Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

() (): On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, I present the following reports: Report 161, Treaties tabled on 1 December 2015, 3 December 2015 and 2 February 2016andReport 162, 20th Anniversary Seminar.

Reports made parliamentary papers in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—Today I present two reports for the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties: Report 161 and Report 162.

Report 161 contains the committee's views on an agreement to strengthen the Niue Treaty, two international shipping codes and a taxation treaty with Germany. Report 162 provides a summary of the seminar held to mark 20 years of the committee's work.

The Niue Treaty was implemented in 1993 to assist Pacific Island nations enforce their fisheries laws and deter breaches. The agreement on strengthening the Niue Treaty is intended to improve the management and development of the fishery resources of the South Pacific region. It will help to ensure sustainability and maximise the social and economic benefits that sustainability brings. It provides a legal framework for cooperative regional fisheries surveillance and law enforcement activities.

Australia plays a key role in maritime surveillance in the South Pacific and is committed to supporting regional cooperation on maritime security in the region. The proposed agreement will assist Australia to better utilise resources in this area.

The two international shipping codes, the polar water code and the code for ships using low-flashpoint fuels, are further enhancements to the International Maritime Organization's regulations. The polar code addresses the specific risks of operating in polar waters. The IGF provides an international standard for ships using low-flashpoint fuels. Both will increase ship safety and security as well as providing environmental protection measures.

The taxation agreement with Germany updates and modernises our existing agreement, which was implemented in 1975. Australia has used the opportunity to incorporate the OECD/G20 recommendations to prevent base erosion and profit shifting. This agreement puts Australia at the leading edge in this area and provides a precedent for future treaties.

The committee recommends that these four treaties be ratified and binding treaty action be taken.

The second report complements report 160, which I tabled in March. It provides a summary of the one-day seminar that the committee hosted here in Parliament House to mark 20 years since the establishment of JSCOT. During those 20 years, treaties have become increasingly complex. Australians are more connected to the broader world through trade, education and migration. International agreements increasingly affect not only broad issues of state but the actions and responsibilities of individual citizens.

The seminar brought together approximately 80 participants from a diverse range of backgrounds including parliamentarians, academics, public and parliamentary servants, students and representatives from business and other interest groups. The report summarises the presentations, reflects on the committee's work and provides an assessment of its performance. It also provides some thought-provoking ideas on the future direction of the committee's operation. It includes a full transcript of the presentations and useful statistical data.

I am confident that the information included in this report will prove useful to experts, academics and students of the treaty-making process in Australia. On behalf of the committee, I commend both reports to the House. I would also like to commend the support that I have received in the brief time that I have been chair by my deputy chair, the member for Wills, who has been a longstanding member of the committee and a strong advocate for its work.

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