Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of answers given by the Attorney-General (Senator Brandis) to questions without notice asked today by Senator McKim relating to control orders.

I asked Senator Brandis repeatedly whether he could provide evidence that might exist where extending the application of control orders to children as young as 14 in Australia would make Australians safer or make Australia a safer place

Unfortunately, the Attorney-General was manifestly unable to offer any evidence whatsoever to support these proposed changes. In fact, he tried to link the proposals that he dropped in a media release on Monday evening to the tragic recent shooting of Curtis Cheng in Parramatta. It is my understanding, based on reports, that there is no evidence that the perpetrator of that shooting was known to authorities.

It is instructive that, when the Prime Minister was asked at a media event yesterday about these proposed changes, he did not go anywhere near the shooting in Parramatta. He did not use it as a rationale. In fact, he was at pains to say that these proposed changes had been discussed through the COAG process for many months.