Senator FAULKNER (Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (5:35 PM) —These particular government amendments are ones that the opposition will support. We believe that they are an improvement to the bill. They extend the restriction on the Commonwealth using emergency or reserve forces in industrial disputes, which is one of the amendments that were recommended in the Senate committee report—and, of course, we will also be supporting a similar amendment to clause 51C. These amendments will ensure that the current restriction in section 51 of the Defence Act is continued.

Perhaps I can say to the committee that we will be moving a separate amendment to section 51G of the bill to prevent any Defence Force personnel being used to stop or restrict protest, dissent, assembly or industrial action. I think there is a point in these committee debates when you should not continue to repeat yourself, so I will not, except to say, as I have said before, that this is an essential safeguard of civil liberties, and I commend that approach to the committee.