Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Hansard source

First of all, for those people in the gallery who are trying to work out what is going on, we are debating the Federal Court of Australia Amendment (Criminal Jurisdiction)Bill 2008, which sets up a procedural framework to ensure that the Federal Court can exercise the criminal cartel justification that it will be given under the Trade Practices Amendment (Cartel Conduct and Other Measures) Act 2009.

We had a long debate from the Tasmanian senators about a decision by the Federal Court to reorganise its own resources and to make adjustments to the Tasmanian registry. There is no intention that the Tasmanian registry will close. While registrar services will be provided from other Federal Court registries, three staff will remain there. It is very important that we understand that those services to Tasmanians will be still available and that there is no suggestion that Australians living in Tasmania will not be served well. On the question that Senator Bob Brown asked: I can guarantee that the civil litigation bill will be dealt with this year. On the advice that I provided to the Senate yesterday, that the registrar of the Victorian registry will hold the dual role of registrar for the Victorian and Tasmanian registries: it is not the practice of the government to comment on the legal advice that it has sought or has been given in any circumstances so I can neither confirm nor deny that that has occurred.