Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just want to thank senators for agreeing to the amendments proposed by the opposition. I am sure there will be many ordinary Australians with this record hanging over their heads who will tonight be very much relieved. I am disappointed that the government has gone back on its pre-election commitment to support an approach along these lines. As I indicated previously, if there had been a better way of doing this then we would have been keen for the new government to come forward and show the way. They have the resources of a huge department. They have the resources of the Attorney-General’s Department and the very qualified solicitors and counsel who—

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How long were you in government? Why didn’t you fix it?

The Temporary Chairman:

Order! Senator Macdonald has the floor.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was a long battle, Senator McLucas, but the commitment was made prior to the election by the then Prime Minister John Howard. Had we been returned, this would have been dealt with long before now. That is a matter of record. But what is also a matter of record—and it does concern me—is that the Labor Party actually agreed to this prior to the election. Does that mean the Labor Party would say anything before the election to get a vote from those fishing families up along the coast and then, after the election, completely renege on that promise? That was not averred to by the minister. I do not particularly want to carry this along, but I simply want to put that on record. I again thank the Senate for its support for those amendments.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a third time.