Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I am not sure whether I should be offended or complimented! At least when the Attorney-General calls me an idiot he does so quoting The Mikado. I think I might need to quote something from the Sex Pistols—or the Dead Kennedys, perhaps; another punk band—but I think I would get in trouble with Hansard. I am more punk than opera when it comes to dealing with these matters.

I do not want my position in respect of the American system to be misrepresented. There are many things about the American system that I have real concerns about, but I do give credit to the Americans that in so far as there appears to be a greater level of scrutiny—including a court, albeit sitting in secret—in terms of intelligence matters. I do not think I am verballing the Attorney-General by saying that he is nodding. It is a different system but the principles are the same: our intelligence services ought to be subject to a decent level of scrutiny. And I do not think that is idiotic, whether you are quoting The Mikado or not.

In relation to the issue of the membership of the PJCIS, I am also a middle-aged—maybe late middle-aged, at 56—white man. I am of Southern European descent, so I may have olive-tinged skin. But I want to make this point: the PJCIS does not include any representation from any of the 18 crossbenchers in this place. There are nine separate groupings—10 Greens and eight separate members representing different groups or different independent perspectives. And it worries me that they are not represented.

I would ask the Attorney-General, having graced us with a quote from The Mikado, whether he concedes that there is a restrictiveness in the membership of the PJCIS. Would he consider, from the government's point of view, giving an opportunity for crossbenchers to be participating members on certain inquiries from time to time if there is a resolution of this place in order to allow that participation.