Senator CHAMARETTE(3.27 p.m.) —I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs (Senator Herron), to a question without notice asked by Senator Chamarette today, relating to the instruction of Land Fund legislation.

Senator Herron obfuscated and implied quite erroneously that the delay by the Prime Minister (Mr Howard) in honouring his commitment to the changes to and increase in funds of the ATSIC Amendment (Indigenous Land Corporation and Land Fund) Bill 1994 was in some way due to the cut-off motion and some degree of obstruction on this side of the chamber.

I remind Senator Herron and Senator Kemp who ought to know better, as should all other government ministers, that this so-called cut-off motion does not stop the government from, first, preparing legislation; second, circulating legislation; and, third, introducing legislation. It stops only introduction and debate in the same session. So far this session the non-government parties have agreed to exempting 27 bills from the cut-off motion and have refused only five. We have not been at all obstructive.

The cut-off motion would not interfere with the government introducing this bill—a bill to which Senator Herron refused to give a commitment. If a bill has previously been introduced in the other place or in the Senate in a previous session, let alone debated and passed in the Senate in a previous session, as in the case of the bill we are referring to, it may not even be subject to the cut-off motion.

I simply wanted to take note of the minister's answer and express grave concern that the government does not understand the principles underlying the cut-off motion. I regret that the minister does not have a sufficient grasp of that or of his portfolio.

Question resolved in the affirmative.