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

Can I first indicate that Labor have moved this motion with the government because we want formal business to be consistent with the purpose for which it was designed—that is, as a way of dealing in a timely manner with routine and uncontroversial matters. That is the purpose for which formal business was designed. The reality is that in recent times—in fact, for longer than recent times—it simply has not met that standard. It has become a time where senators have been forced to take positions on a large volume of complex and sensitive matters.

Senator Waters interjecting—

I'll take that interjection. You say it's about accountability. You know what your business model is? The Greens come in here with motions that they know are controversial, where the majority of the motion is something Labor can support. They put one part in that the Labor Party can't. We cannot debate it. We cannot amend it. And then you run a social media campaign against us on the basis of the one thing. That's your political business model. Well, we are tired of it. We are tired of being wedged for no political purpose other than the Greens' desire to run a wedge campaign on issues where, in large part, we might agree. They are not interested in social change, they are not interested in political change. They are just interested in a bit of wedge politics. I didn't come into parliament just to play some wedge politics. The Labor Party doesn't come to parliament just to play wedge politics. We come to try and change the nation—that's what we're here for—