Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition) Share this | Hansard source

I pointed out that in 1997 there were legislative programs in place to deal with bigger decisions, like the Hammond case, where states' franchise fee powers were knocked out and their budgets were shot by the decision of the High Court. It was possible to see this decision coming. It is one of the scenarios the government could have planned for.

I would respectfully suggest to the government that delivering the bill to the opposition yesterday, bringing it into the House of Representatives yesterday, with changes still being undertaken—so the opposition did not have a chance to consider the final bill before debate—and then bringing it to this place today, not allowing time for parliament to fully debate it, will put the very objectives of the bill at risk. We have few more important roles in this place than to oversee the power of the purse. We have very few more important roles in this place than to oversee the balance of power between the executive and the legislature. There may well be different positions between people who think the decision of the High Court between Pape and Williams was a good one and those who think it was a bad one. Regardless of that, we have to live with the decision. That is what the High Court is there for.

I urge the government and the Greens to seriously consider the opposition amendments, which will ensure that this parliament again has an opportunity to consider this issue in more depth, in due course and with a reasonable amount of time, and to provide certainty to those services which, we all agree, are important to the people of the Commonwealth.