Senator RHIANNON: I would like to understand, firstly, how you went about your report—who you interviewed and how that was undertaken. Did you take in camera evidence?

Mr Morris : No.

Ms Horton : Not in camera evidence, no.

This speech was given in three parts. The full text of the speech appears here on one page.

CHAIR: We will now move on to the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation.

Senator RHIANNON: Mr Hunter, in your letter to the Canberra Times on the ninth of this month you stated:

EFIC's independent directors have additional directorships within the finance community.
I am actually really tight for time; the chair is on my tail. So, if that is not a short answer, can you take this on notice? Can you state what those additional directorships are for your independent directors?

Lee's opinion piece on sport hunting was published today.

The sport hunting and shooting of native animals for fun in Africa is no longer out of sight, out of mind.

Last week, there were revelations that some of our sporting heroes, men who represent Australia on the international stage, playing the game of cricket we love so dearly, are now the ones doing the killing and the posing.

Commenting on revelations today that the Federal Department of Education budgeted $500,000 for a higher education information hotline that received only 135 calls, Australian Greens spokesperson for higher education Senator Lee Rhiannon said:

"If half a million dollars was spent on this call centre, this equates to $3700 per phone call received.

"It is extraordinary that the Abbott government is spending millions of dollars in a broad advertising campaign to sell their higher education cuts that would rip billions out of university funding.

Senator RHIANNON: You said earlier, Ms Paul, I think it was on 25 November, that it was determined that the planned advertising campaign complied with guidelines. Principle 4 of the department's guidelines for expenditure on advertising state that they should be 'instigated on the basis of a demonstrated need…' Other than the government's desperation to pass its legislation, what was the demonstrated need for the advertising campaign?

Senator RHIANNON: Thank you, Professor Saunders. I noted you said that the staff numbers are currently 56, down 10. What were the staff numbers when TEQSA started?

Prof. Saunders : We had a staff level of about 100—not when we started, but we built up to staff level of about 100.

Senator RHIANNON: In what year, please?

Prof. Saunders : We started in 2012, so it would have been sometime during 2012 that those numbers built up.