Senator Mackay asked the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, upon notice, on 28 November 2003:

(1) When does the Government plan to reintroduce the Communications Legislation Amendment Bill (No 2) 2003 into the Senate.

(2) Given that Ms Catherine Smith of the Attorney General's Department stated during the inquiry by the Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Legislation Committee into the Communications Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2003, that the intention of the bill was not to disconnect individuals' phone services: will the Government consider the recommendation in the committee's minority report that the provisions of the bill that potentially enable the Government to disconnect individuals' telephone services be redrafted.

Senator Kemp (Minister for the Arts and Sport) —The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) The Communications Legislation Amendment Bill (No 2) 2003 was passed by both Houses of Parliament on 1 April 2004 and came into force on 21 April 2004.

(2) When the Government reintroduced the Bill in the Senate on 1 April 2004, the Government proposed amendments to the Bill that addressed concerns raised by the Senate Committee. The Government's amendments clarified that the Bill was intended to address potential security risks to the Australian telecommunications industry, and not the risks that may be posed by individual users of the telecommunications system.