Senator IAN MACDONALD (Queensland) (11:06): I want to add my voice of opposition to this motion by the Greens and the Labor Party to cut three days off the sitting time of this parliament. Heaven knows, this is one of the shortest parliamentary years we have had on record. Clearly the Labor Party and the Greens do not want parliamentary debate because they have no interest in democracy. It is clear as well that one of the reasons is that Labor Party politicians, and particularly the Greens politicians, want to head off to Durban to swan around the stage at the COP17 meeting on climate change. Senator Hanson-Young interjected on me before, indicating that Senator Brown, Senator Milne and whoever else from the Greens are not going on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. They are not going until the following week and they are paying their own way over there. Well, I look forward to their contribution to this debate so they can put on record their argument against suggestions that I and others have made that cancelling three days of parliament is all about the Greens political party getting ready to head off to Durban to wander the world stage on climate change issues. We know that is going to be a farce. The intergovernmental panel that started this off a few years ago was reported this week as coming back on their forecasts of climate change. In fact, the headlines are saying 'climate forecasts have been overstated'. What has been said by the Greens and the Labor Party for many years about the importance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which leads to this further junket that we will see next week and the following week, is all based—a bit like the carbon tax itself—on exaggerated comments and on lies in the case of this conference. It is based on what are now said to be exaggerated climate forecasts. I look forward to hearing the Greens tell us when they are going to Durban. Tell us it is not next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Tell us it is not because you want to head off to Durban that you are cutting three days off the parliamentary year. The debate in the last few weeks has been guillotined by the Labor Party and the Greens political party. The normal debate that we would have on 20 bills has been not only reduced but also cancelled. We passed 20 bills during this week with not one word being said on them—not one word in favour of the bills, not one word in argument, not one question answered, and no scrutiny allowed of a government which, dear me, requires a lot of scrutiny. Not one piece of scrutiny was allowed by the Greens political party and the Australian Labor Party. Senator Ludlam interjecting — Senator IAN MACDONALD: I hear 'let's get on to the bill'. Senator Ludlam, why not sit next week so we can discuss these bills? Senator Hanson-Young interjecting— Senator IAN MACDONALD: I think Senator Hanson-Young said 'more people should be listening to this debate' and I agree with her. (Quorum formed) While we were waiting for the Labor Party, which prior to this had two people in the chamber listening to this important debate—that shows what an arrogant government we have—I heard the Manager of Government Business berating our manager about curtailing this debate. I heard the Manager of Government Business, Senator Ludwig, issue a threat: 'If you want to debate this bill, we are going to guillotine it as well.' This is just typical— Senator Ludwig: Mr Acting Deputy President, on a point of order. I did not say that, you boofhead! The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Mark Bishop ): That is no point of order. Senator IAN MACDONALD: Do you see how sensitive the Australian Labor Party are when their issues are exposed to the Australian public through the medium of telecommunications that we now have? Today, we have to deal with the Competition and Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill, a very important bill; the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Bill, perhaps one of the most significant human rights bills for some time and I know Senator Brandis is very keen to have a full-scale debate on that; the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill; and the Social Security Amendment (Student Income Support Reforms) Bill. That all has to be dealt with by 1 pm today—in two short hours. Why do they have to be dealt with by 1 pm today when there are three days left in the parliamentary sitting calendar? We could be debating those bills at length, as we should in this chamber, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. In addition to that I understand from having a look at the Notice Paper that there is a bill on migration, the Deterring People Smuggling Bill 2011, that needs to be addressed. I guess we are going to do that after 1 pm. We will start getting these pressures: 'People have booked flights and everyone wants to go home.' I have heard interjections saying: 'Why are you speaking? We have heard this all before.' I am speaking in the hope that someone in the media might actually give a front-page focus to the travesty of democracy that the Greens and the Australian Labor Party have imposed upon the people of Australia. I notice this Courier-Mail headline: 'King Rat'. I would like to see a front page that says, 'Travesty of democracy', and details the bills that have been rammed through this parliament without one person speaking on them, without one person being able to raise objections. I have mentioned that there are several bills plus an important migration bill yet to be done. Here we are guillotining them through so that we have only a few minutes to speak on them. I suspect we will not even get to some of them. They will joining the list of 20 bills that have been dealt with without any debate whatsoever. I finish on this note: when there is so much business for this parliament to do, why are we taking away three days that have been listed for more than six months as part of the parliamentary calendar? That is a disgrace. It is a travesty of democracy that the Greens political party and the Australian Labor Party would shut the parliament down when there is so much business yet to do. I remind senators that they are paid to be in this chamber. They are paid to debate legislation. They are not paid to be jumping on first-class aircraft and slipping over to South Africa for a jolly couple of weeks, as the Greens clearly intend to do and as a number of Labor Party people intend to do as well. I urge senators to vote against this motion and ensure that we have the next three days for parliamentary debate. Question put: That the motion (Senator Ludwig's) be agreed to. The Senate divided. [12:21] (The President—Senator Hogg) Question agreed to.