Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senators for their contribution to this debate. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Legislation Amendment Bill (No.1) 2012 will reduce red tape and make portfolio legislation clearer. This bill is an example of the government working with industry for more practical and effective regulation. It responds to industry requests for reform of regulation and streamlines administrative procedures. Some examples are amendments to the label integrity program which address concerns raised by retailers and wholesalers and amendments to the definition of 'vintage' which address concerns raised by some wine producers who harvest their grapes later than the normal harvest period. In addition, amendments to the fisheries legislation will simplify administration for business. It will also ensure that, when it is necessary for the Australian Fisheries Management Authority to issue directions to close a fishery, the requirements are clear for fishers. A further example is amendments to levies legislation which will provide an improved response time for our industry levy payers when they submit requests for the remission of late levy penalties. The portfolio continues to identify redundant legislation for removal from the statute books. The repeal of the States Grants (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1952 is a further example of the portfolio's efforts towards deregulation. Importantly, this bill provides a cost-effective opportunity to clean up portfolio legislation; the various technical amendments will improve readability, update references and remove redundant texts, resulting in clearer legislation. I commend bill to the Senate.

Bill read a second time.