Mr. Conor King:

Absolutely. For example, this legislation is the first time we have seen a military judge come into the fray. We have no information on this. A quick phone call the night before a Cabinet meeting is not consultation. On the language about Government policy, we had to look up the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill, where we found that language. It had never appeared previously as pertains to the Defence Forces.

We have time to get this right. We have current terms of settlement that have been referenced. I feel free to speak about this because those terms are referenced in the heads of Bill and in some of the correspondence that has come back and forward to our association. A clause in our terms of settlement references that we need this legislation enacted before the end of June, but there is also a clause that allows that to be extended, if it is not right. It is to be hoped that the committee sees that, at this point, it is far from right. That is certainly our experience and opinion. There is time to get this legislation right because if we do not, it will have profound consequences, not only for the Defence Forces but, as Mr. Berney said, potentially for the wider trade union movement.