George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I will respond to Senator Ludlam. As I said, my only interest here is to make this debate proceed in an appropriate and prompt manner and not allow it to be filibustered by the very cynical exploitation of the provisions of standing order 189(3) which we saw from you, Senator Ludlam, during the last debate.

I regard you as an honest person, Senator Wright. If you tell me that you are not filibustering I will accept that. I would not accept it from Senator Ludlam but I will accept it from you. What I urge you to do, Senator Wright, is to ask all of your questions and I will answer all your questions. This is a little bizarre, frankly, because you announced in your first contribution that the Greens support these government amendments. So we are debating government amendments that you have announced you support. You then asked a series of questions that have nothing to do with the amendments. You have asked a series of questions which relate to aspects of the PJCIS report which do not bear on the amendments which are the question before the chair.

But, be that as it may, I understand that a degree of latitude is allowed in these debates to range over matters that are not precisely on the point of the question before the chair, which is why am not saying that you are out of order here. In order to deal with your questions and progress this debate in the most efficient manner—and to avoid the cynical abuse of standing order 189(3), which we saw from your colleague Senator Ludlam not long ago—I am proposing to listen to your questions carefully, as I have been doing, make a note of each of them and, when you have finished asking all your questions, respond to all of them. You may have subsequent questions of clarification arising out of that. That is a matter for you.

Perhaps you are being made the play thing of a more Machiavellian colleague to your immediate right. Senator Wright, I do not want this debate filibustered. These are important matters. You have announced that you are supporting these amendments and yet, between you, Senator Ludlam and Senator Milne, somehow we do not seem able to get to a vote. Nor, indeed, do we seem able to get to a position where you have asked all your questions so that I can answer all your questions.