Natasha Stott Despoja (SA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

Once again, the Democrats will support the amendment moved by the Labor Party in its attempt to increase the reporting period of the Ombudsman from three to six months. We believe it is particularly important. It follows the recommendation from the committee as well as satisfies the request of the Ombudsman in his submission to the Senate inquiry to allow more time to report to the parliament due to the various constraints that are imposed upon him by, I suspect, an ever-increasing workload. I would hope that something is being done to assist the Ombudsman in terms of his resourcing so that he can continue to effectively carry out his duties. I note that this is a request by him and a committee recommendation. It is a good amendment and one that we happily support, and I hope the government will too.