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

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

Leave granted.

The report read as follows—

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 5 OF 2023

11 May 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

A/g Secretary: Ivan Powell

02 6277 3020

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 5 OF 2023

1. The committee met in private session on Wednesday, 10 May 2023 at 7.13 pm.

2. The committee recommends that—

(a) the Customs Legislation Amendment (Commercial Greyhound Export and Import Prohibition) Bill 2021 be referred immediately to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 1 September 2023 (see appendix 1 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(b) the Defence Capability Assurance and Oversight Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 7 September 2023 (see appendix 2 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(c) the provisions of the Defence Legislation Amendment (Naval Nuclear Propulsion) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee but was unable to reach agreement on a reporting date (see appendix 3 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(d) the provisions of the Family Law Amendment Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee but was unable to reach agreement on a reporting date (see appendix 4 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(e) the provisions of the Family Law Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 14 June 2023 (see appendix 4 for a statement of reasons for referral); and

(f) contingent upon introduction in the Senate, the Murdoch Media Inquiry Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 16 October 2023 (see appendix 5 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

11 May 2023

Appendix 1

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Customs Legislation Amendment (Commercial Greyhound Export and Import Prohibition) Bill 2021

Reasons for referra1/principal issues for consideration:

This inquiry would consider the ethics of exporting Australian greyhounds for racing & commercial purposes given multiple reports over the past few years about dogs being put at risk of cruelty, abuse and neglect overseas.

It would also consider the adequacy of existing arrangements to protect greyhounds, including the 'greyhound passport' scheme operated by Greyhound Australasia and the Government's oversight of these arrangements. Recent reports show greyhounds are being exported overseas without Greyhounds Australasia's approval, making it clear that the enforcement system is failing.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Animal welfare experts

Animal welfare organisations

Veterinarians

Greyhound rehoming charities

Greyhound racing industry bodies

Department of Agriculture

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

RRAT

Possible hearing date(s):

14 August 2023

Possible reporting date:

1 September 2023

(signed)

Nick McKim

Whip/ Selection of Bills Committee member

Appendix 2

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMI TTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Defence Capability Assurance and Oversight 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.

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

May—September

Possible reporting date:

7 September 2023

(signed)

Wendy Askew

Appendix 3

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Defence Legislation Amendment (Naval Nuclear Propulsion) Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

For a short inquiry into the bill.

Possible submissions o r evidence from:

Law Council of Australia, Defence Department, legal academics.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Legislation Committee.

Possible hearing date(s):

Possible reporting date:

09 June

(signed)

A. Urquhart

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Defence Legislation Amendment (Naval Nuclear Propulsion) Bill 2023

Reasons for referra1/principal issues for consideration:

Following the release of the Defence Strategic Review that proposed the establishment of a separate agency in Defence to oversee the ADP nuclear submarine program and recent announcements regarding nuclear submarines, public attention on these matters is particularly high.

Given this is the first step toward the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines and the national security interests at play, it is vital that this Bill is subject to oversight and scrutiny before being put before Parliament.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Nuclear power experts

Nuclear and radiation safety experts and organisations

Health and environment organisations

Peace and nuclear non-proliferation organisations

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Senate Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade

Possible hearing date(s):

Week of the 5th of June

Possible reporting date:

26th July

(signed)

Nick McKim

Whip/ Selection of Bills Committee member

Appendix 4

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a comm i ttee

Name of bill:

Family Law Amendment Bill 2023 and Family Law Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill. (We recommend these bills be referred together)

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

For a short inquiry into the bills, noting the first bill has already been subject to an exposure draft process and the subject matter has been examined through multiple inquiries.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Law Council of Australia Family Law Section, Attorney-General's Department, Women's Legal Services Australia, National Association of Community Legal Centres, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee.

Possible hearing date(s):

2 June

Possible reporting date:

14 June

(signed)

A. Urquhart

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Family Law 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

Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee

Possible he aring date(s):

May-August

Possible reporting date:

24 August 2023

(signed)

Wendy Askew

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Family Law Amendment (Information Sharing) 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.

Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee

Possible h earing date(s):

May—June

Possible reporting date:

14 June 2023

(signed)

Wendy Askew

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Family Law Amendment Bill 2023

Family Law (Information Sharing) Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Committee to which bill is to be referred.

Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

Possible reporting date:

24 August

(signed)

Nick McKim

Appendix 5

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Murdoch Media Inquiry Bill 2023

Reasons for referra1/principal issues for consideration:

To consider details of the bill.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Industry, academics, regulatory bodies

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Environment and Communications

Possible hearing date(s):

Possible reporting date:

16 October 2023

(signed)

Nick McKim

Whip/ Selection of Bills Committee member

I move:

That the report be adopted.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

At the end of the motion, add ", and, in respect of the provisions of the Family Law Amendment Bill 2023, the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee report by 24 August 2023".

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

I move the following amendment to Senator Ruston's amendment:

Omit "24 August 2023", substitute "14 June 2023".

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

The question is that Senator Chisholm's amendment to Senator Ruston's amendment to the motion that the Selection of Bills Committee report be adopted be agreed to.

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

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

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move the following amendment:

At the end of the motion, add ", and, in respect of the provisions of the Defence Legislation Amendment (Naval Nuclear Propulsion) Bill 2023, the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee report on 9 June 2023".

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

I move an amendment to that amendment proposed by the government, as circulated in the chamber:

Omit "9 June 2023", substitute "26 July 2023".

David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll speak to that amendment. The Australian public were blindsided when they woke up about two months ago and found out that the Labor government intended to spend $368 billion on nuclear submarines. In fact, one of the real offensive parts about that is that the Albanese government has not told the truth about the real cost. It turns out that $368 billion only gets you the first five of the AUKUS subs, and the last three happen outside that budget envelope, bringing the real cost of the nuclear submarine project to close to half a trillion dollars. It's extraordinary, isn't it, that the Albanese government comes out and scares everybody with a $368 billion bill but it's not even the truth. The real truth is that it's close to half a trillion dollars.

Then they say: 'Don't you worry. It'll all be safe because Defence will look after it. Defence will be looking after it.' They'll look after the nuclear safety. In fact, we found from the Defence Strategic Review that the government wants to have a standalone defence agency to look after all the nuclear safety regulation regarding their nuclear submarines. So we could have 12 nuclear reactors, each containing more than three times the fissile material in the Hiroshima bomb, floating in Port Kembla or a few kilometres off the coast of Perth or the coast of Sydney Harbour—and entirely regulated by Defence. Defence would be regulating Defence, and Defence would be regulating its own nuclear reactors. They're floating them into our harbours and floating them across our shores. Now we find that the government wants to slip in a little change—just a little change—to our nuclear regulatory legislation to start facilitating this, to start allowing Defence to be its own regulator. And just remember what Defence has been like when it comes to safety. Think about the contamination from PFAS in site after site. And you want Defence to be its own regulator on nuclear safety?

You're trying to sneak it through and start it, but we can tell the deal is in here, like everything on defence—like a $30 billion frigate deal that blew out to $45 billion, and it turns out no-one checked, from the coalition or Labor, whether or not it was value for money. You've got top-heavy frigates that sink in a heavy sea that are 50 per cent over budget and none of you checked. None of you bothered to check if it was value for money, none of you lifted up the bonnet to have a look at what was actually happening in Defence because you agree between you, Labor and the coalition, to not put this stuff under scrutiny.

Now you're trying to slip through a quick and dirty inquiry on nuclear safety regulation for nuclear submarines. Labor and the coalition are desperately not wanting anybody to look at this extraordinary project of intergenerational theft that is the AUKUS submarine project. Of course we want to allow a decent time for reporting. We don't want it rammed through in just another short, sharp, nobody-look-here, three-week non-investigation of Defence. Just think about what will happen if this nuclear submarine project blows out like the frigate project. It will go from half a trillion dollars to three-quarters of a trillion dollars—$750 billion. That's if they can even deliver it in the first place.

So what we're saying here, clearly, is: end the club. It's time to end the club where Labor and the coalition come together and agree never to ask the hard questions of Defence, never to check for value for money, never to check to see if this actually will make us any safer—or, in fact, will make us a nuclear target. We'll put a bunch of highly fissile nuclear material into 12 floating nuclear reactors sailing up and down our coasts and coming into our bigger cities. We want the public to have a right to have a say. We want to finally lift the bonnet and have a look at this club of secrecy that keeps protecting Defence. That's why we're moving this amendment. We'd love to see Labor and the coalition, for once, not come together like they do time after time and time and vote to shield Defence.

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

The time for this debate has expired.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order! Order across the chamber!

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order across the chamber! Order! Twice already this morning there's been disorder across the chamber, and, when I've called order, I've had to do it repeatedly. I ask that when I order you to be silent that you do that, and not continue the disorder. The question is that the amendment moved by Senator McKim to the amendment moved by Senator Gallagher relating to the Selection of Bills Committee report No. 5 of 2023 be agreed to.

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

I now move to the government's amendment on the Selection of Bills Committee report No. 5 of 2023, as moved by Senator Gallagher. The question is that the amendment moved by Senator Gallagher be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

Original question, as amended, agreed to.