Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of Senator Wong, I move:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Prime Minister, by no later than 3.30 pm on Thursday, 17 September 2015, the Coalition Agreement, and related side letter between the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, signed on Tuesday, 15 September 2015, outlining the relationship between the Liberal and National parties in government.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government opposes this motion. The Coalition Agreement is an agreement made between Mr Turnbull in his capacity as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and Mr Truss in his capacity as Leader of the National Party. Orders for the production of documents relate to documents in the control of a minister in that capacity. These documents do not match that description.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would make a couple of points in relation to the propositions put by the Manager of Government Business in the Senate. Firstly, the agreement and side letter in question involve significant amounts of money and significant matters of public administration. They involve, on the basis of Senator Canavan's public statement, $2 billion to $4 billion worth of expenditure. They involve the transfer of the administration of the water portfolio to Mr Barnaby Joyce, something that South Australians are concerned about. They go to the expenditure of public moneys, and I think the Australian people are entitled to know what the detail of that agreement is.

Secondly, I do not agree with the proposition, nor does precedent in this chamber support the proposition, that orders for the production of documents can only be in the narrow terms defined by the Manager of Government Business in the Senate.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Moore be agreed to.

Senator Fierravanti-Wells did not vote, to compensate for the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Wright.