James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

That the provisions of paragraphs (5) to (8) of standing order 111 not apply to various bills, as set out in the list circulated in the chamber, allowing them to be considered during this period of sittings.

I table statements of reasons justifying the need for these bills to be considered during these sittings and seek leave to have the statements incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statements read as follows—

AUSTRALIAN BORDER FORCE AMENDMENT (PROTECTED INFORMATION) BILL

Purpose of the Bill

The Australian Border Force Amendment (Protected Information) Bill would amend the secrecy and disclosure provisions in the Australian Border Force Act 2015 (the ABF Act) to:

a) amend the definition of "protected information" to refer to specific categories of information and ensure that all protected information that comes into the possession of an entrusted person is covered; and

b) amend several provisions in Part 6 of the ABF Act to streamline the administration of the secrecy and disclosure regime.

Reasons for Urgency

Proceedings have commenced in the High Court of Australia challenging the validity of Part 6 of the ABF Act, which contains the secrecy and disclosure regime supporting the effective management of Australia's borders. The challenge is on the basis that the regime breaches the implied freedom of political communication protected by the Constitution.

The Commonwealth is actively defending the constitutionality of Part 6 of the ABF Act. However in the meantime the Government is seeking to clarify the operation of Part 6 of the ABF Act to improve the administration of the secrecy and disclosure regime and ensure that relevant information can be appropriately protected and disclosed.

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DEFENCE LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (2017 MEASURES NO. 1) BILL 2017

Purpose of the Bill

To make small but significant changes to defence's practices and operations. Some stem from recommendations to Government and some deliver on election commitments.

Reasons for Urgency

There is urgency to this Bill's implementation of greater protections for Reserve members. The Bill will also amend the Intelligence Service Act to transfer the hydrographic functions from the Royal Australian Navy to the Australian Geospatial Office. It will also make smaller but necessary amendments the Australian Defence Force superannuation legislation to ensure financial entitlements to dependents.

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HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPORT LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (A MORE SUSTAINABLE, RESPONSIVE AND TRANSPARENT HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM) BILL 2017

Purpose of the Bill

The bill will ensure a stronger, more innovative and fairer system of higher education that preserves equity of access while achieving savings outlined in the Budget, including by:

Reasons for Urgency

Passage of the bill as soon as possible is essential in order for the higher education sector and affected agencies to implement the new measures, many of which commence from 1 January 2018. The bill will reinvigorate higher education in Australia by implementing a range of measures. These measures are designed to preserve access to tertiary education while achieving necessary savings.

The 2014-15 Budget reforms to higher education were ambitious. Some measures have passed while others have been set aside or deferred. This bill resolves the uncertainty of the past two years and contributes to Budget repair.

The measures reflect a widespread and careful consultation process with the community, students, business and industry, the sector and expert advisers. Many of these stakeholders accept that there are further efficiencies to be gained within the multi-billion dollar annual Commonwealth contribution to higher education. This bill will require universities to identify those efficiencies.

The bill also requires students to absorb a modest rise in the costs of their tuition, while still maintaining a strong taxpayer contribution towards these costs. Across all students, the taxpayer will continue to meet the majority of the costs of teaching and learning in universities.

Changes to HELP repayment thresholds and rates, and to how the thresholds are indexed, will affect all debtors with HELP loans (including VET student loans). In turn, this affects agencies, including the Department of Education and Training and the Australian Taxation Office, that require lead time to implement systems changes and to communicate with their clients about how the changes affect them.

The Bill will incentivise course innovation and expand student choice, particularly in non-research postgraduate study and in sub-bachelor and enabling courses. It will also enhance transparency and accountability within the sector by requiring greater transparency in financial matters and by linking a portion of a provider's Commonwealth grants to improvements in performance, using criteria to be agreed with the sector.

Passage of this bill as soon as possible will provide the necessary time for the education sector, students, and affected agencies to prepare for the changes commencing in 2018.

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IMPORTED FOOD CONTROL AMENDMENT BILL 2017

Purpose of the Bill

The Bill will amend the Imported Food Control Act 1992 to strengthen the current regulatory regime to manage imported food safety risks by:

It is important that there are preventative controls in place throughout the supply chain to provide assurance of food safety.

Reasons for Urgency

Passage of the Bill during the spring 2017 sittings will ensure that Australia continues to have a robust and word-class food management system. The department currently relies on a risk-based inspection scheme and at-border testing. The Bill will enhance the current food safety system by introducing a new capacity for the department to hold food at the border where there are concerns about the safety of the food and the scientific approach to assess its safety is not established.

These amendments will ensure that we can respond to new and emerging risks that may leave consumers vulnerable to unsafe food entering the domestic food system.

The states and territories also play an essential part in Australia's domestic food safety management system. Passage of the Bill in the 2017 spring sittings will enable Commonwealth legislation to align with state and territory legislation, reducing unnecessary regulatory burden for Australian businesses. The amendments will strengthen Australia's food safety system by enabling the Australian government to share information to support jurisdictions to effectively perform their role in food safety management.

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SOCIAL SERVICES LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (PAYMENT INTEGRITY) BILL

Purpose of the Bill

The Bill will increase the residence requirements for Australian pensions from 1 July 2018; stop the payment of the Pension Supplement after six weeks of a temporary overseas absence and immediately for permanent departures from 1 January 2018; increase the maximum Liquid Assets Test Waiting Period from 13 weeks to 26 weeks from 20 September 2018; and from 1 July 2018 introduce a consistent 30 cents in the dollar income test taper for Family Tax Benefit Part A families with a household income in excess of the higher income free area.

Reasons for Urgency

To enable successful implementation from 1 January 2018, the Bill must be passed as soon as possible, ideally during September 2017. This will allow sufficient time for necessary ICT, regulatory and guideline changes to support this measure.

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SOCIAL SERVICES LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (WELFARE REFORM) BILL

Purpose of the Bill

The bill will make a range of reforms to welfare payments, including introducing a new JobSeeker payment as the main working age payment and a new compliance framework. New measures will be introduced to address substance misuse, remove intent to claim provisions and streamline prosecution referrals and tax file collection processes. The Bill will also include measures to encourage faster connection to employment services, introduce new or stronger participation requirements and align Social Security and Disability Discrimination law.

Reasons for Urgency

To enable successful implementation of those measures to commence from 1 January 2018, the Bill must be passed as soon as possible, ideally during September 2017. This will allow sufficient time for necessary ICT, regulatory and guideline changes to support the measures.

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STATUE UPDATE (SMALLER GOVERNMENT) BILL 2017

Purpose of the Bill

The Statute Update (Smaller Government) Bill 2017 (the Bill) would, if enacted, repeal three Acts and amend ten Acts across the Commonwealth to support the implementation of the Government's smaller government agenda.

Reasons for Urgency

Schedule 7 of the Bill repeals relevant sections of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2011 (ASIC Act) to abolish the Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee (CAMAC). It is important that the Senate move swiftly to abolish the CAMAC to improve coordination and accountability reduce the costs associated with separate governance arrangements and increase efficiency in how public funds are used to deliver services to the community.

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VETERANS' AFFAIRS LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (OMNIBUS) BILL 2017

Purpose of the Bill

The Bill would implement several amendments to veterans' legislation to clarify, improve, or streamline the operation of the law.

Reasons for Urgency

The Department is undertaking major transformation of its business and passage of the measures in this Bill in the 2017 Spring sittings will underpin that transformation to better support a veteran centric model of service delivery.

The Schedule 2 amendments to Part XIB of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 improve the operation of the Specialist Medical Review Counsel (SMRC) These measures will all support improvements in the SMRC process and enable quicker reviews of Statements of Principles by the SRMC, which is needed to provide faster decisions for veterans' claims.

The Schedule 4 amendments strengthen the legislative foundation for providing certain payments to employers under the Employer Incentive Scheme in the form of wage subsidies to encourage employers to engage injured veterans.

The Schedule 5 amendments facilitate information sharing between the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission and the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation to reduce the time taken to process superannuation benefits and incapacity payment claims.