Government, opposition and crossbench all ready to sit longer or later to get Bills through Upper House

Politicians from all sides of the Upper House say they’re ready to sit more days before the summer break in order to get a raft of legislation through before the end of the year. With four pieces of priority legislation clogged up in the Upper House and just eight full days of Parliament to go of the year, Roger Cook has left the door open to add more sitting days if needed. The Upper House is locked in debate on a Bill to overhaul surrogacy laws for its third straight sitting week, with MPs currently having the chance to ask an unlimited number of questions about the Bill. The debate is holding up the passage of three other Bills, one to let the Development minister expedite approval for “priority” projects and a further two to amend laws with time sensitive provisions. After flagging the addition of more sitting days on Monday, the Premier reiterated the potential move on Tuesday and said he wanted all four Bills to pass in 2025. “I think it is possible that we can get through these, I’ve asked the Legislative Council to make them a priority and to get them done before the end of the year,” he said. “I’m sure all members of Parliament will stand ready to sit longer if necessary to get this legislation through.” The surrogacy Bill faces strong opposition from some Liberal MPs and is being treated as a conscience vote for both major parties. It looks to have the numbers to pass once voted on with at least six crossbenchers offering their support to the Bill and only one Labor MP appearing against it. Leader of the House Stephen Dawson and Leader of the Opposition in the upper house Nick Goiran could be seen talking to each other on the side of the chamber during debate on Tuesday. Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said his side were not stalling. “I’ve seen from the Liberals leader in the upper house that my colleagues are absolutely prepared to stay later into the night and to sit for additional weeks,” he said. “If that is what is required to get more of this legislation passed, they stand ready to do that, they only need to be asked.” While the Government has to worry about the conservative members of Parliament holding up the surrogacy Bill, it also needs to look for crossbench opposition to the State Development Bill. Industry has been vocal in getting the legislation passed this year to help fast track important projects. Greens Leader Brad Pettitt said while his party did not support the Bill, they would not seek to unnecessarily drag debate out. “Our view is this Bill deserves a huge amount of scrutiny, we’re not going to rush it, we’re not going to filibuster,” he said. “We’re not here to waste the Parliament’s time, but we are here to go through clause by clause, ask serious questions and make sure that the Parliament and the people of Western Australia understand the implications of this legislation.”