Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

Obviously I too stand in support of the suspension moved by Senator Birmingham. The absolute arrogance of those opposite—to think they can come in here and say to us, if we behave ourselves today, we might be able to get some treats tomorrow and have our private senators time—is not the way a respectful democracy operates. It is absolutely shameful that you would be so condescending and so arrogant as to treat this chamber as your toy, your plaything with which you can do as you please.

To Senator Gallagher's contribution that if we behave ourselves and we get through the amendments they're going to put forward, then somehow we're going to get a little treat tomorrow and we're going to be allowed to actually take our rightful place in this chamber tomorrow morning for an hour and 10 minutes and discuss a very important piece of legislation put forward by Senator Duniam—as is his right as a non-government senator, to have something that's important to him and important to other people in this chamber debated—I say this is extraordinary stuff.

If this is the pattern of behaviour we're going to see going forward from the government around their arrogance, that they will just gag whatever they like, and the ridiculousness of the conversation and the contribution of Senator Gallagher, that somehow we were cutting into time—you guys have put the gag in. You already have the approval of this chamber. You've got the gag in place. It will be completed tomorrow at one o'clock no matter what we debate between now and then. So it seems absolutely ridiculous.