The Senate has again delayed passage of the controversial amendments to the Maintenance Act, that would see men and women supporting their children financially, among other things.

Attorney General and Minister of Justice AJ Nicholson on Thursday responded to a number of concerns raised by the Opposition, primarily its call for a joint select committee to review the bill and for public discussion on the matter. He told the Senate that the Government had not intended to conclude the debate on Thursday.

At the same time, Nicholson criticised the Opposition and the media for the delay in the passage of the bill. He noted that the idea of a joint select committee reviewing the bill was first raised in the media, and taken up by the Opposition, which had given no previous notice that it intended to go that route.

But Nicholson said that the Government had no intention of setting up a joint select committee and have the passage of the bill delayed for another two years. He insisted, however, that the public would have a say in the final outcome of the bill.

Leader of Opposition Business Senator Anthony Johnson pointed out that while the minister had consistently made the point that the views of the public would be incorporated into the final draft, he had not indicated how this would be done.

“The member is suggesting that the public will have an opportunity – which really is the issue. Could you advise us what mechanism you propose to adopt to get the views of the public?” asked Johnson.

“You’re still on the joint select committee business?” Nicholson responded. “We are sending copies of the proposed amendments to all the stakeholders.”

Nicholson explained that those stakeholders would include the churches, the bar association and women’s groups.

The Bill seeks to repeal the Maintenance and Affiliation Act to ensure that spouses are maintained by their partners, that parents maintain unmarried children and that adults maintain their grandparents. It was tabled in July by Senator Nicholson.