Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I just want to put on the record that, in my view, this is not just about Senator Rennick and Senator Antic. There is just a general masking of senators' intentions. There are different ways in which we can influence the outcome of a vote. One of them is to sit in the chamber on the yes or no side. Another way is to absent yourself. Another way is to pair yourself. All of that influences the outcome of a vote, and it is the pairing that masks the absentee; it is the pairing that masks other voters. For example—this is not a criticism—Senator Hanson and Senator Roberts are not in the chamber, so it's impossible to see how they are exercising their vote through a pair unless you go and ask the whips. Over the last couple of days, I've had journalists call me and ask, 'How did Senator Hanson vote?' And I say, 'Actually I don't even know.' We just have to be transparent. We have to find a mechanism to enable that to happen. I do understand that the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and the Leader of the Government in the Senate are now engaging in a bit of background discussion to work out how that should happen, and Senator Waters and I will also seek to have whatever is agreed informally formalised through the Procedure Committee.