Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is funny that all those senators who support reducing carbon pollution are quite happy to fly back to Canberra next week with carbon dioxide spewing out of the planes. They are all very happy for that to happen, which is pretty unreal. We know that this debate on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is already concluded because both the government and the opposition have agreed to pass the CPRS bills before the Copenhagen conference. The debate is going to be a sham—they already know that. Now they want to extend that sham and increase the carbon dioxide emissions that they are apparently so desperate to cut by getting us back here next week. It is a joke.

As I have said before, the government cannot manage their way out of a wet paper bag when it comes to managing this chamber and I will not be supporting the motion to sit extra hours. Actually, the only thing of benefit that could come from the extra days is question time. That is the only thing that might hold the government to some account. Frankly, we are wasting taxpayers’ money by coming back next week. It could be done this week, because these two parties have already agreed to the deal, and they know it. They absolutely know that the debate on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is a sham because—guess what?—the two have already agreed before we have even started. There will be no changes to the legislation other than what has already been pre-agreed. It has already been predetermined, and sitting next week is an absolute joke given that the people who want to sit next week are the same people who want to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Flying up here next week at taxpayers’ expense is just absolutely ridiculous.