Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I suppose in rising today to speak on this motion I just want to express my extreme disappointment at the fact that, at the commencement of Senator Gallagher's comments, she noted the fact that the Leader of the Greens in the Senate, who moved this motion, had raised this matter with her before the matter was actually raised in this chamber. I would have thought that one of the most important conventions that exist in this place is making sure that we build everything on the basis of respect. I would like to draw to the Senate's attention that at no time prior to moving this motion this morning did the mover of the motion, the Leader of the Greens in the Senate, Senator Waters, even bother to raise this matter with me as the Manager of Government Business. Senator Waters, I have never given you any reason to suggest that I would not take seriously any request the Greens put forward. I as the Manager of Government Business have never ever done anything but engage respectfully with you, and yet you didn't think it warranted even raising this with me this morning. However, you did raise the matter with the Manager of Opposition Business in this place.

I would also draw to the attention of the chamber this morning that a second action happened this morning, prior to this action, which once again was seeking to undermine the integrity and respect that I believe this place operates on and has operated on for as long as I have been here. It is disappointing that I as the Manager of Government Business had a request this morning just before the chamber opened from a senator who expressed the desire to make a contribution in relation to Remembrance Day yesterday. Given that the person who requested it had been a serving member of the Defence Force, and I know how passionately she feels about matters that relate to that, I said to the senator if she wished to make a short statement in relation to Remembrance Day I would let her do that. Instead, she did not make a statement about Remembrance Day. I think it is timely to remind everybody in this chamber the best way for us to make sure that we run a reasonable chamber is actually by having discussions.

Senator Lambie interjecting—