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

Where the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee and Blunn agree, and the minister seems to disagree, is on the findings at the very beginning of the Blunn report. On page 5, it says:

That, as identified in the body of my report:

• the protection of privacy should continue to be a fundamental consideration in, and the starting point for, any legislation providing access to telecommunications for security and law enforcement purposes

The Senate committee and this subsequent amendment by Labor are seeking to achieve that purpose, as well as to ensure that the basic structures are not interfered with. Everybody agrees, except perhaps the Greens—but I will not go there because they are not here—that the telecommunications interception regime since 1979 has been and is a feature of our law enforcement agencies. Labor has sought, as part of the committee recommendation, for that to continue. It is a matter that the government takes issue with and it is clearly an amendment that is not going to get up in this chamber, but Labor seeks the support of the Senate in any event.

Question negatived.