Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The opposition is surprised that I would describe question time as a performance. It is a performance for us all, and we have a press gallery watching us very closely. The committee space is one where we work alongside each other rather than in an oppositional way. We don't always end up exactly on the same page, but we work closely together, collegiately, wherever that is possible. That applies equally to Independents and the minor parties.

As I said, when this bill was put forward last year, it was rejected by the Senate because of disagreement over committee membership. We were very disappointed to see that the Liberals—who were keen to support the concept of the committee—chose to vote against the legislation. I really urge them to not fall down that hole again.

I think this is something that will be significant. It builds on the work that Bob Hawke's government did in the 1980s—I think it came in just after I left the press gallery in Canberra back in the 1980s—to oversee ASIO. That was the first version of this we had. It was then worked on in the early 2000s, and the PJCIS became closer to what it is today. I think this is a really natural evolution that provides not only greater scrutiny but also greater confidence to the people of Australia that our defence organisations are transparent and accountable so that we know they are doing the very best for our communities. At that point, I would really like to commend particularly my Richmond and Glenbrook RAAF personnel and the other defence personnel who live in the electorate of Macquarie, and thank them for the work they do every single day to keep Australians safe.

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