Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

As Senator Murray has just indicated, the main concern the Greens have had with the repeal bill before us is precisely that it does not deal with the Dawson reforms and the strengthening of section 46 of the Trade Practices Act. We do not know when the government intends to deal with those matters. We are just being asked to take on good faith the fact that they will be dealt with in a timely manner. If you were a cynic you could suggest that this amendment has been brought forward so that the government and the opposition can shelve this issue because they do not want to be forced to a division on the third reading. I am described at times as being cynical, but one could assume that.

Just this week we were reminded again of the government’s promise that within 100 days of a coalition government being elected a mandatory code of conduct would be introduced for the retail grocery trade. What has happened? We are two years into the government’s term and the 100-day promise seems to have been forgotten. The Prime Minister has done a triple backflip with pike on this issue. We simply do not know what they are going to do on the matter. I am disinclined to support a proposition that says: ‘Let’s get together as the opposition and the government and shelve this until March next year, until the heat goes out of it. Let’s just leave it until we get into an election year and see how the cookie crumbles and what people are saying about it. Let’s see how the oil companies and the independents have reacted to it and then decide how far we’ll go with the trade practices reform.’

We do not know what is contained in the bills and what is being proposed. I am not inclined to take the government at its word on this. For that reason—unless the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Minchin, can stand up and give us a watertight guarantee that this matter will be dealt with and will come before this chamber before the said date, which is 1 March 2007—I am not prepared to support the amendment. It could be seen as a cynical ploy to quieten down this issue until the government repositions and decides what to do and how far to go on section 46 in an election year. On that basis I will be very interested to hear exactly what the government is proposing and to hear an undertaking that it will definitely come before the chamber before 1 March next year. Otherwise, I am disinclined to support the amendment.