Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

What an absolute debacle we have seen today. First the government blocks a bill, which has only happened five times in the history of the Senate, and now, proverbially at five seconds to midnight, I get a missed call from Senator Birmingham, and we will be sitting all night to do second reading speeches on three contentious bills, and, conveniently, the time for voting on those bills tomorrow will be when we would otherwise be doing motions. How convenient for this government to avoid scrutiny of the matters that we would have put to a vote tomorrow in motions, because it couldn't arrange its way out of a paper bag. This is a disgusting abuse of process. This government uses this chamber like a plaything. It picks up process and puts it down as it suits. This is sheer opportunism on display. Once again, One Nation is facilitating this government treating the Senate like a rubber stamp, and here we go. See you later at the next election!