Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (13:05): I seek leave to move a motion relating to the hours of meeting and routine of business for today. Leave not granted. Senator GALLAGHER: Pursuant to contingent notice standing in the name of Senator Wong, I move: That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a motion relating to the hours of meeting and routine of business immediately. I would like to begin by thanking the Senate for coming back and having this urgent sitting of the Senate so soon after we adjourned for the year. It is important that the Senate consider the bills that have been passed by the House of Representatives today and that we deal with this today. It is no surprise that those opposite are using a procedural motion to avoid debating these bills today. These bills are about saving jobs— Opposition senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Hanon-Young? Senator Hanson-Young: A point of order— Senator McKenzie interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order, Senator McKenzie! I've got a senator on her feet with a point of order. Senator Hanson-Young: A point of order, Madam President: even with the microphone on, I couldn't hear the minister speaking. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Hanson-Young. It was my intention to call the senators to order. I would ask that this debate be heard in silence. Senator GALLAGHER: Thank you, President. These bills that come before the Senate as urgent bills that must be dealt with today are about saving Australian industry and business. They're about saving Australian manufacturing. They're about saving Australian— Opposition senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: I just asked the minister to sit and asked senators that the debate be heard in silence, and the minute the minister was called back to her feet the interjections started. They are disorderly and disrespectful. Senator GALLAGHER: Thank you, President. They're about supporting cost-of-living pressures for Australian families, for households and for individuals who are struggling under these increases in the cost of energy. The government has been working on this—a solution for some of these cost increases—for the last couple of months. Opposition senators interjecting— Senator GALLAGHER: After a wasted decade—we hear the laughter over there. The reason we are here dealing with this is an illegal invasion of Ukraine and 10 years of dysfunction and denial and the failure of those opposite on energy policy. They are the two reasons we are here. Opposition senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister Gallagher, please resume your seat. Senator Canavan interjecting— Senator Watt interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Canavan and Senator Watt. Calling out across the chamber is disorderly. We have a minister on her feet. I'm going to ask you again to listen. Senator GALLAGHER: I hear those over there laughing, but last Friday the Prime Minister struck an agreement with every state and territory government in Australia, with governments of different political persuasions, governments that are responsible for dealing with issues as they arise, who understand the pressure that businesses, industry and households are under and who see the urgency behind these reforms that we are bringing forward. They are from all sides of politics. They see it. And here we have this mob over here on the wrong side of history, and we will remember this. Don't you forget: we will remember this. Your names will be recorded in Hansard—each and every one of you who are going to stand in the way of support for industry, support for jobs, support for small business and support for households. Let us not forget. Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator Gallagher, please resume your seat. Once again, I've had to call the Senate to order. I would ask that the senator be heard in respectful silence. Senator, please continue. Senator GALLAGHER: What you're seeing from this government, responding through this legislative reform package today, is a responsible government that has sat down and worked across the table with industry, with different stakeholders and with state and territory governments to provide some urgent solutions with a longer-term reform package, working across the parliament, talking to different senators and members of parliament about the right thing to do to bring forward this package, and you over there don't even want to debate it. You're not even going to give leave for us to bring this bill forward to debate it today. We're going to see this. I can predict that over the next few hours we are going to have all the process arguments in the world raised. We're going to have, 'Oh, we didn't get this and we didn't get that.' But they will avoid the fact that, when they vote in opposition to this bill, they will be voting for higher power prices and for no cost-of-living relief for households and for business. That is what you will be voting for if you choose to continue on this path today. This is an urgent sitting. It is urgent to deal with this to avoid the big price increases. Twenty-two failed energy policies—that is your record, and now you're going to try and stop us implementing one here today. That is what you're all about: opposition and refusing to deal with the challenges. Senator McGrath interjecting— Senator GALLAGHER: Head in the sand, Senator McGrath—that's where you like it. Avoid the issues. Don't deal with them. Don't support households. Don't support industry. don't support business. That is the position that you are taking today. Well, over here we want to work with the parliament. We want to provide solutions. We want to work with Australian businesses and manufacturers. We want to take the pressure off households. We want to deal with the challenges that we're seeing—the energy crisis that we inherited from you—and you can't hide and avoid this decision today. No matter how hard you try, you are going to vote, and you're going to be on the wrong side of history.