Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I just want to raise a more general question. These short reporting requirements are quite difficult for the committees that actually have to do the work. The one that I'm particularly concerned about is the provision of the Immigration (Education) Amendment (Expanding Access to English Tuition) Bill 2020, with a reporting date of 27 November. There has been no consultation, as far as I'm aware, with the committee. It makes the work of the committee almost impossible. It makes a mockery of the Senate committee system: you can't possibly call for submissions and do this work properly. It actually denigrates the Senate for this to happen. But above all else, those on the Selection of Bills Committee are happy to allocate other people's time without consideration of the consequences or of what they're doing. In consequence, we are asked to make serious judgements about important matters of public policy. This is simply not satisfactory.

Question agreed to.