Senator HARRADINE (3.40 p.m.) —by leave—Honourable senators will recall that on 28 October last year I moved a motion for a return to order for two documents to be laid on the table. Those documents were prepared by the National Health and Medical Research Council for the Council of Australian Governments. The documents related to the `adequacy' of experimental human embryo subjects and to 5 April 2002. Embryos developed before that date could be used but embryos developed subsequently could not be used until the provision of the legislation had effect. It would not matter what documents they were. If they are key documents it is pretty well understood and agreed around the table that representatives of the people should know what is being said by governments and government institutions, particularly where there is money involved. I have previously sought under normal parliamentary procedures this information but it was not forthcoming.

Whatever people think about the subject, I know we all agree that it is very important for the government and the administration to be accountable to the people. I understand that the Leader of the Government in the Senate has attempted to obtain those papers. He originally stated that there was a protocol that documents prepared for COAG not be released unless agreement was reached between all members of COAG—that is, the Commonwealth, each state government and the territories. When I asked questions about this of an officer of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in the subsequent estimates committee, he indicated that it was not a protocol but an understanding. That was reflected in Senator Hill's statement of 3 December, when he said it was a matter of courtesy rather than anything more concrete. All I can say is that if we are to be denied access to very important documents on the basis that courtesy should prevail over our rights then we are really going down the drain. I thank the Senate for allowing me to make the statement.