Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a fairly uncontroversial bill that has bipartisan support. Nonetheless, it is worthwhile to come and speak on some of the aspects of the bill within the broader context of a regulatory reform agenda because the Regulatory Powers (Standardisation Reform) Bill 2016 makes amendments to 15 Commonwealth acts to implement the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014. The government introduced an almost identical bill in the Senate in the last parliament, which lapsed upon dissolution of the parliament without being debated.

As part of its regulatory reform agenda, the former Labor government developed a framework for standard regulatory powers across a range of Commonwealth laws. This project, started by Labor, was intended to reduce the volume and complexity of Commonwealth legislation and work across a more consistent approach to regulation. The Labor government's legislation to implement the first stage of this reform lapsed with the dissolution of the 43rd Parliament and was reintroduced by the Abbott government in the 44th Parliament, in 2014. The project was always intended to proceed in several stages. The first stage, the implementation of the act, is only the development of a suite of standard powers.

As I mentioned, the bill makes amendments to 15 Commonwealth acts to repeal current provisions providing for regulatory regimes in those acts. They include the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Act 2006, the Tobacco Plain Packaging Act 2011, the Defence Reserve Service (Protection) Act 2001, the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012, the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act 1995 and the Privacy Act 1998, among others. In most instances, the bill will not alter existing arrangements, because triggering the act will substitute an equivalent provision for existing powers that reflects modern best practice drafting.

Labor supports the bill, which continues the work undertaken by the former Labor government. We are pleased that the Abbott government reintroduced the bill and that Labor supported it. The regulatory powers act formed part of the Labor government's border regulatory reform agenda. It doesn't have a force in its own right. For its standard provisions to be applied, it must either be referred to in new bills or in amendments of existing bills. Labor hopes that the government will continue to build on our regulatory powers. It is indeed good to see that the government is continuing the work that we started. These are all worthy reforms and I commend them to the House.

Debate adjourned.