Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

The actual motion moved by Senator Ludlam highlights the complete failure of the so-called new paradigm that we were promised by the Green-Labor alliance government. I would have thought Senator Ludlam could have resolved this issue at the normal Monday morning meeting between the Australian Greens and the ALP. Given that Senator Ludlam quite rightly complains about ministerial arrogance and non-answers by the ALP ministers, I thought it appropriate to remind Senator Ludlam that he is not alone in relation to this issue.

Senators right around this chamber are still awaiting answers to 1,399 questions that were asked at the last Senate estimates process, answers that should have been provided last year in December. We are now into the second month of 2013. We are now only a matter of days away from the next round of Senate estimates with over 20 per cent of the questions unanswered. How on earth can senators who are serious about their task of representing their electorates be able to deal with the next round of estimates when there are 1,399 answers outstanding to the questions?

This is indicative of a government that has no concern for the parliamentary process. We were promised all sorts of things in this new paradigm, courtesy of the country Independents and the Australian Greens. We were promised that the parliament would not be treated with contempt, that the executive would be answerable to the parliament. What do we have? The country Independents do not ever bleat even once about the non-answers by ministers and the Greens sporadically complain on a pet topic of their own but never about the overall arrogance because it is the Australian Greens who are keeping this arrogant government in power with those country Independents. Of course, it should not be a surprise that the Australian Greens in cahoots with the country Independents are not keeping this government to account because it is the Australian Greens, who combined with Labor, have thus far guillotined over 150 bills through this chamber without proper and full debate, something that they promised they would not do.

I wind up my remarks to indicate that the coalition sympathise with Senator Ludlam's dilemma but he and the Australian Greens could actually do something if they were genuinely serious. I once again call on the government to ensure that answers are provided in a timely fashion to the questions that are taken on notice at Senate estimates.