Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to ask a question on behalf of South Australians regarding the Albanese Labor government's historic women's health package.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the order of the Senate agreed to on 29 October concerning the arrangements for question time be suspended as would prevent me asking a question of the Government.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! Senator McGrath, you will withdraw those comments.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

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

Thank you. I remind senators that Senator Smith will be heard in silence.

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, please; thank you. We have held two Senate inquiries over the last term of parliament into women's health: an inquiry into menopause and perimenopause and an inquiry into women's health. Through those inquiries, we heard from hundreds and hundreds of women about how they'd been let down by a system which was failing them. They came into this building and shared their trauma. They came into this building and told how they had been dismissed.

Wendy Askew (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order on relevance—the contribution should be on the urgency and why we need to actually do it rather than your point. It's in the standing orders.

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

Senator Smith, it is a suspension of standing orders. We are now on the issue of urgency, I believe, so you do need to inform the Senate as to why the matter is urgent.

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, these are the women I'm trying to ask this question on behalf of. These are the women who came in here and said the country needs to change—that we need to fund women's health properly. Our government listened. We responded. There are changes happening this weekend. I want to ask a question about it so I can inform the women in my community.

Honourable senators interjecting—

O pposition senator s interjecting

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith is trying to articulate a position. It is very difficult for her to do that with all of the bellowing that's coming from the fellas over there. I'd ask you to ask them again—I know that you've tried—to hear her in silence.

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

I am going to remind the Senate once again, particularly those loud voices on my left, that Senator Smith has the right to be heard in silence. If you don't wish to participate in the debate, you are free to leave the chamber. But you will listen and not interject.

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are important changes happening this weekend, which my community deserves to know about. I started my day on the radio in regional South Australia to spread the word of those changes. I have a democratic right as well. The only person who has a democratic—

O pposition senator s interjecting

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

Senator Smith, resume your seat. Once again, I—

Senator Bragg, may I remind you that I am the President in this chamber. I sat the senator down because you on my left are absolutely out of order. I repeat—no, Senator Dean Smith, I haven't finished yet—once again: if you cannot listen in silence, leave the chamber. But don't interject. You were interjecting so loudly that I could not hear Senator Marielle Smith. Senator Dean Smith.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator M Smith's position ignores the fact that the government has already had three—

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

No—resume your seat.

Senator Dean Smith, resume your seat. Senator Marielle Smith, I am going to remind you that you need to talk about why the matter is urgent.

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's urgent because there are 19 non-executive members of this chamber who are now having their right to ask questions curtailed in this place. There are 19 members of this chamber who have come in here today asking questions of the utmost seriousness, asking questions on the Racial Discrimination Act—

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Senator Smith, please resume your seat. Once again, I'm going to call you to order. Order on both sides of the chamber to order.

Well, Senator McKenzie, quite frankly, I wish you'd take your own advice on that interjection. Minister Watt?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, President, for your efforts to try to bring some order to this passage of question time. I would invite the opposition members, in particular the male opposition members, to have a bit of self-reflection about the fact that they're yelling at a woman who's trying to ask a question about women's health. That might be something worthy of reflection.

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

Senator Smith, do you have a point of order? I have a number of senators standing up, so if you could resume your seat. I am going to try, once again, for order in this place. I had Senator Paterson and Senator Henderson standing. I don't know which one of you stood first but, perhaps, because you're on the front bench, Senator Paterson, I'll entertain—presumably it's a point of order and not a statement.

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order raised by Senator Watt, even I am old enough to remember you sitting in these chairs screaming at female senators yourself.

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

Senator Paterson, that is a debating point.

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Have some self-awareness, mate.

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

Order! Senator Henderson, if it is not a genuine point of order, I intend to sit you down.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, I would ask that you ask Senator Watt to withdraw the unparliamentary reflection on male senators on this side of the house. It is most inappropriate to reflect in this way, and I think that, in good grace and good faith, he should withdraw that terrible comment.

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

Senator Watt, I invite you to withdraw.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! There does need to be silence.

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The senators who supported Senator Pocock on this motion are seeking to deny almost a third of this chamber the opportunity to do their jobs—to do their democratic responsibility on behalf of the people that they represent. We have a democratic right to represent our constituents as well. We have a democratic right to participate in this chamber too. I have a right to ask questions, and there has been a longstanding convention in this place which should have allowed me to. I have an important question to ask. I don't have a question to ask seeking to table Hansard into Hansard

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Senator Smith, please resume your seat. Once again, I have to call the chamber to order, particularly those of you on my left.

Senator Watt, come to order! Senator Marielle Smith, please continue.

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What is happening here is that this chamber is denying non-executive members of the government, like myself, the opportunity to ask a question which matters to the women of my state. There are big changes happening this Saturday which we fought tooth and nail for. Hundreds of women walked into this place and shared trauma, stigma and stories of being dismissed and silenced in the hope that our government would change the law, change the way women's health is funded and change their treatment. Things are changing for them this weekend, and I want to be able to ask about it.

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

Senator Smith, please resume your seat. Senator Duniam, if this is not a genuine point of order, I will sit you down.

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

I understand.

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

I'm over the statements that are being made in the guise of points of order.

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

My point of order is on relevance. The question before the chair is about the suspension of standing orders, and this doesn't go to that.

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

It does. The senator is required—

I haven't finished, Senator Smith. The senator asked for leave. Leave was not given. She moved to suspend. I have reminded her, and she has kept telling the Senate what is urgent about this matter. That is what she is doing. Senator Smith, I invite you to continue.

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You may not think it is urgent, Senator Duniam, for the women of my community to be able to understand the changes which are happening to our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme this weekend and to understand the changes which are happening to Medicare this weekend. As I said, I've used every opportunity available to me to try and get this message out, and I don't think you would doubt that. I want to use my democratic right in this place—

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

Senator Smith, please resume your seat. Before I call you, Senator Henderson, I am going to take the interjection, Senator Duniam. It has always been my practice to hold firmly to the view that suspensions should be about detailing why a matter is urgent. You can check on the many times we've had suspensions in this place. When I am in the chair, I always draw senators back to the urgency of the matter, and I have drawn Senator Smith back a number of times.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, I wonder if you could ask Senator Marielle Smith to direct her comments through the chair, please.

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

I think she is doing that, but I will remind her once again that that is what is required.

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is urgent. This is urgent for half the population. Half the population will go through menopause if they live to midlife. There are huge changes happening this weekend. This is an opportunity I should be able to have, as a non-executive member of this government to ask the question so that my community can hear from the minister about the changes happening on 1 November which will make a massive difference to their lives. For those women, this question is urgent. It is urgent that I get an opportunity to ask it, just as it was important for other non-executive members of this government to ask questions today about the Racial Discrimination Act, about family and domestic violence and about First Nations health. It is not only the crossbench who represents a community who has a right to be heard in here. As a non-executive member of the government, I also have a constituency, and you are tearing up convention which allows me to do my job as a senator, which I take seriously.

I respect the right of Senator Pocock to do his job, and I take that seriously. I respect the right of the Greens to do their job on behalf of their constituency, and I respect the right of opposition backbenchers to do theirs, but you are showing the utmost disrespect for my responsibility to my constituents. You should show more respect to non-government members of this place and to the convention which makes this place what it is.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the question be put.

Question agreed to.

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

The question is that the suspension motion as moved by Senator Marielle Smith be agreed to.