Thank you, Chair.
The opposition here are playing favourites. The very arguments they are putting forward now to not give 30-minute windows to witnesses on important subjects are the exact same arguments as I was raising 5 to 10 minutes ago.
I was saying that if the committee starts making exceptions, they're playing favourites, whether they like it or not, in that witnesses will not be impressed with the fact that they're being limited to 10 minutes when they know very well that, either the week before or the week after, the committee allowed another witness to have 30 minutes. These people are travelling great distances. They're putting a lot of time and effort into their presentations. They're tackling the same difficult and delicate issue as the NFU's going to be tackling. How can we pick? How can we possibly choose?
All I'm asking is that the witnesses be treated equally and treated fairly. The emphasis is on equal, because if we're going to give equal time slots, let's give equal time slots.
Quite frankly, I'm a little taken aback by the backpedalling of the opposition members. After having just voted on a motion to make an exception, they will not use the same reasoning they used to vote in favour of that motion to now vote in favour of my motion. I welcome them to explain that to the Cattlemen's Association and the pork association.