Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, Senator Carr. Does the minister agree, as stated by Austrade’s now censored submission to the Senate’s inquiry into the removal of the rebate for the AQIS export certification functions, that the changes will have ‘an adverse effect on regional exports and business development and may have a wider undesirable economic impact’?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not agree and the proposition advanced to the Senate inquiry did not reflect the view of the government, nor did it reflect the considered view of Austrade. The Austrade executive realised there had been a mistake and acted appropriately to correct the public record. A wide range of industry representatives have endorsed and supported the government’s decision—the Australian Dairy Industry Council, ABB, GrainCorp, Horticulture Australia and the Australian Livestock Export Council. I would remind those opposite that the export certification rebate—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Sterle and Senator Heffernan, if you want to debate this issue, there is time at the end of question time for both of you to participate in the debate. Continue, Senator Carr.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would remind those opposite that the export certification rebate in question was scheduled to lapse at the end of 2008-09, an arrangement put in place by the previous government. There has been no budget to fund it beyond that date. The Beale review found that the funding should be allowed to lapse. As a consequence, the government proposed to invest $40 million in reform of the export certification process. These reforms will reduce costs for exporters and improve efficiencies. Just as it did with the EMDG, the Liberal Party is bleating about a policy reform that they lacked the required political courage to implement when they were in government. They have the hypocrisy to demand that this government— (Time expired)

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Why did the government censor Austrade’s submission to the Senate’s inquiry into the removal of rebate for AQIS export certification functions?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government has not censored Austrade. I repeat: what has occurred is that the government is implementing a reform that the Liberal Party did not have the courage to implement when in government. It proposed actions and did not budget for them. As a result, we now have a situation where the Liberal Party is once again acting in a most hypocritical manner in suggesting that changes that it proposed in government are not being followed. The submission was not cleared through the minister’s office—which is custom and practice across the government. As it was under the previous government and as it is under this government, it is custom and practice for departments to present—(Time expired)

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Will the minister give a commitment that the officials involved in the preparation of the now censored Senate submission will be available to appear before the committee? Further, will the minister guarantee that these officials will be permitted to give full, frank and fearless advice to the committee in the same way as they tried to give it to the government?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The submission was actually withdrawn by the committee. The Senate committee itself—

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order: I suggest that the minister—

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, you have got to have a point of order, not a suggestion.

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is relevance. I did not ask about the withdrawal of the submission. I can give the minister plenty of advice on that if he needs it, because I actually have the process through which it was withdrawn. I asked about the officials being allowed to appear before the committee.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. The minister has been addressing the second supplementary question for 12 seconds. I draw the minister’s attention to the question. You have 48 seconds remaining to answer the question.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, the senator has asked me about the censorship of the submission.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order on relevance: Hansard will disclose that the second supplementary question in no way, shape or form dealt with the issue of censorship. For the minister to claim that the question did deal with that shows clearly that he is being irrelevant. The question related to whether or not the minister would give a commitment that the officials involved in the preparation would be allowed to appear.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order: if Senator Abetz wants to argue that the question he wrote did not include the words ‘censored report’, he perhaps would like to read the whole question, not just the bit that suited his argument on this occasion. The minister is directly on point and is trying to seriously respond to the question.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There is no point of order. I want question time to proceed. I have already advised the minister that he now has 41 seconds remaining to answer the question.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Peter Yuile, the acting head of DFAT, has indicated publicly—and the minister has indicated—that he will be available as the senior officer of Austrade to discuss these matters with the committee.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Did he prepare it?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just because the officer has not been schooled in what he is to say—Senator Abetz has got that sort of experience—does not make it illegitimate. What we have here is Senator Abetz’s experience of going through a tutorial with a witness before he appears before a Senate inquiry. We do not do that. That is not the standard that this Senate has come to expect.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When there is silence I will proceed with question time. Senator Carr, you have four seconds left.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This government has high standards when it comes to Senate committees. It is a pity the opposition did not express—(Time expired)