Senator MARGETTS(12.22 p.m.) —I would like to draw attention to a part of the amendment which I like very much, and that is part 6:

The Chairperson may permit a person to participate in, or a Commissioner to form a part of, a quorum at a meeting by means of telephone, closed circuit television or any other method of communication.

It could even be better. Perhaps it should just give the right to the commissioners to do that without having to get permission from the chair. But it is obviously good that the chair knows that this is going to take place. It is going to be a bit churlish if a chair says: `No, you can't'.

Honourable senators may remember that this was part of a change to the standing orders which I put to the Senate. To his credit it was supported by the then President, Senator Michael Beahan, another Western Australian who realised how difficult it is to attend all committee meetings. It is a great idea that we now have some recognition that through the aid of technology, through the use of video conferencing or teleconferencing, in a country as large as Australia people can, in important matters, be officially part of a quorum.

We should be doing this more and more. Maybe in the future we will be attending parliament by videoconference. We could sit in our electorates and attend parliament. That is a long way off, I know. We can only dream that we do not have to spend so much time away from our electorates and homes and yet still participate within the parliamentary process effectively. That is in the future. This part of the amendment is very good. More and more government entities should participate in it. If that happens, then I think we will end up having convenient teleconferencing centres and videoconferencing centres that people can go to. The technology will become cheaper and cheaper the more we use it.   It would be great if we did not have to use up as much fuel flying people from, say, Sydney to Canberra or from Perth to Canberra. We would use the airports less and create less social havoc and, obviously, less greenhouse gas. It would mean that those people who are already very stressed could spend more time in their homes with their families and loved ones. It is a great idea.