Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It does mean that the replacement estimates day, which was on tomorrow, is not going to happen. If this motion to vary business is passed, we will still be dealing with the disallowance motion on the corporations amendment regulations tomorrow, so we will not be having estimates hearings. Clearly, the Labor Party have been influenced by one or two of their members to give this priority over the estimates process and the estimates hearings scheduled for tomorrow. They will not happen if we are still debating this motion tomorrow, and I suspect we will be because it is a very, very important issue and we have to get the understanding of senators who have changed their minds about their written undertakings, such as Senator Muir and Senator Lambie. So I suspect this will go on a long time. As for what is going to happen with the estimates committees, who knows? But, see, we try to accommodate the Labor Party, we do the right thing, we try to make this place work and then we are confronted with the sort of stupidity that is before us now.

Mr President, I move my amendment to the motion:

That paragraphs (3)(b) and (3)(c) of the motion be omitted.

I want to put the Labor Party to the test: how serious are you about dealing with this disallowance motion? If you are really serious about it, you will forgo question time and motions to take note of answers and you will get on with what I know will be a very lengthy debate because you cannot change this sort of legislative approach on the chamber floor over the period of time—

Senator Dastyari interjecting—