Department of Defence

The majority voted in favour of disagreeing with a motion to let a vote happen. In parliamentary jargon, they voted to disagree with a motion to suspend the usual procedural rules (known as standing orders) so another vote on the subject of foreign owned companies could take place. This means that that other vote will not take place.

Motion text

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Clark from moving the following motion immediately—

That the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Government recently extended a contract for the Department of Defence, for the storage and management of data, with Chinese-owned data centre Global Switch, without due process or public tender; and

(b) the extension of this contract threatens Australia's national security;

(2) condemns the Government for putting cost-saving measures above the safety of Australians' national security; and

(3) calls on the Government to:

(a) immediately terminate all government contracts with foreign-owned external data storage companies, including Global Switch;

(b) promptly and securely transfer all externally-stored government data to Australian-owned and managed data centres; and

(c) explain to the House why the Department of Defence has delayed its withdrawal from Global Switch, unlike other government agencies such as ASIC and the ATO which have already begun transferring their data.