Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Xenophon did accurately predict that the smooth passage through this place of his amendments was not to continue. The opposition was happy to support Senator Xenophon's previous amendments. Although we are not supportive of this bill, we did think that, if this bill were to pass, his earlier amendments would improve it and lead to a higher standard of proof of identification. But in relation to the amendments on sheet 7072 there are questions as to the extent to which the concept of misleading and deceptive conduct which may be appropriate in the commercial sphere is applied in what you might call the political sphere—the area of the contest of ideas. It does have an application, but the extent to which that should be applied is, I think, an open question.

Having said that, I very much appreciate the motives behind Senator Xenophon's amendment: the outrageous behaviour of the Australian Labor Party in South Australia. They do say that imitation is the—