John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

It is strange that we should be so exercised by this Bill when we were so little excited when we discussed matters which I regard as infinitely more important. That is not to say this issue is unimportant but we have been subjected to many red herrings and much distortion. I was on the Opposition side when the House considered Second and Committee Stages of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 which has been represented as nearly flawless. It has been said that it opened all doors but the freedom of information it introduced was not unfettered. The Bill before the House seeks to make quite a few improvements to the original legislation which is the reason opposition to it is concentrated on section 12.

A parliamentary guillotine occurs when consideration of a Bill consists of a vote on one question put from the Chair. No such restriction has been placed on Second Stage of this legislation. It is odd to hear the Opposition request consultation on a Bill which is narrow in its scope and deals with few, if contentious, matters. There were no calls for consultation on the recent Health Insurance and Local Government Bills.