Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

The guidelines are of course a result of the review that was undertaken after five years of the Gene Technol-ogy Act being in operation. Senator Siewert raised that question this morning about the guidelines, and it is a fair point. But they were only finally approved last Friday in Brisbane by the ministerial council, and that is why they were not available to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs during your inquiry. I think it is fair to say that there has been exhaustive consultation with the states and territories on the development of these guidelines, simply because it is an aspect of federalism that these potential emergencies cross all boundaries. The document now of course is public and, as a public document, people are quite entitled to comment on it—and I am sure they will.