Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Hansard source

I inform the Senate that, at 8.30 this morning, Senators Gallagher and Siewert each submitted a letter in accordance with standing order No. 75, proposing a matter of public importance. The question of which proposal would be submitted to the Senate was determined by lot, and, as a result, I inform the Senate that the following letter has been received from Senator Siewert:

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

The Turnbull government's enthusiasm to waste $1 billion propping up Labor's Adani mine shows they're working for billionaires, not for the future of everyday Australians.

Is the proposal supported?

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

The proposal is supported, and I understand that informal arrangements have been made to allocate specific times to 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. I call Senator Waters.