BUSINESS

Senator DUNIAM (Tasmania—Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) (17:49): Pursuant to contingent notice standing in the name of the Leader of the Opposition, I move: That so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent further consideration of the bills without a limitation of time. I move this motion because tonight we are spending $213 billion of taxpayers' money, can I tell you, without a word of debate, without one minute of scrutiny and without one iota of interest from the Australian government senators in this place, with their bedfellows down the end there, the Australian Greens.

This is the next chapter of their dirty, dodgy and dastardly deal, of which we've seen many iterations over time. But who cares about $213 billion of taxpayers' money? Let's burn it.

Let's chuck it out the door. This is what is happening here. Scrutiny is a thing of the past under this Labor-Green alliance—the brave new world of moderate politics over here, which has absolutely trashed the convention of scrutiny in this place.

The Senate is the house of review— Senator Cash: Allegedly. Senator DUNIAM: supposedly, as Senator Cash says. Occasionally, we get together, and we look at legislation.

We interrogate it, we wonder what it means, and we try and understand how we're spending $213 billion of taxpayers' money. This mob over here, the Australian government, is not big on transparency. Of course, as we know, the Centre for Public Integrity said this is the most secretive government in Australia's history.

This is another chapter to be written into its next report about how this government refuses to allow itself to be open to scrutiny. We don't even know what the details are. In fact, it was last week—I believe it was in answer to a question from Senator Cash, perhaps—that we heard that the details of the agreement between Labor and the Greens, which we've not seen, will not be tabled.

Was it about an extension to their party room? Are they putting a patio on—perhaps a pergola or a hot tub? I don't know what the next chapter of this deal is, but, whatever it is, it means scrutiny is something that need not be applied to a bill or a set of bills that spend $213 billion of taxpayers' money.

We've got to rush it through. It's got to be done this week. Indeed, we would not seek to block these bills at all because, can I tell you, it is important that we have the administration of government occur and that bills are paid.

Let's look at the legislation. Let's debate it. Let's do what this Senate is convened to do.

But there's none of that. With every other budget we've had under this government, we've been entitled to that right: to be able to stand up and make representations and contributions on behalf of the truckies driving up the Midland Highway or the cleaners in Hobart—the people who will be paying this bill for generations to come. We'll rush this through this week, but there's not one word of mention when it comes to savings measures like the NDIS legislation—$35 billion of savings.

We will not offset any of the expenditure we are rushing through this parliament today by at all contemplating the $35 billion of savings which could be passed this week, as I say to the Minister for Finance. The opposition would work happily with the government to pass this legislation this week. We would happily work day and night and have long nights.

It's on the record. The opposition would happily work with the government to pass this legislation by Thursday, close of business. You could bank $35 billion worth of savings.

Let's have some scrutiny on that. That's a good idea. But no, this government is allergic to finding savings.

They only want to spend. What is it they are hiding? I guess we'll never know.

Senator Ayres: We are going miss you so much! Senator DUNIAM: He's misleading the Senate, President! Let me tell you this.

The details of this dirty, dodgy, dastardly deal between Labor and the Greens will remain a secret forever until the Archives Act, of course, enables the details of cabinet meetings to be released for Australians to see exactly what has gone down here. Long before then, they will be paying the bill. This is the problem.

A government senator: We're going to miss you, Jonno. Senator DUNIAM: I've attracted an audience, President! All I want to say is that the Senate should be able to do its job.

We should be able to interrogate this legislation. The appropriations bills—budget bills—that are constructed by government are amended in secret, in some smoke filled party room down the end of the corridor with sumptuous leather chairs, in partnership with the Greens. We will never, ever know what was hatched up here.

It's a bit like those tax bills that we had rammed through this parliament not so long ago; as further scrutiny went on, more and more problems were unearthed. Heaven knows, in a set of bills where $213 billion is being shovelled out the door, what problems are going to be in them. I say shame on this government, and I hope they support the capacity for us to have further debate on these very important pieces of legislation.