Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

I just want to go back to Senator Bernardi's point about the constitutionality and the powers that have been drawn on, because I am concerned about the risks associated with this. I just want to read from the Bills Digest, where it indicates:

Setting aside the reference to the Desertification Convention, the suite of constitutional powers drawn on for the Bill is the same as that which the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources previously advised the ANAO would not provide broad support for a Commonwealth program of direct assistance to farming businesses through the provision of concessional loans.

I would like to know, Minister, whether the government has assessed any risks in terms of the advice that has been provided.