Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present a supplementary explanatory memorandum to the bill and move government amendment (1) on sheet HV220, as circulated:

(1) Clause 19, page 15 (after line 9), after subclause (3), insert:

(3A) If:

(a) notice of a motion to disallow the determination is given in a House of the Parliament within 15 sitting days of that House after the copy of the determination was tabled in that House under section 38 of the Legislation Act 2003; and

(b) at the end of 15 sitting days of that House after the giving of that notice of motion:

  (i) the notice has not been withdrawn and the motion has not been called on; or

  (ii) the motion has been called on, moved and (where relevant) seconded and has not been withdrawn or otherwise disposed of;

the determination is then taken to have been disallowed, and subsection (3) does not apply to the determination.

This amendment makes a minor adjustment to the bill, to enhance parliamentary scrutiny of the Regional Broadband Scheme. The government proposes, by amendment (1) on sheet HV220, to modify the proposed disallowance provision applying to ministerial determinations that relate to changing the charge amount. By this amendment, the relevant instrument would be deemed to have been disallowed if a notice of motion to disallow it had not been withdrawn or remained unresolved in either house of parliament by the end of the usual disallowance period. This amendment aligns the Regional Broadband Scheme more closely with the usual disallowance provisions in the Legislation Act 2003 and implements the recommendation of the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee and the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills. I commend the amendment to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.