Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the fourth report for 2023 of the Selection of Bills Committee. I seek leave to have the report incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The report read as follows—

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 4 OF 2023

30 March 2023

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Senator Anne Urquhart (Government Whip, Chair) Senator Wendy Askew (Opposition Whip)

Senator Ross Cadell (The Nationals Whip)

Senator Pauline Hanson (Pauline Hanson's One Nation Whip) Senator Nick McKim (Australian Greens Whip)

Senator Ralph Babet

Senator the Hon. Anthony Chisholm Senator the Hon. Katy Gallagher Senator Matt O'Sullivan

Senator David Pocock Senator Paul Scarr Senator Lidia Thorpe Senator Tammy Tyrrell

Secretary: Tim Bryant 02 6277 3020

SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 4 OF 2023

1. The committee met in private session on Wednesday, 29 March 2023 at 7.16 pm.

2. The committee recommends that—

(a) the Digital Assets (Market Regulation) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 2 August 2023 (see appendix 1 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(b) the provisions of the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 28 April 2023 (see appendix 2 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(c) the provisions of the Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 and Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee but was unable to reach agreement on a reporting date (see appendix 3 for a statement of reasons for referral);

(d) the provisions of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 4 May 2023 (see appendix 4 for a statement of reasons for referral); and

(e) the provisions of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Refining and Improving Our Tax System) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 28 April 2023 (see appendix 5 for a statement of reasons for referral).

3. The committee recommends that the following bills not be referred to committees:

4. The committee deferred consideration of the following bills to its next meeting:

5. The committee considered the following bill but was unable to reach agreement:

(Anne Urquhart)

Chair

30 March 2023

Appendix 1

Name of bill:

Digital Assets (Market Regulation) Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Complicated issue

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Sector, Groups Individuals that are affected.

Committee to which bill is to be referred

ECONOMICS LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

Possible hearing date(s):

April to July

Possible reporting date:

2 AUGUST 2023

(signed)

Wendy Askew

Appendix 2

Name of bill:

Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for cons ideration:

Complicated issue

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Sector, Groups Individuals that are affected.

Committee to which bill is to be referred

Education and Employment Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

April to May

Possible repor ting date:

28 April 2023

(signed)

Wendy Askew

Appendix 3

Name of bill:

Nature Repair Market Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Environment and Communications

Possible reporting date:

8/6/2023

(signed)

Anne Urquhart

Name of bill:

Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023

Reasons for referra1/principal issues for consideration:

To examine details of the bill including the use of offsets, measuring long-term outcomes, integrity and transparency.

Possible submissi ons or evidence from:

Environment stakeholders, private sector, experts and scientists.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Environment and Communications Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

5 June 2023

Possible reporting date:

1 August 2023

(signed)

Nick McKim

Appendix 4

Name of bill:

Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2023

Reasons for referra1/principal issues for consideration:

Assessment of effectiveness/uptake.

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Industry, sector groups, individuals who interacted with NAIF.

Committee to which bill is to be referred:

Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia

Possible hearing date(s):

April or potentially on the papers

Possible reporting date:

4th May 2023

(signed)

Nick McKim

Appendix 5

Name of bill:

Treasury Laws Amendment (Refining and Improving Our Tax System) Bill 2023

Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:

Complicated issue

Possible submissions or evidence from:

Sector, Groups Individuals that are affected.

Committee to which bill is to be referred

Economics Legislation Committee

Possible hearing date(s):

April to May

Possible reporting date:

28 April 2023

(signed)

Wendy Askew

I move:

That the report be adopted.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

At the end of the motion, add "and the following bill not be referred to a committee:

National Security Legislation Amendment (Comprehensive Review and Other Measures No. 2) Bill 2023."

David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Greens oppose this amendment by the government. We believe firmly that legislation such as this, which deals with core aspects of our national security legislation, needs to have public scrutiny. National security laws and outcomes are far too important for them to be signed off in a private deal between the government and the opposition. Too much of that work in this space is done secretly. It's not the subject of debate.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note the rabbiting over there of the coalition. We have had a day and a half of debate—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Shoebridge, resume your seat. Order on my left! If you wish to make a contribution, seek the call.

David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have had days of public scrutiny of the safeguard mechanism. But, when it comes to national security, the faux concerns of the coalition about public scrutiny all just disappear. They all get put into a dark, smoke filled room somewhere at the back of ASIO and it all just gets quietly put to bed. The major parties have got form on this, and no doubt we're going to see yet more efforts of secrecy involving AUKUS. We're likely to see the major parties coming together again to try and put defence expenditure and the review of the nuclear submarine program under another cloak of duopoly secrecy which is some sort of cooked up non-constitutional rubbish that they bring forward to this place. The so-called parties of government can cut their secret deals on nuclear submarines, on defence expenditure, on secret powers, on more powers to ASIO and more covert surveillance of Australians. You name a toxic increase in the surveillance state and the coalition and the government are on board, pushing it through, without public scrutiny—and that's what they're trying to do here. That's why we oppose the government's amendment.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the amendment to the Selection of Bills Committee report, as moved by Senator Chisholm, be agreed to.