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And while the PM is trying to make peace with the Chamber, today his leader of government business in the senate called their resolution ludicrous.  That’s because the resolution that the Chamber passed says that Senator Lizarraga will only participate in the Senate Inquiry if it is reconstituted as directed. Today Hulse said that to reconstitute it would be to break the rules, as in violating the standing orders:

Hon. Godwin Hulse- Leader of Gov't Business - Senate
"It is very unfortunate because what the chamber is asking and the union and the PUP is for the senate to violate its standing orders, to overlook its rules. You cannot cherry pick the rules. The standing orders are the laws governing the procedures and operations in the senate. How can you talk about good governance an then you want to circumvent or overlook one of the rules which is the hallmark of good governance? Standing order 70 provides that every senate committee shall be so constituted, not may be, shall be as to ensure that the balance of the parties in the senate is reflected in the committee you cannot ignore that standing order and now want to call for a different composition."

"I don’t think reasonable people feel that two is going to supersede four, or two is going to somehow manipulate four, it makes no sense. But whether we go there or not, it is in accordance with the rules. if you don’t want to follow the laws and the rules then what are we saying? We're gonna be fighting and demonstrating and then at the end of the day, we want some different rule and we are note advocating that the rule be changed? If you want to go that route then advocate that the standing orders be changed so that the rule is changed to accommodate what you want.  Maybe that would be a better approach.  But not to try to circumvent it, and then make all this noise out there as thought the public will feel like, "aha, the government doesn’t want to," or this, that – I can’t figure that out. 

"But it really cannot be that they are upset about the composition, which is in accordance with the law."
 
Jules Vasquez
"What do you make of the resolution of the chamber which says that senator Lizarraga shall only participate in senate inquiry of it is reconstituted as directed; Should the senate take direction from a chamber resolution?"

Hon. Godwin Hulse- Leader of Gov't Business - Senate
"Cannot, cannot and will not sir; that is not the process, that is not the democracy, that is outside of any standing orders, and i find that resolution to be frankly very ludicrous.  I am surprised and shocked that the chamber members would vote on such a resolution." 

The first meeting of the Senate Select Committee is set for next Wednesday even though a chair has not been appointed.