Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A message has been received from the House of Representatives transmitting for concurrence resolutions relating to the formation of a joint committee. Copies of the message have been circulated in the chamber.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate concurs with the resolution of the House of Representatives contained in message no. 27 relating to the appointment of the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia.

The message read as follows—

That:

(1) a Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories be appointed to inquire into and report on:

(a) matters coming within the terms of section 5 of the Parliament Act 1974 as may be referred to it by:

  (i) either House of the Parliament; or

  (ii)   the Minister responsible for administering the Parliament Act 1974; or

  (iii)   the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(b) such other matters relating to the Parliamentary Zone as may be referred to it by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(c) such amendments to the National Capital Plan as are referred to it by a Minister responsible for administering the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988;

(d) such other matters relating to the National Capital as may be referred to it by:

  (i) either House of the Parliament; or

  (ii)   the Minister responsible for administering the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988; and

(e) such matters relating to Australia’s territories as may be referred to it by:

  (i) either House of the Parliament; or

  (ii)   the Minister responsible for the administration of the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands; the Territory of Christmas Island; the Coral Sea Islands Territory; the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands; the Australian Antarctic Territory, and the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and of Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island;

(2) annual reports of government departments and authorities presented to the House shall stand referred to the committee for any inquiry the committee may wish to make and reports shall stand referred to the committee in accordance with a schedule tabled by the Speaker to record the areas of responsibility of each committee, provided that:

(a) any question concerning responsibility for a report or a part of a report shall be determined by the Speaker; and

(b) the period during which an inquiry concerning an annual report may be commenced by a committee shall end on the day on which the next annual report of that department or authority is presented to the House;

(3) the committee consist of 12 members, the Deputy Speaker, 3 Members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Government Whip or Whips, 2 Members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Opposition Whip or Whips or by any minority group or independent Member, the Deputy President and Chairman of Committees, 2 Senators to be nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate, 2 Senators to be nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and 1 Senator to be nominated by any minority group or independent Senator;

(4) every nomination of a member of the committee be notified in writing to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(5) the members of the committee hold office as a joint standing committee until the House of Representatives is dissolved or expires by effluxion of time;

(6) the committee elect a:

(a) Government member as its chair; and

(b) non-Government member as its deputy chair who shall act as chair of the committee at any time when the chair is not present at a meeting of the committee;

(7) at any time when the chair and deputy chair are not present at a meeting of the committee the members present shall elect another member to act as chair at that meeting;

(8) in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair or the deputy chair when acting as chair, have a casting vote;

(9) three members of the committee (of whom one is the Deputy President or the Deputy Speaker when matters affecting the Parliamentary Zone are under consideration) constitute a quorum of the committee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House;

(10) the committee:

(a) have power to appoint subcommittees consisting of three or more of its members and to refer to any subcommittee any matter which the committee is empowered to examine; and

(b) appoint the chair of each subcommittee who shall have a casting vote only;

(11) at any time when the chair of a subcommittee is not present at a meeting of the subcommittee the members of the subcommittee present shall elect another member of that subcommittee to act as chair at that meeting;

(12) two members of a subcommittee constitute a quorum of that subcommittee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House;

(13) members of the committee who are not members of a subcommittee may participate in the proceedings of that subcommittee but shall not vote, move any motion or be counted for the purpose of a quorum;

(14) the committee or any subcommittee have power to:

(a) call for witnesses to attend and for documents to be produced;

(b) conduct proceedings at any place it sees fit;

(c) sit in public or in private;

(d) report from time to time; and

(e) adjourn from time to time and to sit during any adjournment of the Senate and the House of Representatives;

(15) the committee or any subcommittee have power to consider and make use of the evidence and records of the Joint Standing Committees on the National Capital and External Territories, the Joint Committees on the Australian Capital Territory, the Joint Standing Committees on the New Parliament House, the Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Zone and the Joint Committee on the National Capital appointed during previous Parliaments and of the House of Representatives and Senate Standing Committees on Transport, Communications and Infrastructure when sitting as a joint committee on matters relating to the Australian Capital Territory; and

(16) the provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move the amendment that, hopefully, has been circulated recently:

At the end of the motion, add ", subject to the following modifications to the resolution proposing the appointment of a joint select committee on Northern Australian:

Paragraph 2 (b)(II) after "regulatory", insert "taxation".

After paragraph 2 (c), insert:

(ca) present to the Parliament its recommendation for a white paper which would detail government action needed to be taken to implement the committee's recommendations, setting out how the recommendations were to be implemented, by which government entity they were to be implemented, a timetable for implementation and how and when any government funding would be sourced.

Paragraph 3, omit "June", substitute "May".

Paragraph 4, omit "September", substitute "July".

Senator Ludwig interjecting—

I had given the Australian Labor Party, the Democratic Labour Party, the Greens and Senator Xenophon notice of this on Monday, and I would have hoped that the ALP whip would have made you aware of it, Senator Ludwig. Being a Queenslander, it is something you may well have been interested in. I appreciate the government indicating they will be supporting the amendments and I would hope that other parties in the chamber would also support not only my amendments but the move to set up the committee.

I indicate that it should not have been necessary for me to have to move amendments to a government motion, but I will indicate the background to this. I do not believe that the terms of reference, which I eventually discovered almost by accident last Friday week, were appropriate and in the best interest of Northern Australians or in accord with or facilitating the adoption of the coalition's policy, which the establishment of this committee is supposed to be doing. Senators will know that there was little or, I suspect, no consultation with Senators generally or particular politicians who have a special interest in the north.

Senators will be aware that, as they were busy in estimates from 9 am until 11 pm Monday to Thursday in the last sitting week of the House of Representatives, the House of Representatives agreed to the terms of reference for the establishment of this committee without any debate. Almost by accident, as I said, I discovered the terms of reference. I was particularly disappointed as my many inquiries to the Prime Minister's office, which seems to have an almost obsessive centralised control phobia over this and every other aspect of parliament, responded to me when I kept inquiring with, 'We will let you know when the terms of reference are eventually decided.'

Because I was not elected to this parliament by the Prime Minister's office but by the Liberal-National Party of Queensland and by the voters of Queensland, particularly those in the north, I was incensed that the two things that are perhaps of most importance to Queenslanders were missing from the terms of reference. They were: a reference to look at the zoned tax system, which had been promised by the coalition prior to the election; and some definitive program towards the sustainable development of Northern Australia. Now, what you see in the terms of reference submitted by the government may be the Prime Minister's office's version of what it was all about, but I have to advise them and my constituents that I will not have unelected advisers in the Prime Minister's office telling elected politicians, who are actually in touch with their constituencies, what should and should not be done.

Can I go further into the background of this whole issue? Prior to 2001, as Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government, I initiated a number of northern Australian forums. There were significant meetings held across the north of Australia, looking at ways to develop northern Australia. As a result of that process significant volumes of findings and suggestions were released by the government in 2001. Unfortunately, a federal election then ensued and after the election I was moved to another ministerial portfolio and my successor, who was from Tasmania, had little interest in the north. The process towards development of northern Australia then faltered.

Six years ago, in opposition as the shadow parliamentary secretary for northern and remote Australia, I proceeded again with very wide consultations right across the North, which resulted in a policy which was taken to the 2010 election. Following the 2010 election more intense and serious consultations took place, and with the assistance of others in the shadow ministry we succeeded in producing a policy document entitled 'The coalition's 2030 vision for developing northern Australia'. This was launched by Mr Abbott at James Cook University in Townsville in June 2013. Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to table a copy of that policy.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is leave granted?

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We haven't seen it.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is not granted. I suggest, Senator Macdonald, that you provide a copy to the whips and then maybe ask that question at the end of your contribution.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a policy—if they do not want it tabled, it is a public document. I am just trying to have it involved in the records of parliament for accuracy. But if the senators do not want that, that is fine.

Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I rise on a point of order. It is the practice of the Senate that when senators want to table a document they make it available to the whips of the other parties. Senator Macdonald has been around long enough—as he has just been telling us!—to know what procedures of the Senate are, and I would like him to comply with them.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McEwen. There is no point of order, but your point has been made.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The policy contained a number of initiatives which were exciting and which, if implemented, could really have started a serious government thrust in the development of Northern Australia. It was always the intention that government leadership and facilitation would assist private industry in ways to move forward and invest in the types of initiatives that would sustainably develop the north. The underlying tenet of the policy was set out on page 7 of the policy document, and I quote:

The purpose of this paper (the Coalition's 2030 Vision for Developing Northern Australia) is to set out the policy options that the Coalition intends to pursue in our subsequent White Paper on developing Northern Australia.

The Coalition regards the extensive consultation over the past three years on the development of Northern Australia as an effective and responsive approach to formulating the White Paper.

Further:

The Coalition's 2030 Vision for Developing Northern Australia clearly sets out the policy priorities for developing Northern Australia that the White Paper will consider. It is not, however, a final set of policy options.

As with any other Green Paper, the Coalition’s 2030 Vision for Developing Northern Australia is intended to facilitate discussion, comments, feedback and suggestion from industry, the community and interested parties about the development of Northern Australia.

The policy went on to encourage industry, community and interested parties to participate in the discussion and to provide constructive input. The paper said:

Input can include general feedback or specific policy proposals, both near- and longer-term.

It gave details of where any such submissions should be sent. The coalition policy document said:

The Coalition is committed to realising far more development for Northern Australia.

To this end, we—

that is, the government, should we be elected—

will produce a White Paper on the development of Northern Australia within twelve months of the election—

that is, by 6 September 2014.

The White Paper will set-out a clear, well-defined and timely policy platform for promoting the development of Northern Australia. The White Paper will define policies for developing the North to 2030, including an outline for the implementation of these policies over the next two, five, ten and twenty years.

The paper also indicated that the white paper would be produced by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The Prime Minister announced the setting up of the joint committee that is the subject of this motion in one of his first news conferences following the election. He indicated that Mr Warren Entsch, the member for Leichhardt, would be chairman. As far as I am aware, there was little consultation on the terms of reference of the joint select committee, and I have mentioned that previously. The establishment of the joint select committee was not part of the coalition's policy document but, as senators know, committees of parliament can be a useful additive to any policy implementation. I am just a fraction concerned that the joint select committee process may just delay government decisions on the development of northern Australia in a way that has happened in the past. I note that the ministers responsible for this area of government policy now are based respectively in Noosa in southern Queensland and in Adelaide.

Senators will be aware of the separation of powers and the fact that the committees of parliament are actually committees of parliament and not committees of the executive government. I note that in the Prime Minister's announcement of the committee he indicated who the chairman would be when, quite rightly, the terms of reference indicate that the chairman will be elected by the committee itself and not appointed by the Prime Minister. This does not, I might add by way of personal explanation, in any way involve me, as I do not intend to be a voting member of this committee, but I will contribute to the extent of my ability as a participating member of the committee, which according to the terms of reference has all the powers and rights of a voting committee member except for voting. But I would not want the process embarked upon by government, useful though it may be in some cases, to delay further the formation of the government's white paper within 12 months of the election, which is what was promised prior to the election.

I suspect that there will be little that comes before the joint select committee that is not already referred to in some way in the coalition's policy document. For example, the coalition's policy said:

Our White Paper on developing Northern Australia will consider, as a matter of priority, the following policy options …

It then went on to mention in some detail the Northern Australia Strategic Partnership, regional involvement, building key urban communities in northern Australia, economic infrastructure, upgrading the Bruce Highway, building research capabilities—in particular the cooperative research centre on northern Australia—promoting trade, the water project development fund, allocating funds from the foreign aid budget for the northern health and medical research institute and research generally, reallocating government departments to the North, and skills. The policy document also traversed another range of initiatives.

Mr Deputy President, of particular interest to me and, I can assure you, all northern Australians are the following words at page 5 of the policy document:

To this end, the efficacy and targeting of current relocation incentives and personal and business income tax incentives could be reviewed.

The document at page 22 also recognised:

… a significant barrier to the development of Northern Australia is the lack of scale economies, which has flow-on impacts on the availability and cost of goods, services and infrastructure in a Northern Australia.

The Coalition recognises that higher effective costs in rural and remote areas affect the incentive for families and businesses to relocate to, or remain in, these areas.

Accordingly, the first part of my amendment makes specific reference to taxation. This will ensure that there will be no opportunity for the committee or, indeed, the government to ignore a review of the existing zone tax system. That is important not only to me but to every person living in northern and remote Australia, so that is the basis of the first part of the amendment.

To assist the government, I am suggesting in the second part of my amendment that the joint select committee should actually produce its version of a white paper, from which the executive government can then start its process of producing a white paper and releasing it by, as promised, 6 September 2014. Accordingly I am suggesting that the date for the interim report and for the final report of the select committee should be brought forward to give the government at least some time to consider the recommendations of the joint select committee and, as government would so wish, include in its white paper the suggestions of the joint select committee.

If the government is intending to take any notice whatsoever of the findings of the joint select committee in the preparation of its white paper, and if it is intending to honour its commitment to produce a government white paper within 12 months of the election, then clearly the dates set out in the government's terms of reference are incomprehensible. You cannot have the committee reporting on 6 September 2014 and the government issuing its white paper on the same day. If that were to happen, clearly the government would be taking no notice of what the select committee might have thought—and if that is the case, why bother with the select committee? If you are going to have the select committee and if it is going to mean something, then the days for reporting should be brought forward so that the government can use the work of the select committee in the preparation of its white paper.

I appreciate and certainly hope that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is already working on its white paper, but I repeat that if the joint select committee process is to be taken seriously as a process that adds value to the government's white paper then its report should be tabled in time to allow the government to meet its commitments. If this is not done, two alternatives spring out. One is that the government intends to take no notice of the select committee work—in which case, why bother with the select committee? Alternatively, the government will delay—and this is what concerns me—the publishing of its white paper beyond the committed date of 6 September 2014. This rings warning bells with me, in that any substantial delay will put us back in the process we were in back in 2001, when we had all the work done for a serious government involvement in the development of Northern Australia which was then—to put it politely—put on the backburner and it faded away. I do not want that to happen again.

During the past six years, particularly the last three years, and since the launch of the paper I have toured extensively in northern Australia, making commitments of behalf of the coalition and indicating that our leader was at last serious about the development of the North. I know that Mr Abbott still is, but I know that the pressures of government can lead to delays which eventually result in nothing being done. Whilst I understand that matters of great national moment take priority, I can assure the Senate that, for five per cent of Australia's population who live above the Tropic of Capricorn, the development of northern Australia is a priority. I do not want the current momentum to suffer the same fate that happened to the northern Australian forums process back in 2001. As the Vice-Chancellor of James Cook University said when referring to northern Australians at the launch by Mr Abbott of the white paper in June 2013, 'For us this is personal.'

I have made too many commitments to my constituents and to those who voted for me and us at the last election to allow this opportunity to pass by. I urge senators to support the amendments that I have moved, which will, if adopted, enable the government to proceed upon its chosen path but at the same time allow it to honour its election promise of a government white paper prior to 6 September 2014. The production of a white paper will at least give the people of northern Australia some serious indication of the government action that needs to be taken, setting out how the recommendations of the white paper are to be implemented, by which government entity they are to be implemented, the timetable for implementation, and how and when any government funding would be resourced.

I am sorry if all senators have not been able to hear me. I am suffering a bit with the aftermath of a cold and my voice is not what it would normally be. I hope I have made the argument for the amendments, which allow the government to establish this select committee, as it has chosen to do, but have not interfered with the process that was set out in the government's pre-election policy on a white paper that will seriously plan the permanent forward growth of northern Australia in a sustainable way. I urge all senators to support the amendments.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While in no way making any comment about the importance of issues in northern Australia, the opposition is concerned about having just seen an internal government debate around a straightforward motion about setting up a joint select committee. In view of the fact that over the next few days and possibly longer we will be having discussions in this place about the use of government time and the use of debating time, I would like to draw attention to the fact that we have just spent 25 minutes on something that would seem to be an internal debate rather than something for the chair of this Senate.

Question agreed to.

Original question, as amended, agreed to.