Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a one-minute statement.

Leave granted.

I wish to make two points. One is in relation to the sitting calendar, to acknowledge that it is a replication of the 2019 sitting calendar, in terms of accommodating the delivery of a budget in a normal way and enabling the preparation of that budget, but it does identify, of course, the sittings right throughout the course of the year. We all know there will be an election at some stage; however, our intention is fully to deliver upon those sittings and to get the parliament back as quickly as possible if we are in a position to do so.

The second point is to acknowledge, as Senator Wong just highlighted, the importance of conventions—the convention of the government establishing the sitting program and of supporting that approach. That is a convention the Liberal and National parties have supported and will continue to support.