Gary Gray (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service and Integrity) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Statute Stocktake (Appropriations) Bill (No. 1) 2012 is the fifth statute stocktake bill since 1998, and forms part of an ongoing process to clean up the statute book by repealing legislation that is redundant.

The bill also furthers the government's deregulation agenda. The government has stepped up its deregulation reform program, including the progress made at the Business Advisory Forum in May 2012 and the Prime Minister's economic forum in June 2012. The government considers that it is important that continued progress is made in this important area.

The bill would, if enacted, repeal:

The bill would also continue the government's commitment to a regular review of the special appropriations and maintain effective legislative housekeeping, including by repealing three superannuation related provisions containing two redundant special appropriations from the finance portfolio.

Regarding the 128 appropriation and supply acts from 1984 to 1999, this bill would repeal as many as 13 appropriation and supply acts for one financial year (for example, in 1992-93) and as few as six appropriation and supply acts for other financial years (for example, four in the financial years between 1994 to 1996 and 1997 to 1999).

The bill does not appropriate any money. Rather, it seeks to repeal whole acts and to repeal special appropriations within acts that are redundant.

In addition to the appropriation acts that will be repealed by this bill, the government is reviewing appropriation acts since 1999-2000 to determine whether more recent appropriation acts are also redundant and could be repealed.

I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.