Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

When we get to debate the bill, you can try and pretend the bill is about gagging the media. What you will not be able to hide from is the fact that you gag charities with legislation. You did it. We undid it. The Greens supported it being undone. You did it. And now Premier Newman is doing it again. So everybody knows that if the coalition were to win government again nationally they would put those gags back in place. It is part of your DNA. You cannot help it. It is in your political DNA; you want to gag charities.

The government has announced that it will introduce legislation to ban gag clauses in Commonwealth contracts with the not-for-profit sector because we respect the independence of the sector. The government is currently progressing the preparation of legislation to ban these gag clauses. We are firmly committed to its delivery. Targeted consultation with stakeholders on the legislation is planned to take place during early December. The government will be introducing legislation in the first sitting weeks of 2013 with a view to prompt passage through the parliament.