Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, I present the committee's report entitled Human rights scrutiny report: Report 10 of 2021.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—I'm pleased to speak to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights 10th scrutiny report of 2021. As usual, this report contains a technical examination of legislation with Australia's obligations under international human rights law. In this report, the committee has considered 18 new bills and 234 new legislative instruments. It has commented on four new bills and five new legislative instruments and concluded its consideration of two bills and 16 legislative instruments. For example, the committee has commented on the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Party Registration Integrity) Bill 2021. This bill would increase from 500 to 1,500 the required minimum numbers of unique members for non-parliamentary political parties in order for them to register for federal elections. By amending the registration eligibility requirements for a federal non-parliamentary party, this measure could potentially engage and limit the right to freedom of association and the right to participate in public affairs. The committee is seeking further information as to the objectives sought to be achieved by this measure and whether it constitutes a proportionate limitation on these rights.

The committee has also commented on one new bill and two new legislative instruments that introduce measures relating to migration. In particular, the committee is seeking further information regarding the human rights compatibility of measures that would increase the newly arrived residents waiting period to four years for social security payments and concession cards, increase the fee by 64 per cent for applications to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for review of certain migration decisions, and enable the Minister for Home Affairs to publicly list employers who it is considered pose a health and safety risk to working holiday-makers.

Further, the committee has commented on a new legislative instrument that removes an automatic exemption from the overseas travel ban for Australian citizens and permanent residents ordinarily resident in a country other than Australia. While this measure may promote the rights to life and health as intended to help control the spread of COVID-19, it may also limit the rights to freedom of movement, privacy, equality and non-discrimination. The committee is seeking further information to assess the human rights compatibility of this measure. I encourage all parliamentarians to carefully consider the committee's analysis. With these comments, I commend this report to the chamber.