Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That when the Government, or any other senator, intends to rely on the clauses under standing orders 55(2) to (5) relating to an unscheduled meeting of the Senate, leaders of all parties or independent senators shall be consulted in a timely manner prior to the summoning of the Senate.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move an amendment to the motion.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is leave granted?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was just trying to send it off to the Procedure Committee.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Leave is not granted.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In that case, Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short explanation.

Leave granted.

I was going to deal with this in one of two ways. The first way was to simply indicate that this matter should be sent off to the Procedure Committee, and of course the formal way of doing that would then be to subsequently create and then move a motion. However, it dawned on me that I could deal with it in one go if the Senate was agreeable and I could amend the substantive motion by adding at the end of the motion ‘and that the Procedure Committee inquire into and report on the operation of the standing order’. That would then have sent it off to the Procedure Committee.

Having listened to some discussion across the chamber, I will not proceed with this amendment. I will ask for it to be referred to the Procedure Committee as a separate motion. It just seems to me it would be easier to deal with it in one go.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I would have thought that on reflection the Greens leader would have withdrawn this motion. This motion was born out of petulance about a fortnight ago when the Labor Party quite properly, albeit on very short notice, suggested to us as a Senate that we should convene for the purposes of having a joint two minutes silence with our brothers across the Tasman for the Christchurch disaster. We as an opposition were notified at the same time as the Greens were. Was there inconvenience occasioned? Yes, of course there was. But was it a worthy, proper and upstanding thing for this place to do? Absolutely. That is why we as an opposition did not seek to object to the government’s suggestion and, in fact, we actively supported it.

This, unfortunately, is yet again an indication of the Australian Greens approach—it is all about me, it is all about the Greens, rather than looking at the sensitivity of the moment. In the sensitivity of the moment we in this place were able to share, at the same time, two minutes silence with our cousins across the Tasman in the wake of the Christchurch disaster. It did not require us to prepare speeches or anything of that nature and I thought it was a proper and decent thing for the government to suggest. It was a suggestion we were willing to conform with and expedite. That this motion is still before us and is still being pursued is an unfortunate reflection of petulance.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—It is unfortunate that Senator Abetz would take this totally wrongly and respond in a nasty and pejorative way to a motion which is about improving the procedures of the Senate. Let me put it on record that we were totally in agreement with the government’s decision to hold two minutes silence at the same time as the people of New Zealand. In fact, had we been in government we would have held two minutes silence around the country, not just in this parliament.

However, arising from that comes a procedural issue of all parties being notified and consulted when the Senate is called at an extraordinary time or out of hours. This is good practice, it has not necessarily been done in the past and it was not done on this occasion, and I think it needs to be instituted. I would be very happy to agree to the Procedure Committee looking at the matter. Senator Abetz has done himself and the coalition no good at all by his quite nasty and irrelevant intervention. I will be supporting the reference. It can do nothing but good to have the Procedure Committee look at the matter.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The government will not be supporting the motion itself. We do think it is a matter that should be referred to the Procedure Committee. On that basis I will foreshadow a motion to refer the matter to the Procedure Committee. I will lodge it today, for tomorrow, and we will deal with it in due course.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—In view of Senator Ludwig’s excellent suggestion, I seek leave to withdraw my motion.

Leave granted.