Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

I will contribute to this debate on the Greens amendment and indicate that the government will not be supporting the Greens amendment for very much the reasons outlined by Senator Gallagher. We welcome the scrutiny. We do believe there is a need for scrutiny. We understand and appreciate that, in these extraordinary times, the government has been required to make very significant decisions, and, as one of the senators mentioned earlier, there is no manual on how to deal with this crisis in the best possible way. We're making judgements every single day to the best of our ability, but it is appropriate that those judgements that we make are scrutinised and challenged to help us make even better decisions as we go along. So it is very important to have in place a committee of the type that is being proposed by Senator Gallagher to do this job. And let me say that it is entirely appropriate for this to be a Senate select committee. It is the Senate that has the tradition and the expertise in scrutinising the activities of government. It's the Senate that runs the Senate estimates committee process. It is the Senate that has got the committee scrutinising delegated legislation. The House doesn't have an estimates committee process. The House doesn't have a committee process scrutinising delegated legislation. I see this as being very much in the fine tradition of the Senate as it has developed over 120 years since Federation.

It is, of course, appropriately open to all senators to participate. The Labor mover has ensured that every single senator is able to participate as a participating member of this committee. The Senate select committee to be known as the Select Committee on COVID-19, which will inquire into the Australian government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and any related matters, has got an extremely broad-ranging brief. It has got all of the usual powers of Senate committees which are in full display during Senate estimates hearings or, indeed, during Senate committee inquiries more generally. Senator Patrick, our good friend and valued colleague from the great state of South Australia, is concerned about who he may or may not be able to call as witnesses. Let me tell you that you will have access to the full breadth of government, departmental and agency officials in the usual way that happens during the Senate estimates committee hearings, and we will continue to make ourselves available in the appropriate fashion. And, of course, you will continue to be able to ask questions on notice. You talk about responding flexibly to this situation that we find ourselves in. That is what we're doing. You will continue to be able to ask questions of ministers. We do have a longstanding process under our standing orders where you are able to ask questions and we are required, within fixed deadlines, to provide answers to these questions.

I won't hold up the Senate much longer. I had hoped that, during my contribution, the bills in relation to the coronavirus economic response package might have made it to this chamber, but I thought I would just make a succinct contribution to the debate on this amendment for the interest of senators and those listening.