Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Seniors) Share this | Hansard source

I think it is important to, again, point out that the date of the existing legislation is 1994, as passed by the Hawke government, and that there have been referendums since that time. It is also important to point out that the $4 million that the minister would like to save in postage is, presumably, money he would like to spend on promoting heaven only knows what. Although that committee proposed, back in 2009, that any additional expenditure be provided equally for the yes and no case, there is no provision for that in this amendment bill, just merely to suspend section 11(4). We believe that it is important—and, again, I stress this—that every individual elector receives the information, that they may individually be informed. The minister seems to be saying, 'No, that's not necessary. One pamphlet into any old household and then we will make up for it by having a full-on advertising campaign, paid for by the taxpayer, without any provision for it to be fair expenditure on a yes or no case.'

I think that, when the Hawke government introduced this legislation back in 1984 and put a cap on expenditure, it was a sensible thing to do. In this time, when we are so stretched for cash, when we are so indebted as a nation, to waste money by spending like this is fiscally irresponsible. So I put forward a number of reasons as to why we should oppose the suspension of section 11(4). I think those reasons are compelling and I would commend those reasons to the House.

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