Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I understand that, pursuant to an order agreed by the Senate, I have been asked to attend the chamber in relation to a number of government responses to Senate Environment and Communications References Committee reports tabled across a period of time. This order notes the approach—since 1973, it says—that government responses to committee reports seek to be tabled or be tabled within three months of a report being finalised. I note that there has probably been a wide variation in terms of the handling of that since 1973, whether it be Labor or Liberal governments' compliance with that. I note that in that time frame there would be many such committee reports that have lapsed in different ways in terms of their relevance as a result of the passage of time and other matters along the way, and of course I'm pretty confident that the volume of committee reports being made by the Senate is probably much greater today in 2022, and in recent years, than it was back in 1973.

Nonetheless, I can advise the Senate in relation to some of the reports that have been identified in the motion passed by the Senate that work has been underway to respond to those reports. The government responses to the National Landcare Program and to the regulation of the finfish aquaculture industry in Tasmania are indeed being tabled today. And I'm sure that there will no doubt be a sense of interest from senators in relation to their contributions on Landcare—an important and very much valued program across Australia. Landcare is a program that our government has very strongly, passionately and enthusiastically supported in a range of different ways, and the finfish aquaculture industry in Tasmania is a sector that I imagine my colleague Senator Duniam is much better placed to address the merits and challenges of than I am, necessarily.

And, yes, I am certain that Senator Whish-Wilson will have much to say on a matter such as that. So I'm sure those government responses on those two matters are no doubt going to be eagerly anticipated by the Senate and, of course, I'm sure they will add enormous value to the debate in relation to such matters. But I know that, no doubt, when I conclude speaking there will be a rather predictable take note motion that will be moved and there will be a degree of faux outrage that will come.