Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That—

(1)   Divisions may take place before 12.30 pm on Monday, 31 October 2011 and 7 November 2011.

(2)   On Wednesday, 12 October 2011:

  (a)   the hours of meeting shall be 9.30 am to adjournment;

  (b)   the consideration of government documents shall not be proceeded with; and

  (b)   the question for the adjournment of the Senate shall be proposed after all questions relating to the introduction of the Clean Energy Bill 2011 and 17 related bills have been finally considered.

This motion ensures that the Senate has the capacity to introduce the clean energy package into the chamber today. It allows time for the message to come across from the House, which will occur at some point today. This hours motion allows that message to be disposed of so that the bills are then available for debate in the period that has been set aside in the next couple of weeks.

I anticipate the opposition will oppose this motion. They will again revisit the many arguments that they have already run. Their position of opposing the bills is quite well known. They do not want the legislation to be dealt with in the House and they do not want them to be dealt with in the Senate. They are using every procedural device to avoid the debate and to avoid the passage of this legislation. It is historic legislation. The opposition—