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

For the record, Madam Chair, I am not suggesting the legislation was contemplated as at 21 January 2014, but what I am suggesting is that, given Mr Gleeson's comments, his submission to the International Court of Justice, given this legislation, if you add one on one, together you can get two, which is that potentially they could be caught in the firing line on this. I make the point that the espionage provisions—and that is what we are relating to here. I want to make it clear that Mr Collaery, who has not asked me to ask these questions, who is distressed at any allegation that he could have breached section 91.1, as a proud and patriotic Australian, that the espionage provisions were never mentioned in the selling of this bill. They were not. I have gone through transcript after transcript where it was not mentioned. Furthermore, the Attorney has not repudiated the fact that these two men, witness K and Mr Collaery, could be caught up in this bill and at least one of them could face the stripping of their Australian citizenship.