Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move the amendment as circulated:

Omit all words after "That", substitute:

(1) Joint select committees be established, to be known as:

  (a) the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic Health Response; and

  (b) the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic Economic Response.

(2) The Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic Health Response inquire into and report on:

  (a) the measures taken by the Government to address the health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic;

  (b) the operation and administration of:

     (i) the National Cabinet;

     (ii) the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee;

     (iii) the Office of the Chief Medical Officer;

     (iv) other entities and individuals advising the above;

  (c) such other matters in relation to the Government's response to the health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as may be referred to it by either House of the Parliament; and

  (d) any related matters.

(3) The Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic Economic Response inquire into and report on:

  (a) the measures taken by the Government to address the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic;

  (b) the operation and administration of:

     (i) the National Cabinet;

     (ii) the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission;

     (iii) other entities and individuals advising the above;

  (c) such other matters in relation to the Government's response to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as may be referred to it by either House of the Parliament; and

  (d) any related matters.

(4) Each committee present an interim report by 31 May 2021.

(5) Each committee present its final report by the last sitting day in May 2022.

(6) Each committee consist of 11 members as follows:

  (a) 2 Members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Government Whip or Whips;

  (b) 2 Senators to be nominated by the Government Whip or Whips;

  (c) 2 Members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Opposition Whip or Whips;

  (d) 1 Senator to be nominated by the Opposition Whip or Whips;

  (e) 1 Member of the House of Representatives or Senator to be nominated by the Leader of the Australian Greens;

  (f) 2 Members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by any minority group or independent; and

  (g) 1 Senator to be nominated by any minority group or independent.

(7) In relation to the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic Health Response, members and senators appointed to the committee must be those with backgrounds in the following fields:

  (a) medicine;

  (b) nursing;

  (c) mental health;

  (d) health policy;

  (e) health administration;

  (f) public health;

  (g) allied health;

  (h) aged care;

  (i) disability services; and

  (j) science and research.

(8) If the House of the respective member to be appointed is not sitting and that House is not expected to meet for at least one week:

  (a) members may be appointed to or discharged from either committee by nomination in writing to the President and the Speaker, with such change in membership to take effect from the time either presiding officer receives the written notification; and

  (b) at the next sitting, the President and the Speaker shall report the change to their respective House.

(9) If the House of the respective member to be appointed is sitting, every nomination of a member of either committee be notified in writing to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(10) The members of each committee hold office as a joint select committee until the House of Representatives is dissolved or expires by effluxion of time.

(11) Each committee elect as chair an Opposition, minority group or independent member of either House.

(12) Each committee elect as deputy chair a Government member of either House.

(13) In relation to each committee, in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, shall have a casting vote.

(14) In relation to each committee, the deputy chair shall act as chair of the committee at any time when the chair is not present at a meeting of the committee, and at any time when the chair and deputy chair are not present at a meeting of the committee the members present shall elect another member to act as chair at that meeting.

(15) In relation to each committee, three members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House.

(16) Each committee:

  (a) have power to appoint subcommittees consisting of three or more of its members and to refer to any subcommittee any matter which the committee is empowered to examine; and

  (b) appoint the chair of each subcommittee who shall have a casting vote only.

(17) A subcommittee of either committee shall have at least one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House.

(18) At any time when the chair of a subcommittee of either committee is not present at a meeting of the subcommittee, the members of the subcommittee present shall elect another member of that subcommittee to act as chair at that meeting.

(19) Two members of a subcommittee of either committee constitute a quorum of that subcommittee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall comprise one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House;

(20) Members of a committee who are not members of a subcommittee may participate in the proceedings of that subcommittee but shall not vote, move any motion or be counted for the purpose of a quorum.

(21) Each committee or any subcommittee of that committee have power to:

  (a) call for witnesses to attend and for documents to be produced;

  (b) conduct proceedings at any place it sees fit;

  (c) sit in public or in private;

  (d) report from time to time; and

  (e) adjourn from time to time and sit during any adjournment of the House of Representatives and the Senate;

(22) The provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders; and

(23) A message be sent to the House of Representatives seeking its concurrence in this resolution.

Oversight and transparency are crucial. The fact that people are still being left behind by this government's package shows precisely why we need genuine and independent oversight.

The amendment that the Greens have circulated builds on work done by the House crossbench, including Leader of the Australian Greens, Adam Bandt. It's to establish two joint select committees. The reasons we believe we need joint committees rather than Senate committees are numerous. We need to be able to call the Prime Minister and ministers who sit in the House; there is otherwise no forum to properly hold those decision-makers to account. The Senate select committee that we will shortly be voting upon will not have the power to call those ministers or the Prime Minister, significantly hampering that committee's ability to perform an accountability and oversight role.

Likewise, there's a lot of expertise in the other place. They've got 151 members and we should use their expertise in public, health and economic matters—including the expertise of those on the crossbench. Likewise, we need to ensure that local areas are represented where they're hardest hit. A joint committee would show a collective approach to a collective challenge, and it would show that the government and the opposition are serious about accountability.

Under the model that was agreed to by the crossbench in the House and that was put in the public domain a week or so ago, which we've now circulated in this chamber, one committee would scrutinise the economic programs being developed and rolled out and a second would scrutinise the measures being taken to protect the nation's health. In normal times we rely on the parliamentary committee system to ensure that our laws are considered, are robust, are scrutinised and are amended where need be. In times of crisis, and with the parliament potentially suspended until August—unless we're otherwise called back, and we'll speak to that issue later—this is more important than ever. We need to be able to act fast. We need it to be done right. Those committees are a powerful way of ensuring that we can get it right.

It's disappointing that the two large parties have not agreed to the approach of two joint select committees, to separate those economic and health issues. But we don't intend to stand in the way of this motion. We flag that we will be nominating the excellent and exceedingly competent Senator Rachel Siewert, our whip, as our representative on this committee.