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

Briefly, can I indicate that the government opposes the amendment. In relation to the matters Senator Murray raised, I understand they will be addressed in the government’s response to the report by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters regarding the last election. I think you raised that in that context. A response will be coming in relation to those matters.

In relation to Senator Carr’s contribution, it was all very interesting but not all that relevant. I could take him back to Benito Salazar, a Filipino middleman who was later charged with murder, who refused to disclose the original donation of $25,000 to the Australian Labor Party. I could talk about Centenary House. At the end of the day, all the sums that we have been talking about are well and truly in excess of $10,000. I do not think that any foreign person seeking to influence Australia’s domestic politics would even consider that a sum less than $10,000 would have any influence.

Much as I hate Senator Murray going back to previous votes and discussions, as he often does, can I quickly commit the same sin to respond to the Greens’ assertion that there was an inclusion in the workplace relations legislation that we recently passed in response to the Exclusive Brethren. If that is what we did then the Greens, in their great conspiracy theory, would have to advise why New Zealand did that in their Employment Relations Act 2000 and still have it on the statute book, why South Australia did it in its Fair Work Act in 1994 and still has it on its statute book and why the Labor government in New South Wales included it in their Industrial Relations Act in 1996. It is a great conspiracy theory but, when you put a bit of light onto it, it just does not stack up. We are in fact following the provision of what is accepted by two state Labor governments in Australia and the government of New Zealand, which also happens to be a labour government.