Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I adopt the position that has been put forward by Senator Marshall. I agree with some of the comments made by Senator Macdonald and I know that Senator Macdonald is genuine in the views that he is putting forward in relation to the committees, but I do not agree with some of the substance of what Senator Macdonald has said. I firstly indicate that Labor really welcomes the support that we get from the secretariats. The secretariats do a great job both for government and for the opposition, but, as Senator Marshall has indicated, they are under the pump. That is the bottom line. They are under huge pressure, from both government and opposition, to provide professional, well-thought-through reports to the Senate and to the Australian public. I think they do that very well, but the resources are the issue for the secretariats. I do not think it is a matter of how the secretariats operate. I do not think it is a matter of the politicisation of reference inquiries. I mean, here we are, we are all politicians, but we have politicised a reference inquiry—what a terrible thing! It has happened ever since inquiries have been there. Politics are part of what we do for a living, and the committees actually work through that pretty well.

I take the view that this is simply about a resource issue. I know, Mr President, that you have raised the issue of resources on many occasions in terms of the Senate being able to be a proper house of review. If we are to be a proper house of review, we actually need the resources to be available not only for government but to the opposition and the crossbenchers in relation to reports and inquiries in the Senate. So I do agree with some of the aspects that Senator Macdonald has raised, but not that there needs to be a major review. I think this is an issue of resources and that is how this could be resolved.