Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I want to express the great disappointment of the Australian Greens on the vote that just took place, when the government and the opposition and a significant number of the crossbenchers voted not to refer the citizenship bill, also known as the allegiance to Australia bill, to the full scrutiny of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee of the Senate.

The Prime Minister indicated that this significant legislation, which will be looking at the revocation of one of the most fundamental rights in a democracy—that of citizenship—would be given a full inquiry, but that means it will only go to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. The only members of that committee are government and opposition members, and all nine men on that committee have had past associations with the military, security and spy agencies through government. This means that those other MPs in this parliament who represent people who have voted for the Greens and Independents will not have the ability to ask and inform ourselves properly, and it will not be transparent for the public. It is a shame and it should not keep happening.