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

Perhaps the easiest way to explain this would be to refer to the independent inspector of intelligence, which currently operates in one such small office—if I could call it that—which acts in this area. It has reporting obligations. Clearly, within this proposed bill there are reporting obligations for the monitor. Also, there are annual reports and the budget process to deal with matters that might arise within the small office. Senator Ludlam, there are three estimates rounds a year, during which you can check how the monitor is operating in terms of their resourcing and how they are finding their work and their workload. I am sure that you will use that opportunity to engage with the monitor on those issues. Of course, as I indicated, the annual report and the budget process are the usual and normal processes of government to ensure that agencies—particularly small agencies or in this instance the monitor—are properly resourced. The bill does provide the appropriate framework for the monitor to operate within, and the government is satisfied that the monitor will be able to competently and effectively carry out the tasks that have been provided to the monitor.