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

Senator Babet, I don't agree with the use of the word 'censored'. That's a very loaded word, and in this context I don't think it's apposite. In relation to what occurs with submissions before committees, those are decisions appropriately made by the committee. Obviously, parliamentary privilege applies to matters before Senate committees. Senate committees will routinely make decisions about how they handle submissions before them, including the extent to which they are made public, which ones are made public, if all are made public and if there is material which is prejudicial or defamatory. The Senate seeks not to allow parliamentary privilege to be abused, and so there is redaction or publication within the committee. (Time expired)