Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move a motion relating to the 2025-26 supplementary budget estimates hearings, as circulated.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice of motion standing in the name of Senator Cash, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me from moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to a motion relating to the 2025-26 supplementary budget estimates hearings.

The reason I do that is, today, Labor and the Greens did what we have been predicting for some time that they would—another dodgy deal. Today that deal dropped to an absolutely new low, and that low was, of course, the removal of scrutiny, which is incredibly important, in two areas. The motion we want to move today is one that relates to the cross-portfolio estimates hearings of, firstly, the Indigenous matters and, secondly, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

It is astounding that a Labor government that holds itself up as the champion of Indigenous Australians—in partnership with the Greens, who claim the same thing—would go and scrap a full day of hearings in the Senate estimates process relating to Indigenous matters when we consider that many of the key indicators around closing the gap are going backwards when it comes to Indigenous wellbeing in this country. This government, who promised us new levels of transparency, who promised us that they would ensure that Australians knew more about what was happening here under this government and who promised that they would provide accountability to the Australian people about things that mattered, have gone and slammed the door on accountability and have shut down scrutiny of what they should be offering to this parliament. But the worst part is that, for those who signed up to this terrible arrangement, it's the Greens who have backed this in. I do not know how it's the Australian Greens, who for so long have stood in here and told us that governments of either persuasion don't do enough for Indigenous Australians and that we need to do more. Former Greens, like Senator Cox, would probably have championed a different position inside the Greens but instead are now part of the Labor Party and signed up to this terrible arrangement. It is not good for democracy, it is not good for accountability, and it's certainly not good for Indigenous Australians.

Let's go through some of the key indicators we need to consider when this government has gone through a decision-making process as part of their sneaky deal earlier on in the chamber today to quash estimates for a whole day to consider cross-portfolio Indigenous matters. Youth detention under this government is up 11 per cent. But let's not have a day of Senate estimates; let's shut it down. Youth suicide, of course, is up by 9.4 per cent.

Government senators interjecting—

But, hey, you know what? There's no scrutiny. There's no accountability. If we talk about adult incarceration, it's up under this government by 3.5 per cent. Let's not have a day of hearing to examine what is actually going on and see where the policies of this government are failing Indigenous Australians. We've got colleagues who actually want to ask questions. Did anyone want to give a reason for that? No. They slipped it through the Senate, with the Greens, and just rammed it through. It's appalling. Preschool attendance in Indigenous Australians is down by 2.6 per cent. Again, let's not have a day of hearings to actually examine what's going wrong, why this government's policies are failing and why things need to change.

Government senators interjecting—

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Ciccone!

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Then, finally, 1.2 per cent fewer children are commencing school developmentally on track. Again, this is something critically important to consider for this parliament. Senate estimates is an important tool for us to be able to examine what governments are doing. You've got numbers like this—four indicators going backward on the KPIs for Closing the Gap—and this government, in partnership with their coalition bedfellows, the Greens, say: 'We are not going to allow you to examine these matters. We will not have a day of scrutiny on these important matters.' I think that's shameful. So I'm glad that today we've been able to shed some light on this appalling arrangement we have between Labor and the Greens, where they would shut down scrutiny of matters on Indigenous affairs in this country. You've got shameful numbers like this. You spend half-a-billion dollars on a referendum but refuse to allow senators who have an interest, like Senator Liddle and Senator Nampijinpa Price, to ask questions of this government and its ministers to ensure that we get some accountability. Anyone who says they stand up for Indigenous Australians and then supports what happened here should hang their heads in shame. How can you look at these numbers and say that what you've done today is good? It's not good for accountability. It's not good for democracy. It's not good for Indigenous Australians. But this is the brave new world under a Labor-Green government.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd make three points very briefly, and then I will move that the motion be put. The first—which I'm sure you anticipated, Senator Duniam—is that those questions will still be able to be asked and answered in estimates. The second is that the coalition didn't oppose this change earlier in the day but now is feigning outrage. The third point is this, to the leadership of the coalition in this chamber: for many years I was the Senate leader in opposition. I remember it very clearly. And I consistently supported the government of the day in their parliamentary sitting pattern because that was the convention.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sorry—may I? May I finish?

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McGrath! Senator Wong, do you want to resume your seat?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sure.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those on my left, I cannot hear Senator Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I appreciate that, Deputy President. It is unfortunate that the coalition want to work with Senator Pocock to change the parliamentary sitting, but that's a matter for them. On that note, I move:

That the question be now put.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the closure motion, as moved by Senator Wong, be agreed to.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion to suspend standing orders, as moved by Senator Duniam, be agreed to.