DOCUMENTS

Senator SCARR (Queensland—Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) (16:43): I seek leave to make a short statement. The PRESIDENT: Leave is granted for one minute. Senator SCARR: An order for the production of documents can be directed to information held by the Department of Parliamentary Services in the same way as for information held by executive departments and agencies.

Usually, orders are directed to ministers, and the DPS equivalent would be the President. The coalition's preference is that the President and Senator Roberts resolve this issue outside of the OPD process. However, we will be supporting this motion, as the department should be subject to the same standards of transparency and accountability as we expect of government departments.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Scarr, could I just add that the OPD relates to a document the President, not DPS, holds. The question is that general business notice of motion No. 52, standing in the name of Senator Roberts, be agreed to.