George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

They are so important because, as I said a moment ago, we need to protect Australia's democracy, our democratic system and, in particular, our political processes and our electoral system from undisclosed foreign influence. Foreign influence, as I said a moment ago, can be completely benign, as in the case of people who undertake a commission, for example, or a retainer for a foreign interest. But people who do that should be subject to a similar regime as lobbyists. That's the value of transparency.

But, of course, there can be malign influences too. If, for example, a foreign government, through an agent of influence, seeks to suborn or seduce an Australian politician—an Australian senator, for example—and behaves in a covert manner to get that person to change their party's policy to a policy more congenial to the foreign government, then there's something wrong with that, and we ought to do something about it—and we have. (Time expired)