MOTIONS

Senator WATT (Queensland—Minister for the Environment and Water) (12:49): Just to be very clear, the motion currently before the Senate is effectively an urgency motion. It is a motion seeking to suspend standing orders to consider Senator Hanson's bill. Now, depending on the outcome of that result, we will have an opportunity to express our views on that bill.

But the matter before us right now is whether the standing orders should be suspended to debate this matter, which would have the effect of continuing to disrupt the other business of the Senate. The government does not support the suspension of standing orders. We as a government of course acknowledge that any government's priorities need to be headed by maintaining the safety and security of the Australian population, and that is something that this government has done, including in relation to foreign fighters and the group that have become known as ISIS brides.

We have repeatedly made the point that as a government we are not providing any assistance to those individuals to return to Australia. Even though it doesn't seem to be accepted by some in this chamber, it is well known that, under Australian law, Australian citizens have a right to return to Australia. But this government is not providing an ounce of assistance to those individuals to return, so the government does not support the suspension of these standing orders.

It is absolutely clear to anyone who has paid any attention to the debates about this issue that the bill that Senator Hanson is seeking to introduce is unconstitutional and would be thrown out by the High Court at the first opportunity. This is simply Senator Hanson seeking to score political points on a particular issue in front of the Australian people at the moment.

This government is about laws that stand up in court, that do protect Australians and that don't result in being thrown out by a court, exposing Australians to greater risk—and that is what would be the consequence of Senator Hanson's bill if it were to pass the Senate chamber. We know that the current legislation that governs the use of temporary exclusion orders, which is what Senator Hanson's bill goes to—the current law, which was introduced by the former government, goes to the absolute maximum lengths that are permissible under the Australian Constitution.

If any politician in this chamber, whether it be Senator Hanson, a coalition member or an Australian Greens member, seeks to amend the laws to take them further, that new law would be knocked over by the High Court and would not protect Australians. What this government is about is protecting Australians, not just seeking headlines, which is what Senator Hanson is doing.

On that basis, we oppose the motion to suspend standing orders, and I move that the question be put. The PRESIDENT: The question is that the question be now put.