Senator RICE (Victoria) (16:03): The Greens will be opposing the suspension of standing orders for the very reason of the types of debate that we have just experienced over the last 15 minutes—the offensive anti-women, patronising, patriarchal, anti-abortion propaganda. No woman has an abortion lightly. No woman does it without thinking. The awful, offensive garbage that has just been expressed in this chamber, talking about women as if they are murderers, is absolutely appalling. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Rice, please resume your seat. Senator Hanson-Young. Senator Anning interjecting— Senator Hanson-Young: I'd like to ask that Senator Anning withdraw what he said to Senator Rice just then. I'm happy to put it on the record. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: There's no need to put it on the record. I didn't hear the comment, Senator Anning, but the usual practice is that, if you said something which is considered to be unparliamentary, you withdraw it without repeating what it was that you said. Senator Anning: I'm not sure what she heard, but I certainly won't be withdrawing. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I ask that you reflect on that. As I said, generally speaking, in this place senators withdraw in the spirit of encouraging everyone to have their say through the formal debate process. Senator Anning: Could Senator Hanson-Young refresh my memory on what she thought I said? The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: If you recall, I requested that Senator Hanson-Young not repeat what it's alleged that you said, and the general practice in this place is that we don't withdraw and then also re-emphasise the offence, so I am asking you in the spirit of goodwill to simply withdraw if you— Senator Anning: Without her telling me what she took offence at, I'm not withdrawing anything. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I will further explain myself. It's not that someone took exception to that; it is the fact that it's considered unparliamentary. I have asked you, in the spirit of ensuring that the Senate continues in a collegiate way with spirited debate, to withdraw the comment that you made. If you don't withdraw the comment, I can only assume you are saying that you didn't make an offensive remark. Senator Anning: That's exactly it. I didn't make any offensive remarks. Senator Hanson-Young: Madam Deputy President— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Hanson-Young, Senator Macdonald is seeking the call. Senator Ian Macdonald: With respect—you are in a difficult situation, perhaps—how can you ask any senator to withdraw something which you didn't even hear and I didn't hear, and where the senator involved has indicated that he doesn't believe anything he said to be unparliamentary? I'm challenging your right to continue to ask this when the senator has indicated that he doesn't think— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: You will be aware that on many occasions the person in the chair does not always hear the offence, yet, because another senator has raised the issue, the question is put. Senator Anning has, by not agreeing to withdraw that remark, indicated to the Senate that he didn't make an unparliamentary remark, so that is the end of the matter. Senator Burston: I'm sitting next to Senator Anning, and I didn't hear any offensive remark. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I'm not asking for general debate. Senator Di Natale: I don't want to repeat the accusation, but it was in reference to Senator Rice, who said, 'You're accusing women of being murderers.' There was a response that came from Senator Anning. That might jog your memory. I would ask him to withdraw. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I've formally asked Senator Anning to withdraw. He has chosen not to do that. Senator RICE: The very debate we have just been having shows why we should not be discussing abortion in a suspension of standing orders. It's bad enough that we have to have one-minute statements on abortion with Senator O'Sullivan's motions and others like it. Abortion is an incredibly sensitive topic. For it to be misrepresented in the way that it has been by some of the contributions in this debate is not how we should be discussing abortion. As I said, no woman has an abortion lightly. This is about women's right to have that control over their own bodies and not be dictated to by people who have not had that experience— Senator O'Sullivan interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I would ask that senators respect other senators' rights to be heard in silence. Senator RICE: and about women making what is always a difficult decision being supported in making that decision. Accessing abortion in Australia has been a struggle. The law reform that has occurred across the country has occurred. For those senators on the other side who are trying to debate this issue here today, it is only a matter of time before we have full decriminalisation of abortion across the country, following on from the states where it has already occurred. It will occur in Queensland, because this is about women's reproductive lives. It is about their ability to control their own bodies. It is about every woman who needs to access an abortion having the right to access this vital health service safely, affordably and legally. Abortions occur even when we have legislation that has criminalised abortion. They continue to occur. Abortions will continue to occur for a whole range of reasons. We need to put in place a legal framework to make sure that they can occur legally and safely and we need to change our laws across the country. The Greens have a commitment to legalise abortion, because we recognise that that right is essential. My new colleague Senator Faruqi tried to get changes to the New South Wales abortion laws. That legislation was defeated last year, but that legislation will be put up again. New South Wales laws will be changed. The Queensland laws will be changed. The difficult decision that a woman and her medical practitioner have to make to determine whether an abortion is the appropriate thing to do is what women right across this country go through every day. They can be trusted to make the right decisions about their own bodies. They do not need to have men in this place telling them that those decisions are wrong and that those decisions are something to be ashamed of. Accessing abortion is still too difficult in Australia. Women in Australia still have to run the gauntlet of protesters as they go through this difficult time in their lives. It is expensive. It is not available to people across the country. We have been through the debates in Tasmania. You have not been able to access an abortion in recent months in Tasmania. It is not available in public hospitals. It should be available across the country. These are the barriers that are still being put in the way of women accessing abortion. These are the barriers that need to change—we do not need to move further away from changing our laws—so that all women have an opportunity to have control of their own bodies and are able to look after their health in a way that is safe, affordable and legal.