Rex Patrick (SA, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

(1) That the Senate notes that:

  (a) during its examination of the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Bill 2017, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) recommended that:

     (i) the bill not apply to members of the House of Representatives or senators, and

     (ii) the House of Representatives and Senate develop a parallel parliamentary Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme, imposing on members and senators similar transparency obligations to those in the bills but appropriately adapted for the parliamentary environment;

  (b) on 18 October 2018, the Senate referred the following matter to the Standing Committee of Privileges for inquiry and report: the development of a foreign influence transparency scheme to apply to parliamentarians;

  (c) on 25 October 2018, the House of Representatives referred the following matter to the Standing Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests:

     (i)    the development of a foreign influence transparency scheme to apply to parliamentarians, in parallel with the Government's scheme established under the ForeignInfluenceTransparencySchemeAct2018, which imposes on Members similar transparency obligations to those in the Government's scheme, but is appropriately adapted for the parliamentary environment,

     (ii) consideration of the Government's scheme and its timetable for implementation, and the report of the PJCIS on the enabling legislation, in particular the recommendations in relation to a parallel parliamentary scheme,

     (iii) consideration of any other issues related to a parliamentary foreign influence transparency scheme, and

     (iv) consultation with the equivalent committee in the Senate with the aim of agreeing to a single parliamentary foreign influence transparency scheme to apply uniformly, together with uniform processes for its implementation for members and senators; and

  (d) the inquiry of the Committee of Privileges and the inquiry of the House Standing Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests both lapsed at the end of the 45th Parliament and that neither inquiry has recommenced.

(2) That the Senate refers to the Standing Committee of Privileges for inquiry and report, by 28 November 2019, the development of a foreign influence transparency scheme to apply to parliamentarians, with particular reference to:

  (a) the imposition on senators of similar transparency obligations to those in the legislative scheme established under the ForeignInfluenceTransparencySchemeAct2018;

  (b) consideration of the legislative scheme, and the report of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security on the enabling legislation, in particular the recommendations relating to the introduction of a parallel scheme adapted to the parliamentary environment; and

  (c) any related matter.

(3) The Standing Committee of Privileges consult with the equivalent committee in the House of Representatives with the aim of agreeing a single parliamentary foreign influence transparency scheme to apply uniformly, together with uniform processes for its implementation for senators and members.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government supports the motion to re-refer the development of a parliamentary foreign influence transparency scheme to the Senate Standing Committee of Privileges, noting that the previous committee had been briefed by the Attorney-General's Department on the implementation of the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018 to support the consideration of a parliamentary scheme, and that the Attorney-General's Department held several discussions with officials from the Department of the House of Representatives and the Department of Parliamentary Services, including to explore options for a parliamentary scheme to leverage the IT infrastructure developed by the department to support the scheme they administer.

Question agreed to.