Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I seek to make a statement on behalf of Senator Gallagher in relation to item 11. It is disappointing that Senator Hume has chosen to wilfully waste the Senate's time this afternoon by seeking this attendance.

As the government indicated when opposing this motion, Senate estimates questions on notice have increased to more than 19,000 in the first year of the Albanese government. We have answered all questions from the October 2022 budget estimates and the February 2023 supplementary budget estimates. With regard to the May 2023 budget estimates hearings, our government has now answered over 8½ thousand of the 8,600 questions, 2½ thousand of which were asked by Senator Hume. There is an existing right under standing order 74(5) for Senator Hume to seek an explanation for unanswered questions on notice, and this remedy has been available to Senator Hume on any sitting day since the deadline set by the committee for the return of answers passed. Similarly, nothing prevents Senator Hume from reaching out to the Treasurer's office to inquire about the status of responses prior to seeking unnecessary remedies in the Senate. With respect to the four Senate estimates questions on notice nominated by Senator Hume, I can inform the Senate that those answers have now been provided to the committee.

In closing, I will compare our record to that of the Morrison government, which, for the equivalent budget estimates in May 2021, answered only 67 per cent of questions by the due date. We urge those opposite to focus on substantive consideration of legislation that will benefit the Australian people, rather than requiring attendance on matters that are within the capacity of existing processes to resolve.