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

That's very helpful, Senator Faruqi, as usual! The point is that Senator Hanson approached people in this chamber a couple of days ago—which is the traditional way and the custom and practice in this place if you would like to table a document, whether you agree with it or not. The approach is that you come to representatives of groups within the parliament, provide those documents and allow for time for consideration. We were going to give leave for those documents to be tabled, not for speaking to them. Our view was that it was appropriate that a member had sought to table documents, and those documents could be tabled and we could move on. That does not mean that in any way we support what Senator Hanson has been corresponding with the President of the Senate on, but she has a right to table information relating to that. That is why we were going to provide leave. By denying leave, the Greens have provided for a 30-minute, very destructive debate in this place that didn't need to happen.