Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Hansard source

I inform the Senate that at 8.30 am this morning Senators Gallagher and Siewert each submitted a letter in accordance with standing order 75 proposing a matter of public importance. The question of which proposal would be submitted to the Senate was determined by lot. As a result, I inform the Senate that the following letter has been received from Senator Gallagher:

Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion:

The Government's willingness to enter into an arrangement to forgo $300 million in tax revenue in order to benefit their political allies.

Is the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

I understand that informal arrangements have been allocated to allow specific times for each of the speakers in today's debate, and, with the concurrence of the Senate, I shall ask the clerks to set the clock accordingly.