Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I only want to clarify one matter. I think I talked about 60CC(4) being amended in the House. I always get confused about that. They do not have a process as eloquent as ours, where we actually get to move amendments and argue about them. At least we still have that. I do not yet have any indication from the government that it is going to change. There are three reports that are central to this issue: Every picture tells a story, which was the first report into this area; the exposure draft committee, where our shadow Attorney-General provided a dissenting report and where the idea emanated from and, if they had had a committee such as ours, I am sure she would have brought forward an amendment there; then of course there was the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, which also inquired into the bill, although they confined themselves to certain parts.

This is an opportunity for us to look at all of those amendments and move them. I think I have made the point several times that this is a place where we can try to convince the government to pick up an amendment and where the opposition can support it. However, I am concerned that over the last couple of days it seems that the government has simply been going through the motions. I do not think that is quite good enough. Before 1 July there was a certain sense that committee reports and amendments that come here would focus the government on trying to find an outcome where an outcome may not be on its side. Notwithstanding that, we will press on.