'Hypocrisy at its finest': Labor criticised over cuts to Senate estimates

The Labor government's draft schedule for sitting periods in 2023, released Tuesday, has proposed only three weeks be dedicated to the estimates process in contrast to the usual four.

Government Senate leader Penny Wong said the scrapped week, usually held in the first quarter, was not necessary as there "will obviously not be a MYEFO [mid-year economic financial outlook]".

Opposition Senate leader Simon Birmingham said the reduction of estimates weeks went against the basic convention of having a full month of hearings over the calendar year, which had been in place for decades since the 1990s.

He labelled the move by Labor, which has repeatedly badged itself as a government of accountability and transparency, as "hypocrisy at its finest"

"This is simply throwing the baby out with the bathwater," he said.

"The Albanese government is denying 60 hours of examination of its decisions and the Australian public service that would usually take place, hiding the truth from the Australian people.

"For anyone from the government to believe these estimates, which are an important mechanism of accountability and transparency, as unnecessary would be incompetent."

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Senator Wong said it was the opposition that was being hypocritical, pointing to a recent review into former prime minister Scott Morrison's secret ministry grab.

"No one in this place - I suspect even on that side - believes it when you talk about transparency," she said.

Senator Birmingham said the Coalition would seek to bring back the additional week of estimates when Parliament returned next year to "hold this government responsible for its substandard decisions".

The draft schedule would see both houses of Parliament returning in early February for a fortnight, followed by another three weeks in March.

In its current form, the first estimates week would be held from May 22 following the federal budget being handed down.

Senator Wong said she expected the following year to return to the usual pattern with the full four weeks of estimates hearings.

"I would anticipate that the usual pattern of budget-MYEFO with additional and supplementary and budget estimates would be returned to," she said.