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

by leave—I move opposition amendments (1) and (6) on sheet 7463 together:

(1) Schedule 1, page 3 (after line 22), after item 6, insert:

6A Section 3

  Insert:

  quarter means a period of 3 months beginning on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October of a year.

(6) Schedule 1, item 8, page 5 (after line 19), at the end of section 5A, add:

(4) As soon as practicable after the end of each quarter, Infrastructure Australia must make a summary of each proposal evaluated during the quarter available on its website.

These amendments remove a further area of legislated ministerial interference from the bill. Item (1) defines 'quarter' within a year in a standard way. Item (6) uses that definition to require Infrastructure Australia to publish on its website summaries of proposals evaluated on a quarterly basis. These amendments are about transparency. Senator Ludlam, I saw the Senate seniority list recently and I am nearing the top, which is quite frightening really. But I have unfortunately witnessed many a National Party minister pork-barrel extensively. That is exactly why the minister sought to gut the independence of Infrastructure Australia. I smell pork. We should do everything we can to put the barbecue out.