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

Documents are presented as listed in the schedule circulated to honourable members. Details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings and I move:

That the House take note of the following documents:Australia’s future tax system—Report to the Treasurer—Part one—Overview, December 2009.Part two—Detailed analysis, volumes 1 and 2, December 2009.Tax policy statement—Stronger, fairer, simpler: A tax plan for our future.Australian Communications and Media Authority—National Relay Service—Report for 2008-09.Broadcasting Services Act 1992—Digital television transmission and reception—Report, May 2010.Defence Act—Section 51X—Utilisation of the Defence Force in relation to proposed visit by the President of the United States of America—Operation Mustang—Report, 30 March 2010 and orders, 10 and 18 March 2010.Department of Finance and Deregulation—Campaign advertising by Australian Government departments and agencies—Half yearly report for the period 1 July to 31 December 2009.Department of the Treasury—Car dealership financing special purpose vehicle—Report for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 December 2009.Energy Efficient Homes Package—Review of the administration of the Home Insulation Program—Report by Dr Allan Hawke, 6 April 2010.Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade—Joint Standing Committee—Review of the Defence annual report, 2006-07—Government response to recommendation 3.Foreign Investment Review Board—Report for 2008-09.Government 2.0 Taskforce—Report—Engage: Getting on with government 2.0—Government response, May 2010.Government advertising—Independent review of government advertising arrangements—Report by Dr Allan Hawke, 26 February 2010.Office of the Inspector of Transport Security—International piracy and armed robbery at sea security inquiry report, April 2010.Superannuation (Government Co-contribution for Low Income Earners) Act 2003—Quarterly report on the operation of the Act for the period 1 April to 30 June 2009, together with the report for 2008-09.

I wish to make some brief remarks about item 16 of the list of documents to be tabled, the International piracy and armed robbery at sea security inquiry report. I made a statement to the House in June 2009 to advise members that I asked the Inspector of Transport Security, Mr Mick Palmer, to undertake a comprehensive inquiry into maritime piracy and armed robbery at sea as it affects Australia and to identify ways in which security arrangements could be further improved. The inspector has completed his report, which he formally presented to me on 22 April 2010. During the course of the inquiry the inspector developed counterpiracy and armed robbery at sea security advisory guidelines for the Australian shipping industry which I launched at the International Maritime Organisation General Assembly in London in December 2009. The guidelines detail preventative measures recommended to help detect, deter and prevent piracy and armed robbery at sea.

The final report contains five recommendations. The first recommendation is that the preventative measures contained in the advisory guidelines should be considered for adoption by ship operators, masters and owners. The second recommendation is that Australian security regulated ships undertaking international voyages as part of normal business activity should re-evaluate current security plans. The third recommendation is that consideration should be given to identifying a federal government agency to be the single or primary coordination point between the shipping industry and government on piracy. The fourth recommendation is that the government work with the shipping industry and maritime unions to facilitate a review of current seafarer welfare support practices and arrangements. The final recommendation is that current ship security planning arrangements should be reviewed to ensure that both safety and security issues are jointly applied to the security planning process. The continuing threat of piracy and armed robbery at sea will require shipping owners and operators to maintain a constant level of preparedness and awareness of the threat posed to them and to consistently update their knowledge of appropriate preventative measures and industry best practice.

The piracy inquiry report will assist industry in this process and I congratulate the Inspector of Transport Security, Mr Mick Palmer, and his team for the hard work they have done on this report, which has been internationally recognised as being groundbreaking in its depth, in its research and in its recommendations. Indeed, members of Mr Palmer’s team travelled to Nairobi in Kenya and have provided practical on-the-ground assistance, which I am sure every member of this parliament would agree has given great credit to us as a nation. I commend the report to the House.

Question agreed to.