Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move government amendments (17) and (18) on sheet BR280 together:

(17)  Clause 24, page 21 (line 18), after “Communications Minister”, insert “and the Finance Minister”.

(18)  Clause 24, page 22 (lines 9 and 10), omit subclause (4).

Subclause 24(1) of the companies bill provides that the communications minister may, in writing, set up the functional separation principles that apply in regard to the manner in which the functional separation of an NBN corporation is to be achieved and maintained. Amendment (17) inserts the words ‘and the finance minister’ after ‘communications minister’ in subclause 21(4) of the companies bill. The purpose of this amendment is simply to require both shareholder ministers to jointly make such a determination. This is consistent with clause 25 of the bill, which requires both ministers to make a functional separation requirements determination that reflects the joint shareholder responsibility of the ministers for NBN Co. Amendment (18) is a minor technical consequential change.