Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

AM (—) (): Very briefly—I don't want to detain the Senate or those who are interested in this debate for long at all—I think it is important to note that this debate has been a long time coming and that the resolution of it is important to deliver to those who've been banking on it, so I will be very, very brief in my contribution.

I have circulated an amendment around this question, that the report of the committee be adopted. It relates to the administration of rules around access to the medicines used in the administration of VAD, bringing them into line with other medications through the processes available through the Therapeutic Goods Administration and its relevant legislation. It's a very straightforward amendment. Obviously, noting the scope of this legislation, it is something that is, in a sense, outside the scope of the bill that we are going to pass tonight. But I did, as I said last week, want to give voice to the issues that have been raised and that's what I'm doing today. It is important that we make sure we are apprised of all the facts and that all the safeguards are in place, much in the same way as we heard in the last debate about protection for vulnerable people in our community.

Before I conclude my very brief remarks, I also just want to add my thanks to every single senator in this chamber. I'm very proud of the conduct of the debate that took place here. It was sensitive; it's difficult, and everyone has made sure that the views that were expressed were heard in good faith. I particularly want to thank Senator Gallagher and Senator Hanson-Young for so willingly accommodating this and enabling the amendment to be moved. I it added another week, so I'm grateful for your time. If we can do it in this chamber—if we can have a respectful debate in this chamber—I hope that our friends in the Press Gallery can observe what we do and not ascribe motive without understanding why we're doing it. It is important that we are able to do this. As I said, I am proud of my colleagues, who have very different views to my own, for conducting the debate in this way.

With that I move:

The text of the amendment was unavailable at the time of publishing.