Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the member for Mitchell be permitted to address the parliament until 4.30 pm on the issue that was raised in the Matter of Public Importance.

Question agreed to.

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the Leader of the House for his generosity. One person I will not thank is the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. In finishing on the Matter of Public Importance, I note that the Leader of the House is in favour of free speech—but the minister for communications is not—so I want to praise him for that generous move.

This so-called reform is a great sham. I am pleased in the time remaining to put on the record my strong opposition to what the government is doing. This minister has a track record, whether it be mandatory internet filtering or mandatory data retention. All of the things that he has tried to do use the words 'mandatory' and 'compulsory'. So I do not buy the arguments of the Attorney-General, who came in here and said, 'We're really about individualism and freedom.'

He asked, 'What is everybody really going on about?' The Prime Minister said, 'I can't believe this sanctimonious nonsense about freedom of the press.' The media are going on about these reforms which came in response to a problem from the UK. The Finkelstein report of 468 pages, which the member for Hunter raised, was from the UK. I am against these proposals. (Time expired)