Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

That the provisions of paragraphs (5) to (8) of standing order 111 not apply to the following bills, allowing them to be considered during this period of sittings:

Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment Bill 2013,

Completion of Kakadu National Park (Koongarra Project Area Repeal) Bill 2013, and

Customs Amendment (Anti-Dumping Commission) Bill 2013.

I also table statements of reasons justifying the need for these bills to be considered during these sittings and seek leave to have the statements incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The documents read as follows—

AUSTRALIAN SPORTS ANTI-DOPING AUTHORITY AMENDMENT BILL

Purpose of the Bill

The bill will enhance the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority's (ASADA) investigation function by providing the ASADA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), or the CEO's delegate, with the power to issue a disclosure notice requiring a person to attend interviews with ASADA investigators, provide specific documents, materials or things (including electronic materials) and enable ASADA to retain those documents or materials for use in proceedings for an anti-doping rule violation.

The bill extends the information sharing arrangements currently enshrined in the ASADA Act 2006 to facilitate information sharing arrangements with other government agencies.

The bill will also improve Australia's anti-doping arrangements by:

(a) enabling the ASADA Chief Executive to engage with sports directly on the issue of sanctions, based on the most up to date information. This includes the evidence collected through ASADA's investigations.

(b) providing clarity around the conflict of interest provisions that the members of the anti-doping bodies established under the Act must abide by; and

(c) confirming the eight-year limitation period for commencing an action against an athlete in relation to a possible anti-doping rule violation.

Reasons for Urgency

Recent revelations of systemic doping in cycling have again highlighted that public confidence in sport can be easily undermined by actions that bring into question the integrity of sport. The public expects our champions to achieve success based on their ability and dedication; and not through improvement by artificial means.

While ASADA's detection program is among world's best practice, ASADA's capacity to undertake investigations can be improved further without changing the intrinsic nature of Australia's anti-doping arrangements. The sooner that these amendments can take effect, ASADA will be better placed to more effectively investigate individual cases of doping that come to its attention.

Urgent passage of the amendments to the Act will also enable the Government to implement a number of recommendations arising from the independent review into Cycling Australia conducted by the Hon James Wood AO QC.

COMPLETION OF KAKADU NATIONAL PARK (KOONGARRA PROJECT AREA REPEAL) BILL

Purpose of the Bill

The Koongarra area is surrounded by the Kakadu National Park and was excluded from the boundaries of the Kakadu National Park when it was proclaimed in 1979.

This exclusion was made to accommodate the prospect of future mining activity. Since that time, a number of parties have pursued the development of mining at Koongarra but no mining tenements have been granted.

The Government has committed to protect Koongarra as part of Kakadu in line with the express views of the traditional owners.

Reasons for Urgency

Koongarra will be incorporated into the Kakadu National Park by Proclamation anticipated to be approved by Executive Council later this year or early next year. This will make the Koongarra Project Area Act 1981 (the Act) redundant.

The repeal of the Act need not occur prior to the incorporation of Koongarra in to Kakadu National Park by way of Proclamation through papers put to the Executive Council. However in the interests of time it would be preferable to be in a position for the two actions to occur contemporaneously.

CUSTOMS AMENDMENT (ANTI-DUMPING COMMISSION) BILL

Purpose of the Bill

The bill will amend the Customs Act 1901 to establish the Anti-Dumping Commission (the Commission). The Commission will be headed by the Anti-Dumping Commissioner and will also comprise Customs Officers made available by the CEO of Customs.

The establishment of the Commission is the key recommendation of the Review into Anti-Dumping Arrangements (the Review) and was announced as part of the Government's response to the Review on 4 December 2012 by the Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs and Justice and the Minister for Industry and Innovation.

Reasons for Urgency

It is proposed the Commission will commence on 1 July 2013. To facilitate this, the bill will need to pass in the 2013 Autumn sittings. Early passage of the bill will allow the Minister to appoint a Commissioner and for administrative arrangements to be put in place for the Commission prior to its commencement on 1 July 2013.