Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

My understanding is that, if we were to extend the operation of AusCheck, we would have to amend the act. Initially, we envisaged that we might be able to do that by regulation. But, as part of the Senate review, I gather that is one of the adjustments we made. I have just had a nod that indicates that my recollection was reasonably correct. So there is nothing proposed at the moment, and you will hear about it if we bring forward legislative amendments that seek to expand it. I will try and get the numbers for you, but I think the delay reflects a lot of the nature of parliamentary democracy where issues are debated, committees review and you have to get legislation through. You do not start to budget and appropriate money to carry out particular purposes until you have a proper lawful basis for doing it. I will also get you advice on what the courts are doing in relation to security matters. But I emphasise again the point that I made: security for the courts is core business.

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