Senator DAVID POCOCK (Australian Capital Territory—Independent ACT Whip) (12:16): Pursuant to contingent notice standing in my name, I move: That so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion relating to the conduct of business of the Senate, namely a motion to discharge a bill from the Notice Paper. Firstly, I would like to inform the chamber that Senator Lambie will be co-sponsoring this motion. I start by saying that I have a lot of respect for Minister Keogh, and I thank him for his work for veterans in the last term and the work that he is doing now. It's a big job, there's been a lot to work on when it comes to DVA, and I've appreciated his work and his engagement. But this so-called Defence honours bill doesn't honour our veterans. I'm also very concerned by the government's attempts to stop the Senate inquiry doing its job and reporting on this bill. There have been submissions— The PRESIDENT: Senator Pocock, I'm going to stop you right there. You moved a suspension motion, and the debate needs to be around why the suspension is urgent and why you need to put aside standing orders, not around the matters before that. Senator DAVID POCOCK: This is why it's urgent— The PRESIDENT: I haven't heard you express to the Senate the urgency, and that's what you need to focus on. Senator DAVID POCOCK: The Senate committee was ready to report weeks ago, and yet the government is delaying that. This is a completely friendless bill. It strips people of their right to a merits review— The PRESIDENT: Senator Pocock, I am going to remind you once again. It's not about the bill. You moved a suspension order; you want the Senate to agree with you that so much of standing orders be put aside for you to demonstrate your position. You need to focus on why you need to do that, not on the bill. Why do you believe that this suspension order is so urgent that the standing orders need to be put aside? Senator DAVID POCOCK: This is urgent because we have a friendless bill that the government is stopping a Senate committee reporting on. So I urge the Senate. It's time to actually say, as the Senate, that we won't stand for that. We will not deal with a bill that the department admitted they did no consultation on. That was very clear from the 60-odd submissions and very clear from every single witness who appeared before the Senate committee. It was a friendless bill. People were bemused by this bill and the need for it, and what I've heard in consulting with veterans here in the ACT is that, in the wake of the royal commission— The PRESIDENT: Senator Pocock, once again you are going to matters not related to the suspension. Senator DAVID POCOCK: Sure. I've heard from veterans about the urgency needed to send a message to the government that this should not be the priority. Responding and implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide should be the priority. That is why this is so urgent. This is urgent because, again, it was disturbing that there was no consultation. This is urgent because this has been prioritised ahead of so many other things that could be done for our veterans, people who have served this country and deserve better recognition and to be looked after. This is urgent because had this bill been law a few years ago Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheehan would not have been recognised for his bravery and valour. This is urgent because the government is seeking to stop the next Teddy Sheehan from being recognised. This is urgent because we can't play these games any longer. We can't have a Senate committee being denied the opportunity to actually report on a bill which clearly has no support in the Senate. That's why I'm suspending standing orders and moving this motion to actually discharge this bill, to send a message to the government when it comes to consultation on bills that you bring to the parliament and to the Senate and to send a very clear message to veterans and veterans' families out there that we see you, we hear what you're saying and the Senate will act to ensure the government gets the very clear message that there is a whole range of priorities when it comes to veterans and communities across the country but this is not one of them.