Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party, Assistant Minister for Children and Families) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the resolution of appointment of the Select Committee on Regional Australia be amended in the following terms and a message be sent to the Senate requesting that it take no action in relation to message No. 23, dated 25 July 2019, from the House—

That the resolution of appointment of the Select Committee on Regional Australia be amended in the following terms and a message be sent to the Senate requesting that it take no action in relation to message No. 23, dated 25 July 2019, from the House—

That:

(1) a Select Committee on Regional Australia be appointed to inquire into and report on;

(a) examining the effectiveness of existing regional service delivery and development programs;

(b) examining the contribution and role of regional Australia to our national identity, economy and environment;

(c) promoting the development of regional centres, cities, towns and districts including promoting master planning of regional communities;

(d) Promoting private investment in regional centres and regional infrastructure;

(e) examine the key drivers for unlocking decentralisation opportunities for both the private and public sectors;

(f) promoting the competitive advantages of regional location for businesses;

(g) investigate the development of capital city size regional centres in strategic locations and the benefits this offers regional cities, capital cities, the Australian economy and lifestyle;

(h) examine the potential for new developments, towns and cities to be built in regional Australia;

(i) examining international examples of nations who have vast and productive regional areas, which are sparsely populated;

(j) examining ways urbanisation can be re-directed to achieve more balanced regional development;

(k) identifying the infrastructure requirements for reliable and affordable health, education, transport, telecommunications, clean energy, water and waste in a new settlement of reasonable size, located away from existing infrastructure; and

(l) consider other measures to support the ongoing growth and sustainability of regional Australia.

(2) the committee present an interim report on or before 27 March 2020 and its final report on or before 31 July 2020;

(3) the committee consist of twelve members, seven Members to be nominated by the Government Whip or Whips, and five Members to be nominated by the Opposition Whip or Whips or by any non-aligned Member;

(4) every nomination of a member of the committee be notified in writing to the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(5) the members of the committee hold office as a select committee until presentation of the committee’s final report or until the House of Representatives is dissolved or expires by effluxion of time, whichever is the earlier;

(6) the committee elect a:

(a) Government member as its chair; and

(b) non-Government member as its deputy chair who shall act as chair of the committee at any time when the chair is not present at a meeting of the committee;

(7) at any time when the chair and deputy chair are not present at a meeting of the committee, the members present shall elect another member to act as chair at that meeting;

(8) in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, have a casting vote;

(9) three members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee;

(10) the committee:

(a) have power to appoint subcommittees consisting of three or more of its members, and to refer to any subcommittee any matter which the committee is empowered to examine; and

(b) appoint the chair of each subcommittee who shall have a casting vote only;

(11) at any time when the chair of a subcommittee is not present at a meeting of the subcommittee, the members of the subcommittee present shall elect another member of that subcommittee to act as chair at that meeting;

(12) two members of a subcommittee constitute the quorum of that subcommittee;

(13) members of the committee who are not members of a subcommittee may participate in the proceedings of that subcommittee but shall not vote, move any motion or be counted for the purpose of a quorum;

(14) the committee or any subcommittee have power to:

(a) call for witnesses to attend and for documents to be produced;

(b) conduct proceedings at any place it sees fit;

(c) sit in public or in private;

(d) report from time to time; and

(e) adjourn from time to time and to sit during any adjournment of the House of Representatives;

(15) the provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders.

Question agreed to.

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