Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The comments that Senator Reynolds made about the Western Australian government, I suggest to her, can be addressed to the Western Australian government, and it's a matter for them to respond to that political commentary. In relation to the question about the Commonwealth, Minister Plibersek made it very clear last week that there will not be a Commonwealth takeover of laws and that the Albanese government will not be adopting or duplicating existing state and territory regimes. So that is the response to the issues that the senator has raised. I would make the point again that I understand that, from time to time, we all come here to play a bit of state and territory politics in this chamber. I think everybody does that occasionally, but—

An opposition senator interjecting—

Yes, it is the states' house—I'm trying not to respond to some of the interjections here—but, ultimately, those laws are matters for state parliaments. We're here to deal with federal parliament matters. I make the point that I made previously, which is that the cultural heritage laws were part of a discussion that Ms Ley initiated, so it was, in fact, initiated by those on the other side. But I understand that there is no scare campaign that they don't wish to adopt in relation to the Voice.