Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

As a servant to the people of Queensland and Australia, I speak today on the Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 1) Bill 2021. The real problem this legislation claims to address is not COVID. The problem is the government's restrictions and the government's lack of a comprehensive plan for managing COVID. State and federal government restrictions and lack of a plan are causing enormous uncertainty. The exemptions and reporting rules that were rushed through parliament last year are a mess that this legislation is trying to correct. One Nation requested and received amendments to ensure the bill is reviewed promptly. If that review is not properly conducted then the provisions will sunset. They'll end.

Schedule 1 of the bill in its original form contained measures to legalise the most egregious behaviour by arrogant corporations seeking to avoid scrutiny by shareholders. Annual general meetings are where shareholders encourage the directors to make better decisions for the good of the company. It seemed that this government needed to be reminded of the most basic rule of proprietary companies: directors work for the shareholders, not the other way round. It appears the government did get that message. This bill now sunsets on 31 March 2022. From 1 April next year, new legislation will replace these temporary measures. The replacement legislation is the Corporations Amendment (Virtual. Meetings and Electronic Communications) Bill 2020. Having reviewed that legislation, it does appear to address the concerns One Nation had. The government is, however, on notice to bring that bill on as circulated. The other measures in schedule 1 around electronic filing of documents are long overdue and we support them. One Nation will be supporting schedules 1 and 2 as amended.