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

Pursuant to contingent notice standing in the name of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Abetz, I move

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to government business notice of motion no. 1.

I must confess, I do very much like the cut of the jib of Senator Leyonhjehm. I think he is, on this occasion, being a little bit cheeky. I appreciate his objective here, which is to use any means fair or foul to see that the disallowance of this proposition occurs.

The ordinary attitude, I guess, of colleagues in this place to the disallowance of matters is that the chamber should actually take a conscious decision one way or the other in relation to a disallowance matter. I know that Senator Dastyari has on occasion, I think with a matter related to FoFA, sought to run down the clock or seek to have debate and final determination by this place forestalled by a hard marker being hit.

I think that it is good practice in this place that we ensure that disallowance matters are not, in effect, determined by default but are determined by a conscious decision. I think today is the final day for this particular matter to be determined. I must acknowledge that Senator Leyonhjelm has become very quickly acquainted with the processes and procedures of this place. One cannot be too critical of him for seeking to avail himself of any and every opportunity that is legitimately available to seek to achieve his objective. But, as the Manager of Government Business in the Senate and as someone who thinks that with disallowance motions we should actually take a conscious decision to give the thumbs up or thumbs down to a disallowance matter, it is appropriate for standing orders to be suspended so that I may move a motion that would see us deal with this disallowance matter in a conscious and deliberate way. I probably do not need to detain the chamber much longer but I would be expecting at least another contribution on this suspension debate.