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

I want to refresh people as to what the amendment is about. We have had a series of reports coming from INSLM, whether it be the former Senator Rennick SC, the one prior to that, basically suggesting it is no good having INSLM conduct a review, do a report, it goes to government and government doesn't respond. There needs to be a continuous feedback process such that we have a progression in respect of his recommendations.

What my amendment does is require the government simply to respond within a timely period, and it gives the mechanism for the government to respond in a classified way, and also in an unclassified way back through the parliament. Those are the fundamentals of my amendment. It seems quite absurd to have a situation where the government receives a report and then sits on it and does nothing. If you go back through all the previous annual reports of INSLM, it's a request by INSLM to have their reports dealt with by a government response, and it is proper for the parliament to see those responses, accepting that there may be the need for a classified version. I commend my amendment to the chamber.