Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Hansard source

It does appear, and I hope, that this debate might draw to a close. In conclusion, I really want to highlight some of the confusion that's happened in this debate. Senator Roberts said that he now supports the legislation, as we do too, but we support it with amendments. He referenced the amendments and that One Nation will legislate on just those two questions. I remind him that those two questions—those two amendments—are the ones before the chamber that the Senate is seeking to insist on today. He said that there was no need for One Nation to insist on those amendments because they'd had an alternative agreement with the government that addressed the very same issues.

I'd like to ask the government what that agreement is in terms of its influence on the draft rules. How will the draft rules change in relation to that agreement? Are they in accordance with the amendments that are before the chamber now that we are seeking to insist on? In addition, Senator Hanson referenced some legal advice. I ask if the government will please table that legal advice and supply it to the Senate. It seems to me a ridiculous proposition that One Nation, who agree with us on the amendments and the passage of this legislation, should, rather than go through the parliamentary process accordingly, ultimately be motivated by making a side deal with the government, so that they are complicit with saving the government from the embarrassment of having the message sent back there and then, potentially, if they choose to insist again, it will be sent back here again. But I'm told that One Nation have an undertaking that the government is prepared to address the very issues that One Nation supported here in the Senate in these amendments.

I put those questions to you, minister, so that you can inform the Senate exactly what the agreement is with One Nation in relation to the form of the changes to the draft rules that Senator Roberts says are part of their legislating process—to take it outside of this chamber—that they've made that arrangement about the draft rules with you.