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

I stand to make a very brief contribution today also in support of Senator Gallagher's contribution on behalf of the government. As chair of the relevant committee where this report and this bill is before, I find it quite offensive that senators in this place are effectively denying other senators the ability to make a contribution to this bill in the normal democratic processes that this institution so proudly upholds. If senators are so strongly wedded to this bill, then allow the committee to present a report like every other committee does. Let's not pre-empt what the committee and I will put forward to this Senate to consider.

The other point is that thank God that I had the minister here today to tell me that this was on for debate, because I was stuck in another committee and was not able to make a contribution to the substantiveness of this bill. I understand that we are dealing with suspension that is before us today, but you are denying other senators who are not aware of this suspension right now the ability to put their voices on the bill, whether it's for or against. The irony coming from those opposite and the crossbench, who come in here and lecture the government every day about how undemocratic this place is—look at yourselves. How undemocratic is this? You're not allowing senators to come in and prepare an argument for all of us to consider this bill before us. Let's suspend and let's vote on a bill, but let's not wait for the committee's decision. The committee has been working very hard on this bill. We held an inquiry some weeks ago. We've had 73 submitters to the inquiry. There were around six to eight witnesses that appeared before the committee when we held the public hearing here in Canberra and many others.

I've spoken to many senators like Senator Shoebridge and Senator Henderson about me bringing forward a draft report to the committee. In fact I mentioned in our meeting yesterday that I was planning to bring one next week. This is good faith, and this is how you treat me and the committee? Shame on you for making a mockery of the Senate's procedures and the Senate committee processes. I have given the opposition and other members on my committee really great respect and worked very hard with you all on these really important issues. As someone who is married to someone who is a veteran and currently serving in the ADF, I say to all of you: think about what you are doing today. Allow these democratic processes that people like my wife and others have fought so bloody hard for in this place and protect our country every single day. At the end of the day all we are after is to fulfill our democratic processes. This is why the Australian people elected us—to make those tough decisions. Some days we'll win, and some days we'll lose. But allow me and my committee to come to this place and say: 'Here are the recommendations. Here is the evidence.' Guess what? I might even say to the government, 'Go back and reconsider.' But it is the right of the committee to do that, and it's right for this place and every single senator here to have a say and be prepared.

Sadly I feel like this suspension is more a stunt for some in this place, and I hate to say that, but let's stop treating veterans as a political football and be serious about how we treat every man and woman of the fine ADF and every single veteran who serves our country and puts on that uniform every single day with pride. There are a lot of people who have made sacrifices. One of the very important issues before us is around honours and awards. Let's make no mistake; that bill needs to be looked at. There needs to be reform. I don't want to get into the merits of that bill, President, because I know your earlier rulings. But all I plead with every single senator here today is to discharge this motion before us and allow the committee to present a report, and let's have that debate in the last sitting week here in November. At the end of the day, I think collectively, we can all come together and make the right call about how we envisage our honours and awards system for those people who put on the uniform and who have defended this country with great pride. The least we can do is say thank you to each of those people.