Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

There is a lot to sum up about, Senator Farrell, through the chair. This is an important issue for small and medium businesses, where the peak body of export consultants is deeply concerned about the form of these regulations and the impact that they will have. At least Senator Singh was decent enough, on behalf of the opposition, to say they do not support them, but what do I get from the government? Zip, nothing, nada. At least the government could have got up and said, 'We don't support you,' and given me even a couple of paragraphs, even a couple of lines, of reasons, because this is not fair to the export consultants of this nation, who have acted in good faith, who are concerned about the red tape. Removing unnecessary red tape has been a mantra for this government. What you have done here is that you have introduced red tape with barbed wire wrapped around it, because I think that there will be problems. The undertaking I give to the export consultants is that I will do my best to monitor this through the estimates process and through representations made to the minister. I do not get why we have gone down this path. I believe this will have a negative impact on our exporters. I believe that we will see a diminution of our export effort, because the red tape surrounding it will just become even greater, without in any way improving the probity of the export process and the grants process.