Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I will continue to say that. I am a big supporter of transparency and open government. If you look at questions on notice and the materials that are being released, you will see—compared to your record, Senator Cash—this government outdoes you on every single measure. The standards that you applied in government are not the standards we apply. But we will not accept that 42 orders for the production of documents for Senator Bragg to find out whether Housing Australia has purchased any furniture is the correct use of that power. That is what is happening in here, and, if we oppose it, we—if you put on them on the Notice Paper and we oppose it, we have the right to divide on it. If we want to amend it, we have the right to amend it and have that amendment considered.

And, yes, it affects everyone in this chamber. But it is our right to divide, and, if you are going to load 20 OPDs and 30 OPDs, then, yes, it will take a considerable time in the afternoon to deal with that. We need to be on the record that we do not agree—and the history books will show—with the abuse of the power of the order for the production of documents.

I've been trying to reach agreement with people around the Senate about how to deal with OPDs, acknowledging that it's not working for anyone, and then this motion gets put without discussion or debate.