The DEPUTY PRESIDENT —The President has received a letter from Senator Lundy proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion, namely:

The failure of the government to take effective action to ensure that the contracting out of taxpayer funded services does not result in a diminution of the level of government accountability for such services nor in a restriction of the administrative law remedies available to the clients of such services.

I call upon those senators who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places.

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT —I understand that informal arrangements have been made to allocate specific times to each of the speakers in today's debate. With the concurrence of the Senate, I shall ask the Clerks to set the clocks accordingly.