Mr HAWKE (Mitchell—Minister for International Development and the Pacific and Assistant Defence Minister) (15:29): I'm pleased to speak to the bill before the House. I want to say to the opposition listening that of course the government welcomes the debate on our government legislation. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Pause for a moment; the minister will take a seat. The bill hasn't been called on yet. If it suits the convenience of the House, can we move on to the committee business while the bill comes to the chamber. Mr Brendan O'Connor: The parliament has just essentially moved to the start of debate. I'm next on the speakers list—I'm taking the call on behalf of the opposition. The minister has already introduced the bill and given a second reading speech, and I'd like to be able to respond. The SPEAKER: I'd just say to members that, in terms of the cooperation of the House, the resolution has been passed, and whilst of course it stipulates all other business not proceed and this take priority—it might help that the Manager of Opposition Business was back here. The resolution has been passed; that's obviously not at issue. His motion stipulates that the House now deal with those matters. There are practicalities, as you've seen before at various times, where those on the left have argued certain numbers of bills should be present for people to be able to participate. Because it has come on very suddenly, the legislation just isn't here. The House staff are seeking to get it all quickly. I'm just going to put a proposition to the House and then hear from the assistant minister. If we want to just wait, we can sit here and wait and I can have whatever sort of discussion you'd like to have. What we do have is not government business—there's no government business left—but there are a couple of committee reports. Mr Gosling interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Solomon can leave under 94(a). I'm not going to have people barking at me from the back of the chamber. The member for Solomon then left the chamber. The SPEAKER: The assistant minister has been seeking the call. Mr Hawke: A point of order: I just want to note that the government is ready to debate this legislation, but to give the clerks time, given that there was no notice or warning of this motion from the opposition, that it was a surprise for the parliament, I would propose to adopt deputy speaker's suggestion that we move to the committee business while we're waiting simply for an administrative point to come forward. Mr Burke: The resolution that I moved has been carried unanimously by the House. It is no reflection on the staff of the parliament that the bill is not ready. It is, though, a reflection on the government. The government have been telling and stating outside this parliament that this bill was ready to go, and they have been arguing that the opposition was what was holding it back. I think the only way to make the point that that is not the case is that I deny leave for us to deal with any other business and we wait until the government produces what they claimed was urgent. Mr Hawke: The bill has been introduced and the second reading has been issued. The bill is ready to debate. Speakers are here, ready to debate. The issue is purely a procedural one of the parliament. It's offensive for the shadow minister to introduce—he signed off on this motion to bring the bill on without notice. We've agreed to do that. All we are waiting for is an administrative procedure to go forward. The government is ready. You're ready. The speakers are ready. As soon as the bill is here, we'll debate it. If they want to do this without notice, that's the consequence. It's unreasonable for the Manager of Opposition Business to say we can't do committee business while we wait. As soon as administratively it's ready, we're ready to go. Mr Brian Mitchell interjecting— The SPEAKER: You haven't suspended standing order 94(a), I can promise you! You have not, okay? So, if I hear the Manager of Opposition Business correctly, basically the next item of business is that and we don't deal with the committee reports. That was the suggestion. Mr Burke: I respect the suggestion that you've made and the goodwill with which it's made, but the House has voted unanimously for a particular course of action. We would only be able to change that course either by leave being granted or through the fresh suspension of standing orders. The SPEAKER: That's absolutely right. Mr Burke: And I'm making clear I'm not giving leave for a different course of action other than what the government have been telling people since they started briefing yesterday was going to happen today. The SPEAKER: Yes.