Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Faulkner, I take your interjection. I accept that the Labor Party spoke on this with some commitment, as did Senator Bartlett. It is interesting to see that it is the Labor Party and the Democrats who are genuine about this debate and do the long hard yards in relation to these issues. Another minor party that always trumpets itself as being so very concerned about these issues once again is absent from the chamber. Having said that, I take Senator Faulkner’s interjection. The 10 years was a compromise. The agencies were of a view that there should be no sunset clause. The committee considered 5½ years as an appropriate sunset clause period.

Just to correct the record, as I understand it the UK does have a one-year sunset clause, but that is specifically and only related to the control order regime. It is the only sunset period in the UK counter-terrorism legislation. It is very limited. So the assertions being made by Senator Bartlett, egged on by Senator Faulkner, do not necessarily withstand a great degree of scrutiny. Nevertheless, I accept that the Labor Party have very strong views on this, which they expressed in the other place and also in this place. I think the UK situation is in fact more open-ended as a result.