Senate debates

Wednesday, 10 May 2023

Bills

Public Interest Disclosure Amendment (Review) Bill 2022; In Committee

12:09 pm

Photo of David ShoebridgeDavid Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

You'll get your chance, Minister. I know you don't like questions, and I can see you don't like these questions—that's very apparent—and you don't like giving the answers. I can see you're agitated. It's unfortunate, but, if you were less agitated and more directed to answering the questions, this would go quicker. I invite the House to consider government amendments (1) to (3). I've said before that we don't oppose those amendments. We think they go some way to addressing the Moss review. I move Greens amendment (1) on sheet 1889:

AMENDMENT TO GOVERNMENT AMENDMENTS [SHEET ZB203]

(1) Amendment (2), note to subsection 43(4A), after "because that conduct is", insert "solely".

This is an amendment to government amendment (2). This amendment seeks to implement recommendation 5 of the Moss review. It does a pretty simple thing. It inserts the word 'solely' into the government amendments to reflect the submissions we received in the inquiry that clarified the language to ensure that only matters that were solely in relation to personal work related conduct should be excluded from the operation of the PID scheme. It will in fact make the amended explanatory memorandum, which references the word 'solely' in the Moss review, actually apply to the bill, which would be nice, wouldn't it? The amended explanatory memorandum can actually relate to the bill. Of course, it's worth confirming that it actually implements recommendation 5 of the Moss review, which expressly recommended that any personal work related conduct carve-out be limited in this way. I commend the amendment to the House. I'm curious on what basis the government would oppose it.

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