Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee on the Australia's bilateral aid program in Papua New Guinea, together with the Hansard record of proceedings and documents presented to the committee.

Ordered that the report be printed.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

I seek leave to incorporate a tabling statement in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statement read as follows

I am pleased to table this report of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References committee into the delivery and effectiveness of Australia's bilateral aid program in PNG.

Australia's most important development relationship is with PNG. Yesterday's 2016-17 Budget included $477 million in bilateral assistance to PNG.

Total official development assistance to PNG from Australia will be $558 million.

PNG is the largest recipient of Australian aid and Australia is also by far the largest donor to PNG.

This illustrates the significance of the Australian aid program to the development of PNG.

However, the results of decades of Australian assistance since PNG's independent in 1975, have been mixed at best.

Recent economic growth has not translated to equitable prosperity for the people of PNG.

PNG currently ranks 158th out of 188 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index and PNG has failed to meet any of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.

The delivery and effectiveness of Australia's aid program will have a significant impact on the future of the people of PNG. However, the challenges are immense.

2 Over time Australia's aid program has shrunk as a proportion of PNG's economy and it is likely to shrink further over the coming decades as PNG continues to grow.

Australia's aid budget has also been reduced in recent years, including the funding for PNG.

The PNG Government's capacity to encourage development has been impacted by falling revenue and lower economic growth.

This situation has raised a number of questions and issues regarding the best way for Australia to continue to assist development in PNG.

It is time for Australia to renew its commitment to PNG. Australia can afford to give more, and it is clearly in Australia's interest to give more to the next largest developing country in our region.

A number of Pacific countries, and particularly PNG, are likely to require a level of development assistance from Australia for the foreseeable future. In this context, a long-term perspective for Australia's foreign aid is required.

Investing in assistance to PNG to support its path to development in the next ten years will clearly benefit Australia in the future decades.

The recommendations the committee has made include:

The committee has also made recommendations in relation to social accountability programs, the combatting the spread of tuberculosis, childhood malnutrition, training for primary school teachers, gender based violence programs, focusing private sector growth assistance, increasing the benefits of the Seasonal Workers Program, prioritising road infrastructure, corruption linked to Australia and PNG specific development research.

Progress in PNG towards the next internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals is neither inevitable nor impossible. This is an area where Australia can make a real difference.

3 I commend this report to the Senate.

I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

I present the report of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee on contamination caused by firefighting foams at government sites other than RAAF Base Williamtown and Australian Defence Force facilities, together with the Hansard record of proceedings and documents presented to the committee.

Ordered that the report be printed.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

I seek leave to incorporate a tabling statement in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statement read as follows

I am pleased to table the report of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee's inquiry into matters relating to PFOS and PFOA contamination at Army Aviation Centre Oakey, and other Commonwealth, state and territory sites.

This report addresses part (b) of the terms of reference.

The committee concludes this inquiry with an air of uncertainty about what the future holds for the residents of Williamtown and Oakey.

The scale of this national contamination issue and the response of authorities across different political jurisdictions remains, at best, a work in progress.

The committee heard honest and at times emotional testimony from the residents of Williamtown and Oakey which highlighted the devastating impact of contamination on two communities which have little in common except for Defence's legacy contamination and feeling let down, ignored and abandoned by the authorities.

The committee was struck by the similarities in how people from different communities were affected physically, emotionally and economically once the contamination became public and in the weeks and months that followed.

The committee is deeply concerned by Defence's failure to notify residents sooner; the lack of transparency, accountability and consistency; and the effect of the delay in addressing community concerns, which fuelled a sense of crisis and fear among residents about an uncertain future.

The committee concludes that scientific uncertainty around the impact of PFOS/PFOA on human health and legal uncertainty around environmental regulation when contamination spreads from land controlled by Defence to non-Commonwealth land should no longer be viewed by government as obstacles to action.

Obtaining scientific and legal certainty is likely to remain beyond the government's reach for the indefinite future. It is not acceptable for Defence to hide behind uncertainty as an excuse for inaction.

These pollution incidents across Defence establishments have seriously damaged Defence's reputation as an environmental manager and good corporate citizen.

Defence must now accept responsibility for its inaction and engage proactively with communities on the subject of compensation, or risk damaging its already tarnished reputation and exposing the Commonwealth to unknown financial risk.

Specifically, the committee has recommended:

BULLET that the Commonwealth Government commit to voluntarily acquire property and land which is no longer fit for purpose due to PFOS/PFOA contamination from Army Aviation Centre Oakey. The committee further recommends that the Commonwealth Government assist residents who may wish to relocate to an alternative estate within the local community which is free from contamination.

While Defence needs to move forward in addressing its legacy contamination, the committee is not confident Defence is capable of managing contamination of its estate without a whole-of-government response and ongoing parliamentary oversight.

The committee also remains concerned by the lack of response by state governments to emerging legacy contamination issues when authorities were aware of the contamination for years and, in some cases, decades, but no action was taken.

As such, the committee has also recommended that it continue to monitor the Department of Defence's handling of the contamination of its estate and surrounding communities caused by PFOS/PFOA, and report to the Senate on an interim basis as required.

Furthermore, the committee recommends that it monitor the response of, coordination between and measures taken by Commonwealth, state and territory governments to legacy contamination caused by PFOS/PFOA, including the adequacy of environmental and human health standards and legislation.

I commend this report to the Senate.

I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

I present the report of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee on the partial suspension of sanctions against Iran, together with the Hansard record of proceedings and documents presented to the committee.

Ordered that the report be printed.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

I seek leave to incorporate a tabling statement in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statement read as follows

I am pleased to table this report of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References committee into the partial suspension of sanctions against Iran.

The Australian Government's partial suspension of sanctions against Iran has the potential to usher in a new era in Australia-Iran relations.

While this development may be to the mutual benefit of Australia and Iran, a number of significant barriers must be overcome before Australia can be confident in its dealings with Iran.

Specially, the committee is deeply concerned by:

The committee is concerned by certain aspects of the partial suspension of sanctions against Iran.

During this inquiry, important questions were raised about the justification for the shift in policy towards Iran, the reasons for sanctions being lifted against some entities and not others, and the mechanisms in place to reimpose sanctions in the event that Iran breaches its international obligations.

While some clarity around these issues was provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the public hearing, the committee was particularly disappointed by the department's written submission which contained very few details and raised more questions than it answered.

In particular, the submission showed poor judgment in drawing a comparison between the lifting of sanctions against Iran and the lifting of sanctions against Fiji and Myanmar.

The lack of public consultation and explanation from Government were major issues raised in evidence.

This inquiry has shed light on some very real concerns that should have been closely examined prior to the sanctions being partially lifted.

Members of the community believe their concerns have not been properly addressed, resulting in a perception that new market opportunities for Australian business have been pursued at the expense of human rights.

The committee is of the view that the Australian Government must proceed with caution in its relations with Iran and, specifically, on the issue of sanctions.

Most submitters warned of the risks and complexities of doing business with Iran and recommended that the Government exercise extreme caution

The committee has made a number of practical recommendations to improve the information available on the public record on the decision to partially suspend sanctions, together with information that will assist exporters to ensure their dealings with Iran are conducted in accordance with the law.

The committee has also identified ways to improve the process of suspending sanctions and to bring greater clarity to the process for reimposing sanctions should the need arise.

Specifically, the committee has recommended:

3 I commend this report to the Senate.

I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.