Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

Right. Perhaps that could be clarified for me, as it sounds like a nice, clear-cut one. Or perhaps it goes from whenever a person announces that they are a candidate, which obviously they do well before they put in the nominations.

As well as that, I note that the Labor amendment allows in journalists who are acting in their professional capacity, so there is a special privilege status for journalists. I suppose there would be clarification in advance as to whether they are doing things on or off the record. I understand why that is put there but, again, I am not overly convinced about that. I am not in any way casting aspersions on journalists, let me hasten to add—that there is any particular reason for singling them out above all else. I can understand the reasons why it is put there. I think there is some merit in the halfway house that Labor has put forward. I am not overly keen on it because I do not see that the argument has been made at all for change, but that is another matter.

I have reviewed what the minister said before dinner about the specific issue of the revoking of permits. Perhaps I am a bit slow and it is getting a bit late, but I still do not understand 100 per cent what he said about that. I might leave that until we get to it specifically, because I note that there is a Democrat amendment and a Labor amendment around that same section. I think we can have the general debate about permits first and get to the specific, niche issues a bit later.