In rising to address the Therapeutic Goods Amendment (Repeal of Ministerial responsibility for approval of RU486) Bill 2005, I would like to clarify what exactly is the question that we senators are being asked to address and ultimately decide on tomorrow. Before I do that, I would like to congratulate the proponents of this bill on having the guts to put it up in the face of a lot of opposition from what I believe is a minority-but a noisy minority-in the community.

Greens, Democrats, Harradine and Hanson should also be in Debate

With a week to go to the first scheduled "leaders" debate, Greens Senator Bob Brown has called for a real leaders debate between leaders of all political parties as an adjunct to the Howard-Beazley affair.

"The debate would give voters what they really want not just the ALP-Coalition duopoly being foisted on them," said Senator Brown said in Hobart today.

"Such a debate would liven up an otherwise deadly dull campaign.