Sam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I ask that the question be divided in respect of each of the amendments and foreshadow that I have an alternative amendment to move in relation to amendment (3) and wish to vote differently in relation to amendments (1) and (2).

The CHAIRMAN: The question before the chair is that the amendments that have been passed by the Senate not be insisted upon. Senators may recall there were three amendments passed by the Senate when it last dealt with this matter. Senator Dastyari has asked that the question be applied individually to each of those three amendments, on the basis that he wishes to replace one of those amendments with his own amendment. That is in order, so I will separate those amendments and deal with them separately. The first question is that the committee does not insist on amendment (1) with which the House has disagreed.

I think it is a shame that there has been a rush to get this legislation through. I believe that there is an hours motion in place which now means that we will not be leaving this chamber until this bill has been dealt with. I think that is a disappointing development for the Greens political party, who have made it pretty clear to us in the past that they do not support these types of gags. But in effect there is a gag being placed here. They realise that the opportunity for proper, detailed discussion, for us to have a proper analysis of the details of the dirty deal that has been done here, has been removed. In the next 24 hours or so we will have to vote on this, and the opportunity to go away and actually talk to people and analyse these amendments is lacking.

It is amazing. We had Senator McKim the other night go on this big rant, in relation to a different piece of legislation, about a lack of information and how quickly and how soon all this had been sprung on him. That was a piece of legislation with amendments that had gone through an entire committee process, that had gone through public canvassing, that had been part of the public debate for weeks, if not months—months of public debate. And yet here we find out that late last night there was a dirty deal being done by Senator Di Natale. It is amazing what one night in in the Treasurer's office can get you—one night with the Treasurer. I have heard of deals done cheap. I just was not sure that things were done that cheap.