Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, it is also about counter-terrorism laws. The government quite rightly made the decision that it did not want the issue of 18C to be a distraction to what is a very serious issue for this country with respect to dealing with the issue of counter-terrorism. I think it was a wise decision.

What a good government does is take note of the consultation process it might have publicly and also take note of the views that are held within its party room. It does not, as the previous government did over six years, run a chaotic top-down process where decisions were not taken as part of cabinet. We heard Senator Brandis say during question time that the decision with respect of 18C was made in cabinet and announced subsequent to the cabinet meeting, as it should have been.

I also know that members of the government consulted broadly amongst the party room. There are members of this government who have expressed publicly their concerns about the government's proposals on 18C. They were in close contact with their communities about the proposals of 18C. They utilised the very wise process that Senator Brandis put in place around the exposure draft to consult with their communities. They brought that feedback back to the government through the party room, through their direct consultations with Senator Brandis and, I am sure, through their direct consultation with the Prime Minister, his office and other members of the executive. That is a good, considered government process. When the collective wisdom of the cabinet came together to discuss the issue, they took all of those matters into account. I think that is quite a wise process. Why would you not do that? You have a strong view in the community. You have a range of views within the party room. The process is put out for public consultation. An exposure draft of the legislation is put into the community to talk about. At the end of the day, after gathering all of that information together, you make a decision based on the consideration of all of the circumstances that were in play at the time.

Despite those who might want to downplay the threat of terrorism in this country, it is a significant threat. Anyone who has a good knowledge and understanding of these issues is expressing that view right now. To take away a distraction to that, alongside the process of good and sound community consultation, only make sense, and the characterisation that the opposition has portrayed around this decision today quite clearly does not stack up. They imply that it is a signature policy of Senator Brandis, but it was a policy that the government took to the last election and we have made a wise decision on that policy in cabinet. (Time expired)