Senator IAN CAMPBELL (10:13 AM) —I will now seek to close the debate. There are a couple of matters that do need to be responded to because opposition senators have either deliberately or innocently misled the Senate in relation to the government's legislative program. We now have the spectacle of the opposition having two leaders of opposition business in this place. Senator Carr seems to be trying to do the job, and generally doing a good job, as I have said on previous occasions, of managing opposition business. It is very hard for him to do so because with every decision he makes he has to deal with three or four different factions plus the Democrats to come to a decision, but he generally does so effectively and efficiently.

Senator Carr —Something you forgot when you left the Democrats.

Senator IAN CAMPBELL —I never joined the Democrats, Senator Carr.

Senator Carr —That is very disappointing. We'll pull the letters out on that one.

Senator IAN CAMPBELL —You can. Today we have seen Senator Schacht putting in his bid for the job. He obviously wants to be manager of opposition business. He made a claim about managing opposition business in the Senate—that is, how dare the government suggest that we should get any bills through this session other than the budget bills.

I say to Senator Schacht, if he is putting in a bid for the job, go around to Senator Carr's office or come around to my office and I will show you the bills that we are seeking to get through this session. Senator Schacht, I am making you a generous offer which I am sure you will accept. As of today, I will include you on the mailing list for matters relating to the management of government business and opposition business in the Senate. If you would like, I will invite you to the leaders and whips meetings and you can come along and be part of it. Then Senator Schacht would not mislead the Senate in relation to the government's intentions.

We do intend dealing with a large schedule of legislation in these sittings. They are short sittings. We do intend dealing with bills other than budget bills, a lot of other bills. We are dealing with those today if you look at the Notice Paper, but Senator Schacht probably cannot find the Notice Paper. I think it is also on the World Wide Web now, but he would probably have trouble looking that up.

Firstly, Senator Schacht said it was not on the distributed legislation list. Senator Carr has already contradicted him. He is trying to claw his way back into the job of Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate. He is trying to redeem himself. Senator Carr has seen the list. He has alerted Senator Schacht to the fact that the government did alert all senators through their leaders and whips of the legislation proposed to be debated in the 1998 winter sittings. I will table this document, because at least if it is tabled—Senator Schacht may not be able to find it on the World Wide Web or on the Senate's homepage; he may not be able to get it through Senator Carr's office, because he is obviously going to fight to retain his job—

Senator Schacht —But you didn't even give it a priority, Ian, on your own list.

Senator IAN CAMPBELL —I will get to that, Senator Schacht. You will learn the game, if you just stay in here for a while and speak to Senator Carr. I know he is on the Left and you are on the Centre Left, but you should be able to talk to each other. They should be able to talk to each other even though they are in different factions. Senator Carr, as you know, Madam President, is in the far Left faction from Victoria and Senator Schacht is in the sort of Centre Left faction from South Australia, which I think he is the only member of, but they can talk to each other. Senator Carr should train Senator Schacht to be the Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate.

But I will table this document, so even if he cannot find it through his computer—he has trouble with the computer; he has trouble with his own homepage, let alone finding someone else's—all Senator Schacht has to do is go down to the Table Office and ask for a copy. On page 3 he will see that this bill was distributed to senators some 10 days prior to the sittings commencing saying that this is on the government's agenda.

Senator Carr then said, `Because this doesn't have an asterisk against it, it means that it's not going to be debated this sitting.' If you read what the asterisk means, it means introduced and debated in these sittings. This bill—and Senator Carr may not have picked it up because it happened in the other place—was actually introduced in the last sittings and that is why it does not have an asterisk against its name.

Senator Schacht —Oh, sophistry here!

Senator IAN CAMPBELL —Madam President, Senator Schacht says it is sophistry to put an asterisk against something saying, `This is a bill to be introduced and debated in these sittings.' They are special bills for which we need the cut-off, and that is why we alert people to their attention. But on the front of this document which I am going to table it says `Legislation proposed for debate'. On the front page in big letters it says `Legislation proposed for debate in 1998'. Senator Schacht, we propose it for debate. We would like the committee to hear it. We would like consumers to have their say. I commend the amendment to the Senate. (Time expired)

The PRESIDENT —The question before the Senate is that the amendment moved by Senator Schacht to the amendment moved by Senator Alston be agreed to.

Question resolved in the negative.

The PRESIDENT —The question now is that the amendment moved by Senator Alston be agreed to.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

The PRESIDENT —The question is that the motion moved by Senator Campbell, as amended by Senator Alston's amendment, be agreed to.

Question resolved in the affirmative.