Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to make the coalition's contribution on amendments to the Indigenous Affairs Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2011. This bill contains one schedule that effectively makes three sets of amendments to Indigenous affairs legislation. The first is to change the title of a number of office holders, the second is to ensure that information held by Indigenous Business Australia will be appropriately protected and the third is to remove some references to the availability of review under the Judicial Review Act 1977.

The first set of changes are the changes to job titles. Presently, a number of statutory positions created under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 refer to the term 'general manager'. These roles are deemed to be better reflected with the title 'chief executive officer'. This brings it into line with other agencies. While it does not seem particularly important on the face of it, the change in the titles from 'general manager' to 'chief executive officer' does not involve any changes to remuneration packages associated with the positions, and aligning the position titles with comparable positions in other authorities is expected to assist these boards in attracting suitably qualified applicants.

The second area of amendment deals with the Indigenous Business Australia. Currently, there are secrecy provisions relating to Indigenous Business Australia in section 191 of the act. This has at times prevented disclosure of information to agencies responsible for overseeing Commonwealth administrative practices, such as the Ombudsman and the Privacy Commissioner. It is clearly preventing disclosure when that was not intended. They would have been quite happy, apparently, to have provided that information but were unable to because of these provisions. This amendment will allow for the disclosure of information in limited circumstances and hopefully will indeed also allow further scrutiny by this place.

The last area relates to two discontinued Aboriginal hostel schemes that are unlikely to be reinstated that are currently subject to the normal processes that take place in terms of auditing and compliance procedures, which are not only onerous and unnecessary but expensive. Clearly, this is just a tidying up process. We support those three sets of amendments. We think that they are sensible amendments.

When this bill was originally introduced in the other place, there was in fact a second schedule that involved procedures for making acting or temporary appointments for the Executive Director of Township Leasing and the Coordinator-General for Remote Indigenous Services. We have advised the government that we oppose this schedule for the reason that we think that both these positions were designed to remain completely separate from those individual agencies. We still remain concerned that both these positions are being incrementally absorbed into FaHCSIA. We think that that independence is absolutely essential in directing some of those very important changes. Rather than having these changes compromised, we believe that these positions must remain appointments by the minister and not delegates of a government department.

The government moved an amendment in the other place to remove schedule 2 of the original bill, which acknowledged and satisfied the opposition's concerns in this regard. That leaves the Indigenous Affairs Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2011 as it is presented today. I thank the government for supporting the very sensible coalition amendments. The coalition supports the bill as printed.

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

I will come to the provisions of the bill shortly. Before I do that, I want to say that I continue to despair at the way that this Labor government—the Gillard government—and previous Labor governments treat Indigenous people generally. They seem to me—and the Wild Rivers legislation is a classic example of this—to be saying to Indigenous people: 'You're not as good as we are. You can't operate as we operate. You need to spend your life on welfare, because you can't till your land, you can't look after yourself and you can't create industries as other Australians do.' It always distresses me that that is the case. I have recently driven 3,500 kilometres through north-west and western Queensland and through the lower Gulf of Carpentaria area and in the lower Cape York area. That theme comes through.

I want to tell the Senate about a cattle property called Delta Downs. Nine years ago I was honoured to be able to hand over the deeds and the shares in that company on behalf of the Commonwealth to the local Indigenous group and the Morr Morr Pastoral Company. This is an iconic cattle station up in the Gulf of Carpentaria next door to Karumba. Nine years ago, I was impressed by the property. It had for some time been operated by Indigenous people, although very often with non-Indigenous managers. Going back there just the other day, it was remarkable to see how this property had been improved by Indigenous people, by Indigenous managers, by people relevant to that area. It is a great example of what Indigenous people can do.

Clearly, Acting Deputy President Back—and you particularly would be aware of this—they had concerns about the stupidity of the Gillard government's live cattle ban. It affected their property, as it affected many land owners. It did not affect their property quite as much as others, because they recently bought another property down near Hughenden to which they can send cattle off for fattening. But it did have an impact on them. They and everyone else I spoke to in my travels on the roads around the gulf and lower Cape York were incensed at the way the Gillard government had overnight banned the live cattle trade. What concerned them more than just the banning of the trade was the fact that they just do not know what this government is going to do next. It has taken all confidence out of businesses that operate in those remote parts of Australia.

Debate interrupted.