Santo Santoro (Queensland, Liberal Party, Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

No, it is not because it is very clear within the legislation that we are considering here today what a preferred size is according to the amendments that are before us. It is not a committee of one and it is not a noncommittee. I think the general principle that larger committees become unwieldy at times when considering important business is generally accepted as a principle of management. I think it is quite reasonable to put forward that point of view and I think that if you try to argue differently out there in the general community your particular argument would not receive much favour or support. Obviously the Senate committee that reviewed this piece of legislation agreed and, it seems to me, agreed unanimously. So the point that I make is: I note your concerns but I do not accept them as being reasonable and I do not think that you would have much success in selling those concerns in the general community.

The point that was made about some philosophical bent by the government to exclude members of the trade union movement from advisory committees is rejected. The government does not have a bent against members of the trade union movement. There are many government-appointed committees in which members of the trade union movement are represented. We do not ask people: ‘Are you a member of a trade union?’ and exclude them from membership of government committees. I am sure that dozens of examples could be brought up and enunciated. So we reject that we have a bent.