Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Hansard source

I want to just make a few introductory remarks and acknowledge a few people in this process. Senator Shoebridge certainly made a very positive contribution to the scrutiny of this bill, the Administrative Review Tribunal Bill. I'd also like to make it clear that the remarks I make are no reflection whatsoever upon the staff of the Attorney-General's Department who, I think, obviously worked tremendously hard in relation to this bill. When questions were asked of them during the inquiry process, they were obviously very much across their brief, and they responded in a very timely fashion to the questions put on notice to them in a very abbreviated process. So I'd like to place that on the record.

I'd also like to acknowledge—Acting Deputy President Sterle, you've been in this place far longer than I have, and you'll probably recognise the resonance of this point—that the majority of the committee are subject to pressures in relation to timing. They are subject to the input of the executive government, and, no doubt, there are some things beyond their control in terms of how matters can be abbreviated. I'm sure that you've come across those situations in your time here, Mr Acting Deputy President. I want to make clear that my comments in this regard aren't a reflection on the government members on the committee, who I think were diligent in terms of the inquiry process.

Having made those introductory comments, the first point I want to talk about is process. I think Australians, including those sitting in the public gallery, have a reasonable expectation that, when legislation—which is hundreds and hundreds of pages long, and has hundreds and hundreds of pages of explanatory memoranda—is introduced into this place, the senators in this house of review should have sufficient time to closely scrutinise the legislation.