Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I did not hear how Senator Scullion verballed me but I just assumed it was normal practice. I had to leave the chamber for a while. I did want to ask, while there is a break in proceedings, whether or not the minister can confirm the reported comments of the minister for FaCSIA that he was to introduce a government amendment to this bill. There has been much press coverage about it. Apparently the minister slammed the Territory and indicated that we are going to have to move amendments to protect ourselves from being in breach of the Northern Territory residential act. Unless it has been circulated in the last few minutes, I have not been able to find it in the chamber. I understood it would be to this bill before us. So perhaps the minister could advise whether that is just done for getting a headline in the paper or whether the government really has an amendment to this bill.