Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

There is more than just a hint of hypocrisy in this motion. Under the Howard government there was provision for spillover days. When the previous Labor government came into office they decided they would dispense with spillover days. In fact, Labor senators adopted very much a work to rule attitude: not one minute of smoko time would ever be encroached upon while Labor were in charge of the Senate estimates process; it was work to rule. If Senator Polley were here, I might make particular reference to her chairing of Senate estimates committees in that regard.