MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
WIN FOR COMMONSENSE ON ENCRYPTION
Today, the Senate passed a key Labor amendment to the Telecommunications and Other Legislation (Assistance and Access) Amendment Act, designed to tighten the definition of systemic weakness and better target the operation of powers in the Act. The government voted against this amendment.
This amendment fulfils key recommendations made in the bipartisan Intelligence Committee report in December. Because the government packed up and went home in the last sitting week of the year, they could not be passed at that time. But Labor has not given up on improving this legislation.
Labor has listened to the many stakeholders in the telecommunications and tech industry who have put forward strong arguments in support of the amendment passed today.
Unlike the government, the majority of the Senate recognised that there was further work that needed to be done to fulfil the recommendations of the bipartisan report.
The amendment passed today is the only one of four put forward by Labor that was able to be considered before debate was cut off.
We call on the government to allow time for consideration of and voting on the further amendments before the Senate rises for the election.
THURSDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2019
