Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'll be brief, but I wanted to put on record the National Party's support for this motion. We support this motion because it will make for a better operation of this place. I think it's regrettable that we have to take this action. It would be much better and more sensible if parties in this place did not abuse the liberties that are provided to them as individual senators. That clearly has not been the case over many years. Over many years, this particular item of business on our agenda has been abused. I think it reached the apogee of that abuse a few years ago, when Greens senators moved a motion—one of many they moved that day—to applaud Go Home on Time Day. That was a motion we had in this place, just to applaud Go Home on Time Day, a motion which held us back from going home! The number of motions that the Greens move has become absurd.

All we are saying through this motion is that priority must be given now to what is important, and that is the case for questions, that is the case for adjournment speeches and that is the case for any item of business on the agenda which is time limited. We all have to prioritise what's important that we speak about. I respect the position that Senator Wong has put about the original intention of this business, but we are not saying that we must stick to that rule. The crossbenchers will have their four motions a day. I fully expect that some of them will continue to be wedge motions, but they're just going to have to prioritise what is important so that we can get back to the business of this place in looking after the Australian people.