Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Yet again, the questions that Senator Cash is asking are all things that the parliament that she is a member of will have an opportunity to decide, should the referendum be successful. I have noted that Senator Cash seems fond of misquoting former High Court justice Kenneth Hayne and suggesting that he has concerns. To quote former High Court justice Kenneth Hayne properly, he has said that this constitutional amendment:

… is simple. It is not hiding anything. It means what it says.

What people are being asked to vote on is whether these are principles that should be incorporated into the constitution and parliament will then work out the machinery.

So a former High Court justice is one of the many constitutional experts who have said that we have nothing to fear, despite the efforts of Senator Cash and her colleagues to whip up fear, and that what people are being asked to vote on is whether these are principles that should be incorporated into the Constitution and parliament will then work out the machinery. As you can tell from this language, he knows, like anyone who is genuine in this debate knows, that it is entirely normal for principles to be set out in the Constitution with the parliament to work out the machinery. Senator Cash and her colleagues will have every opportunity to participate in that debate should the referendum be successful.