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

Senator O'Neill, again you are wrong. There is no green paper—there is a draft green paper—about reforming the Federation. You ask me this question as if there is a final document, and there is not. There is not. However, Senator O'Neill, when the green paper on the reform of the Federation is published, it will contain a range of options. Of course it will contain a range of options. What sort of an exercise would it be, Senator O'Neill, if it did not contain a range of options? Some of those options will provide for a reduction in Commonwealth involvement, and another of the options to be considered in the green paper is an increase in the Commonwealth involvement. It is an options paper, so of course it is going to consider the range of different approaches to reforming the Federation. That is what we have done so that we can make an informed policy choice.