Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Unfortunately—and I think the interjection highlights this fact—the government is not able to rely on the informal and constructive cooperation that it has had in the past. I note as well that, when we were in opposition, we offered informal and constructive assistance to ensure that the Senate completed a number of bills at the end of sitting periods. However, again, that position seems to have worn quite thin of late. In the spring sittings we have seen, quite frankly, self-indulgence, repetition and debate with, usually, only tenuous connections to the substantive matters contained in the bill. This is an opposition which has become ill-disciplined and does not use the Senate's time in an effective and constructive way to deal with bills. We find instead interjections and debate with only tenuous connection to the substance of the topic. Instead, the opposition has been hell-bent on thwarting the ability of this Senate to scrutinise legislation effectively.

We have a motion today that lists the bills to be debated and completed each day. That allows senators to take the appropriate time to debate a bill and finalise their contribution to it so that the bill can be finalised in the evening.