MATTERS OF URGENCY

Senator RUSTON (South Australia—Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (16:39): I stand today to speak against the motion by the government, because it isn't urgent. It isn't urgent. But what is really important in this place is two things.

One is that it is really important that the conventions, the precedents and the procedures of this chamber are respected by every single senator in this place. What is also important is that non-government senators are provided with the due respect by those on the government benches to have their time that has been allotted by the standing orders so that they can prosecute the issues that are important to them and to the people that elect them to be in this place.

For the government to think that this is somehow urgent, that they would come in here and amend a motion, to change the substance of that motion significantly, to prevent a crossbench senator from being able to talk to their motion in the time that they have been allotted—I think that the government needs to have a very serious think about what they think is urgent and important.

We have to respect the fact that you may not like what a senator in this place moves as a motion. None of us always like everything that others in this place may raise as issues for debate on the floor of this chamber. But the one thing that you cannot move away from is this: every senator has the sovereign right to be able to raise whatever issues they choose to raise.

In this place, Senator Hanson, like every other crossbench senator and every other non-government senator, has the right, during this particular time— The PRESIDENT: Senator Ruston, I'm going to draw you back to the suspension. Senator RUSTON: Yes. For that very reason, I believe that the motion as moved to suspend by the government is not urgent, for the reasons that I have stated.

As I said, what I do believe is important is that the government understands why we believe that they should not have moved the amendment to this motion and why we believe that their motion— The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Ruston. The total time for the debate on the urgency motion moved by Senator Hanson, which includes the debate on this suspension motion, has now expired.

I will now put the question on Senator Hanson's urgency motion. The question is that the urgency motion moved by Senator Hanson be agreed to.