Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

The minister has just sought to have a process put in place to adjourn the debate. We have been lectured for the last few minutes on how important it is to have the BSWAT legislation brought forward. I have offered the minister the opportunity to move straight into a debate on BSWAT. I am ready to go. I am speaking for the opposition on this business. This offer was made to the minister in good faith. We have listened to the position put forward by the Greens that this was so important we had to bring it forward. We have not had that discussion. No-one had told us what they wanted to do previously.

I am ready to go with BSWAT; the opposition is ready to go with BSWAT. We want to debate this bill. We have listened to the argument about how important it is. We care—which Senator Macdonald has been lecturing us about all the way through. I wish to put on record that we have listened; we are prepared to have the debate. We want to know why it cannot be brought on now for debate, because we were told only recently of its importance. (Time expired)