Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I actually enjoy these kinds of bill. The Omnibus Repeal Day (Autumn 2015) Bill 2015 is a very good bill. It is that very rare beast: a government bill that reduces legislation, reduces regulation and reduces the impact of government. It is fair to say that this bill accomplishes something that governments are generally not very good at; it reduces red tape. It is equally fair to say that cutting red tape was something the former Labor government was particularly poor at.

Labor these days likes to scoff at red tape reduction. A common refrain from those opposite is that we should not celebrate red tape reduction bills such as these. They believe that the repeal of unnecessary legislation occurs in the ordinary course of government. That we can all just close our eyes and wish the red tape away

In fact, for a party that still believes in the democratic socialisation of industry, production, distribution and exchange, Labor has a laissez-faire attitude to cutting red tape that would make Milton Friedman blush. It is as if they believe in some sort of invisible hand of law making that, left to its own devices, would see obsolete, superseded and just plain unnecessary legislation just wander off the statute books.

Maybe that is why they were so poor at red tape reduction themselves. It would certainly explain why Australians were burdened with 21,000 additional regulations and 975 new or amended pieces of legislation by the former Labor government. Indeed, the Labor Leader of the House at the time used to celebrate all the extra legislation and regulation that Labor introduced to this parliament. Was Labor embarrassed about letting red tape spiral out of control? Quite the contrary—I seem to remember a certain member for Grayndler who liked to brag about the amount of legislation his dysfunctional government managed to pass in the former parliament.

The fact that Labor saw the passing of legislation as a proxy for effective government speaks volumes about what Labor stands for: more taxes, more regulation and more interference in our daily lives. It also speaks volumes that the self-proclaimed legislative dynamo that was the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government was so comprehensively rejected by Australians at the ballot box in 2013. Labor learnt the hard way that good government is not about how many bills we pass in this chamber; it is about what we can do to improve the lives of everyday Australians.

The coalition government understands that making life easier for many Australians means reducing the burden of unnecessary government. We understand that cutting red tape requires concerted effort by government. Labor in government talked a good game on red tape reduction but the difference between Labor and the coalition is that when we talk about red tape reduction, we mean it and we deliver. We have set up processes within the machinery of government for the first time to measure and report on the cost of regulation at a departmental and program level. This process has allowed us to determine that the cost of Commonwealth regulation under Labor was a staggering $65 billion, which is 4.2 per cent of GDP.

In response, the coalition government has made a clear commitment to reducing the burden of unnecessary red tape by $1 billion per annum. And we have not only met that commitment but exceeded it. Since September 2013 the government has announced measures resulting in a total deregulatory saving of $2.45 billion, and more than $1.5 billion of these savings have already been realised. Under the coalition government, red tape reduction is not just an abstract concept; it is achieving real benefits for Australians. Some of these benefits are readily apparent. Frequent flyers will have already noticed a relaxation of some restrictions on the in-flight use of personal electronic devices. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has issued guidance to allow for the expanded use of such devices in all phases of flight, provided the operator can ensure the aircraft is operated safely. In addition to the obvious personal productivity improvement to passengers, the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development has estimated that this will reduce compliance costs by $17.7 million per annum. For mobile phone users, legislative amendments have been made that introduce newer, lower cost ways of verifying the identity of consumers purchasing prepaid mobile phones. As well as saving $6.2 million per annum in compliance costs, this change means more convenience and greater flexibility for consumers.

The many thousands of students living in my electorate of Ryan are already seeing the benefits of improvements made by the Department of Human Services to the functionality of their website. The changes mean students are now able to advise of multiple changes to their study details in one transaction online instead of having to contact a call centre or attend a service centre. This delivers a saving of $2.7 million per annum in avoided compliance costs. Similar changes have been made for users of the myGov website. Increased online functionality has been added that now allows customers to update their details in one place rather than having to contact multiple agencies on multiple websites. This will save a further $5.4 million annually.

Red tape is commonly a hidden cost. Consumers will not necessarily see the benefit, but they will feel it in their wallets when businesses pass on the savings from reduced compliance costs. A great example is the announcement last year of the removal of a requirement for heavy vehicle operators of B-double trucks to fit additional spray suppression devices. The devices were intended to absorb the spray from tyres to reduce the impact on other motorists but have been shown to provide no additional safety benefit. Removal of the requirement to install these will save bulk transport operators $8.3 million per annum, with anticipated flow-through savings to distributors, retailers and consumers.

As a former business owner, I can attest to the time required to meet regulatory and compliance requirements. Particularly for small business owners, this is time that is taken away from being able to serve clients and customers or, worse and more commonly, from personal time with friends and family. It is doubly frustrating when compliance requirements are onerous and of little purpose. For home care service providers under the home care program, changes have been made that reduce the number of reports needing to be lodged with the Department of Social Services. Instead of requiring separate annual reports for each individual program and for each individual service, providers delivering multiple programs and services will be able to submit a single consolidated report at a saving of $3.9 million per annum.

This bill is the third such bill the coalition government has introduced in this place, and it continues our commitment and established record of eliminating unnecessary regulatory burdens, reducing compliance costs and improving the clarity of Commonwealth laws. In the Agriculture portfolio a total of seven redundant acts will be repealed, as well as the enabling section of another act that will formally abolish the Australian Landcare Council after its functions were transferred to the National Landcare Advisory Committee in 2014. The Environment portfolio will see the amendment of legislation to abolish redundant committees and to remove inconsistent references and duplication of functions. Parts of the Social Security Act 1991 will be repealed to remove reference to schemes no longer in operation and to remove spent indexation provisions. And, in Treasury, five inoperative acts have been identified that expand the volume of the law without achieving any policy goal; they will therefore be repealed.

I am proud to be part of a government that takes red tape reduction seriously. Along with the changes outlined in this bill, portfolio ministers have also announced a suite of additional red tape reduction measures. In conjunction with autumn repeal day on 18 March this year, the Attorney-General tabled a regulation that repealed 160 spent and redundant legislative instruments from across government, as well as repealing provisions from other legislative instruments. The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection also released the government's response to the independent review into the integrity of the 457 visa program. Reforms will streamline the process of sponsorship, nomination and visa applications as well as reduce time and cost to businesses by reforming sponsorship requirements. The sponsorship approval period will be extended from 12 to 18 months, and greater flexibility will be provided in relation to English language requirements. In total, the changes will result in an estimated annual saving of $29.9 million. In Social Services, important changes were made to reporting requirements under the Disability Employment Services Employment Pathway Plan. Update requirements will be changed from quarterly to twice annually and/or when a change in circumstances occurs—whichever is sooner.

Cutting red tape does not come by accident. It is only by the concerted effort of government that red tape can be reduced for the benefit of all Australians, and it is only this coalition government that can be trusted to take decisive action in this important area of public policy. I therefore commend the bill to the House.

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