Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I will take the time to indicate a couple of things. We have had a robust debate today on this bill. It is an omnibus bill. It provides some powers which are more controversial than others we have seen in this place. I think we could have addressed it with a little more common sense in some respects. The bill had its genesis as an omnibus bill which dealt with discrete schedules. Schedule 1, as I indicated during the debate, came from a controlled operation, which was a matter that brought together significant work that had been produced by the various federal and state government departments to ensure harmonisation of cross-border investigative powers. They are, as the Labor Party recognise, necessary to ensure that the Australian Federal Police have sufficient powers to fight crime.

The safeguards that are included in the legislation have been examined by the Senate committee. One of the things I mentioned during the second reading debate and the committee stage—and it deserves reiteration—is that, although the government and the opposition disagreed on some parts of this bill, the work done by the committee and the ability of the government to respond to the committee’s recommendations is not a matter that has been missed by the opposition in the debate. We recognise that the government, in this instance, did provide a comprehensive response to the Senate recommendations and we thank the government for that. I know the government might take that as faint praise, but it is not. I could say it on behalf of the other members of the Labor Party who were on the committee, and I suspect the Liberals would join in that as well. It is worth recognising the work of the committee secretariat as well where we do get a response to the committee’s recommendations. It also supports much of the work of the submitters. People who make submissions to Senate committees look to those recommendations to see what the committees have done. They are encouraged to continue to make submissions. Their submissions are worthwhile and well read by committee members. I thank the Senate.