Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Siewert is right: the bill does combine the Gene Technology Ethics Committee and the Gene Technology Community Consultative Committee into one advisory committee. The review recommended the amalgamation of the two committees to increase efficiency by reducing the overlap between the roles of the two existing committees. The experience has been that there is considerable overlap between the two committees. The review did not recommend that any changes be made to the eligibility for membership of the new committee from that of the existing committees. It is desirable that no limits on eligibility be imposed in order to ensure that a cross-section of the community is represented on the new committee. This will ensure that the committee performs its role more effectively and ensure public confidence in the committee and its role in the gene technology regulatory scheme.

The government believes that the amalgamation of the two committees is not a reduction in consultation, given that the review identified that their roles overlap. This remains a critical element to the regulatory scheme. Senator Siewert is quite right to point out that consultation is vital. In fact, the new committee will have an enhanced role with two new functions. The act requires extensive consultation before the minister may appoint members to the statutory committees. These consultation provisions will ensure that a good balance of interests is achieved.