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

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the statement.

I thank the Leader of the Government in the Senate for his recognition of the circumstances of misadventure that have enabled recommittal, which really, I think, wasn't demonstrated yesterday, and also for his acknowledgement of the importance of pairing arrangements, which at their heart, we need to remember, are about ensuring the will of the Senate is reflected. They're not about funny games to manage your internals; they're ultimately about whether or not the democratic will of the Senate is reflected in the outcome of a vote.

I do want to raise the issue which he averted, which is the issue of two senators on the other side—that is, Senators Antic and Rennick—who have made public comments that they will withhold their vote. I will refer to Senator Rennick, who said:

This evening I sent the following letter to the Prime Minister advising him that I will withhold my vote from the Coalition until a number of issues are dealt with.

He goes to the lifting of vaccine mandates—obviously, it hasn't occurred—compensation for people who've been injured, and a whole range of issues about testing which were a bit confusing. Anyway, that's a matter for him. My point is that the convention in this place that the whip of a major party, or actually of any party, can advise of who is being paired is predicated on the assumption that the whip speaks for the senators. That's the basis on which we grant pairs, and the basis on which pairs are granted in order to reflect the will of the Senate.

The Senate yesterday, really, was in a position where a senator who said his vote was being withheld until the Prime Minister dealt with a few things was actually paired as a coalition vote. He then rocked up to the chamber and said he wanted it recommitted because actually he wanted to vote for it. So it was 'My vote's been withheld until the PM does what I want on vaccine mandates. Actually, my vote will be counted, but I'll be paired. Actually, no, please recommit it, because I think I want to be there.' I could talk about the shambles that that was last night, but we were all here. I think we all saw. The more important point is that, in circumstances where two senators have made repeated public assertions that they will not be voting with the government, I make it clear to the government, as has been outlined in Senator Urquhart's letter, which was copied to Senator Smith, we do not feel we can simply accept the whips' advice that they have their votes for the purpose of granting pairs. It is an unprecedented situation. To keep faith with the pairing arrangements, Senator Urquhart has written to Senators Rennick and Antic—and may I say I think it's a very responsible thing that she has done—and said:

To ensure the will of the Senate is reflected in remaining votes in this Parliamentary session and in light of your public statements, I ask that you communicate, in writing, your intention to support, oppose or abstain on each vote to all whips. This is consistent—

this requirement—

with the requirement for independent senators when they are absent from the chamber and minor parties when they are not representing in the chamber.

So it's the same standard we expect of Senators Hanson and Roberts when they're not here, Senator Lambie when she's not here, Senator Griff when he's not here and Senator Patrick when he's not here. We are not asking for this on a whim. We're asking for this because their senators, these two senators, have said, 'We're not voting with them,' but they still are—or we're told they still are, sometimes.

I seek leave to table the documents from which I've just quoted, which are the letters from Senator Urquhart to Senators Rennick and Antic.

Leave granted.

I thank the Senate. And I would ask the government, after this discussion has concluded, to make a commitment in the chamber that, in order to ensure that the pairing arrangement remains both intact and beyond reproach, the arrangements sought in these letters are complied with.