Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

While the opposition is not against additional sitting hours, we don't accept that this proposal is appropriate. Firstly, we note these extra hours are being brought on just one day after the bill was introduced into the Senate and there has been no attempt to even use the normal hours of the Senate. Secondly, the bill changes nothing, as the targets it legislates have already been adopted by the government and committed to under the international agreement, so there is no urgency in this bill that actually changes nothing. Thirdly, the government has been making a big deal about a more family friendly parliament and sitting hours yet here we are in a greatly hypocritical move with the government proposing an open-ended debate that could see people sitting here well beyond midnight for a bill that changes nothing. We oppose the motion.