Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Brandis, you have been here longer than I have. You are very well aware that we are able to take time to ask general questions about the operation of the bill. I will move to that amendment when I am ready. Thank you for your advice.

I might put a couple of other general questions to you before we do start moving through the amendments. I wonder whether you might care to address a fairly general question about the operation of the SIOs because I think these special intelligence operations are really at the heart of what this bill implements. Would you care to comment on the Law Council's submission to the PJCIS that this bill should not pass in its current form? I think that calling it scepticism is currently underplaying it somewhat. There are those in the legal fraternity, of which you were obviously a part for a very long time, who believe that this bill does overstep the mark, that it is an overreaction, that it is overreach and that we are taking agencies who already operate at arm's length from any form of parliamentary scrutiny and further shrouding their operations behind a veil of secrecy. Obviously, that is a perspective that the Greens share, but I wonder if you would care to reflect on the fact that the Law Council, who you would not exactly phrase as radicals in this area also share that view?