George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, although I haven't seen Mr Abbott's statement I accept from you that that's what he said. Of course, we're in parliament right now. The parliament is sitting: the Senate is sitting. I'm sorry to hear from you, Senator Wong, as a distinguished member of the Senate, that you have the view that the parliament comprises only the House of Representatives. The parliament of course comprises two parliamentary chambers, and one of them—the Senate—is sitting today.

Mr Turnbull and the leader of the House of Representatives, Mr Pyne, have explained perfectly clearly to you why it is that the sitting of the House of Representatives this week has been postponed. It is because we want to deal with the reforms to the law to enable same-sex couples to marry. The government has two particular priorities at the moment. One is to do that and one is to sort out the issue of citizenship, which has affected all political parties, although I'm bound to say that some political parties have been a little bit more forthright than others in identifying those of their members who have a problem.

Senator Wong, what we will be doing is dealing with the question of the reform of the Marriage Act, which I know you strongly support, in the Senate this week. As I said on the radio this morning, the Senate is the great deliberative chamber of the Australian parliament. The legislation of the Australian is forged on the anvil of vigorous debate here in the Senate, and we will have a long and thorough and I believe very historically significant debate this week on Senator Smith's bill to enable same-sex couples to marry, in which a variety of points of view will be canvassed. That bill will then be delivered to the House of Representatives for its consideration next week.