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

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

Leave granted.

The report read as follows—

S ELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 3 OF 2023

23 March 2023

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 3 OF 2023

1. The committee met in private session on Wednesday, 22 March 2023 at 7.25 pm.

2. The committee recommends that—

(a) the provisions of the Education Legislation Amendment (Startup Year and Other Measures) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 28 April 2023 (see appendix 1 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(b) the Improving Access to Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by

(c) the provisions of the Inspector-General of Aged Care Bill 2023 and the Inspector- General of Aged Care (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 28 April 2023 (see appendix 3 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(d) the provisions of the Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 24 April 2023 (see appendix 4 for a statement of reasons for referral); and

(e) the provisions of the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Data Streamlining) Amendment Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 14 April 2023 (see appendix 5 for a statement of reasons for referral).

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

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

5. The committee considered the following bills but was unable to reach agreement:

Chair

Name of bill:

Education Legislation Amendment (Startup Year and Other Measures) Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Complicated issue

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Sector, Groups Individuals that are affected.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Education and Employment Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date{s):

April

Possible reporti ng date:

28 April 2023

(signed)

Wendy Askew

Name of bill:

Improving Access to Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Medicinal Cannabis is an issue affecting health care: costs, patient access, safe medical outcomes; social outcomes: alcoholism reduction, domestic violence reduction, workplace health and safety, driving safety; animal health; and finally our obligations under international conventions.

Possible submissions or evidence fro m:

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Community Affairs References Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

Possible reporting date:

1st September 2023

(signed)

Pauline Hanson

Name of bill:

Inspector-General Of Aged Care Bill 2023

Reasons for referra1/principal issues for consideration:

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Possible hearing date(s):

TBC—potentially on the papers

Possible reporting date:

28 April 2023

(signed)

Nick McKim

Name of bill:

Inspector-General of Aged Care Bill 2023

Inspector-General of Aged Care Bill 2023 (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Complicated issue

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Sector, Groups Individuals that are affected.

Committee to which bill is to be referred

Community Affairs Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

April

Possible reporting date:

28 April 2023

(signed)

Wendy Askew

Appendix 4

Name of bill:

Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Opposition (and likely crossbenchers) will request referral —Government has publicly signaled we would welcome referral.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

ACTU/ACCI/AIG (likely joint), BCA, Tate Directors Australia, ITECA, Community Colleges

Australia, Adult Learning Australia, Universities Australia, Group of 8, Aus Tech Network of

Unis, Regional network of Unis, Innovative Research Unis, States and territories, COSBOA,

Retailers Association, Pharmacy Guild, NECA, National Australian Apprenticeship

Association, Chartered Accountants ANZ, Chartered Practicing Accountants, Institute of

Public Accountants, SEEK, Linkedln, Tech Council, AMES, WAVE, Equality Rights Australia,

Council of Peaks, NFF, BSL. DEWR, Jobs and Skills Australia

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Education, Employement and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

April non-sitting weeks (no preference for specific dates)

Possible reporting date:

Week of 24 April 2023

(signed)

Anne Urquhart

Name of bill:

Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Complicated issue

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Sector, Groups Individuals that are affected.

Committee to which bill is to be referred

Education and Employment Legislations Committee

Possible hearing d ate(s)

April

Possible reporting date:

24 April 2023

(signed)

Wendy Askew

Appendix 5

Name of bill:

National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Data Streamlining) Amendment Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Consideration of stakeholder views on the VET Data Streamlining project.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Senate Standing Committees on Education and Employment

Possible hearing date(s):

17 or 18 April 2023 (half-day hearing)

Possible reporting date:

4 May 2023

(signed)

Anne Urquhart

Name of bill:

National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Data Streamlining) Amendment Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Complicated issue

Possible Submissions or evidence from:

Sector, Groups Individuals that are affected.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Education and Employment Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s)

April

Possible reporting date:

14 April 2023

(signed)

Wendy Askew

I move:

That the report be adopted.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

At the end of the motion, add "and, in respect of the Financial Accountability Regime Bill 2023 and 4 related bills, the bills not be referred to a committee".

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

The Greens do not support this amendment, and that's because we do think an inquiry into the Financial Accountability Regime Bill 2023 and its related bills is warranted. That's because an inquiry could have helped us to get to the bottom of the extraordinary influence that the Australian Banking Association has over both the government and the opposition in this place. We all recall that the Australian Greens had an agreement with Minister Jones to include in the Financial Accountability Regime the capacity for million-dollar fines to be levied against dodgy bankers.

History shows that, very quickly after striking that agreement with the Australian Greens, Minister Jones backflipped, and I have no doubt that that's because the Australian Banking Association reached not just into his office but into the Treasurer's office and the Prime Minister 's office and made it very clear that those fines were not to be included. As a result, there will be no civil penalties in the Financial Accountability Regime for dodgy bankers who do not take the necessary steps to ensure that their customers aren't ripped off.

The Australian Greens very firmly believe that we should be allowing the disinfectant of sunlight to shine on exactly what went on there and exactly why it is that this is a second-class financial accountability regime framework—because it doesn't actually provide the capacity for million-dollar fines for dodgy bankers. Once again, the political donations that occur in this place, which poison so much of our political debate, are again poisoning public policy in this country, because, of course, the big banks are major donors to both the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal and National parties. It's very instructive that the only significant party in this place that doesn't take donations from the big banks—that is, the Australian Greens—is the only party standing up and fighting hard for the inclusion of million-dollar fines for dodgy bankers in the Financial Accountability Regime Bill.

So there was every need, which a reasonable person could see, for an inquiry into exactly what happened and exactly what is the power and influence of the big banking corporations on the major parties and, by dint of their numbers, on this chamber as a whole. Make no mistake, it is the dirty, toxic political donations—the institutionalised bribery that has become normalised in this country—that is corrupting our democracy and corrupting the legislation that this chamber is passing.

So it's a sad day, indeed, when both the Australian Labor Party, in government, and the Liberal and National parties, in opposition, are going to collude to ensure that that disinfectant of sunlight is not able to shine on the dirty and disgraceful machinations that happened and that forced the government, the minister, to walk away from an agreement that they had made to include million-dollar fines for dodgy bankers in the Financial Accountability Regime Bill.

Question agreed to.

Original question, as amended, agreed to.