MOTIONS

Senator HUME (Victoria—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (10:21): I seek leave to make a statement of no more than five minutes. Leave not granted. Senator HUME: Pursuant to contingent notice of motion standing in the name of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, I move: That so much of standing orders be suspended such that I may make a five-minute statement.

Ministers are accountable to this parliament, and the motion from Senator Cash goes to one of the most fundamental principles of our democracy, yet this government wants to shut down this debate. They are accountable for the laws that they produce. No matter how bad those laws are, they are accountable for them.

They are accountable for the information they provide. No matter how mean and tricky they want to be about providing that information, they are accountable for providing it. And they're accountable when they deliberately deny the Senate the opportunity to scrutinise that legislation, and that is exactly what has happened in this chamber in this last fortnight.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, you've moved that so much of business of today be moved such that this motion be put. That is what you need to address. You need to address why you want to suspend the standing orders.

Senator HUME: That's right. The PRESIDENT: I haven't heard you mention the word 'suspension' yet. It needs to be around why the suspension is important.

Senator HUME: The suspension is extremely important because what it is that Senator Cash was trying to do before she got shut down was one of the most fundamental principles of our democracy, but the government wants to shut down this debate. Ministers are accountable to the parliament. They are accountable to the laws that they introduce, and they are accountable for the information that they provide.

They are accountable when they deliberately deny the Senate an opportunity to scrutinise legislation. That is what the suspension is about. Labor said that this was the biggest tax reform in 25 years, yet they have denied appropriate scrutiny by this chamber.

They have treated this chamber as something of inconvenience. There were two hearing days into this inquiry, only two hearing days. It was a sham inquiry.

The written report at the end of it was tabled within a week. There were two days for the biggest tax reform—'reform', I might say—the biggest tax increase in 25 years, and yet somehow this chamber was used as an inconvenience to Labor. Labor was running a sham inquiry while Australians held an alternate inquiry just outside the door, their own grassroots inquiry, and what they told us was very clear indeed.

What they said was that they were angry. They were angry at this government's attack on aspiration. They were angry at the government making it harder to save, harder to invest, harder to build a business and harder to buy a home.

It is a mean and tricky piece of legislation. And Australians said it very carefully and very clearly— The PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, you have drifted away from the reason you think there needs to be a suspension. Senator HUME: The reason we need to make sure that we can suspend to discuss this is that Labor is holding the Senate in contempt.

Why are they doing that? What is it that Labor has to hide here? Treasury couldn't even tell us whether they had read all the submissions to that inquiry.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, it's about the censure. Senator HUME: That's why we need to suspend. We need to suspend so that we can discuss this legislation that has been rammed through, holding the government, holding the Senate, in contempt.

You have denied the parliament any opportunity to appropriately test the changes that you have made— The PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, please resume your seat. Senator HUME: and that is why we need to suspend. It's because— The PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, please resume your seat.

Minister Wong. Senator Wong: The suspension that is being sought is why a statement has to be made. So I'd ask you to ask the senator to be relevant to the question that is before the chair.

It's not about legislation. It is not about anything. It's about her saying she has to be heard.

The PRESIDENT: Minister Wong, you will be aware that I have brought the matter of what the senator needs to be debating to her attention a number of times. And, Senator Hume, I'll remind you once again—and I incorrectly said 'censure' before, but it's obviously a suspension. Please continue.

Senator HUME: We need to suspend to ensure that Senator Cash has the appropriate opportunity to censure this government for its contempt of the Senate. That shows the complete contempt that this leader of the Senate has, that this government has for its Senate. And let's face it: the Treasurer made it pretty clear yesterday, when he put out there, in his interview, that he has made it 'perfectly clear'—I think I lost count of how many times he said the words 'perfectly clear'.

Can I tell you: If you have to keep saying how 'perfectly clear' you have made it, you haven't made it perfectly clear at all. That's why we need to suspend: to allow Senator Cash to make this statement. An honourable senator: You're making the statement!

Senator HUME: And I am making the statement, right now, that speaks to the contempt that you, Senator Wong, and your colleagues have held this Senate in. This is the political equivalent of saying, 'Trust me.' Why would anybody trust you? Let's face it: you haven't been trustworthy in the past.

You have tried to ram through legislation—have successfully rammed through legislation—without scrutiny, that has increased taxes— The PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, I will draw you back to the suspension. Senator HUME: and that's why we need to suspend. We need to suspend to allow appropriate scrutiny and discussion of the lack of scrutiny that this government has forced through the Senate.

They lied to you. They lied to you— The PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, just a moment. I'm going to ask you to withdraw.

Thank you. Minister Wong. Senator Wong: I would just make the point to the Senate that, actually, what the senator is seeking is the capacity to make her own statement, not any of the things she referenced in that contribution.

On that basis, I move: That the motion be now put. The PRESIDENT: The question is that the motion as moved by Senator Wong be agreed to.