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

How many times have they been used since then? Is it a dozen? Is it two dozen? Is it 100? I would be troubled if these urgent, essential, absolutely-have-to-be-passed powers had been used that many times! Well, I'll let you know that they've been used exactly nought times. Not once, these urgent, super, must-be-passed powers! And that's what we find in this report. When will the sort of rush to legislate every time we get told there's a new scare campaign end? In December 2020 it was, 'These are urgent, these are essential, the roof in the Senate will collapse with terrorism and evildoing if we don't pass the powers.' Rapidly pass the powers, say how essential they are—but they've been used not once, not once, since they were passed.

We need to look past these scare campaigns. We need to think about the fundamentals of our basic rights and privileges before we fall for the next scare campaign coming out of Home Affairs or coming out of the A-G's department. If you want a case in point, read the report. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.