Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

I've been listening to these contributions, and it strikes me that there has been a profound change in the way that information is being sought in this place. I'm all for transparency. I'm part of a government that set up the National Anti-Corruption Commission. We've strengthened the ministerial code of conduct. We've strengthened protections for whistleblowers, but there's more work to do there. We've increased funding for the Australian National Audit Office. We've restored transparency to the ART appointments. We've reinstated standalone privacy and FOI commissioners, and we've implemented the Bell inquiry recommendations. We haven't been standing still on transparency; we've been getting materials out. But, in the end, Australians want us to do a job here to make stuff happen for them, to make stuff happen for the Australian people who are represented by the people who are here in the gallery right now, witnessing the parliament in action.

What we are debating here while there are histrionics going on over there—they are not happy that these questions they've asked, which go to cabinet-in-confidence material so that cabinet can actually discuss what's going on in the country, haven't come back with what they want. Senator Bragg is not happy because he hasn't got what he wants back. But this whole thing of calling for documents is getting completely out of control. Every time an unreasonable request for documents is put to the chamber and put to the Public Service, that's time public servants are spending getting paperwork together to satisfy some sort of egomaniacal requirement for every single document that has ever been written.