Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

There was never any suggestion in this bill that the Commonwealth could interfere with the local government process in Queensland. This bill is about the Commonwealth government overriding a decision of a state government to ban free speech in that state. It was not meant in any other way. Councils can have a poll on anything at all in Queensland, except on what their future as a local government might be. That was the underlying, core outrage of this particular decision.