Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I do not propose to tie us up, but it appears that I am simply not being heard. We are not proposing to lift the ability of these agencies to continue to apply for public interest immunity on grounds of issues like national secrecy, operational security and so on. We are not proposing to lift those exemptions. What we are objecting to is the simple throwing of a shroud of invisibility over the agencies, giving them immunity from the FOI Act. I would put the question one more time, unless you simply do not intend to answer it: what is different about Australian security agencies? Why should the Freedom of Information Act apply to agencies in comparable democracies but not in Australia? If you do not have any answer to that question, I will simply put the amendments and we will move through.