Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank all honourable senators for their contribution. I do not want to say much more—just two things. All senators whom I have heard speak on the Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (2006 Budget Measures) Bill 2006 referred to the government agreeing to an amendment to schedule 2 of the bill to remove in its entirety the search and seizure provision. A new service level agreement is being developed between Centrelink and the Federal Police. Therefore, the provision is no longer necessary and the government amendment will remove schedule 2 from the bill. The amendment will need to be moved during the committee stage, and hopefully we will do that soon. In addition, Senator Evans’s amendment, which I expect he will move, will not be supported by the government—just to give some advance knowledge of that—as it is not, in our view, comprehensive enough and does not address all of the issues or consequential amendments necessary for that to happen. I will discuss that amendment more when we get to the committee stage. There is some sympathy for where Senator Evans is trying to go; there is just disagreement on what it will actually achieve in terms of the current amendment. I thank senators for their contribution.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.