David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Prime Minister in the Senate on 2 November 2012:

For each department and agency under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 and each Commonwealth authority under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 within the Minister's portfolio:

(1) How many Australian Public Service full time equivalent staff are engaged by each department, agency and authority in relation to the: (a) creation; (b) administration or management; and (c) enforcement of new or existing Acts of Parliament, legislative instruments and

quasi-regulation.

(2) What and how many: (a) compliance requirements; (b) industry guidelines; (c) best practice procedures; (d) codes of conduct; and (e) any other industrial manuals/​documents, have been created since December 2007.

(3) Was an Annual Regulatory Plan completed for each of the 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13 financial years, and will a plan be completed for the 2013-14 financial year.

(4) For the 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13 financial years: (a) how many pieces of regulation, including Acts of Parliament, legislative instruments and quasi-regulation, were included in each Annual Regulatory Plan; and (b) were the same, more or fewer pieces of regulation passed as anticipated in each Annual Regulatory Plan: (i) if more, which pieces of regulation were passed in addition to the plan, and (i) if fewer, which pieces of regulation were not passed and why were they not passed.

(5) Does each department, agency and authority assess the total costs associated with its regulatory measures; if so: (a) what is the total: (i) direct, and (ii) indirect, regulatory cost burden that each department, agency and authority imposes on the non-government sector; and (b) how much regulatory cost has each department, agency and authority: (i) imposed, and (ii) removed, from the non-government sector since August 2010.

(6) Does each department, agency and authority impose a cost-recovery scheme on the non-government sector; if so: (a) what are the cost recovery programs; (b) what fees are currently being imposed; and (c) in each case, by how much have these fees increased since August 2010.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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

(1) Given the very broad nature of the question attempting to answer this question would cause an unreasonable diversion of resources.

(2) In 2008 the Australian Government introduced a Lobbying Code of Conduct and established a Register of Lobbyists to ensure that contact between lobbyists and Commonwealth Government representatives is conducted in accordance with public expectations of transparency, integrity and honesty.

The Department has published one best practice procedure: Practical place-based approaches: A Better Practice Guide, March 2012.

The National Compact: working together was launched in March 2010, and is an agreement between the Australian Government and the not-for-profit sector to find new and better ways of working together based on mutual trust, respect and collaboration. All Commonwealth portfolios are committed to the National Compact and NFPs are able to become National Compact partners on a voluntary basis. The National Compact was co-created by the government and a broad range of not-for-profit organisations following extensive consultation.

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) does not create the documents listed at (a) to (e) for the non-government sector. The ANAO does issue better practice guides to assist departments and agencies to improve their administration, but these better practices are not formal requirements. These better practice guides are available at:

http://www.anao.gov.au/​Publications/​Better-Practice-Guides.

The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) provides guidelines for the APS employment framework and APS Public Service Bargaining Framework and advice on the APS Values and Code of Conduct. These documents are available at:

http://www.apsc.gov.au/​publications-and-media/​current-publications/​aps-public-service-bargaining-framework

http://www.apsc.gov.au/​publications-and-media/​current-publications/​aps-public-service-bargaining-framework/​supporting-guidance

http://www.apsc.gov.au/​aps-employment-policy-and-advice/​employment-framework

http://www.apsc.gov.au/​aps-employment-policy-and-advice/​aps-values-and-code-of-conduct

(3) Annual Regulatory Plans are managed within the Finance and Deregulation Portfolio. Please refer to the response provided by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation to question 2469.

(4) Annual Regulatory Plans are managed within the Finance and Deregulation Portfolio. Please refer to the response provided by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation to question 2469.

(5) Annual Regulatory Plans are managed within the Finance and Deregulation Portfolio. Please refer to the response provided by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation to question 2469.

(6) None of the agencies in the Prime Minister and Cabinet Portfolio impose cost-recovery schemes on the non-government sector.