COMMITTEES

Senator ALLMAN-PAYNE (Queensland) (11:46): A common refrain from the government in this place when the Greens ask questions about the genocide that's going on in Gaza and ask questions about Australia's commitment to international law is that we are 'pathetic' and that we're just playing political stunts. Yet here we are in the chamber today, bringing the voices of the community into this place, asking the Senate to listen to the voices of the community and giving it an opportunity to engage with four bills that have come to this place from the community through the inquiry process—Professor Gillian Triggs and former High Court Justice Michael Kirby are the sorts of people who have been involved in this community project to ensure that our government and our parliament uphold their obligations under international law.

We hear regularly from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister and the government that Australia is committed to its obligations under international law. Yet, when the community puts legislation in front of them to ensure that we can follow through on those obligations, the response from the government and the coalition is: 'We don't want to hear you.

There's nothing to see here.' What are you so afraid of? If you were that confident that we were, in fact, as a country, upholding our obligations under international law, there would be nothing to fear. You'd be very happy to have the community making submissions.

You'd be very happy to hear evidence from people like Professor Triggs and former Justice Kirby. Yet it's clear that you are very worried and afraid of what they're going to say, or, alternatively, that you're just cowards. What it tells us is that you are so out of touch with the community.

So don't come in here and lecture us anymore about being 'pathetic' or just running political stunts when what we do in this place is bring the voice of the community here. The PRESIDENT: The opposition have asked that (a) and (b) of the Greens amendment to Minister Gallagher's amendment to the Selection of Bills Committee report be split. The question is that part (a) of Senator McKim's amendment agreed to.