Senator IAN CAMPBELL (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer)(10.00 a.m.) —by leave—For the record, I say that we had been advised at the whips' meeting as to how various parties were going to vote.

Senator Chris Evans interjecting—

Senator IAN CAMPBELL —I think I hear, by way of interjection from the opposition whip, that they had changed how they were going to vote at very late notice, and I respect that, because there had been an amendment circulated. It is quite appropriate. We were given a copy of the amendment a matter of seconds—it would not have even been a minute—before the matter came before us. So I think Senator Harradine's position should be respected in this regard.

I put on the record for the umpteenth time that, when the coalition seeks to use the process of declaring something formal and voting against it, we ensure that, wherever possible and wherever communications systems allow, which is generally to do with Senator Harradine's busy schedule, we will advise him of our intention. I would have thought that the least a senator can do if they are seeking to amend a motion is to give other senators more than a few seconds, as it was in this case, to consider the alteration to the motion. We certainly did not have time to consider it.