Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I just wanted to add my support for the amendment but also point out very clearly that the Australian Greens did follow the protocol. We wrote to the government, asking that they did not schedule or suggest that this parliament sits during school holidays, because of the problems it created last year. At the end of last year, when we were discussing this year's calendar, there was quite a lot of comment in this place about how we would not again see the mistake of scheduling sitting weeks during school holidays. Twelve months on, it is as if those words were either (a) forgotten or (b) hollow in the first place. Frankly, I get a bit sick and tired of hearing the lip-service to how we should be encouraging more women into this parliament, when in fact very practical considerations could be made which would make it a much more workable place to be for women. I think it is appalling— (Time expired)