George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Just to make it perfectly clear: as I said before, there is no such mandatory obligation imposed upon industry or telecommunications providers by the bill. I'm advised that the matter was considered by the PJCIS. The PJCIS did not make a recommendation to that effect, but what it did recommend—and what the government has accepted among the PJCIS recommendations—is to re-look at the overall issue of offshoring, in 2019. That is recommendation 11 of the PJCIS report, which the government has adopted. Evidently there was not a sufficient level of concern about this issue by the PJCIS to recommend that the bill be amended to stipulate for a mandatory obligation initially. But in the early stages of the operation of the legislation the matter will be kept under review by the government, of course, and, as I said, we have adopted the PJCIS's recommendation to look at the matter again in 2019 with the operational experience of the legislation in operation.

I always welcome your suggestions and if you want to approach me by correspondence perhaps to ask for this matter to be revisited earlier than the PJCIS recommendation of 2019 I, of course, would always consider very carefully and with great respect any recommendation you may wish to make.