Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, I present the committee's advisory report on the Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill 2013, together with the minutes of proceedings and evidence received by the committee.

In accordance with standing order 39(f) the report was made a Parliamentary Paper.

I ask leave of the House to make a short statement—a little bit shorter than the member for Scullin's very detailed and noteworthy report—in connection with this report.

Leave granted.

This report follows on from the great work of the Productivity Commission and Intellectual Property Australia, IP Australia. It is a short report recommending that the legislation be passed. I do make particular reference to two of the witnesses that we heard from, Dr Luigi Palombi and Dr Matthew Rimmer. I particularly commend Dr Palombi's great work in gene patents, but I disagree with his recommendations in terms of this piece of legislation on this particular matter. Whilst I am on the record as supporting many of his endeavours in terms of gene patents, I think in this IP area we have a slight disagreement.

The Productivity Commission started this process. It has been a long, considered process. I commend the report to the House and hope for a contribution from my very capable deputy chair, who has assisted me throughout this 43rd Parliament, and I wish her well in her future endeavours.

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