Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the explanatory memorandum to this bill and move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Civil Law and Justice (Omnibus Amendments) Bill 2015 is an omnibus bill which will primarily amend the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975, the Bankruptcy Act 1966, the Evidence Act 1995, the Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act 1999, the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 and the International Arbitration Act 1974.

The bill will make minor and technical amendments to provide more clarity to the legislation, correct legislative oversights and amend obsolete provisions. The bill will also make a number of consequential amendments. The combined effect of these amendments will improve the efficiency and operation of the justice system administered by the Attorney-General's portfolio.

The government aims to make all Commonwealth legislation coherent, readable and accessible to the widest possible audience. To this end, the Evidence Act will be amended to move the journalists' privilege provisions from Division 1A of Part 3.10 to new Division 1C of Part 3.10. This will provide consistency with the numbering of the New South Wales, ACT and Victorian Evidence Acts and is consistent with the Parliamentary Counsel's Committee Protocol on Drafting National Uniform Legislation, which provides that the numbering of uniform legislation should be consistent, something that I think we can all get behind.

To provide clarity to legislation, the Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act will be amended to ensure that all police officers and court sheriffs who are authorised by the act, or a warrant issued under the act or the rules of court, have the power to use such force as is reasonable and necessary in the circumstances to enter premises to execute an arrest warrant. Currently, there is uncertainty about whether reasonable force can be used to enter premises to execute an arrest warrant. This means that circumstances may arise where an arrest warrant is unable to be executed because an arrestee is inside premises. This can delay the court process and burden the justice system.

Other amendments to the Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act will repeal an obsolete reference to improve the accuracy of the act.

The bill will also streamline and enhance the jury empanelment process under the Federal Court of Australia Act so that a person summoned for jury duty would not be summoned for a particular trial. Instead, they would be summoned to form part of a panel of potential jurors for a three-month period. This will save the court significant time and resources and ultimately lead to the more efficient resolution of disputes.

Other amendments to the Federal Court of Australia Act will ensure fairness in the pre-trial process and will improve the clarity of the act.

The bill will also make minor and technical changes to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act, further supporting amalgamation of four key Commonwealth merits review tribunals. The amendments will ensure all persons who are parties to a review receive notice that an application for review has been made. The bill will clarify that the tribunal may make orders that certain information is not to be disclosed to the parties. It will enable the president to authorise any member of the tribunal to exercise existing powers to dismiss applications and ensure that in matters with more than one non-government party, other than the applicant, they may seek to have the application reinstated. The bill will provide flexibility to the tribunal to set out the manner for lodging or giving documents to the tribunal, or to a person, in a regulation, in a practice direction, or both.

Amendments to the Bankruptcy Act will remove unnecessary requirements to notify the Official Receiver of certain decisions and will streamline some application-for-review processes in bankruptcies. The amendments also insert a 60-day time limit for applications to the court to review certain decisions. This will avoid undue delay in challenging such decisions and is consistent with other provisions of the Bankruptcy Act. Additionally, the amendments will clarify how confidentiality requirements in bankruptcies interact with statutory requirements for disclosure. The amendments will also remove a reference to a repealed provision.

The amendments to the International Arbitration Act will simplify provisions governing the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in Australia and improve compliance with the 1958 New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. It will also apply confidentiality provisions to arbitral proceedings seated in Australia on an opt-out rather than opt-in basis. Finally, the amendments will make minor amendments in the interests of clearer laws.

In conclusion, the intention of this bill is to make minor and technical amendments to a number of acts in order to increase access to justice for all Australians by removing ambiguity in legislation and streamlining legal processes. The bill will increase the currency, clarity and consistency of legislation administered by the Attorney-General's portfolio. Significantly, the amendments contained within the bill will improve the justice system by making it easier for individuals to understand and comply with the law.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in favour of the Civil Law and Justice (Omnibus Amendments) Bill 2015. This is an omnibus bill containing a large number of largely minor technical changes to a range of Commonwealth acts within the Attorney-General's portfolio. It deals primarily with the federal courts, the newly amalgamated Administrative Appeals Tribunal, bankruptcy and international arbitration legislation.

The measures in this bill are uncontroversial. The bill clarifies provisions which are presently capable of ambiguity. It updates or repeals obsolete provisions in a range of Commonwealth statutes. The bill makes various drafting and stylistic changes, including renumbering of provisions to enhance the readability of the Commonwealth statute book. The bill also makes small changes to the procedures which apply in the rare instances in which criminal proceedings are brought in the Federal Court and to the way in which juries are to be managed by that court. It also makes small tweaks to the procedures which apply in bankruptcies and in international arbitrations. Labor is happy to support this bill, and I commend it to the House.

Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The purpose of the Civil Law and Justice (Omnibus Amendments) Bill 2015 is to make minor technical and uncontroversial amendments to civil justice legislation in order to improve its operation and clarity. This bill further supports the amalgamation of four key Commonwealth merits review tribunals by amending the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act to assist the administration of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The amendments to the Bankruptcy Act will reduce red tape, streamline certain review applications and clarify confidentiality requirements.

Amendments to the Evidence Act will provide conformity with national uniform legislation. Amendments to the Federal Circuit Court Act will clarify the powers that an authorised arrester may use to execute an arrest warrant. Amendments to the Federal Court Act will streamline the jury empanelment process, enhance the pre-trial process for indictable offences and improve the accuracy of the act.

Amendments to the International Arbitration Act will simplify provisions for enforcement of foreign arbitral awards, improve compliance with the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards and apply confidentiality provisions to arbitral proceedings on an opt-out rather than opt-in basis.

In conclusion, this bill will make minor and technical amendments to improve the efficiency and operation of the civil justice system and provide individuals with greater access to justice.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.