Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend government business No. 1.

Leave granted.

On behalf of Senator Gallagher, I move the motion as amended:

That—

(1) The hours of meeting on Tuesday, 22 November and Thursday, 24 November 2022 be from midday till 9.30 pm and 9 am till 7.30 pm respectively, and the routine of business from 7.30 pm on Tuesday and from 5.30 pm on Thursday be:

(a) government business only; and

(b) adjournment without debate.

(2) Divisions may take place after 6.30 pm on Tuesday, 22 November 2022 and after 5.30 pm on Thursday, 24 November 2022.

(3) The Senate meet on Friday, 25 November and Friday, 2 December 2022.

(4) The hours of meeting on Friday, 25 November 2022 be 9 am till 4 pm, and the routine of business be as follows:

(a) government business only; and

(b) adjournment without debate.

(5) If, by 2 pm on Friday, 25 November 2022, consideration of the following bills has not concluded, the questions on all remaining stages be put without debate:

Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Cheaper Child Care) Bill 2022

Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Workforce Incentive) Bill 2022

Emergency Response Fund Amendment (Disaster Ready Fund) Bill 2022

Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Incentivising Pensioners to Downsize) Bill 2022

Treasury Laws Amendment (Electric Car Discount) Bill 2022

Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Legislation Amendment Bill 2022

High Speed Rail Authority Bill 2022

Education Legislation Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Bill 2022

Atomic Energy Amendment (Mine Rehabilitation and Closure) Bill 2022

Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Bill 2022

Customs Amendment (India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement Implementation) Bill 2022

Customs Tariff Amendment (India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement Implementation) Bill 2022

Customs Amendment (Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement Implementation) Bill 2022

Customs Tariff Amendment (Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement Implementation) Bill 2022

Treasury Laws Amendment (Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement Implementation) Bill 2022

Narcotic Drugs (Licence Charges) Amendment Bill 2022

Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia Funding Legislation Amendment Bill 2022

Maritime Legislation Amendment Bill 2022

Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Reform (Closing the Hole in the Ozone Layer) Bill 2022

Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment Bill 2022

Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment Bill 2022

Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Budget Measures) Bill 2022

Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme Amendment Bill 2022

Broadcasting Services Amendment (Community Radio) Bill 2022;

Biosecurity Amendment (Strengthening Biosecurity) Bill 2022.

(6) Paragraph (5) operate as a limitation of debate under standing order 142.

(7) The Senate adjourn without debate after consideration of the bills has concluded.

(8) The hours of meeting on Friday, 2 December 2022 be 9 am till adjournment, and the routine of business be as follows:

(a) government business only, followed by consideration of the Restoring Territory Rights Bill 2022;

(b) adjournment without debate after consideration of the Restoring Territory Rights Bill 2022 has concluded, or on the motion of a minister, whichever is earlier.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One Nation opposes this motion. The Senate is the house of review. One Nation will resist the Anthony Albanese government's efforts to restrict the Senate's opportunity to debate and to amend. We oppose turning the Senate into a rubber stamp for the lower house.

If Senator Gallagher must continually reorder business, one has to ask what has gone wrong in the government? Why did the Albanese government set out a sitting calendar containing fewer sitting days than normal then, with the end of the year looming, we face guillotine motions and a truncating of Senate process? I doubt this is due to the government's lack of ability. These repeated reorders, when taken together with the decision to reduce the crossbench staff, reek more of deliberate censorship than incompetence. We have to ask what deals were done with the Greens and with Senator Pocock to approve this and previous reorders. Dodgy deals extend well beyond Victorian Premier, Dan Andrews, to Labor as a whole.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Roberts, I remind you that when referring to leaders in other states to use their correct titles.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Premier Dan Andrews.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Roberts. Senator Birmingham.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just a moment, Senator Birmingham. Senator McKenzie, it is incredibly disorderly to call out when you are not in your seat. And I asked you earlier today to withdraw that remark, and I'm going to ask you to withdraw it again without comment.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wasn't on—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, it's not an argument or a debating point. It was well heard, and I'm asking that you withdraw the remark.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If it would assist the chamber, I withdraw.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McKenzie. Senator Birmingham.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are some parts of this motion that are not unusual for an end-of-sitting period, and we acknowledge that governments have matters that are routine to the orderly business of government that need to be progressed. The opposition has sought to engage with the government in as constructive a way as possible in relation to those. However, there are other matters to this motion, in terms of scheduling additional sitting days, which include sitting days, the purpose of which is now undefined. But it is obviously clear that the purpose of those additional sitting days is part of the government's plan to ram through with undue haste their irresponsible and reckless industrial relations reforms.

Ultimately, this government went to the last election promising a very contained a suite of IR reforms but, instead, just months later, it's seeking to pursue reforms that workplaces and industry groups across the country have denounced. We won't be giving the government a blank cheque in terms of extra days next week for IR reforms that nobody voted for and that every industry group is saying will drive inflation higher and jobs lower.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Birmingham, I assume you're seeking leave to move this motion?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, that was just a short statement. But for clarity for the chamber, there is an amendment circulating in my name. However, the government has subsequently amended its motion in ways that we are not aware of. Until seeing that, I will not proceed with the amendment circulated.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Birmingham. We've got an amended motion put forward by Senator Chisholm in the name of Senator Gallagher. I will now proceed to Senator Hanson-Young.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Greens will be supporting this hours motion and the ordering of business for the remainder of this week. We also support the amendment, as circulated by the government, to help facilitate a very important piece of legislation, the territory rights legislation, to finally—hopefully—pass this place. This legislation has been tried many times for far too long. Territorians have been denied their rights because of—and talk about secret deals and dodgy deals—deals that were done in this place decades ago. Territorians have been suffering the results of this ever since, so it's time we corrected this and it's time that we made sure that all Australians are seen as equal under the law.

This motion deals with a number of bills. There is a huge number of them; we understand that. But we are willing to facilitate the passage of them on the basis that this place needs to be functional and that it needs to work properly for the people. We will support the motion. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion standing in the name of Senator Gallagher, moved by Senator Chisolm, as amended, be agreed to.