Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Canavan, I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 1225 by omitting in paragraph (7) 'independent senators' and substituting 'any minority party or independent senator'.

Leave not granted.

At the request of Senator Canavan, I move:

(1) That a select committee, to be known as the Select Committee on Financing Critical Infrastructure and Sovereign Capability, be established to inquire and report on the following matters:

(a) the importance of sovereign capability and critical infrastructure;

(b) the role domestic investment plays in enhancing Australia's sovereign capability and economic growth;

(c) efficient means to secure the financing of domestic investment in sovereign capability and critical infrastructure;

(d) regulatory reforms to encourage domestic investment in sovereign capability and critical infrastructure;

(e) relevant international approaches to securing domestic investment in sovereign capability and critical infrastructure; and

(f) any related matters.

(2) That the committee present its final report on or before the last sitting day in March 2022.

(3) That the committee consist of six senators, as follows:

(a) three nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate;

(b) two nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate;

(c) one nominated by any minority party or independent senator.

(4) That:

(a) participating members may be appointed to the committee on the nomination of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate or any minority party or independent senator; and

(b) participating members may participate in hearings of evidence and deliberations of the committee and have all the rights of members of the committee, but may not vote on any questions before the committee.

(5) If a member of a committee is unable to attend a meeting of the committee, that member may in writing to the chair of the committee appoint a participating member to act as a substitute member of the committee at that meeting and, if the member is incapacitated or unavailable, a letter to the chair of a committee appointing a participating member to act as a substitute member of the committee may be signed on behalf of the member by the leader or whip of the party or group on whose nomination the member was appointed to the committee.

(6) That the committee may proceed to the dispatch of business notwithstanding that not all members have been duly nominated and appointed and notwithstanding any vacancy.

(7) That the committee elect as chair one of the members nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate and as deputy chair one of the members nominated by independent senators.

(8) That the deputy chair shall act as chair when the chair is absent from a meeting of the committee or the position of chair is temporarily vacant.

(9) That the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, may appoint another member of the committee to act as chair during the temporary absence of both the chair and deputy chair at a meeting of the committee.

(10) That, in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, has a casting vote.

(11) That the committee and any subcommittee have power to send for and examine persons and documents, to move from place to place, to sit in public or in private and have leave to report from time to time its proceedings and the evidence taken and such interim recommendations as it may deem fit.

(12) That the committee have power to appoint subcommittees consisting of three or more of its members, and to refer to any such subcommittee any of the matters which the committee is empowered to consider.

(13) That the committee be provided with all necessary staff, facilities and resources and be empowered to appoint persons with specialist knowledge for the purposes of the committee with the approval of the President of the Senate.

(14) That the committee be empowered to print from day to day such papers and evidence as may be ordered by it, and a daily Hansard be published of such proceedings as take place in public.

Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] I seek leave to make a one-minute statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind senators, as I have in the past, of page 485 of Odgers, which says that back in 2009 'the Procedure Committee recommended an understanding that there should be no more than three select committees in existence at any time'. There are currently seven select committees. This motion will take it to eight. I point out that a stipend is paid by the public in relation to these committees. A chair receives an additional payment of $23,240 and the deputy chair receives $11,620. This is a cost to the taxpayer of $34,000. At the same time we're paying stipends to references committee chairs and deputy chairs, and those committees seem mostly unutilised. I won't support a select committee here, but I would support it going to a references committee.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One Nation opposes this motion. Paragraph (1) is the key paragraph. Within that, in regard to clause (a), the answer is already known, but it's not surprising that members of the parliament are not aware. For clause (b), the core issue is decades of shoddy governance and lack of parliamentary accountability. Our inquiry into the use of taxpayer money on disaster recovery funding would start to address these issues. My dissenting report to the Northern Australia Agenda inquiry itemised many concerns, including the need for comprehensive tax reform for practical industrial relations reform to protect workers and small businesses. Clause (d) is largely known and understood. This would be a waste of money, and it is not sincere.

Question negatived.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I have it recorded that the government obviously supported that motion.