MOTIONS

Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for Finance, Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Women, Minister for Government Services and Manager of Government Business in the Senate) (10:22): The government hasn't supported the suspension motion this morning, and I'll come to the reasons why. I would also say that, obviously, this is an attempt to waste time—as usual—in government business time.

We never, ever do these on a Wednesday or Thursday morning. Why is that? Because it's private senators' time—but Monday morning's fair game.

Fair enough. That's point No. 1. Point No. 2: I would almost accept the remarks from the crossbench this morning if it wasn't the case that there's been no nomination for the crossbench position on the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, which has submissions closing on 14 September, which happens to be tomorrow.

There isn't a nomination in. So, the vehicle that this Senate voted for, to actually have— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Minister, please resume your seat. Senator David Pocock.

Senator David Pocock: A point of order: that's misleading the Senate. I've actually put my name forward. I know other senators have as well.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: That's a debating point, Senator Pocock. I cannot make a judgement on that. The minister has the call.

Senator GALLAGHER: It's taken a while! Presumably we will have a vote on that, because usually we have that pretty quickly. For some reason, we weren't able to have that last week.

Senator Allman-Payne: Because there's lot of interest in it, because it's important. Senator GALLAGHER: Right. Everyone is a participating senator, as you know, Senator Allman-Payne.

So get involved. Finalise the nominations so we have an appointed crossbench member— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Minister, resume your seat. Senator Shoebridge, on a point of order?

Senator Shoebridge: The minister has now misled the Senate twice. You can't participate in a joint committee. How long has she been in the place?

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Shoebridge, that is not a point of order. Minister, you have the call. I will remind you of the motion in front of the chair.

Honourable senators interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Faruqi and Senator Pocock were heard in silence. The minister deserves the same right.

Senator GALLAGHER: The latest advice I have is that no nominations have been received for that select committee. If I have to correct the record on that, I will. But the advice that's been provided to me, as of earlier this morning, is that there's no nomination for that committee from the crossbench to appoint to that position which goes to—if you look at the terms of reference—examine some of the issues that have been raised by this urgency motion.

So the lecture that people have been giving—that it's the crossbench that's driving this kind of attention on the need to deal with frontier AI and other issues—is just simply not correct. I look after AI in government. I haven't had one elected person in this parliament come to discuss AI in government with me.

Honestly, I would welcome it. I would welcome the engagement, but there's been none. This was all announced.

We had a big measure in the MYEFO at the end of last year. We've got a new team in Finance. We've got work happening across government—across the Department of Finance and the Public Service Commission.

All of that is happening, but there's not been a peep about any concerns people have. I would, again, welcome the interest that people might have. In relation to work the government has been doing on this, the Prime Minister made a speech in July that set out high-level principles that the committee, using the expertise from across the parliament, is now examining and will come up with recommendations.

If it's the will of the Senate to deal with that this side of Christmas, then we will be up for that. Absolutely. It's not really the pace that the Senate works at, but maybe on this issue it will, considering the urgency that Senator Shoebridge feels this morning.

But this should be a whole-of-parliament exercise. That's why we have this joint select committee—so that we can engage all representatives across the parliament on the significant and substantive issues that have been raised on artificial intelligence not just from a media report from some tech bros—although that carries weight; I have no doubt about that. It's also because of national security implications, individual safety implications, copyright law and other issues that are engaged through that and the way that our community operates at the moment.

It's all of those issues. If you look at the terms of reference, they're all covered there to make sure that, as a whole of parliament, we respond to this. It's not just the government's responsibility to respond to this, although we feel the weight of that responsibility.

Minister Ayres took us through a lot of the work that he and Assistant Minister Charlton have been doing over the last 18 months or so. But there is a parliamentary responsibility to get this right, and the vehicle that has been supported by this chamber to get that right is the joint select committee. That will inform decisions that the government takes post that report.

But get on and become a member of it, for goodness sake. It would be more worthy that you nominate rather than move an urgency motion. (Time expired)