Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for putting the amendments to the House and for the arguments that have been put forward. The government won't be supporting the amendments. They would have the impact of doing two things: extending the existing sunset clause and forcing the PJCIS to conduct a review. In the government's view, the PJCIS is a powerful and deeply respected committee of this parliament. It already can inquire into the full range of national security legislation. Keeping discretion for the PJCIS in terms of where inquiries go is viewed by the government as being as being appropriate.

In terms of the sunset provision, the government is very deliberately removing the sunset. The sunset provision, when it was brought in, was brought in in the hope that these powers would be temporary. I wish the need for these powers were temporary, but history has shown us that it isn't. One of the key elements of the bill would in fact be undone by reintroducing and extending the existing sunset clause in the act. The sunset clause was put there not simply in the terms in which the member described, as being ongoing accountability; sunsets are put there in the hope that one day they won't be required. Since that time, the need for these powers has only become stronger. That's the reason why the government has decided to put to the parliament that the sunset be removed.

See this speech in context