Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the chair of the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, Senator Cameron, and the chair of the Joint Select Committee on Broadcasting Legislation, Senator Thistlethwaite, I seek leave to move a motion to enable the committees to meet during the sittings of the Senate today and tomorrow.

Leave granted.

I move:

That:

(a) the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1) during the sitting of the Senate today, from 11.45 am;

(b) the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee be authorised to hold public meetings during the sittings of the Senate today from 10 am and on Tuesday, 19 March 2013, from 12.30 pm to take evidence for the committee's inquiry into the media reform bills package; and

(b) the Joint Select Committee on Broadcasting Legislation be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate today, from 10 am.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The motion before the Senate today highlights yet again what a shambolic, dysfunctional and incompetent government presides over our nation. We have the spectacle of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, no less, who doubles as Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, not understanding the procedures of the Senate. The Leader of the Government in the Senate and minister for communications should have known that this motion should have been moved last week and dealt with last week.

Now what the Senate is confronted with is a situation where Labor, using the sheer dint of numbers, have organised a hearing in Canberra today and got witnesses to Canberra today knowing full well that it would only take two senators—only two senators—to call a division on this motion and, as a result, stop the hearing from 10 am.

Senator Jacinta Collins interjecting—

Even the Manager of Government Business in Senate does not understand that standing orders provide that, if any two senators call a division on a Monday morning, there cannot be that division held until 12.30 pm on the Monday, which is half an hour after the conclusion of the proposed hearing.

The Leader of the Government in the Senate and minister for communications, Senator Conroy, scrambled this package together in such indecent haste that we have even had leaks from cabinet indicating that they were not properly briefed, that they were not properly told what the package contained. And, if that were not enough, we then have the caucus leaking a complaint. Indeed, Senator Gavin Marshall, the chair of caucus, has been reported in the media as indicating that caucus were also ambushed and treated with absolute and utter contempt. To complete this trifecta of incompetence and ambushing, we now have the same treatment from cabinet and caucus meted out in the Senate today.

We as a coalition have indicated that we oppose these measures. Why? We believe in the freedom of the media. The Labor Party believe in government control of the media. We actually believe that our democracy is well served by having a free press. We actually believe that our nation is well served by having diversity and that freedom. The Labor Party clearly are on a different page in relation to those fundamental principles. Might I add, that is one of the great distinctions between the coalition parties and those who sit on the other side of this chamber. And, when I say 'those who sit on the other side of this chamber', I advisedly use that term, because that is where the Australian Greens sit in alliance with this dysfunctional, shambolic and incompetent government. It is a great distinction that the Labor Party have been able to draw to the Australian people's attention.

The coalition are in a situation of looking at the witness list and seeing that a number of witnesses have arrived in Canberra ready, willing and able to give their evidence. We also see that these people will be giving evidence highlighting the huge flaws in this legislation. As a result, we will not stand in the way of allowing these hearings to take place. But what we want to put on the record very, very strongly is that we oppose these measures, because we actually do believe in that fundamental concept of freedom of speech.

We also wish to highlight yet again that this is a government racked by internal division and so incompetent and incapable of getting its ducks in a row to organise these hearings appropriately in advance. What we have is not only incompetence by this government but also the sheer arrogance of this government. There was no, 'Please, can we organise a committee and witnesses on the basis that you might assist us on Monday morning?' No, they just go ahead and do it and then rely on the decency of the coalition. And I can tell you that the Labor Party and the Greens can always rely on the decency of the opposition to do the right thing by the nation. But I say to those opposite: they who organised this shambolic hearing, this truncated hearing, this short hearing, without the permission of the Senate have got themselves into an absolute mess. They are the architects of their own embarrassment this morning by not following Senate procedure—and it is a compounded embarrassment when that incompetence is presided over by none other than the Leader of the Government in this place.

In brief, we as a coalition in this chamber will vote on the voices but we will not be seeking a division on the matter.

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just want to add a few comments to the debate. We are moving this motion by leave this morning because it would have been virtually impossible for the Senate to approve either committee meeting today on Monday, 18 March, last Thursday.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator McEwen, this is my error. The debate is now closed. Another senator stood to seek the call and you are in effect closing the debate. With the leave of the Senate, are you happy for me to change my call and call Senator Macdonald?

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Limited leave. How many minutes?

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am guided by the chamber. If you want to give limited leave, that is up to the chamber.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Two minutes.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes for Senator Macdonald to contribute to the debate.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am sorry I do not have more time, but I will confine myself to two minutes. My point is that this is a committee meeting of which all coalition senators are participating members. It is a very important piece of legislation being dealt with by these committees, and I—and I am sure many of my colleagues—would love to be in attendance at these committee hearings that are going to take place during a sitting of the Senate, when we all have obligations and duties to perform within this chamber.

I think it is bad form that is increasingly obvious and increasingly relied upon in this Senate these days to run committee meetings where the senators should be in the chamber. I hope that at some time in the future ourselves and the Greens will stop the Labor Party from continually running committee meetings when senators should be in the chamber. As our leader says, we are agreeing with it on this occasion, but I think it is very poor form—form that is all too prevalent these days—and the Labor Party should take a serious look at how it organises the chamber.

Question agreed to.