John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President—

Senator Conroy interjecting—

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

Senator Conroy, if you have a point of order, you stand, in this place. You do not call from your seat.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order! If you have a point of order you can stand. You do not sit—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order on my right! Senator Macdonald! If you have a point of order—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wanted you to repeat your ruling. I did not hear what you said.

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

I asked the minister to address that part of the question that pertained to his portfolio. The minister indicated that he had no response. I cannot instruct a minister how to answer the question. The minister did stand.

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Treasurer, Senator Sinodinos. Can the Assistant Treasurer explain to the Senate the importance of removing the red-tape burden on Australian business, particularly for jobs creation?

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

When there is silence on my left we will proceed.

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is business as usual on this side of the house, getting on with reducing red tape. For the first time, the national parliament will be holding a red-tape repeal day as a special sitting.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

If you wish to chew up the time of question time by calling across the chamber, that is how we will proceed.

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will be making, tomorrow, a statement to the parliament on red-tape cost reduction. We will be announcing details of more than 8,000 pieces of spent and redundant legislation and regulation to be repealed. This has followed extensive consultation with business and the non-profit sector and other stakeholders. We are determined to reduce the level—

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Senator Sinodinos, resume your seat. Senator Conroy! Senator Faulkner!

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition is committed to cutting at least a billion dollars off red and green tape for all Australians. Excessive and unnecessary regulation will increase business costs and reduce productivity, and that means fewer jobs. It is all ultimately about the impact on Australian consumers, taxpayers and workers. So it is a very important part of our commitment to the families and the workers of Australia, because regulation is not a free lunch. You pay for it through increased costs, and that affects the capacity to generate jobs. The Productivity Commission has estimated that reducing the burden of unnecessary regulation could generate as much as $12 billion in additional gross domestic product. Unlike those opposite, the coalition understands that the best thing that government can do to increase the rate of economic growth is to promote innovation and get out of the way of private businesses to grow and to flourish. By reducing regulation, the government is also—

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! When there is silence, we will proceed.

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For example, Minister Greg Hunt is working with the states to implement a one-stop shop on environmental approvals. That does not derogate from environmental standards, but it means proponents have only one government to deal with, not two pieces of paperwork and all the rest of it that goes with getting environmental approvals in Australia. (Time expired)

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate what actions the coalition government is committed to taking in order to reduce the burden of red tape on Australian businesses by $1 billion per year and thereby to create more jobs?

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition is setting aside at least two parliamentary sitting days each year for the express purpose of repealing counterproductive, unnecessary or redundant regulation and legislation. As part of the deregulation agenda, the government will drive cultural change through government—

Senator Conroy interjecting—

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

Senator Conroy, you are not assisting the conduct of question time by constant interjections.

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition is committed to a new approach where questions must be asked first before new regulations are passed, including: what is the purpose, what is the cost and what is the impact on productivity? Only after those questions are answered and only when it is necessary and there are no sensible alternatives available should government to proceed to regulate. The government is also seeking to improve the performance of our regulators. An important element of this is developing a framework for auditing the performance of our regulators, which we have asked the Productivity Commission to do.

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the Assistant Treasurer also outline to the Senate how regulation increased under the previous government and the impacts that has had on Australia's jobless rate and productivity ranking?

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(—) (): During Labor's nearly six years in office there were more than 975 new or amending pieces of legislation introduced and over 21,000 additional regulations. At the same time, there were more than 80 examples of major policy changes that were considered in the absence of proper regulatory analysis. The carbon tax, the mining tax, the National Broadband Network and changes to the Fair Work Act were all granted exemption and escaped detailed scrutiny. But, more than just increasing regulation, the government regulators have at the same time become larger and more risk averse. Whereas regulators have had the ability to cost-recover their fees from industry, it has been business that has borne the cost of regulators' risk aversion, and this has had a significant impact on our productivity. In 2012, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked 51 countries for productivity growth, with Australia ranked 51st. That was the impact of six years of increasing cost and regulation on the Australian economy, and the Prime Minister is doing something about it. (Time expired)