Ian Campbell (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

If the minister believes we need increased resources at those posts, I am sure that he will seek them through the normal budget process. It is what we would expect him to do, if that is the case.

In response to the amendment moved by Senator Bartlett, I just make the point that the government accepted the Senate committee amendment that he refers to—committee recommendation No. 10—and it included in the bill, by way of an amendment in the House of Representatives on November 28 last year, to install a new section 4A. That says:

If the person is covered by subsection (4B), the Minister must not approve the person becoming an Australian citizen if the person has been convicted of a national security offence.

Effectively, this achieves the aim sought by Senator Bartlett’s amendment—and I will not quote that because it is in front of all senators. But, in longhand, I am saying that the policy intent sought by Senator Bartlett has been achieved by the government amendment and, therefore, the bill before us requires no further amendment; otherwise, effectively, you would have a clause 4A, which would say exactly the same as Senator Bartlett’s new clause 4AA.