Senator BOB BROWN (Tasmania—Leader of the Australian Greens) (16:08): I move: That so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent me making a statement. Mr President, I do that because what we have now before the Senate is a request, which you have granted, from Senator Abetz via Senator Kroger—which of course mentions Senator Milne on the way—to have me referred to the Committee of Privileges regarding a donation which came to the Australian Greens, and which I have stated on the public record was in no way an influence on me or a donation to me as a person. And then consequent to that were matters raised regarding the Triabunna woodchip mill sale five months ago. The President has ruled that the donation is a matter which should be examined by the Committee of Privileges and that a matter having been raised five months ago makes it a further matter that should be examined by the Committee of Privileges. However, in the case of Senator Boswell, a donation directly to him, on the record, which was 12 months ago, does not receive the same ruling from the President. Here we have a President who is making contradictory rulings when it comes to a National Party senator as against a Greens senator. What we have in the President's ruling— Senator Ian Macdonald: Mr Deputy President, I rise on a point of order on the basis of that being a reflection on a decision of the President. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I do not think there is a point of order, Senator Macdonald. Senator Brown, you have the call. Senator BOB BROWN: Thank you, Mr Deputy President. What we have is a double standard coming from the chair— Opposition senators interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order on my left! Senator BOB BROWN: The members opposite do not like that, but the reality is—and let me make this very clear—that we now have a ruling from the chair, directed at me, regarding a donation and a consequent referral to matters in the Senate, which does not apply, according to the President, to Senator Boswell or to a series of other senators who have gained monetary advantage or sought donations and then, in this Senate, prosecuted a case which was in favour, potentially or directly or indirectly, of the donors. So what we have is the Committee of Privileges, which has a time-honoured non-political role in protecting privilege in this place, being politicised by these contrary decisions from the chair. Senator Birmingham: Mr Deputy President, I rise on a point of order on two grounds: firstly, on the ground of reflection on the chair; and, secondly, on the ground of direct relevance. Senator Brown moved a motion of dissent from the chair, which is to be debated on the next day of sitting. The content of Senator Brown's contribution at present, though, is all about his dissent from the chair and nothing about the motion that he sought to make a short statement on and certainly nothing about the suspension of standing orders. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Birmingham, there is no point of order. As in the past, these debates have ranged fairly wide and that has been accepted practice. Senator Brown, you have the call. Senator BOB BROWN: You are absolutely right, Mr Deputy President. What we have here is a situation in which there is a difference in ruling in very similar cases—and it must go challenged. Otherwise, every senator, including those who have shares—for example, in coalmining corporations—and who have a direct pecuniary benefit flowing from those shares ought not have spoken on the mining tax legislation before this Senate in the last week or ought not have spoken on the matter of the carbon so-called 'tax'—the carbon trading scheme legislation—in recent weeks. The chair has to be very clear about this, because the chair has blocked my application for Senator Boswell's case to be looked at by the Committee of Privileges while fostering Senator Kroger's application to have— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Brown, you are going very close to reflecting upon the President. Senator BOB BROWN: Yes, but I am not. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I am just warning you, Senator Brown. Senator BOB BROWN: Mr Deputy President, I simply must put this case before the Senate. Let me be clear about the second matter, which was when Senator Kroger put the reference for me to the committee to the chair, she was informed an hour and a half before that statement was made by the President. Members of the Press Gallery from the Murdoch press were in the gallery then, but we were not told about it. I ask you: is it not a matter of privilege that senators should be left in the situation where the President does not inform them that they are victims of a proposal to go to the privileges committee but the press gets to know about it? That cannot be allowed to stand. That is an infringement of the rights of members of this Senate to be able to freely know that they are not going to be ambushed by the actions, or by the failure to act, of the chair. This is a serious matter; it should go to— (Time expired)