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

What I can say is that the opposition should take the advice of Senator Birmingham, who was reported this morning as saying:

If an inquiry is required to ensure that faith is maintained in the community, then that is important.

It is important to have an inquiry into this matter—something that the opposition did not undertake to do. We are delivering the election commitment of having a judicial inquiry into this matter, having gone out many times and requested that that be undertaken. The opposition—when they were in government—did not provide an answer, and refused to have an inquiry into this matter, full stop. What we are now doing is delivering on our election commitment to ensure that there is a judicial inquiry. It will be handled very well by the former New South Wales Supreme Court judge. It will be able to look into these matters; it will be able to ensure— (Time expired)