Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the first report of 2023 of the Selection of Bills Committee. I seek leave to have the report incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The report read as follows—

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 1 OF 2023

9 February 2023

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Senator Anne Urquhart (Government Whip, Chair)

Senator Wendy Askew (Opposition Whip)

Senator Ross Cadell (The Nationals Whip)

Senator Pauline Hanson (Pauline Hanson's One Nation Whip)

Senator Nick McKim (Australian Greens Whip)

Senator Ralph Babet

Senator the Hon. Anthony Chisholm

Senator the Hon. Katy Gallagher

Senator Matt O'Sullivan

Senator David Pocock

Senator Paul Scarr

Senator Lidia Thorpe

Senator Tammy Tyrrell

Secretary: Tim Bryant 02 6277 3020

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 1 OF 2023

1. The committee met in private session on Wednesday, 8 February 2023 at 7.15 pm.

2. The committee recommends that—

(a) the COVID-19 Vaccination Status (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill 2022, and the Fair Work Amendment (Prohibiting COVID-19 Vaccine Discrimination) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 21 June 2023;

(b) the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022 be referred immediately to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 1 July 2023;

(c) contingent upon introduction in the House of Representatives, the provisions of the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill 2023, the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council Bill 2023, and the Treasury Laws Amendment (Housing Measures No. 1) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 22 March 2023 (see appendix 1 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(d) the Migration Amendment (Evacuation to Safety) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 7 March 2023 (see appendix 2 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(e) the provisions of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Consumer Data Right) Bill 2022 be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 23 March 2023 (see appendix 3 for a statement of reasons for referral); and

(f) the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 16 March 2023 (see appendix 4 for a statement of reasons for referral).

3. The committee recommends that the following bills not be referred to committees:

4. The committee deferred consideration of the following bills to its next meeting:

(Anne Urquhart)

Chair

9 February 2023

Appendix 1

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Housing Australia Future Fund Bill 2023

National Housing Supply and Affordability Council Bill 2023

Treasury Laws Amendment (Housing Measures No. 1) Bill 2023

Reasons for referra l /principal issues for consideration:

Consultation with stakeholders on detail of package

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Stakeholders in community and affordable housing and homelessness sectors, tenants' unions, public housing advocates and housing academics.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Currently for Finance & Public Admin but we'd like it to go to Economics as the most significant parts of the package are being managed by Treasury.

Possible hearing date(s):

Week beginning Feb 27 & April

Possible reporting date:

27 April

(signed)

Nick McKim

Appendix 2

Name of bill:

Migration Amendment (Evacuation to Safety) Bill 2023

Reasons for referra l /principal issues for consideration:

Bill has the potential to save lives

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Refugee sector, human rights sector, academia

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Joint Migration Committee or Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

23—24 March 2023

Possible reporting date:

7 March 2003

(signed)

Nick McKim

Appendix 3

Name of bill:

Treasury Laws Amendment (Consumer Data Right) Bill 2023

Reasons for referra l /principal issues for consideration:

Complicated issue

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Various stakeholders

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Economics Legislation Committee

Poss ible hearing date(s):

Feb—March

Possible reporting date:

23 March 2003

(signed)

Wendy Askew

Appendix 4

Name of bill:

Workplace Gender Quality Amendment Bill 2023

Reasons for referra l /principal issues for consideration:

Complicated

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Various

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

Feb—March

Possible reporting date:

16 March 2003

(signed)

Wendy Askew

I move:

That the report be adopted.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian Greens have an amendment to the report. Just for clarity, it's a revised amendment that has been circulated recently. For the benefit of the chamber, I'll just make it very clear that this is in relation to the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill 2023, the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council Bill 2023 and the Treasury Laws Amendment (Housing Measures No. 1) Bill 2023, which the report proposes be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 22 March. Our amendment is simply an amendment to the date: it's proposing to change the reporting date from 22 March until 22 April.

My understanding is that this is not going to be supported by government. I want to make the point here that this package of bills is the government's keystone response to a massive housing crisis that exists in this country. We have a situation in this country, particularly for renters, where if you're lucky enough to find a place to rent you are paying exorbitant rents. We have the Reserve Bank jacking up interest rates and smashing not only renters but mortgage holders. People are really doing it tough at the moment, and the government's response is a wholly inadequate response to the rental and housing crisis in this country.

That's why the government wants a quick and dirty inquiry into its legislation, because it doesn't want the absolute inadequacy of their legislative response exposed. The Greens want a longer inquiry because we know there are significant improvements that could be made to the government's legislation. But the government, very instructively here today, is not going to support the Greens' call for a longer inquiry, and the reason they're not going to do that is because they know very well that their response to a massive housing crisis for renters and mortgage holders in this country is not going to be satisfactorily addressed by the bills that they're proposing and by the broader package of responses that the government is proposing.

We know these bills can be significantly improved. We want a proper inquiry so that we can hear from a range of people out in the sector—from people who are doing it tough in the rental market at the moment, so that we can hear from them about what they actually need from government to address this significant crisis in our community.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the amendment to the Selection of Bills Committee report, moved by Senator McKim, be agreed to.