Senator LAZARUS (Queensland—Leader of the Palmer United Party in the Senate) (16:40): Thank you, Mr President. I move the motion circulated in the chamber relating to the establishment of a select committee on certain aspects of the Queensland government administration: (1) That a select committee, to be known as the Select Committee on Certain Aspects of Queensland Government Administration related to Commonwealth Government Affairs, be established to inquire into and report on: (a) the amount of Commonwealth funds allocated or paid to the State of Queensland since 26 March 2012, with particular reference to: (i) the purposes for which the funds were appropriated by the Parliament, (ii) performance measures in relation to Commonwealth funds paid to the State of Queensland, (iii) identified breaches of funding agreements or conditions, (iv) the proportion of the Queensland State budget derived from Commonwealth funds, and (v) whether any Commonwealth funds have been used by the State of Queensland for state government advertising or party political purposes, (b) the administration of the Queensland courts and judicial system insofar as it relates to cross vesting arrangements, with particular reference to judicial independence and separation of powers; (c) approval process for the development of projects for the export of resources or services insofar as they are administered by the Commonwealth or under a bilateral agreement with the Commonwealth; (d) the extent to which Queensland State Government policies and practices are consistent with Australia's obligations under international environmental law instruments; (e) whether it is appropriate for the Federal Minister for the Environment to delegate his approval powers to the Queensland State Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 by way of approval bilateral agreements or strategic assessments; (f) the extent to which Queensland State Government policies and practices are consistent with Australia's obligations under international human rights instruments, with particular reference to: (i) the administration of prisons, and (ii) detention without trial; and (g) any other matter the committee considers relevant. (2) The Committee will inquire into and report on the adequacy of Commonwealth oversight of the approval of coal seam gas projects in Queensland. (3) That the committee presents its final report on or before 27 March 2015. (4) That the committee consist of 5 senators, 1 to be nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate, 2 to be nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Ito be nominated by the Leader of the Australian Greens, and 1 to be nominated by the Leader of the Palmer United Party. (5) That: (a) on the nominations of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and minority groups and independent senators, participating members may be appointed to the committee; (b) participating members may participate in hearings of evidence and deliberations of the committee, and have all the rights of members of the committee, but may not vote on any questions before the committee; and (c) a participating member shall be taken to be a member of the committee for the purpose of forming a quorum of the committee if a majority of members of the committee is not present. (6) That the committee may proceed to the dispatch of business notwithstanding that all members have not been duly nominated and appointed and notwithstanding any vacancy. (7) That the committee: (a) appoint as chair the Leader of the Palmer United Party in the Senate and, (b) elect as deputy chair a member elected by the committee. (8) That the deputy chair shall act as chair when the chair is absent from a meeting of the committee or the position of chair is temporarily vacant. (9) That, in the event of an equality of voting, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, have a casting vote. (10) That the quorum of the committee be 3 members. (11) That the committee and any subcommittee have power to send for and examine any person and any document, to move from place to place (including, but not limited to, major metropolitan and regional centres in Queensland and the committee shall conduct public hearings in Nambour, Ipswich, Mackay, Rockhampton, Kingaroy, Mt Isa, Bundaberg, Toowoomba, Townsville and Cairns) to sit in public or in private, notwithstanding any prorogation of the Parliament or dissolution of the House of Representatives . (12) That the committee shall report from time to time its proceedings and the evidence taken and such interim recommendations as it may deem fit. (13) That the committee has power to appoint subcommittees consisting of 2 or more of its members, and to refer to any such subcommittee any of the matters which the committee is empowered to consider. (14) That the committee be provided with all necessary staff, facilities and resources and be empowered to appoint persons with specialist knowledge for the purposes of the committee with the approval of the President. (15) That the committee be empowered to print from day to day such papers and evidence as may be ordered by it, and a daily Hansard be published of such proceedings as take place in public. Senator Ian Macdonald: Mr President, on a point of order: I think under the standing orders I am entitled to ask the mover to read out the motion. The PRESIDENT: You are entitled to ask that, but I think in this context it is a lengthy motion. It has been circulated, and a number of senators have referred to the circulated motion. I do not consider it necessary for the motion to be read. Senator Lazarus has moved his motion— Senator Ian Macdonald: On a further point of order, Mr President: it is in the standing orders that I can ask for it. Never have I understood that to be refused in my long time here. This motion was dropped on my table—I do not know about anyone else—five minutes before the debate started. I am told it is substantially different. On a cursory look it seems exactly the same and that is why I would like Senator Lazarus to read out all four pages so we can all follow through— Senator Heffernan: I haven't even got it. Senator Ian Macdonald: He haven't even got it. I would like him to read it through so that I can understand it. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Macdonald. My understanding is, and I am prepared to take this away and come back to you if I am incorrect, that a previous president or presidents have ruled in relation to whether standing orders are not quite specific on reading out a motion that has been circulated and every senator has had the opportunity to read it. I will come back to you, Senator Macdonald, if I am incorrect, but I believe that I am correct. Senator Heffernan: How was it circulated? I have not seen the motion. It is not on my desk. I do not know what we are talking about. The PRESIDENT: Senator Heffernan, motions, as you know, are often circulated in this place. If you do not have one on your desk, I am sure there is one here at the table that you could avail yourself of. Senator O'Sullivan: Mr President, have you somehow ruled that a point of order cannot be taken on standing order 86? The PRESIDENT: No, I will clarify that again, Senator O'Sullivan. The motion that was originally moved and passed by this Senate and that was moved by Senator Lazarus. He sought to set aside so much of standing orders that would prevent him taking a course of action. Standing order 86 falls into that category: it would prevent him taking the action he was seeking. The Senate passed that. That was a clear resolution of the Senate only three votes ago. We are now setting aside parts of standing orders that would prevent him doing this. Outside of this context, standing order 86 could be applicable, but not in this context. Senator Heffernan: I would like to seek a clarification, Mr President. As I understand it, this motion is for an inquiry—I have just received the motion, thanks, though I have not read it yet—into aspects of the present Queensland government and some environmental aspects of the previous government to do with coal seam gas or something. It is part of the deal that Senator Conroy stuck together at the back of the chamber in question time. Can I just seek clarification. The editor and author of this motion is a bloke called Clive Palmer, on the other side of parliament. My question is: given that he has court action in a commercial matter with the Queensland government, isn't there a conflict of interest that is intolerable to this chamber? The PRESIDENT: No, Senator Heffernan, you are debating an issue. That is not a correct— Senator Heffernan: No, I'm not; I'm seeking a clarification— The PRESIDENT: The clarification is, Senator Heffernan, that Senator Lazarus has circulated that motion in the chamber, and that is all that the Senate needs to be concerned about. Senator Heffernan interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator Heffernan, unless you have a fresh point of order, you have no point of order. Senator Ian Macdonald: Mr President, on the same grounds, on the conflict of interest point, does Senator Lazarus have any conflict of interest in this particular issue with, perhaps, family members? The PRESIDENT: Senator Macdonald, it is entirely up to Senator Lazarus if he wishes to disclose any other matter that is on his register of interests, so that is not a point of order. Senator O'Sullivan, I am going to move on unless there are substantive points of order which need to be addressed, which I do not see happening. Senator O'Sullivan: I have just one final clarification, Mr President. Again, I will have to show my newness in this place. Senator Lazarus moved a motion to set aside standing orders in order that he might be able to do something— The PRESIDENT: And he articulated what he wanted to undertake. An honourable senator interjecting— Senator O'SULLIVAN: I am certainly not going to take advice from you after the mistakes that were made earlier. The PRESIDENT: Just direct your remarks to me, Senator O'Sullivan. Senator O'SULLIVAN: In doing so, the Senate accepted that he could move a motion. This is where I become confused. The value of the decision of the Senate I would have thought expired at the moving of the motion. The PRESIDENT: No, if I could clarify that for you, Senator O'Sullivan: he sought to set aside as much of the standing orders as was necessary to complete a course of action, and that involved two steps. That was articulated and understood by his original motion, which the Senate passed. With all respect to senators, I intend to move on. We now have a debate and the debate is on Senator Lazarus's motion that he has just moved, which is the substantive motion. Senator Abetz was seeking the call.