Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I thank you for that statement. For the information of honourable members, I present the response to the schedule of outstanding government responses to reports of House of Representatives and joint committees, tabled by the Speaker of the House of Representatives on 26 June 2008.

The document read as follows—

GOVERNMENT RESPONSES TO PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE REPORTS

RESPONSE TO THE SCHEDULE TABLED BY THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON 26 JUNE 2008

Circulated by the Leader of the House

The Hon Anthony Albanese MP

4 December 2008

FOREWORD

This document lists those government responses to the Speaker’s schedule that relate to reports all of Joint committees and only those of House committee’s presented or tabled during the 42nd Parliament.

AUSTRALIAN COMMISSION FOR LAW ENFORCE-MENT INTEGRITY (Joint, Statutory)

Examination of the annual report of the Integrity Commissioner 2006-07

Response not required.

AUSTRALIAN CRIME COMMISSION (Joint, Statutory)

Review of the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002

The response is in the final stages of preparation.

Examination of the Australian Crime Commission Annual Report 2004-2005

The response is in the final stages of preparation.

Inquiry into the manufacture, importation and use of amphetamines and other synthetic drugs (AOSD)

The response is in the final stages of preparation.

Inquiry into the future impact of serious and organised crime on Australian Society

The response is in the final stages of preparation.

Examination of the Australian Crime Commission Annual Report 2006-07

The response is in the final stages of preparation.

CORPORATIONS AND SECURITIES (Joint, Statutory)

Report on aspects of the regulation of proprietary companies

The government is considering the report and will prepare a response in due course.

CORPORATIONS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES (Joint, Statutory)

Report on the regulations and ASIC policy statements made under the Financial Services Reform Act 2001

A number of recommendations outlined in the report have been addressed. The Government is considering the outstanding recommendations and will take appropriate action.

Inquiry into the review of the Managed Investments Act 1998

The government is considering the report and will prepare a response in due course.

Inquiry into Regulation 7.1.29 in Corporations Amendment Regulations 2003 (No.3),

Statutory Rules 2003 No.85

The government is considering the report and will prepare a response in due course.

Money matters in the bush-Inquiry into the level of banking & financial services in rural, regional & remote areas of Australia

The response is being developed. A number of matters considered by the report have undergone substantial change since the report was tabled in 2004. This has required consideration of the recommendations against the changed industry and policy environment.

Report on the ATM fee structure

The response is being developed. A number of matters considered by the report have undergone substantial change since the report was tabled in 2004. This has required consideration of the recommendations against the changed industry and policy environment. Report is a subsidiary report to Money Matters in the Bush.

Corporations amendment regulations 2003

The dollar disclosure requirements in the Corporations Amendment Regulations (No. 10) were implemented in August 2007. The government is considering the outstanding recommendations and will take appropriate action.

Corporations Amendment Regulations 7.1.29A, 7.1.35A and 7.1.40(h)

The government is considering the report and will prepare a response in due course.

Property investment advice - Safe as houses?

The government has consulted on this matter in a Green Paper dated June 2008 and is considering the submissions provided by stakeholders. In addition, the Government has secured a COAG agreement to include investment property loans in a new federal Universal Consumer Code of Conduct.

Statutory oversight of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, December 2005

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission is an independent statutory body. Recommendations relating to ASICs operational arrangements are a matter for ASIC. Recommendations relating to government policy will be considered as part of normal government business.

Corporate responsibility: Managing risk and creating value

The government is considering the recommendations in this report and will prepare a response in due course. On 19 May 2008, the Prime Minister announced that the Australian Government would provide $2 million over three years to the St James Ethics Centre to develop the capacity of Australian businesses to identify and adopt more responsible business practices.

Statutory oversight of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, August 2006

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission is an independent statutory body. Recommendations relating to ASICs operational arrangements are a matter for ASIC. Recommendations relating to Government policy will be considered as part of normal government business. The Government notes that subjects of recommendation three (of three) were dealt with in the context of Parliamentary debate on the Corporations Amendment (Simpler Regulatory System) Bill 2007 in both the House of Representatives and the Senate; and in the Treasury discussion paper, Review of Sanctions in Corporate Law, released in March 2007.

Corporations Amendment (Takeovers) Bill 2006 [Exposure Draft]

The recommendations were dealt with in the context of parliamentary debate on the bill in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. No further response is required.

Statutory oversight of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, March 2007

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission is an independent statutory body. Recommendations relating to ASICs operational arrangements are a matter for ASIC. Recommendations relating to government policy will be considered as part of normal government business. The government has consulted on this matter in a Green Paper dated June 2008 and is considering the submissions provided by stakeholders.

Corporations Amendment (Insolvency) Bill 2007 [Exposure Draft]; Corporations and Australian Securities and Investments Commission Amendment Regulations 2007 [Exposure Draft]

Response to the report was included in the Second Reading Speech to the Corporations Amendment (Insolvency) Bill 2007. No further response is required.

Structure and operation of the superannuation industry

The Government is considering its response and will prepare a response in due course.

Statutory oversight of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, August 2007

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission is an independent statutory body. Recommendations relating to ASICs operational arrangements are a matter for ASIC. Recommendations relating to government policy will be considered as part of normal government business.

Better shareholders - Better company: Shareholder engagement and participation in Australia

The Government is considering the report and will prepare a response in due course.

ECONOMICS (House, Standing)

Review of the Reserve Bank Annual Report 2007 (First Report)

No response required.

ELECTORAL MATTERS (Joint, Standing)

Civics and electoral education

Interim government response presented out of sitting in the Senate 30 October 2008 and tabled in the House of Representatives 13 November 2008.

Review of certain aspects of the administration of the Australian Electoral Commission

The government response was tabled in the Senate and the House of Representatives on 18 September 2008.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE (Joint, Standing)

Inquiry into Australia’s Defence Force regional air superiority

No government response required as there were no recommendations.

Australia’s trade with Mexico and the region

The government response was tabled in both the House of Representatives and the Senate on 18 September 2008.

Australia’s aid program in the Pacific

The government response was tabled in both the House of Representatives and the Senate on 27 November 2008.

Review of the Defence Annual Report 2005-2006

The government response was tabled in both the House of Representatives and the Senate on 13 November 2008.

INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY (Joint, Statutory)

Review of security and counter terrorism legislation

The response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Inquiry into the proscription of terrorist organisations under the Australian Criminal Code

The response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Review of the re-listing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)

The response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS (House, Standing)

Reforming the Constitution: A roundtable discussion

The response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

MIGRATION (Joint, Standing)

Negotiating the maze: Review of arrangements for overseas skills recognition, upgrading and license

The government response is being revised for further consideration.

Temporary business visas…permanent benefits: Ensuring the effectiveness and integrity of the temporary business visa program

The government response will be finalised following the review of the Subclass 457 visa program.

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES AND RESOURCES (House, Standing)

More than honey: The future of the Australian honey bee and pollination industries

The quarantine and biosecurity issues raised in the committee’s report were referred to the Quarantine and Biosecurity (Beale) Review for consideration. The government’s response to the committee’s report will be developed in conjunction with the broader response to the Beale Review. The government will table its formal response to the committee’ report after the release of its preliminary response to the Beale Review.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT (Joint, Statutory)

Developments in aviation security since the committee’s June 2004 Report 400: Review of aviation security in Australia - An interim report (Report 406)

Sent to Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit for tabling on 23 October 2008.

Developments in Aviation Security since the Committee’s June 2004 Report 400: Review of Aviation Security in Australia (Report 409)

Sent to Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit for tabling on 23 October 2008.

Report on the draft budget estimates for the Australian National Audit Office for 2008-09

Response not required.

PUBLICATIONS (Joint, Standing)

Printing standards for documents presented to Parliament

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL SERVICES (Joint, Standing)

The great freight task: Is Australia’s transport network up to the challenge?

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

TREATIES (Joint, Standing)

Treaties tabled on 12 March 2008 (90th Report)

Response not required.

Treaty tabled on 4 June 2008 (92nd Report)

Response not required.

I ask leave of the House to make a statement in connection with the response.

Leave granted.

I thank the House. In the response I have taken note of the process outlined by the Speaker and included updates only on reports tabled in the 42nd Parliament and reports tabled by joint committees. I will at the conclusion of the process that has been outlined by the Speaker refer ministers to the reports from previous parliaments where a response is requested by the committee and ask them to treat the request as a priority. This government regards the work of committees as extraordinarily important. The committee process involves the rigorous examination of issues that are directly relevant to the work undertaken by government. I heavily engage with the committee in my portfolio area chaired by the member for Ballarat; the deputy chair is the member for Hinkler. Both of those members take very seriously their responsibilities on the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. I would certainly hope that all ministers and parliamentary secretaries do the same with committees in their portfolio areas.

The hard slog of bipartisan committee work should be encouraged by the parliament and treated with respect by an appropriate ministerial response. I note that on the schedule tabled by the Speaker in June 2008 there are 45 reports from committees to which the previous government had time to reply—in many cases, many years. I do not regard this as an acceptable standard. The government is committed to improving response times, and I note the work that the Special Minister of State is doing to increase the responsiveness of ministers in this area. I particularly want to thank as well the Deputy Speaker for the role that she has played on these issues.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the House. I simply say to the Manager of Opposition Business that, in retrospect, perhaps there was an oversight in that we did not give you notice of the statement that I was going to make. I had thought that a brief discussion that had been carried out by the committee, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, of committee chairs and deputy chairs, which floated this suggestion might have sufficed. But I take on board the need, at other times, to ensure that that oversight is corrected.