Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I present reports from committees as shown at item 17 of today's Order of Business and a report of the Community Affairs Legislation Committee on the provisions of the Health Legislation (Medicare Compliance and Other Measures) Bill 2021, together with accompanying documents. I seek leave to incorporate tabling statements relating to the various reports in the Hansard.

Leave granted.

The documents read as follows—

Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity

Exam ination of the Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner 2020-21

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, I present the committee's report on its examination of the Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner 2020-21.

This is the first report I present to the Senate as Chair of the Committee. I thank the members of the committee for placing their trust in me, by electing me to the Chair.

I also thank Senator Paul Scarr, the pervious Chair, for all his great work and leadership.

The committee is of the view that the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity-also known as ACLEI- has performed satisfactorily against its revised performance framework in 2020-21.

The committee acknowledges the improved operational and investigative results achieved by ACLEI during the year. This committee was particularly interested in understanding how ACLEI managed its jurisdictional expansion, which occurred on 1 January 2021.

The committee notes that ACLEI and the expansion agencies have formed productive working relationships and appreciates that their work together is ongoing.

The committee further notes that ACLEI is presently focused on: undertaking investigations and reporting in a timely manner; prioritising matters of serious and systemic corrupt conduct; maintaining a sustainable workload; and ensuring it is as transparent as possible.

The committee acknowledges that ACLEI is increasingly seeking to share its corruption findings and making a valuable contribution to corruption prevention in the broader Commonwealth public service.

During the committee's public hearing to examine the ACLEI annual report, the committee inquired into ACLEl's organisational structure. Specifically, the acting arrangements that are in place when the Integrity Commissioner is unavailable.

The committee found that although one of three officials from other Commonwealth integrity agencies can act for the Integrity Commissioner when needed, no deputy from within ACLEI can be called upon.

As ACLEI and its jurisdiction have expanded considerably, the committee recommends that consideration should be given to establishing a Deputy Integrity Commissioner position within the agency for its ongoing sustainability. The committee's report contains one recommendation to this effect.

I extend my thanks to all the members of the committee for their contributions, and I especially thank the Deputy Chair for all her support.

I also thank the Secretary and all those that assisted the committee in its important work.

The committee looks forward to continuing its examination of ACLEl's work in the next Parliament.

Senator McLachlan

Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

First p eriodic p eport on Human Rights

Final report into certain aspects of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Annual Report 2019-20

Mr President, it is my pleasure as the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade to present the Committee's First periodic report on Human Rights - the final outcome of the inquiry into certain aspects of the DFAT Annual Report 2019-20.

During this parliament, the Joint Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade has conducted three human rights-related inquiries, which has led to the adoption of Magntisky-style legislation in Australia and recommended actions that will protect the rights of women and girls in the Pacific, and assist in the elimination of child and forced marriage.

The Committee, through its Human Rights Sub-Committee, has a longstanding commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, and to ensuring that the voices of the most marginalised and persecuted populations can be heard.

To ensure that attention continues to be given to causes of such dire need, and egregious crime, the Committee has resolved to hold a public hearing roundtable on an annual basis, focused on a particular area of human rights, as part of its inquiry into the annual report of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in addition to numerous briefings the Committee receives on topical human rights issues.

Furthermore, the Committee has until now not published a general report on human rights, nor had a formal process of informing the Parliament and the Australian people of the range of matters considered by the Committee. This report is intended to be used as a precedent for future periodic reports to the Parliament about human rights matters.

The Committee remains gravely concerned by the evidence it heard at the public roundtable concerning the human rights situation in Ethiopia. It urges all parties to the conflict to exercise any and all measures to halt the grave human rights abuses that are currently being inflicted on the Ethiopian people.

While their may be little that Australia can do to materially improve the situation on the ground, we, nevertheless, have recommended that the Australian Government advocate through all available channels and measures for the restoration of peace in Tigray, and consider increasing its humanitarian assistance to respond to that crisis.

More broadly, the Committee remains concerned about the widespread prevalence of gross human rights violations and suppression of fundamental freedoms in many countries (for example Myanmar - as explored by the Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee) particularly the scale of violations against the people of Hong Kong, in the Xinjiang Province, and the prevalence of foreign interference in our own country.

Finally, I'd like to thank all submitters and those who appeared before the committee in public hearings for their contributions. I'd also like to thank the Committee secretariat, the entire Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, and in particular I'd like to thank and acknowledge Mr Kevin Andrews.

Kevin has made an enormous contribution to this Parliament, serving in various Ministerial roles, including as Minister for Defence, and representing the people of Menzies. His experience, sage advice, and considered input has been greatly valued by the members of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, particularly in his position as Human Rights Sub-Committee Chair. On behalf of the Committee, I wish him and his wife, Margie, all the best in retirement.

Mr President, I commend the report to the Senate.

Senator Fawcett

Chair

Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

Strengthening Australia's r elationships in the Pacific

Mr President, it is my pleasure as the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade to present the Committee's report on Strengthening Australia's relationships in the Pacific.

Australia's relationships with the nations of the Pacific are of enduring importance. The people of Australia and those in our Pacific family share a long history, grounded in common interests and values, and have enjoyed the fruits of peaceful, productive engagement and mutual assistance.

At a time of intensifying geopolitical competition and growing global challenges, strengthening Australia's relationships with our neighbours in the Pacific islands has assumed a new importance and urgency.

Strengthening relationships with our Pacific family will enable Australia and its Pacific neighbours to overcome challenges together.

During this inquiry, the Committee examined the effectiveness of Australian initiatives in the region, such as the Pacific Step-up program, as well as identified ways to improve Australia's engagement with its Pacific Island neighbours.

This report aims to highlight potential pathways Australia can take to strengthen its engagement with the Pacific islands.

The Committee made seven recommendations, including:

Finally, I'd like to thank all submitters and those who appeared before the committee in public hearings for their contributions. I'd also like to thank the Committee secretariat, the entire Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, and in particular I'd like to thank and acknowledge Mr Dave Sharma, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee.

Mr President, I commend the report to the Senate.

Senator Fawcett

Chair

Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

Expandi ng the membership of the comprehensive and progressive trans-pacific partnership

Mr President, it is my pleasure as the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade to present the Committee's report on Expanding the membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the CPTPP, is an agreement between 11 economies, including Australia. The subject of the committee's inquiry was the agreement's expansion-that is, the case for new members to accede to the agreement. Sixty-eight submissions and eight public hearings later, the committee deliberated, and today I am delighted to be tabling a report that received bipartisan support in the joint standing committee.

The starting point is to recognise that the CPTPP is one of the world's most comprehensive free trade agreements. It follows, therefore, that the CPTPP's quality must be maintained. Indeed, it should be open for new members, but that welcome should not be unconditional. Put differently, the only aspiring economies that should be considered are those that (1) support an open, transparent and stable trading environment; (2) demonstrate an ability and willingness to meet the agreement's high standards; and (3) offer export potential through enhanced market access.

Tackling the question of future CPTPP members isn't an academic exercise. Indeed, the United Kingdom is well into the accession process as the first aspiring economy to formally request to join the agreement. As the committee has recognised, that process that the UK is undergoing should be leveraged as a template for other future aspiring economies. There are also lessons to be learnt from the UK experience. These are, firstly, the benefits that accrue from negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement with a trading partner while concurrently helping facilitate that same partner's accession to the CPTPP; secondly, the importance of government-to-government engagement during the accession process, including at the ministerial level; and, thirdly, the value of clear guidance on the accession process, including the various gates-the various stages-of the deal.

When it came to the question of the UK's accession, the committee recommended that the Australian government work with its other CPTPP members to encourage and facilitate the UK's accession to the agreement. We made a similar recommendation on encouraging and facilitating the accession of South Korea, noting that South Korea is at a far earlier stage in the process than the UK, as it's only now in the midst of formalising its request to join the CPTPP.

Taiwan, on the other hand, formalised its request to join the CPTPP some time ago. The committee's recommendation on Taiwan was that the Australian government work with other CPTPP members to encourage and facilitate its accession to the agreement. We also went one step further with respect to Taiwan. Australia does not have a bilateral free trade agreement with Taiwan. Noting the benefits that accrued from negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement with the United Kingdom while also supporting its accession to the CPTPP, the committee has recommended to the Australian government that it also consider adopting a similar approach with Taiwan-that is, negotiating a bilateral Taiwan-Australia free trade agreement while, concurrently, encouraging and facilitating its accession to the CPTPP.

The Committee recommended that the Australian government work with other CPTPP members to encourage China to re-establish full trading relations, ending its coercive trade measures and re-engaging in ministerial dialogue, and demonstrate an ability and willingness to commit to the CPTPP's high standards prior to supporting the commencement of an accession process.

On other economies which have expressed an interest in the CPTPP without formalising a request to join, including Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, the committee recommended that the Australian government work with other CPTPP members to encourage ongoing informal discussions with these economies.

Lastly, the committee also made a recommendation with respect to the United States, which was central to negotiations on the agreement before it withdrew. The committee recommended that the Australian government work with other CPTPP members to encourage the United States to renew its interest in the agreement.

In closing, I thank the diplomatic representatives of the United Kingdom, China, and Taiwan for their submissions. I also thank all submitters and those who appeared before the committee in public hearings. I thank the committee secretariat; and the Chair of the Trade Sub-Committee, Mr Ted O'Brien.

Finally, I thank all members of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, from both this side of the aisle, for their cooperation which led to the report I tabled today.

Mr President, I commend the report to the Senate.

Senator Fawcett

Chair