Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I, and on behalf of Senators Green and Patrick, move:

That—

(a) the Senate notes that:

(i) in accordance with Senate resolution 44, government responses to committee reports are required within three months of a report being tabled,

(ii) since 1973 successive governments have affirmed their commitment to providing such responses, and

(iii) the President's report to the Senate of 30 June 2021 indicates that government responses to 18 Senate Environment and Communications References Committee reports tabled in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 remain outstanding;

(b) there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Prime Minister, by no later than 3 pm on the first sitting Tuesday of 2022, the outstanding government response to each of the 18 Environment and Communications References Committee reports tabled from 2014 to 2021; and

(c) in the event that not all government responses to the 18 reports are tabled, the Senate requires that the Minister representing the Prime Minister attend the Senate at 9.30 am on the first sitting Thursday of 2022 to provide an explanation, of no more than 10 minutes, of the Government's failure to provide all outstanding responses; and

(i) any senator may, at the conclusion of the explanation, move without notice to take note of the Minister's explanation, or

(ii) in the event that the Minister does not respond to the order or provide an explanation, any senator may, without notice, move a motion relating to the Minister's failure to provide either a response or an explanation;

(iii) and any motion under paragraph

(c) may be debated for no longer than 60 minutes, shall have precedence over all business until determined, and senators may speak to the motion for not more than 10 minutes.

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

I seek leave to make a very short statement.

Slade Brockman (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 will consider the responses and will make a commitment to publish these when finalised.

Question agreed to.