Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Transport) Share this | Hansard source

I note the government do not support enshrining principles in legislation but are content to rely on custom and practice, which may change between governments—who knows. I move opposition amendment (27) on sheet 5139:

(27)  Clause 25, page 21 (line 9), omit subclause (3), substitute:

        (3)    The Inspector must be appointed on a full-time basis.

It is a very simple amendment—that is, that the Inspector of Transport Security must be appointed on a full-time basis. The opposition do not believe this is or should be a part-time role. The opposition do not believe that this role should be tailored to the availability of any particular candidate for the office if they are not available on a full-time basis. We think this is an important position and have done since the government announced that they would appoint someone, but then the government appointed someone who effectively works a day a week. We think it is important that the legislation is passed so that the person appointed to the position would actually have the authority of the parliament to conduct the inspector’s role. We are not satisfied with a sometimes active, sometimes passive, Inspector of Transport Security.

If we are to accept the government’s cautions about the nature of the terrorist threat to Australia and if we have regard to occurrences in other parts of the world where transport modes have been substantial targets for terrorism, what is the justification for this position not to be filled on a full-time basis? We have not heard such a justification from the government. If it is said that someone is to be appointed to a position which is less than full time because that is their wish, that in our opinion is not good enough. If the issue is that the government does not believe that the public purse should be stretched to pay for this position on a full-time basis, we think that is not good enough. There is no doubt that there is enough work in our transport sector to occupy an Inspector of Transport Security on a full-time basis. Therefore, we do not believe that it should be open to appoint a person to this position on anything less. That is the basis of this amendment. If the government is fair dinkum with this legislation, we would expect it to support the amendment.