Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for COAG) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. Given the government's self-proclaimed commitment to deregulation and improving productivity, can the minister guarantee that the 12 crucial COAG seamless national economy reforms that are currently at risk of not being completed on time will, in fact, be completed by December this year, as promised?

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

I thank Senator Payne for her question. She raises the very important issue of the deregulation agenda of COAG. I will have to take part of the question on notice in the sense of getting an update on the progress of each of the 12 key reforms, but it is worth noting that the Prime Minister, with senior business representatives, made the commitment a couple of weeks ago to really drive these agendas, because I think it is the case that some of these reforms have become bogged down. I know that in my area there is the question about licensing and standardisation of licences across Australia, and I think we have seen a real inertia from many of the states in responding to what is an important economic reform.

The deregulation agenda of COAG is an important one. The Senate would be aware that there is a COAG meeting on 13 or 14 April. No doubt these issues will again be on the agenda. I will attempt to get Senator Payne an update on the progress of each of the reforms. But I think it is very clear that the Prime Minister has recommitted to driving that agenda and to try and harness business to make the case and to work with the Commonwealth and the states to drive this reform. It is too easy for these reforms to get bogged down in the Public Service negotiations between the Commonwealth and the states. We have made good progress, but there is more that needs to be done. This government is absolutely committed to driving those reforms for the benefit of the Australian economy and the Australian people.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for COAG) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for his undertaking to provide further information. Can the minister explain to the Senate why the government has waited until important reforms such as the energy market reforms and a national trades-licensing system are in such serious danger of not being delivered on time before engaging with the business community to help progress the reforms?

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

I think Senator Payne misrepresents the posi­tion. As she is well aware, the last COAG Reform Council progress report indicated that good progress had been made on 15 of the 27 deregulation reforms. In fact, they were complete. She rightly raises the other 12 as being outstanding, but they, as I said, are subject to ongoing work and they will continue to be driven by this government. As I said also, the COAG meeting in April will obviously continue that work. I am not sure, as I said, of the detail of the status report, if you like, on those 12 reforms, but they are continuing to be driven. We have made good progress and we expect to make further good progress on each of these reforms.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for COAG) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I thank the minister for that response. I note that the COAG Reform Council said:

We're urging COAG to take swift action on these 12 crucial reforms because time is running out …

How are Australians able to view the government's announcement of a business advisory panel to COAG as anything other than an admission that it has failed to make any meaningful progress on these reforms?

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

I think that this was very much a response to the concerns we had about driving some of these changes. I think many of the states and some of the departments within those state governments had not been focused on the concerns of industry, and part of the drive in the announcement that the Prime Minister made was to get the ministers and their departments focused on these things, not have some of the bureaucratic turf wars that were occurring further down the system. I think the introduction of a stronger business voice in this process is very important, because I know that, in the debate about national occupational health and safety laws, we had governments like the Victorian government being deliberately recalcitrant, not listening to industry, despite the fact that they had very strong industry support. Those reforms have been held up by a couple of Liberal states refusing to participate, despite the very strong industry demand that we get national laws. (Time expired)