Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Cormann, I know that you are keen to move onto your first amendment, but we are a long way from finished with the general issues we need to address in the consideration of this bill. And, unfortunately, I need to take you to the detail of the AEC's appearance before JSCEM, because your characterisation of what they said there about resourcing is not accurate. In fact, I would challenge you to cite the page reference in the Hansard which would demonstrate it in the way that you characterised it earlier. Let me take you to some specific references in it. If you look at page 1, Mr Rogers, towards the middle of the second paragraph of his opening statement, indicates very clearly that, from the AEC's point of view, they are looking at 'an estimated three-month minimum time frame'. Let's not be confused about that: 'minimum'. In fact, Senator Rhiannon tried to ask them whether they could fast-track it and she got a very clear response, which was: 'No'. But, worse than that, if you look at what was put to us, Mr Rogers said, again in that second paragraph, 'Should the bill change significantly'—which, indeed, these recommendations before us now do—