Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

The government will not support this suspension motion moved by Senator Birmingham. I'll come to the substance of the motion that he has moved, but this is primarily because we have agreed on a program for today. It is set out and, in fact, those opposite are eating into the time that they requested for the debate on infrastructure this morning, which they sought specifically. So, by all means, disrupt the time that you had argued for yourselves and for Senator McKenzie to have on the infrastructure bill debate.

On the substance of the argument that has been put by Senator Birmingham: I think it is important for those listening, and to get it on the record, that the government was required to release a cohort of detainees from immigration detention.

And, as Senator Cash knows, we have been seeking, for a couple of days, to brief them, on agreed terms, on the legal advice. Unfortunately, that briefing, because of Senator Cash's and Mr Tehan's program, isn't able to be done until later this afternoon. Now we have been trying since early yesterday morning to offer those briefings so that you can be provided—