Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I am pleased to introduce the Parliamentary Entitlements Legislation Amendment Bill 2017, a bill which largely mirrors the provisions of the 2014 bill of the same name, to implement the changes to the Parliamentary Entitlements and Life Gold Pass Acts.

On 9 November 2013, the government announced changes to strengthen the rules governing parliamentarians' business expenses. On 13 May 2014, the government also announced, as part of the 2014-15 budget, changes to Life Gold Pass travel.

On top of the changes outlined in 2014, this bill significantly accelerates the termination of access to travel under the Life Gold Pass scheme for the vast majority of pass holders, including former ministers, presiding officers and the leaders of the opposition.

The bill ceases Life Gold Pass travel on the day it commences for all current pass holders, other than retired former prime ministers and their spouses and renames the remaining benefit parliamentary retirement travel.

Specifically, the bill:

Further, the bill:

The 25 per cent penalty loading will not apply where an adjustment is made within 28 days of the date the claim was made, or where the adjustment was the result of an administrative error by the administering department.

The bill contains sensible reforms to improve accountability in the spending of taxpayers' money, which strengthen the parliamentary work expenses framework.

I foreshadow that this government will soon bring forward further legislation as it implements the Prime Minister's recently announced reforms to the management of parliamentarians' work expenses, and recommendations of the review committee: An independent parliamentary entitlements system.

Debate adjourned.