Kerry Nettle (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I wish to make a short statement. The Australian Greens oppose this motion because it restricts the opportunity for debate, as we have seen so frequently by this government. In particular, I want to address the issue of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Bill 2006 that is being dealt with in this motion. There are only two hours allowed for debate: one hour for the three opposition parties in here to state their positions and then one hour to deal with 18 amendments. This is a nearly 300-page bill, which gives the power to banks to give all the financial details of every customer they consider to be a risk, including every Arab customer, to government authorities to investigate whether they have been financing terrorism.

This bill overrides antidiscrimination law. It says to banks: ‘It’s okay. You can provide all the info on anyone you think sounds different, anyone who is transferring any money to Iran’, which could be perfectly legitimate for their business. As we have seen, a number of businesses have had all their funding frozen as a result of banks responding to this legislation. This piece of legislation impacts on the privacy of all Australians. It overrides antidiscrimination law, and the government is proposing that we deal with amendments for an hour—one hour to discuss whether all Australians should have their privacy invaded as banks choose to give information about them and their financial transactions to government authorities to investigate whether they are engaged in terrorism; to turn off their bank accounts and stop them accessing their accounts until the government can do these investigations.

We have seen a number of businesses which just happen to have the same name as an obscure former terrorist group in Peru shut down because of this already. We saw it just last week: an Iranian restaurateur’s finances were cut off because her bank had referred her and stopped her accessing her finances. She was just buying dates from Iran. This is the impact that this legislation is going to have on people’s lives. The bill has 300 pages. The financing of terrorism is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with, and we can get it right.

The Australian Greens—and I am sure other parties—are in a position to support legislation that is sensibly regulated to ensure that there is no financing of terrorism. But there are significant amendments that need to be made to this legislation in order for that to occur, and the government is allowing an hour for that. That is what this motion does, and that is why the Australian Greens are opposing it.

I indicate also that this motion allows less than three hours of debate on one of the most significant changes to environment legislation in the Commonwealth. The effect of this legislation is to restrict debate on substantial issues whether they be about the financing of terrorism, the privacy and the rights of customers in banks and financial institutions across this country or the most significant changes and attacks on environment legislation at Commonwealth level ever. That is why the Australian Greens oppose this motion. We are members of parliament who have been elected into the Senate to have debate and discussion on these issues, and to seek to find the best way forward. This motion stops us from doing that, and the Australian Greens oppose it.

Question agreed to.