David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Through you, Mr Acting Deputy President, it is a separate issue as to when you might deal with debate. There are all sorts of opportunities for private senators to raise things: in adjournment debates, in senators' statements or in private senators' time. There is a matter of public importance every day. There is general business on Thursday afternoon, where there are a number of hours available for members of the Senate who are not from the government to be able to raise an issue like this and debate it properly. But the time to do it is not formal motions, which are specifically designed and specifically included in the program for the day to deal with issues without debate.

As I said, Senator Di Natale talked about this potentially being a fundamental shift in the world order. If it is a fundamental shift in the world order, would you deal with it by moving a motion and not debating it? Surely when the parliament of Australia is dealing with issues which Senator Di Natale says 'constitute a fundamental shift in world order' you do not deal with that without debate. You look for another opportunity, and I have mentioned the other opportunities. There are other opportunities where you can do that. You do not deal with it with a formal motion in the Senate. The Senate would be neglecting its duty in dealing with such weighty matters without looking properly at the issues surrounding those issues and dealing with them.

Looking at the motion itself, it starts off and talks about the election of Mr Donald Trump raising concerns with the Australian community, including amongst Australia's foreign and defence policy experts. That is a blanket statement that has been made in this motion. In my view, when you are dealing with something which constitutes a fundamental shift in world order, those sorts of statements need to be tested in debate. It is an assertion that is not backed up by any evidence. It needs to be tested. You do not deal with that in a formal motion. The motion goes on to talk about how Australia is the only country to have joined the United States in every major military intervention and that Australia's security and prosperity is inextricably linked to who it actually maintains ties with. These are issues that need to be properly tested and debated; they are not issues that should be dealt with by a formal motion and without debate.

Senator Di Natale also talked about the fact that you can have one-minute statements, which is a practice that has developed recently. But that practice, once again, is not in place and has not been developed in order for people to debate the issue or even to talk about the merits of the motion they are putting forward. It is more to explain the position that they might be taking in response to a motion that inherently does not have a debate. So, if the Greens move a motion, it gives the government an opportunity to say, 'We're not going to support this, and this is why.'