Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Labor strongly opposes these bills, but we do not support the motion to discharge them from the Notice Paper. The bills were introduced last year pursuant to yet another backroom deal between the government and One Nation as part of a full-scale attack on the ABC, which we've witnessed ever since. While it may suit the government and One Nation to have these bills hanging over the ABC and SBS as part of their strategy to menace and harass the public broadcasters, debate is a cornerstone of our democracy. Labor is prepared to debate these bills to demonstrate they are unnecessary, vindictive and hypocritical, to say the least. Labor calls on the government to bring these bills on for debate so the Senate can have its say on them substantively. We note the bills are, yet again, another example of the close relationship between the Turnbull government and One Nation.