George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Minister for the Arts and Sport) Share this | Hansard source

I withdraw. It does not seem very parliamentary either to accuse the government of having something to hide simply because it does not agree with an amendment. Let me explain the government’s position to the senator. As stated in 41(1) and 41(2) of the bill, the function of the advisory board will be to advise the education minister about matters related to the making of grants of financial assistance to eligible higher education institutions in relation to capital expenditure and/or research facilities. The government has made it clear that the higher education sector will have a genuine opportunity to engage in the development of this new funding program. This will ensure that the advisory board can make recommendations to the education minister on the basis of sound advice and sector participation.

Further, the government does not accept the need for amendments to the provisions of the bill relating to the issues of program guidelines. It is unnecessary for this level of detail to be prescribed in legislation. This is not an unusual situation. The government has many successful, robust grants programs that do not have their guidelines in legislation. It is an entirely appropriate mechanism, along with the requirements of the Financial Management and Accountability Act, to safeguard against the inappropriate allocation of grants.

Question negatived.