Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The only reason the Greens are seeking to suspend standing orders to bring on the second reading vote of this bill, a bill that was introduced by the Australian Greens, a bill that will deal with the cost-of-living crisis Australians are feeling right now at the supermarket, week in and week out, is that the government have desperately tried all morning to stop this bill from coming to a vote. They are embarrassed that they haven't got a solution before the parliament to deal with the very real issues that Australians are dealing with right now.

The Senate does a lot of good work, and today is an opportunity for the Senate to do some good work for real people feeling the struggle right now rather than having these crazy, active delaying tactics of this government to stop this bill from having a vote, which is what's happened this morning. They have spent all the time trying to drag this out. They've stacked the speakers' list. They've tried to stop this bill coming to a vote because they don't want the Senate to pass a piece of legislation, a law, that would come down like a ton of bricks on the big supermarkets. The government do not have the guts to do it themselves, so the Senate needs to do it for them. That is what this bill is about.

I thank Senator Tyrrell for listing this bill today, a Greens bill. This shows that there is cooperation across the chamber. That's because people in this place, including members of the government, I might say, know that people are struggling at the supermarkets, week in and week out, and we could do something today to help. That's why we need this extension of time—not to delay this bill any further but to simply put it to a vote. That vote will mean that every member of this place, every senator, will be counted. Are you going to be on the side of the big supermarkets or on the side of the people? That is the vote that the Labor government is desperate to avoid today, and that's why they don't want this suspension. I say bring it on!