MOTIONS › Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee
Senator RUSTON (South Australia—Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) (11:50): I seek leave to make a short statement. The PRESIDENT: Leave is granted for one minute. Senator RUSTON: The government opposes this motion, because it contains a number of mistruths. Minister Cash has answered numerous hours of questions at several estimates hearings concerning the matter since October 2017 and has provided consistent answers throughout this period. She will again be at Senate estimates this Friday. The person who refuses to answer questions about this matter is Bill Shorten. He still needs to explain to the Australian people whether union donations to his own personal campaign and to GetUp! were properly authorised. The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Ruston, please resume your seat. Senator Wong on a point of order. Senator Wong: The standing orders clearly go to the sorts of comments about a person in another place that the senator was making. I know that she has been given these talking points, but it is inappropriate to use a statement by leave to engage in a personal attack on the Leader of the Opposition. The PRESIDENT: Senator Wong, it may be inappropriate, but I didn't detect a breach of the standing orders, other than maybe the lack of use of a formal title for Mr Shorten. Leave was granted to make a one-minute statement, so I'm afraid that the statement was not out of order. I will now put the motion. The question is that the motion No. 1450 be agreed to.