Mr. Frank Moran:

That is why I said in my opening statement that the issue is equality. I am the person in this situation who is looking for equal treatment, particularly as a result of the equality referendum. All of this needs to be viewed through the lens of equality, asking whether this legislation complies with equality.

To answer the first of the Senator’s questions, I noted in the submission that the Department was afforded, as part of the previous application, the opportunity to make observations and give reasoned argument or an explanation as to what the 36-month period was about. It did not do that. No matter whom I have spoken to, people say it is an arbitrary figure. If the figure was 48 months, I would not be sitting here because I would not have had the difficulty of being technically five months outside the 1 April 2014 date.