Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to respond to the line of questioning put by the opposition to the government today with respect to the proposed parliamentary sitting calendar for 2023. We come into this place—and, yes, it is getting very close to the end of the year—in a week when this government has passed and looks likely to be passing some significant legislative reforms, not only with integrity and the NACC bills but also to provide some of the lowest-paid workers with some real wage increase opportunities, and an increase in the productivity of this country. Yet those opposite choose to go down a route of distraction, pretending that, somehow, the parliamentary calendar for next year and the way we conduct ourselves in this place is the single-biggest issue of the week. Regardless of what they may say, the reality is that a lot of people who watch this place will be going, 'What on earth are the coalition senators on about?' When their cost of living is going through the roof, you lot come into this place and use our sitting calendar as somehow the biggest political issue of the day. Talk about being in the bubble!

Just for the record: as everyone should, always go to the source, or the documents. During question time I went and downloaded this year's calendar from the start of the year—when you lot were in government. I can inform the chamber today that there weren't four weeks of estimates; there were just three weeks of estimates. There is no 25 per cent decrease of estimates. Your government only proposed three weeks of estimates for this year—three weeks only! In addition to that, when you compare it to what this government's proposal is for this chamber, we are sitting on every single Monday—unlike the coalition, who propose that we sit three Mondays less compared to the calendar proposed by the government. In addition to this, this government has also put on the table four additional days on a Friday, if required. Then, on top of that, we have an additional week, making 20 weeks of the year in our sitting calendar—compared to your 19 weeks. It's important we deal with the facts. All you have to do is download the calendar from the start of this year that your lot had proposed and put to this chamber. It is important that we deal with the facts, which is something that the opposition are not very good at doing. They are not very good at dealing with the facts.

I also want to note—and I know Senator Birmingham has raised these objections with Senator Wong in the chamber and made some interjections earlier—it is the case there won't be a MYEFO this year, and, as has been past practice, there is no need to have that extra week of estimates. That is what the Leader of the Government in the Senate articulated today during question time. That is a very simple explanation as to why we're not having an additional week of estimates, as per the proposed draft before us today. It is important that we always look at what previous governments have done, whether they were Labor or Liberal. It is important that we look at the previous sitting calendars, and it is always important that we look at what the facts are.

I just wanted to make those few short points today. It is hypocritical, coming from the opposition—who also didn't want to sit on Saturday; they made it very clear they did not want to sit this Saturday to deal with the changes to the Fair Work Act to give the lowest-paid workers in this country a pay rise. Your side of politics said 'no way' to sitting longer, 'no way' to giving low-paid workers an increase to their wages.

I'm happy to sit here on a Friday or on a Saturday, as long as low-paid workers get a pay rise, Senator Birmingham.