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

I think senators would know that, when we move into debating the actual motion, there usually is a fairly broad and wide-ranging debate that occurs. But, in relation to the comments that were made by Senator Pocock, by Senator McKenzie and by Senator Shoebridge, criticising the government's approach to support for veterans, I think it's only right that we put on the table exactly what has happened in our approach to veterans, whether it be in implementing the recommendations of the royal commission or, indeed, the very substantial increases in entitlements and support for veterans that the government have implemented.

If you look back through the last couple of budgets, you will see that the largest movement of funds, of increases in estimates variations, has occurred in veterans' payments. And why is that? That's because the Department of Veterans' Affairs is being appropriately staffed. They have permanent staff—not contractors, not people that come and go through labour hire arrangements, but permanent staff—that work there and are able to process those compensation claims. That's what has happened. Those massive, multibillion dollar increases in funding have occurred because we have shown veterans the respect that they weren't shown by the former government when it comes to access to their entitlements and when it comes to the department being able to do the job of supporting veterans. That is the approach this government has taken. With Minister Keogh, we're the ones that have been implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. In fact, I had a meeting with Minister Keogh just this week—I think it was on Monday—to talk through some of the next steps that he's bringing to strengthen support and to strengthen the wellbeing arrangements for veterans in this country.

This is priority work for this government, and there were a number of recommendations that Minister Keogh is now overseeing and implementing, including establishing a wellbeing agency and framework to, again, better support veterans. One of the things that the royal commission found was a capability gap. That is the work that Minister Keogh is doing. I know how much he invests in senators in this place. I know how much he puts in relationships to make sure that the work in this area is as bipartisan or tripartisan—multipartisan—as it can be. It's important. The parliament's support for veterans matters. And that is perhaps why this is done today, without notice, without respect, without communication, without even giving a heads-up to the chair who is currently doing the inquiry into the bill.

I mean, honestly! The lectures we get from people in this place about their ability to contribute, and the Senate, this chamber, agrees to agrees to extend the reporting date to the 21st. Honestly, Greens party, we get lectures from you all the time about process, about fairness, about bills before committees—but not on this one, due to report in a week or so, due to provide recommendations to government and let government consider them. But no. The bill isn't due for debate. It's not being brought to the chamber for debate, because it's before a committee, and yet all the democratic warriors in this place who are always championing free speech and saying to allow the debate—not on this bill. There is no courtesy, no consultation, no discussion. 'Discharge the bill.' I honestly don't think I have seen something like this being done and supported. I can understand some senators supporting it. With others, I am surprised that this would be the approach.

Also, even if—we don't know; the committee could have recommended the bill be discharged, in which case we would have responded to that. But, even in the event that the bill comes to this chamber, allow the debate. Vote the bill down. That's what happens. That's what this chamber is for. It's for scrutiny and for consideration of legislation and, at the end of the day, if there isn't a majority of votes, the bill gets voted down. But we allow others to contribute to it. We allow people to give a speech to the bill. You're not even allowing that. That is the extraordinary step that is being taken today.

Bills have been discharged. I think you, Senator McKenzie, discharged a bill on agricultural levies. So it has happened, but it happens rarely and it usually happens with some discussion or some notice, putting a motion on notice in this chamber so people can have a talk about it before it comes to a vote—but not on this. I mean, really. The Senate is going to stop functioning if people continue to dismiss and disregard how the Senate operates, how the committee system operates, how courtesy operates. This is something that has shaped this chamber for 124 years. Yet those practices which have been shaped over decades, into our second century, are now being torn apart because Senator Pocock didn't want to pick up the phone and say to Minister Keogh: 'Let's have a chat about this. We're thinking about discharging your bill from the Notice Paper.' Senator McKenzie didn't want to speak to the chair of the committee and say: 'Hey, Senator Ciccone, I know there's a bill before your committee, and I know it doesn't report till 21 November, which is about a fortnight away, but I'm thinking of supporting a motion to discharge it from the Notice Paper. Do you have a view on that?' None of that has been shown.