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Monday, 27 February 2012
Page: 850

Senator FIFIELD (Victoria—Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) (17:33): Welcome back, Senator Ludwig, for what may be a cameo appearance as Manager of Government Business. We all wish Senator Arbib well. It is nice to see Senator Ludwig again.

Senator Ludwig said that coalition members in this place are running the same arguments that had been run by the coalition in the other place. He is quite right. We are. They were valid there, they were valid then and they are valid now. The purpose of this procedural motion is to seek the opportunity to have the order of the day for this legislation discharged from the Notice Paper. Why do we seek to have this matter discharged from the Notice Paper? It is so that this legislation is not further considered and does not proceed through this chamber. That is the purpose. We have been denied leave to move the motion so we are now debating that standing orders be suspended to enable this particular debate. I hope that the chamber agrees for that to happen.

This is yet another clear-cut case of a government breaking its word. We all know of the now infamous commitment by the Prime Minister that there would be no carbon tax under a government she leads. She lied; she fibbed; she broke her word. This case is as clear-cut as that. Election after election this party went to the Australian people—

Senator Ludwig: Madam Acting Deputy President, I rise on a point of order. I normally do not interrupt the flow of a speaker in full flight. In this instance, the point of order is that he may have inadvertently slipped into language that is inappropriate and unparliamentary in this place. I am sure he did not do that on purpose. I know, Madam Acting Deputy President, you were changing place with Acting Deputy President Back at that moment, but I ask Senator Fifield to reflect on that and to withdraw.