Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the Australian Government's hire of public sector workers and purchase of goods and services makes it the largest single spender in Australian markets,

  (ii) in 2016-17, $47 billion in Australian Government procurement contracts were reported,

  (iii) government objectives differ from profit-driven firms, and

  (iv) there is a need to ensure that procurement practices uphold the government's social and ecological obligations for the long-term well-being of our community; and

(b) calls on the government to:

  (i) make procurement decisions with consideration of broader policy objectives including supporting local industry and job creation,

  (ii) ensure that, in any government procurement decision which selects an imported tender over local content, the government must have publicly available justifications as to why the imported choice is better value, where "value" considers the financial cost and the benefit to local industry and local employment opportunities,

  (iii) ensure that Australia does not enter into any free trade agreements that restrict the government's ability to preference and support local suppliers, and

  (iv) ensure existing policies promoting local procurement are better monitored and enforced.