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

I must contend with one statement by Senator Wong and take her to task for it, and that is the inference that Senator Faulkner has been in this place since Federation. I think that is an adverse reflection on Senator Faulkner. I know he has been here for quite a while, but he has not been here quite that long. I must also say—this might surprise you—that I very much prefer the Senator Wong of today to the Senator Wong of last night. Last night, Senator Wong was the author of an ambush in this place. As I mentioned last night, when that occurred there was a leaders, managers and whips meeting taking place. I thought it was poor form and I expressed that strongly. I did think it was poor form to use that meeting as a cover. I also thought it was poor form that the agreement in relation to the rearrangement that we had had reached with Labor and the Greens did not come to pass. I think it is important that we be able to rely on each other's word in this place. I also find it a little odd that Senator Wong is complaining that there were three meetings in relation to Senate business. Sometimes you just cannot win: either there is not enough consultation and then there is too much consultation. I would have thought it was a good thing that we have those meetings, to seek to work cooperatively to determine those things that we can agree upon and the processes that we might follow in this place.

Senator Wong also makes reference to the supposed failure to manage this place properly. Can I say that it is pretty darn hard on occasion when you have a stunt like that of Senator Conroy yesterday, where he seeks to break an agreement, which had been reached between the government and the opposition, to bring on certain relatively non-contentious bills. I might say that Senator Carr was actually urging me earlier in the week to bring on some of those non-contentious bills. I was just trying to give effect to the will of Senator Carr—