Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, the government does not believe that the important role of the Privileges Committee should be called into question by the politicisation of the processes. We will not be supporting the Liberal motion that is the subject of the suspension; nor will we be supporting the Greens motions that were tabled referring three other matters to the Privileges Committee. We do not think the political tit for tat that is occurring is an appropriate way for senators to treat the important role of the Privileges Committee. We do not think that any of this is enhancing the reputation of the Senate or the reputation of senators. I again note that the Privileges Committee found that there was no case to answer for Senators Brown and Milne, and I do not think that further referral of matters in a politically-charged atmosphere, without real cause for those referrals, is an appropriate way for the Senate to proceed.

The Privileges Committee report did find both Senators Milne and Brown to have nothing to answer for. The Privileges Committee also found that the question of the granting of precedence, which is at the heart of much of the dispute here, ought to be referred to the Procedure Committee for consideration. I think that is the appropriate course of action. I think that during the break the Procedure Committee ought to seriously look at this issue of how precedence is granted, in accordance with the Privileges Committee recommendation. That would certainly be our intention, and I think that is the appropriate way for the chamber to deal with these things.

Mr President, I conclude by saying that we think you acted perfectly appropriately in the way you handled these matters. We think the clerks have discharged their duties perfectly appropriately. We think we ought to move on and focus on issues of importance to the Australian people. I move:

That the motion be put.

Question agreed to.