George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

For a start, we are not concerned with civil liabilities so, as you should know, Senator, copyright infringement is a civil wrong. This scheme only gives the criminal law enforcement agencies and the principal economic regulators the power to access metadata. So that is the first point.

The second point: you really trivialise the argument, with all due respect, Senator Wright, when you imagine that people like the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Crime Commission, the state and state and territory police forces and anticorruption authorities are going to use this very complex investigative tool to chase traffic fines. Honestly and truly, Senator Wright, please bring a bit of common sense to this debate.