Senator MASON (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) (4:52 PM) —Can I make two points. Firstly, as I said in the committee stage of the debate on the bill, I have some sympathy for Senator McLucas—and I can see in the chamber Senator Moore, the deputy chair of the community affairs committee—about the length of time that was given to deliberate on this bill. I accept that. As I mentioned, I was a chair not so long ago in a similar situation on another important bill, and I know the time pressures. It makes it very difficult for senators, and I accept that.

Secondly, however, can I disagree with Senator McLucas on the point about it being rushed through or it being a debacle. This reflects the 106-year tension between the Senate and the House of Representatives over constitutional prerogatives. It is not a debacle; it was not a mistake. It simply represents the tension between the two houses under section 53 of the Constitution. So there was no mistake: this was deliberate. We were trying to assert the Senate’s prerogatives, which I would hope all good senators would agree with.

Question agreed to.

Resolution reported; report adopted.