Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill may proceed without formalities and be now read a first time.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a first time.

by leave—I move:

That the provisions of paragraph (6) of standing order 111 not apply to the bill.

I table a statement of reasons justifying the need for this bill to be considered during these sittings and seek leave to have the statement incorporated into Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statement read as follows—

STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR INTRODUCTION AND PASSAGE IN THE 2016 SPRING SITTINGS

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES LEVIES AND CHARGES COLLECTION AMENDMENT BILL

Purpose of the Bill

The bill amends the Primary Industries Levies and Charges Collection Act 1991 to make minor changes to the ability to distribute levy payer information for the purpose of developing levy payer registers.

The amendments will allow distribution of levy payer information from agricultural industries that pay statutory agricultural levies, if a research and development corporation (RDC), in consultation with industry, requests that government collect this information.

Reasons for Urgency

Introduction and passage in the 2016 Spring sittings will ensure agricultural industries are able to benefit from these straightforward legislative amendments in a timely manner. The bill was first introduced to the Parliament in Autumn 2016. It was considered by the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs Transport and Legislation Committee, which recommended that the Senate pass the bill. The Committee received and considered 35 submissions from stakeholders in developing its recommendations. These stakeholders are likely to expect the bill's introduction and passage through the Parliament at an early stage.

The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee's report into its inquiry into Industry structures and systems governing the imposition of and disbursement of marketing and research and development (R&D) levies in the agricultural sector identified improved consultation and allocation of voting entitlements as critical for the ongoing health of Australia's R&D system. The report's first two recommendations identified legislative amendments to allow for the development of levy payer registers as key to achieving this aim.

The legislation currently prohibits information collected by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources being distributed to RDCs for the purpose of developing levy payer registers. This bill will make amendments to allow this to occur, at the request of the relevant RDC and industry.

A number of RDCs are actively investigating options for levy payer registers and are proceeding with investments in the development of interim registers.

In addition, the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper identifies a number of measures aimed at improving Australia's world-leading rural R&D system. These measures and the outcomes they seek to deliver, including new research and development priorities, improved

governance of RDCs and increased funding for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, would benefit from timely improvements to consultation between RDCs and the levy payers that fund the R&D system.

Levy payer information will also be available to the Australian Bureau of Statistics to support its functions.

Question agreed to.