It is proposed to take items 1 and 2. Senator O'Sullivan does not want No. 3 taken to-day. The Minister for Agriculture will not be available for No. 4, which will be postponed. No. 5 will be postponed also.
Order of Business.
Is it agreed not to take No. 4?
Yes, that is my understanding.
With regard to No. 4, I am prepared to go on with it in the absence of the Minister. I assume the House will agree to that. The Minister was not present on a similar occasion last year, but the debate on that motion was opened and adjourned to enable the Minister to intervene. He did so at a later stage and I think he replied to many of the points raised at the beginning of the debate. I take it the same procedure will be accepted to-day?
I was informed that it will not. It is difficult to deal with everybody at the same time. My understanding was that it was agreed this motion would not be taken because the Minister was not available. I cannot deal with Senator Cogan in two capacities.
That is not exactly the position. I was agreeable not to take the motion, but I learned afterwards that Senator Cogan was prepared to go ahead without the Minister.
I think it would be more desirable to have the Minister present when the motion is being discussed.
In view of the fact that the Minister will not be here I suppose it would be better to have it postponed, but I do not want to take away Senator Cogan's rights.
Are we to take it it will be dealt with on the next sitting day?
Not necessarily the next sitting day. It will become the first motion on the Order Paper.
Senator O'Sullivan's motion would take precedence but it is very short.
I think we would all agree it would be preferable if the Minister were present. I seem to remember, however, that on the last occasion on which Senator Cogan was proposing such a motion the Minister left in the middle of his speech.
That is not correct.
The last occasion is past.
It is absolutely true.
That question does not now arise. Am I to understand that this motion is being left over and will be dealt with as early as possible the next day the House meets if the other motions are dealt with?
Agreed.