Senator IAN MACDONALD (Queensland) (09:45): Regrettably, we have already passed without discussion the motion giving leave to the Leader of the Government in the Senate— Senator Sherry: He has not been given leave; it was the deputy, not the leader. Senator McEwen interjecting— Senator IAN MACDONALD: I can only go by the Order of Business. You tell me that Senator Evans is here. Therefore we have Senator Carr, a very senior minister; Senator Wong, a very senior minister; and Senator Farrell, who is no doubt somewhere organising another leadership coup in the Labor Party. Three very senior members of the government choose to absent themselves on the last day of sitting—I beg my own pardon, it is not the last day of sitting. The last day of sitting is next Wednesday. I want the people of Australia who are listening to this debate to understand that for almost nine months the Senate has agreed to sit next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Were we to do that, we would not have needed to guillotine through some 20 bills without a word being spoken on them—not a word in favour of them nor a word opposed to them. I think the people of Australia, and there are many who do listen to these debates, need to understand that the Greens and the Labor Party combined to guillotine through in excess of a dozen bills without a word being spoken on them. They also guillotined through perhaps the most complex parcel of bills that this parliament has seen in the last decade; they were the carbon tax bills, the bills based upon a promise by the Prime Minister that she would never introduce a carbon tax. She then introduced a carbon tax with 18 complex bills, which were guillotined through this chamber without proper debate. And we are already seeing that those bills are suffering because they were not subject to parliamentary scrutiny. We are already finding, by reports from around the globe, that these pieces of legislation on the carbon tax have suffered because they were not properly considered in this chamber. The whole carbon tax issue will become a farce at Durban next week when the United States, China, Japan, Korea, Russia and India indicate that they are not going to have a $23-a-tonne tax on their particular emissions of carbon dioxide. I am very angry about the guillotining—about the dealing of these bills without any discussion whatsoever, and I think the people of Australia expect better than that of this parliament, and particularly the Senate, which has a reputation for scrutiny. We have a very extensive committee system, and the people like that because they understand that the Senate does expose difficulties with government legislation. We have three senior ministers leaving this parliament four days before the parliamentary year concludes. The Labor Party stands condemned and the Greens political party, which have made a virtue over decades of allowing parliamentary scrutiny, of allowing people to have their say, even if they disagree with them, have joined with the Labor Party in curtailing debate on important bills, and particularly the carbon tax bills. It is outrageous that ministers should be given leave four days before the parliamentary year concludes. If Senator Abetz has suggested—I am not aware of this; I do not think I have seen it on the Order of Business—the Greens political party are going to agree to the Senate rising today so that they can go to Durban, then this is an absolute disgrace. It should allow GetUp! and all of those other fringe groups that support the Greens political party to understand what a mob of frauds are those who occupy the benches of the Greens political party. Senator Bob Brown: Mr Deputy President, I ask that that unparliamentary remark about a group of senators be withdrawn. Senator IAN MACDONALD: I withdraw. People like GetUp! and those other fringe groups that support the Greens, people like Mr Graeme Wood, who donated $1.6 million to Senator Bob Brown and then had Senator Brown asking questions in the parliament that would seem, on face value, to relate to different benefits to— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Macdonald, could I just draw your attention to the question before the chair. Senator Bob Brown interjecting— Senator IAN MACDONALD: Yes. It is about leave being given to leave this parliament four days early. And I know Senator Bob Brown does not like this. I hear him interjecting. When anyone else interjects he is first on his feet. Again, it shows the different standards this man has for himself as opposed to anyone else. It is okay for him to interject, but if anyone else does it, 'Oh, please Mr Deputy President, protect me.' But he does not mind it himself. If Senator Brown is, as Senator Abetz suggests, going to join with the Labor Party and shut this chamber down three days early so that he can go for a jaunt to South Africa then that needs to be condemned. I want to say that the people who have in the past supported the Greens for what they thought was their principled approach to parliament should now understand that there is nothing principled about the Greens political party. They will on the one hand rail against leave being given to ministers and, on the other hand, vote so that this parliament stops three days early so they can go on a— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Brown, do you have a point of order? Senator Bob Brown: With respect to part of this rant: I have no plans for a jaunt to South Africa— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: That is not a point of order. Senator Bob Brown: No, but I have made the point. Senator Sterle: Well, you're getting blamed for it—you may as well! Senator IAN MACDONALD: I hear Senator Sterle interjecting. Senator Sterle, you should be out helping Tony Sheldon get rid of your leader; you know, the dead corpse that— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Through the chair, Senator Macdonald. Senator IAN MACDONALD: It is one thing I agree on with Tony Sheldon! I do not want to delay the Senate from the debate before it, but it is important that the thousands of people listening to or watching this debate today— Senator Hanson-Young: No-one is listening to you! Senator IAN MACDONALD: Senator Hanson-Young, have a look at your emails when you get back. You will find that— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Macdonald, address your remarks through the chair. Senator IAN MACDONALD: Thank you, Mr Deputy President. Senator Hanson-Young will find that people do actually take an interest in democracy—and, increasingly, the emails coming through to me are saying how hypocritical the Greens political party are. On the one hand, this morning, they were railing against leave being given to go away and, on the other hand, voting with the Australian Labor Party to shut down this parliament three days early so that they can go on a jaunt to South Africa. I think that is hypocrisy in the extreme on the part of the Greens political party. Their retribution will come at the next election. If they had any principles they would vote with the opposition to facilitate an early election so the people of Australia can have a view on the carbon tax bills and on the Labor Party's propensity to ram bills through this parliament without debate. Question agreed to.