Senator DUNIAM (Tasmania—Deputy Manager of Opposition Business) (09:46): I'm so pleased to receive such a warm welcome from my colleagues to make a contribution to this very important debate! I didn't realise I had such a fan club in the government, but I guess that's a vote of confidence in me. I will turn to the issues at hand, as I talk to this very important issue— Senator Polley interjecting— Senator DUNIAM: Oh, President. Honestly! The suspension we're debating that was moved by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate is a very important one. I was sitting here listening to this debate—and I've not yet been able to give my contribution on the constitution alteration bill that's currently before the chamber— Senator Polley: You can now. Senator DUNIAM: I will just take those interjections, because the point I want to make here is that the government are saying it's either/or—you can either debate your constitutional amendment bill, the most important bill, chances are, that we will pass in a generation, to give Australians their say, or you can do the job that you'd normally be doing, which is debating and considering tax and appropriations bills. They're saying, 'If you shut up and sit down, we could get on with it.' But, hang on, we're got other legislation before we get to that bill, which is so critically important, which the government put on the agenda and which the Manager of Opposition Business said we took issue with. Sure, there wasn't a division the other day, but the views were very clearly put on record. To suggest, somehow, that we're going to sign up and let it sail on through, and zip our mouths shut and let you lot impose your agenda on this place is wrong, so we will take issue with that. Senator Bilyk: It's a good attempt. Senator Polley: No, it's not. The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator DUNIAM: My Tasmanian colleagues, who are amazing orators at the best of times, want to interject on me about the importance of this debate and the need for us to actually allocate appropriate time to legislation that is on the red, TLAB bill, which, of course, is incredibly important, but it's an either/or proposition here: 'You get two minutes on this if you like and then we can move on.' We could be done by 10, we were told, which is in 11 minutes time. No, that's not okay. We aren't just going to shut up and allow you to do what you are doing, and that is run a steamroller through this place just so we can get on with the rest of it. We have another sitting week next week too, so we could actually factor that into the timing of debate in this place. I don't think that's an unreasonable request. We didn't have to have a suspension on this. We could have probably dealt with the motion if leave had been granted. We wouldn't be having this debate now. Perhaps take some responsibility for your actions. We're trying to make the case to the Australian Greens and the crossbench so that your colleagues understand what the leadership group of the government in the Senate are doing as well. I don't think some opposite understand exactly what's going on. It is a truncation of debate, and that is a bad thing to happen in this chamber. I don't think— Senator Bilyk: Did your government guillotine anything? The PRESIDENT: Order, Senator Bilyk! Senator DUNIAM: Thank you, President. I really am appreciative of that protection. Senator McKenzie interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator McKenzie, that's not appropriate. Senator DUNIAM: No doubt we will have an extensive committee stage on the constitutional alteration bill, because there are many important questions that the people of Australia have asked the opposition to put on the record because they can't get the answers to these questions. Of course, it's an open-ended debate, but wouldn't it be better to be doing it while the sun is still up rather than late into the night? If we structured the agenda appropriately—and the Australian Greens could be a party to this as well—we'd be able to facilitate that, rather than sign up to the agenda here that the Australian government put in place. They signed up the Australian Greens in truncating that debate. I don't accept that it's an either/or proposition. If you shut up on these bills, don't interrogate them, don't have a look at what's being proposed here and just let them sail through with no debate, no questions, no scrutiny and no interrogation of the facts, you can get on with the other one. This is exactly what they've done. They've structured it this way so that we do shut down debate, there is no interrogation of the facts and there's no scrutiny of the government. It's an either/or proposition; you can't have both. Senator Hughes: How's that transparency? Senator DUNIAM: I take the interjection from Senator Hughes. Prime Minister Albanese said he would usher in this new era of transparency, but he's doing it under the cover of darkness for certain bills and making us shut up on other ones. It is not a good approach to government, and it treats this chamber with contempt. So I echo the calls from the Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate and the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and implore the crossbench to support our motion that's seeking to suspend the standing orders. Senator Hanson-Young interjecting— Senator DUNIAM: That's an excellent point, Senator Hanson-Young. She understands where I'm coming from—sometimes. (Time expired)