Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to ask the minister whether she is comfortable with the decision that has just been made by her government to effectively gag this debate and therefore silence the very many disability organisations that have, over the course of more than a month, liaised with my office in the construction of the questions which I had prepared to put to her. I want to make it very clear: these are detailed questions, contributed in good faith to the decisions around this bill. They will take longer than this marker will allow, not because I'm being obstructive but simply because this is a very detailed piece of legislation affecting—as you so well described it earlier—a joint venture between the Commonwealth and the states and territories, the size of which we haven't seen since Medicare. I will not now, nor will any other senators, be able to fully finish the interrogation of the bill, and I must say also the subsequent amendment which goes to one of the most important royal commissions in Australia's history. Is the minister remotely comfortable with this decision that has been taken by the government in the chamber this morning?

Progress reported.