Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That, on Thursday, 20 September 2012:

(a)   the hours of meeting shall be 9.30 am to adjournment;

(b)   consideration of general business private senators’ bills under temporary order 57(1)(d)(ia) shall not be proceeded with;

(c)   any proposal pursuant to standing order 75 shall not be proceeded with;

(d)   subject to paragraph (g), consideration of general business under standing order 57(1)(d)(x) shall not be proceeded with;

(e)   the government business order of the day relating to the Marriage Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2012 shall have precedence over all other business, as follows:

(i)   from 9.30 am for 2 hour and 20 minutes,

(ii)   after consideration of non-controversial government business till not later than 2 pm, and

(iii)   from not later than 4 pm;

(f)   divisions may take place after 4.30 pm;

(g)   the routine of business after completion of the consideration of the Marriage Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2012 shall be:

(i)   tabling of documents,

(ii)   consideration of the general business notice of motion relating to Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries, for up to one and half hours, and

(iii)   consideration of government documents under standing order 57(1)(d)(xi) and the consideration of committee reports, government responses and Auditor-General’s reports under standing order 62(1), for up to one hour; and

(h)   the question for the adjournment of the Senate shall not be proposed until a motion for the adjournment is moved by a minister.

This motion reorganises Senate business tomorrow to facilitate debate on the Marriage Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2012. With the cooperation of the opposition, the government is effectively using its one allocated time spot to debate a private senator's bill to allow the Senate to continue and finalise debate on the marriage amendment bill. This will mean that the Senate can express its position on the same bill that was voted on and defeated in the other place earlier today.

I should indicate at this stage not only the point in relation to time being utilised by the Senate but also the point in relation to the estimate of time taken by senators, given some of the comments made previously by Senator Milne and Senator Siewert. At the extreme, if all senators who have indicated a desire to speak in this debate were to take their full 20 minutes, there is an estimated nine hours involved. This will take us nowhere near midnight or 3 am, as some of my colleagues have raised with me as they have listened to the debate. Many of the senators on the list have indicated that they seek to make a contribution but not in the order of a full 20 minutes. We foresee that the debate should be managed in an appropriate way and within reasonable time. This motion on timing should be supported without further debate.