Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

The opposition has made its approach to orders for the production of documents pretty clear—wide-ranging fishing expeditions at the rate of more than two a sitting day so far. Its approach in government, by contrast, was also very clear. In the last parliament alone those opposite issued claims of public interest immunity in response to 40 per cent of Senate orders for the production of documents.

The former government, led by the lamentable Scott Morrison, was a conspiracy to pervert the processes and to keep things secret to protect ministers. The former government claimed public interest immunity to withhold the final report in relation to Senator McKenzie's awarding of funding under the Community Sport Infrastructure Program. They claimed public interest immunity to protect Senator McKenzie from producing documents relating to the dairy industry. They did it every day of the week that we were here. We're not going to stand a word of criticism from an opposition that should be ashamed of itself.