Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That—

(a) consideration of general business shall not be proceeded with;

(b) the routine of business from not later than 4.30 pm till 6 pm shall be government business only; and

(c) the following government business orders of the day shall be considered:

No. 7 Social Services Legislation Amendment (Family Assistance Alignment and Other Measures) Bill 2016

No. 8 Law Enforcement Legislation Amendment (State Bodies and Other Measures) Bill 2016

No. 9 Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority Amendment (New Governance Arrangements) Bill 2016

No. 10 Customs Tariff Amendment (Expanded Information Technology Agreement Implementation and Other Measures) Bill 2016

No. 2 VET Student Loans Bill 2016 and two related bills.

I have often said that in a chamber where the government of the day does not have a majority in its own right management of the chamber is a shared responsibility of colleagues, and I acknowledge that the opposition has offered to forgo their general business time this afternoon so that government business can be transacted. I appreciate that cooperation and offer from the opposition. This motion proposes that, in the period that would ordinarily be general business time, we seek to deal with five government bills. As colleagues know, general business time goes from 4.30 till 6 pm, and this motion reflects that government business will be within that time frame. This motion does not propose to change the practice of having no divisions after 4.30 pm.

The first four bills listed are bills that would ordinarily be dealt with as noncontroversial legislation in that timeslot but the offer of the opposition is that by dealing with that in their general business time that would facilitate smoother arrangements in the course of next week. The fifth bill listed is the VET Student Loans Bill which, if we do have time remaining in what would ordinarily be general business time, we would seek to proceed with as far as we can. I thought, given there was a relatively short period of time between the circulation of this motion and it actually being moved by me here, that those comments may assist colleagues.