Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My concern is the proper operation of the Senate. We have a normal process in here that committees often seek leave to meet during the time that the Senate is sitting. If the Senate has agreed that we set up a committee and that process goes ahead then this is normal procedure. If we get to the point where we try and stymie the operations or facilitate the operations of a committee to meet when others do not want to or do not want to meet when the committee decides to, we are going to throw the whole Senate committee system into chaos.

I just do not think we should be able to jeopardise the proper operation of the committee system because people are running whatever agenda they are running, and that is why I think that if the chair wants to have the committee sit, for any committee, then that is a matter for the Senate.