Senator CONROY (Victoria—Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (15:45): Mr President, could I indicate that the motion has actually been amended and is not in the same form as was debated last week. Can I turn to the arguments put forward by Senator Abetz. This is a government that has trampled on every single convention that you can imagine. It has called royal commissions to pursue its own nasty political vendettas. We have had a waste of taxpayers' money that will be over $100 million by the time they are all finished. We have had two royal commissions with no other purpose than to try to smear, abuse and vilify the former governments. This is a government that knows no decent bounds whatsoever. Do you want to know what the final arbiter of that decision would be? Even former Prime Minister John Howard has said, 'I wouldn't have called those royal commissions.' When Senator Abetz stands up here and talks about the decent and right thing to do— Senator Brandis: Mr President, I rise on a point of order. The motion that we are debating is a motion to suspend standing orders to permit debate of a motion to establish a Senate inquiry on the terms circulated by the Palmer United Party. It has absolutely nothing to do with a royal commission that is currently in progress into the subject of trade union corruption. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Brandis. As is the general nature of suspension of standing orders, the debate does venture into the topic which the suspension of standing orders relates to. I allowed that with the previous speaker, and I will allow it with Senator Conroy. Senator CONROY: Thank you, Mr President. I thought Senator Abetz roamed widely in his particular contribution. He spoke extensively about what is the decent and right thing to do. Let us be clear: $100 million is being wasted by those opposite to pursue their political opponents. This is an absolute abuse of process. These royal commissions are nothing but a stunt. Senator Abetz said that we have a convention whereby we do not investigate each other's chambers. This is not an investigation of a chamber. This is an examination of the conduct of a government—not the chamber and not the institution of parliament in Queensland. It is looking at a thoroughly corrupt bunch of individuals in Queensland and their conduct behind the scenes. Senator Brandis: Mr President, I rise on a point of order. You cannot accuse members of another parliament of corruption. Senator CONROY: I said a group of individuals. Senator Brandis: You said a government—the Queensland government. As you know, all members of the Queensland government are members of the Queensland parliament. The PRESIDENT: Senator Conroy, I draw your attention to the standing orders. You have the right to continue. Senator CONROY: I can understand why those opposite, particularly those Queensland senators who have turned up now en masse to try and defend those up in Queensland, do not want any scrutiny. They won a large majority. You would have thought, Mr President, that, after winning a large majority, you would not have to behave in the nasty and vindictive way in which that government has behaved. You have wiped out the opposition pretty much. You have only got the one chamber. You would have thought you could have behaved decently—yet, the Campbell Newman government has behaved anything but. This motion says, 'Let us have a law— Senator O'Sullivan: Mr President, I rise on a point of order. It is one thing to have a debate in relation to what is happening here, but the point of order is that the senator continues to make aspersions against another government. Section 193(3) of the standing orders is very clear where it refers to imputations and personal reflections on those members of other houses. The standing orders refers to it in one of the only places it does as 'highly disorderly'. The senator should be reminded of the order and should abide by it. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator O'Sullivan. Senator Conroy, I did give you a warning on the previous point of order. You cannot reflect on the good character and reputation of another parliament or a member of another parliament. Senator Conroy, continue your remarks but be observant of the standing orders. Senator CONROY: Thank you, Mr President. I will confine my remarks to the conduct of the government as a whole rather than any individual to save you having to respond to total furphies from those opposite. The conduct of the Campbell Newman government is something that deserves scrutiny. In Queensland, where Sir Joe Bjelke-Petersen described press conferences as ’feeding the chooks', there is a long history of such behaviour by Queensland National Party members of parliament, and some of them went to jail. What we are seeing is the beginnings of the conduct highlighted by the terms of reference that are before us today. Those opposite are very sensitive—and they should be very sensitive! Government senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order on my right! Senator Brandis interjecting— Senator CONROY: Oh dear! The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Conroy, you have the call. Senator CONROY: Thank you, Mr President. We can see how sensitive a button you have touched, Senator Lazarus, with this motion. You can see just how sensitive the Queensland Liberal-National Party machine is. They will do anything. They will smear anybody. They will put up any furphy whatsoever to defend their mates in Queensland. Senator Ian Macdonald: Mr President, I rise on a point of order. Senator Conroy has been here long enough to know the standing order that he must address his remarks through the chair and not direct to Senator Lazarus. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Macdonald. That is a technically correct point of order. Senator Conroy, you have the call. Senator CONROY: I have been guilty, Mr President. Senator Macdonald's strongest case in defence of his colleagues and mates in the Queensland Liberal-National Party is exactly that—that I was facing in the wrong direction. What a committee this is going to be! With strong, intellectual points of order like that, Senator Lazarus, you will have your hands full. Through you, Mr President: Senator Lazarus will have his hands full in dealing with this committee and the sort of raucous abuse, smear and innuendo that you have already seen from those opposite. We will see where this committee leads us. I indicate that the Labor opposition will be supporting this suspension.