Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

You have just made it abundantly clear, President, that you did rule today on the matter. Then you accepted my invitation to review that and make a statement to the chamber—in which you have maintained the ruling that you made today. I am dissenting from that ruling. I am happy to let the matter remain and for you to look at it again overnight. I do not want to have this prosecuted immediately, but I believe I am right here and I do not want to forego my opportunity to dissent from what I think was a breach of standing order 73 by Senator Brandis today. I could dissent from your ruling that you have not made a ruling. That in itself is valid. But, in one way or other, this matter must be tested before the chamber, President. I am happy to wait until tomorrow for you to look at it again, but I am not going to accept that I cannot move dissent from a ruling that you made today on the use of the term ‘illegals’ being valid when I believe it infringes very clearly standing order 73.