Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I didn't say cuddles; I said huddles. I want to ask some questions about the revisions of the minister after I finish this contribution. If the government did not try to subvert the Senate process in order to give Mr Abbott a media conference when he wanted to after he flew in from the Pilbara, then they would not be in this predicament of both filibustering and guillotining their own debate in order to give themselves time to negotiate the third round of amendments, to enable them to get the numbers in this chamber to repeal the carbon price. If they did not try to subvert this chamber's proper process, they would not be in the embarrassing position they are in now where they are running around trying to cut a deal with 15 minutes or so left on the clock—15 minutes, which of course is of their own making. Those of us on this side of chamber—obviously, not the Palmer United Party but the Greens and the Labor Party—made it very clear we wanted a proper debate on this bill. As I said—