Andrew Bragg (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) a key role of the Senate is scrutiny of government revenue measures,

(ii) in April 2023, Senator Bragg requested the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) prepare a costing of Schedule 5 of the Treasury Laws Amendment (2023 Measures No. 1) Bill 2023, including the methodology and assumptions used by the Treasury,

(iii) the Treasury has since failed to supply the PBO with the methodology and assumptions used to cost this measure and fulfil the request,

(iv) the methodology and assumptions used to cost government revenue measures should be easily disclosable to the PBO and made available to senators in a general anonymised form as part of costing requests, and

(v) any sensitive documents or data provided to the PBO can be handled by that office under strict confidentiality provisions and there is no expectation that any confidential taxpayers' data would be disclosed to anyone outside the PBO;

(b) orders the Secretary to the Treasury to disclose to the PBO, by no later than midday on 11 May 2023, the methodology and assumptions used to cost Schedule 5 of Treasury Laws Amendment (2023 Measures No. 1) Bill 2023 and subsequently approve the disclosure of such information to Senator Bragg as part of his costing request with any sensitive information redacted to comply with taxpayer privacy considerations; and requires the PBO to advise the Senate of the Secretary's compliance, or otherwise, with this order by no later than midday on 16 May 2023.

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

by leave, I move to amend the motion in terms circulated in the chamber:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) a key role of the Senate is scrutiny of government revenue measures,

(ii) in April 2023, Senator Bragg requested the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) prepare a costing of Schedule 5 of the Treasury Laws Amendment (2023 Measures No. 1) Bill 2023, including the methodology and assumptions used by the Treasury,

(iii) the methodology and assumptions used to cost government revenue measures should be easily disclosable to the PBO and made available to senators in a general anonymised form as part of costing requests, and

(iv) any sensitive documents or data provided to the PBO can be handled by that office under strict confidentiality provisions and there is no expectation that any confidential taxpayers' data would be disclosed to anyone outside the PBO;

(b) orders that there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Treasurer, by no later than midday on 11 May 2023, the methodology and assumptions used to cost Schedule 5 of Treasury Laws Amendment (2023 Measures No. 1) Bill 2023.

I seek leave to make a one-minute statement.

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

Leave is granted for one minute.

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

If the chamber agrees to our amendment, we will be supporting this motion from Senator Bragg, because we do support open access to information so the Senate can properly do its job in scrutinising legislation before it. But I do want to make it clear that, if the amendment is accepted, the motion would be directed squarely at the Minister representing the Treasurer and not at the Parliamentary Budget Office. We do think the PBO has acted appropriately in not providing the information to Senator Bragg and that the information has to come from the Minister representing the Treasurer and be provided to the Senate. The free flow of protected and sensitive information between government agencies and the PBO is critical in the PBO being able to do the job they do so well in serving MPs. We would not support a motion if we knew it would result in a chilling effect on the flow of information between government agencies and the PBO.

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

The question is that the motion, as amended, moved by Senator McKim be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

I am now putting the amended motion, so the question is that general business notice of motion No. 223, as moved by Senator Bragg and amended by Senator McKim, be agreed to.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.