Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Under the bill, there are a number of steps on implementation. They include the stocktake, for example. They include the work that will be done with the states and territories to examine those arrangements and to effectively engage on their implications for foreign policy and foreign relations. This process—which will be one the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is deeply, deeply involved in—will be part of providing that support to the states and territories, in relation to the implications of the arrangements in question. In terms of the practical and process aspects, we also have a number of fact sheets—which, as I understand it, have already been provided on the DFAT website—and the development of a set of Q and As, which are also helpful for stakeholders. There is no question and I understand that, when you seek to implement a new system such as this, it does raise concerns in affected entities about what its impact will be. But the role of the task force, the role of my department, is to work comprehensively with those entities to seek to provide them with support and guidance in bringing forward those arrangements for consideration. I think the production of guidelines itself creates a frozen-in-time judgement. I don't think that that's necessarily productive in this context. The approach that we take is one which is responsive to evolving global developments and which is not, as I said, frozen in time.