Public Sector Standards Bill
Senator Norris returned to the Standards in Public Office issue, and the Leader said the Bill would have wide consequences, that consultations had taken place, and that clarity was needed because the matter was unlikely to fade.
That is the other point. I am not going to go into a long-winded reply but there are consequences for the legislation for a wide variety of organisations, groups and political parties, which is fair enough. The Department has met representatives of Amnesty International and other groups to examine the issue around the definition of "political purposes". As Senator Norris said, SIPO has raised concerns over the years in its annual reports. The matter has been to the forefront in recent days and is unlikely to go away. Clarity needs to be brought to the matter because there could be unintended consequences for other groups and organisations, including community councils or resident associations. Certainly, as the law is presented and written, there is an obligation on everyone to uphold the law.