Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—As Senator Cash well knows, the wording of the proposed constitutional alteration is the product of a cabinet process. The referendum working group provided cabinet with advice as part of the process. So did the Solicitor-General. Consistent with the longstanding practice followed by all governments, cabinet should be able to be conducted in secrecy so as to preserve the freedom of deliberation of that body. It would harm the public interest to undermine the confidentiality of the cabinet process by producing the documents sought by Senator Cash or by producing legal advice.