Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I note that the government does not support these amendments for the reasons that have been ventilated at length in the discussion and the debate during the committee stage. I appreciate the matters that Senator Wong has raised but we believe they are covered within the provisions of the bill. We are very conscious of the decisions being made under this bill and the potential impact that they have in relation to bilateral relations in relation to disadvantaging Australia's position, including in bilateral and international fora or negotiations.

I do want to emphasise again, as I did in response to a previous discussion, that this is not by any means a secret, or secretive for that matter, process. The minister's decisions are made public through the register. They are open for all to see and to scrutinise. They are made on the basis of Australia's foreign policy, which is the purview of the Commonwealth government. It's determined by the minister in consultation and processes through the Prime Minister, the cabinet process, advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. These decisions will be robust decisions, as I have said before. They will be made in the public interest and with the transparency and accountability that is appropriate in the context of the nature of those decisions.