John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I want to respond to an order of the Senate that was agreed yesterday: that there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Defence no later than 3.30 pm yesterday a statement of the commercial harm that will result from the disclosure of the commercial-in-confidence information in a red folder relating to defence procurement projects. This matter of course was subject to a previous order of the Senate. This needs to be done now. I might point out that, by agreement, this order could not be adhered to because it was made after the time stated in the actual motion. I think it has been accepted that the appropriate date for meeting the provisions of the order is in fact Thursday, 26 June. So, in response to that order, I table a letter to the President of the Senate signed by the Minister for Defence, my colleague Mr Joel Fitzgibbon.