Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

This OPD calls for documents which are critical to the committee conducting its business—that is, to examine the naval shipbuilding program from the Australian industry content perspective. We've got to a point in time now where the government is denying the Senate basic information that is to do with commercial arrangements agreed to by companies in order to win a procurement contract. The government is now seeking to expand its confidentiality over just about anything, as long as it might have come from a company. This is really important material, it goes to the Australian industry content that was promised by these companies at contract, and the Senate has a right to look at these documents and make sure that these companies and Defence are holding them to account in relation to their promises.

Question agreed to.