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

I present the fourth report of 2024 of the Selection of Bills Committee, and I seek leave to have the report incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The report read as follows—

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 4 OF 2024

27 March 2024

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 Senator David Van

Secretary: Tim Bryant 02 6277 3020

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 4 OF 2024

1. The committee met in private session on Tuesday, 26 March 2024 at 7.13 pm.

2. The committee recommends that—

(a) the Customs Amendment (Preventing Child Labour) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 1 July 2024 (see appendix 1 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(b) the provisions of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 be referred immediately to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 20 June 2024 (see appendix 2 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(c) the provisions of the Net Zero Economy Authority Bill 2024 and the Net Zero Economy Authority (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2024 be referred immediately to the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 10 May 2024 (see appendix 3 for a statement of reasons for referral); and

(d) the provisions of the Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024 be referred immediately to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 8 May 2024 (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:

New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2024

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

(Anne Urquhart)

Chair

27 March 2024

Appendix 1

S ELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Customs Amendment (Preventing Child Labour) Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Elimination of child labour is an important goal that requires complex trade reform. The potential impact on import/export focused industries, customs enforcement agencies and trade relationships are some of the principal issues.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Industry groups -Australian Industry Group, Council of small businesses, Department of Home Affairs, Australian Human Rights Commission, other human rights groups.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

TBD

Possible reporting date:

1 July 2024

(signed)

Malcolm Roberts

Appendix 2

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

There is widespread interest in the effect of this legislation both across the parliament, and by the wider disability sector. Therefore, it is expected it will not be uncontroversial and a committee process will be useful to settle any outstanding issues. The Government proposes a reporting date of 24 April 2024 in order to meet the timeframes by which this legislation needs to take effect.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Disability representative organisations and peak organisations. Individual participants, families and carers. Those who work in the disability sector, including service providers.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

To be determined by the committee

Possible reporting date:

24 April 2024

Signed

Senator Anne Urquhart

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Reasons for referra1/principal issues for consideration:

High volume of stakeholder inquiries on this issue Complex legislative landscape

Huge impact on people's lives if legislation is harmful

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Participants Families and carers Service providers

Advocacy organisations

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Community Affairs Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

11- 21 June 2024

Possible reporting date:

20 July 2024

(signed)

Nick McKim

S ELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

To carefully scrutinise this legislation and hear from interested parties.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

A range of stakeholders.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Community Affairs Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

April, May and June

Possible reporting date:

20 June 2024

Signed

Wendy Askew

Appendix 3

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Net Zero Economy Authority Bill 2024, Net Zero Economy Authority (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2024

Reasons for referra1/principal issues for consideration:

Examine legislation

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Next Economy, climate groups, unions

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Finance and Public Administration

Possible hearing date(s):

23 and 29 April (backload hearing dates preferably)

Possible reporting date:

10 May

(signed)

Nick McKim

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Net Zero Economy Authority Bill 2024

Net Zero Economy Authority (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2024

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

To carefully scrutinise this legislation and hear from interested parties.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

A range of stakeholders.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

April, May and June

Possible reporting date:

14 June 2024

Signed

Wendy Askew

Appendix 4

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024

Significant interest in these reforms.

Cancer Council, Lung Foundation, Australian Medical Association, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

Signed

Anne Urquhart

S ELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

To carefully scrutinise this legislation.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

A range of stakeholders.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Community Affairs Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

April and May

Possible reporting date:

8 May 2024

Signed

Wendy Askew

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

Proposal to refer a bill to a committee

Name of bill:

Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024

Reasons for referra1/principal issues for consideration:

High volume of stakeholder inquiries on this issue

Significant health concerns involved—vaping harm vs tobacco uptake risk Concerns on capacity of GP practices to enable prescription model

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Public Health Organisations Medical Advocacy Organisations Vape consumers

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Community Affairs Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

15—24 May 2024

Possible reporting date:

8 May 2024

(signed)

Nick McKim

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:

(a) the provisions of the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Declared Areas) Bill 2024 and Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Omnibus No. 1) Bill 2024 not be referred to a committee;

(b) the provisions of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Delivering Better Financial Outcomes and Other Measures) Bill 2024 be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 20 June 2024; and

(c) the provisions of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Bill 2024 be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 30 April 2024".

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

On behalf of the Australian Greens, could I please ask that the question on part (a) of the amendment be put separately to the question on parts (b) and (c)? That is to facilitate us taking a different position on those.

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

The question is that part (a) of the amendment to the Selection of Bills Committee report, as moved by Senator Chisholm, be agreed to.

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

I now put parts (b) and (c) of the amendment to the Selection of Bills Committee report as moved by Senator Chisholm.

Question agreed to.

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

by leave—I ask that the opposition's opposition to parts (b) and (c) be recorded.

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

It is so recorded.

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

I move:

At the end of the motion, add:

"and, in respect of the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Divestiture Powers) Bill 2024, the bill be referred immediately to the Select Committee on Supermarket Prices for inquiry and report by 7 May 2024".

I won't take up too much time because I know we've got a lot of things to deal with this afternoon, but I do want to explain why it is that the Greens believe that a select committee—the Select Committee on Supermarket Prices, in this case—is the appropriate vehicle to conduct an inquiry. That committee has heard already in its existence multiple witnesses and has received multiple submissions calling for the introduction of divestiture powers into Australia.

It's a matter for the government that it has already ruled out the introduction of divestiture powers into Australia. Of course, by ruling out support for introducing divestiture powers, the Labor Party—once the party of the worker—has exposed itself as the party of capital. That's because, in opposing divestiture powers which would enable much-needed competition to be brought into the supermarket sector, the Labor Party is taking the side of the big supermarket corporations, Coles and Woolworths, who are each booking billion-dollar profits every year whilst using their market dominance to do over farmers, workers and customers. Labor is backing them in over the millions of Australians who are struggling to make ends meet and who are being price-gouged at the supermarket checkout.

Australia needs divestiture laws because right across our economy there is too much concentration of market power. Monopolies, duopolies and oligopolies, which we have repeated examples of in this country, never give good outcomes to consumers and they never deliver good outcomes for suppliers. That's the case in the supermarket sector, in the bank sector, in the airline sector and in multiple other sectors in the Australian economy. Labor should support divestiture laws.

The reason this inquiry is the appropriate vehicle is that there are people sitting on this committee who've heard repeated evidence about the need for divestiture laws in this country. We will be hearing evidence from a range of experts in this area and it is appropriate that the Select Committee on Supermarket Prices be the vehicle for an inquiry into this report.

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

We do not support the efforts to refer this private senator's bill to a select committee for inquiry. Senate legislation committees exist for the purpose of inquiring into bills. We believe that the Senate Economics Committee is the right place for this inquiry to take place. We will be moving an amendment to that effect and would encourage senators to support it.

Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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

Omit "Select Committee on Supermarket Prices", substitute "Economics Legislation Committee".

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

The question is the amendment as proposed by Senator Ciccone to Senator McKim's amendment be agreed to.

Question negatived.

The government will record its opposition. The question is that the amendment as moved by Senator McKim be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

The question is that the report of the Selection of Bills Committee, as amended, be agreed to.

Question agreed to.