Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move amendments (1), (2) and (3) on sheet 2402 together:

(1) Schedule 3, item 6, page 35 (after line 12), after subsection 59(2), insert:

(2A) If the Minister makes such a request, the Minister must prepare a written statement setting out:

(a) the Minister's specific concerns with the rules that the Board gave to the Minister for approval; and

(b) details of the changes to the rules, if any, that the Minister requested.

(2B) The statement must be tabled in each House of the Parliament with the rules to which the statement relates.

Note: As approved rules are a legislative instrument, they are tabled in each House of the Parliament under section 38 of the Legislation Act 2003.

(2) Schedule 3, item 6, page 35 (after line 26), after subsection 60(3), insert:

(3A) If the Minister makes such a request, the Minister must prepare a written statement setting out:

(a) the Minister's specific concerns with the proposed variation that the Board gave to the Minister for approval; and

(b) details of the changes to the proposed variation, if any, that the Minister requested.

(3B) The statement must be tabled in each House of the Parliament with the variation to which the statement relates.

Note: As approved variations are a legislative instrument, they are tabled in each House of the Parliament under section 38 of the Legislation Act 2003.

(3) Schedule 4, item 2, page 40 (before line 18), before paragraph 65A(d), insert:

(cb) include copies of any written statements prepared under subsections 59(2A) and 60(3A) in that period; and

These amendments require the minister to table a statement of their specific concerns in any requested changes to ARC funding rules that are prepared by the board. This amendment also requires the ARC to include copies of these statements in its annual reports as well. The bill provides that the board prepares the funding rules for ARC grants and that the ARC board must comply with any written request from the minister to provide revised rules to take account of the minister's specific concerns.

This amendment really is a very basic transparency measure that is not currently in place to make sure that the minister's written request for revisions and funding rules is made public. Again, this is quite a basic, bare minimum expectation. Especially given the history of political interference in ARC funding decisions, the research community and the public deserve to know what revisions are that ministers are directing to ARC funding rules. This amendment would allow public scrutiny, allow public oversight, and would hopefully deter any ministerial interference that could occur in the setting of ARC funding rules.