Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Minchin, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, I move:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, no later than 9.30 am on Thursday, 18 March 2010, the interim report of the National Broadband Network Implementation Study provided to the department in August 2009.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I remind Senators that Senator Brown has the call.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy President. The Greens will support this motion because it is seeking information that the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy ought to be giving to the parliament. However, I want to point out that in the matter of seeking information relating to the Australian Federal Police raid on the Sea Shepherd ships in Hobart the opposition turned down the request for information. I am, with the Greens, fiercely supportive of the idea that when the government keeps under lock and key information that is important to making decisions for this nation it ought to bring forward that information.

But the opposition is being selective. There is no excuse for the opposition joining with the government to stop this parliament having information which it ought to have on the matter whaling in the Southern Ocean and about what action the government is or is not taking. Senator Parry, who is very new in this place and does not know the ropes, will complain that police matters should be left undiscovered. That is quite wrong and Senate advice has always been to the contrary. It is up to the government to sort out what matters are sub judice or might otherwise compromise police action. But it is not up to the opposition to determine that nothing shall be discovered whatsoever—that is the case in point here. The opposition is putting a blanket prohibition on the search for information which ought to be available and which would have been available were my motion to have gone ahead. Notwithstanding that, the principal of getting information in this place is more important than the opposition’s stubborn refusal to support my motion. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a brief statement.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brown is correct: we are selective about which motions we support and which motions we do not support. We judge each motion on its merits.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a very brief statement.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The motion moved by Senator Parry, having the support of the Greens as indicated by Senator Brown, will have the majority in the chamber. We will therefore not call a division. We note the bargaining for votes in the future.

Question agreed to.