Senator MARGETTS (12:37 AM) —Honourable senators may have noticed that sheet 957 has been circulated, and I will be asking for recommittal in relation to the registration test. In a very short time you will see another sheet as well. Sheet 957 is basically re-putting the Greens (WA)-Democrats amendments of last time, with some slight variation.

What you will see very soon is an amendment, in the name of the Greens and the Democrats, that last time was moved by the ALP. As Senator Woodley suggests, it was not us who reopened this debate. If we are going to open it, we should in fairness provide the option of choices again. Senator Bolkus has indicated that he has had some time to repent, so perhaps the repentance might go so far as to relook at his own amendment. I also would suggest that other senators in the place might consider it. I am sure Senator Bolkus will be prepared to support what is, in fact, his own amendment, but, of course, we need more than Senator Bolkus.

Given that the government is clearly indicating that it is not going to move any further with the bill in the form that the Senate has carefully dealt with it, I think it would be a positive, very conciliatory and very important note on which to conclude the debate to heed the concerns of the National Indigenous Working Group, which made some strong statements today in the media and in public, and to look very carefully at rejecting the concept that a physical connection test is necessary for registration. So we will have two choices very soon. By the time we have voted on Senator Harradine's amendment, which I have to say I am still unable to support, we will have the new amendment 1 on sheet 969 that we hope the Senate will permit us to deal with again.