David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for that clarification. I said in my contribution to the second reading debate that when the bill was first presented, many months ago, real agitation came from the Attorney-General's office about any suggestion that we have an inquiry. It was a 'How dare we have an inquiry' kind of response that came back from the AG's office. Of course, the inquiry has been essential, because it's highlighted the concerns that have led to these amendments, which I think will go a significant way to improving an identified problem in the bill. But in the course of that communication with the Attorney-General's office the suggestion was made that if we hadn't passed this in March then the Public Service and the public sector wouldn't be ready to implement it by the time the NACC opened its doors. Well, for some reason inexplicable to us in the Greens, the Attorney failed to bring this on in the last session. It was ready to go. The amendments were all drafted. The committee report had been provided. It was all ready to go last month. But for reasons that have never been publicly explained, the government chose not to bring it on.

So, my question I suppose is in two parts. The first part is: why was it not brought on, given the purported urgency that had come out of the Attorney's office? Secondly, what preparatory steps are being taken to ensure that it's going to be able to be operationalised by 1 July when the NACC opens its doors?