Senators of all parties agree: the sedition laws are a crock. Yesterday’s Senate report into the Government’s anti-terrorism bill has recommended 52 sweeping changes, including scrapping sedition offences until a public inquiry is held and extra protection for minors.

Inquiry Chair, Liberal Marise Payne, says the committee members also want the sunset clause halved to five years – “the committee, at the best of its diligent searching, has been unable to find an equivalent sunset period in other legislation,” she said. “These powers are extraordinary in nature.”

But that Stockholm Syndrome sufferer, Philip Ruddock, has once again been practising his Patty Hearst defence in the court of history. He rejected a call by the government-led Senate committee to remove the sedition provisions from the legislation on the 7:30 Report last night. “We believe those matters ought to be dealt with now,” Ruddock said.

The Australian holds out some hope for some softening. Sam Maiden wrote yesterday: “Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has flagged further reforms to anti-terror laws to protect journalists’ notebooks from ‘fishing expeditions’ by police.”

Still, it’s nice to see who’s finally found his voice in all of this – a member of the Reps who’s been biding his time.Yes, Peter Garrett had one of the clearest messages: “There is no place for sedition laws of this kind in legislation,” he said on the ABC . “Mr Ruddock as Attorney-General is simply completely out of step.”

Rock and roll, Peter, rock and roll.