Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support Senator Bragg, not just in relation to this OPD but also in relation to his advocacy in relation to the Housing Australia Future Fund. Whenever I hear someone say, 'This information is commercial; it will prejudice our future negotiations et cetera,' that is a licence for the executive to basically refuse to disclose any document that's got a number in it. That's the impact. I really do question whether or not the process that was undergone by the government in looking at these documents was a bona fide process to genuinely consider whether or not the commercial interests of the Commonwealth would be genuinely compromised by the disclosure of the documents in accordance with the order passed by this Senate.

A majority of the senators in this place from a majority of the states representing a majority of the Australian people have called for the production of these documents. Why? Because it's part of our obligation as a house of review, a house of scrutiny, to scrutinise and review the performance of the Housing Australia Future Fund. So I'm very concerned by Senator Ayres's response on behalf of the government, on behalf of the minister, to Senator Bragg's OPD. I'm always very concerned and somewhat sceptical when the 'Not for publication, for commercial reasons' card is played because invariably it is a card that's overplayed. It is a card that's overplayed and it's a card that's being played in circumstances where I believe the interests of the Senate in this case demand the production of these documents so we can scrutinise the performance of this future fund.

I commend Senator Bragg for his endeavours. I call upon the government to deeply reflect on whether or not this information is truly commercially sensitive to such an extent that it couldn't be disclosed to the Senate. Of course, no-one wants to receive personal information in relation to people in vulnerable situations. The opposition isn't calling for that. We're calling for the release of information which this place genuinely needs to properly discharge its functions as a house of scrutiny and a house of review.