Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Hansard source

I inform the Senate that, at 8.30 am today, two proposals were received in accordance with standing order 75. 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 Collins:

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

The need for the Prime Minister, in his government's budget tonight, to stop his cuts to Medicare and reverse his $700 million of cuts to local hospitals; reverse his $17 billion of cuts to local schools; give up on the zombie cuts in his budget that hurt families and pensioners—like axing the energy supplement; and reverse his $80 billion tax handout to the top end of town.

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 made to allocate specific times to each of the speakers in today's debate. With the concurrence of the Senate, I shall ask the clerks to set the clock accordingly.