Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move Australian Greens amendment (1), as circulated in my name:

(1) Schedule 1, page 4 (after line 14), after item 6, insert:

6A At the end of Division 1 of Part XVB

  Add:

269TBAA Access to import data

(1) For the purposes of subsection 16(2) of the Customs Administration Act 1985, a person is authorised to make a record of, and to disclose to any person, protected information (within the meaning of that section) that is import data.

(2) Despite section 12 of the Census and Statistics Act 1905 and any determination made under section 13 of that Act, the Statistician (within the meaning of that Act) must publish all import data.

(3) For the purposes of this section, import data means the following information about individual shipments of goods exported to Australia:

  (a) country of origin;

  (b) the type of goods;

  (c) the volume of the shipment;

  (d) the value of the shipment;

  (e) any other details about the shipment of the goods specified by the Minister by legislative instrument.

The Greens support the measures being taken by the government and welcome the opportunity to propose an improvement to the bill. One issue that has been raised and that would be familiar to those who have been following this issue for some time is the difficulty that is sometimes faced by people who want to either bring complaints or potentially elevate that to proceedings when they feel they have been the victim of dumping.

The amendment moved by the Greens would allow persons to have access to import data. This is essentially the same kind of import data that is already required to be provided. It would assist in the enforcement of the measures contained in this bill. I commend the amendment to the House.

Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Melbourne for his support in relation to previous legislation in this area. But the government cannot support this particular amendment, based on the advice of the Australian Statistician. The Australian Bureau of Statistics is founded on strong legislation that protects its independence. That legislation protects the confidentiality of individual and company information provided to the ABS. The amendment would significantly alter that protection, with the likely detriment to the work of the ABS. It is important that the ABS works closely with applicants and with Customs and Border Protection in anti-dumping cases. The information the ABS provides is often vital to the success of any application. The amendment is not the appropriate mechanism to support collaboration between the ABS and anti-dumping applicants. So, regrettably, I say to the member for Melbourne that we do not support his application and his amendment.

Question negatived.

Bill agreed to.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.