Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That—

(1)   The Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling—Palm Oil) Bill 2010 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Bioregional Plans) Bill 2011 each be considered under a limitation of time.

(2)   On Thursday, 23 June 2011, these bills have precedence over all other private senators' bills and all other business until determined, and that the order of business be:

No. 20   Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling—Palm Oil) Bill 2010

No. 57   Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Bio­regional Plans) Bill 2011.

(3)   The time allotted for the remaining stages of the Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling—Palm Oil) Bill 2010 be for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

(4)   The time allotted for the remaining stages of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Bioregional Plans) Bill 2011 be for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

(5)   This order operate as an allocation of time under standing order 142.

I seek leave to make a two-minute statement.

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

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The reason I moved this motion is that under the new paradigm when the new government took over—with the Greens, the Independents and the Labor Party—there was a commitment that we would be guaran­teed to get private members' bills through on  certain dates. We on this side put up private members' bills last week and were told that the bills would be allowed to pass. Unfortun­ately, the government loaded the speakers list up and prevented the bills coming on. So today I am moving a time management motion that would allow us to get the bills up as committed and promised by the govern­ment that said at the time that all private members' bills would be passed on Thursday mornings between 9.30 and 12 o'clock.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The understanding of the government is that that is not an agreement that the government has been involved in. There is no agreement between the parties on the guillotining of private members' bills, so we reject the statement by Senator Boswell.

Question put.

The Senate divided. [15:43]

(The Deputy President: Senator Ferguson)

Question negatived.