Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move amendments to the Emergency Response Fund Bill 2019 on sheet 8789 together:

(1) Clause 14, page 13 (line 8), after "28", insert "or 28A".

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(2) Clause 14, page 13 (line 13), after "32", insert "or 32A".

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(3) Clause 20, page 18 (after line 29), after subclause (1), insert:

(1A) The Emergency Management Minister may, on behalf of the Commonwealth:

(a) make an arrangement with; or

(b) make a grant of financial assistance to;

a person or body for:

(c) the carrying out of a project that is directed towards achieving any or all of the following:

  (i) resilience to a future natural disaster that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly);

  (ii) preparedness for a future natural disaster that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly);

  (iii) reduction of the risk of a future natural disaster that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly);

  (iv) the long-term sustainability of a community or communities in an area that is at risk of being affected (whether directly or indirectly) by a future natural disaster; or

(d) the provision of a service that is directed towards achieving any or all of the following:

  (i) resilience to a future natural disaster that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly);

  (ii) preparedness for a future natural disaster that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly);

  (iii) reduction of the risk of a future natural disaster that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly);

  (iv) the long-term sustainability of a community or communities in an area that is at risk of being affected (whether directly or indirectly) by a future natural disaster; or

(e) the adoption of technology that is directed towards achieving any or all of the following:

  (i) resilience to a future natural disaster that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly);

  (ii) preparedness for a future natural disaster that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly);

  (iii) reduction of the risk of a future natural disaster that could affect an area (whether directly or indirectly);

  (iv) the long-term sustainability of a community or communities in an area that is at risk of being affected (whether directly or indirectly) by a future natural disaster; or

(f) a matter that is incidental or ancillary to a matter mentioned in paragraph (c), (d) or (e).

Note: See also section 24 (constitutional limits).

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(4) Clause 20, page 18 (line 30), after "(1)", insert "or (1A)".

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(5) Clause 20, page 19 (line 1), after "(1)", insert "or (1A)".

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(6) Clause 20, page 19 (line 3), after "(1)", insert "or (1A)".

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(7) Clause 20, page 19 (line 4), omit "Subsection (1) does not", substitute "Subsections (1) and (1A) do not".

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(8) Heading to clause 28, page 24 (line 18), at the end of the heading, add "—general".

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(9) Clause 28, page 24 (line 22), omit "section 20", substitute "subsection 20(1)".

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(10) Clause 28, page 25 (line 3), omit "section 20", substitute "subsection 20(1)".

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(11) Clause 28, page 25 (line 9), omit "section 20", substitute "subsection 20(1)".

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(12) Clause 28, page 25 (line 20), omit "section 20", substitute "subsection 20(1)".

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(13) Clause 28, page 25 (line 31), omit "section 34", substitute "subsection 34(1)".

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(14) Page 26 (after line 9), after clause 28, insert:

28A Transfers from the Emergency Response Fund Special Account to the Home Affairs Emergency Response Fund Special Account—resilience etc.

Amounts payable under arrangements

(1) If:

(a) one or more arrangements have been, or will be, made under subsection 20(1A); and

(b) the Emergency Management Minister is satisfied that one or more amounts (the committed amounts) will become payable by the Commonwealth during a financial year under those arrangements;

the Emergency Management Minister may, during the financial year, request the Finance Minister to transfer a specified amount (which must equal the total of the committed amounts) from the Emergency Response Fund Special Account to the Home Affairs Emergency Response Fund Special Account.

(2) The Emergency Management Minister must not make more than one request under subsection (1) in relation to a particular amount that will become payable by the Commonwealth under a subsection 20(1A) arrangement.

(3) To avoid doubt, the Emergency Management Minister may make 2 or more requests under subsection (1) during a financial year.

Grants

(4) If the Emergency Management Minister decides that one or more grants should be made under subsection 20(1A) during a financial year to persons other than a State or Territory, the Emergency Management Minister may, during the financial year, request the Finance Minister to transfer a specified amount (which must equal the total amount of the grants) from the Emergency Response Fund Special Account to the Home Affairs Emergency Response Fund Special Account.

Note: For a grant to a State or Territory, see section 32A (channelling State/Territory grants through the COAG Reform Fund).

(5) The Emergency Management Minister must not make more than one request under subsection (4) in relation to a particular subsection 20(1A) grant.

(6) To avoid doubt, the Emergency Management Minister may make 2 or more requests under subsection (4) during a financial year.

Transfer

(7) If:

(a) during a financial year, the Emergency Management Minister requests the Finance Minister under subsection (1) or (4) to transfer an amount from the Emergency Response Fund Special Account to the Home Affairs Emergency Response Fund Special Account; and

(b) the Finance Minister is satisfied that the transfer will not contravene subsection 34(2) (annual limit);

the Finance Minister must, in writing, direct that a specified amount (which must equal the requested amount) is to be:

(c) debited from the Emergency Response Fund Special Account; and

(d) credited to the Home Affairs Emergency Response Fund Special Account;

on a specified day during the financial year.

(8) A direction under subsection (7) is not a legislative instrument.

(9) The Finance Minister must give a copy of a direction under subsection (7) to the Treasurer and the Emergency Management Minister.

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(15) Heading to clause 32, page 28 (line 4), at the end of the heading, add "—general".

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(16) Clause 32, page 28 (line 7), omit "section 20", substitute "subsection 20(1)".

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(17) Clause 32, page 28 (line 17), omit "section 34", substitute "subsection 34(1)".

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(18) Page 28 (after line 24), after clause 32, insert:

32A Channelling State/Territory grants through the COAG Reform Fund—resilience etc.

(1) If the Emergency Management Minister decides that a grant of financial assistance should be made to a State or Territory under subsection 20(1A), the Emergency Management Minister must, by writing, direct that, on a specified day, a specified amount (which must equal the amount of the grant) is to be:

(a) debited from the Emergency Response Fund Special Account; and

(b) credited to the COAG Reform Fund.

(2) The direction must be expressed to be given in order to enable the amount to be debited from the COAG Reform Fund for the purpose of making the grant.

(3) The Emergency Management Minister must not give a direction under subsection (1) if doing so would contravene subsection 34(2) (annual limit).

(4) Two or more directions under subsection (1) may be set out in the same document.

(5) A direction under subsection (1) is not a legislative instrument.

(6) The Emergency Management Minister must give a copy of a direction under subsection (1) to the Treasurer and the Finance Minister.

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(19) Clause 33, page 28 (line 26), after "paragraph 32(1) (b)", insert "or 32A(1) (b)".

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(20) Clause 34, page 30 (line 5), before "The total", insert "(1)".

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(21) Clause 34, page 30 (after line 7), at the end of the clause, add:

(2) The total amount debited from the Emergency Response Fund Special Account under sections 28A and 32A during a financial year must not exceed $50 million.

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(22) Clause 36, page 31 (line 17), omit "28 and 32", substitute "28, 28A, 32 and 32A".

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(23) Clause 59, page 44 (line 8), omit "or 28", substitute ", 28 or 28A".

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(24) Clause 61, page 45 (line 27), omit "28, 31 or 32", substitute "28, 28A, 31, 32 or 32A".

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(25) Clause 63, page 46 (line 22), omit "limit", substitute "limits".

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Just very briefly, I did indicate in my speech in the second reading debate that we would be moving these amendments. I won't go over old ground, other than to say that these amendments arise from commitments we have secured from the government to increase the quantum of the Emergency Response Fund, moving it from distributing up to $150 million per annum to distributing $200 million per annum, with that extra $50 million being dedicated to disaster preparedness and mitigation infrastructure, something that we and many other stakeholders support. I thank the government for its cooperation.