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Friday, 28 November 2003
Page: 18403


Senator PATTERSON (Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women) (2:12 PM) —I have run out of ways to say that we see trespassing on a designated area as being more serious when it is the aim of the government and of those people whom we are asking to protect the proliferation of sensitive materials and facilities to do that. We have put them in the position of protecting those facilities, and the government believes we ought to ensure that it is very clear that that is seen as a serious transgression to enter that property, a protected designated area. In prosecuting that person who trespassed in that way on those designated protected areas, the prosecution would have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the person intended to be there. I think most Australians would believe that that was reasonable and fair. I find it a little difficult, a little odd, a little ironic, that Senator Allison—who would be one of the strongest advocates for ensuring that we do not have a proliferation of these sensitive materials—would object to the government ensuring, as best we can, that they are protected. I have nothing more to say. I think we have most probably exhausted this discussion.