DOCUMENTS

Senator WALSH (Victoria—Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth) (17:07): I seek leave to make a short statement. Senator Scarr: In relation to the request for leave, I wonder if the statement can simply be tabled or incorporated by reference, instead of us listening to the same statement again and again. The PRESIDENT: Leave is granted for one minute.

Senator WALSH: The government will oppose this motion. A briefing has been offered on this issue that I understand has not yet been accepted. The OPD has an extremely wide scope and covers too many documents to comply with by this date.

The number of OPDs has also doubled since the 2022 election, and the scope of these requests has also expanded significantly. I inform the chamber that the Senate has agreed an average of four OPDs per sitting day in the 48th Parliament, double the average of two per sitting day in the 47th Parliament and almost four times the average in the last term of the coalition government.

On 27 August the Senate agreed to 14 OPDs in a single day. The PRESIDENT: The question is that general business notice of motion No. 270, standing in the name of Senator Hume— Senator McKenzie interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator McKenzie, can you just be quiet?—and moved by Senator Askew, be agreed to.