Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I thank the Senate and those observing this need to understand the process that has occurred to date. Indeed, Senator Macdonald has misrepresented the comments that I made during my contribution on this bill. Let's be very clear about what process occurred. We moved to have these matters referred to a committee for a report and for an interim report, to allow the Greens' bill and, indeed, other proposals, such as the now government amendments, to be considered in detail. What this government then did was come into the chamber, in a deal with the Greens, and circumvent that time frame—so severely that we have received complaints from people who appeared before the Senate committee that they were asked to provide further information to the committee and the committee reported even before such information could have been received by the committee. That was the farce, that this government agreed with the Greens about how we deal with issues related to discrimination against students.

The Labor Party had no part in that farce. Let's be very clear: things change on that side, on the government's side, every second minute. Now they're arguing we need more time. In the week before last they were arguing, 'Oh, no, we've got to do it right now,' and would not allow proper and due consideration. This is the chaos of the Morrison government. They cannot decide on a process that is legitimate, that is open, that is honest. Instead, we have the stunts, such as that we just received, where, with no notice, with—