Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

We did not support the motion yesterday. We didn't support the motion because, for as long as I can recall—and we can go back and check—the convention has been that the roster for question time is presented by the government but agreed across the parties, and yesterday that changed. Senator Smith wanted to ask a question on women's health—denied by this chamber. Senator Mulholland wants to ask a question about net zero—denied by this chamber. So we can seek leave and support our members and their right to ask questions, and we will make you deny them leave. Everyone will watch you—this shambles of an opposition that can't agree on how to handle a bill without requesting it to be split; everyone will watch you and see the shambles that you are and the way that you treat this chamber. That's what they'll see. That is the lesson for this week. We will support the rights of our team to ask the important questions that the people of Australia care about—not waste two questions about questions about themselves, which is how we kicked off this question time today. Questions about the economy, questions about women's health, questions about net zero, questions about industry—all across the board—questions about family and domestic violence and questions about the racial discrimination act. That's what this government does. It focuses on the issues that matter to the Australian people, while those opposite focus on themselves, fight themselves—disunity, division—the shambles that they are. We will ensure that our elected representatives get treated with the respect that they deserve, the respect that everyone else in this chamber expects, and they have their right to ask questions in this chamber. That is what we will do, and we will continue to do it.