Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move a motion requiring a minister to table a document.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Senator Wong moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter—namely, a motion to give precedence to a motion requiring a minister to table a document, the document in question being the document that sets out the deal with Centre Alliance on gas prices, about which questions have been asked in this chamber today.

Let us be very clear: both in the House of Representatives, where Mr Taylor was asked questions, and today in the Senate, when the Leader of the Government in the Senate was asked questions, there was an utter refusal by the government to give any details of this special deal with Centre Alliance—that is, a deal that Senator Patrick has been very clear and up-front with the newspapers that he has achieved in return for his vote on the tax cuts. I just would remind the government that Senator Patrick has said to newspapers that his party has received a written guarantee outlining the Morrison government's gas policy, which the key minor party demanded in exchange for its support for the $158 billion personal income tax cut package. The draft gas policy, signed by the government, was given to Centre Alliance senators last night ahead of a crucial vote in the Senate today on tax cuts. Well, I think the Australian people and the Senate are entitled to see a copy of a gas policy that, as Senator Patrick asserts, is supposed to deliver $7 per gigajoule, that is supposed to deliver lower prices to consumers, that is supposed to deliver lower gas prices in South Australia, and that the government is keeping secret. I think the Australian people, and this chamber, are entitled to see the details of this secret deal. Senator Patrick is out there spruiking it to the newspapers. Minister Taylor and Minister Cormann, in the House of Representatives and the Senate respectively, are dancing around the answers and refusing to provide answers on this question.

I also want to make this point to Centre Alliance: Senator Rex Patrick and Senator Griff, I hope you come in here and, consistent with your party platform around transparency and accountable, vote for this suspension of standing orders so as to enable the document to be tabled, because Centre Alliance's public platform is that they believe in transparent and accountable government. I think it's pretty reasonable for a party that believes in transparent and accountable government to require a government to tell the Australian people what their policy is. I think that's pretty reasonable. That's pretty transparent and pretty accountable.

I would make a second point about this, and this is about the ethics of it. Centre Alliance has made an agreement with the government over the tax package, and they are entitled to do this. We don't agree with stage 3, and we have explained why. We agree with stages 1 and 2 but not with stage 3, and we have explained our position. But if Centre Alliance has traded their votes for a policy, I think it is incumbent upon them to outline what that policy is. So, I look forward to Senator Patrick and Senator Griff coming in here and voting with the Australian Labor Party, and I hope other parties in this place, to require the government to table the document that Centre Alliance is talking to the media about. This is the extraordinary thing about the document that Senator Cormann doesn't want to acknowledge the existence of, that he doesn't want to ask questions about, that he has ducked and weaved on throughout the entirety of question time today: Senator Patrick has been out there chatting to the media about it. So it's fine. We have the media saying, 'This is what's in the document,' but the Senate can't see it and the Australian people can't see it. We just get Senator Patrick spruiking his deal. If it's such a great deal, I'm sure Senator Patrick and Senator Griff will vote for this motion to ensure that the government actually tables the document that is government policy.

What has occurred is that a deal has been done about government policy, and you ought to front up to the Senate, Senator Cormann, and tell people what the policy actually is. You ought to front up to the Senate and tell them what you're doing in order to get these votes. You're the one that said 'no special deals'. Well, you've given a special deal. That's fine; it's up to you if you want to do that. But I think it is incumbent upon the government and Centre Alliance to provide to this Senate and, via the Senate, the Australian people the details of the gas policy changes that you have agreed in order to get their votes. This document is out there. This document has been signed by the government. This document is being spruiked by Senator Patrick as a thing he got for his vote. Well, table the document. Front up and table the document. It's the right thing to do.