not mean that I necessarily support the censure motion in its current form, but I do have serious reservations about the way that this debate has been handled and the fact that there will not be a Senate committee to look at this, as is normally the case with such fundamental pieces of legislation.

It does not matter who guillotined what, who guillotined whom over previous legislation or who did what to whom. The issue is: is it fair? Is it reasonable that there be a debate on a censure motion? In order to do that you need a suspension of standing orders. It is a fundamentally important issue, whether you agree or disagree with the censure motion. I believe this Senate ought to agree to a suspension of standing orders to deal with such a contentious and important issue.