That’s commitment
In the Senate last night:
Third Reading
Senator IAN CAMPBELL (Western Australia—Minister for the Environment and Heritage) (9.01
p.m.)—I move:That this bill be now read a third time.
Question agreed to.
Senator Nettle—Mr Acting Deputy President, I ask that opposition to the bill by the Australian Greens and the Australian Democrats be recorded. An agreement was made with the whips tonight that I could—
The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT (Senator Lightfoot)—Is leave granted?
Senator Nettle—I do not think I need leave.
The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT—You may not think you need leave, Senator Nettle, but I beg to differ.
Senator Ian Campbell—Mr Acting Deputy President, on a point of order: I am very happy to allow Senator Nettle to put her position—and I am sure Senator Brown can do so—but I think that under the standing order that Senator Nettle is using a senator is allowed to stand in their place and ask that their vote be recorded. I do not think that gives a senator the liberty to ask that another senator’s or another entire political party’s votes be recorded.
Senator George Campbell—On the same point of order, Mr Acting Deputy President: as I understand the position, the request from the Australian Greens is to indicate to the chamber the view that the Australian Democrats, if they were here, would have voted against the bill. The fact is that they are not here; they are outside the building, having their Christmas party. If they were serious about the bill they would be in this chamber recording their vote themselves. You cannot vote in absentia on a vote in the chamber. They can indicate how they might have voted if they had been here, but that is not recorded as a vote against the bill.
Senator Brown—I ask that my vote against the bill be recorded, and I think Senator Nettle has made it quite clear what the Democrats think.
Bill read a third time.
Lucky Andrew Bartlett didn’t come in after the Xmas party and lay the smack down again…
The democrats think?
When werre they doing that? That must have been not when they agreed to sell Telstra, pass the IR legislation, pass the GST.
Heaven forbid, I must have missed their fleeting indulgence into the realm of thinking. Must have occurred sometime back in the 80s.
That’s hilarious. I think this is a classic case of The Greens trying to be a law unto themselves again. By the way Robert, your Labor mate Bob Carr is about to introduce another new tax.
Ah, Bob Brown. A man to be proud of.
I would have thought this would have been embraced as a fine example of Greens & Democrats co-operation.
For Julie’s info, the Democrats didn’t sell Telstra, and there’s been over 50 IR bills in the last decade (and they didn’t all vote for the GST, but it’s way too late for that argument).
Oh and thanks Adam, but I’ve never touched smack, at a party or anywhere else.
Senator, this was not an example of “cooperation,” it was an example of the Democrats shirking their duty in favour of Christmas drinks. You can’t spin your way out of the fact that you didn’t even show up.
And Adam didn’t suggest you used smack. I would have thought a bungee-jumping, goth-band-reviving pollie like you would be familiar with vernacular terms? You’re not doing much for your youth cred…