Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to be given the opportunity to speak in this debate and to observe yet again two things. One is that the opposition are desperate not to get to the electricity legislation that the Senate previously agreed to resolve before one o'clock, and so we got a bit of sour grapes from Senator Cash and her team, who didn't like the fact that they lost the amendment before and that the Senate will deal with the electricity legislation before one o'clock. So they've come up with this great idea to come into the chamber and try to blow up the chamber so we don't get to that legislation. So let's be very clear about the tactical reason for this. It is because they don't want to vote on the electricity legislation that the Senate has previously agreed to resolve in the next 15 minutes. At least be upfront about it. At least be honest with the Senate.