Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the coalition's Omnibus Repeal Day (Autumn 2015) Bill 2015. The coalition government has committed itself to cutting $1 billion of red tape each year. In March this year we announced there would be a further $300 million worth of new decisions to reduce red tape this coming annual repeal day. This government's decision will cut $2.45 billion worth of red tape from the Australian economy. The repeal day bill is more than grammar and punctuation as claimed by the Manager of Opposition Business. It should be remembered that, in the last year of the former Labor government, Commonwealth regulations were costing Australians approximately $64 billion per year—a remarkable 4.2 per cent of GDP.

Despite Labor's debt and deficit disaster and challenging repair bill, this government recognises there are unnecessary restrictions on businesses, community groups, families and individuals that we can lift and repeal. In doing so, we will take away the pressure of completing unnecessary paperwork, standing in queues and searching for information. This will give time back to people, enabling them to focus on more important matters and saving money on compliance costs. This government recognises that small business is indeed the engine room and the backbone of the Australian economy. Excessive and costly regulation hinders business growth, investment and job creation. This government cares about small business and job creation, as where there are jobs there are opportunities. We understand that red tape and the unnecessary compliance burden clogs up the ability of the hard-working women and men of small business to get their jobs done.

For small businesses, this means that 45,000 businesses that have no GST reporting requirements will no longer have to lodge a Business Activity Statement where, to date, lodgements have been made only to report PAYG instalments. And 402,000 small businesses with modest or negative incomes that are required to lodge a business activity statement will no longer have to interact with the PAYG instalment system. This means businesses can spend more time ensuring they are successful instead of spending time reporting on unnecessary and time consuming compliance. These changes will reduce their compliance costs by $63.7 million per year. In Macquarie the owner of Xtabay, a local unique coffee shop, advised that these measures would save him at least two hours a week—that is two extra hours to focus on what is important to him rather than on administrative tasks. A successful small business with more time to grow means more job creation and a stronger and more prosperous economy.

To that end, we will improve the ATO website so that six million Australians can find relevant information more quickly, with an annual compliance savings of $48.5 million. The myTax initiative reduces the amount of information that 1.4 million users will have to supply to the ATO when filling their e-tax forms each year, resulting in a net red tape saving of $156 million. Commonwealth laws and regulations can be a complex area to understand and navigate through. The establishment of a Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman will provide a concierge for the dispute resolution service and contribute to the development of small business-friendly Commonwealth laws and regulations. The establishment of the Fair Work Ombudsman's small business helpline will help business owners with advice on employee wages and workplace laws. This will create more time for business owners to focus on their businesses whilst getting the correct advice to look after their employees.

From 1 July 2015 a $200 million Australian apprenticeship support network will shift apprenticeship services away from administration to outcome focused services such as mentoring and job matching to better support businesses and apprentices. With the introduction of legislation for paid parental leave, employers will be relieved of the administrative task associated with payments, which will now be made through the Department of Human Services.

Implementing additional functionality for myGov users to allow customers to update their details in one place using the myGov Tell Us Once service and to obtain secure and convenient access to online services with a single account and one set of credentials provides annual compliance savings of $5.4 million.

Students who receive government payments are now able to change their details online, at a time that best suits them, without being required to contact a call centre or attend a service centre. This provides annual compliance savings of $2.7 million. Again for students, for those at school, an online national assessment platform is being developed which will deliver the National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy, or NAPLAN, online. It is scheduled to be available to school staff from 2017, with annual compliance savings of $9.7 million.

With two Defence facilities in the electorate of Macquarie, and the Centenary of Anzac well underway, Defence personnel and veterans are close to my heart and that of this government. This government is committed to cutting red tape for these commendable men and women. Defence personnel and veterans have worked hard to keep this and other nations safe and secure. It is a stressful time when you find yourself with unfortunate circumstances, making a claim for compensation, and for grieving families following the death of a loved one. There are more pressing matters to deal with at these times than laborious and unnecessary paperwork.

For those making claims for compensation, an ADF ID card can now be used as proof of identity, rather than a 100-point document check. This is a simple yet sensible measure. We are also enabling the automatic payment of Department of Veterans' Affairs funeral benefits to the estates of veterans following the receipt of a death notification, rather than requiring the family or executor to complete paper based forms, where eligibility permits. This government understands that there is an easier way, particularly for those families who are grieving.

Recently, I announced more than 37 new aged-care places that we delivered across Macquarie. Aged-care providers offer an invaluable service for those who have worked hard to secure our future and on whose shoulders we stand. For aged-care providers we have increased the proposed thresholds above which aged-care accommodation prices must be approved by the Aged Care Pricing Commissioner to $550,000. Additionally, we are simplifying the proposed accommodation-pricing process to remove the requirement for aged-care providers to follow a prescriptive process in setting prices, whilst also ensuring that consumers receive clear information on accommodation prices.

We will remove certain certification requirements of aged-care facilities, including those that duplicate state building requirements under the Building Code of Australia. And we will repeal provisions in the Aged Care Act 1997 that require approved providers to notify the Department of Social Services of any changes in key personnel in their employment within 28 days of the change occurring.

On this repeal day, we want to improve outcomes for people with disabilities by assisting those seeking assistance to find work with easier processes and by helping providers spend more time supporting people into the workforce. Among the changes, participants will be able to accept their employment pathway plan on the Australian JobSearch website rather than by using email or post. I would like to take this opportunity to say that this government is committed to people with disabilities on repeal day and beyond, with the Prime Minister and the NSW Premier, Mike Baird, announcing the NDIS rollout in the electorate of Macquarie one year earlier than expected.

Agriculture is an important industry in the Hawkesbury, in the electorate of Macquarie. Livestock producers, pet owners and animal feed manufacturers are all set to benefit from reforms announced on repeal day which will see a $7.8 million annual reduction in red tape, with the government committed to making it easier for Australia to do business while also maintaining our high human and animal health standards. Reforms will see low-risk animal feed products excluded from some regulations, which in the long run will benefit consumers.

The Blue Mountains, in the electorate of Macquarie, boast some of Australia's major tourist attractions, with tourism contributing as a major employer. In tourism, another major industry in the electorate, we are expanding the list of eligible countries and regions whose citizens can lodge online applications for the visitor subclass 600 visa, including New Zealand, the Philippines, Kenya, South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will improve customer access to the Tourist Refund Scheme, saving travellers time and money by introducing a limited self-service on internet or mobile devices prior to the time of departure.

For tourism operators needing to employ from abroad, we are increasing the period of sponsorship approval for employers from three to five years and streamlining the processing of sponsorship, nomination and visa applications for low-risk and accredited employers.

Again for travellers, we will lift restrictions on using personal electronic devices so travellers can use their PEDs during all phases of flights. This will provide annual compliance savings of $17.7 million.

Removing the requirement for heavy vehicle operators of B-double truck combinations registered under the Federal Interstate Registration Scheme to fit additional spray suppression devices will provide annual compliance savings of $8.3 million.

I have spoken on a few of the many measures that will make a difference in our daily lives. Following this year's repeal day on 18 March 2015, this government would have repealed more than 10,300 legislative instruments and introduced legislation to repeal 2,700 acts of parliament. While this government repairs the debt and deficit disaster left by the former Labor government, it is determined to forge ahead where and when it can to repeal regulatory burdens and make a difference to everyday Australians.

Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Each of these bills before us deserves some consideration. The first is the Omnibus Repeal Day (Autumn 2015) Bill 2015. This bill amends and repeals 14 acts across seven portfolios: Agriculture, Environment, Health, Indigenous affairs, Social Services, Treasury and Veterans' Affairs. The great majority of these repeals have simply no deregulatory savings attached. In fact, there are just two deregulatory savings in the bill, totalling just over $41.4 million.

The first saving is an amendment to the Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995. It removes the requirement for a separate statutory declaration to be signed and witnessed for compensation claims under the act. The HOS(C) Act:

… requires the recovery of Commonwealth funds, including Medicare benefits … paid to claimants for health and other services when they receive a judgment … resulting from a compensation claim where a claimant has received $5,000 or more.

That is from the explanatory memorandum. Claimants can now declare that the required information is correct using existing forms. That act will also be amended to 'remove the requirement for both compensation payer and claimant to sign a notification to'—

Debate interrupted.