Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Recognising that standing orders 193 and 203 already regulate conduct in this chamber, as we've seen this week, the opposition supports referring the proposed code of conduct back to the Procedure Committee for further deliberation. As Senator Wong said yesterday, the approach Labor takes is very clear. We will not tolerate sexist and abusive behaviour. We will not tolerate it in the Senate and we will not tolerate it anywhere. We also believe that parliament cannot function without respect for the presiding officers and the rules the parliament has agreed to regarding appropriate behaviour, but the Senate itself will not be respected if the behaviours exhibited here demean it. That goes not only to rules but also to standards and expectations. We fully support the comments of the President in his statements to the chamber yesterday and in August this year and welcome the response from the Leader of the Government in the Senate.