Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Oh, Senator Brown says ‘wrong again’. Well, I would be interested to know what his figure is. Can I tell you this: it would not be 62,000—and that is how many people claimed the religious exemption, under the legislation Senator Milne complains about, at the 2004 election. Why have an inquiry only into the Exclusive Brethren exercising that right and not into the 52,000 other Australians who exercised that same exclusion for religious beliefs? That is why we as a coalition oppose this proposal.

Debate interrupted.