Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Acting Deputy President, I am grateful for your ruling but I am also conscious that Senator Macdonald wants to make a contribution. My contribution will be for less than two minutes; it may even be for only a minute. Can I indicate that I will oppose the government's position. I think that this is really diminishing the role of the Senate as a house of review. This is not the way that parliament is supposed to run. I am concerned that with the National Disability Insurance Scheme, a very important piece of legislation, we have just over an hour to determine 15 series of amendments—substantial amendments that go to the heart of the integrity of the scheme in terms of people's rights to appeal. We also have the media laws, which will be rushed through, with significant impacts on the media in this country, issues of freedom of speech and a whole range of other issues. The Senate is meant to be a house of review. The parliament is meant to do its job properly. The founding fathers of the Constitution determined that this Senate was about reviewing legislation in an appropriate and proper manner, and we are not doing it by this motion. So I cannot support this in good conscience. Finally, I say that, if I am fortunate enough to be in this place next year and if there is a change of government, I will hold any new government to the same standards that I am now applying in relation to debates not being curtailed or gagged.