George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Sinodinos, for that very timely question. Yes, I can, because I am pleased to say that the Abbott government has a great record of legislative achievement. That is partly due to the fact that this Senate—which, of course, the government does not control a majority of—has been passing government legislation. By the start of this week, already 68 bills had passed the Senate this year. We are not at the end of the sitting fortnight, as you know, Mr President, but already in the last fortnight we have passed 35 bills. On Monday, we passed 11 bills. Yesterday, we passed a further seven. Already this morning we have passed another five. I want to pay a compliment to the Manager of Government Business in the Senate, Senator Mitch Fifield, who has managed the government's legislative program so skilfully for so long, but particularly in the last fortnight.

For example, Senator Sinodinos, Monday of last week we passed the small business tax cut and instant asset write-off legislation. On Tuesday, the Senate passed the Abbott government's plan to make the pension fairer and more sustainable, with benefits for 170,000 pensioners with modest assets, who will receive an extra $30 a fortnight as a result of that legislation. On Wednesday of last week, $3.3 billion of budget repair measures were passed in the Senate with the passage of the budget's tax legislation—a great achievement, in particular, of my colleague Senator Mathias Cormann, who had responsibility for that legislation. This morning, Mr President, as you know, we passed the diesel fuel legislation.