Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

The reason I believe that the suspension is unnecessary is because the actions of this chamber are determined by the majority of members in this chamber. The majority of members in this chamber yesterday determined what the order of business was going to be today. The one thing that, unfortunately, you seemed to have forgotten in the hubris of coming into government is the fact that the rule of this chamber is determined by the majority and not by the government that does not have a majority in this place.

To come in here and constantly suspend on the basis that you just want to make some silly point about the processes—and they're talking about really serious issues. The issue that Senator Marielle Smith raised is a very, very serious issue. But why didn't she ask the question during question time? If it was so serious, Senator Smith, why did you not choose to ask it in the three questions that you're always able to ask on a Thursday? Equally, Senator Mulholland, why, if your question was so important, did you not ask it in the three questions that you are always able to ask on a Thursday? There has been no more restriction whatsoever on the number of questions that the government has been able to ask this Thursday than on any other Thursday throughout the entire time of this particular parliament.

The reality is that we have got a very serious issue before the Senate. The very serious issue before this Senate is that you are still refusing to comply with the order of this Senate, as per the motion moved by Senator Pocock, to provide him with a document. So unless you are prepared to take seriously the will of this Senate—the majority of this Senate—then you continue to sit here in contempt of the Senate. There could be no more urgent or serious issue than the fact that the Labor government, the minority number of people in this place, are showing complete contempt for a decision of the Senate—absolute contempt. When you actually are prepared to come into this place and honour the greater will of this Senate, the majority of this Senate—when you're prepared to come into this place and actually accept that the will of the Senate should prevail—that will be when we accept the fact that you are not in contempt. But the reality is that things are different when they're not the same in this place, because, as I said, you come in here and you are contemptuous—