James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The speech read as follows—

The Education and Training Legislation Repeal Bill 2017 continues the Australian Government's effort to tidy up the Commonwealth's statute book with the repeal of four spent and redundant Commonwealth Acts within the Education and Training portfolio.

The four Acts being repealed are:

Australian Research Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2001

Australian Technical Colleges (Flexibility in Achieving Australia's Skills Needs) Act 2005

Skilling Australia's Workforce Act 2005

Skilling Australia's Workforce (Repeal and Transitional Provisions) Act 2005

The Australian Research Council (or ARC) invests in excellent fundamental and applied research that helps improve the quality of people's lives, supports Australian industries and businesses and ensures our nation remains at the cutting edge of research, innovation and global competitiveness.

However, the Australian Research Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2001, which the Bill repeals, is no longer relevant to the ARC because its primary legislative purpose is obsolete and non-operational.

The Government's investment through the ARC is significant in a wide variety of fundamental and applied research projects, growing Australia's research capacity and infrastructure.

On the 5 June 2017, the Government announced 120 new research projects across Australia with $170.6 million to tackle problems from fire safety to the country's ageing population, literacy and numeracy levels in school kids and coral reef conservation.

The Australian Technical Colleges (Flexibility in Achieving Australia's Skills Needs) Act 2005 established Australian Technical Colleges to enable Year 11 and 12 students to undertake a School-based New Apprenticeship and to undertake academic studies leading to successful completion of the Year 12 Certificate which would complement their trade training.

By the end of 2009, these colleges had been integrated into the broader education and training system of jurisdictions and the Act is now redundant.

The Skilling Australia's Workforce Act 2005 governed financial grants to the states and territories to support the national training system for the years from 2005 to 2008.

As a vehicle for payments it has been superseded. Since 2009, payments have been made under the Federal Financial Relations Act 2009 via the National Agreements for Skills and Workforce Development.

The Bill also repeals the Skilling Australia's Workforce (Repeal and Transitional Provisions) Act 2005 which effected the winding up of the Australian National Training Authority and the transfer of its functions to the then Department of Education, Science and Training more than a decade ago.

Each of the Acts being repealed has served its purpose and is now obsolete. Users of Commonwealth legislation should not have to sift through outdated, unnecessary regulations to determine whether they still apply.

Allowing spent and redundant acts or provisions to remain in force on the Commonwealth's statute book only makes it harder for businesses, community organisations, and individuals to find the regulations that are current and that matter to them.

Proper housekeeping is part of every government's responsibility to ensure that the legislation on the statute book continues to remain 'fit for purpose'.

Bills like this demonstrate this Government's continuing commitment to make steady and consistent progress to reduce red tape by repealing redundant and unnecessary legislation that has outlived its purpose.

I commend the Bill.