Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I move opposition amendment (8) on sheet 5307:

(8)    Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (after line 5), after subsection 5DC(9), insert:

Presentation of report to Parliament

     (9A)    The Minister must cause the whole of a report presented to him or her in accordance with this section to be tabled in each House of the Parliament within 5 sitting days of that House after receiving the report.

This refers to section 5DC of the bill, which provides the minister with the power to order the regulator to conduct an investigation into matters listed in 5DC(2). There is no requirement for the minister to make such a report public, despite the fact that the minister can only request such an investigation if the minister has already determined that it is in the public interest to do so. In those circumstances, given that it is a public interest investigation, this amendment would require the minister to table such a report in the parliament within five sitting days. Simply put, if a public interest investigation is, in the view of the minister, required then it goes without saying that the minister ought to report to parliament the fact that such a request has been made and that the report on such a request be made public. I commend the amendment to the Senate.