MARK DREYFUS MP

Our government is going to do everything that it can to make sure that what has happened to children in the past is never allowed to happen again. That is why the Prime Minister announced late last year this Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. As a government we are committed to making sure that this royal commission has the resources to do its job properly.

I am proud to be engaged in the long struggle to build a more just Australia. And I am proud to be part of the great Labor tradition of progressive politics, a tradition in which Lionel Murphy remains an exemplary figure.

This bill will make an important change to protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status by extending the protections in the Sex Discrimination Act. It also provides protection from discrimination for same-sex de facto couples. These protections are long overdue. Members of Australia's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities continue to experience discrimination in their daily lives, particularly in accessing services we should all be able to take for granted.

The Public Interest Disclosure Bill is the first stand-alone whistleblower protection scheme at the federal level. It will establish a comprehensive scheme to support disclosure of wrongdoing in the Commonwealth public sector, and to make sure that reports of suspected wrongdoing are properly investigated and responded to. Public officials who report wrongdoing in accordance with the scheme will have robust protections so that they do not suffer adverse consequences for making a report.

It will introduce a new consumer privacy protection for Australians that will keep their personal information more secure in the digital age. It will also encourage agencies and private sector organisations to improve their data security practices.

This Labor government is committed to a safe and secure Australia. That means making sure that we have the right laws and processes in place and that law enforcement agencies have the right tools to fight crime and corruption.

The Constitution Alteration (Local Government) 2013 is a bill to amend section 96 of the Australian Constitution to make specific provision in relation to the granting of financial assistance to local government bodies.

It will make a small but important change to the Constitution to reflect the modern structure of government in Australia.

In order to make an informed decision, the Australian people must have access to relevant information about our system of government and the proposal for change. The government believes that public funding should be made available to support a vigorous and engaging public presentation of the arguments for and against change.

The monitor's role is created by legislation, to review Australia's national security laws and counterterrorism laws on an ongoing basis and determine whether they remain necessary, effective, proportionate and consistent with our international human rights obligations.

It is apparent that referendums require a flexible and adaptable approach the Committee is of the view that the funding level for referendum campaigns should be determined on a case- by-case basis and that decision should be taken by the Australian Government.