Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Transport) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Joyce is very keen to attack the Labor Party’s position on this, but the fact of the matter is that he is part of a government that is implementing something that he is vehemently opposed to. So his cover is to attack the Labor Party when he should actually be attacking his own coalition, because it is implementing the regime that he is apparently so vehemently opposed to. We moved amendments to that regime, which they voted against. I guess Senator Joyce has to give himself cover sometime, but that is all that I can attribute to the statements that he makes.

In relation to this comparison between this legislation and media law (1) we are talking about a good versus the supply of information to the public (2) we are talking about a regime which currently applies to everyone, as distinct from this legislation, which leaves half of the market out, and (3) we are talking about something that impacts on the democracy of this country rather than markets. If he cannot see the difference in that, that is a matter for him.

In terms of consistency and supply, I could take the senator back to that decision that he made to support the privatisation of Telstra, but many people will do that—I do not need to today. I can only reaffirm that we will be supporting this legislation, not on the basis that it is the best possible outcome but on the basis that it puts in train something which we can improve on in government.

Question put:

That this bill be now read a third time.