Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I'd also like to echo the Greens' proposal to nominate Senator Whish-Wilson for President of the Senate.

The President of the Senate is a critical role in this place. It helps to determine how the Senate functions. It's a role that ensures that it brings integrity to the parliament, and right now—now, more than ever—our parliament needs people who act with integrity and with decency. Senator Peter Whish-Wilson is the right person for the role.

I'd just say to my Labor colleagues that this isn't a gift to be handed between the major parties, an entitlement that belongs to either of you. This is a position that is owned by the Senate. I speak to my fellow crossbenchers as well, many of whom, I know, would do an admirable job in that role as well. It's not a gift of government. It's not something to be bestowed upon the next person in line. It's not a favour to be done to one of their own side. I will just say that this is now an opportunity for this chamber to make a decision to elect somebody who will ensure that we bring some integrity and some decency back into this place.

Senator Parry was, indeed, a very good President. He did a very good job. I think he's a decent person and he performed his role as President admirably. I think that the former President made a mistake, but his mistake was also a function of confiding in members of his own side who told him to be quiet while he was writing referrals for other members of parliament. Let's not forget that vital point! The President was sitting in that chair writing referrals to the High Court for other members of parliament, all the while having told people on his own team—ministers, no less—that he may have been ineligible. The advice he received was to sit down, be quiet and effectively hope that this issue would go away.

It does show that the Liberal Party has treated the role of President as a political tool. I just implore members opposite—I implore the Labor Party—to recognise that now is an opportunity not to look after your own interests, knowing that at some point you're going to be in a situation where you'll be demanding the Presidency from the Liberal Party, but, indeed, to show that we have an opportunity to break this deadlock, to return, I think, some decency to this chamber and to appoint somebody in an independent role.

The Clerk: Senator Hinch has a point of order.