Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, sorry, gents, I have not quite finished yet. Thank you. It does sort of dismay me that the process is such that we will be voting on this legislation, presumably this evening, and yet we have been directed to ask our questions in estimates, some weeks away. However, I will just register my discontent as to that process.

I want to take you back to your answer to one of my earlier questions. You said the states will not have to change their laws so that they have to take account of this committee until March 2013. You also said earlier—or perhaps it was your parliamentary secretary—that there would not be any retrospective application. Can I just confirm for the record that there will be absolutely no influence of this—fairly toothless anyway—committee between now and March 2013?