Business of the House

Mr IAN COHEN [2.33 p.m.]: I move:

That standing and sessional orders be suspended to allow a motion to be moved forthwith that Private Member's Business item No. 214 outside the Order of Precedence, relating to an order for papers regarding the CityRail Easy Access Program, be called on forthwith.

I will be as quick as possible as I appreciate that other debate needs to happen in this House today. My motion is urgent. Indeed, it is so urgent that earlier I was willing to delay debate on my private member's bill so that I could raise this matter in the Parliament. The situation has changed; nevertheless, I feel that it is imperative to move now on this matter. In the upcoming budget the Department of Transport will provide an outline of the train stations that will be included on the CityRail Easy Access Program upgrade schedule. Members of this House should have access to the upgrade schedule process during the same week the budget is delivered. I believe this matter is urgent, and I ask the House to support my motion.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD (Minister for Primary Industries, Minister for Energy, Minister for Mineral Resources, and Minister for State Development) [2.34 p.m.]: This is extraordinary, given the events earlier today when effectively new members of this House, the Hon. Lynda Voltz and the Hon. Michael Veitch, sought to bring on debate on motions commemorating people who have died in the service of this country in Afghanistan and other places. Normally, this motion would have been dealt with—

The DEPUTY-PRESIDENT (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! I call Dr John Kaye to order for the first time.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: —in probably a 20-minute speech. However, the indignity of The Nationals resulted in their attacking and screaming at the Hon. Michael Veitch and the Hon. Lynda Voltz. Members opposite applauded and carried on when the two members spoke. Now The Nationals have done a deal with the Greens and will not oppose Mr Ian Cohen's motion. I would not have minded if Mr Ian Cohen had moved his motion this morning.

Mr Ian Cohen: I did try this morning and you blocked it.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: The member could have waited until the next sitting day to move this motion.

The DEPUTY-PRESIDENT (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! I call Mr Ian Cohen to order for the first time.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: I am quite happy to have this debate—bring it on and we will sit until we finish! Having opposed a motion that would have been dealt with in a short debate, the Greens, together with the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and others, have somehow reversed the situation, enabling Mr Ian Cohen to move a motion that has nothing to do with a debate that members of the House and people in the gallery want to hear. That is the key element. It was all right for members opposite to dish it out this morning. They played to the audience and attacked a member for moving a motion that could have been dealt with in short order. Normally such motions are dealt with in short debates.

The Hon. Rick Colless: You did it for the wrong reasons.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: I did not do anything. My point is that the Hon. Lynda Voltz and the Hon. Michael Veitch wanted to exercise their right to move a motion and they were heavily criticised for that. Given the nature of the debate on the mining amendment bill and the public interest in it, it is immensely hypocritical for members now to agree for the debate on the bill to be held over while the House debates a transport issue.

The Hon. Marie Ficarra: It's called democracy.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: I am not talking about whether it is democracy. The plain fact is that everyone should have the opportunity to put their position. I am accusing the Opposition and the Greens of gross hypocrisy because this morning they attacked two new members who simply wanted a short discussion—everyone knows it would have been a short discussion—on the death of soldiers in Afghanistan. Yet in this case the Greens are delaying a debate simply to move an extraneous motion seeking papers relating to a transport issue. Every reasonable person would agree with me that the virulence of the attack against the two new members this morning was extraordinary. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition and other members opposite, as well as the Greens, attacked two new young members of our Chamber for moving motions. They are hypocrites! The Opposition is hypocritical because it is allowing the Greens to move a motion, which will delay debate on the mining amendment bill.

Question—That the motion be agreed to—put.

The House divided.
Question resolved in the negative.

Motion negatived.