Alex White (Labour)

The one thing to note is this cannot be done in two weeks and I stated as much on the Order of Business yesterday. It is crazy for the Government or anyone to believe this process of transformation can be carried out, negotiated and wrapped up in a period of ten days or two weeks of negotiations. That is nonsensical and it cannot be done. The reason that everything appears so shaky this morning and that the Government does not appear to be in control of the situation is, oddly enough, because it appeared to believe it could do this within a short period. As other speakers have noted, it cannot be done. This matter is manifestly urgent and it requires appropriate arrangements to be negotiated and agreed. I do not suggest that it should take months to do so. Yesterday, Senator Donohoe stated there has been an opportunity all year for these issues to be addressed but there were not. Now they are being addressed with a gun to the head one or two weeks before the budget. It is crazy to believe it can be done in this way.

There is a sense in which people question whether the Government is in control. Senator O'Toole referred to backbenchers jumping up and down in response to various pressures. There is a great job to be done and it simply cannot be done in a few days. I have stated previously that public service reform should take place. The matter should be put up to the trade unions, which should be brought into this process and they should be part of it and this nonsense of simply stating, "Take it or leave it" is no way to achieve that.

I am surprised there has been no opportunity to hold even a short debate in the run up to the Copenhagen climate change conference next week. The Leader might say he was not asked but it seems to be such an obvious issue. We should take the opportunity, even if it is only for one or one and a half hours next week, to have statements on this crucial issue. There is hardly a more serious challenge facing humanity than the issues to be debated, considered and, hopefully, agreed in Denmark next week. It is a pity there is no climate change legislation before the Houses. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government referred to doing this in the spring. That legislation should have been prepared. Deputy McManus and Senator Bacik have prepared a Bill in respect of this matter, in which the Labour Party is keenly interested. Would it be possible for the Leader to make time available next week for a debate on this extremely serious issue?