Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Treasurer, upon notice, on 6 August 2012:

(1) Is it the case, according to the Government’s Competitive Neutrality Policy Statement, released in June 1996, that ‘within 90 days of receipt of a report the Treasurer, in consultation with the relevant portfolio Minister, will make a determination on whether competitive neutrality will be applied by the business entity or other remedial action to be taken’.

(2) Was the Productivity Commission’s report PETNET Australia: Australian Government Competitive Neutrality Complaints Office: Investigation no. 15 sent to the Assistant Treasurer on 20 March 2012 and publicly released on 4 April 2012.

(3) Has a determination been issued on the report; if so: when and what was the determination; if not, why not.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) Yes.

(2) Yes.

(3) It is customary for the question of appropriate remedial action to be dealt with by the relevant portfolio minister, as these ministers are responsible for implementing the Government’s policy objectives and applying competitive neutrality (CN) policy to the agencies for which they bear responsibility.

In mid- April 2012, the Assistant Treasurer, the Hon David Bradbury MP, wrote to the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, Senator the Hon Chris Evans, drawing his attention to the report PETNET Australia: Australian Government Competitive Neutrality Complaints Office (AGCNCO): Investigation no. 15,and asking him to consider the AGCNCO’s recommendations and the need to implement arrangements to ensure that PETNET is compliant with the Government’s competitive neutrality policy.

I understand that the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), of which PETNET is a subsidiary, has met with the AGCNCO to discuss the recommendations in the report and to obtain guidance to ensure that steps taken by ANSTO in relation to PETNET’s business model will satisfy the Government’s competitive neutrality requirements.