Senate debates Documents
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation; Order for the Production of Documents
Stephen Parry President
I cannot answer that question, but by leave you could ask the government.
Kim Carr Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science
by leave—I ask the government: what has happened to the return to order?
Mitch Fifield Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate
9:32 am
I do not know. As you would appreciate, there are a range of returns to order and a range of questions on notice that are due from time to time. They are lodged in the ordinary course of events, and the minister at the desk would not necessarily be aware of what the status of any individual one of those is at any given point in time.
Kim Carr Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science
by leave—I ask the minister if he could make inquiries as to why the return to order has not been complied with.
Mitch Fifield Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate
9:33 am
As I say, I do not know what the status is, but I am very happy to check for you.
Peter Whish-Wilson Tasmania, Australian Greens
by leave—On the same subject, is it possible to have a time set for when Minister Fifield will report that back to the Senate?
Stephen Parry President
Can we leave it with the minister? We might be asking the impossible to get a time from him, unless the minister can indicate a time frame.
Mitch Fifield Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate
It is not my portfolio and I have no knowledge of the status of it. As a result of those two things, it is really not possible for me to state a time that I can report back.
Peter Whish-Wilson Tasmania, Australian Greens
by leave—Could I ask that you, Mr President, have a look at this—it was due at 9.30—as to whether we could set a time for some news or some sort of feedback to the chamber about this.
Stephen Parry President
As desirable as that may be from your perspective, it is not up to me; it is up to the government. It is the right of all senators to inquire of the government as to why the government has not completed an order, if that is the case. I think the questions have been asked quite sensibly by Senator Carr and yourself. The minister has taken those on board. The minister can report back to the Senate as and when he can.