Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Abetz, I move:

That the days of meeting of the Senate for 2015 be as follows:

Autumn sittings:

Monday, 9 February to Thursday, 12 February

Monday, 2 March to Thursday, 5 March

Monday, 16 March to Thursday, 19 March

Monday, 23 March to Thursday, 26 March

Budget sittings:

Tuesday, 12 May to Thursday, 14 May

Winter sittings:

Monday, 15 June to Thursday, 18 June

Monday, 22 June to Thursday, 25 June

Spring sittings:

Monday, 10 August to Thursday, 13 August

Monday, 17 August to Thursday, 20 August

Monday, 7 September to Thursday, 10 September

Monday, 14 September to Thursday, 17 September

Spring sittings (2):

Monday, 12 October to Thursday, 15 October

Spring sittings (3):

Monday, 9 November to Thursday, 12 November

Monday, 23 November to Thursday, 26 November

Monday, 30 November to Thursday, 3 December.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for three minutes.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You are being very cooperative here, Mr President. The opposition will be supporting the government's motion to put forward the calendar for next year. We do appreciate that we have had this calendar at this time, which is a good time to actually consider what is going to be happening in the future. We are concerned, though; we do not believe that the hours that have been put forward in the proposed calendar are adequate for the degree of legislation and consideration that this Senate should have in terms of a range of processes that will come before us in the new year.

It is the practice, Mr President, to make sure that the calendar meets the needs of the Senate for open and full debate. We believe that the calendar we have seen does not provide enough sitting time in the first half of next year for what we believe will be a tough time. Again, what will happen is: as important points of debate come before the chamber, there will be a request from the government for us to have extended sitting hours, extended times and variation in hours. As we have said consistently, we believe that it should be in exceptional cases only—extraordinary cases—that, because of a particular need and urgency, we have to come back to this place. The way to avoid that happening, and the way to ensure that there is appropriate planning and debate, is to set enough days, enough hours, to respond to the process.

We will be accepting the principle that the government has the right to determine the calendar—there is no debate about that. We will be supporting the motion. But we are putting on record again—and if you go back over hours debates that were held in this place when we were on that side and when the now government was on this side—there is this acrimony about when there is a need for extra hours and extra days. Our position is: when you are planning the forward plan for the Senate, you take into account the need of the place to consider legislation fully and to have enough time for debate so that we do not have to constantly have recommendations for extended hours and changes to plan which are disruptive. So our position is: of course, we have the calendar in front of us and we are supporting it. But we are just saying that, should the time come that they come back to this place asking for extended hours or more days, we will expect that there will be an urgency and an extraordinary need for that, which would not have been covered if we had had extra days in the calendar ahead. That seems to be a regular process, and I do not understand why there is not an understanding that, if you put out extra time for sitting at this stage around which everyone can plan and around which you can plan other things that are needed, it would be a more effective way of managing the business of the chamber.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for three minutes.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think that there might be a button in the opposition manager's desk that opposition managers of whatever persuasion can hit and we hear a similar contribution.

Senator Moore interjecting—

You are right; I do have a certain charm—thank you, Senator Moore. There is a fundamental difference, though, I think, to the basis upon which the contributions may have been made when I was in that chair compared to Senator Moore, and that is that when the previous government was in office they were routinely seeking to legislate to breach solemn election commitments that they had given. Therefore, it was appropriate that there was a good deal of time given to making that clear to the Australian people. Another important difference is the fact that when the coalition was in opposition we were very cooperative. In fact, some of my coalition colleagues would often chide me for being too cooperative with the government of the day, but we think that it is important that this place works.

We have not seen a great deal of cooperation from those on the opposite side. We have seen some but not nearly the degree that there should be to make this Senate work. So we think that the days that are presented to this chamber for sittings next year should be adequate if there is appropriate cooperation amongst all parties to get the people's business done. If there is a requirement for further sitting weeks, that will be a reflection of the lack of cooperation of those on the other side of the chamber, and I think my colleagues on this side would certainly hold these truths to be self-evident.

We do have a number of additional sitting days which are scheduled. We have tried to step away from the practice in previous years of scheduling sitting weeks in weeks where there are Canberra public holidays, which obviously denies sitting time. So we have sought additional Mondays in this sitting program, and I recognise that Senator Moore has stated that the opposition accept that setting the sitting schedule really is a matter for the government of the day, and I appreciate that very much. But I think it is important to say that this sitting schedule that we have put forward can work as long as there is due cooperation.

Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for three minutes.

Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As it happens, I will not need three minutes, except to say that this is a perennial argument that is had in here. The Greens have consistently argued that we need to schedule more sitting weeks so we do not end up with crowded schedules at the end of each of the seasonal sittings with the extended hours and the frustration everybody has. That is why you should put it up front, and I just want to put on the record how distressing it was this year to have sittings during school holidays. We warned at the time that that would be a very difficult scenario for many people. But no notice was taken of that. I am pleased to note that at least the sitting schedule that has been established for next year recognises school holidays, and I just want to put on the record that that is a critical consideration. People need to think about that in the scheduling.

I wanted to put on the record the Green's view that we should be scheduling some extra sitting time. It makes sense and it makes for more predictable lifestyles if you know exactly what you are doing and you have got time to do it in so you do not end up being squashed at the end of these sitting times by long sitting hours and legislation by exhaustion. It does not necessarily make for the best outcomes.

Question agreed to.