Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I present the government’s response to the President’s report of 22 June 2006 on government responses outstanding to parliamentary committee reports, and seek leave to incorporate the document in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The document read as follows—

GOVERNMENT RESPONSES TO PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE REPORTS

A CERTAIN MARITIME INCIDENT (Select)

A Certain Maritime Incident

The government response will be tabled in due course.

ADMINISTRATION OF INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS (Select)

After ATSIC – Life in the mainstream?

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

ASIO, ASIS AND DSD (Joint, Statutory)

Private review of agency security arrangements

The response was tabled in both the Senate and the House of Representatives on 7 September 2006.

Review of the listing of six terrorist organisations

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Review of the listing of four terrorist organisations

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

AUSTRALIAN CRIME COMMISSION (Joint, Statutory)

Inquiry into the trafficking of women for sexual servitude

The government response was tabled in the Senate on 9 November 2006 and the House of Representatives on 30 November 2006.

Examination of the annual report for 2003-2004 of the Australian Crime Commission

The response was tabled in both the Senate and the House of Representatives on 17 August 2006.

Supplementary report to the inquiry into the trafficking of women for sexual servitude

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Review of the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

COMMUNITY AFFAIRS LEGISLATION

Tobacco advertising prohibition

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Provisions of the Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Welfare to Work and Other Measures) Bill 2005 and the Family and Community Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare to Work) Bill 2005

The report was responded to during the debate of the bill. No further response is required.

Therapeutic Goods Amendment (Repeal of Ministerial responsibility for approval of RU486) Bill 2005

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Provisions of the Family Assistance, Social Security and Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (2005 Budget and Other Measures) Bill 2006

The report was responded to during the debate of the bill. No further response is required.

COMMUNITY AFFAIRS REFERENCES

Quality and equity in aged care

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Workplace exposure to toxic dust

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Beyond petrol sniffing: renewing hope for Indigenous communities

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

CORPORATIONS AND SECURITIES (Joint Statutory)

Report on aspects of the regulation of proprietary companies

The government is currently consulting on a substantial number of initiatives to simplify corporate regulation. It is expected that some of these initiatives will impact on the regulation of proprietary companies. A response to the report will therefore be provided in due course.

CORPORATIONS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES (Joint Statutory)

Report on the regulations and ASIC policy statements made under the Financial Services Reform Act 2001

The government is currently reviewing and consulting on a substantial number of initiatives to refine the regulation of financial services which take into account the recommendations made in this report. A response which takes into account the refinements will therefore be provided in due course.

Review of the Managed Investments Act 1998

The government is currently reviewing and consulting on a substantial number of initiatives to refine the regulation of financial services. It is expected that certain of these initiatives will have some bearing on the regulation of managed investments. A response to the report will therefore be provided in due course.

Inquiry into Regulation 7.1.29 in Corporations Amendment Regulations 2003 (No. 3), Statutory Rules 2003 No. 85

The government is currently reviewing and consulting on a substantial number of initiatives to refine the regulation of financial services which take into account the recommendations made in this report. A response which takes into account the refinements will therefore be provided in due course.

Money matters in the bush: Inquiry into the level of banking and financial services in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Report on the ATM fee structure

The response is being considered in conjunction with that for ‘Money Matters in the Bush’ (see above).

Corporations Amendment Regulations 2003 (Batch 6); Draft Regulations: Corporations Amendment Regulations 2003/04 (Batch 7); and Draft Regulations: Corporations amendment Regulations 2004 (Batch 8)

The government is currently reviewing and consulting on a substantial number of initiatives to refine the regulation of financial services which take into account the recommendations made in this report. A response which takes into account the refinements will therefore be provided in due course.

Corporations Amendment Regulations 7.1.29A, 7.1.35A and 7.1.40(h)

The government continues to respond to this report through changes to the Corporations Regulations and ongoing proposals to make further refinements to the regulation of financial services based on public comment. A final response to this report will be tabled following implementation of these changes.

Property investment – Safe as houses?

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Timeshare: The price of leisure

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Statutory oversight of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Corporate responsibility: Managing risk and creating value

A response is expected following the report of the Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee (CAMAC) on Corporate Social Responsibility.

ECONOMICS LEGISLATION

Report on annual reports (No. 1 of 2006)

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Provisions of the Customs Amendment (Fuel Tax Reform and Other Measures) Bill 2006 and three related bills

The recommendations were addressed during the debate of the bill. No further response is required.

Provisions of the Fuel Tax Bill 2006 and the Fuel Tax (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2006

The recommendations were addressed during the debate of the bill. No further response is required.

ECONOMICS REFERENCES

Report on the operation of the Australian Taxation Office

The Australian Taxation Office has carefully considered the recommendations that relate to it, but several of the recommendations were overtaken by legislative and other developments. A report showing the current status of the recommendations is currently being prepared.

Inquiry into mass marketed tax effective schemes and investor protection – Interim report; Second report: A recommended resolution and settlement; and Final report

As previously noted, after the Committee’s final report, the then Commissioner of Taxation responded by announcing a settlement offer for participants in mass marketed investment schemes which was accepted by the vast majority of participants. The Parliament has also recently passed laws giving the Commissioner of Taxation greater powers to act against promoters of these schemes. No further response is proposed to these reports.

Consenting adults deficits and household debt – Link between Australia’s current account deficit, the demand for imported goods and household debt

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

ELECTORAL MATTERS (Joint Standing)

The 2004 federal election – Report of the inquiry into the conduct of the 2004 federal election and matters related thereto

The government response was presented out of sitting in the Senate on 31 August 2006. It was subsequently tabled in the Senate on 4 September 2006 and in the House of Representatives on 7 September 2006.

Funding and disclosure: Inquiry into disclosure of donations to political parties and candidates

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

EMPLOYMENT, WORKPLACE RELATIONS AND EDUCATION REFERENCES

Bridging the skills divide

The government response is being revised to reflect ongoing vocational and technical education reforms and is expected to be tabled shortly.

Indigenous education funding – Interim report and Final report

The response is awaiting inclusion of the outcomes of the second 2006 round for the Whole of School Intervention programme, which should be known shortly.

Student income support

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Workplace agreements

The Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005 and the Workplace Relations Regulations 2006 came into effect on 27 March 2006. The amendments to the Workplace Relations Regulations took effect from 21 September 2006. These legislative changes supersede the legislation that applied when this report was tabled on 21 October 2005. A response reflecting these legislative changes will be tabled.

ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS REFERENCES

The value of water: Inquiry into Australia’s urban water management

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Regulating the Range, Jabiluka, Beverley and Honeymoon uranium mines

Awaiting completion of relevant overlapping inquiries. A response will be prepared shortly.

Turning back the tide – the invasive species challenge: Report on the regulation, control and management of invasive species and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Invasive Species) Bill 2002

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Lurching forward, looking back: Budgetary and environmental implications of the Government’s Energy White Paper

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

The performance of the Australian telecommunications regulatory regime

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Living with a salinity – a report on progress: The extent and economic impact of salinity in Australia

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

FINANCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFERENCES

Staff employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Regional partnerships and sustainable regions programs

The government response was tabled in the Senate on 5 December 2006.

Matter relating to the Gallipoli Peninsula

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Government advertising and accountability

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE (Joint, Standing)

Australia’s free trade agreements with Singapore, Thailand and the United States: progress to date and lessons for the future

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Australia’s defence relations with the United States

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Expanding Australia’s trade and investment relations with North Africa

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Australia’s relationship with the Republic of Korea; and developments on the Korean peninsula

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Australia’s response to the Indian Ocean tsunami

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE REFERENCES

Mr Chen Yonglin’s request for political asylum

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Opportunities and challenges: Australia’s relationship with China

The government response was presented out of sitting on 2 November 2006, and tabled in the Senate on 6 November 2006.

The removal, search for and discovery of Ms Vivian Solon – Final report

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

China’s emergence: implications for Australia

The government response was presented out of sitting on 2 November 2006, and tabled in the Senate on 6 November 2006.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES (Select)

In the public interest: Monitoring Australia’s media

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL LEGISLATION

Review of the Defence Legislation Amendment (Aid to Civil Authorities) Bill 2005

The government response was tabled in the Senate on 30 November 2006.

Provisions of the Australian Citizenship Bill 2005 and the Australian Citizenship (Transitionals and Consequentials) Bill 2005

The government will respond to the report by way of moving amendments to the bills.

Provisions of the Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill 2006

The government response to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee’s report is encapsulated in the Prime Minister’s media release from 21 June 2006. No further response is proposed as the bill was withdrawn by the Prime Minister on 14 August 2006.

LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENCES

Reconciliation: Off track

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

The road to a republic

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

They still call Australia home: Inquiry into Australian expatriates

The government response was tabled in the Senate on 7 December 2006.

The real Big Brother – Inquiry into the Privacy Act 1988

The government response was tabled in the Senate on 30 November 2006.

Administration and operation of the Migration Act 1958

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

MEDICARE (Senate Select)

Medicare – healthcare or welfare? and

Second report: Medicare Plus: the future for Medicare?

A combined response to both of these reports is currently being finalised.

MENTAL HEALTH (Select)

A national approach to mental health - from crisis to community – First report and Second reports

To contribute to Council of Australian Governments (COAG) discussion and policy development on mental health, the Senate Select Committee on Mental Health divided its report into two. The first report, a national approach to mental health–from crisis to communit –First Report, was tabled on 30 March 2006. The second report, a national approach to mental health–from crisis–Final Report was tabled on 9 May 2006. The Final Report included the recommendations contain in the First Report together with a number of additional conclusions and recommendations. Accordingly a government response is being prepared to the Final report rather than the First report.

A response to a national approach to mental health–from crisis to community–Final Report was delayed in order to take account of the COAG’s consideration and endorsement of the National Action Plan on Mental Health 2006-2011 on 14 July 2006. A government response is currently being prepared and will be tabled in due course.

MIGRATION (Joint, Standing)

Detention centre contracts: Review of Audit report No. 1 2005-06 – Management of the detention centre contracts – Part B

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

MINISTERIAL DISCRETION IN MIGRATION MATTERS (Senate Select)

Report

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

NATIONAL CAPITAL AND EXTERNAL TERRITORIES (Joint, Standing)

Norfolk Island electoral matters

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Antarctica: Australia’s pristine frontier – Report on the adequacy of funding for Australia’s Antarctic Program

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Norfolk Island financial sustainability: The challenge – sink or swim?

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Current and future governance arrangements for the Indian Ocean territories

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

NATIVE TITLE AND THE ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LAND FUND (Joint Statutory)

Report on the operation of Native Title Representatives Bodies

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT (Joint Statutory)

Government business enterprises, December 1999 (Report No. 372)

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Review of Auditor-General’s reports 2003-04 third and fourth quarters; and first and second quarters of 2004-05 (Report No. 404)

The government response was given by way of an Executive Minute tabled in the House of Representatives on 30 October 2006 and in the Senate on 6 November 2006.

Developments in aviation security since the Committee’s June 2004 Report 400: Review of aviation security in Australia – An interim report (Report No. 406)

The Department of Transport and Regional Services provided a letter dated 16 February 2006, acknowledging the interim report. A full response will be provided when a final report is tabled.

PUBLICATIONS (Joint)

Distribution of the Parliamentary Papers Series

Responses to recommendations 7, 10, 13, 14 & 19 by the Department of Finance and Administration and responses to recommendations 8 & 16 by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet was tabled in the House of Representatives on 2 November 2006 and tabled in the Senate on 9 November 2006. Recommendation 18 will be responded to in due course.

RURAL AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRANSPORT LEGISLATION

An appropriate level of protection? The importation of salmon products: A case study of the administration of Australian quarantine and the impact of international trade arrangements

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Biosecurity Australia’s import risk analysis for pig meat

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Administration of Biosecurity Australia – Revised draft import risk analysis for bananas from the Philippines

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Administration of Biosecurity Australia – Revised draft import risk analysis for apples from New Zealand

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Regulatory framework under the Maritime Transport Security Amendment Act 2005

The Government does not propose to respond to the report. The recommendations of the Committee were taken into account when finalising the Maritime Transport and Offshore Security Amendment Regulations 2005 (1) and (3), which were tabled in the Senate on 6 September 2005 and 11 October 2005 respectively.

The privacy concerns have been addressed and guidelines are in place to assist assessments of security checks.

The administration by the Department of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of the citrus canker outbreak

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

RURAL AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRANSPORT REFERENCES

Rural water use

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Australian forest plantations: A review of Plantations for Australia: The 2020 vision

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

Iraqi wheat debt – repayments for wheat growers

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

SCRUTINY OF BILLS (Senate Standing)

Third report of 2004: The quality of explanatory memoranda accompanying bills

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.

TREATIES (Joint, Standing)

Treaties tabled on 7 December 2004 (3) and 8 February 2005 (65th Report)

The government response was tabled in both the Senate and the House of Representatives on 10 August 2006.

Treaties tabled on 7 December 2004 (4), 15 March and 11 May 2005 (66th report)

The government response is being considered and will be tabled in due course.