Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Hansard source

So I would suggest it may well not be in the public interest at all to deny this. It may be in the government's interest—I understand that, to their way of thinking, that might be the case—but, frankly, it is not in the public interest to seek to suppress this information. It will become a public matter.

Today the Senate has established an inquiry into the claims of public interest immunity. This will be an opportunity for the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee to look at the detail of this assertion. That committee will report back to the Senate and the Senate will get its opportunity to revisit this question of the government's claims to public interest immunity on these extraordinarily important matters.

Question agreed to.