Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the following bills be referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee for inquiry and report by 3 October 2008:

Horse Disease Response Levy Bill 2008

Horse Disease Response Levy Collection Bill 2008

Horse Disease Response Levy (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2008.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The constructive way of dealing with bills is to use the Selection of Bills Committee. The Selection of Bills Committee is the appropriate place for these bills to be referred off to committee rather than the process of using the Senate floor to move motions like this. The Selection of Bills Committee is where we can adequately deal with bills like this and then structure days in the future for bills and schedule them, which is why we have a Selection of Bills Committee. I raise this point just in case new senators, and old senators for that matter, may have forgotten that there is a Selection of Bills Committee, which meets on Tuesday. If you find that there is a bill that comes in and you want it urgently dealt with, we can reconvene the Selection of Bills Committee. The whips know this and I am just unsure why people are using this format rather than the appropriate way we deal with things. Perhaps the opposition can take note of that.

Question agreed to.