Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This is urgent. This is urgent for half the population. Half the population will go through menopause if they live to midlife. There are huge changes happening this weekend. This is an opportunity I should be able to have, as a non-executive member of this government to ask the question so that my community can hear from the minister about the changes happening on 1 November which will make a massive difference to their lives. For those women, this question is urgent. It is urgent that I get an opportunity to ask it, just as it was important for other non-executive members of this government to ask questions today about the Racial Discrimination Act, about family and domestic violence and about First Nations health. It is not only the crossbench who represents a community who has a right to be heard in here. As a non-executive member of the government, I also have a constituency, and you are tearing up convention which allows me to do my job as a senator, which I take seriously.

I respect the right of Senator Pocock to do his job, and I take that seriously. I respect the right of the Greens to do their job on behalf of their constituency, and I respect the right of opposition backbenchers to do theirs, but you are showing the utmost disrespect for my responsibility to my constituents. You should show more respect to non-government members of this place and to the convention which makes this place what it is.