Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Hansard source

Let me be clear: the government believes there are established and well-tested methods for dealing with the conduct of senators, and Senator Brandis knows them quite well. It is our intention to support these processes and we will support the rulings of the President in relation to matters of determining precedence on any privilege motions. The position of President will continue to be respected by the govern­ment. The position of President is an inher­ently difficult one—we all know that—and we will continue to support the duties he exercises with proper process and fairness. I remind the chamber that, as the President said yesterday, a determination of whether a matter requires precedence is in no way a reflection on, or a preliminary assessment of, the facts. It is for the Senate as a whole, not the President, to determine whether matters should be referred to the Privileges Committee.

As I have already said, general business should be about discussing matters of substance. This chamber should have a high standard of debate on issues and challenges facing this country. Debating quotes out of context, and senators spending time settling scores and pursuing minor personal argu­ments, should not become the standard of debate in this place. The government has a significant agenda of reform. During a period when the world faces ongoing insecurity about economic stability, the government is determined to keep our economy strong, create new jobs, invest in our country and make our economy more productive. The opposition unfortunately rejected most of those policies last year and we have seen that typified in the debates this week.

We have all heard their noes, but what are the opposition's answers? What plans do coalition senators have for this country? We await their policies. I am sure that senators opposite do have views and do have ideas. Why do they not use the opportunities in this place to argue for their alternative vision? Even I am not so jaded that I assume oppo­sition senators have no ideas and just want to indulge in petty squabbles. Now is the time to outline for the country your policies to make this a better place and to improve the quality of life of our people. Use the time; end the squabbles. These are the critical issues challenging the country. These are the critical issues that should be debated in this chamber. The government will not support the motion and will not support any motions like these in the future.