Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I want to make some brief remarks, because I just could not let some of the parliamentary secretary's comments go unremarked in relation to the alleged loss of time in relation to this bill.

If we were following the red without having had a motion to change the order of business and to introduce a guillotine, in the ordinary course of events today we would be coming back to this legislation about now. So any allegation that the procedural motions earlier today were diminishing time for debate are quite incorrect. If the red was being followed as per usual, we would come to this legislation about now. The opportunity should not be denied to colleagues to express their displeasure at a motion that sought to guillotine this debate and other debate. I do not want to say any more than that on this matter but I just thought that had to be on the record.