Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

We are barely through the third piece of legislation in the carbon tax package. Those opposite need to get out of the way. They need to afford this chamber the opportunity to do its job. We are not proposing that question time be dispensed with—far from it. Our motion is very deliberately and very specifically worded so that if the carbon tax legislation and other important legislation is not dealt with by eight o'clock—which we know it will not be—the parliament continues to sit. Question time will still happen. That important accountability mechanism will still be in place. All we are seeking to do is afford the Australian people the opportunity to have their will expressed in this place through having the legislation put to a vote. Now we know those opposite have indicated they will vote against every piece of legislation in the carbon tax repeal package. We know they have said that, but they need to do two things. They need to allow the parliament to continue to sit so that the legislation can be put through all stages. But they need to do something more than that: they need to change their minds and they need to get out of the way and they need to allow that legislation to be passed. Those opposite do have an opportunity to reconsider, and that opportunity is very shortly when they can support this suspension motion and when they can then vote for the subsequent motion that would allow the parliament to continue to sit. They should do so. (Time expired)