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

I have great regard for the Attorney, but I take exception to being accused of playing procedural games. I have been referring to the Scrutiny of Bills Committee, to an Alert Digest in respect of this bill. I do not think that is an abuse of process. It is what we are meant to do. I do want to get to the amendments and I do want to deal with them expeditiously. But these are matters that were raised by a standing committee of the Senate that raised, I think, quite legitimate questions in respect of this bill. I will not cop it from the Attorney—with great respect to the Attorney—to be accused of filibustering or wasting the Senate's time. I simply alerted the Attorney to standing order 166 as a mechanism to perhaps short-circuit the debate on the tabling of documents. However, I think the questions and the answers given by the Attorney have been useful in understanding this very important bill.