Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

There are only four speakers left on the list for parliament to be able to have a sensible debate on this issue. At the beginning of this week, when the Leader of the House introduced this bill, he made it clear that he was surprised that we gave leave. We decided to be cooperative so that we could have a substantive debate on the issue, but, like everything that is characterised by this legislation, what they are about is silencing dissent. What they are about is making sure that the additional speakers do not even get heard.

Next week, the Senate is not even on. The chance of this making a difference in the timing for the bill going through is nil. The only thing that the Leader of the House is doing is attempting to make sure that Labor members of parliament are not heard in the debate. That is what this is about. I have a full speaking time of 10 minutes there; my suggestion is that I sit down now—but, Leader of the House, do not silence the third reading. Let the Labor members in the third reading speak for as long as they need to make their case on this substantive issue. It is a reasonable position from us. All we ask is that we have a government that has the courage to not see debate as something purely to be shut down.

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