Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I table two ministerial statements relating to: (a) promoting free trade in the Asia-Pacific region, together with a document outlining views that emerged in public consultations; and (b) Australia’s response to the global financial crisis.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did not quite hear Senator Sherry. I thought he was going to make the ministerial statement. Did he just table it?

Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He tabled it, Senator Macdonald.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a statement on the ministerial statement on trade matters.

The Acting Deputy President:

Is leave granted?

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Three minutes.

The Acting Deputy President:

Leave is granted for three minutes.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I find it quite strange that the minister comes in here and makes a ministerial statement and then stops any discussion on it. Why do we bother with the farce of having ministerial statements if we are not going to be able to discuss them? I am not quite sure of the reason.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The leader responded in the other chamber.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, so the leader responded in the other chamber!

The Acting Deputy President:

Senator Macdonald, please address your remarks to the chair.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Acting Deputy President, I wonder why the Senate bothers to sit if, because there is debate in the other chamber, we do not have debate in this chamber. This seems to be a ludicrous position. I am not aware that the government is rushing forward with legislation that enables us to discuss this particular issue. I find the Labor Party’s running of this chamber quite incredible. They have a ministerial statement of several pages—I must say I have not seen it—which is given here, I assume, to encourage debate, and then we are prevented from having any debate. So much for accountability. So much for the Labor Party promising open government and encouraging parliament to be involved.

Having said that, in the last 60 seconds that the Labor Party have kindly allowed me to speak on this major ministerial statement, can I say that the Export Market Development Grants Scheme is one that was reviewed by Mr Mortimer. The industry and all those associated with it have been keenly awaiting the government’s response to this report. Again, in an action which, I might say, seems a little strange, I have not yet been given the courtesy of having a look at this report. But I certainly do hope that the ministerial statement contains a response to the Mortimer inquiry into the Export Market Development Grants Scheme.

We know from estimates that the scheme will this year be underfunded in the range of $50 million. It has been suggested around the industry that the Labor Party are looking at getting rid of the Export Market Development Grants Scheme, along with Commercial Ready and a lot of other programs that have helped Australia’s exporters and innovators over many years. I am desperately hoping that, when we are given the courtesy of having made available to us a copy of the ministerial statement that the minister has just delivered, the statement will contain information about the Mortimer review of the Export Market Development Grants Scheme and they will have agreed not only to continue it but to fund it for the $50 million which it is underfunded by in this current year. The claims are coming in from about now. From memory, I think they have to be submitted by the end of November— (Time Expired)

Can I inquire whether Senator Sherry’s giving of leave for a fixed period of time is actually appropriate?

The Acting Deputy President:

I am advised that it is appropriate for a statement.