Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Williams, you are concerned suddenly about time after having wasted all that time on this bill and not listening to a word of what was said earlier in the evening. The vast majority of schools with Indigenous students will receive significantly more money as a result of this bill. For a small number of school systems there will be the maintenance of a funding guarantee under these arrangements.

This amendment of course is one of those ‘make work’ clauses that the Liberal Party, who does not know where it is going, has to make to appease dissident senators within their ranks and to justify the incredible waste of time that they have taken up in the Senate this evening. This is an amendment that is not necessary because any fair and reasonable reading of the legislation would demonstrate the adequacy of the funding guarantees and the extra resources in this bill. Senator Mason, frankly, I do not think you can in all honesty look yourself in the mirror and say that this is actually necessary.