Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, the government supports your statement and your actions in the chamber yesterday. In supporting your statement let me also reflect that ours is a chamber in which of course we engage in the battle of ideas on behalf of the communities, states and people we represent, and at times that debate can become quite robust, but there is always a requirement and a responsibility on all of us to engage in the debate in a way that is appropriately robust but also appropriately respectful. It is true that in recent times we're getting to that point of the cycle where tensions increase somewhat in the natural course of events, but it is very important for all of us to remind ourselves of the standards that people expect us to observe as we engage in important business as an important part of our parliamentary democracy. My point of view is that I have always sought to engage willingly but also very respectfully in the debates that we inevitably enter into, and I think it is incumbent on all senators to engage in those debates in the same spirit. From the government's point of view we also will consider any proposals that will come forward through the Procedure Committee to improve what has become an increasingly contentious part of Senate business during the day, and I think that the proposition that you've put forward has a lot of merit.