Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to comment on the Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation Amendment (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Bill 2014. At the outset let me make a few comments about the way that this legislation has come to the chamber. I have to say that what I saw happen in the chamber this afternoon was some of the worst behaviour we have seen in this place. When this happens, we are all diminished. We have to be very careful, in the delivery of our responsibility as senators, that we ensure that this chamber and this place command the respect of the Australian people. That did not happen today, and that can only be sheeted home to the government. The government runs this chamber. The silliness we had to witness this afternoon does us no good. So I call on the government—