Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Rice, thank you for those observations. Let me say that in this place there are a range of ways in which legislation is brought to the parliament in either chamber—a range of ways. Government selects, according to the nature of the legislation and the approach government wants to take, how they do that. In some cases there will be large public exposure draft processes and in some cases there will not, but that is a matter which is for government. The approach that the government has taken in this context is obviously the one that is before us.

Following the introduction of the bill, as I indicated in the chamber yesterday, there were, I think, 60 consultations through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Prior to the committee hearings, I understand that the office of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate was briefed on the bill as part of that process. I would have to say to the chamber that I think this government is actually very constructive with briefing engagement with the opposition in a way, in fact, that I did not experience in my time as a shadow minister in this place—not even close. I do think we try to be constructive and, indeed, very forthcoming with briefings as they are requested by senators, including yourself. If I may say, Senator Rice, in the brief time since you've held this portfolio briefings have been offered by government to the opposition in relation to key matters in my portfolio.

You asked for an indication of stakeholder engagement in the discussion of the legislation, Senator. In conferring with officials, I can advise you that consultations and discussions have taken place, largely by video conference, in the context of COVID-19, as follows in no particular order: with the South Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet on 27 August, with the Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet and Department of State Growth on 27 August, and with the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet and Treasury on 28 August. There have been consultations and discussions on 31 August with the Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet and with Trade and Investment Queensland; on 2 September with WA's Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation; on 2 September with Global Victoria; on 10 September with the Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade and Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet; on 14 September with the Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet; and on 17 September with the Western Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet and with WA Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation for a second time.

On 17 September we met with the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet; on 23 September we met again with both the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet and the New South Wales Treasury; and on 6 October we met for a second time with the South Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet. On 12 October we met with the Senior Officials Trade and Investment Group, which I understand to be a group of officials from the ACT, Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australian and Victorian governments who are senior office holders in their portfolio area of trade and investment. On 5 November we met again with the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet.

In relation to local government, we met on 28 August with the Local Government Association of Queensland; on 31 August with Local Government NSW; on 3 September with the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory; on 4 September with the Australian Local Government Association; on 9 September with the Local Government Association of Tasmania; and on 11 September with the Darwin City Council. On 15 September we met again with Local Government NSW; on 13 September we met with the Alice Springs Town Council; on 14 September we met with the City of Perth; and on 18 September we met again with the Local Government Association of Queensland.

In relation to universities, we met on 1 September with the Australian National University; on 4 September with Universities Australia and the Group of Eight; on 7 September with the Australian Technology Network of Universities, the ATN; on 16 September with the Universities Australia board, which included representatives of the UA executive, the University of Queensland, La Trobe University, Edith Cowan University, the University of New South Wales, the University of South Australia, the Australian National University, the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Southern Queensland. Also on 16 September we met again with the Group of Eight. That included the Group of Eight executive and representatives of the University of Adelaide, the University of Melbourne, Monash University, the Australian National University, the University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia, the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney. On 17 September we met with the Innovative Research Universities group. That included the executive of the Innovative Research Universities group plus Griffith University, James Cook University, Western Sydney University, Charles Darwin University, La Trobe University, Murdoch University and Flinders University. On 25 September we met again with the executive of the Australian Technology Network of Universities and, secondly—also on 25 September—we met again with the ATN executive and the University of Technology Sydney, the RMIT University, the University of South Australia and Curtin University.

On 28 September we met with the University Foreign Interference Taskforce steering group, the UFIT steering group. That meeting included the UFIT, RMIT University, the University of Newcastle, the University of Queensland, La Trobe University and the Australian National University. On 30 September we met again with Universities Australia. That meeting included the executive of UA and also the University of Queensland. On 1 October we met with the Innovative Research Universities group again. The group on that occasion—I'm just trying to see if there is a difference between the universities that were included on that occasion and the 17 September group, but I don't think that there is—was the same group that met on 17 September.

There were meetings on 7 October, again, with Universities Australia, on 9 October, again, with the Australian Technology Network of Universities executive and on 15 October with the New South Wales Vice-Chancellor's Committee. That last meeting included the executive of the New South Wales VCC, the Australian Catholic University, the Australian National University, Charles Sturt University, Macquarie University, Southern Cross University, the University of New South Wales, the University of Wollongong, the University of Canberra, the University of New England, the University of Newcastle, the University of Sydney, the University of Technology, Sydney and the Western Sydney University.

On 23 November, Minister Tehan and I met with Universities Australia and with the Group of Eight and, as I mentioned yesterday, Professor George Williams also attended that meeting. On 16 September, the DFAT peak business body group was also engaged in consultation on this matter. That included AusIMM, the Australia China Business Council, the Ai Group, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, the Australian Services Roundtable, the Business Council of Australia, Citi Australia, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Minerals Council of Australia, the National Farmers Federation, the Export Council of Australia, the Australian Fresh Produce Alliance, the Australian Food and Grocery Council, and Austmine.

Those consultations obviously have been broad and far ranging in terms of the issues on which DFAT has engaged. They have included: the draft rules, which, as you know, have been loaded onto DFAT's website; the information that is to be included in notices; the nature and form of the public register and what that will include; and exemption arrangements as part of those discussions.