1st Dec 2021, 7:35 PM – Senate Business - Days and Hours of Meeting - Add extra days to sitting calendar

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Queensland Senator Larissa Waters (Greens), which means it failed.

Motion text

Insert:

Monday, 28 February to Thursday, 3 March

Tuesday, 8 March to Thursday 10 March

What is the purpose of the motion?

Senator Waters explained that:

We have moved to add two sitting weeks to this pathetic Senate sitting calendar, which has barely any sitting days in it at all. It is a record-low number of sitting days. We could be debating and passing ICAC legislation. We could be debating and passing legislation to give effect to the Jenkins recommendations. But this Prime Minister, who has set this flaccid calendar, can't face the wrath of the chamber and doesn't have a legislative agenda, and that's why the government have listed barely any sitting days. It's absolutely shameless. We are seeking support from the chamber for the chamber to do its job: to sit and consider legislation and debate it. We've just seen a gag rammed through where we couldn't debate anything. We want some more sitting days so we can do our job: anticorruption legislation and the Jenkins recommendations. Let's do our job.