Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Claire Chandler

I, and also on behalf of Senators Birmingham and Paterson, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) order for the production of documents no. 472, agreed to by the Senate on 27 February 2024, requiring certain documents concerning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be provided to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has not been complied with,

(ii) on 21 March 2024, the Senate rejected the claim of public interest immunity made by the Attorney-General, and

(iii) on 25 March 2024, the Minister representing the Attorney-General advised the Senate that the Attorney-General '...reasserts his claim of public interest immunity in relation to the documents sought...as their disclosure would, or might reasonably be expected to, disclosure information that would be damaging to Australia's national security';

(b) again rejects the public interest immunity claim advanced by the Attorney General, noting that the claim still does not address the apprehended harm that could result from the provision of the documents to the PJCIS on a confidential basis;

(c) requires the Minister representing the Attorney-General to attend the chamber on Wednesday, 27 March 2024, at the conclusion of consideration of private senators' bills and immediately prior to government business being called on, to provide an explanation of no more than 5 minutes of the failure to comply with the order and to explain the apprehended harm that could result from the provision of the documents to the PJCIS on a confidential basis;

(d) any senator may move to take note of the explanation required by paragraph (c); and

(e) any motion under paragraph (d) may be debated for no longer than 30 minutes, shall have precedence over all business until determined, and senators may speak to the motion for not more than 5 minutes each.

Sue Lines

The question is that general business notice of motion No. 507 standing in the names of Senators Birmingham, Paterson and Chandler be agreed to.

The Senate divided. [16:48]

(The President—Senator Lines)