Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I inform the Senate that at 8.30 am today the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Senator Abetz, and Senators Brandis, Cormann, Fifield and Siewert each submitted letters in accordance with standing order 75 proposing a matter of public importance for discussion. The question of which proposal would be submitted to the Senate was determined by lot. As a result, I inform the Senate that the following letter has been received from Senator Brandis:

Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion:

The Gillard Government's continued secrecy and lack of accountability on revenue assumptions and costs regarding its mining tax.

Is the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

I understand that informal arrangements have been made to allocate specific times to each of the speakers in today’s debate. With the concurrence of the Senate, I shall ask the clerks to set the clock accordingly.