Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

The Democrats will not insist on the amendments of the opposition. I do not think, Senator Scullion, that you can justify those amendments on the grounds that you have just suggested. In fact what your amendments did was to remove—and I do not have my notes in front of me but I think I can recall enough of them to say this with confidence—the minister’s ability to request that Infrastructure Australia conduct an investigation and/or advise on various matters. We would be with you in insisting on this amendment were it really the case that this would improve accountability, but sadly I fear that is not the case. What would have been highly desirable would have been for you to support Senator Milne’s amendment—it was not my amendment, but it was one that we certainly strongly supported—to see climate change as being a key priority for Infrastructure Australia. But you did not do that.

I will admit that we did make a rather clumsy attempt to amend your motion to remove the worst of its effects—that is, to not allow the minister to request that Infrastructure Australia do anything. We think that, all in all, the bill is in a better shape without your amendments. It would have been much better had it accepted the other amendments which would have fixed up some of those priority issues.