Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Prime Minister for Social Inclusion) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The government notes the additional mechanisms included in Senate motion No. 375 aimed at minimising the likely commercial harm previously identified by the government under the order of the Senate No. 27 of 4 February 2009. However, the government continues to believe that the provision of the proprietary model code and data related to the modelling conducted for Australia’s low pollution future: the economics of climate change mitigation would cause commercial harm to organisations that were contracted to assist Treasury.

The Centre for Global Trade Analysis provides the global trade analysis project database from which the database for the global trade and environment model—the GTEM—has been derived. Disclosure of the GTEM database by the Australian government to a third party would have the effect of disclosing a substantial portion of the private, confidential information of the Centre for Global Trade Analysis. The government notes the correspondence between Purdue University and the Senate Select Committee on Fuel and Energy in which Purdue University identifies that if the committee, or its consultant, would like access to the database they would be required to purchase a licence. The Senate order does not identify if such a purchase has occurred. If the government were to provide proprietary data to the committee this would directly deprive Purdue University of funding. In addition, the committee, or its consultants, by purchasing a licence would be directly liable for all confidentiality clauses contained in the GTAP data licence.

In the case of the Monash multiregional forecasting model, the MMRF model, provision of the model codes and database could cause substantial commercial harm to Monash University—in particular, to the Centre of Policy Studies at that university. The model codes and databases for this model are the private, confidential information of that organisation. They are sold as a commercial product by Monash University. The government notes the correspondence between Monash University and the Senate Select Committee on Fuel and Energy which discusses the possibility of making unspecified arrangements with regard to a suitable confidentially and non-disclosure deed. The Senate order does not identify if these arrangements have been put in place and agreed with Monash University. In addition, the correspondence does not identify if all financial considerations of Monash University have been resolved. If the government were to provide the proprietary model code and data to the committee, this could directly deprive Monash University of funding. Until these serious matters of commercial harm are resolved to the documented satisfaction of the external consultants, the government will not consider this matter further.