David Feeney (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Ludlam. Of course, I take your remarks in good faith. I understand, and you understand, that you are well acquainted with sitting on that side of the chamber with the coalition. I have seen it on several tumultuous moments, recently and of course with the CPRS legislation in 2010. Such is the nature of the workings of this chamber that I know you are not a stranger to sitting over there with the coalition to defeat critical reforms.

Let me now, perhaps more temperately, consider your points. Firstly, as I comprehend it, the foreign affairs committee recommended that this legislation be passed by the Senate without amendment, and of course I understand that you wrote a dissenting report to that recommendation. So, from the government's perspective, we would say that that committee has looked at the legislation and discharged its function and produced a report which, on this occasion, the government is in accord with.

With respect to JSCOT, it is not typical for JSCOT to look at legislation; it is of course a treaties committee and its expertise is generally in looking at the wording and implications of treaties. On this occasion, given the uniqueness of this work, it did look at legislation, but I think it is worth the chamber noting that that is atypical of the work of JSCOT.