Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

We will be supporting this amendment, though we find it extremely strange that Senator Simms could be claiming total ownership of marriage equality. I have spoken many times in this place about these significant issues. Many senators feels very strongly on them, and we all have a record of speaking in this place. Check the Hansard about what people have said in this place. I think that would be useful.

We are also particularly interested—and Senator Wong will be taking on this issue—that we now have the Greens telling Labor what our private senators' business should be. That has never happened in this place before. There is negotiation, discussion. I do not believe that was discussed openly in the yelling across the chamber that occurred in this morning's debate. Greens, if you are wanting to take our private senators' business, perhaps a simple contact would have been useful. We have never done that to you, ever, in terms of the process of private senators' business. I know that Senator Wong will be taking further discussion of this process, but it is a sorry day that people actually lay claim to being the owners of any form of social policy.