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

I come back to the substance at hand. As I said, these are weighty issues which are before the chamber, because they go to the funding arrangements for Australian schools across the country, every state and every territory, for many years to come. Yes, they can be amended by a later government, and I hope they will be should they get through, but in the absence of that the chamber has to address very seriously and consider very carefully whether these arrangements are appropriate. What the Nick Xenophon Team, the One Nation team and others in this chamber are now going to vote for if they vote for this is a requirement that this debate be continued and finalised before senators know what the deal is. Senator Xenophon, you may think that is an appropriate way to operate in this chamber. I do not think it is. I think it is reasonable on something as important—