Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

We could, with a spirit of bipartisanship, probably get the government's bill through in the next few weeks. Senator Farrell and his team could support it, which would be a welcome change.

I understand Senator Farrell's frustration. I once introduced a private senator's bill into this place. It was about protecting vulnerable children overseas from child-sex tourism. It was incredibly galling and disappointing to have that bill voted down by the then government on the basis that they wanted to introduce their own bill. They could not identify any deficiencies at all in my bill. In fact it replicated something they had previously supported prior to 2007—it absolutely replicated it; it was identical in many respects. But then, when they got into government, they decided they did not want to do it. The difference between the two cases is this. My bill was the same as something they supported in opposition. This bill we do support in principle, but it is flawed and deficient. That is why we need to introduce our own bill.

The existing access arrangements to the Woomera Prohibited Area have been in place in their current form since 1989. That was, I think, just after you ran for the seat of Adelaide, Senator Farrell. Would that be right?