AUSTRALIA: Fed: Government blames Labor for no forest bill debate
Copyright 2001
AAP NEWSFEED
September 26, 2001
CANBERRA, Sept 26 - The federal government has blamed Labor for the Senate's inability to debate an urgent forests bill this week.
Debate on the Regional Forest Agreement Bill was prevented by an Australian Democrats motion this morning that removed the bill from debate this session.
Forestry and Conservation Minister Wilson Tuckey said tonight that Labor did not have the guts to join with the government to gag Bob Brown (AG, Tas) on the bill.
"Bob Brown spoke for eight to 10 hours in the Senate last time (this bill was debated) - there was no way that that could be provided in terms of Senate time again," Mr Tuckey told the House of Representatives.
"We could rush that (bill) in there tomorrow morning and as long as the two major parties are prepared to limit the debate, it goes through.
"(But Labor) knew in their heart that they didn't have the guts to stand up and tell Senator Brown to shut up.
"It's the old, old story, a forest worker's job to the Labor Party in the end comes down to 30 Green preferences."
The Democrats motion to block the bill from debate this morning passed without Labor or government objection.
However, Labor later said the bill's removal from debate was procedural and that it would have supported its passage.
The Senate has sat until midnight on Monday and Tuesday nights and is set to sit until midnight again tonight to deal with the government's urgent legislation before the next federal election.