Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I won't speak long on this. I appreciate that any debate management motion is controversial in the House. I had planned at the start of the week that we weren't going to have manage this debate. We lost a large amount of time yesterday for purposes that still mystify me, where the opposition ran a particular strategy to make sure that four private members' bills did not turn up on the notice paper. They were successful in that strategy, but how on earth that was in their interests is beyond me. As a result of losing those hours of debate, it means now, in the ordinary time of the parliament, we're not going to be able to get through this bill this week.

While previously those opposite have objected when I've shortened the time from 15 minutes to 10 minutes, on this occasion I haven't done that. This simply keeps it at 15 minutes. We'll have the normal adjournment debate between 7.30 and 8.00, but then we'll continue debating the closing loopholes bill until 10.30, and then tomorrow we will do the same. On Thursday morning we will vote on the second reading. There are a couple of announcements that have to happen at the second reading of the bill that are covered, but after that we won't proceed with the in-detail stage until the bill is brought back on, and I advise the House of that to give people ample time to prepare amendments, which some members of the crossbench in particular have asked for. I won't be bringing the bill back for the in-detail stage until parliament returns for that final week.

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the following from occurring in relation to proceedings on the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023:

(1) on Tuesday, 14 November when the order of the day relating to the second reading debate on the bill is called on following the conclusion of the matter of public importance and any quorum or division deferred under standing orders 55 and 133, the debate continuing without interruption until no further Members rise to speak, or the commencement of the adjournment debate at 7.30 pm;

(2) notwithstanding standing order 31, if the second reading debate has not concluded earlier, at 8 pm the adjournment debate being interrupted and the bill being called on for further consideration, with the debate continuing until either:

(a) no further Members rise to speak; or

(b) 10.30 pm;   .at which point, debate being adjourned and the House immediately adjourning until Wednesday, 15 November at 9 am;

(3) on Wednesday, 15 November, when the order of the day relating to the second reading debate on the bill is called on following the conclusion of the matter of public importance, the debate continuing without interruption until no further Members rise to speak, or the commencement of the adjournment debate at 7.30 pm;

(4) notwithstanding standing order 31, if the second reading debate has not concluded earlier, at 8 pm the adjournment debate being interrupted and the bill being called on for further consideration, with the debate continuing until either:

(a) no further Members rise to speak; or

(b) 10.30 pm;   .at which point, debate being adjourned and the House immediately adjourning until Thursday, 16 November at 9 am; and

(5) immediately following prayers on Thursday, 16 November, if necessary to complete the second reading stage of the bill, the bill being called on and questions being immediately put on any amendments moved to the motion for the second reading and on the second reading of the bill and any messages from the Governor-General under standing order 147 being announced;

(6) debate on the bill to then be automatically adjourned;

(7) when the bill is considered in detail, any detail amendments to be moved together as one set for the government, one set for the opposition, and one set per crossbench Member, with:

(a) one question to be put on all government amendments;

(b) one question to be put on all opposition amendments; and

(c) separate questions to be put on any sets of amendments moved by crossbench Members; and   .one question to be put that the bill [as amended] be agreed to.

(8) any question on amendments provided for under paragraph (7) being put after no more than 20 minutes of debate, unless a Minister sets further periods of 10 minutes for debate;

(9) when the third reading of the bill is moved by a Minister, the question being put immediately without amendment or debate; and

(10) any variation to this arrangement being made only on a motion moved by a Minister.

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