->“So this bill and study are to review and then authorise something that they have been doing for 15 years and, yes, we are joining the Russians and Chinese in monitoring our populations.”

15 years is only 2001. Bulk surveillance started in 1998.

The only reason they stick to "bulk meta data" is everything else is to much data to store. As soon as they pick up something interesting (illegal or not) it definitely doesn't stop there.

On the plus side. At least the development community can now start taking communications security seriously. Rather than sticking their head in the sand and pretending https: is the be all and end all to that particular problem. Or just not caring at all.