Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

We had the interesting spectacle today of Senator Cormann, who I notice is not handling this legislation, tabling a copy of a letter from Mr Morrison and Mr Joyce, co-signed by the Leader of the Australian Greens—and I see Senator Cormann has now arrived in the chamber. It is an interesting proposition because the government constantly rail against the Greens as being economic vandals and irresponsible and anti jobs. Witness Senator Brandis in question time today having a real go at Senator Waters about her question. These are the very people the government are doing a deal with when it comes to economic policy. Let us be very clear about what they have done a deal on. They have done a deal on a set of propositions that have been roundly condemned by the business community—the Business Council, ACCI, AiG—and a range of groups, including the Australian Food and Grocery Council and I think I saw one of the paper industry groups today also supporting the position Labor have taken on this.

Despite the government's rhetoric about the Greens being anti jobs—and really you cannot go through a question time in this place without listening to that particular lecture—we have seen that they are happy to sit down and do a deal with the Greens. Senator Whish-Wilson is grinning at me. I am not sure whether he is happy about the fact that the government are now welcoming the Greens into their arms, welcoming the Greens to the government's economic policy fold, or whether he is uncertain about it. But certainly what we have seen today is an alliance between the Greens and the Liberal Party when it comes to the economic direction of the government.

So every time we hear Mr Morrison, or Senator Brandis in this place, tell everybody how the Greens are anti jobs, let us remember that the government have done a deal with the Greens in this lovely little co-signed letter I have here, that makes clear that their anti-jobs and anti-investment policy as set out in this bill, which has been roundly criticised by the business community, is being achieved with the support of the Australian Greens.

The point that we need to be clear about in terms of this deal is that, under the terms of the agreement with the Australian Greens, investors into this nation will be subject to a register of unknown application and unknown design. It is also clear that more red tape is coming because the government have committed to ongoing review and changes down the track. Not only do we have an agreement between the Greens and the government on this economic policy—a policy that is opposed by the business community and which has no public policy rationale; we also have a promise for more red tape and a promise for more uncertainty. The register which is the subject of the deal is of unknown application and unknown design.

It would be interesting to know from the minister whether or not these arrangements, or what he says is the register of foreign ownership of water entitlements, will extend to and if he can provide further detail of that policy which has just been announced. Further, what does Mr Morrison mean when he says that there will be a process for developing an implementation approach involving full public consultation? And, further, what does he say is meant by: 'Once the proposed register has been implemented and data is available on the level of foreign ownership of water entitlements in Australia, the government commits to undertake a review of the treatment of water under the foreign investment review framework'?