Senator CASH (Western Australia—Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (09:58): I rise to support the right of Senator Bridget McKenzie, a member of the opposition and the leader of the National Party in the Senate, to actually speak in the chamber. The last time I checked, colleagues, is that not what we are here for—to speak on behalf of the Australian people? But those on the other side seem to have a problem with that. If you are reading directly from the talking points given to you by the government, regardless of the topic, regardless of whether you've actually read them—I often come here and have to say, 'I'm pretty sure there was a full stop there; I'm pretty sure there was meant to be a comma, but that's fine,'—you're reading talking points. Guess what? Senator McKenzie has the right to come into this chamber— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Cash, I have the minister on her feet. Minister McAllister? Senator McAllister: I'm seeking your clarification, Acting Deputy President, about the matter that is before the chamber. I had understood it was a motion to allow Senator McKenzie to make a speech. She has just given a speech. I'm unclear how Senator Cash's contribution advances Senator McKenzie's motion at all. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Marielle Smith ): We were debating the suspension motion, so that's where we are. Senator Cash is speaking to that. Senator Cash, if you could stick to the motion, that would be handy. Senator CASH: I am sticking to the motion, with all due respect, because I am speaking directly to why (a) I am supporting Senator Bridget McKenzie's right to actually speak in this chamber and (b) I am supporting the right of any elected member of this chamber to come in and exercise a right that they have under the standing orders of the Senate and, more than that, a right that we are here to exercise on behalf of the Australian public. What is wrong with this government? Why do you hate it when senators in this place who are not elected as part of your political party stand up and give an opposing view? What problem do you have with senators in this chamber coming in and representing— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I have Senator Hanson-Young on her feet with a point of order. Senator Hanson-Young: The point of order is about the issue of suspension— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Relevance? Senator Hanson-Young: Senator Cash is debating an issue that the Senate has already ruled on. I'm asking you to bring her back to the point. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Duniam, on the same point of order? Senator Duniam: On that point of order, Senator Cash is being entirely relevant to this matter— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Duniam, I don't need your contribution on that. I haven't ruled, so you could just let me rule or— Senator Duniam interjecting— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Sure. Senator Duniam? Senator Duniam: Senator Cash is being entirely relevant to the suspension. Senator McKenzie asked for two minutes to speak and was denied leave. We've now spent 10 minutes debating this, and she's being entirely relevant. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: As I have done previously, I am politely reminding people to stick to the suspension. Senator Cash interjecting— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senators, this is not a moment where we just yell at each other. If you would like the call, Senator Cash, you have it. Senator CASH: Yet again, those on the opposite side are showing that they are prepared to support that a senator not have the right to be allowed to speak in this chamber. For those who need to be caught up with the process, this is what happened. In the first instance, this morning, it's the opposition's private senators' time. We sought to bring on a bill to debate. The government denied the opposition the right to bring that bill on. Worse than that, the government moved to not have opposition private senators' time today. Let's wait to see when they try that on any other person who's not part of the government. Secondly, Senator McKenzie sought leave to make a statement—ironically, for about two minutes. That was denied. Senator McKenzie then sought, as she is entitled to, to exercise her right pursuant to a contingent motion standing in her name. For those of you who've been here a long time but still don't know what a contingent motion is, I suggest you read the Notice Paper. It's been there for time immemorial. She is the Leader of the National Party in the Senate; she therefore has contingent motions standing in her name. She stood and sought to exercise her right, pursuant to the contingent motion, to explain why, as a senator elected in this place to represent the Australian people, she should not be denied leave by the Albanese Labor government and why she should not be denied leave by the Greens, the great friends of the Albanese Labor government, to make a statement. I am entitled to jump, as part of the suspension process, to support Senator McKenzie's right in this chamber to come in here and make a statement. Ironically, we're already at four minutes past 10. How's that working out for the government? We actually would have hit a hard marker at 10 past 10 had you allowed Senator Duniam to just move his motion to bring on, as we are entitled to, a bill that we want to debate in the chamber in the first place. You may not like the topic—the fact that we want to put in place laws to ensure that people can't go overseas and help people who've gone to a declared area come back to Australia, to criminalise that—a national security piece of legislation. Wouldn't it have just been simpler to allow it, instead of trying to silence democracy, instead of trying to silence the ability of senators on the non-government side of the chamber to just stand up on Thursday morning, when it says clearly on the Notice Paper that it's their slot for private senators' bills? Senator Hanson-Young: I raise a point of order on relevance. Senator Cash is now debating the same issue that the Senate has just voted on and been very clear about. Could you please bring Senator Cash back to why this suspension is more important than the last suspension that they lost— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Hanson-Young, you can be seated; I've heard your point of order. On point the of order, Senator Ruston? Senator Ruston: On the point of order, I think that we are now having a debate that is completely and utterly outside of the scope of what is actually happening here at the moment. Our first suspension motion was denied by the Greens. In fact, the person who denied the suspension is now the one who is making a submission about something that she actually caused. So I draw to your attention, Acting Deputy President, that the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate is being directly relevant to the suspension motion. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Thank you. We are debating the debate of the debate. I'll give the call back to Senator Cash and remind her of the subject of the motion that is before us. Senator CASH: Thank you. Again, with all due respect, I am going to review this and work out how I am not being directly relevant to the question before the chair. Senator McKenzie moved a contingent notice standing in her name to suspend standing orders. I am now supporting her right to suspend. You couldn't be more relevant if you tried, quite frankly, in my humble opinion. Shame on those on the other side for trying to silence a senator in this place.