Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move the amendment circulated in my name:

That the days of meeting of the Senate for 2014 be amended as follows:

(1) Omit:

"Monday, 7 July to Thursday, 10 July Monday, 14 July to Thursday, 17 July."

(2) Omit all words and dates from "Spring sittings" and substitute:

"Spring sittings:

Tuesday, 19 August to Thursday, 21 August

Monday, 25 August to Thursday, 28 August

Monday, 8 September to Thursday, 11 September

Monday, 15 September to Thursday, 18 September

Spring sittings (2):

Monday, 13 October to Thursday, 16 October

Monday, 3 November to Thursday, 6 November

Monday, 10 November to Thursday, 13 November

Monday, 24 November to Thursday, 27 November

Monday, 1 December to Thursday, 4 December."

The Greens are seeking to amend the sitting days the government has determined for next year. We want to amend the sitting schedule for very significant reasons. The government has selected sitting days later in the year that conflict significantly with school holidays in all of the states of Australia. This government professes to be family orientated and yet sets sitting days that require parliamentarians to be out of their states when their children are on school holidays. With some careful thought they could have avoided those school holidays. The Greens have circulated amendments that in fact do avoid those school holidays so that we can have more sitting days in the second half of next year that do avoid—