Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I just ask the minister whether the government is still persisting with the 3 pm closure in view of the fact that the legislation listed for when the telecommunications legislation amendment is completed is quite lengthy. I anticipate there will be quite some debate on it. I indicated yesterday that I understood the coalition will be moving amendments in the Territories Law Reform Bill which I am not sure that the government will accept. They voted against them in the other House. I again refer the minister to my amendment yesterday to have the sitting of the Senate continue until such time as that legislation was dealt with.

If the government seriously want to get those bills through, and I assume they do, the fact that they are on the Notice Paper for the last day of sitting and the fact that there will be debate and amendments moved and, I assume, voted on means one of two things: we are not going to finish them or, alternatively, the government with their lackeys in the Greens will again gag debate on those pieces of legislation so that Senator Brown and a couple of other Victorian Labor members can get down to Victoria to baste in the media spotlight for the Victorian election.