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

I move the amendment on sheet 3471:

(1) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 22) to page 7 (line 6), omit subsections 110ABA(2) and (3), substitute:

(2) The Committee is to consist of 13 members:

(a) 7 Government members, including at least:

(i) 2 Senators; and

(ii) 2 members of the House of Representatives; and

(b) 6 non-Government members:

(i) 2 Opposition Senators; and

(ii) 2 Opposition members of the House of Representatives; and

(iii) 1 Senator who is not a member of the Government or the Opposition; and

(iv) 1 member of the House of Representatives who is not a member of the Government or the Opposition.

Note: For more detailed provisions on the appointment of Committee members, see Division 5.

This amendment would expand the membership of the committee to expressly include crossbench membership from each of the Senate and the House of Representatives. I know there's a separate amendment being proposed by One Nation that has a different formula for extending crossbench membership on the committee, but I'll speak to the Greens amendment.

It was extraordinary, what we heard in the contributions from both Labor and the Liberal Party in this debate, in a denial of pretty much every basic principle of democracy, which is meant to be a robust exchange of views where you're not scared of disagreements. A robust debate where disagreements are played out is actually how our democracy is designed to work. You test ideas and you allow people into a chamber who have a contrary view to yours, and you have to win the contest of ideas. That's what our democracy is meant to be.

But what we heard from both the Liberal Party and the Labor Party is that they are deliberately establishing this committee so that anybody with a contrary view on either the strategic direction for Australian defence or on which particular international grifter should be favoured with the next arms deal—you could name the former Liberal or Labor defence minister who is out there selling weapons to any taker. Anyone who objects to the latest Christopher Pyne enrichment program will be excluded from this committee because the Liberal and Labor parties don't like their opinions or views. It's directly contrary to how democracy is meant to work. It just sums up how little valued this committee will be at the end of the day.

This amendment won't fix it entirely. It will still be dominated by the war parties. They will still be patting each other on the back, thinking about which mate to give a contract to, and working out how much they can bow and grovel to Donald Trump. They will still be the majority of the committee. But at least there might be one voice in there testing them—I hope it won't be me; it could be Senator Stewart—and actually suffering through the insufferable on behalf of the Australian people, to at least put some contrary voice in that space.