Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That—

(a) consideration of general business shall not be proceeded with;

(b) the routine of business from not later than 4.30 pm till 6 pm shall be government business only; and

(c) the following government business orders of the day shall be considered:

No. 7 Social Services Legislation Amendment (Family Assistance Alignment and Other Measures) Bill 2016

No. 8 Law Enforcement Legislation Amendment (State Bodies and Other Measures) Bill 2016

No. 9 Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority Amendment (New Governance Arrangements) Bill 2016

No. 10 Customs Tariff Amendment (Expanded Information Technology Agreement Implementation and Other Measures) Bill 2016

No. 2 VET Student Loans Bill 2016 and two related bills.

I have often said that in a chamber where the government of the day does not have a majority in its own right management of the chamber is a shared responsibility of colleagues, and I acknowledge that the opposition has offered to forgo their general business time this afternoon so that government business can be transacted. I appreciate that cooperation and offer from the opposition. This motion proposes that, in the period that would ordinarily be general business time, we seek to deal with five government bills. As colleagues know, general business time goes from 4.30 till 6 pm, and this motion reflects that government business will be within that time frame. This motion does not propose to change the practice of having no divisions after 4.30 pm.

The first four bills listed are bills that would ordinarily be dealt with as noncontroversial legislation in that timeslot but the offer of the opposition is that by dealing with that in their general business time that would facilitate smoother arrangements in the course of next week. The fifth bill listed is the VET Student Loans Bill which, if we do have time remaining in what would ordinarily be general business time, we would seek to proceed with as far as we can. I thought, given there was a relatively short period of time between the circulation of this motion and it actually being moved by me here, that those comments may assist colleagues.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am disappointed that this is coming at this time, nearly Thursday afternoon. It has caught people unawares. They are largely noncontroversial bills, but No. 2, the VET Student Loans Bill, is not noncontro. I appreciate that there will be no divisions, because you are not seeking to change the practice of not having divisions after 4.30 pm, but that is an important bill and it is controversial so I am concerned about that particular bill being there. I know that the government already has the opposition onside, giving up general business, but I would like to lodge our strong concern about the timing of this and the fact that this proposal is too cute by half—the government took noncontro bills out of where you do noncontro and put in backpackers, because they have not been able to manage their legislative agenda, and then put them in general business time and added on a bill that is controversial. I realise we will not be doing any divisions, but it is too cute by half to be putting that on near six o'clock on a Thursday night when senators were not expecting it to be brought on at that time.

I am disappointed to be receiving notice of this so late, on a Thursday afternoon, when everybody knows that people have travel arrangements et cetera to take care of. The government did not mention this in 'whips' last night, which is the forum where we organise the management of the chamber. They gave up the non-controversial spot to address backpackers. We do need to. There has been a lot of effort in this chamber to get backpackers on the agenda. So they gave up their non-controversial time and now are seeking to use general business time, which is non-government time, to pursue these bills, because they have not been able to manage their legislative agenda.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If no other colleagues are contributing I will sum up. Senator Siewert, I acknowledge that this motion has come late in the piece. It does on occasion happen that there are changes that are agreed to only very shortly before the appropriate time to move the relevant motions. I do acknowledge what you have said about the short notice, but nothing was intended by that. It was simply a function of the fact that it is only very recently that this agreement has been reached. In terms of whips not mentioning anything at cross-party 'whips' last night, this was not a live proposition at that time. So there was no withholding of anything by whips.

In terms of the law enforcement legislation amendment bill, my understanding is that the bill is non-controversial, from consultations with groupings in the Senate, but, Senator Siewert, I obviously will take it at face value that there are issues the Greens have—

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I didn't saying anything just then about that; I said the VET bill.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I misheard you. It was only the first four bills that I referred to as non-controversial.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know that.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. So we are where we are. I thank my colleagues for their forbearance here.

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

Just for clarity, Senator Siewert said 'bill No. 2'. I certainly understood.

Senator Fifield interjecting—

Yes. The question now is that the motion, as moved by the minister, which I understand has been circulated in the chamber, which substitutes government business for general business, between 4:30 and 6:00 pm, with the no-divisions rule still applying.

Question agreed to.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the general business order of the day relating to the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Donation Reform and Transparency) Bill 2016, subject to introduction, be considered on Thursday, 1 December 2016 under Consideration of Private Senators' Bills.

Question agreed to.