Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is the Bob Brown Foundation, completely unrelated to the Australian Greens! This is how the Australian Greens dissemble and seek to mislead the Australian people, and of course, sadly, that is what Professor Triggs has done on occasion with a Senate committee as well. But to require the Human Rights Commission to abide by the rules of natural justice should not be required. It should go without saying. But the fact that Professor Triggs and the Human Rights Commission will have to be directed to follow natural justice tells us everything we need to know about the current administration of the Human Rights Commission. Further, that we will be raising the threshold required to accept the complaint also should not be necessary, but under this administration it is, sadly, required, and similarly with limiting judicial review and allowing costs to be ordered if there are unmeritorious appeals.

This legislation was seen as bad by the Victorian Council for Civil Liberties, by a Greens senator, by me and by many others some 20 years ago. The proof is now in the pudding; it is bad. Bill Leak, QUT students, Andrew Bolt and others are testimony to that and that is why this legislation needs amending. (Time expired)