The SPEAKER ( Hon. Tony Smith ) took the chair at 12:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATION
Member for Groom
Resignation
The SPEAKER (12:01): I inform the House that on 18 September 2020 I received a letter from the Hon. Dr John Joseph McVeigh, resigning his seat as the member for the electoral division of Groom. Consideration is being given to possible dates for the by-election, and I will inform the House in due course of the dates which have fixed for the by-election.
BILLS
Returned from Senate
Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment (Jabiru) Bill 2020
Payment Times Reporting (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020
Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Cessation) Bill 2020
National Skills Commissioner Bill 2020
National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Governance and Other Matters) Bill 2020
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment (Prohibiting Academic Cheating Services) Bill 2019
Treasury Laws Amendment (2020 Measures No. 2) Bill 2020
Treasury Laws Amendment (Your Superannuation, Your Choice) Bill 2019
Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Jobkeeper Payments) Amendment Bill 2020
Product Stewardship (Oil) Amendment Bill 2020
Norfolk Island Amendment (Supreme Court) Bill 2020
Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Improving Assistance for Vulnerable and Disadvantaged Families) Bill 2020
Excise Tariff Amendment Bill 2020
Superannuation Amendment (PSSAP Membership) Bill 2020
Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment (Jabiru) Bill 2020
Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Cessation) Bill 2020
Payment Times Reporting (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020
Primary Industries (Customs) Charges Amendment (Dairy Cattle Export Charge) Bill 2020
Assent
Messages from the Governor-General reported informing the House of assent to the bills.
DOCUMENTS
Agreement for Members to Contribute Remotely to Parliamentary Proceedings
Presentation
Mr PORTER (Pearce—Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Leader of the House) (12:02): I present the Agreement for Members to Contribute Remotely to Parliamentary Proceedings, made pursuant to the resolution formally adopted by the House on 23 March 2020.
BUSINESS
Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders
Mr PORTER (Pearce—Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Leader of the House) (12:03): I move:
That in relation to the presentation of, and reply by the Leader of the Opposition to, the 2020-2021 Budget that:
(1) standing order 31 (automatic adjournment of the House) and standing order 33 (limit on business) be suspended for the sitting on Tuesday, 6 October 2020; and
(2) standing order 31 (automatic adjournment of the House) be suspended for the sitting on Thursday 8 October 2020 and at that sitting, after the Leader of the Opposition completes his reply to the Budget speech, the House automatically stand adjourned until 10 am on Monday, 19 October 2020, unless the Speaker or, in the event of the Speaker being unavailable, the Deputy Speaker, fixes an alternative day or hour of meeting.
Mr BURKE (Watson—Manager of Opposition Business) (12:03): As advised to the Leader of the House, we will be supporting this resolution. We do seek to move an amendment to it, and will be supporting the resolution whether or not the amendment is carried. I move:
That all words after "That" be omitted and substituted with the following words:
"in relation to the Budget sittings of the House from Tuesday, 6 October 2020 to Thursday, 8 October 2020 that:
(1)standing order 31 (automatic adjournment of the House) and standing order 33 (limit on business) be suspended for the sitting on Tuesday, 6 October 2020;
(2)standing order 47(c) (motion for suspension of standing orders without notice must be relevant to any business under discussion and seconded and can be carried only by an absolute majority of Members, or by a majority of Members present if agreed by the Leader of the House and the Manager of Opposition Business) be suspended for the sittings from Tuesday, 6 October 2020 to Thursday, 8 October 2020 in relation to any motion for the suspension of standing or other orders without notice relating to the passage of the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Ensuring Fair Representation of the Northern Territory) Bill 2020; and
(3)standing order 31 (automatic adjournment of the House) be suspended for the sitting on Thursday, 8 October 2020 and at that sitting, after the Leader of the Opposition completes his reply to the Budget speech, the House automatically stand adjourned until 10 am on Monday, 19 October 2020, unless the Speaker or, in the event of the Speaker being unavailable, the Deputy Speaker, fixes an alternative day or hour of meeting"
Can I proceed with the speech?
The SPEAKER: You've moved the amendment, so you can proceed with the speech.
Mr Porter: Mr Speaker, I have a point of order. Standing order 121, Form of amendments and seconding, states under subsection (c):
The amendment must be relevant to the question it proposes to amend.
The substance of this amendment is to make procedural changes to a procedural amendment for the sole and specific purpose of one bill, which may or may not come from the Senate. This is a very similar issue to the one which we previously raised with you, and that is the contrived nature of pretending that this amendment is relevant to the question that it proposes to amend, when it is specifically, primarily and substantially devoted to one particular bill, which is not the subject of the motion before the House.
Mr BURKE: On the point of order, Mr Speaker: as you're aware, there's a large amount of precedent with respect to the moving of amendments. The form of the amendment that is before the House now fits under the Practice at pages 310 and 311, dealing with the omission of all words in order to substitute an alternative proposition, which is what this does. In terms of whether or not it is relevant, it is true that what I have moved an amendment that does more than the original motion, but it is certainly relevant to the original motion. Indeed, everything that the original motion does is still there. The motion only seeks to suspend standing orders for the purpose of this week, which is what the original motion did.
What the Leader of the House is proposing is, effectively, that you can word a motion in a way that makes it unamendable. That is a decision for the House. These precedents go back to 1905. This is actually one of my favourite precedents. It was about home rule for Ireland. The whole purpose of the motion was to call on the king to grant home rule for Ireland. The amendment was to not do that at all, and it was viewed as being in order. Similarly, page 311 refers to it as being common practice in this House for a motion whose entire purpose is to censure or condemn a prime minister or a minister to have amendments moved to it, all ruled in order, that say, 'Yet, instead of that, we're going to condemn the Leader of the Opposition.' Those amendments have been determined to be in order, even though they have done none of the things that the original motion has sought to do.
So I put it to you, Mr Speaker, that what the Leader of the House is asking for is something quite different to previous rulings. I accept what he says—there is a way of reading that standing order that would knock this amendment out—but the House hasn't done that since 1905. We have a wealth of precedent that something of this order is, indeed, in order, and I would put it to you that the best course of action is for it to be properly before the House and for the House to make a decision as to whether or not it wants to amend the motion in this way.
The SPEAKER: I thank both the Leader of the House and the Manager of Opposition Business for their contributions. The Leader of the House makes a reasonable point on the reading of the standing order, and that's certainly the case. I would be ruling in favour of the Leader of the House if the amendment was worded in such a way as to just tack something on to the motion that's there. I think, having apprised myself of some of the precedents, what's clear is that an amendment can't be moved to remove all words. That's out of order. That's been attempted before. In other words, the motion just becomes invisible. If you're seeking to have words removed, they have to be replaced with other words. That's why I wanted to hear the motion. I do have to say to the Leader of the House that when I heard the Manager of Opposition Business say he wanted to move an amendment I wasn't quite sure that that would necessarily be in order. But, in asking that all words be substituted for other words, albeit including some of the words that are there, I think the House is able to make that judgement.
I also think the Leader of the Opposition makes a reasonable point that the subject matter being included is clunky. Procedurally, I don't think that matters as long as the House has been able to consider the motion that's been moved by the Leader of the House and consider a substantial amendment where words are replaced with what's, essentially, an expanded motion. So, I think, on that case, from what I've heard, I'll allow it to proceed. Where we're at now is for the Manager of Opposition Business—you've moved it. Do you wish to speak to it now?
Mr BURKE (Watson—Manager of Opposition Business) (12:13): Yes. I've heard that the government's not going to oppose it, so I'll explain the reasons for what's in front of us. For a long time now there has been a question as to whether the Northern Territory would go from two seats to one. The Northern Territory involves, as we would know, some of the most disadvantaged communities in Australia. And there are other parts of Australia that have smaller populations than what there would be if the Northern Territory remained at two seats. I don't know whether there will be support in both houses to keep the Northern Territory at two seats. Previously, there has been.
This amendment says that if a bill to do that makes it through the Senate it will be within our power to make that decision this week and to put the bill through. There's a reason it can only be done in this way. Normally, if you have a majority on the floor on a particular issue—we might, certainly with the government saying they're voting for this; I reckon we've got there. But the only way you can prove that with a suspension of standing orders, normally, is to get to 76. We're not allowed to do that at the moment because of social-distancing rules; we can't get that many people into the room. So the only opportunity from the opposition's perspective to be able to force a suspension of standing orders is on the occasion the government moves a suspension of standing orders, which happens once a year, in budget week. So, for people asking 'Why now?', this is the one opportunity that is there for the House to do this.
I would simply urge all members—for the large number of people who've made speeches in this place on different occasions on their commitment to the regions—this week, the House will get to decide if this is carried—that is, whether or not we are going to reduce the representation of the regions in this parliament. I don't think we should, and I certainly don't think we should be reducing the representation of the Northern Territory in this House. I believe we should fix it this week. So I'd urge all members to vote for this amendment; to vote for the Leader of the House's motion, whether it's amended or not; and to use this week as the opportunity to make sure that we do not reduce the parliament's representation of regional Australia.
The SPEAKER: Is the motion seconded?
Mr Butler: I second the amendment and reserve my right to speak.
Mr JOYCE (New England) (12:16): I think it is a very hard thing, to support something from the other side of the chamber, but, from a party that represents regional Australia, in circumstances where 80 per cent of our nation is represented by merely four per cent of the members in this chamber, it is vitally important that we not exacerbate that situation by the removal of yet another regional seat. We've tried for regional senators, and we didn't even get debating time in this chamber for it. I was bitterly disappointed by that, considering it was a unanimous resolution of the National Party Federal Conference. The Northern Territory and other regional areas—areas that have a lower life expectancy, higher unemployment, fewer opportunities in education; everything that attests to them needing greater representation in this place—should not be affected by us removing a seat. I want to make it brief, and that's basically where I'll leave it.
I would also concur—unfortunately, there is only one time when a suspension is moved by the government, and that, of course, is in budget week. We also have this absolutely peculiar situation where we wouldn't be able to get an absolute majority because people are just not here. Even today, I'm so-called rostered off. How does that work, in a democracy? So, by reason of the circumstances brought about by this pandemic—which, I must admit, I totally disagree with; we should be passing the standing orders to let people sit in the galleries—and by reason of the fact that my whole time in this parliament has been about regional representation and trying to fight for greater regional representation, I'm not going to be a party to anything that removes regional representation.
The SPEAKER: The question is that the motion moved by the Manager of Opposition Business be disagreed to.
Question negatived.
The SPEAKER: The question now is that the motion moved by the Leader of the House, as amended, be agreed to.
Question agreed to.
COMMITTEES
Australia's Family Law System Joint Select Committee
Membership
The SPEAKER (12:19): I have to report to the House that, on 7 September 2020, I received advice from the Chief Government Whip nominating Mr Young to be a member of the Joint Select Committee on Australia's Family Law System. In accordance with standing order 229(b), as the House was not expected to sit for several weeks, the appointment became effective on that date. I now call the minister to move a motion to resolve the membership of the committee.
Mr CHESTER (Gippsland—Deputy Leader of the House, Minister for Defence Personnel and Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (12:19): I move:
That Mr Young be appointed a member of the Joint Select Committee on Australia's Family Law System.
Question agreed to.
BILLS
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2020
First Reading
Bill received from the Senate and read a first time.
Ordered that the second reading be made an order of the day for the next sitting day.
Payment Times Reporting Bill 2020
Consideration of Senate Message
Bill returned from the Senate with amendments.
Ordered that the amendments be considered immediately.
Senate's amendments—
(1) Govt (1) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 5, page 3 (after line 14), before the definition of Australia, insert:
ABN has the same meaning as in the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999.
(2) Govt (2) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 5, page 3 (after line 20), after the definition of authorised officer, insert:
Business Industry Codes means the Business Industry Codes published by the Australian Taxation Office, as in force or existing from time to time.
Note: The Business Industry Codes could in 2020 be viewed on the Australian Taxation Office's website (https://www.ato.gov.au).
(3) Govt (3) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 5, page 3 (after line 24), after the definition of civil penalty provision, insert:
commencement day means the day this Act commences.
(4) Govt (4) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 5, page 5 (after line 25), after the definition of payment times report, insert:
Payment Times Small Business Identification Tool has the meaning prescribed by the rules.
(5) Govt (5) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 5, page 7 (line 2), omit the definition of small business, substitute:
small business means an entity described as a small business in the Payment Times Small Business Identification Tool.
Note: An entity will be described as a small business in the Payment Times Small Business Identification Tool during an income year for the entity if it carries on an enterprise in Australia and its annual turnover (within the meaning of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997) was less than $10 million for the most recent income year.
(6) Govt (6) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 14, page 13 (lines 4 to 30), omit subclause (1), substitute:
Content requirements
(1) The report must:
(a) state the entity's name; and
(b) if the entity has an ABN—state the ABN; and
(c) include a description of the entity's main business activity in accordance with the Business Industry Codes; and
(d) state the reporting period to which the report relates; and
(e) include a statement on the standard payment periods for the entity at the start of the reporting period, including in relation to the shortest and longest standard payment periods for the entity; and
(f) include details and an explanation of any changes to the standard payment periods for the entity during the reporting period, including in relation to the shortest and longest payment periods for the entity; and
(g) state the proportion, determined by total number and total value, of small business invoices paid by the entity during the reporting period that were paid in accordance with each of the following subparagraphs:
(i) within 20 days after the day (the issue day) the relevant small business invoice was issued;
(ii) between 21 and 30 days after the issue day;
(iii) between 31 and 60 days after the issue day;
(iv) between 61 and 90 days after the issue day;
(v) between 91 and 120 days after the issue day;
(vi) more than 120 days after the issue day; and
(h) state the proportion, determined by total value, of all procurement by the entity during the reporting period that was procurement from small business suppliers; and
(i) include the details of the principal governing body of the entity; and
(j) if the entity is a member of a controlling corporation's group—identify the controlling corporation; and
(k) include a declaration by a responsible member of the entity that the report will be provided to the principal governing body of the entity; and
(l) state the name of the responsible member who signed the report under subsection (5) and the date it was signed; and
(m) state the name and contact details of the individual giving the report to the Regulator; and
(n) if a notifiable event has occurred since the last payment times report (if any) for the entity was given to the Regulator—include details of the notifiable event; and
(o) include any other information or documents prescribed by the rules.
(7) Govt (7) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 14, page 13 (line 32), omit "paragraph (1) (d)", substitute "paragraph (1) (g)".
(8) Govt (8) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 14, page 14 (line 1), omit "paragraph (1) (i)", substitute "paragraph (1) (o)".
(9) Govt (9) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 14, page 14 (after line 20), at the end of the clause, add:
Form and manner for giving report
(6) The report must be given in a form and manner (if any) approved in an instrument under subsection (7).
(7) The Regulator may, by notifiable instrument, approve a form or manner for the purposes of subsection (6).
(10) Govt (10) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 27, page 21 (after line 19), after paragraph (3) (b), insert:
(ba) subsection 14(7) (approval of a form or manner for giving payment times reports);
(11) Govt (11) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 28, page 22 (line 17), omit "18 months", substitute "12 months".
(12) Govt (12) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 37, page 33 (line 6), omit "18 months", substitute "12 months".
(13) Govt (13) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 47, page 38 (lines 4 to 6), omit the paragraph beginning "This Part deals", substitute:
This Part deals with miscellaneous matters, such as the review of decisions, the continuation of certain obligations for former reporting entities, annual reporting, a statutory review and the power to make rules.
(14) Govt (14) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 47, page 38 (after line 8), after the paragraph beginning "This Part also provides", insert:
In addition, this Part provides that certain entities are taken to have become reporting entities before the commencement day, with their first reporting periods starting on or after the commencement day. It also provides for further time after the commencement day for entities to voluntarily elect to become reporting entities.
(15) Govt (15) [Sheet RS116]
Page 45 (after line 1), before clause 55, insert:
54A Application—certain entities taken to have become reporting entities before commencement day
(1) This section applies if:
(a) an income year (the relevant income year) for a constitutionally covered entity started 6 months or less before the commencement day; and
(b) the entity would have been covered by subsection 7(2) at the start of the relevant income year had this Act been in force at that time.
(2) The entity is taken to have become a reporting entity at the start of the relevant income year.
Note: The entity continues to be a reporting entity until it ceases to be a reporting entity under subsection 7(3) or (4).
(3) Despite paragraph 8(a), the first 6 months of the relevant income year is not a reporting period for the entity.
54B Application—further time after commencement day for voluntary election to become reporting entity
(1) This section applies if:
(a) an income year (the relevant income year) for a constitutionally covered entity started:
(i) 6 months or less before the commencement day; or
(ii) within the period of 2 months starting on the commencement day; and
(b) the entity gives the Regulator notice in writing that the entity elects to become a reporting entity; and
(c) the notice is given after the start of the relevant income year but within the period of 2 months starting on the commencement day.
(2) The election is taken to have been made under paragraph 7(1) (b), and the entity is taken to have become a reporting entity at the start of the relevant income year.
Note 1: An entity that is only a reporting entity because of an election under paragraph 7(1) (b) is a volunteering entity: see section 5.
Note 2: The entity continues to be a reporting entity until it ceases to be a reporting entity under subsection 7(3) or (4).
(3) If the relevant income year started before the commencement day, then, despite paragraph 8(a), the first 6 months of the relevant income year is not a reporting period for the entity.
(16) Govt (16) [Sheet RS116]
Page 46 (after line 9), after clause 57, insert:
57A Review of operation of this Act
(1) The Minister must cause an independent review of the operation of this Act to be conducted within 6 months after the second anniversary of the commencement day.
Note: The reference to this Act includes the rules: see the definition of this Act in section 5.
(2) The persons who conduct the review must give the Minister a written report of the review.
(3) The Minister must cause a copy of the report to be tabled in each House of the Parliament within 15 sitting days of that House after the report is given to the Minister.
(17) PHON (1) [Sheet 1026]
Page 46 (before line 10), before clause 58, insert:
57B Requirements for review
(1) Without limiting section 57A, the review must consider the following:
(a) whether the operation of this Act is meeting the objects set out in section 3;
(b) whether related government policies, including policies relating to electronic invoicing, have improved the payment terms and practices of reporting entities in relation to their small business suppliers;
(c) whether other measures such as mandating one or more maximum periods (the mandated maximum payment periods) for the payment of small business invoices by reporting entities would be more effective in improving those payment terms and practices.
(2) In considering mandated maximum payment periods, the review must consider the following:
(a) how mandated maximum payment periods could best be implemented, taking into account:
(i) potential regulatory burdens on reporting entities; and
(ii) the need to avoid unintended consequences for small businesses;
(b) the mandated maximum payment periods that would be appropriate to improve payment terms and practices, including:
(i) whether mandated maximum payment periods of 30 days, 20 days, or 10 days or less would be appropriate; and
(ii) whether mandated maximum payment periods of 5 days would be appropriate if electronic invoicing were used;
(c) the impact of sector or industry‑specific differences, including how mandated maximum payment periods could be imposed on sectors and industries with differing payment terms and practices;
(d) the compliance or enforcement arrangements that would be appropriate to support mandated maximum payment periods, including whether a penalty regime should be established for the following purposes:
(i) to require a reporting entity to pay small business invoices issued to the entity within a specified period, if the entity has a median payment period for small business invoices issued to the entity that is longer than the mandated maximum payment period;
(ii) to require a reporting entity that has failed to pay a small business invoice issued to the entity within the period specified in the terms of the relevant contract to pay interest on that payment.
(18) Govt (17) [Sheet RS116]
Clause 58, page 46 (line 27), omit "small business", substitute "Payment Times Small Business Identification Tool".
Mr CHESTER (Gippsland—Deputy Leader of the House, Minister for Defence Personnel and Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (12:22): I move:
That the amendments be agreed to.
Question agreed to.
Mr KEOGH (Burt) (12:22): by leave—I move together non-government amendments (1) to (6) circulated in my name:
(1) Clause 3, page 2 (line 23), after "practices", insert ", including paying small business suppliers in less than 30 days".
(2) Clause 5, page 5 (after line 23), after the definition of notifiable event, insert:
payment time,for an invoice, means the number of days in the period beginning on the day a small business supplier issued the invoice to the reporting entity and ending on the day that the invoice was paid in full.
(3) Clause 5, page 6 (after line 3), after the definition of protected information, insert:
recalcitrant reporting entity means a reporting entity declared under subsection 37B(5) to be a recalcitrant reporting entity.
(4) Clause 14, page 13 (after line 30), after subclause 14(1), insert:
(1A) The report must also:
(a) state the median payment time for all small business invoices paid by the entity during the reporting period; and
(b) state the average payment time for all small business invoices paid by the entity during the reporting period.
(5) Page 25 (after line 15), at the end of Division 2 of Part 4, add:
30A Role of the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman
(1) To avoid doubt, nothing in section 30 limits the operation of the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Act 2015.
(2) The Ombudsman may inform the Regulator of an alleged contravention of this Act by a reporting entity either:
(a) at the request of a small business supplier; or
(b) if the Ombudsman has otherwise become aware of an alleged contravention.
(3) Within 30 days of being informed of an alleged contravention under subsection (2), the Regulator must respond to the Ombudsman to advise:
(a) if the Regulator decides to take action in relation to the alleged contravention—of the Regulator's findings in relation to the alleged contravention and the action that the Regulator intends to take; or
(b) if the Regulator decides not to take action in relation to the alleged contravention—of the Regulator's findings in relation to the alleged contravention and the reasons that the Regulator has decided not to take action; or
(c) that the Regulator has required the reporting entity to appoint an auditor to carry out an audit in relation to the entity's compliance with this Act under subsection 30(2) but:
(i) the entity has not yet given the Regulator a written report setting out the results of the audit; or
(ii) the Regulator has otherwise not yet made a decision on what action the Regulator intends to take in relation to the alleged contravention; or
(d) that the Regulator is using or has used:
(i) the Regulator's monitoring powers under Part 2 of the Regulatory Powers Act; or
(ii) the Regulator's investigatory powers under Part 3 of the Regulatory Powers Act;
in relation to the alleged contravention but has not yet made a decision on what action the Regulator intends to take; or
(e) that the Regulator has otherwise not yet made a decision on what action the Regulator intends to take and the reason that the Regulator has not yet made a decision.
(4) If the Regulator responds to the Ombudsman under paragraph 30A(3) (c) or (d) the Regulator must also inform the Ombudsman, as soon as practicable after the Regulator decides to take, or not to take, action in relation to the alleged contravention, of the Regulator's findings in relation to the alleged contravention and:
(a) if the Regulator decides to take action—the action that the Regulator intends to take; or
(b) if the Regulator decides not to take action—the reasons that the Regulator has decided not to take action.
(5) If the Regulator advises the Ombudsman under paragraph 30A(3) (e) that the Regulator has not yet made a decision on what action the Regulator intends to take, the Regulator must inform the Ombudsman, at intervals of no longer than 30 days until the Regulator has responded to the Ombudsman under any of paragraphs 30A(3) (a) to (d), of the reason that the Regulator has still not made a decision.
(6) In this section, Ombudsman means the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman established under the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Act 2015.
(6) Page 33 (after line 23), after Part 4, insert:
Part 4A—Payment times failsafe mechanism
Division 1—Introduction
37A Simplified outline of this Part
This Part creates a payment times failsafe mechanism that is intended to provide an incentive for reporting entities to collectively improve their payment practices or run the risk of more stringent regulation.
The Regulator is required to report to the Minister after each reporting period after the first 3 reporting periods on the median and average times taken by all reporting entities to pay small business invoices.
The payment times failsafe mechanism is triggered if, after the first 6 reporting periods, the median of the median times reported by all reporting entities to pay small business invoices for a reporting period is more than 30 days. The Regulator must report this fact to the Minister.
Once the payment times failsafe mechanism has been triggered the Regulator must declare any reporting entity that has a median payment time for small business invoices of more than 30 days during a reporting period to be a recalcitrant reporting entity.
A recalcitrant reporting entity is required to pay all small business invoices within 30 days and is liable to a civil penalty if it fails to do so. The rules may provide for exemptions from this requirement.
Division 2—Late payment penalty
37B Payment times failsafe mechanism
Report on median and average payment times
(1) As soon as practicable after the end of 3 reporting periods after the commencement of this Act and, subsequently, after the end of each reporting period, the Regulator must give the Minister a report that states:
(a) the reporting period or reporting periods to which it relates; and
(b) the number of reporting entities that submitted a payment times report or payment times reports to the Regulator relating to the reporting period or reporting periods; and
(c) the median of the median payment times reported by all reporting entities that submitted a payment times report or payments times reports to the Regulator relating to the reporting period or reporting periods; and
(d) the average payment time for all reporting entities that submitted a payment times report or payment times reports to the Regulator relating to the reporting period or reporting periods.
(2) The Minister must cause a copy of a report to be tabled in each House of the Parliament within 5 sitting days of receiving it.
When the payment times failsafe mechanism is triggered
(3) The payment times failsafe mechanism is triggered if, after the end of 6 reporting periods after the commencement of this Act, the median of the median payment times under paragraph (1) (c) for a reporting period is more than 30 days.
(4) The report given to the Minister by the Regulator under subsection (1) in relation to the reporting period in which the payment failsafe mechanism was triggered, and each subsequent report given to the Minister in relation to subsequent reporting periods, must contain a statement that the payment times failsafe mechanism has been triggered.
Declaration that a reporting entity is a recalcitrant reporting entity
(5) If the payment times failsafe mechanism has been triggered, the Regulator must declare that a reporting entity is a recalcitrant reporting entity if:
(a) the entity is not a volunteering entity; and
(b) the entity's median payment time was more than 30 days during:
(i) the reporting period in which the payment times failsafe mechanism was triggered; or
(ii) any subsequent reporting period.
(6) The Regulator must write to a recalcitrant reporting entity as soon as practicable after the Regulator has made a declaration under subsection (5) in relation to the entity to inform the entity of the declaration and of the entity's obligations under subsection (8).
(7) A declaration by the Regulator under subsection (5):
(a) is not a legislative instrument; and
(b) has effect for a period of 2 years beginning on the day the declaration is made.
Recalcitrant reporting entities to pay small business invoices within 30 days
(8) A recalcitrant reporting entity must pay a small business invoice in full before the end of the period of 30 days beginning on the day the invoice is issued.
(9) Subject to subsection (10), the rules may provide that the requirement in subsection (8) does not apply in relation to a specified entity or specified entities either generally or in specified circumstances.
Note: An entity that wishes to rely on an exemption in the rules in relation to a contravention of a civil penalty provision bears an evidential burden (see section 96 of the Regulatory Powers Act).
(10) Rules may only be made for the purposes of subsection (9) after the payment times failsafe mechanism has been triggered.
Civil penalty
(11) A reporting entity is liable to a civil penalty if:
(a) the entity is a recalcitrant reporting entity; and
(b) the entity fails to comply with the requirement in subsection (8); and
(c) the entity has not been exempted from the requirement in subsection (8).
Civil penalty: 350 penalty units.
(12) For the purposes of subsection (11), the reference in paragraph 82(5) (a) of the Regulatory Powers Act to 5 times the pecuniary penalty specified for the civil penalty provision has effect as if it were a reference to 0.6% of the total income for the person for the income year in which the contravention occurred.
Note: This subsection modifies the maximum pecuniary penalty that a body corporate can be ordered to pay for a contravention of subsection (11).
I will briefly note why we are debating the Senate amendments to the Payment Times Reporting Bill 2020 in the House today. Despite professing urgency in regard to this bill's passage, at the end of the last sitting, the government prioritised ramming through its Abbott-era environmental laws without proper parliamentary scrutiny. As a result, the House has not until now had an opportunity to debate, let alone agree to, this bill as amended by the Senate.
In the Senate, we supported the government's statutory review in its amendment and we supported Senator Hanson's amendment to ensure certain matters are considered by the review. While we believe the fail-safe mechanism is the only feasible way to reduce payment times in this parliament, we didn't object to the stronger terms of reference being imposed on a statutory review. Nevertheless, we should take this opportunity to note that such a review with the terms added by Senator Hanson would actually help fine-tune a fail-safe mechanism before it was set to begin, as in the amendment moved in the Senate by Senator Farrell. In the time between the last sittings and this moment, I hope the government has reflected on its opposition to our proposal and the commentary by small-business stakeholders in support of it. After all, this proposal has real-world consequences.
Imagine you've kicked off your own small business manufacturing a product and you've scored a contract with a major mining company to supply a critical part. You think you've hit the big time, but then that mining giant tells you that it will pay you what it owes in 60 days, and then maybe in 90 days, but that maybe that can be sped up if you can cut it some slack and trim down the invoice to a more palatable amount. You're out of pocket for the product, the labour and the materials, but they're a much bigger organisation than you. What can you do? You can't get your first big, major client offside, but you also can't afford to not be paid. You cop it and wait.
Imagine, perhaps, that you're a sole trader—a photographer taking shots for some of the nation's biggest retail chains. You spent hours—days—on the project. You've perhaps said no to smaller jobs in order to get this big one. Then these retailers tell you that they'll pay you in 90 days or so, and then it's pushed out to 120. You're taking a hit so that their cash flow will benefit. You feel like you're propping up their ASX listed business at the expense of your own microbusiness, helping keep their head above water while you yourself are drowning. But, once again, you don't have a choice. You're the little guy; you'll just have to wait it out.
Small businesses are at the mercy of large ones. Over the last 50 years, there's been a lot of focus on protecting consumers from business, but not enough on protecting small, vulnerable businesses from the power imbalances of dealing with larger ones. Small businesses don't have access to the working capital and financial options that larger companies do. Because of that, their cash flow is easily disrupted, and the experience of COVID-19 has certainly seen an additional example of how that can occur.
The amendments moved in my name seek to amend the amendments passed by the Senate, to include Labor's fail-safe mechanism. For the benefit of the House, Labor believes that this complementary backup measure is necessary to ensure the Payment Times Reporting Scheme improves general payment times for small business. Our amendment would introduce a fail-safe mechanism. This means that over the next few years, if the government scheme does not broadly improve payment times to small businesses to 30 days or less, then the mechanism will be triggered. The fail-safe mechanism can be triggered after three years of the scheme operating and will allow the regulator to force large businesses not paying small businesses on time to pay them within 30 days or face hefty fines. This will provide an incentive for reporting entities to collectively improve their payment practices or run the risk of more stringent regulation.
The fail-safe mechanism has the following features. The regulator will be required to report to the minister after each reporting period, with the reports being tabled in both houses of parliament. This will start after the first three reporting periods of the scheme—18 months after the commencement. The payment time fail-safe mechanism is triggered if, after the first six reporting periods of the scheme, the representative time to pay small business reported by all reporting entities is more than 30 days. The regulator must report this fact to the minister. Once the payment time fail-safe mechanism has been triggered, the regulator must declare any reporting entity that had a median payment time for small business invoices of more than 30 days for that reporting period to be a recalcitrant reporting entity. A recalcitrant reporting entity is required to pay all small business invoices within 30 days for two years and is liable for a civil penalty if it fails to do so. The rules may provide for exemptions from this requirement.
In effect, the self-regulatory incentive is that if, within three years of the transparency scheme operating, large businesses are not generally paying small businesses in 30 days or less then the firms not doing so will be mandated to do so. I want to be clear about why we aren't proposing to mandate 30-day payment terms across the board from the get-go. Labor understands there are rare instances where particular industries or business relationships may have longer or staggered payment times that are reasonable or fair. Some witnesses also noted in the inquiry that a blanket maximum 30-day payment term may incentivise— (Time expired)
The SPEAKER: The member's time has concluded, but he may seek the call again.
Mr KEOGH: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Some witnesses to the inquiry on this legislation noted that a blunt maximum 30-day payment term may incentivise large firms that currently pay well below 30 days to increase their payment times. The fail-safe mechanism addresses both of these concerns. To avoid the fail-safe being triggered, all businesses have an incentive to lower their payment times in general or to maintain existing rapid payment times. If the fail-safe is triggered, rare exemptions can be made for industries or business relationships where payment times above 30 days are still reasonable.
The government will likely argue that changes like the fail-safe mechanism can wait, though, until after the review. But a statutory review is another excuse for the government to delay real action on payment times and for big businesses to stymie reforms that will help our small businesses. Small businesses need the certainty that this scheme will improve payment times and, if it doesn't, that the worst offenders are brought into line. Getting large businesses to pay small business on time will aid small business survival and growth while increasing money flow through the economy, benefiting all Australians.
Let's get this right the first time. I urge the government to support these amendments and the fail-safe mechanism they'll introduce to help reduce payment times to small business to less than 30 days, particularly if this government wants its budget week to actually deliver real improvements to business cash flow. I commend the amendments to the House.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Zimmerman ): Is there a seconder of the amendment?
Mr Clare: I second the amendment and reserve my right to speak.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is that the amendments be disagreed to. There being more than one voice calling for a division, in accordance with standing order 133 the division is deferred until after the discussion of the matter of public importance.
Debate adjourned.
Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020
Second Reading
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That this bill be now read a second time.
Mr MARLES (Corio—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (12:31): The Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020 arises out of the call-out of 3,000 ADF personnel during the 2019-20 black summer bushfires. In rising to speak on this bill, I do so in support of this bill in the House of Representatives and also indicate that the opposition will be seeking an inquiry in the Senate in relation to this bill, and the position we adopt in respect of the bill will ultimately be determined in the Senate after that inquiry.
This bill is a modest set of reforms that improve the process of calling out the reserves of the Australian Defence Force. What this bill is not is an excuse for the government's failure over the 2019-20 black summer bushfires, and the failures of the government in relation to that were manifest. The 2019-20 black summer came with warning. In August 2019 the bushfire CRC published a severe bushfire outlook for last summer, which was ignored by the government. Immediately after the federal election last year, in May 2019, the retired fire chiefs around Australia warned that last summer would be particularly dangerous, and they sought to meet with the government—a meeting that was ultimately refused.
On 22 November last year the Leader of the Opposition wrote to the Prime Minister asking him to convene COAG in order to discuss the impending bushfire season and the severity that was being presented. The government didn't listen to that request; nor did it act in relation to it. Actions could have been taken by the government in the lead-up to last year's bushfire season. It had put in place an emergency relief fund: $200 million every year, which would have been ready—was ready—to provide disbursements that could have been used to engage in the mitigation of risk in the lead-up to the 2019-20 black summer bushfires, but none of that occurred.
The National Aerial Firefighter Centre was asking for more funding back in September of last year. Nothing was provided. Indeed, even going back to February 2018, Emergency Management Australia highlighted that there was a need for increased funding for the National Aerial Firefighting Centre, but none of that occurred. The truth is that the National Aerial Firefighting Centre was in dire need of additional funding but all of that was ignored. The bill that we are considering today, while it will do some things, will not remediate any of that. This is not the excuse. This is not what the government can point to and say, 'Because we didn't have this last summer we weren't able to act.' All of those actions should've happened and they had nothing to do with the absence of this legislation being in place at that time.
The Australian Defence Force's involvement during the 2019-20 'black summer' bushfires was significant and it was magnificent. It started well before the call-out which occurred on 4 January this year. Prior to the call-out there were more than 2,000 members of our Defence Force who were engaged in support activities based on requests, largely from state agencies, in relation to supporting activities to fight the bushfires. From logistics to catering, from supporting the aerial tankers that were in play through to providing and assisting with accommodation, more than 2,000 of our personnel were engaged in the response to requests that were being made, in the normal way, in support of activities around the bushfires. In that, they were participating in an act and a heritage which has existed, in terms of the ADF's involvement in natural disasters in this country, for decades. States have asked for assistance and the ADF has always been there—those who wear our national uniform, helping in a moment of greatest need and being there with their uniform in a way that gave a sense of confidence and relief to those who were experiencing the worst effects of whatever the crisis was. That was playing out in this country in the 2019-20 'black summer' bushfires before 4 January this year when the formal call-out occurred.
On that day, to much fanfare, we saw the call-out, which was one of the biggest—if not the biggest—in our nation's history. There were 3,000 personnel called out to assist in the fighting of the bushfires. It was a very significant act. But it was one which was also done in a way that carried with it, on the part of the government, an outrageous claim, an outrageous act. On the very same day that this call-out occurred the government posted an advertisement, a Liberal Party advertisement, using the Australian Defence Force at the height of the crisis—at a moment when Australians were suffering, losing their homes, people were losing their lives, people were being injured. In that moment the Liberal Party, the government, chose to try and use the Australian Defence Force to raise money for the Liberal Party. It was an enormous indictment on the character of the government and the Liberal Party.
I can tell you this legislation won't remedy this government's lack of judgement on that question. This legislation won't remedy this government's lack of respect in that moment for those who wear our uniform, because that's what it was. It won't stop the Liberal Party from seeing the Australian Defence Force, a great institution which belongs to the entire nation, as, in some way, belonging only to the Liberal Party. It does not. It is the heritage of all of us. It is in the service of all of us. It deserves the respect of all of us. That ad on that day was a terrible indictment on the Liberal Party and the government.
The Australian Defence Force is made up of consummate professionals. In the aftermath of the call-out, looking at what had occurred, they did what they always do and reviewed the event, sought the learnings, worked out where things could've been done better. It was in the process of that that the legislation, the bill, that is before us today was conceived, and I want to make that clear from our point of view. We do accept that the measures that are contained in this bill, in terms of what they seek to do, are sensible, modest reforms, in respect of the system of calling out our reserves, that do improve things. It is to the credit of Defence that they have reviewed it in the way that they have and have come up with these measures.
There are four. The first relates to the streamlining of the process, in effect, by which the Governor-General provides his or her assent to the calling out of the Reserve. Right now, that is a process that involves a federal executive council meeting, with the Governor-General. If that can't occur, or the matter is urgent, the defence minister, with the Prime Minister, is able to take the matter to the Governor-General, without a federal executive council meeting. The point is made that, often, a call-out of the Reserve will be done in an emergency situation, and the process of establishing that there is an urgency, beyond what would be the normal requirement now, can itself take hours. The very fact of ringing the 45 members of the federal executive council to see whether or not an executive council meeting can be convened in the time required can, of itself, take hours, which, in the moment of a crisis, may in fact make the difference. This bill, if it were to be passed, provides that the urgent mechanism now becomes the normal mechanism. In other words, the defence minister, in consultation with the Prime Minister, is able to then take a decision to the Governor-General and to provide that advice for the calling out of the Reserve.
The second is to provide greater flexibility to the Chief of the Defence Force, once the call-out has occurred, in terms of the manner in which, or perhaps the mode in which, those who have been called out are engaged. Right now, it is a pretty inflexible system where, when a call-out occurs, essentially, to think of it in employment terms, a full-time engagement is required of those who are called out, for the period of the call-out. The flexibility that is provided in this bill will allow the CDF to determine the degree to which the Reserve is used, in terms of whether it is on a part-time or a full-time basis. That may relate to the particular skills the reservist brings to bear on the situation, and it can also be time limited, in the sense of it not being for the whole period of the call-out. There is greater flexibility for the CDF in relation to how reservists are called out—and that makes sense.
The third is in respect of trying to align the immunities that are enjoyed by the ADF with the immunities that are enjoyed by our civil emergency response agencies in moments of crisis. As an aspiration, that makes sense. The ADF should be engaging in the work that it does, in the midst of this crisis, on the same footing in respect of immunities as, say, a rural fire service or a state emergency service, or indeed a state police force. When you look at the range of immunities across the country—a lot of them are in the state legislation that exists for these agencies—there is a spectrum, but what is being sought here is that the ADF be placed in the middle of that spectrum, and not only the ADF but indeed foreign defence forces and foreign police, who may have donated or volunteered some of their forces to assist in a moment of crisis, which is in fact what occurred over the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.
As this bill has been released, there has been some anxiety in respect of exactly how the immunities have been framed. This is an area where a short but important inquiry from the Senate, I think, is useful in terms of examining whether or not the aspiration that is being articulated here—that these immunities are brought into line with those enjoyed by state agencies—is in fact the effect of the legislation that is being proposed. That is one area where I think the Senate inquiry will be important. The fourth area, a situation which the bill improves, is to remedy an anomaly in relation to the superannuation that is paid for reservists who were called out in this manner. It should be noted those reservists who were called out last summer were paid superannuation, but this would make that a legislative right, as it should be.
There is one provision of the bill that I particularly want to highlight, and that's in proposed section 123AA(2). There has been a suggestion that this provision, which is directed to the question of immunities that would be provided to the ADF and indeed others in their participation in fighting or working with respect to a crisis, might inadvertently give rise to a greater power on the part of the minister in relation to call-outs generally. Let me be clear that it is obvious from the way in which the bill is framed that there is no intent to change the threshold for the call-out of the ADF. The Defence Act sets that out in some detail, and those provisions are not being altered by this bill, but there has been a suggestion that this particular subclause, albeit located in the immunities part of the act, might inadvertently have the effect of giving the minister greater power in relation to call-outs generally. We've sought clarity from the minister in relation to this, and I do thank the minister for providing us written advice that this is not the intent of the government in relation to this bill. That's an important piece of communication from the minister to me. But, again, the inquiry by the Senate committee will be able to look at this question and see whether or not there is an inadvertent outcome associated with the particular way in which that subclause has been drafted. We absolutely accept the minister's assurance that that is not the intent of the bill.
All of that puts us in the position of supporting this bill in the House today. We will, in the other place, be seeking to establish a short inquiry, which can absolutely take place prior to this coming bushfire season, to look at the matters which I have described. From there, the opposition will determine our final position in the Senate on the basis of that, but we acknowledge that the modest reforms contained within this bill seek to improve the situation with call-outs in the way in which I have described.
Mr WALLACE (Fisher) (12:48): I rise in support of this bill. I'm heartened to hear that the shadow defence minister has alerted the House to the fact the Labor opposition will support the bill in the lower house. One of the important truths of 2020 has been that, in times of crisis, leadership is incredibly important. Across the world, we've seen that the countries which have best dealt with the relentless onslaught of COVID-19 have been those that, like Australia, have enjoyed responsive and decisive leadership. True leadership, shown in spades by the Prime Minister during this terrible pandemic, inspires unity, confidence and resilience. We've seen time and again that, when Australians have a clear understanding of what they are facing and what they're trying to achieve, when they have the information they need to take action and when they have confidence that the nation's direction is right, they stand up and work together to achieve incredible things. That, perhaps more than anything else, is what the Prime Minister has achieved during this COVID crisis. He has delivered absolute clarity on where we are, where we're headed and how we're going to get there. He has delivered a firm plan at every stage. Where circumstances have changed and the plan has had to adapt to meet them, he has been clear and transparent in explaining those changes. He's been focused, decisive and endlessly energetic. He has given all Australians confidence, whether they're on the front lines in our hospitals, trying to run a COVID-safe business or doing their bit to keep their distance and stop the spread. With that confidence and that clarity, Australians have had everything they have needed to get through this crisis.
On behalf of the people of Fisher, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister for his tireless work and his exceptional leadership during the crises that we have faced over the past 12 months. Indeed, one of the most common things I've heard from the people in Fisher has been requests for me to tell the Prime Minister how pleased they are with him, and also the Treasurer, and to extend their best wishes.
One important part of the leadership the Prime Minister has shown, not only during the COVID crisis but through the black summer of bushfires that tragically preceded it, has been his willingness to take the bull by the horns and rapidly deploy the Australian Defence Force. The ADF had been supporting efforts to deal with bushfires since the first fires began in September 2019. However, as December progressed and the fires began to grow quickly, the Prime Minister took an unprecedented step. He asked the Governor-General to call out the ADF Reserve and create the largest peacetime disaster response operation in Australia's history.
Operation Bushfire Assist involved 6,500 ADF personnel, including the call-out of 2,500 reservists and hundreds of others from Australia's Defence Force partners overseas. More than 60 vehicles from three joint task forces were deployed alongside fixed wing aircraft and rotary wing. The Royal Australian Navy's largest vessel, the LHD HMAS Canberra, was also deployed. The difference the ADF made was immense. By the middle of March this year, ADF personnel, as part of Operation Bushfire Assist, had cleared 4,848 kilometres of roads and 240 kilometres of firebreaks. They repaired 1,286 kilometres of fences. They delivered 5,409,500 litres of water and 73,300 litres of fuel to firefighters on the front lines. For those whose lives were devastated by the fires, they purified more than 10 million litres of drinking water on Kangaroo Island and in Bega, and delivered more than 1.3 million kilograms of fodder for animals. They provided more than 77,000 meals to emergency service personnel and evacuees. It has, by all accounts, been a staggering effort.
Yet, as Operation Bushfire Assist wound down in March 2020, the Prime Minister and this nation asked the ADF to step up once again. Faced with a second crisis of international proportions not seen since the end of World War II, the government once again took clear and decisive action and ordered a smaller but no less important mission. Within weeks, on 1 April 2020, the Minister for Defence announced the establishment of Operation COVID-19 ASSIST. As of last Thursday, a total of 2,657 ADF personnel had been deployed as part of this operation. I ask that we take a moment to reflect on the fact that 91 of these members of the ADF have contracted COVID-19. More than 700 ADF personnel are deployed to Victoria, where they are supporting police checkpoints, assisting with COVID testing, managing logistics, and working on contact tracing and the response in Victorian care homes. Regrettably, the ADF's assistance in controlling hotel quarantine was not accepted by the Victorian Labor government, despite multiple offers being made, and we are now witnessing the aftermath of Australia's biggest public policy failure as a result.
In New South Wales, more than 650 ADF personnel have worked on border checkpoints and police quarantine in Sydney hotels. In my own state of Queensland, more than 550 have supported quarantine compliance at all airports and hotels and, until last week, were also assisting police at the borders.
Critically, behind the scenes, there are also dozens of ADF personnel in key advisory roles embedded in national and state government agencies, including the Department of Home Affairs and Services Australia. There they are providing the benefit of their unique skills and the decades of experience in the mass mobilisation of security personnel and disaster relief efforts to help ensure that our civilian administration can respond to this crisis with the efficiency of a military operation. Right across the ADF's responses to these crises there have been incredible numbers, which show what a vital role they have played.
In this country, only the ADF has the capacity and the training to deliver more than 6,000 kilometres of repaired roads and fences in a matter of only a few weeks. Only the ADF can immediately feed tens of thousands from a standing start. Only the ADF has the flexibility to simultaneously take up hundreds of roles as contact tracers, logistics planners, quarantine officers and border guards, with little or no notice. The decisive, timely and significant deployments of the ADF made by the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Defence have made a critical difference in supporting our emergency services, our public servants and our health professionals to do their jobs during two of this nation's most difficult challenges. We thank each and every one of them for their sterling service and their outstanding professionalism.
However, while these deployments have been absolutely the right thing to do and another sign of the strength of the Prime Minister's leadership, it was not a simple matter. As the Prime Minister himself said in February this year:
During the Black Summer bushfires, we entered a constitutional grey zone by directly initiating defence force deployments, utilising the first ever compulsory call out of Reservists … without clear rules.
The bill before us today helps to clarify those rules and streamline the process so that we can ensure the ADF can provide all the assistance we need in emergencies to come.
In particular, the bill will ensure that we can roll out and call out our ADF Reserves when they are needed and that, when we do, they're adequately protected and remunerated. First, the bill will simplify the process of calling out the ADF Reserve by giving the Governor-General the ability to act on the advice of the Minister for Defence, in consultation with the Prime Minister, whatever the circumstances and not only for reasons of urgency. This will ensure that there are no unnecessary administrative delays in any future call-outs.
Secondly, once called out, this bill will give the Chief of the Defence Force the power to determine what kind of service is required from each Reserve member, rather than requiring continuous full-time service from all Reserve personnel. This will allow the Reserve to deploy more flexibly and meet the specific needs dictated by the crisis. Not every emergency is the same. They come with different risks and different requirements, while the skills and personal circumstances of each reservist mean that the length and type of service appropriate to them varies. This bill ensures the Chief of the Defence Force can get the most out of all personnel and deploy just what we need to face down any emergency at home or overseas.
Thirdly, the bill ensures that we'll not ever have to see the unfortunate spectacle of ADF members providing emergency aid being sued or convicted for simply doing their jobs in good faith. Emergency service workers are rightly given immunity from civil and criminal liability for doing their jobs in good faith and in line with the rules that govern their work. Remarkably, ADF personnel who are engaged in supporting disaster preparedness, response and recovery are not afforded the same immunity. Although one would hope that Australians would not choose to pursue such a case against our dedicated and professional service men and women, we cannot rely on that goodwill, and we must enshrine this protection in legislation.
Finally, the bill ensures that all our reservists will be properly remunerated for their work in emergency response. As it stands, reservists who provide continuous, full-time service under a reserve call-out, including those 2,500 who assisted with this year's bushfires, are not lawfully entitled to superannuation benefits for the time they served, despite paying tax on their pay. This is clearly not what these committed reservists deserve, and this bill would resolve that loophole. Importantly, the new provision would be backdated to November 2019 to ensure that the thousands of reservists who gave such incredible service during the black summer bushfires do not miss out. That alone would be reason enough to support this bill.
During times of crisis, more than ever, we need excellent leadership. Over the course of the past 12 months the Prime Minister and the cabinet have delivered that leadership in spades. However, for great leadership to be effective our leaders need access to the tools and resources to get the job done. One of the most effective tools available to the federal government in helping our community through its darkest times is the Australian Defence Force. This bill makes is easier for the government to call on that resource. It makes it easier, fairer and safer for the dedicated service men and women who answer. Although I hope it will be a long time before we need it again, if ever, now is the time to plan for the moment we will turn to the ADF in an emergency. Now is the time to pass this bill, and I commend it to the House.
Mr NEUMANN (Blair) (13:02): I am pleased to speak on the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020. At the outset, I will say that Labor will not stand in the way of this legislation. The bill should not be seen as an excuse for the government's manifest failures during the 'black summer' bushfires, which ravaged our country and were so tragic in terms of the impact on lives and property. The Australian Defence Force is a critical part of the national response to emergencies and natural disasters and performed admirably during the bushfires to protect people, businesses and homes. The ADF should never be used as a partisan tool, as it was earlier this year. It should never be used as a marketing mechanism or a donation device, which this government did, to its shame.
I have paid tribute before, and I do again, to the men and women of the ADF for the contribution they made to the 'black summer' fires and to other disasters and emergencies in which they have performed in an exemplary manner. As the shadow minister for defence personnel, with responsibility for reserves, I know our reservists have often answered the call when natural disasters have struck, at home and in our region, and have provided humanitarian assistance in times of crisis. That's why Labor welcomed the compulsory call-out of our defence reserves, to provider greater support to those communities affected by the catastrophic bushfires last summer. That call-out order—the first ever during peacetime—saw around 3,000 reservists, together with regular ADF personnel, provide invaluable support to state fire and emergency services as part of Operation Bushfire Assist.
I had the opportunity to attend a Parliamentary Friends of Defence briefing from operation commander Major General Jake Ellwood in February this year. I remember speaking with Major General Ellwood at the briefing and telling him how I had seen firsthand the full spectrum of emergency responses in my own community over the years.
I was a child when the 1974 floods devastated South-East Queensland and flooded my home in Ipswich. Eight feet over the top of our roof the floodwaters went. I vividly recall watching, as a young boy, the soldiers and the Army trucks helping to move furniture and belongings from our family home before it was flooded, for which, I know, my parents were very grateful; we all were, and so were our neighbours.
Then, in 2011, my electorate of Blair, based around Ipswich in the Somerset region, was heavily impacted by the Queensland floods. As the federal member, I liaised with different levels of government and assisted by doing what I could in the coordination of efforts on the ground. Frankly, I was disappointed and frustrated at the slow rollout of the ADF's support. That said, we were very happy to see the wonderful work of Air Force and Navy and Army units—the Army and Air Force units being based at RAAF Base Amberley—in assisting communities in evacuation, relief and recovery and the rebuilding of communities. Their operational work was fantastic.
The importance of getting disaster recovery arrangements in place, getting them right and taking on board and learning the lessons from every disaster is absolutely essential for governmental response. So it is that the changes in this bill are the result of a review of existing arrangements conducted by Defence following the 2019-20 bushfire season. The bill will make several changes to the administrative arrangements for the use of ADF personnel and particularly for the call-out of reserve personnel in response to civil emergencies and natural disasters under the Defence assistance to the civil community, or DACC, policy. These arrangements will be streamlined. The amendments in this bill will streamline the process to call out the reserves to allow a more rapid deployment of the ADF in these scenarios.
Firstly, the bill will simplify arrangements for advising the Governor-General prior to the issue of an order to call out the reserves by allowing the Governor-General to act on the advice of the Minister for Defence, after consultation with the Prime Minister, in all circumstances, not just for reasons of urgency. In effect, this will make the current urgent advice mechanism the standard procedure and remove the need for advice to go through the Executive Council.
Secondly, it will increase flexibility in terms of the types and periods of service the reserves can render during a call-out rather than require continuous full-time service. For example, this would allow the use of reserve service days for shorter periods where this might be more appropriate.
Thirdly, the bill will provide immunity in certain circumstances from civil and criminal liability for Defence personnel and other designated protected persons similar to that enjoyed by civil emergency services. There are several limitations to these immunity provisions—namely, the individual must act in good faith and perform their duties in support of disaster preparedness, recovery and response. Those limitations are appropriate.
It's worth noting that these protections could be extended to members of the armed forces or police forces of a foreign country. They're intended to cover scenarios where other nations come to our aid and send military or police services to assist where they may be needed in Australia—for example, the US Marine rotations in the Northern Territory. During the 2019-20 bushfire season, for example, Australia received considerable assistance from the armed forces of New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Indonesia, Canada and the United States. Indeed, one of General Ellwood's observations from Operation Bushfire Assist was that the acceptance of such support can be even more powerful for relationship building than the provision of it itself, particularly for our Pacific neighbours. Being able to provide these immunities will make it easier for our overseas partners to provide this support.
Finally, the amendments address anomalies and gaps in current arrangements which mean that reserves who provide continuous full-time service during a call-out will have to pay tax and yet, strangely—this is really odd, I think—they do not receive superannuation. It's not fair that that's the case. So these changes will ensure reserve members who undertake continuous full-time service under a call-out order will get the same entitlement to super and related benefits regardless of whether their service was voluntary or not.
Importantly, these amendments will be backdated to the first reserve call-out, in November 2019, to benefit members who deployed then. All up, these amendments provide greater flexibility in a call-out of our reserves, enabling greater consistency in the treatment of reserves and ensure that our Defence personnel have the appropriate legal protections when serving our nation under these emergency arrangements.
Labor is aware of concerns, however, about some elements of the bill, including the immunity provisions and potential interpretations of subsection 123AA(2) of the bill. Secondly, while we appreciate the need to address delays with the current urgent advice mechanism experienced during the recent call-out, there are some concerns that removing the executive council from the process for advising the Governor-General before the issue of a call-out order could be removing an important constitutional safeguard.
In light of these two issues, Labor considers there is value in referring the legislation to a short inquiry in the Senate. We'll reserve our final position on the bill until the Senate legislative inquiry delivers its report. Also, this may allow time to consider the recommendations of the final report of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, otherwise known as the bushfire royal commission, which is due to report by 28 October. Labor appreciates the briefings provided to date by Defence officials with respect to the legislation and we thank the government for doing so. I had the opportunity to participate in one such briefing with the shadow minister for defence, and the additional information provided by the Minister for Defence helps us in our consideration of this bill.
Labor has consulted with key defence personnel and reserve representative bodies, which are broadly supportive of the increased flexibility these changes should provide—in part, due to defence workplace reforms initiated by the former Labor government. The Australian Defence Association noted the reserves provide useful surge capacity for regular units, and the amendments will improve the ADF's overall emergency response capability, while reserve members will continue to receive the existing protections, under a call-out order, under the Defence Reserve Service (Protection) Act 2001.
The ADA noted that it was regrettable the government had abolished the longstanding Defence Reserves Support Council, the DRSC, in a shock announcement last year. For more than 40 years the DRSC had built positive relationships between defence, industry, reserves, welfare organisations, unions and the community and played an important role in increasing understanding of support for reserves service. I was very critical, at the time, of the decision by the government to scrap this body, given there was a secret review and minimal consultation with the DRSC and its members, including the ADA. I understand the new replacement body is made up of industry and big business employer representatives, hand-picked by Defence, with next to no ministerial responsibility or oversight. So I remain sceptical of just how effective this will be in protecting the interests of reservists in the future.
Moving on, the Defence Reserves Association supported the removal of the requirement to use continuous full-time service during a call-out and provide flexibility to use reserve service days as part of the bill. However, the DRA noted that the reserve service days often involved less bookkeeping, record keeping, on behalf of the units compared to continuous full-time service. So it would be important to maintain a paper trail on members using reserve service days during a call-out in the event, for example, of future compensation claims in relation to service.
While this point doesn't necessarily go to the substance of the bill, it's useful feedback for the government on how the legislation should be implemented and administered, going forward. As the shadow minister for veterans' affairs, I'm very mindful of our duty to look after defence personnel not just during their service but afterwards and of the need for good data and information sharing between Defence and the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
I might add that the DRA was disappointed they're not being consulted on the bill and that Defence did not appear to consider a previous review of reserve employment undertaken by retired Army Reserve officer and Victorian Supreme Court judge Greg Garde. Given the minister's own background as an Army Reserve officer, I expected her to have consulted widely and wisely and ensured that stakeholders, like the DRA, were engaged. Indeed, I spoke at the DRA's annual conference last year with the minister, Senator Reynolds, on a panel. I understand that after we alerted them to the bill the DRA wrote to the minister, so I trust that they have now had an opportunity to have input into the process.
In conclusion, our brave service men and women put on the uniform every day and are ready and willing to keep Australians safe, be it overseas or at home. We see the best and brightest of their contributions during emergencies and disasters, whether it's fires in Western Australia, cyclones in Queensland, floods in South-East Queensland or bushfires in Victoria. Labor wants to thank our Defence personnel for their service and support at all times, especially when our communities are most in need. As the shadow minister I acknowledge the outstanding contribution provided by our reservists and, indeed, all ADF personnel and defence civilians during the bushfire season and during the current pandemic. They have performed in an exceptional way. I think I can speak for all members in this place when I say that they represent the very best of our country. I commend the bill to the House.
Mr KHALIL (Wills) (13:16): [by video link] I also rise to speak on the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020. Throughout our history the Australian Defence Force has played a vital role in assisting the Australian community in emergencies and other natural disasters. We've witnessed this, sadly and tragically, during the devastating 2019-20 bushfire season and more recently throughout the coronavirus pandemic. We thank our Defence personnel for their service and support when our communities have needed it most.
There is obviously a need for all levels of government to plan well for increasingly severe fires, floods and other natural disasters and emergencies, but it is also true to say that the federal government was slow on its feet in the last bushfire season. Following the compulsory call-out of the Reserves during the last bushfire season the government conducted a review that identified several deficiencies, which this bill seeks to address. Let us be clear that the findings of this review have led to the amendments that are before us now. The government should not use as an excuse for their own poor planning last bushfire season, which the shadow minister for defence spoke about earlier, that this bill wasn't in place during the last bushfire season. The government's own failures and shortcomings in planning and bushfire management are the main reasons for the shortcomings we saw play out. It was not because of a lack of these technical changes that are before us, as important as they are.
This bill does deal with technical matters as well as streamlining the process for the call-out of the ADF in an emergency situation. I share the same outrage and disappointment that the shadow minister for defence highlighted to the House earlier about the Morrison government's use of the ADF in what could only be political advertising by the Liberal Party. It was absolutely disgraceful.
This bill is on face value a set of technical amendments that may streamline processes and other incidental measures, such as the call-out of the ADF. Of course we will see this bill's passage through the House. However, given the importance of the powers that these amendments pertain to, particularly in the context of our parliamentary democracy, we in Labor believe it is prudent to insist on a Senate legislative inquiry. It may seem like an abundance of caution by us, but I and my colleagues believe that it is necessary and required.
Why is it necessary? Why is it required? Because the very real scenario of armed forces assisting, either in disasters or emergencies and with law and order and other domestic security tasks, should never, particularly for the latter tasks, become the norm in a mature democracy. In 1628—and that's a long time ago—the Petition of Right made it unconstitutional for the Crown to impose martial law on civilians, and in 1688 the Bill of Rights declared it illegal for the Crown to raise or keep an army without parliamentary consent. These were the beginnings, the foundations, the genesis, of the very important lines of responsibility and the separation of powers that in many respects separate us, as a parliamentary democracy, from many of the authoritarian and autocratic military regimes that exist around the planet.
We have deep delineations, set out in our Constitution, and checks and balances on executive power in our system. One of these principles, which of course we are all familiar with, is the civilian control of the military. Part of that is the delineation of the responsibility of the defence forces to defend from external threats and the responsibility of domestic law enforcement agencies and services to maintain law and order internally. That boundary, as a general principle, should not be easy to cross. It should not be easily or frequently crossed, frankly. It can and may need to be crossed in extreme emergency situations. It's these types of situations that the laws we are debating today provide the framework for, a framework that is very important.
Defence forces used in a civilian context, though, should never be normalised. That is a starting principle in this debate. I want to make it clear that it is so important that we look closely at these amendments, particularly through the Senate legislative inquiry. These changes, even if they are technical, are connected to some very important fundamental principles of our parliamentary democracy, and it is important that we proceed with caution to ensure we don't diminish, even in an unintended way, the separation of powers that I have just outlined.
The bill makes several changes to the administrative arrangements, as we've heard from previous speakers, about the use of ADF personnel, particularly the call-out of Reserve personnel, in response to emergencies and natural disasters—simplifying the arrangements for advising the Governor-General prior to issuing an order to call out the Reserves; increasing the flexibility in terms of the types and periods of service that Reserves render during a call-out, rather than requiring continuous, full-time service; providing immunity in certain circumstances from civil and criminal liability for Defence personnel and other designated protected persons responding to an emergency, similar to that enjoyed by civil emergency services personnel; and addressing a gap in current arrangements that means Reserves providing continuous, full-time service during the period of call-out do not receive superannuation.
While Labor will support the passage of the bill through the House, having a legislative inquiry in the Senate is, as I say, critical to making sure that there are no unintended consequences, because of the importance of these technical changes to a much deeper and more critical element of the way that we frame and separate our powers, with the use of our defence forces for both external and internal support. The changes, as we know, were a result of the review that the government undertook in looking at the existing arrangements for Defence for the devastation that we saw in the bushfire season. The elements of the bill which will need to be looked at particularly closely and which there may be some issues around include the immunity provisions and potential interpretations in subsection 123AA(2). That will require forensic examination because it expands the immunity from civil and criminal liability for ADF personnel, including both Australian Public Service officials and Defence employees, as protected persons. There is real value in making sure that the Senate inquiry looks into these particular changes.
The other element is the authorisation for foreign military and police forces that may come to our assistance in times of emergency to be included in the immunity provisions as they undertake those tasks. I know that Defence officials have characterised this type of immunity, or these provisions, as in effect affording defence personnel and others responding to disasters the similar or the same immunities—that are provided to civil and criminal liability—as those enjoyed by civilian emergency services personnel in the same situation. That needs to be looked at to make sure that that intent is clear and is actually the outcome of the bill.
Our shadow minister for defence, in an abundance of prudence, has sought and received assurances from the Minister for Defence that these sections do not extend the ability to deploy the ADF or enhance or increase those executive powers. But, of course, the Senate inquiry will need to confirm this as part of their work. They will look at the areas, look at the definition of 'other emergencies', look at the issue around regulating the call-out of defence forces and reserves to assist—under those particular sections that I mentioned—making sure there is thorough scrutiny and debate for a whole range of reasons. The basic principles are of critical importance: to make sure there is no negative impact on civil liberties, to make sure that that crossing over of the line of external defence and internal security is one that is held watertight in respect of the law—even in the sense of technical amendments that make sure that that cannot be breached, or the line crossed, in a manner which would be unsatisfactory to us as a parliamentary democracy and with respect to any enhancements in executive power.
These concerns that I have raised are shared by many of my colleagues and other members of parliament, both in the House and I know in the Senate, and that is why it's so important for the Senate legislative inquiry to do its work. We are looking at the worst possible case scenarios, but part of our role is to make sure that we are looking at some of these scenarios and how certain terms, amendments and sections could be interpreted. We have to ask these questions. We have to forensically examine the potential impacts of any changes in the law, regardless of whether the intention is there or not, or whether the amendments are seen to be, on the surface, technical or not. That's why Labor supports the Senate legislative inquiry to do its work and to do that forensic examination, which they have done many times in the past—good work on bills before both houses.
We live in a volatile world. It has been said before that our democracy is precious. We hear that all the time. But it is certainly even more true today given the geostrategic uncertainty and the volatility that we see all around us in the global pandemic that we are facing and in the shifts that are occurring globally in geostrategic tectonic plates that are shifting very dramatically. Where we see authoritarian, autocratic regimes around the world on the march it is more important in that context that we do the work as a parliament to safeguard those foundations of democracy that I alluded to and articulated earlier. They include defending the lines that separate the responsibilities of our military and our civil authorities in their work to defend against external threats, which is the primary responsibility of our defence forces. Our domestic security is the primary responsibility of our law enforcement agencies and services.
There will be times, and there have been times, where our defence forces—our armed forces, our personnel—have been called on to support us domestically, whether it be natural disaster, emergency and so on. They have done so in the past and have done so bravely in support of the Australian community. There will be times again in the future. The legal framework around that needs to be watertight. We need to be asking those questions, regardless of whether we think this is a technical set of amendments or not, because they are so important in that they relate to those very basic fundamentals that I have articulated. In this precious democracy that we live in, we need to safeguard that separation of powers and the clear delineation between the roles and responsibilities of our military forces and our civil authorities and personnel. As such, we will reserve our final position on the bill until the Senate legislative inquiry has done its work and delivered its report on this bill.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Llew O'Brien ): The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 43.
STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS
COVID-19: Support Payments
Mr KHALIL (Wills) (13:30): [by video link] Right now, Melburnians, people in my electorate of Wills, are doing the hard work—and it has been hard—to get the second wave of COVID-19 under control. We've done this hard work for our communities, for our loved ones, for our country and, frankly, the rest of Australia. So, to me, it beggars belief that the federal government, the Morrison government, went ahead with their time line to reduce and cut the rate of both JobSeeker and JobKeeper over the last two weeks. It makes absolutely no economic sense and it needlessly causes many Melburnians, and Australians generally, to suffer. JobSeeker cuts have affected 420,000 people in Melbourne, including over $11,000 from my electorate of Wills; and JobKeeper cuts have affected 7,000 businesses in my electorate and 23,000 individuals in my electorate.
I have heard from many of these people. I speak to them, and they've been impacted by this cut, whether it's an international flight attendant who has no realistic time frame for when they will be able to work again and have had their JobSeeker payments cut, leading to a struggle to cover their basic costs; countless entertainment and hospitality workers who know that, even when cafes and bars open up again, there is not going to be enough work to go around; and so many small businesses who are struggling to keep their heads above water.
Melburnians need their federal government to stand up, step up, not step back. Melburnians need more support, not less, and people in Melbourne— (Time expired)
McFadyen, Mr Roy
Mr WALLACE (Fisher) (13:31): Thanks to the Morrison government's commemorative medallions for World War II veterans, I recently had the pleasure of meeting Victor Roy Docking—or Roy McFadyen, as he is commonly called and likes to be known. Roy is 102 years old and as sharp as a tack. He can still tell you the tail numbers of the aircraft he worked on in 1942.
Roy is one of Fisher's World War II veterans. After a tough childhood in orphanages during the Great Depression, Roy found his place in the Royal Australian Air Force. He became an aircraft mechanic, servicing Hudson and Beaufort bombers. Like so many during the war, Roy went through a tragedy of his own, losing his brother, an RAAF pilot, when he crashed over the Pacific. Unbowed by his wartime experiences, Roy started his own business servicing aircraft, Aeroswan, in Swan Hill, Victoria.
Living on the Sunshine Coast since the 1980s, Roy has made two massive contributions. Not only did he serve to help defend this country but, in later life, he was one of the founders of our much-loved Queensland Air Museum. Good on you, Roy, and thank you for your service.
COVID-19: Support Payments
Ms RYAN (Lalor—Opposition Whip) (13:33): [by video link] I too want to thank all those in my community, in Victoria, who are following the rules. Our hard work, our sacrifices, are working. Just two months ago, our community had 942 active cases. As of yesterday, we are down to 32 active cases. So we are winning on the health front. But, behind those health figures, there are people doing it incredibly tough.
Over 6,000 businesses and 25,000 workers in my community are reliant on JobKeeper payments. There are 16,000 people in my community who are now on unemployment support payments. That's 10,000 more than last December, the second highest increase for a federal seat in the country. There are 17,000 people in my community on pensions. That's almost 60,000 people in my community who have had their support payments cut by this government in recent weeks. Supporting these people is a test for this Morrison government, who, to be blunt, couldn't find Melbourne's west on a map. It's bad enough that their response to the pandemic was too slow, too reactive and totally uncoordinated; now they're taking away crucial support at a time when people need it the most.
So, while the Prime Minister and the Treasurer are smiling in the photo ops today, know that I'll be looking for the follow-up. The budget tonight must address the needs in my community and ensure that the people I represent, and those like them across the country, are not left behind. (Time expired)
Oyster Industry
Dr GILLESPIE (Lyne) (13:34): I had the pleasure of meeting Dean, Steve, Tina and Paula Cole of Cole Bros Oysters on the banks of the Karuah River. They are one of the 11 oyster farmers on the Karuah River where it joins Port Stephens, producing beautiful Sydney rock oysters. It is the site of a $1.6 million federal environment grant to repopulate and reseed four hectares of new native Sydney rock oyster reefs. This is part of the $20 million Reef Builder program for bushfire-affected areas and also as a COVID-19 stimulus. The project is working on banding lease areas and using remnant oysters to reseed new, fresh Sydney rock oysters.
As you know, oysters are the vacuum cleaners of the oceans. They create cleaner water and are good for fish growth and general reef growth. The program will improve the water quality, sustain up to 10 jobs and see seven local contracts issued. They're working with The Nature Conservancy, the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and local oyster growers. The oyster industry is a wonderful part of the Lyne electorate, with oyster leases in the Hastings River, the Camden Haven River and the Myall Lakes. It's a great Australian product. (Time expired)
Budget
Mr BANDT (Melbourne—Leader of the Australian Greens) (13:36): [by video link] This budget is shaping up to a trickle-down con job that spends big but spends badly. The government has actively chosen high unemployment, low wages and tax cuts for those who least need them over full employment and a green recovery. It's chosen to go into debt to pay for tax cuts rather than focus on creating new jobs. It puts millionaires ahead of the million unemployed. It's chosen to lock in coal and gas, the leading causes of climate change, and it's chosen to actively engineer a worst future for our children. Tax cuts for those earning over $150,000 a year look set to be baked in forever, while all minimum wage apprentices can hope for is one year of support. JobSeeker and JobKeeper were cut last week. This simply isn't fair.
Don't be fooled. This government might look like it's making huge ideological concessions, but today's spending is a drop in the ocean compared with the decades of cuts to everything that we've needed to fight the pandemic, from science to aged care. The vast majority of concessions continue to flow to those who are already wealthy and the choice to back fossil fuels over renewables accelerates us towards a climate emergency. This budget should be an opportunity to pivot Australia to a green recovery. We need a green new deal to get to full employment while also tackling the climate crisis. There are no limits on what is possible right now, if we just had the vision and the courage to stand up against those vested interests and those who are lining their pockets, but clearly this government lacks the guts and is lacking— (Time expired)
Manufacturing
Mr TIM WILSON (Goldstein) (13:38): COVID-19 has exposed weaknesses in Australia's manufacturing capacity and our supply chains, but the Morrison government is committed to taking action to fix it. That's why we held a virtual manufacturing forum last month with over 60 executives from manufacturers across the south-east of Melbourne. They put many pertinent questions and issues on the table from firms such as software provider Clarinox, disability equipment supplier Norden Group and metal additive producer Titomic Ltd. Australia's manufacturers have shown remarkable agility throughout the pandemic. Evo Pharmaceuticals ramped up its production in March to pump out over 90,000 bottles of hand sanitiser per day—a point readily made by the minister.
Despite these strengths, recent offshore trends have created supply chain vulnerabilities. The forum heard how manufacturers have struggled without access to global export markets and skills and heard about some of the challenges they face with the tax system, which the Morrison government is interested in correcting. They want manufacturers to play a central role in our economic recovery. Expanding local industry and manufacturing with a strategic focus on emerging technologies will underpin our jobs and livelihoods into the future and for future generations. Thanks to the minister in particular for taking time out to address the forum and include input on the Morrison government's modern manufacturing initiative from the Goldstein and south-east Melbourne communities. (Time expired)
Hession, Mr Kevin John
Ms OWENS (Parramatta) (13:39): I cannot remember visiting the Parramatta Memorial Swimming Club and not seeing Kevin Hession there. It seemed he'd been there forever. He was the life of the pool and the pool side. Sadly, he passed away of a heart attack at 89—but what a legacy he left us! The Parramatta Memorial Swimming Club has had the privilege of having Kevin as a dedicated volunteer since he became a founding member in 1964. So, as far as the club is concerned, he had actually been there forever.
He volunteered tirelessly and with endless enthusiasm for 56 years. He devoted his life to teaching countless people to swim through the Learn to Swim program, squad training and the formation of the water polo and life-saving sub-branches of the club. He believed that swimming was a sport that one day not only may save your own life but also may save others. He was just there, day after day, week after week, year after year, decade after decade, as he taught people who had children and then he taught them. He was central to the creation of this wonderful cross-generational community that is the Parramatta Memorial Swimming Club. He was a true example of commitment and community spirit and he inspired so many.
My heartfelt condolences to his family. There are a lot of them, so I won't name them, except to say to his great-grandchildren, Peyton, Harper, Arianna, Lucious and Tommy, who loaned him to us: your granddad was much loved, and heading down to the pool just won't be the same without him for any of us. Thank you, Kevin. You are still in our hearts.
Dragons Abreast Bribie Island
Mr YOUNG (Longman) (13:41): I would like to share a recent visit I had with the wonderful and inspiring members of Dragons Abreast Bribie Island. They were kind enough to invite my wife Alexandra and I out for a paddle on their dragon boat on the beautiful Pumicestone Passage—and, let me tell you, it was a good workout!
As you may be aware, Dragons Abreast is a group for breast cancer survivors, both for men and women. I can't tell you how group like this matter to me, as, like many Australians, I have been personally touched within my own family and friends circle by this insidious disease and have seen firsthand the strength shown by those affected, which has been nothing short of inspirational. Research has suggested that the physical action of rowing can reduce the chance of breast cancer survivors getting lymphedema, a debilitating condition that can occur after surgery. But Dragons Abreast is much more than that; it also offers members exercise, friendship and emotional support.
The team in my electorate of Longman has been going for a little over 10 years now. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, they participated in paddling events across the country—and, whilst not an official sport, the teams can get pretty competitive when they are out on the water, I can tell you. The Dragons Abreast Bribie Island team is now looking ahead to the International Breast Cancer Paddler Festival in New Zealand in 2022, COVID-19 permitting. They'll begin their training in the new year, and I wish them all the very best.
Queensland State Election
Mr PERRETT (Moreton) (13:42): The Liberal National Party have sold out all decent Queenslanders with their latest grubby political deal, preferencing One Nation candidates over Labor candidates in every seat in Queensland. It is misguided, short sighted and an insult to modern Queensland—and this at a time when our trading partners are actually wary of what is going on. The LNP leadership have shown their true mercenary colours—a gutless display from Ms Frecklington, somebody almost totally devoid of leadership qualities. A fair dinkum contender for Premier should be protecting our great multicultural communities in Queensland, while racism is on the rise. How could a true leader even think about preferencing a party led by Senator Hanson, who regularly delivers racist speeches? How could Deb Frecklington forget Senator Hanson's first speech from 24 years ago, when she said, 'I believe we are in danger of becoming swamped by Asians'? And that has continued. I say to the Queensland LNP: if you lay down with dogs, you will get up with fleas.
Where are the Queensland Liberals? It is the LNP. Why aren't they calling out this so-called leader for grovelling to One Nation? Where is Senator Scarr, where is Senator Stoker and where is the member for Brisbane speaking up? Are there any Liberals left in Queensland? The Liberals should be hanging their heads in shame, and I hope they don't bother showing up at multicultural events in Queensland—even with a mask on. (Time expired)
Armenia
Mr ALEXANDER (Bennelong) (13:44): 2020 has been a horrific year for many around the globe but, on top of the horsemen of pestilence and death, war has now raised its ugly head between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in the republic of Artsakh. The territory has been in a state of cold war for decades, and any peace has been fragile since the ceasefire in the early 1990s
Last year I had the honour of visiting Artsakh and saw the daily struggles that people in this area go through. The people of Artsakh are resilient and determined, but just like any peace-loving nation, they should not be fearing for their lives from cluster bombs over their cities.
I have spoken many times in this House of the aggression against Armenia. It is devastating that this has now turned into overt conflict. We must de-escalate this conflict now—not just the two countries on the ground, but more importantly, the other states on the periphery of this conflict who are encouraging it. Turkey must stop egging on Azerbaijan and escalating this conflict. Ongoing support from outside nations will only lead to more lives being lost. I applaud the statements of the Armenian Prime Minister calling for peace, and I would urge the Azeris to join Armenia around the negotiating table. While we must first stop this dreadful war, we must look towards a sustainable future where the people of Artsakh can live in peace and self-determination.
Travel Industry
Ms CLAYDON (Newcastle) (13:45): Too many people have been left behind by the Morrison government. The arts, local government, universities, aviation and casual workers have all been left to fend for themselves through the deepest recession we've seen in more than a century. This is especially true for travel agents. Last week, I held a virtual roundtable with shadow tourism minister Senator Farrell and local travel agents. Those present were no neophytes. Indeed they were all skilled operators with more than two centuries of travel industry experience among them, but no amount of business nous could have protected them from the ravages of COVID-19. With planes grounded and borders closed for domestic and international travel and with constantly changing travel restrictions, local travel agents are now working harder than ever sending money out their door as refunds to their clients with zero money coming in. Even when travel returns, they won't be paid for their bookings for many months to come. While they were incredibly grateful for JobKeeper, the agents worry that the reduced rate of JobKeeper might see skilled staff leave. The Prime Minister talks about the need for a business led recovery. For this to happen, businesses in highly impacted industries must get the support they need to stay afloat. It's now critical for the government to work with the travel sector to devise a solution that will keep these important local businesses operating and their local staff in jobs. (Time expired)
Mental Health
Dr ALLEN (Higgins) (13:47): As we face the COVID crisis together, it's now more important than ever that we prioritise mental health, particularly as Victorians battle an extended lockdown. I note World Mental Health Day on 10 October. Everyone knows someone who is struggling. Some may not know how to help. That is why I welcome the Morrison government's $503 million investment in the Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan—the largest in Australia's history. This investment will strengthen headspace networks, invest in suicide prevention, provide early childhood and parent support, and invest in crucial medical research. Importantly, we are targeting $24 million at reducing wait times and fast-tracking access to mental health services for young people aged 12 to 25 seeking headspace appointments. As any parent knows, when there is a crisis, the last thing you need is to be told you have to wait for help. Headspace centres provide access to free or low-cost youth-friendly primary mental health services. They provide a safe place to turn to, somewhere young people can get both professional help and peer support. They are a place where young people can feel comfortable enough to tackle their challenges in a way that is right for them. My community is thrilled that our government has committed to a headspace in Higgins. Too many young lives are lost prematurely. We will never give up hope of preventing a life lost.
Queensland State Election
Mr DICK (Oxley) (13:48): The people of Queensland have a clear choice on 31 October—a Labor government led by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with a strong economic plan to unite and recover our state post the COVID pandemic or an LNP government that is a risk to our economy. The LNP plan for Queensland is to sack frontline workers, cut essential services and sell our state's essential assets. Yesterday, we saw the Queensland divisions of the Liberal and National parties announce for the very first time that they will be preferencing One Nation and the Greens in every seat before the Labor Party. The LNP have already confirmed that they will cut thousands of frontline health jobs in the coming years, just as they did when they were last in government. The Palaszczuk government have a real infrastructure plan, with funding locked in that delivers jobs and a strong economic outcome for Queensland. But this is all at risk as a result of this preference arrangement. These preference arrangements risk bringing into place a ragtag coalition of LNP, One Nation, Clive Palmer and, now, the Greens.
So when the National Party get up in this place and talk about the Greens being the worst people in the world, they are potentially delivering Greens seats into the Queensland parliament. We are seeing One Nation members of parliament, potentially, because the Liberals in Queensland are delivering potential seats into the government. This is a recipe for chaos. I call on the Prime Minister, just as John Howard did, to stand up to One Nation in Queensland. (Time expired)
Flinders and Cape Barren Islands: Telecommunications Upgrade
Mrs ARCHER (Bass) (13:50): My planned trip earlier this year to Flinders Island was thwarted due to COVID-19, so I was thrilled to get back to the beautiful island at the end of September. I met with small businesses, community organisations, tourism representatives and school students, and I caught up with the locals. The visit concluded on a high note, with a community gathering to launch the $11 million Flinders and Cape Barren Islands telecommunications upgrade project. With $8 million in funding from the federal government under the Building Better Regions Fund, the project is a perfect example of how collaboration can deliver significant outcomes to regional communities. With the balance of funding coming from the Flinders Island council, the Tasmanian government and Telstra, one of our state's most remote communities now has access to the latest in communication technology, so our remote communities are not left behind. Most of those I met with on my trip will benefit in some way from the boosted connectivity and improved mobile and internet services. During my visit, I was able to coordinate a Zoom call between the Flinders Island Aboriginal Association and Minister Wyatt, a meeting that would not have been possible without the upgrade. In a community that knows isolation well, even before a global pandemic, this upgrade has provided much-needed services, allowing locals to stay more connected to the world and to conduct their business online. This has opened a whole new world of possibility.
Australian Bushfires
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (13:51): Margaret and Simon at the Bilpin Fruit Bowl, one of the major fruitgrowers in the Hawkesbury hit by fires last summer, are worrying about whether their current crop of apples and figs will make it to be picked, because the promised federal government funding has yet to be delivered. The $120,000 is needed to net 40 acres of fruit. It's nine months since we first raised the issue with the minister, and, while the New South Wales funding to buy the netting has come and been spent, great bales are still sitting alongside the flowering trees, where the fruit is starting to grow. Can you imagine how Margaret felt when, a few weeks ago, she was told that no criteria had been established for the federal grant and no decision made on which government department would administer it? Just before Christmas last year, she and Simon looked out despairingly on 7,000 lost apple trees, the netting protecting them gone and the poles burnt. Last Friday, it was still a forest of burnt poles, with wires precariously hanging and any netting still left pitted with holes. There are 3,000 new cherry trees, and that is a glorious sight, but it's actually the surviving apple trees that are most vulnerable to hail, bats and birds, as the fruit ripens and the summer storms come. Installing the nets will take at least three months. It's a huge job. I don't know what's causing the delay, but it has to be fixed. This government has to get over getting the photo and start fixing the problems. (Time expired)
COVID-19: Travel Industry
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (13:53): I recently met with representatives from the travel industry from my electorate. Travel agencies around Australia are invariably mum-and-dad owned businesses, often in the family for generations, and employ around 40,000 Australians. Travel agencies were the first to be hit by this pandemic, when our international then our internal borders were closed. I'm told that over 90 per cent of most agencies' work comes from international travel. Over the past nine months, travel agents have done much of the heavy lifting in helping out citizens return home, despite the ACCC's ruling that they must return commissions for work they had already carried out. They continue to work—effectively, for free—to assist the management of an estimated $10 billion of cancellations and refunds on behalf of an estimated four million Australians. They and their 40,000 employees are grateful recipients of JobKeeper, but, without further tailored support, job losses and business closures are inevitable. I urge this government to develop an industry-specific support package consisting of continued JobKeeper past the 21 March date, along with a sector-specific support package in line with those provided to the arts, construction, and the film and television industry. Without this assistance, we will lose our Australian travel industry.
Qantas
Mr THISTLETHWAITE (Kingsford Smith) (13:55): Last week I met with local Qantas workers who, along with 2½ thousand of their co-workers, had recently been sacked by our national airline. Many of them had given over 20 years of loyal service. Many of them had families and are of an age where they can't start a new career. It's bad enough being sacked during a pandemic, but what makes it even worse is that Qantas has been receiving JobKeeper to subsidise these jobs. In the ultimate insult to these workers, these jobs will be contracted out to a foreign corporation, and workers will be brought in on lower wages and conditions to take their jobs. And also, in the ultimate insult, last week in the Federal Court, Qantas was found to have engaged in wage theft in respect of JobKeeper. It's corporate immorality.
Many of these workers that have lost their jobs at Qantas live in the Prime Minister's electorate. They're asking a simple question of the Prime Minister: Why won't you stand up for us? Why won't you stand up for workers at Qantas? They have been pleading with the Prime Minister to support them. So, on behalf of these workers, my question to the Prime Minister is: If you say that you're about jobs and if you say that you're about standing up for Australian workers, why won't you stand up for these workers at Qantas that have lost their jobs due to this corporate immorality? Why won't you stand up for Australian workers and stop companies like Qantas contracting out work during a pandemic and undercutting wages and conditions?
Nicholls Electorate: Water
Mr DRUM (Nicholls—Chief Nationals Whip) (13:56): Last Thursday and Friday I held two virtual manufacturing forums, engaging with some of the Goulburn Valley's biggest employers. On Thursday, we invited those from the food and drink processing and manufacturing industry and put to them: what can we as a government do to help you become stronger, increase productivity and become less reliant on countries who refuse to acknowledge the rule of law when it comes to trading with Australia? Their answers were united: 'Give us water policy security, and get serious about creating more gas,' which is a genuine source of energy for these companies. These are some of regional Victoria's biggest companies, highlighting the damage of having the potential of losing another 450 gigalitres of water hanging over their heads.
The following day we had the engineering and steel fabrication sector on board, and when we asked them what we can do to help that sector, they said, 'It's exactly the same. We need greater water security in our policies, and we need greater certainty when it comes to gas,' and certainly there was incredible support within the industry for our policies involving more gas. The engineering and steel fabrication sector is inexorably linked to the food manufacturing and processing sector, and they are dependent on the agricultural sector, and all these businesses and thousands of jobs within these industries are looking for governments, state and federal, to bring about more water security and more water for agriculture. (Time expired)
Indigenous Australians
Ms BURNEY (Barton) (13:58): On 30 September, Pat Turner, the chair of Coalition of Peaks, made an impassioned plea to the Press Club. She's also a member of the government's advisory committee on a voice to the parliament. She spoke at the 'Australia and the world' annual lecture. She said that, on a voice to parliament, the government is:
… high on rhetoric and well-rehearsed: co-design, empowerment, doing things with us, rather than to us. But if we look closely, the practice continues to be poles apart.
She also said:
A compelling case for shifting away from a Voice to Parliament to a Voice to government has not been made.
And that's precisely what this government has done. It has moved away from a voice to parliament to a voice to government, and that is not what the Uluru statement says. Labor has never wavered from its commitment to the Uluru statement. It's clear long term that it is about a voice to the parliament, constitutionally enshrined; it is about truth telling; and it is about the establishment of a Makarrata commission to negotiate agreements and treaties. That has never changed for the Labor Party. But it has changed for the Liberal Party. The advisory committees have been expressly told that they are not to deal with the Uluru statement. It is an absolute outrage. And we want to hear from the government what their commitment is. The real test for the Prime Minister in Closing the Gap changes will come in tonight's budget— (Time expired)
Wildlife Habitat
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt) (13:59): On Friday 18 September I had the pleasure of officially opening the $2.3 million expansion of Wildlife Habitat in sunny Port Douglas. With the federal government's financial contribution of $900,000, Wildlife Habitat were able to construct a high-level viewing structure, multiple viewing platforms and boardwalks connecting the structures and access to the new Far North Queensland nocturnal house.
It's no secret that the Far North Queensland tourism economy has taken a drastic hit during COVID-19. The CaPTA Group, which encompass Wildlife Habitat and Rainforestation, are not immune from this downturn, but they've continued to power on with the help of the federal government's JobKeeper and ZooKeeper packages, along with their own commitment to tourism. The project has not only increased the competitiveness of Wildlife Habitat but also provided Port Douglas with a unique and iconic experience, which is a great point of difference to boost its profile in all tourist markets. This type of attraction will assist in bringing us out of this pandemic.
I would like to make special mention of the Woodward family—Pip and her three sons: Michael, Peter and Ben. Their vision in enhancing tourism and creating a transformative project in our region over the past 40 years has been second to none. I'd also like to acknowledge the fantastic work of their dedicated staff at these wildlife attractions. A lot of them have not been getting anywhere near the payments that they would normally get. They do it out of love and commitment. (Time expired)
The SPEAKER: In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.
MINISTERIAL ARRANGEMENTS
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (14:01): I inform the House that the Treasurer will be absent from question time today. He is preparing for the budget. I will answer questions on his behalf. The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs will also be absent from question time today and for the remainder of the week. The Minister for Home Affairs will answer questions on his behalf. The Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure will be absent from question time today and for the remainder of the week. The Deputy Prime Minister will answer questions on his behalf.
CONDOLENCES
Fahey, Hon. John Joseph, AC
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (14:02): I move:
That the House record its deep regret at the death, on 12 September 2020, of the Honourable John Joseph Fahey AC, a Member of this House for the Division of Macarthur from 1996 to 2001, place on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service, and tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.
As we heard at his funeral service in Sydney at St Mary's, John Fahey had three lifelong passions: his family, his faith and the Canterbury Bulldogs. These three loves came together in 1993, the year when he led the successful Olympics bid. It was the year that the Canterbury Bulldogs were looking for a patron. The former state member for Canterbury, who is known to those opposite, Kevin Stewart described the selection process. He said: 'When John Fahey's name was fed into the Bulldogs's computer the green light went on at "Irish", again at "Catholic" and again at "former Canterbury-Bankstown player". It then went into meltdown when the word "Liberal" flashed up instead of Labor.' Much to John's delight, they picked him anyway, but you can understand why the computer was in such a state of shock.
John's parents came from Ireland. They had 25 siblings between them. He was introduced to rugby league by Sister Kevin at St Anthony's at Picton. She was his first coach. In those days the grounds were not watered and the summer concrete pitch was covered over with a fine coating of dirt. In those early years John lost a fair bit of skin playing the game that he loved.
After school John spent a year in the seminary in the Blue Mountains. Near the end of that time he approached the rector to tell him that he wasn't cut out for the priesthood. 'Funny you should say that,' said the rector, 'I've been thinking the same thing.' As John later accounted, 'I couldn't commit to a life without sport and women.' So for the next few years John focused on those pursuits. He played senior rugby league for Canterbury, Camden and Oakdale and he met a young woman from Oakdale named Colleen McGurren. They were married for 52 years—an absolutely beautiful, lifelong love story.
Eventually John realised he couldn't play Rugby League forever. He chose law over sport—and, in time, politics. So, why did the Irish Catholic, Rugby League playing, working class lawyer, a bloke who loved a beer and smoked like a chimney, become a Liberal? He said he believed in a hard head but a soft heart. And in what wonderful Irish vernacular he proclaimed, 'And I got the'—I've deleted the expletive—'with Whitlam.' You can work out the missing word. John entered the New South Wales parliament in 1984. He was a minister within four years and a premier within eight. In particular, his achievements as minister for industrial relations were groundbreaking at the time. He became premier after Nick Greiner was forced to resign in 1992.
But, for John, becoming what was known as the accidental premier in those circumstances wasn't something to celebrate. His view was that his ascension was the result of a travesty of justice. After being sworn in, he said, 'Today is probably the saddest day of my life.' Still, he took on the role with enthusiasm and authenticity—a trademark for John—and people loved him for it. At public events he was notoriously slow at working the room. In the days of election street walks, he'd talk to four people in about an hour—he'd have made four new friends, though—and say to his eye-rolling staff, 'Well, that went well'!
But he wasn't slow on his feet the night we won the bid for the Sydney Olympics. His leap would have made even an AFL player blush. In our history I don't think there has ever been a leap more glorious than John's, and he gave bid chief Rod McGeoch such a ferocious embrace that I'm surprised he survived it. It looked more like a Rugby League tackle than a hug. On Australia Day the following year he did it again, when a young man fired a starter pistol at the Prince of Wales. He leaped again, helping tackle the man to the ground. His Royal Highness made a point of sending a letter that was read out at John's funeral in which he recounted that day and remembered John fondly. That is what John did: he ran towards problems when others might have ducked. One of my most enduring images of John was when Sydney was surrounded by bushfires—not leaping in the air, not shaking hands but on his knees at St Mary's, praying for the welfare of his people, of his city and of his state.
Despite narrowly losing government in 1995, John wasn't done with politics. Within a year he was right here and was Minister for Finance in the incoming Howard government. Working with Peter Costello he delivered a dramatic turnaround, and he set in train a telecommunications revolution in Australia by commencing the privatisation of Telstra. But in 2001 he faced cancer. It took a lung. He had a one-in-four prognosis of survival. He left this House to focus on his recovery. John said: 'I want to do some more things. I want to continue to give to the community, and I intend to continue to work.' And he got that wish. He went on to be a director of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, chancellor of the Australian Catholic University and Chairman of the Rugby League development board. And he took that law degree back into the world of sport and became the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, one of the most significant sporting administrative roles in the world. It was a role John was made for. He said sport is based on certain ethical principles, including respect for the rules, respect for one's fellow competitors, respect for the officials and ultimately self-respect—principles John lived by.
John Fahey—like, indeed, Bob Hawke and Tim Fischer—was an Australian original. He mastered state politics, federal politics and world sport, always grounded by a rugged faith that understood the human condition. That's why he could never quite extricate himself from a conversation. During difficult moments John had a habit of putting his hand into his right pocket. He said, 'In my tough moments, my hand always went into my pocket, to put my fingers around my soldiers rosary beads.' John's faith taught him that suffering ultimately finds us all. On Boxing Day 2006 he lost his loved daughter Tiffany in a car accident when she was just 27.
I don't know whether or not his world view made his grief easier, but I suspect it did. When asked why he'd been so lucky to survive cancer he said, 'Not long after, we inherited two grandchildren from my youngest daughter. I often ask, "Why me? Why was I given a second chance?" I think to care for them.' And that is exactly what he and Colleen did. To John's wife, Colleen, to their children, Matthew and Melanie, and to their grandchildren, we send our deepest condolences and our greatest of respects. John Joseph Fahey was an Australian original. May he rest in peace. May God remember his soul. He was a blessing to all of us.
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:10): John Joseph Fahey was a great bloke. That is the greatest thing you can say about an Australian male—that, we all aspire to. He was a very decent man. He was a man of principle, of faith, and of courtesy. He had a deep humility about him, steeped, no doubt, in his poor but happy childhood. Yet he rose to the very heights in a career spanning state and federal politics. He may have been born across the ditch, but he became one of the most enthusiastically embraced types of Australian—the successful Kiwi! Once upon a time, Labor might have had some expectation that the young John Fahey might make it into our ranks. After all, as the Prime Minister has outlined, his parents were ALP supporters—they handed out for Gough Whitlam in 1972. As it turned out, though, the apple fell some way from the tree. But political differences never got in the way of his instinct to treat others with respect. That's what keeps coming through about John—just how much he liked people. He remembered their names. He loved to chat. He was not a stranger to a convivial drink and a smoke—or two—and he was also an optimist.
During the years that we overlapped in this place—we were elected on the same day, in 1996—I don't remember his having an enemy, not on this side, nor, more importantly, on his own side, which is something that does take some doing. He was respected by all. He was a man of courage. While many speak of putting themselves on the line, John did it literally when he defended Prince Charles from an attacker on Australia Day in 1994. He launched himself into action, his reflexes impeccable, finely honed, no doubt, during his years playing rugby league for Canterbury-Bankstown. The assailant was tackled and the heir to the throne was safe. Not even John's republican leanings could slow him down. He was, after all, a good Irish Catholic.
He was a man of action in other ways. During his time as New South Wales premier, he appointed New South Wales's first minister for the status of women. His government ushered in the Disability Services Act and the New South Wales seniors card. As the Prime Minister has said, he was called the accidental premier by some. But Bob Carr, in his fitting and sincere tributes, has said that defeating John Fahey was a Herculean task in 1995, because John Fahey was so well liked in the community, including by many people who would consider themselves good Labor people.
He was one of the few to successfully make the transition from state to federal politics. Not one to shy away from a big task, John took on the job of finance minister. He treated the portfolio with the respect, the gravity and the stamina that it demands. When lung cancer accelerated his exit from politics, he stood in this place and declared that he had had a blessed life.
He didn't lose momentum after politics. We saw him in a wide variety of roles. Among them was the very important position of being president of the World Anti-Doping Agency. He had a passionate opposition to the use of drugs in sport. He regarded it as just something that needed to be stamped out. He was chancellor of The Australian Catholic University and chair of the Australian Rugby League Development Board.
Away from his career, his family was core. We can only begin to imagine how hard it was for him and his wife, Colleen, to lose their youngest daughter, Tiffany, in that car crash in 2006. The last thing that any parent would want would be to outlive their child. Yet this cruel reality was thrust upon them. But in their grief, John and Colleen threw themselves into the task of raising Tiffany's children. What a profound love those children must have been raised in. It is a love they will carry with them always.
Let the sadness at John's passing be softened a little by the memory of his famous Olympic leap and how it was a foretaste of all the happiness that would flow from those games seven years later. I offer my condolences to Colleen, his surviving children, Melanie and Matthew, and his grandchildren, Amber and Campbell. He will be dearly missed. May he rest in peace.
The SPEAKER (14:15): I thank both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. If the House allows me, just very briefly, I worked very closely with John Fahey when I worked for federal Treasurer Peter Costello for those five years. In fact, after he'd had the operation and had the lung removed, Prime Minister, he still opened my first election campaign and, as a nervous candidate, I was walking far too quickly for him as he had those conversations that you alluded to!
I did ask Peter Costello for a couple of remarks to read to you today. He sent this in: 'He was a good bloke and a good friend and an outstanding finance minister. He worked hard, he had great attention to detail and he had courage. He got things done, including Australia's biggest ever privatisation, concerning Telstra. John was great company and he could talk with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face.'
As a mark of respect, in the memory of the Hon. John Joseph Fahey I ask all to please rise in their places.
Honourable members having stood in their places—
Debate adjourned.
Reference to Federation Chamber
Mr PORTER (Pearce—Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Leader of the House) (14:17): I move:
That the order of the day be referred to the Federation Chamber for debate.
Question agreed to.
Ryan, Hon. Susan Maree, AO
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (14:17): I move:
That the House record its deep regret at the death, on 27 September 2020, of the Honourable Susan Maree Ryan AO, a former Minister and Senator for the Australian Capital Territory, place on record its appreciation of her long and meritorious public service, and tender its profound sympathy to her family in their bereavement.
It was Mother Liguori of the Brigidines—I hope I pronounced that correctly; I'm sure I'll be corrected if I haven't—who was possibly the first to grasp the measure and strength of a young Susan Ryan. She said, 'Susan Ryan, you are not merely bold as brass, you are brass personified.' It was this strength that Susan Ryan drew upon when she entered the Senate in 1975. It's been said she was a trailblazer. True. But it's an easy word to use and not understand what that truly means.
For Susan Ryan, it meant being judged daily on her gender, her age, her hair colour, her marital status, her physical size, her clothes and how she was raising her own children at that time. In her words, the criticism was relentless—in the media, community, across this chamber and within her own party. That's what she came to fight. Her slogan 'A woman's place is in the Senate' was more than a slogan about one person; it was about a broader change to advantage every Australian woman, whatever their views, whatever their background, whatever their politics.
After entering the parliament, Senator Ryan spent seven years in opposition. During that time she watched closely Senator Margaret Guilfoyle, the first woman member of cabinet. Susan Ryan observed that her strength was her intelligence and competence, and she never let a provocation get under her skin—an approach Senator Ryan was determined to take when her time came as the first woman in a Labor cabinet, serving as Minister for Education and Youth Affairs, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women and the Special Minister of State.
Susan Ryan was the architect of our Sex Discrimination Act, which also made sexual harassment illegal for the first time, and the Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act. Because of her advocacy and the advocacy of others, a woman who wants to buy a house today can go to the bank and get a home loan without needing her husband or father there—something that today we sometimes just assume has always been the case, but it was not so when she made it a reality. A woman who falls pregnant is not at risk of losing her job. A single mum can sign a lease without the fear of a landlord refusing her because of her marital status. And girls everywhere can go to school and study whatever they want without restrictions. My daughters thank you, Susan Ryan.
This was the world that Susan Ryan and, she would say, so many others helped to create in her selfless way. As education minister, she was most proud of having put in place policies that lifted the year 12 retention rate from one-third to two-thirds. She said that at times her world felt like being a fish on a bicycle, navigating principle and pragmatism. That tension was grasped in a conversation she had with the late Mick Young. It was the end of 1979 and Susan Ryan was in hospital after contracting a severe liver disease during a parliamentary visit to Cambodia. She was so ill that a priest was called. Young, a Catholic, inquired about the visit. 'Did you make a confession?' 'Of course not,' she said. 'You know I abandoned the faith years ago.' Mick Young shook his head. 'I would've,' he said. 'Nothing wrong with having two bob each way.'
Susan Ryan was not a two-bob-each-way politician, and that is what we remember today. We also remember her service as our first-ever Age Discrimination Commissioner, and as Disability Discrimination Commissioner also—always advocating that an Australia that used the talents and capacity of its people would be a better and bigger place.
Susan Ryan once reflected that politics is like diving into a blustery surf—something she spent years doing at Maroubra beach. 'You don't linger at the edge,' she said. 'You jump in and fight your way through to the breakers. Finally, you get to the still, deep water beyond. You see if you can catch a wave and ride it to the shore. Few things in life are as exhilarating. When the wave has finished it's not the end of the story.'
In fighting through the breakers, Susan Ryan's life reminds us of what can be achieved in this life and, particularly, in this place. Her life helped stir and channel the currents that flow through our country today, and we are indeed grateful. On behalf of the government, I express our heartfelt sympathies to Susan's partner, Rory Sutton, her children, Justine and Benedict, and her grandson, Amir. May she rest in peace. We thank her for her service.
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): I thank the Prime Minister for his generous words and for agreeing as well to a state funeral for Susan Ryan. Susan Ryan may have left us, but she does not leave a void. Thanks to the power and the sheer scale of her legacy, her presence is all around us. As the first female minister for the status of women, she became a feminist hero. Of course, when she ran for the Senate, she did indeed run under 'a woman's place is in the Senate'. And there's something appropriate about the condolence motion today being moved on the very day on which, for the first time, a majority of the Senate is female—a history that she was one of the champions of.
She lives in our hearts as a Labor giant and, even more than that, as a great Australian who had respect across the board. It's not just because of what she did, even though she did so much; it's because what she did lasted. The towering pinnacle of her achievement was the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, which Susan would later reflect on as 'probably the most useful thing I've done in my life'. Only Susan could have inserted the word 'probably' into that sentence about such a profound change in the way that our society operates. Until that act, it was legal—entirely, perfectly legal—to discriminate on the basis of sex, marital status or pregnancy. Women were locked out of education, jobs and opportunity. They were refused access to home finance. They faced the sack for being pregnant. It was an immense wrong, but Susan set about the task of righting it. It is sobering to remember that she was up against considerable opposition. No fewer than 26 members of this chamber voted against that legislation, but they were no match for her.
Susan triumphed. Her reforms have become part of who we are as a nation, and what she fought against looks to younger generations like the stuff of dystopian fiction. But it was real, and Susan toppled it. That's because she was driven and she arrived in the job prepared and ready to go. It didn't matter what she was up against. If things were hard, she just kept going. Even in opposition, that hard stretch of opposition in the wake of the dismissal, she got on with it. She used that time to develop her policy agenda. She kept her faith in democratic politics. She kept her faith in the power of government to change people's lives for the better. She laid the groundwork for legislation that would deliver the fatal blow to that farcical, antiquated system. As one of the founders of the Women's Electoral Lobby—not for her sitting outside, complaining after decisions were made—she was absolutely determined to be part of a party of government that actually made the decision.
She of course became part of the extraordinary first Hawke ministry. She hit the ground running as Labor's first ever female cabinet minister—no dithering, no empty announcements, just action. As well as the Sex Discrimination Act, she was instrumental in the Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act. She understood keenly the most fundamental truth: that education is the greatest source of the opportunity that makes equality possible, the equality we see as the core of who we are as a nation. As education minister, Susan was responsible for increasing participation in tertiary education and for the explosion in the numbers of Australian children completing school. She was very proud of the fact that she presided over a doubling of the number of girls who finished high school, but she began a process. When the Hawke government was elected, three out of 10 Australians finished high school; in 1996, that figure was eight out of 10. That is an absolute revolution, which she began and deserves credit for.
After politics, Susan's striving energies didn't change. Along the way, she was Age Discrimination Commissioner and Disability Discrimination Commissioner. She was a champion of superannuation and the republic. Throughout it all, she mentored young people in our movement, including myself, the member for Sydney and many others. But her light shone with a special brightness for young women, staying true to her first election slogan as she reminded them that a women's place was not just in the Senate but in the House of Representatives, in the places where decisions are made.
I spoke to Susan in the car on the way back from Canberra, just a short time ago it seems. She didn't tell me that she was ill. She had got into contact with me because she wanted to talk about the aged-care crisis and superannuation—two of her great passions in life. We had a great discussion, as we always did. She was positive, as she always was. She knew how to enjoy life. She was certainly fun to be around. She wanted to improve the lives of her fellow Australians and, guided by fundamental truths, she did. In her 1999 memoir, Catching the Waves, she wrote:
Women and men should be judged on their merits, not on how far they reinforce some socially useful or commercially contrived norm.
As part of a great Labor government, Susan Ryan was pivotal in bringing our nation closer to that reality. Australia is a better country because of her. Susan Ryan achieved historic firsts: the first female senator for the ACT, the first female Labor cabinet minister and the first female minister for women. But in a life dedicated to women's rights and equality Susan achieved something bigger: while she was the first, she would never be the last.
To her partner, Rory, and her children, Justine and Benedict, we offer our heartfelt condolences. To Susan, we give you our thanks.
The SPEAKER: As a mark of respect to the memory of the Hon. Susan Maree Ryan, I ask all present to rise in their places.
Honourable members having stood in their places—
The SPEAKER: I thank the House. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Reference to Federation Chamber
Mr PORTER (Pearce—Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Leader of the House) (14:30): by leave—I move:
That the order of the day be referred to the Federation Chamber for debate.
Question agreed to.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Budget
Dr CHALMERS (Rankin) (14:30): My question is to the Prime Minister. The average worker will likely receive a tax cut of less than $50 a fortnight under the government's budget announcement. How will this make the millions of Australians who've just lost $300 a fortnight from their JobKeeper payments better off?
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (14:31): What you will hear tonight is, again, the government's plan for not just cushioning the blow, as we have done now for these many months, through the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 recession that has followed, but you will also hear again that it's a plan for the recovery of what has been lost and it is a plan to build Australia's economy again for the future, so Australians can indeed plan for their own future with confidence. Our plan is about growing the economy again. That's how Australians earn more. That's where Australians will find hope. Australians will find hope by finding their jobs again. And we're creating those jobs and keeping as many Australians in jobs as we possibly can. That's why we've gone through the last six months to keep people in their jobs. Now we're getting people back into jobs—some 760,000 jobs since the beginning of this crisis. Jobs that have been either lost or reduced to zero hours have come back. They've come back—some 760,000 jobs. And, as Treasury have said, were it not for the measures the government undertook, there would've been 700,000 more people out of work in this country. So, when Australians look at what the Treasurer has to say tonight, what they will hear is hope for the future. What they will hear is their jobs being more secure and the jobs that they're looking for becoming more real. That is our plan—to secure those jobs, to keep those jobs and to build those jobs for the future.
Those opposite have no such plan. Only on this side have we put out a consistent plan to grow the economy. The proof of that is the 1½ million jobs that were created, from when we first came to government up until the start of this COVID crisis—1½ million jobs created—and a budget back in the balance, so we entered this crisis from a position of strength. Had it been left to those opposite, we would've entered this crisis in weakness, and the weakness would have continued in their ill-disciplined approach.
But under this government our responses have been targeted. They have been proportionate. They have been scalable. Our government's plan has kept Australians in work, and it will keep Australians in work, and it will get more Australians into work.
Economy
Dr MARTIN (Reid) (14:34): My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline to the House how the Morrison government's plan to create jobs and rebuild our economy will secure our economic future and guarantee the essential services Australians rely on?
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (14:34): I thank the member for Reid and all members of this place who have been supporting their communities through what has been one of the most difficult times Australians have known for many generations. We know that the challenge we face is great, but Australians are up to that challenge, and the plan that the budget delivers tonight, through the Treasurer, is also equal to that challenge. It is a plan for economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession and a plan to rebuild Australia's economy for the future.
There will be a coalition led economic recovery from this COVID-19 recession as we bring back jobs and protect jobs. This budget is a plan to keep Australians in jobs and to get more Australians into jobs, to cushion that blow, to recover what was lost, and to ensure we rebuild our economy for the future. This budget guarantees the essential services that Australians rely on. Our approach is to ensure that Australians see in the budget that we bring down tonight that the health and education services, disability services, aged-care services and other services that Australians rely on are guaranteed and assured, while at the same time we are fighting this virus and fighting for the jobs of Australians. Our approach enables Australians to keep more of what they earn. It is a fundamental principle of our government that Australians should be able to retain more of their hard-earned income for their future, so they can have choices and plan for their future.
Our approach ensures that we are making it easier to do business in this country and providing incentives for businesses that employ Australians to employ more of them, to invest more in our economy into the future and to give them that support. It ensures that we're enabling Australians to get the skills, training and education they need, through either the 340,000 places under the JobTrainer program or the additional 12,000 university places the Minister for Education himself has announced in the past seven days. Our approach ensures they will get the education they need, not just for themselves but for the employers who want to employ people with those skills. Our approach will enable our economy to have the affordable, reliable and lower-emissions technologies that will guarantee our economy not only for today and tomorrow but for 30 years into the future. This is what our plan does. It builds the infrastructure. It supports our manufacturers. It's a bold, responsible and reliable plan. It's a plan that allows Australians to sit around their kitchen tables and start to plan again for their future with confidence, as a result of the economic leadership that will be provided, and will continue to be provided, by this government. Tonight is that recovery plan for the future. It is the plan to rebuild our economy for the future. It is the plan for jobs Australia needs.
COVID-19: Economy
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:37): My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Won't the Morrison recession be longer and deeper because the Prime Minister's cuts to JobKeeper, JobSeeker and wages are leaving businesses and workers behind?
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (14:37): No. The Leader of the Opposition, in the way he has framed this question, seems to be the only Australian in this country who doesn't understand there's a COVID-19 pandemic going on in the world today. As we went into this COVID-19 pandemic, the budget had been brought back into balance, 1½ million jobs had been created and Australians were looking forward to the future with confidence. But, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic did hit this country, and Australia was prepared for it. Australia's response, from both a health point of view and an economic point of view, has put us amongst just a handful of countries that have been able to steer their way through what has been a great global pandemic.
The Leader of the Opposition may not know that the forecast fall in the global economy this year is 4½ per cent. During the global financial crisis, the global economy fell by 0.1 per cent. So, what our government is facing is 45 times more severe than when those opposite thought the response was to build overpriced school halls, set fire to people's houses and send cheques to dead people and pets. That's not how you manage a crisis. You manage a crisis with the strength, the responsible economic management, the responsiveness and the certainty that our government has provided over these many past months as we have dealt with it. Those opposite can jeer all they like, but their record of failure in a crisis speaks for itself. Our government is providing the plan and the hope for recovery, and it is delivering that recovery. Sixty per cent of the jobs that have been lost have come back for women. It has been women who have led the jobs recovery from this pandemic.
We've also seen strong growth for those who are younger people. Tonight young people will see that plan for them and for their future. Whether they're leaving school, whether they're on an apprenticeship—180,000 apprenticeships already sustained through the government's response to the pandemic and another 100,000 have been provided, that we have announced as part of this budget. Young people can look at this budget tonight and know that this government has got their backs to get them into a job, not for them to spend a life on welfare, because our plan is about building for the future and getting Australians in jobs, back into jobs and to stay in jobs.
COVID-19: Health
Mr SHARMA (Wentworth) (14:40): My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government's plan to manage the health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has kept Australians safe?
Mr HUNT (Flinders—Minister for Health and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Cabinet) (14:40): I want to thank the member for Wentworth, who knows and understands, through his international experience, the breadth and savagery of the coronavirus pandemic around the world. Over 35 million cases officially diagnosed, and inevitably numerous beyond that. Over a million lives lost, as we predicted when we left this place the last time. Sadly those numbers continue to grow and the real number will be far higher.
Against that background, we know that around the world the tragedies we've seen are extraordinary. In France, a death toll 1,400 per cent higher than Australia, in the United States a death toll 1,700 per cent higher than in Australia, in the UK a death toll 1,800 per cent higher than in Australia and in Spain a death toll 1,900 per cent higher than in Australia. We've had our sadness, our tragedy and our suffering here, and every life lost has to be mourned. But those international comparisons are powerful, because they are sophisticated countries with highly developed health systems.
The reason, as a country, we've been able to achieve what we have—and we thank our health workers, our doctors, our nurses, our researchers, our medical professionals, all of those involved in the public service that have contributed and all of the Australians, wherever they are, who have taken measures, as difficult as they have been, to protect themselves and to protect others—is that we have had a clear, consistent plan since 21 January, when the Chief Medical Officer declared this to be a disease of pandemic potential.
That plan, which was formally released in February, the Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus, has been based on four pillars with regard to containment. The work with regard to our borders, which has seen international quarantine detect approximately 2½ thousand cases that would otherwise have come into Australia; the work in relation to testing, where over 7.7 million tests have helped Australia have one of the broadest, and—according to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine—most accurate testing regimes in the world, and that's meant we could chase the cases; the tracing system, which in seven out of eight states and territories has been outstanding, and which has now improved significantly in Victoria; and of course the distancing, have meant that, according to the Medical Journal of Australia only yesterday, the Australian plan helped save 16,000 lives. The result has been 16,000 lives on the basis of a refereed journal article. That indicates that as a country we've worked together, we've striven together, we've saved lives together, and for that we say thank you.
Budget
Mr MARLES (Corio—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:44): My question is to the Prime Minister. On budget night last year the Prime Minister and the Treasurer released an ad, and announced in this chamber that the budget was already back in black even though it wasn't, so I was just wondering what marking will be on the Prime Minister's mug this year?
The SPEAKER: The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will remove that prop.
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (14:44): I won't indulge the juvenile antics of the opposition—
Opposition members interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Members on my left!
Mr MORRISON: I won't indulge their juvenile antics. Today is a serious day for Australia.
Dr Chalmers interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Member for Rankin!
Mr MORRISON: Those outside this place will look on the juvenile tactics of the opposition and form their own judgements. Today is a very serious day for Australia, because, in the midst of this COVID-19 recession, there is the need for the continued response that the government has been leading—not only to cushion the blow of this terrible recession that is global in nature but also, as we continue to recover what has been lost, to build again for the future.
As we entered this crisis, we had brought the budget back into balance, we had worked together with the Australian businesses of this country to ensure 1½ million jobs had been re-created—1.5 million jobs created under the economic policies of the government that had brought the budget back into balance. So we could deal with the crisis as it hit. Those opposite may want to make sneering remarks and jokes about this, but not this government. This government has a plan to deal with it. And Australians know that because they saw us work over six successive years to restore fiscal rectitude after those opposite had been in government. We built the budget back into balance so we could deal with this crisis, which is on a scale 45 times greater that which was faced by those opposite, when their best response was to set fire to people's roofs, and they had policies and programs that failed to hit the mark.
As we went into this crisis, I can tell you this: one of the things we learnt not to do was from those opposite. We looked at how they responded to the first crisis of many years ago, in the GFC, and we said, 'Let's not repeat their terrible mistakes.' And we have not. We have not. We have ensured we've used mechanisms that can deliver support to people where they need it, whether it has been in child care, whether it has been in the tourism industry, so significantly hit—
Dr Chalmers interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Member for Rankin!
Mr MORRISON: or in the infrastructure spending and the many measures that have been part of our plan. Our plan is going to get Australians back into jobs, just as 760,000 Australians have already found themselves back in jobs with our plan. And there will be more of them coming on the back of the initiatives that are announced in tonight's budget. It's a responsible plan. It's a bold plan. It's the plan that Australia needs.
South Australia: Roads
Ms SHARKIE (Mayo) (14:47): My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Yesterday, ahead of today's federal budget, the government announced $200 million of federal funding for transport infrastructure for the Hahndorf township and surrounding district traffic issues. Deputy Prime Minister, can you confirm that Centre Alliance has negotiated $15 million of that $200 million for the solution to the Verdun interchange traffic challenges; and would you, please, provide further details of this project to my community?
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure,Transport and Regional Development and Leader of the Nationals) (14:48): I thank the member for Mayo for her advocacy for her constituents, and her advocacy of easing traffic congestion and making sure that people get where they need to be sooner and more safely and that they get home sooner and more safely. And that's what the Liberals and Nationals have done all the way through, with a $100 billion rolling infrastructure plan. Yesterday, we added $7½ billion in new money to what we're doing. There's $625 million for South Australia, and I'll get to the specific details of your question, Member for Mayo. There was funding for 11 new projects announced in that initiative yesterday and funding for one existing project, the Goodwood and Torrens junctions project for grade separation.
But, specifically, going to the member for Mayo's question, she is no doubt very pleased with the $200 million commitment announced for the Hahndorf township improvements project. This will address, as she says, access issues from the South Eastern Freeway into the region. It's a great region. It's a great tourism region. I've been there myself. I know all too well about this particular region and I know why the member for Mayo comes to this place and advocates hard for it. The region includes the Verdun and Hahndorf townships. We've fully funded the Hahndorf Township Strategic Planning Study, which is due to be completed very soon by the South Australian government, which will detail the scope and the design of the most appropriate solution for the region—because, when this federal government does a project, we put the planning, we put the scoping, we put the detailed design into the project, not like those opposite. When they had the opportunity—
Dr Chalmers interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The Deputy Prime Minister will pause for a second. I have asked the member for Rankin to stop interjecting four or five times. Can I say to him: the week is young; just cease interjecting. You're interjecting constant and loudly.
Mr McCORMACK: As I said, we fully funded the Hahndorf strategic planning study. In addition, we are already investing hundreds of millions of dollars into the member's electorate. I know how appreciative she is but, moreover, how appreciative her constituents are for those measures. There's $200 million towards the Princes Highway corridor in South Australia. I speak with Corey Wingard, the minister, very regularly. I know that he is also aware of the project to which the member refers and for which she has advocated.
I speak to Premier Steven Marshall—who has been a tower of strength through COVID-19—on a weekly basis about infrastructure needs in South Australia, about what is needed for that fine state. There's more than $29 million through community programs for the seat of Mayo and more than $6 billion for the Building Better Regions Fund. Again, there's $200 million going towards that fund, with round 5 being announced as part of this budget. That's delivery in action. I look forward to having further discussions with the member for Mayo about projects for her area.
COVID-19: Regional Australia
Mr DRUM (Nicholls—Chief Nationals Whip) (14:51): My question is also to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. Will the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House how the Morrison-McCormack government's plans for jobs is supporting regional Australia through the continued rollout of infrastructure as part of the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure,Transport and Regional Development and Leader of the Nationals) (14:52): I thank the member for Nicholls for his question and for his continued advocacy for rural and regional Victoria specifically and for his electorate. He knows full well how regional Victoria has done so well through COVID-19. Regional Victoria had restrictions placed on it because of outbreaks in Melbourne but, despite that, they have led the way with agriculture and they have led the way in making sure that they can be their best selves—and we want to make them even better, and I know the member for Nicholls does too. I know that he, like me and like the Prime Minister and everyone else on this side, shares that vision for the future—the COVID-led recovery, which will be announced tonight at 7.30 right at this dispatch box when the Treasurer stands to his feet. He will announce a great regional budget. He will announce a fantastic infrastructure led recovery.
Yesterday we announced $7.5 billion in new investments to support 30,000 direct and indirect jobs across the nation: 82 new projects and 33 existing and shovel ready—ready to go. We want to get workers on the ground. Whether it's in the member's seat or any one of the 537 local government areas around Australia, we're going to deliver for them. What we're announcing tonight builds on the 100,000 direct and indirect jobs already being supported by projects under construction in the current infrastructure pipeline. Jobs, jobs and more jobs—that's what it's all about.
We're going to improve connectivity for the people the member for Nicholls represents so well. Our government is investing $320 million into stage 3 of the Shepparton rail line upgrade. We've invested heavily in Shepparton. Whether it's the art museum, the cannery or agriculture, everything that the member has fought for he has delivered. He's a fighter for his people, and we're helping him. Our $320 million investment will complement an $80 million investment by the Victorian government. The upgrade will enable VLocity trains to run on the line for the very first time, with speeds of up to 130 kilometres, with more return services between Shepparton and Melbourne—and that's important. At the same time, it will support around 990 direct and indirect jobs. Work is expected to start early next year. That's the beauty of an infrastructure led recovery. It's a lasting legacy to Australians, while supporting our economy in the short term, particularly in regional areas, and particularly those country areas so well represented by the likes of the member for Nicholls. It's our recovery plan.
As I said, it's all about jobs, jobs and jobs. It's all about getting that economic recovery through COVID. This area's been hard hit by the drought. It was hard hit by the fact that it had restrictions placed on it by Melbourne. But they've led the way through. They're going to be making sure that the COVID led recovery is all about jobs and infrastructure. (Time expired)
Budget
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:55): My question is to the Prime Minister. Before coming to office this government announced that it would produce a surplus in its first budget and every year after that. Last year the Prime Minister announced, bizarrely, that he had 'brought the budget back to surplus next year'. Isn't it the case that this government has never delivered a surplus, never will deliver a surplus and had doubled the debt well before coronavirus hit?
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (14:55): What I know is that this government brought the budget back into balance before the COVID recession hit. Those opposite seem completely oblivious—
Opposition members interjecting—
Mr MORRISON: In fact, it is a carnival over there. It is embarrassing—for the Leader of the Opposition to not acknowledge that the COVID-19 global pandemic has prevented the government from achieving a surplus in the last financial year. He must be the only person on this planet who doesn't understand that the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on this country, on the jobs and livelihoods of this country—
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order?
Mr Albanese: Yes, on relevance. The question went to the Prime Minister's own statement that he had 'brought the budget back to surplus next year'—that it had already happened—well before coronavirus hit.
The SPEAKER: I'd just point out to the Leader of the Opposition that the question did go to that but it went to a number of other statements, preambles, statistics as well. So, that does—
Mr Albanese interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Well, there was a lot in there. I think we won't waste the time of the House by having me read back your own question to you. I've got a transcript of it here. The Prime Minister's in order.
Mr MORRISON: And over those six years, as we brought the budget back into balance, those opposite fought us every step of the way. All the way through, they fought against the government as we sought to repair a budget that they left in absolute tatters by their economic irresponsibility, with programs like cash for clunkers—and the list goes on and on and on, where they failed in their responsibility to manage the budget.
I particularly acknowledge here in this place today the work of the Minister for Finance. This will be his seventh budget. In the six years leading up to tonight's budget, he more than anyone was responsible for ensuring that as we went into the COVID-19 global pandemic the government of Australia was in a position to move quickly and strongly to ensure that we could cushion the blow. And we have cushioned that blow. We couldn't eliminate the blow. No country has been able to do that. But this country has done it better than almost any other developed country in the world today, with the speed of our response as well as the design of our response, and the capability to respond because of the work that had been done by this government, year in year out, to repair the budget and bring it back to balance.
Those opposite have shown no disposition to what is necessary to try to restore a budget back to balance. One of the things they don't understand is that the way we will restore the budget to balance after we have moved through this crisis, should we be given that opportunity into the future, will be by growing our economy, guaranteeing the essential services that Australians rely on and not increasing their taxes. That's how we brought the budget back into balance before this COVID-19 recession, and that is exactly how we'll do it again. People ask, 'How will the jobs come back?' They're already coming back. Under this government, we knew how to bring jobs back—1½ million jobs—before the COVID-19 recession hit. Those jobs are coming back, and they're coming back under our plan. (Time expired)
Employment
Mr STEVENS (Sturt) (14:59): My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government's plan for jobs is supporting Australia's skilled workforce through critical investment in training and apprenticeship programs?
Mrs ANDREWS (McPherson—Minister for Industry, Science and Technology) (14:59): I thank the member for his question. Tonight the government will deliver one of the most significant budgets in modern history. It will chart the way forward for us out of the COVID crisis, the COVID pandemic, in which we now find ourselves. It's clear the impact of this pandemic is far greater than anything that we have experienced in modern times. But tonight the budget will be all about jobs—jobs now and jobs for the future. It's geared towards backing businesses to grow and to create the jobs that are needed, including through the $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy.
We are determined to make sure that we are building the jobs of the future, that we are creating the skills pipeline needed not just for our manufacturers but for all industry. From the start of this crisis, we have been supporting apprentices and trainees to make sure that they stay in work and that they can continue to access the training they need. Earlier this year we announced the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy. That measure provided support to up to 180,000 apprentices and trainees across 90,000 businesses. It's an essential support to keep young Australians in jobs and it's ensuring that we do have the skilled workers that we need for the recovery.
Just this weekend we announced a further measure to support apprenticeships, one that is going to build on our earlier announcements. We are providing an additional $1.2 billion to support 100,000 new apprenticeship commencements. We announced this on the weekend and, from yesterday, we are already taking action and delivering. That's pretty fast, I've got to say. Businesses taking on an apprentice or a trainee will be eligible for a new wage subsidy, regardless of their geographic location, occupation, industry or business size. This is going to provide some very viable career options to our young people, and particularly to those students who, in 2020, are in their final year of school and are facing an unprecedented disruption to their learning. So, for those young people there is a viable career alternative, through a vocational education pathway. This government is delivering now to make sure we have the skills pipeline that we need for the jobs of today, tomorrow and the future.
Infrastructure
Ms CATHERINE KING (Ballarat) (15:03): My question is to the Prime Minister: This government has spent $1.7 billion less on road and rail projects than it announced in last year's budget, making it six budgets in a row that this government has spent less than it announced on infrastructure. How can Australians trust this Prime Minister to deliver anything he announces in tonight's budget, when he has never honoured his infrastructure announcements?
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (15:03): In response to the pandemic, the government has announced $11.3 billion for infrastructure ventures, focused on shovel-ready projects. That consists of $1 billion to immediately bring forward work on small priority projects, $500 million for targeted road safety works, $500 million to support local councils, $1.75 billion in additional funding for Sydney Metro, Western Sydney Airport and $7.5 billion in new funding for 114 projects. Since coming to government, 399 projects have been completed. This includes 50 that were completed just in the last financial year and there are 153 projects under construction across Australia. This includes 60 that commenced construction in 2019-20. There are a further 481 projects that are in planning. That includes the Bruce Highway—Cooroy to Curra, section D; stage 2 of Mungle Back Creek to Boggabilla on the Newell Highway and the Albany Ring Road. Examples of projects recently completed include WestConnex stage 2—which was opposed by the Leader of the Opposition—which was opened to traffic in July; stage 1 of the Mackay Ring Road and the Darlington upgrade and Northern Connector projects in Adelaide. We will continue to work with state and territory governments because every dollar we spend on infrastructure is spent with state and territory governments who run these projects. I'll ask the Deputy Prime Minster to add to my answer.
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure,Transport and Regional Development and Leader of the Nationals) (15:05): The crisis has reminded us once again why infrastructure is so important to our economy and to the functioning of our society. Throughout it all our ports have kept operating, our transport and logistics infrastructure has kept moving, our buses and trains have kept running, our construction workers have kept building, our airlines and airports have done everything they can to keep planes in the sky, and Australians have moved about by foot and bicycle in record numbers. Who said this:
It is increasingly clear that just as infrastructure has kept us going throughout this crisis it will play a critical role in seeing us out of it. Not just in terms of the economic stimulus it brings, but much more.
Who said that? The member for Ballarat. That's right. She knows. She comes into this place and asks that question, and yet, despite that, on 17 September in her address to the Infrastructure Partnerships Australia conference she said that. She knows full well that infrastructure is leading the way. She knows full well, as the Prime Minister has just outlined, the projects that we're building, the projects that we're constructing and the projects that are under way, whether it is carparks, roads, rail or airports. Western Sydney Airport—how good is it? That's 11,000 jobs, and 28,000 jobs in the life of it. Ask me a question about it. I would love to answer. You don't have too many questions. Thankfully you've got one today. You asked it of the Prime Minister. Ask me one directly. I'd love to answer more from you, because it's just like a dorothy dixer. It's fantastic. I love getting questions about infrastructure, because we have got so much delivery. (Time expired)
Energy
Mr YOUNG (Longman) (15:06): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government's plan for jobs is driving our gas-led recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and how this plan will deliver reliable and affordable energy? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?
Mr TAYLOR (Hume—Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) (15:07): I thank the member for Longman for his question. Like all on this side of the House, he is focused on delivering for his households and small businesses affordable, reliable energy. He knows it's crucial to them. He also knows that a gas-fired recovery is central to the government's JobMaker plan to deliver a strong Australia on the other side of the virus. Our competitive advantage has always been based on cheap energy, and gas is crucial to that. Gas plays an important role in Australian manufacturing, with 850,000 jobs employed in Australian manufacturing, delivering products like plastics for PPE, nitrogen fertiliser for agriculture and ammonium nitrate for our miners and, of course, bricks for our builders.
Even before COVID-19, we'd seen sharp reductions in the spot price of gas in this country. In the last quarter, we've seen it down 54 per cent from the same time the previous year, but there is much to do to ensure that we have that affordable, reliable gas into the future on long-term contracts. Australian gas must work for all Australians. We are committed to making sure that our LNG, liquefied natural gas, exporters remain world leaders as they are today. The government will invest to unlock supply and to ensure we have investment in efficient infrastructure pipelines. We are delivering market reforms to ensure that there's internationally competitive pricing for our customers in Australia. We want to make sure that those prices remain competitive for years to come for our manufacturers and to firm up our electricity sector, with our record level of investment in renewables.
The member asked about alternatives. We learnt over the weekend that Labor's position on gas is not to have a position on gas. They aren't allowed to talk about important projects, like the Santos project at Narrabri. It's not often that I would agree with the President of the CFMMEU, Tony Maher, but I think he summed it up perfectly when he said that the member for Hindmarsh's recent comments about coal and gas not having a future are an insult to workers. Labor's failure to stand up on gas is just another example of the Leader of the Opposition being paralysed by indecision and division, and that includes his failure to have a 2030 target, as required by the Paris Agreement. We're getting on with delivering our plan for affordable, reliable energy as we bring down our emissions.
Western Sydney Airport
Ms CATHERINE KING (Ballarat) (15:10): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. According to the Auditor-General, this government paid $30 million for the Leppington Triangle—which was valued at $3 million—paid 22 times the per-hectare price paid by the New South Wales government, leased the land back on a value of less than $1 million and committed to building the sellers a $10 million underpass. Does the minister stand by his claim that taxpayers got a bargain?
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure,Transport and Regional Development and Leader of the Nationals) (15:10): ANAO reports—doesn't the member for Ballarat love those? This one was very damning about your handling of the regional rorts program—
The SPEAKER: The Deputy Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?
Mr Burke: On direct relevance: the question dealt with a whole lot of issues about a single block of land. He's not being in any way relevant.
The SPEAKER: I certainly listened to the question, over the interjections of those behind the member for Ballarat. The question went to one Auditor-General's report. The Deputy Prime Minister needs to make sure his answer is relevant to the question that has been asked. The Leader of the House is seeking the call?
Mr Porter: Mr Speaker, the member for Shortland used a term that needs to be withdrawn with respect to the Deputy Prime Minister.
The SPEAKER: Did the member for Shortland make an unparliamentary remark? The member for Shortland.
Mr Conroy: I withdraw.
The SPEAKER: I thank the member for Shortland. The Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr McCORMACK: I've probably been called worse. The government and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications are taking this matter very seriously.
Ms Catherine King interjecting—
Mr McCORMACK: You wanted to hear my answer, so why don't you quieten down and I'll give it to you. The department agrees with the recommendations and has released a public statement. It did that on 22 September. The department is extremely concerned by the findings of the report and is taking actions to address any shortcomings in the processes and decision-making arrangements identified in relation to the Leppington Triangle acquisition. The department has agreed with all of the recommendations—seriously?
The SPEAKER: The Deputy Prime Minister will not resume his seat. Member for Ballarat, are you seeking the call on relevance? There's no point of order. The Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr McCORMACK: The department has agreed, as I say, with all the recommendations made by the ANAO, and it's already taking comprehensive action to address the relevant matters relating to the purchase. The department's actions include undertaking an independent review of the transaction, by an independent auditor. This is what is happening to ensure that any further issues are identified and addressed—instigating an investigation of matters of the staff conduct identified by the ANAO, using an independent investigator.
The SPEAKER: Could the Deputy Prime Minister pause for just a moment. The member for Ballarat did approach to make a point of order and is now trying to interject the point of order about what she says she did and didn't ask. I'm just going to make the point again: before getting to a question, she made five statements about the project concerned, so the Deputy Prime Minister is completely in order in referring to those. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.
Mr McCORMACK: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The secretary of the department is also, in addition to other measures, putting in place protocols to ensure that any future property acquisitions or disposals are agreed by the department's operations committee prior to the exercise of delegations. It's putting in place a protocol, for the treatment of future ANAO recommendations, to internally review issues. This will require independence of the reviewers, such as from outside the affected work area; agreement to the review approach by the department's operations committee; and consideration of the outcomes by the secretary. As this work is ongoing, it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comment at this time.
Manufacturing
Ms LIU (Chisholm) (15:14): My question is to the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology. Will the minister please outline to the House how the Morrison government's plan for jobs is backing Australian manufacturers to rebuild our economy and secure Australia's economic future?
Mrs ANDREWS (McPherson—Minister for Industry, Science and Technology) (15:15): I thank the member for her question. I note that in her electorate there are over 400 manufacturing businesses and over 4,000 manufacturing workers. I thank her and congratulate her for her support of those manufacturing businesses.
Last week the Prime Minister announced the $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy. This strategy is designed to back Australian manufacturers. This will make sure that we are creating the income that Australia needs and that we are providing the jobs of the future that are so needed in Australia at the moment. We are making sure that we are going to create jobs not only now but in the future. This strategy deals with the short-term crisis by opening a second round of the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund. It also sets up for the longer term so that we can continue our manufacturing strengths in some key sectors.
It was made very clear in the announcement last week that we can't continue to be all things to all people, so as a government we have taken the decision to be very focused and very targeted in our support for industries. We are doing that on top of a very strong base. This is building on the economic conditions that we have worked so hard to improve over the last few years. We are building a very solid base for our manufacturing. It builds on the work that is being done in energy so that we have affordable energy. It builds on the work that is being done in skills and training. It builds on the work that is being done with industrial relations reform. It builds on the work that is being done with trade. It builds on the work that is being done in infrastructure.
All of that work is going to support every single business in Australia. On top of that we have the $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy. It deals specifically with six key priority areas: resources technology and critical minerals processing; food and beverage; medical products; recycling and clean energy; space; and defence. This $1.5 billion strategy is going to make sure that our businesses are competitive and resilient and, importantly, that they can build the scale that we need. We are focused on making sure that our small businesses build to medium enterprises and our medium enterprises build to large businesses, because that is how we are going to create the jobs of the future. We want our manufacturers here to be successful because they are going to provide a very clear pathway for us through the COVID crisis.
Mr Morrison: I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.
STATEMENT BY THE SPEAKER
Budget
The SPEAKER (15:19): As in previous years, I would like to briefly deal with housekeeping arrangements for this year's budget speeches. I ask that all members note—
Honourable members interjecting—
The SPEAKER: it's actually worth members listening to this—that the usual arrangements and, importantly, courtesies will apply to the Treasurer's budget speech and equally to the Leader of the Opposition's speech in reply on Thursday. As with all proceedings of the House, the member with the call is entitled to speak without interruption. In accordance with precedent, should I determine that a member be required to leave the House under standing order 94(a), the member will be advised by written note. I also say that members using the virtual platform right throughout this week, not just throughout the course of these speeches, must ensure their microphones are switched off for the duration of the speeches. Can I say that any breach of this request or any interjections will be considered to be highly disorderly, and I will deal with them at another time.
To those members who are remoting in, let me just say that you have a privilege to be able to do that. For members sitting here in the chamber, their microphones aren't activated unless they have the call. There were a few breaches in the last sitting fortnight. Anyone interjecting or not following the instructions, I will deal with, because that's highly disorderly behaviour. Obviously, I ask those members and senators—and we'll have a number of members and senators seated in the galleries tonight—to ensure they're seated in their assigned seats prior to 7.30.
Just to inform the House, as a courtesy, every budget speech and budget reply I often get two or three notes from members concerned that the Leader of the Opposition or the Treasurer is going over time. Can I just point out so that all members are clear: these two speeches are singled out in the standing orders as the only two speeches for which there's no time limit. The clock is on as an assistance for them; it is not on in the normal way. So I just point that out. Yes, that does mean they can go for as long as they want.
Honourable members interjecting—
The SPEAKER: He's not here; he's in the lock-up. I just say to members, obviously it's incumbent on members for us to ensure that both nights proceed equally smoothly for the benefit of the House and, critically, for those out there watching and listening to these important proceedings. I thank the House.
Mr Porter: Mr Speaker, I think everyone agrees they'll keep that news from the Treasurer!
DOCUMENTS
Presentation
Mr PORTER (Pearce—Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Leader of the House) (15:22): Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Full details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.
Commonwealth Ombudsman
Presentation
The SPEAKER (15:22): I present the report for 2018-19 on the Commonwealth Ombudsman's activities under part V of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979.
Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.
Australian National Audit Office
Presentation
The SPEAKER (15:22): I present the annual report of the Australian National Audit Office for 2019-20.
Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.
Independent Auditor
Presentation
The SPEAKER (15:22): In accordance with the Auditor-General Act 1997, I present the report of the Independent Auditor, dated 24 September 2020, on a performance audit of internal budgeting and forecasting processes and practices at the Australian National Audit Office.
Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.
AUDITOR-GENERAL'S REPORTS
Report No. 37 of 2019-20
Presentation
The SPEAKER (15:22): I present the corrigendum to the Auditor-General's Audit report No. 37 of 2019-20, entitled Procurement of garrison support and welfare services: Department of Home Affairs.
Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.
Report Nos 6 to 11 of 2020-21
Presentation
The SPEAKER (15:23): I present Auditor-General's Audit reports Nos 6 to 11 for 2020-21. Details of the reports will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.
Ordered that the reports be made parliamentary papers.
MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
The SPEAKER (15:23): I have received a letter from the Manager of Opposition Business proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely:
The gap between this government's announcements and its delivery, and the impact on Australians.
I call upon those members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places.
More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places—
Mr BURKE (Watson—Manager of Opposition Business) (15:23): Each year, when budget night comes around, there will be different things that people hope to have said in the budget speech. We've got this unusual situation now where, if you want something to actually happen, the last thing that you want is for the government to announce it, because the moment they announce it you know it's doomed; you know it doesn't stand a chance. So this year we have to choose between what we might want announced and what we actually want to occur. It all comes down to a mug. When the Prime Minister says, 'No-one could have predicted the pandemic,' that's true, but what those opposite forget is that they promised a surplus every single budget. We've now had six budgets and they haven't done it once. They say, 'The crisis we're dealing with now is bigger than the global financial crisis.' Yes—but we've had six years without a global financial crisis, and they've more than doubled the debt. And when they announced it last year, let's not pretend that it was then the pandemic that was the reason that the announcement didn't come true, because it was back in January that they refused to continue their commitment to a surplus. It was before the coronavirus had reached Australia, before the coronavirus lockdowns had started to hit the economy, that the surplus was already gone.
So this government is now in a situation where, having come to government claiming and announcing that they would deliver a surplus every single time, they never have delivered a surplus. They never will deliver a surplus. They have gone from doubling Australia's debt to now being on track towards $1 trillion of debt for Australia. And every single time they make the announcement we know what's coming, because, if you want to stop something in this country, the most effective way of stopping it is to get the Prime Minister of this country to announce it! He's there for the photo-op but never for the follow-up. If you go into the CBD of Sydney, there are all these old sandstone facades, and if you look behind the facade that's being propped up there's just rubble and a big hole. Every time I look at that rubble I think: 'The Prime Minister must have announced he was going to build something there,' because the facade is all that's there! He's like the kid playing knock and run, and the Australian people come to the front door and think, 'Oh! Nothing here.' It's like that scene in TheSound of Musicwhere the MC comes up and announces the next act, and the big announcement is: 'The von Trapp Family singers!' Nothing. Then it's: 'The family von Trapp!' Still nothing. And before you know it someone runs on and says they're gone, and the main act is halfway up the hill hiding behind a tombstone in a convent!
What this government does, every single time, is just to riddle the Australian public with announcements. They made such a mess during the bushfires, and realised that the communications strategy wasn't real great, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Instead, they'd have a communications strategy—and nothing else!
Remember, year after year, we normally get, in the lead-up to the budget, that this is going to be the infrastructure budget. Every year we get told about the infrastructure changes that will happen. And when the Prime Minister today was challenged on the fact that, for six consecutive budgets, what they've announced has never been matched by what they've done, and when the member for Ballarat pointed out the $1.7 billion shortfall in what they'd announced compared to what actually happened in the last financial year, what was the Prime Minister's response? To get up with a series of talking points and tell us what they'd announced! That isn't the point.
They've announced a whole lot of things. They announced, for example—and I love this quote—that incoming cruise ships would be put directly under the command of the Australian Border Force. And that announcement was incredibly powerful—unless you were a cruise ship, because, for cruise ships, nothing changed. And the public came straight off the Ruby Princess. And what was the Prime Minister's response? Not, 'Well, I announced it and it was meant to happen.' Blame the states—blame someone else. Always find someone else to blame.
The announcements have become more elaborate. In the arts portfolio that I've got, we had the announcement where they even got celebrities there. They went to the theatre with the empty chairs. And a hundred days later: not a dollar spent.
I don't want to be too critical of this, because, at one level, I do find the minister for communications—like, I want to encourage him. I just want to encourage him. There used to be a comedian called Elliot Goblet whose entire style of humour was to have zero personality—a complete monotone. And this bloke's really got it nailed! What he did with the arts announcement was: he spent months telling us there was not a problem. He then made the big announcement, delivered nothing, and then returned to saying: 'There's not a problem.' But nothing quite comes to the fore. I did feel—I think we all felt a little bit—for the Deputy Prime Minister today.
An opposition member interjecting—
Mr BURKE: I did, because he's not the minister who bought the land. It was the minister for communications. The minister for communications was the one who, at the time, held the infrastructure portfolio. They announced as a government that they would pursue value for money. How does value for money work? You take a property that's worth $3 million that you don't own. You go to the owner of the $3 million property and say: 'I'll buy it from you for $30 million, and then you can rent it back from me. But when you rent it back, it won't be worth $30 million. We'll base it on the fact that it's now worth less than $1 million.' So if you're buying it, it's worth 30 times the price; if you're renting it, it's a third of the price.
What was the response from the minister for communications when he was asked about this happening under his watch? He actually stood up at the National Press Club and begged people to believe that he knew nothing about what was going on. Only a very special minister like that bloke wants you to believe he was asleep at the wheel. And tonight, in the biggest spending budget ever, with Australia facing the biggest debt ever, one of the challenges we have is that we know they won't be smart in how they spend the money. It was the perfect question time for the minister for energy to give an answer. It's the first scandal in a while that he hasn't seemed to be part of. We'd better check the electoral map, because, if there's a scandal and the minister for energy is not yet involved, I reckon we haven't all done our homework yet. We'll make a note to self on that.
The Prime Minister, then, in the outrageous claims about houses on fire—I'm not going to take lectures from a Prime Minister who has overseen the state of aged care. Going into this pandemic, we were told right from the start that aged care was going to be one of the most at-risk areas. It was already an area that was seen to be doing poorly enough that we had to have a royal commission, yet we discovered that they didn't even have a plan. We have had the hundreds of deaths in aged care. And, let's not forget, it's not like the government can claim that the royal commissioners were poorly chosen. They chose them, they've looked at this, and they are the ones who are coming back with no plan for aged care.
The bushfire clean-up is probably the most horrific of all the examples. We have a circumstance where they announced a $2 billion bushfire recovery fund. Most of that money is still locked away. They then thought, 'We'd better do something,' so they announced a further $4 billion emergency response fund. Eighteen months later, not one dollar has been spent. In tonight's budget, let's face it, it is important to the nation what they do. But all we will get tonight is what they announce. And, for the last six budgets, we have seen a government that has gotten every number wrong and has failed to deliver what they have announced.
Mr MORTON (Tangney—Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet) (15:33): If you needed any demonstration that the Labor Party in this country is completely out of tune with the Australian people, you've just seen it. The opposition fail to understand that, globally, 35.3 million cases of coronavirus have had an impact around the world. Sadly, there have been over one million deaths. Here in Australia, there have been over 27,000 cases and, very sadly, 894 deaths. We are facing a dual health and economic crisis. We are facing the single biggest economic shock this country has ever seen.
Those opposite like to talk down Australia. They like to talk down the response that Australia has taken to the coronavirus, both on the health front and in relation to our economic response. But what has The Medical Journal of Australia said in relation to the Australian response?
Let me quote:
Australia has had a remarkably successful response to COVID-19, even considering the second wave experienced in Victoria. The Australian rate of COVID-deaths of 33 per million population, is 15 to 20 times lower that that observed in countries across Europe and the Americas.
These researchers have estimated that there could have been over 16,000 additional deaths if Australia had experienced a similar outbreak to England and Wales.
On the economic front, COVID-19 is an economic shock like no other. Globally, the equivalent of 600 million people have lost their jobs and, here in Australia, 10 per cent of our entire workforce have either lost their jobs or have seen their working hours reduced to zero. But in the year through to June 2020, GDP in Australia reduced by 6.3 per cent. This compares to 9.1 per cent for the G20 and 11.7 per cent for the OECD—or in the UK where GDP shrank 21.5 per cent and, across the ditch, in New Zealand where it shrank 12.4 per cent.
We have faced a health and economic crisis and, with the leadership of the Morrison government and the hard and courageous work of our health professionals, both on the front line and in our health bureaucracies, we can claim to be proud of the response of the Australian people to this crisis. I am proud of the response of the Australian people to this crisis and I am proud of the government's response, albeit one should always acknowledge the suffering that has occurred to many and the deaths that have impacted on far too many families.
This government has a comprehensive plan, one that is focused on jobs, one that is focused on supporting the private sector recover those jobs that have been lost. More than $300 billion of support, including JobKeeper and JobSeeker, has been put into our economy, and $750 cash payments to households, and our cash-flow boost, which business people in my electorate claim has kept their heads above water. This is about cushioning the blow and keeping businesses in business, and keeping Australians in their jobs.
With the next phase of our recovery, which will be announced by the Treasurer in the budget this evening, we have seen announcements already taking place: $7.5 billion in national transport infrastructure to boost the national economy, deliver safer roads and create 30,000 direct and indirect jobs; support for 100,000 apprentices and trainees to help support young people into a job; 1,200 additional university places to make sure Australians have the right skills to get a job; and an additional 10,000 places under the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme to help first home buyers break into the market. That's not to mention a $250 million injection into regional Australia, encouraging more Australians to travel and experience a home-grown holiday in their own country. We're also taking action to secure Australia's long-term fuel supply, to keep prices low for consumers and to create more than a thousand new jobs by building domestic fuel security.
On that note, I'd like to talk about the contribution of Minister Taylor, because the Morrison government has focused on delivering affordable, reliable and secure electricity for Australian households and businesses, and this is where we have succeeded. It is a credit—
Mr Conroy interjecting—
Mr MORTON: to Minister Taylor that our plan is working, member for Shortland. Central to our economic plan is making sure that we support jobs—like those in the member for Shortland's electorate; we seem to support them more than he does—productivity and economic growth, and our plan is working. We have seen CPI reductions in retail prices in every quarter since 2019—for the first time since records began. We have seen wholesale electricity prices fall 13 months in a row, and they're now the lowest level in five years.
Mr Conroy interjecting—
Mr MORTON: The member for Shortland wants to put electricity prices up and put the people in his electorate out of work. That's what he wants to do. That's his policy. The member for Shortland pursues policies that are completely out of sync with the people in his electorate. I know, because I know those people well. From 1 July last year we have put in place our price safety net, capping standing offer prices—
Mr Conroy interjecting—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Shortland is warned.
Mr MORTON: Residential customers who were on the higher standing offers before 1 July 2019, member for Shortland, could be better off by $666 a year in New South Wales—your home state—$590 in South Australia and $725 in South-East Queensland. We've seen what the closure of dispatchable energy power stations does, like the closure of Hazelwood. That's why the government has set a target for the electricity sector to deliver a thousand megawatts of new dispatchable energy to replace the Liddell power station before it closes down in 2023. Closing this plant without dispatchable replacement capacity risks prices rising by around 30 per cent over two years. This would be an unacceptable outcome for families, business and industry. Closing that plant will see prices rise for families, prices rise for business. That's why the government will step up and they will back a new gas power plant in the Hunter Valley if the private sector doesn't replace Liddell's capacity. This government is focused on what we can do to protect jobs, what we can do to protect businesses and families, while at the same time reducing emissions.
In my own space, I gave a speech—I'm sure members opposite tuned in on Friday to my speech to the BCA—to outline the government's deregulation agenda. It was a speech in person and it was also presented online over the World Wide Web. For this government deregulation is not about getting rid of all regulation. It's about making sure that we get rid of unnecessary regulation where it's disproportionate, where it's deficiently implemented regulation. It's about the ease of doing business. Deregulation measures have been central to the budget announcements that we've seen already and there will be more to come tonight. We need to make sure that this economy is operating at full bore in order to ensure that we can support the creation of jobs in the private sector. It's about saving time and money for businesses.
We are streamlining agricultural levies legislation and making sure that it's delivered on time. We are going to, and this is something that I'm very proud of, invest in the TGA to ensure that businesses engaging with the TGA can do so effectively and they can do so efficiently. We can get rid of the old ways of doing things .When medical businesses have to report an adverse reaction to the TGA they have to put their data in a PDF, send that data to the TGA to have it entered into their system in order to come back and give the medical business a receipt number. We can invest in technology, not so people in the economy can run wild but so we can take what is the objective of the regulation that we have. How do we make sure that we invest in technology to ensure that that objective is achieved in the most effective, efficient way, which saves time, which makes it more productive for businesses and which allows businesses to employ more people? I could talk for hours in relation to deregulation. I am excited about the government's deregulation agenda. It is an agenda that's going to make a difference to the economy and help grow jobs.
Mr BUTLER (Hindmarsh—Deputy Manager of Opposition Business) (15:43): It is a triumph of art over life that in a debate about the gap between announcements and delivery, my opposite number chose to talk about energy policy and the minister for energy. I think we're up to 21 energy policies in five or six short years and not one has managed to stick the landing yet—not one!
Seriously, this budget tonight is, as everyone admits, going to be one of the most crucial budgets in modern history—certainly, perhaps, one of the most crucial budgets since World War II. It's delivered at a time, we hope, when we're coming to the end of the second wave of this pandemic in Australia. As the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister said, we can be immensely proud of the efforts of millions of Australians, particularly those on the frontline but Australians more broadly who've given such efforts, made so many sacrifices to combat this pandemic. It's their efforts that mean that, as the assistant minister said, our nation is one of the best positioned in the world as this global pandemic wreaks such havoc.
We do remember that hundreds have died in the face of the pandemic here in Australia. We do remember that hundreds and hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs or are at risk of losing their jobs, and businesses are, in many cases, struggling to survive. But we look overseas and we thank ourselves that we are not so many other countries. But it is important to note that there has never been a time in the memory of any of us when a government has received more constructive support from an opposition than the support that this government has received from this opposition over the past several months. There has not been a time that anyone, hand on heart, could point to when an opposition has been so constructively supportive of the efforts of the national government.
But the truth is that this Prime Minister has too often been too slow to act. He's too slow to put supports in place for Australians in this pandemic, and now he has been too quick to rip those supports away. It is a matter of record that he resisted wage subsidies when we were arguing for them and they were being argued for by business and the Australian trade union movement. He called them 'very dangerous', and the result was there for all to see: the longest queues in front of Centrelink offices in the living memory of anyone. It's true that he got there, but he got there too slowly. As a result, many, many Australians lost their jobs who otherwise would be in jobs today.
When he did act, his targeting was terrible. Students living at home who might have had one or two casual shifts a week ended up with a bonanza of $750 a week from JobKeeper, while working households with young kids to support were cut out of the system altogether because they were casuals or because they worked at universities or with local government or for companies like dnata. Now, in the middle of the deepest recession in almost a century, he's cutting JobKeeper, he's cutting JobSeeker and he's giving the so-called legacy businesses, who have recovered, powers to cut their workers' wages by 40 per cent, cutting a minimum-wage worker to less than they would now be receiving under JobKeeper. All of this has a real impact.
He takes offence, as we saw again in question time, to this being called the Morrison recession, but it is an undeniable fact that this recession will be longer, it will be deeper and there will be more people in unemployment queues because of decisions taken by this Prime Minister. There is no clearer example than the premature withdrawal of JobKeeper and the JobSeeker supplement. But the recovery will also be slower as a result of this Prime Minister's addiction to announcements and his abysmal record on recovery. The member for Ballarat pointed out today that the final budget outcomes reveal that yet again last year the government underspent infrastructure announcements to the tune of $1.7 billion. That is six budgets in a row—six out of six. It is a perfect record of underspending their announced infrastructure commitments totalling almost $7 billion.
We have heard about the gas led recovery. It is long on promise and absolutely thin on any jobs that could be delivered in the time frame that we require in the deepest recession in almost a century. As the member for Watson said, there is the bushfire recovery. As the member for Gilmore, the member for Eden-Monaro and the member for Macquarie have pointed out, of the $200 million allocated last financial year to make those communities more prepared and more resilient for the next fire season, not a single dollar was spent. Australians have reacted magnificently to this pandemic, but we now need more from this Prime Minister than an avalanche of announcements with no real delivery.
Mr HOWARTH (Petrie—Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services) (15:48): The Morrison government is focused on delivering the economic lifeline that Australians need to get through COVID-19. We're building confidence and momentum in our economy for the future and we're creating jobs to keep Aussie families going and supporting business. This health pandemic has been a big blow worldwide, and people right around the country have struggled as governments, particularly state governments, have forced lockdowns. The Prime Minister should be congratulated for setting up the national cabinet, bringing in the heads of governments from the states and territories to make sure that, as best as possible, we're on a unity ticket and working together for the Australian people.
The Morrison government has committed an additional $1.5 billion to expand the wage incentive to keep apprentices in work. More than 180,000 apprentices and the 90,000 small and family businesses that employ them will now be supported. The initiative covers 50 per cent of the wages paid to apprentices and trainees—up to $7,000 per quarter. That's an awesome policy, and something that many businesses, not just in Petrie but right around the country, will take up. One of the businesses in Clontarf, Sunelec, which installs solar systems in businesses and homes, has taken that opportunity. They have an apprentice electrician right now getting that wage subsidy.
For small and medium businesses, the government has also extended the instant asset write-off for an additional six months. What we're seeing there is businesses right around the country working out how they can sell to other businesses that take advantage of that instant asset write-off and also how they can buy new equipment for their own business so they can hire more people. Any business with a turnover of up to $500 million will be able to take advantage of the instant asset tax write-off. This measure, this incentive, will support over 3½ million businesses throughout Australia, employing more than 9.7 million Australians.
This is also helping businesses like Grand Prix Mazda in Aspley in my electorate, who said to me just today, when I spoke to them, 'So many trucks sold—we actually sold out of utes because of the instant asset write-off, and now people are also switching to other vehicles.' The JobKeeper and JobSeeker supplement have already supported millions of Australians. We're continuing that ongoing support for Australians and employers who need it. As a government we're committed to helping Australians who are financially vulnerable for as long as necessary. We help them with items like Commonwealth rent assistance, the coronavirus supplement, emergency relief payments and support to help problem gamblers. All these measures have helped so many Australians in need.
The Prime Minister and the Treasurer recently announced the extension of JobKeeper by another six months, up to March 2021—six months from now—and the JobSeeker supplement has also continued at a higher rate than the old payment, right through to the end of December 2020. I've heard from many local businesses in Petrie and around the country that they are thankful for these measures that have helped keep their employees connected. Many businesses have told me it's been a lifeline, and they've asked me to pass on my thanks to the Prime Minister and the government in the parliament during this time.
I also think of HomeBuilder, which has helped local people. Today I was talking to Justin from Oxmar Properties in Griffin. He told me that in the Griffin area they've just opened up another land release, and nine out of 10 property sales are because of HomeBuilder. And when you put this on top of things like the First Home Super Saver Scheme and the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme that's also now been extended, that's going to help tradies and people who are wanting to get into their own place so much.
The gap between what we're seeing here from the Morrison government and what we would have seen under the opposition if they had won government last year is absolutely huge. When I look at what their plan was for higher taxes—I mean, they like to talk about social housing stimulus during the GFC, but what they don't tell you is that there was a 14.11 per cent increase in homelessness under the opposition up to the 2011 census. We'll keep representing Australians well and listening to people. (Time expired)
Mr HUSIC (Chifley) (15:53): There is not a problem in this country that cannot be solved with a big, bold announcement. That is all you get out of the government. Whenever there's a problem, there's a big announcement—always small delivery, but at least there was a big announcement, at least there was something in the media that they could run out with and say they'd done. Tonight we will have, with the Morrison recession, an announcement led recovery—a lot of newsprint—and we'll have economic stimulus that will be funnelled through ad managers, because ad campaigns will always be the big priority of this government. When you look at any of the things we've raised concerns about on this side, there's always an ad campaign by this government but very little delivery. Infrastructure is the absolute classic. This government has spent so much money on ad campaigns talking about infrastructure. The ad companies have done well. It's not road builders; it's ad managers. It's not rail builders; it's marketing managers. But there's never any actual delivery to make a difference where people are depending on it.
In the part of Western Sydney that the member for Greenway and I represent we see huge growth—200,000 people moving in to the north-west growth centre. What do we see out of both the federal and state governments? Nothing. We have a place that's bursting at the seams. We have roads that cannot cope with the congestion, no schools, and hospitals promised but not delivered. The T1 main rail line is at 286 per cent capacity—not 100 per cent capacity; three times capacity. There's no money being put into it.
When the Deputy Prime Minister was asked yesterday at a press conference what is going to be done to fix congestion in that part of Western Sydney he pointed to the Western Sydney Airport. So, if you're stuck in a traffic jam, you can get a plane out of it! That's basically the response of the Deputy Prime Minister. He pointed to the airport. That is kind of like telling me that putting traffic lights on the Harbour Bridge will fix Western Sydney congestion. It is an absolute joke. We've heard all the things this government has put forward—all the money and announcements—but what has happened? Constant underdelivery—$1.7 billion this year. Every single year of this government they have failed to deliver on infrastructure.
What does that mean to the residents of Marsden Park who were on the Channel 9 news last night? They said that their neighbour had moved into a new housing estate and then moved out because of frustration with infrastructure. What about the other residents from Marsden Park who have written to me saying that they had moved from Ryde in Sydney to escape congestion and now want to leave again. That's what they're saying.
They are depending on both the federal and state governments to deliver. The federal government is underspending and the state government can't get ferries to fit under bridges and can't get trains to fit on railway lines. We're supposed to depend on the combination of the Deputy Prime Minister, who thinks that paying 10 times more for land is a bargain, and the New South Wales transport minister, who thinks that naming a boat Ferry McFerryface will save urban congestion in New South Wales. This is what we're depending on. It's an absolute joke.
This is the same crew who said that they could deliver the NBN for less than $30 billion and spent nearly double that. They said we didn't need fibre at all and could rely on copper. Now they have embarrassingly had to crawl back and admit that we on this side of the House were right in pushing for fibre and making sure that that was delivered. When people have relied on governments, particularly from that side, to deliver they constantly haven't.
The worst thing I heard today in question time was the Prime Minister refer to burning roofs. Prime Minister, there were roofs burning in Cobargo. Where were you? You were in Hawaii. You claimed that you didn't hold a hose. You were failing to claim responsibility then. You always announce drought funding and never deliver. You announce bushfire funds but you never deliver. You said that by stopping cruise boats we'd be safe, and the Ruby Princess came in and all these people suffered as a result. You're an absolute disgrace. What you're doing is corruption, and we shouldn't have to put up with it. (Time expired)
Dr ALLEN (Higgins) (15:58): With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic Australia, along with the rest of the world, has found itself in completely uncharted territory. This is not just a health crisis. It's also causing unprecedented economic and social upheaval. The responses by governments around the world have varied quite considerably. I really want to put on record here that we as an Australian government, Australian parliament and Australian people can feel incredibly proud of the response that we have taken. Yes, it is true that every Australian has had to do things and that the health sector has been so hardworking in delivering for COVID, but you cannot do these things without a strategic plan, and that strategic plan has been delivered from the very top. It's been delivered from the Prime Minister down through the Minister for Health and through the AHPPC and national cabinet. As Australians, I think we should feel incredibly proud of our democratic processes that have supported the delivery of an outcome that Australians can hold their head high about, and this includes a number of things regarding the delivery of a strategy.
We know that, in January, Australia was facing an incredibly unknown and fast-moving situation. Australia is in the heart of the Asia-Pacific, and we knew that the Chinese outbreak was going to result in something that we needed to deal with very, very quickly—and we were on the front foot. Firstly, we had a test that was ready to go in mid-January, led by Professor Sharon Lewin, the director of the Peter Doherty Institute and a constituent of Higgins. The national cabinet and the AHPPC, led by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health, were quick to roll out this test. In fact, the Minister for Health should be congratulated on the fine work he did in procurement, to make sure that the millions of tests that have been available for Australians have been delivered by the Morrison government to the states and territories so that they can provide the services required for testing. So we delivered testing.
The second thing that our government has done has been to make sure that masks and PPE equipment were available at the height of the crisis and then throughout the crisis. I have to say that the procurement that was required at the international level will come out in stories to come. I know some of the behind-the-scenes stories about how procurement was a very difficult thing to do when the world was pivoting to the acquirement of masks and gowns at speed. Millions of PPE equipment has been distributed to the states and territories to keep our healthcare workers safe and to keep Australians safe.
We've also delivered on intensive care ventilator beds. When this crisis was coming at us at speed we had 2,200 ventilator beds, and we ensured that there were 7,500 ready if there was a problem that was going to result in an outbreak like we've seen in other parts of the world—outbreaks that we've seen in other parts of the world that haven't been seen here in Australia.
Opposition members interjecting—
Dr ALLEN: Members opposite really need to stop talking down our health response. Quite frankly, it's appalling that you can't recognise that Australia has done exceptionally well. We have had mortality rates across the community that are the envy of the world. It is something that we should feel proud of as Australians.
As a federal government, we have also delivered fever clinics, testing clinics, ADF support and AUSMAT support, and we have delivered in seven of the eight states and territories an incredibly low community transmission rate. Despite that, we've had a breakdown in quarantine in Victoria—which is unfortunate—followed by poor contact tracing.
Mr Husic interjecting—
Dr ALLEN: There's no point worrying about whether you blame them or not; it is just a matter of fact. Every Victorian knows that we've had a failure in Victoria. Every Victorian knows that we have had to take it on the chin that we've had lockdowns. In fact, it is quite disrespectful of you to say those thing, because, in Victoria, we're doing it really tough.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Llew O'Brien ): The member for Higgins will direct her comments through the chair, please.
Dr ALLEN: I will direct my comments through the chair, but the member opposite is making comments that really are inappropriate. We know in Victoria how difficult it has been to deal with hard lockdowns. The mental health impact in our community is very hard to understand unless you live in Victoria. Many of my constituents have contacted me because they have been concerned about their mental health, they have been concerned about their health, and they have been concerned about the mental health and health of their loved ones. I've had GPs and specialists contact me because they're concerned that people are not being supported because of the Victorian lockdowns. (Time expired)
Dr ALY (Cowan) (16:03): There's a really great children's early reader book by New Zealand author Joy Cowley. It is called The Gonna Bird. I remember reading this to my kids when they were young. It is a story about a bird that puts off everything until tomorrow. This bird, the gonna bird, who goes around saying 'I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna,' actually refuses to do anything until he finds himself all by himself and with no friends. When I read my kids this book, I said to them, 'The lesson of the gonna bird is this: if you say you're gonna do something, you should do it.'
Well, Deputy Speaker, I introduce the 'gonna' government!
Every single time, this Prime Minister stands up in front of a camera, straightens his tie and announces, with great fanfare, that they have a plan to develop a plan, that they have a work group to develop a plan—a road map, a spreadsheet! But if you really listen to these big announcements there's no substance. There's nothing to them. They are just announcements. In all seriousness, that is not without consequence. That has consequences for Australians, who expect more. Australians expect that when their government announces something that is going to benefit them, something that will get them through a crisis—a job, an income or an opportunity—their government will follow through on that announcement. From the local level right through to the national level, this government has a litany of announcements that have not been followed up.
At a very local level, I'll start with grandparents rearing grandchildren in my electorate. At the last election, they were promised that, if the coalition won, they would get $30,000 for advocacy. It's not a lot of money, not much at all, but to them it would mean everything. To them it would mean the world, because they have been going on all these years just through volunteers and with no money at all. But they never got that money. When the time came to deliver on the announcement, this government turned around and walked away, just like the Prime Minister does every time he stands up and makes an announcement in front of those cameras.
Also at the last election, we were promised by Minister Cash—again to much fanfare—that we would get a training hub in Wanneroo, in the heart of my electorate of Cowan. It was a very popular promise and a much needed promise, I must say, particularly for the young people who live in Wanneroo, who have poorer outcomes at school and who generally need to have options other than university. A training hub was going to deliver for them the kinds of opportunity that they needed to get ahead—to get a job, to get qualified and skilled. Guess what? I don't think I have to tell you the end of this story. This gonna government never delivered it. This gonna government never came good on its promise of building a training hub in Wanneroo. I have been forced to write to Minister Cash and ask, 'Where is the training hub we were promised?' Many parents had laid their hopes on that training centre being there when their children graduate from school.
We could go right through to the national level as well. JobKeeper: this government said it would support six million Australians. It's only really supported half of those. With the JobKeeper money that wasn't spent, you'd think they would do the right thing and plug all the holes, to provide for casuals, temporary visa holders and university staff who lost their jobs and were ineligible for JobKeeper, all of those people who have fallen through the net. But, no, they didn't do that.
Then there are the bushfires, which I know members after me will speak about. This gonna government has already wracked up a series of failed promises and empty announcements, and tonight we're going to get more gonna.
Mr SHARMA (Wentworth) (16:09): The first and foremost duty of any Australian government is to help keep its citizens safe and protect their lives and their welfare. This year, in particular, we've faced one of the biggest threats the world has ever faced: the emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic in Australia and across the world. It has threatened the lives and the livelihoods of people across the world. At the last count, there have been some 35 million cases with over one million lives lost across the world. No-one has been immune. We've seen the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Boris Johnson, succumb to the virus. We've seen Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil succumb to the virus. Indeed, on Friday, we saw President Trump and his wife taken down with the virus. Of course, we wish President Trump and the First Lady a speedy and safe recovery from that illness.
Australia has not escaped unscathed. In Australia, there have been 894 deaths from the virus—every one of them a tragedy in miniature. There have been 27,000 cases. Viewed in a global perspective, you'd have to say that Australia is not doing too badly. Our death rate has been 33 per million. In France, it's been 14 times that; in the United States it's been 17 times that; in the United Kingdom, it's been 18 times that; and in Spain, it's been 19 times that. I think the key here has been national leadership and the national government. Our early border restrictions helped stop the entry of the virus. Our testing regime—and we've done over 7.7 million tests so far—is one of the best in the world. Our social-distancing measures and the other restrictive measures we put in place early—causing considerable hardship to people and lives and businesses—have had an impact. We should pay tribute here to all of those health workers, frontline workers, public health professionals, and essential staff and services who have been so integral to Australia coming through this response. Research published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday states that more than 16,000 people would have died in Australia if our outbreak had been as widespread as that of the United Kingdom. That would have been a tragedy of truly gargantuan proportions. The Medical Journal of Australia report states:
This enormous difference underlies the importance of Australia's response using a combination of extensive testing and contact tracing, mandatory quarantine of people returning from overseas, and shutdowns to control community transmission.
The report begins:
Australia has had a remarkably successful response to COVID-19, even considering the second wave experienced in Victoria.
The economic shock from COVID-19 has been equally profound. This has been undoubtedly the biggest economic shock to the globe since World War II. The IMF and the World Bank predict that the global economy will contract by 4.5 per cent this year. As a point of comparison, during the global financial crisis, the global economy contracted by 0.1 per cent, so we're talking here about something that is 45 times bigger in terms of its impact on the global economy. In Australia, of course, we are not immune from this. We've seen an economic contraction of seven per cent in our second-quarter GDP figures. This has, of course, had a very real impact on people's jobs and on businesses and industries right across Australia. In my own electorate of Wentworth, I've seen travel agents, tourism operators, people who work in hospitality, and people who work in arts and events and the entertainment sector all take a significant hit to their livelihoods and their mental health as well, but the government's response has been rapid and effective, I would submit. We've spent upwards of $314 billion in the response package through measures like JobKeeper, JobSeeker, the coronavirus supplements, early access to super, and expanded instant asset write-offs for small businesses. We've saved, by some estimations, 700,000 jobs which would have otherwise been lost. That would have amounted to an additional five percentage points in unemployment. We've had 760,000 jobs restored which had either been lost or had been reduced to zero hours as a result of these measures. There is certainly a long way to go to restore the economy, but we are well on our way, and we've got the fiscal space to do this because we helped restore the budget to balance.
In addition to cushioning the blow and supporting recovery, tonight's budget will focus on building the economic future. I'd like to highlight two announcements in particular in recent weeks that I think set up Australia well for the future. The first is a $1.9 billion investment package in future technologies to lower emissions and support new technology like hydrogen and batteries, help transform our energy landscape and create new clean-tech jobs. Australia is an energy power today, but we can become a global renewable energy superpower producing green steel and aluminium, harnessing renewable energy, building new battery technology and exporting hydrogen. Our low emissions technology statement sets us up to do exactly that.
Australia is facing challenges this year unlike any we have encountered in the modern era, but we are well placed to come through them.
Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (16:14): In my electorate on the New South Wales South Coast, we are all too familiar with the government's flashy announcements which turn out to be duds. The government loves a flashy announcement—a great headline. This year, my electorate of Gilmore has seen many of them following a year of drought, bushfires, floods and COVID-19. I have spent the best part of this year trying to chase down those announcements and see where they have actually translated to action on the ground, and I am still doing it. It's like one giant maze. It didn't start with the bushfires. Our farmers have been dealing with this for years. As they struggled to deal with the impacts of the drought, losing stock, losing income and struggling to get by for years, the government stood up time and time again to announce drought support packages. They were packages that sounded great—rejigging the Drought Communities Program extension or the new Drought Community Support Initiative and more. They were flashy announcements to help farmers, unless of course they lived on the New South Wales South Coast. Our region was left out over and over again, because our farmers, according to the coalition, were not in drought. It was a slap in the face for local farmers and totally incomprehensible.
Until recently, local farmers were ineligible for drought loans. They were ineligible for any form of federal government drought support. We watched, over and over again, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister get up to talk about how they were looking out for farmers and how they cared about farmers. They were flashy announcements with no substance for farmers in my electorate. Even worse, on numerous occasions the coalition voted against support for local dairy farmers. They voted down bills that would have investigated a fairer farm gate milk price for our farmers, something that is desperately needed—very disappointing. Then there were stimulus announcements. In an area with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, you would think we would be high on the list. Take, for example, the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund—a golden opportunity to support local businesses wasted with only one grant to my electorate—just one.
There can be no better example of this government's flashy announcements with no follow through than the response to the bushfires. Slow and inadequate is the only way to describe it. Let's start with the government's $2 billion fund. That was a flashy announcement. I know in my electorate this felt like sweet relief. I have been calling for more urgent support since the bushfires began, and it seemed like the government had finally listened with a free clean-up of impacted properties, support for tourism operators, support for small businesses and support for local governments. But here we are more than nine months after the bushfires and we are still yet to see many of these funds.
I welcomed the announcement of $440,000 in successful grants for local events. That announcement, made less than three weeks ago, was funded from the $2 billion fund, which was announced in January—that is, nine months later. There were special disaster loans that were slow or non-existent for farmers. There was a bushfire clean-up, but that has fallen far short of the mark. Councils are still looking for funding support for local projects under local economic recovery plans. The list goes on.
The coalition love to use statistics. They use numbers to make it sound like they have done more than they have. Perhaps if they spent more time on the ground they would see the reality. Only last week we had more flashy announcements that fell short for the South Coast community. Last week the Deputy Prime Minister announced $100 million for Regional Recovery Partnerships, targeted at regions suffering from drought, bushfires and the pandemic. That is the South Coast to a T, but, for some inexplicable reason, our community has not been included in this announcement. Apparently we have not suffered enough—absolutely shocking. It would be simply unbelievable if it didn't speak to a wider pattern. Announced only yesterday was $7.5 billion for transport infrastructure, but there's no money for the Princes Highway. There's no money for the South Coast. Where is the logic there?
Today, with the budget set to be handed down, I implore the Treasurer and the Prime Minister: my electorate of Gilmore does not need any more flashy announcements or false promises. We need help to recover from this year of terrible economic hits. We need targeted support and local projects that create local jobs, and we need them now.
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (16:19): Since coming to this place in May last year, my electorate of Cowper has been hit by three severe natural disasters and then COVID-19. It has been a really tough time for my region and, indeed, for many regions around Australia. Many areas have suffered the triple crisis of drought, bushfires and then coronavirus. So I think if there were ever a time when a government could hide behind a veil of excuses of why there might be a gap between announcements and delivery, it would be now. But this government does not have to hide.
I am very proud to be part of the coalition government, the Morrison-McCormack government, because not only have we kept delivering our usual services and infrastructure, infrastructure that Australians rely on; we've also been able to support them in their time of need. I'm confident that tonight's budget will see more support for Australians, will help those who don't have a job get a job and will help those who do have a job retain that job.
We have had the single biggest economic shock this country has ever seen. Despite this, in my electorate, over the last 18 months our government has successfully completed over one hundred projects from our Infrastructure Investment Program. Just yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister shared that this budget will provide an additional $491 million for the biggest infrastructure project in my area, the Coffs Harbour bypass. This hugely important 14-kilometre bypass will cure the current bottleneck on the Pacific Motorway, where the excellent dual carriage at the moment grinds to a halt at Coffs Harbour, requiring motorists to go through 12 sets of lights.
Members opposite—who have vacated the chamber—questioned the gap between our government's announcement and its delivery. On this Coffs Harbour project alone, in the past 18 months we have delivered an environmental impact statement for the bypass, a further EIS public consultation on the refined designs, the release of EIS submission and amendment reports, and early on-ground works by Transport for New South Wales for geotechnical investigations and maximising benefits to local contractors. In fact, on 9 September, I met with roads minister Paul Toole; and state member for Coffs Harbour, Gurmesh Singh, and announced a market interaction process, inviting industry to put in expressions of interest for delivering the bypass.
Another major infrastructure project is the Port Macquarie tidal pool. This is not just a pool. This would bring in further investment through sport, through health, through aged care and through rehabilitation. I gave this my full support during my election campaign and secured a commitment to $4.5 million for this project. Since then, we've completed a feasibility study and we've started work on a development application to the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. This is real action on completing the tidal pool. Further examples of us delivering are the Deep Creek Bridge replacement in Bellingen, the Lanes Bridge replacement in Nambucca, the Bardens Bridge replacement in Coffs Harbour, the Turners Flat Bridge in Kempsey—over $4 million worth of bridges. And yet the backdrop to this is a one-in-100-year global health crisis.
During this crisis, this government has delivered a safety net to Australians, to keep as many Australians in work as possible. There are 5,300 grateful businesses in the electorate of Cowper. In the words of one JobKeeper recipient in my electorate, John Cassegrain of Cassegrain Wines, 'JobKeeper allowed me to retain my staff and keep making wine, so my winery can recover when the market returns.'
Before that, there were the bushfires. There was $29 million in the first round of $1,000 for adults and $400 for children, and then compassion moved to double those amounts. There was over $34 million in New South Wales alone, with over $10 million in grants of up to $75,000 to about 175 producers in my electorate alone, as well as $10,000 grants to numerous small business owners.
We will continue to fight the virus, we will continue to deliver the economic lifeline to Australians, and I look forward to hearing more about the Treasurer's road map tonight.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Llew O'Brien ): The discussion has concluded.
BILLS
Payment Times Reporting Bill 2020
Second Reading
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That this bill be now read a second time.
to which the following amendments were moved:
(1) Clause 3, page 2 (line 23), after "practices", insert ", including paying small business suppliers in less than 30 days".
(2) Clause 5, page 5 (after line 23), after the definition of notifiable event, insert:
payment time,for an invoice, means the number of days in the period beginning on the day a small business supplier issued the invoice to the reporting entity and ending on the day that the invoice was paid in full.
(3) Clause 5, page 6 (after line 3), after the definition of protected information, insert:
recalcitrant reporting entity means a reporting entity declared under subsection 37B(5) to be a recalcitrant reporting entity.
(4) Clause 14, page 13 (after line 30), after subclause 14(1), insert:
(1A) The report must also:
(a) state the median payment time for all small business invoices paid by the entity during the reporting period; and
(b) state the average payment time for all small business invoices paid by the entity during the reporting period.
(5) Page 25 (after line 15), at the end of Division 2 of Part 4, add:
30A Role of the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman
(1) To avoid doubt, nothing in section 30 limits the operation of the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Act 2015.
(2) The Ombudsman may inform the Regulator of an alleged contravention of this Act by a reporting entity either:
(a) at the request of a small business supplier; or
(b) if the Ombudsman has otherwise become aware of an alleged contravention.
(3) Within 30 days of being informed of an alleged contravention under subsection (2), the Regulator must respond to the Ombudsman to advise:
(a) if the Regulator decides to take action in relation to the alleged contravention—of the Regulator's findings in relation to the alleged contravention and the action that the Regulator intends to take; or
(b) if the Regulator decides not to take action in relation to the alleged contravention—of the Regulator's findings in relation to the alleged contravention and the reasons that the Regulator has decided not to take action; or
(c) that the Regulator has required the reporting entity to appoint an auditor to carry out an audit in relation to the entity's compliance with this Act under subsection 30(2) but:
(i) the entity has not yet given the Regulator a written report setting out the results of the audit; or
(ii) the Regulator has otherwise not yet made a decision on what action the Regulator intends to take in relation to the alleged contravention; or
(d) that the Regulator is using or has used:
(i) the Regulator's monitoring powers under Part 2 of the Regulatory Powers Act; or
(ii) the Regulator's investigatory powers under Part 3 of the Regulatory Powers Act;
in relation to the alleged contravention but has not yet made a decision on what action the Regulator intends to take; or
(e) that the Regulator has otherwise not yet made a decision on what action the Regulator intends to take and the reason that the Regulator has not yet made a decision.
(4) If the Regulator responds to the Ombudsman under paragraph 30A(3) (c) or (d) the Regulator must also inform the Ombudsman, as soon as practicable after the Regulator decides to take, or not to take, action in relation to the alleged contravention, of the Regulator's findings in relation to the alleged contravention and:
(a) if the Regulator decides to take action—the action that the Regulator intends to take; or
(b) if the Regulator decides not to take action—the reasons that the Regulator has decided not to take action.
(5) If the Regulator advises the Ombudsman under paragraph 30A(3) (e) that the Regulator has not yet made a decision on what action the Regulator intends to take, the Regulator must inform the Ombudsman, at intervals of no longer than 30 days until the Regulator has responded to the Ombudsman under any of paragraphs 30A(3) (a) to (d), of the reason that the Regulator has still not made a decision.
(6) In this section, Ombudsman means the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman established under the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Act 2015.
(6) Page 33 (after line 23), after Part 4, insert:
Part 4A—Payment times failsafe mechanism
Division 1—Introduction
37A Simplified outline of this Part
This Part creates a payment times failsafe mechanism that is intended to provide an incentive for reporting entities to collectively improve their payment practices or run the risk of more stringent regulation.
The Regulator is required to report to the Minister after each reporting period after the first 3 reporting periods on the median and average times taken by all reporting entities to pay small business invoices.
The payment times failsafe mechanism is triggered if, after the first 6 reporting periods, the median of the median times reported by all reporting entities to pay small business invoices for a reporting period is more than 30 days. The Regulator must report this fact to the Minister.
Once the payment times failsafe mechanism has been triggered the Regulator must declare any reporting entity that has a median payment time for small business invoices of more than 30 days during a reporting period to be a recalcitrant reporting entity.
A recalcitrant reporting entity is required to pay all small business invoices within 30 days and is liable to a civil penalty if it fails to do so. The rules may provide for exemptions from this requirement.
Division 2—Late payment penalty
37B Payment times failsafe mechanism
Report on median and average payment times
(1) As soon as practicable after the end of 3 reporting periods after the commencement of this Act and, subsequently, after the end of each reporting period, the Regulator must give the Minister a report that states:
(a) the reporting period or reporting periods to which it relates; and
(b) the number of reporting entities that submitted a payment times report or payment times reports to the Regulator relating to the reporting period or reporting periods; and
(c) the median of the median payment times reported by all reporting entities that submitted a payment times report or payments times reports to the Regulator relating to the reporting period or reporting periods; and
(d) the average payment time for all reporting entities that submitted a payment times report or payment times reports to the Regulator relating to the reporting period or reporting periods.
(2) The Minister must cause a copy of a report to be tabled in each House of the Parliament within 5 sitting days of receiving it.
When the payment times failsafe mechanism is triggered
(3) The payment times failsafe mechanism is triggered if, after the end of 6 reporting periods after the commencement of this Act, the median of the median payment times under paragraph (1) (c) for a reporting period is more than 30 days.
(4) The report given to the Minister by the Regulator under subsection (1) in relation to the reporting period in which the payment failsafe mechanism was triggered, and each subsequent report given to the Minister in relation to subsequent reporting periods, must contain a statement that the payment times failsafe mechanism has been triggered.
Declaration that a reporting entity is a recalcitrant reporting entity
(5) If the payment times failsafe mechanism has been triggered, the Regulator must declare that a reporting entity is a recalcitrant reporting entity if:
(a) the entity is not a volunteering entity; and
(b) the entity's median payment time was more than 30 days during:
(i) the reporting period in which the payment times failsafe mechanism was triggered; or
(ii) any subsequent reporting period.
(6) The Regulator must write to a recalcitrant reporting entity as soon as practicable after the Regulator has made a declaration under subsection (5) in relation to the entity to inform the entity of the declaration and of the entity's obligations under subsection (8).
(7) A declaration by the Regulator under subsection (5):
(a) is not a legislative instrument; and
(b) has effect for a period of 2 years beginning on the day the declaration is made.
Recalcitrant reporting entities to pay small business invoices within 30 days
(8) A recalcitrant reporting entity must pay a small business invoice in full before the end of the period of 30 days beginning on the day the invoice is issued.
(9) Subject to subsection (10), the rules may provide that the requirement in subsection (8) does not apply in relation to a specified entity or specified entities either generally or in specified circumstances.
Note: An entity that wishes to rely on an exemption in the rules in relation to a contravention of a civil penalty provision bears an evidential burden (see section 96 of the Regulatory Powers Act).
(10) Rules may only be made for the purposes of subsection (9) after the payment times failsafe mechanism has been triggered.
Civil penalty
(11) A reporting entity is liable to a civil penalty if:
(a) the entity is a recalcitrant reporting entity; and
(b) the entity fails to comply with the requirement in subsection (8); and
(c) the entity has not been exempted from the requirement in subsection (8).
Civil penalty: 350 penalty units.
(12) For the purposes of subsection (11), the reference in paragraph 82(5) (a) of the Regulatory Powers Act to 5 times the pecuniary penalty specified for the civil penalty provision has effect as if it were a reference to 0.6% of the total income for the person for the income year in which the contravention occurred.
Note: This subsection modifies the maximum pecuniary penalty that a body corporate can be ordered to pay for a contravention of subsection (11).
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Llew O'Brien ) (16:24): In accordance with standing order 133(b), I shall now proceed to put the question on the motion moved earlier today by the honourable member for Burt, on which a division was called for and deferred in accordance with standing orders. No further debate is allowed.
The SPEAKER: The question is that the motion moved by the honourable member for Burt be disagreed to.
The House divided. [16:28]
(The Speaker—Hon. Tony Smith)
COMMITTEES
Public Accounts and Audit Committee
Mr HILL (Bruce) (16:35): by leave—I wish to make a statement on behalf of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit concerning the draft budget estimates for the Australian National Audit Office and the Parliamentary Budget Office for 2020-21. I'd say at the outset that I apologise on the backup act. I'm the understudy, because there's been an unfortunate and unexpected absence, and the chair is not able to make it to the chamber today. I promised the member for Robertson faithfully that I would read her statement word for word, resisting all temptations to augment, editorialise or add to. The statement is, though, an important accountability and transparency mechanism, which has to be delivered on budget day. And so, to the script.
On behalf of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, I present this statement on the draft budget estimates of the Australian National Audit Office, the ANAO, and the Parliamentary Budget Office, the PBO. The committee is required under the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951 and the Parliamentary Service Act 1999 to consider the draft budget estimates of the ANAO and the PBO and to make recommendations, including to both houses of parliament, regarding these estimates. The respective acts of the Auditor-General and the Parliamentary Budget Officer as well as the committee's own legislation require each of those officers to provide all the information necessary for the committee to consider their budget estimates.
With regard to the Parliamentary Budget Office, the committee has been informed that the PBO has sought supplementation in the 2020-21 budget. The committee understands that, since the COVID pandemic, the PBO has focused its research on publications relevant to the current fiscal situation, reflecting a heightened level of interest in publications that inform the parliament and the public about fiscal matters. Accordingly, the PBO has sought temporary supplementation of $3.1 million over four years from the 2020-21 budget to maintain and expand its research publication program in light of COVID-19.
The Acting Parliamentary Budget Officer has advised the committee that this supplementary funding would enable the PBO to maintain and expand its research program over the peak period associated with the next election and deliver additional research publications in other non-election years. In the PBO's budget submission, the agency requested temporary supplementation for an additional team of five research staff, available from the second half of 2020-21 to the end of 2023-24. The total budget impact of this would be $3.1 million over four years, including $0.4 million in 2020-21 and $0.9 million per annum between 2021-22 and 2023-24.
The committee acknowledges the benefit to the parliament and the public discourse of the PBO's research program. The committee notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on many departments and agencies across government as well as the broader budgetary position and therefore provides a qualified recommendation in support of the PBO's request for temporary supplementation.
With regard to the Australian National Audit Office, the ANAO has informed the committee it is seeking supplementation in the 2020-21 budget over the forward estimates. The ANAO states that, to restore its ability to deliver an appropriate number of performance audits, conduct mandatory financial statement audits and meet increased costs associated with changes in work patterns due to COVID-19, supplementary budget funding of $6.3 million in 2020-21 is needed. The ANAO has proposed that this would rise over the forward estimates to $9.1 million by 2023-24. The ANAO has advised that this additional funding would meet IT and data storage costs, improve cybersecurity measures and meet cost increases in financial statement audits. Further, the funding would assist in increasing the ANAO's internet bandwidth to support remote working arrangements due to COVID-19, undertake controls testing for new COVID-19 measures in financial statement audits and address quality control risks.
The JCPAA is aware that cost pressures have existed for some time, as evidenced by recent ANAO budget outcomes. According to the ANAO's annual reports, the agency's operating result in the most recent two financial years was a deficit of $3.117 million in 2019-20 and a deficit of $4.778 million in 2018-19, excluding depreciation and amortisation. The committee also notes that previous budget statements in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 advised that the ANAO was not seeking supplementation. Between 2019-20 and 2023-24, the ANAO's budget submission indicated significant rises in depreciation from that in previous years. The ANAO has outlined that these increases predominantly arise from the fit-out of a new building and upgrades to the agency's IT asset base.
The ANAO has advised the committee the performance audits in 2021 are projected to fall to 42, with further reductions over the forward estimates if supplementary funding is not provided. With the proposed supplementary funding, the ANAO advised the committee that it would return to meeting its annual target of 48 audits per annum by 2023-24. The committee recognises that the ANAO has had a target of achieving 48 performance audits for several years and requires adequate funding to meet this objective.
Members are also cognisant of the difficult budgetary environment and the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus on departments and entities that the ANAO audits, as well as the broader budgetary position. Acknowledging the difficult fiscal situation, the committee provides a qualified recommendation in support of the Auditor-General's request for supplementation. The committee recognises that the government will determine its view on the Auditor-General's resourcing via the budget, and recommends that sufficient funding be provided to enable the ANAO to meet its KPIs over the forward estimates.
The Auditor-General is also seeking an exemption from the efficiency dividend—to not apply to ANAO appropriations from 2020-21 onwards. The committee's majority recommendation is that the ANAO not be exempt from this efficiency dividend. The committee acknowledges the argument put by the Auditor-General that, as an officer of the parliament, he should not be subject to the efficiency dividend, which provides funds to executive government for reallocation to other priorities. However, the majority of the committee is of the view that this measure continues to serve an important role in ensuring efficiencies are generated across a broad range of agencies. Ultimately, this is a matter for the government to determine further.
The committee thanks the Auditor-General and the Acting Parliamentary Budget Officer for their work in support of the parliament and the committee. I ask leave of the House to present a copy of my statement.
Leave granted.
Mr HILL: I present a copy of my statement. I acquitted myself faithfully to the member for Robertson and resisted the temptation to editorialise.
Public Works Committee
Report
Mr ZAPPIA (Makin) (16:44): On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present Report 5/2020:referral made in May 2020, and a corrigendum to Report 3/2020:referrals made November 2019 and February 2020.
Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).
Mr ZAPPIA: by leave—Report 5 considers one proposal referred to the committee in May 2020. The proposal is the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment's fit-out of new leased premises in Canberra. The department sought approval from the committee to proceed with relocating their head office operations to a new building fitted out to the department's new workplace objectives. In addition, the project aims to provide the department with a greater degree of flexibility to accommodate staff number fluctuations and reorganisation. The estimated cost of this project is $78 million, excluding GST.
The committee was particularly interested in this project as it was the first office fit-out the committee was asked to consider during the COVID-19 pandemic. With many staff across government departments working from home, and with much reduced numbers in the office, the committee noted that the department had considered the changing needs of staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and was working towards a flexible design that could accommodate future changes to workplace practices. The committee therefore recommends that the House find it expedient that the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment's Canberra head office fit-out proceed.
I also take this opportunity, on behalf of the Public Works Committee, to thank the former member for Groom and chair of the Public Works Committee, Dr John McVeigh, who resigned from parliament last month. Dr McVeigh's efforts as chair have greatly assisted in ensuring that public money is being spent on public works in an efficient and effective manner. The public interest always came first for Dr McVeigh, and as his deputy chair I personally found him very good to work with. On behalf of the committee, I wish him and all his family all the best into the future. I commend the report to the House.
COMMITTEES
Migration Joint Committee
Report
Mr LEESER (Berowra) (16:46): On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration, I present the corrigendum to the committee's report of the 45th Parliament entitled Report of the inquiry into efficacy of current regulation of Australian migration and education agents.
Migration Joint Committee
Report
Mr LEESER (Berowra) (16:46): On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration, I present the committee's Interim report of the inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker program.
Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).
Mr LEESER: by leave—On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration, I wish to make a statement concerning the committee's inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker program. In June 2020 the committee commenced an inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker program to examine the purpose and ongoing value of the program to Australia's economy, including the tourism, healthcare and agricultural sectors. The committee was tasked with inquiring into the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the program and the sectors affected by the disruptions of access to workers of the working holiday-maker visa.
The committee has received around 80 submissions from working holiday makers, businesses, organisations, industry bodies, academics and government agencies. Prior to the interim report we interviewed 70 witnesses and conducted nearly 25 hours of hearings.
Working holiday-maker visa holders make a significant contribution to the economy, not just for the work that they do but because of the economic contribution they make to the tourism and travel industry. Tourism Australia figures suggest the program is worth about $3.1 billion to the Australian economy, and it's estimated that 0.212 jobs are created for every working holiday maker who visits Australia. The committee heard that working holiday makers stay longer, spend more and visit regional Australia for longer than other visa holders.
While the Working Holiday Maker program remains a key cultural exchange program, the agricultural and horticultural industries have come to rely on working holiday makers, who play a substantial role in harvesting. The committee received evidence about an emerging shortage in the agricultural workforce. The National Farmers Federation told the committee that between 20 and 60 per cent of some farms' workforces are made up of working holiday makers. Given the number of working holiday makers in the country fell from approximately 150,000 in March 2020 to 70,000 in June 2020, the NFF stated: 'the industry will be confronted with a labour crisis, the likes of which it has never seen before.'
The evidence of Mr Craig Pressler, CEO of 2PH Farms in Emerald, Queensland indicated the drastic actions that farmers are already taking as a result of the predicted labour shortages. He said:
The need for labour is one of the critical needs at the moment and it's going to get more critical for us over the next 12 months, to the point where we have actually removed 100 hectares of trees and taken them out of production because we don't see there is going to be the need next harvest, there's no point spending up on the resources and time and money on those trees and then find we can't harvest them… it will take six to seven years [to get full production back]. 15 per cent of our income [will be] lost [representing]…many millions of dollars.
The shortage of working holiday-makers has arisen primarily because of border closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the importance of the agricultural and horticultural sectors not only to our economy but also to domestic and international food supply, we wanted the evidence we've already heard and our deliberations to help inform the parliament's response to labour shortages created by COVID-19.
This interim report contains recommendations for dealing with the present labour shortages, including the novel idea of developing a 'gap year at home' campaign to appeal to young Australians who might have chosen to travel overseas to instead see some of their own country and undertake work in the agricultural and horticultural sectors, with some incentives around a HECS-HELP discount. Ms Bree Grima, Director of Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers, told the committee of the success her organisation is already having with a similar program recruiting young Australians to pick fruit in their school holidays.
The committee received evidence that there are a range of barriers to getting unemployed Australians to take up agricultural work, including the short-term nature of the work and the location of the work making it difficult to attract people to move from city areas for short periods of time, given the kind of start-up costs in terms of finding accommodation and travel and so on. We also heard evidence that JobSeeker can act as a disincentive. The committee heard evidence that, prior to the addition of the coronavirus supplement to JobSeeker and the introduction of JobKeeper, farmers had significant inquiries from newly unemployed Australians, but those inquiries subsequently dried up. Consequently, we've recommended people be allowed to remain on JobSeeker while undertaking low-paid agricultural and horticultural work and a relocation allowance be provided to jobseekers to encourage them to go bush. We've also made recommendations about how to encourage other Australians, as well as temporary work visa holders residing in Australia, to take up work in agriculture and horticulture. Further recommendations about the structure of the program more broadly will be included in the final report, which will be handed down by the end of the year.
On behalf of the committee, I'd like to thank all those who've provided evidence to the committee so far. That evidence has informed this report and will also guide the final report. I commend the report to the House, and I move:
That the House take note of the report.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Goodenough ): The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Reference to Federation Chamber
Mr LEESER (Berowra) (16:52): I move:
That the order of the day be referred to the Federation Chamber for debate.
Question agreed to.
Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights
Report
Mr PERRETT (Moreton) (16:52): It's always good to hear the member for Berowra talk about the importance of labour!
On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, I present the committee's report entitled Human rights scrutiny report: report 11 of 2020.
Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).
Mr PERRETT: by leave—I thank the Deputy Speaker and the minister at the table. I am pleased to present the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights 11th scrutiny report of 2020, which was presented out of session on 24 September 2020. As usual, this report contains a technical examination of legislation with Australia's obligations under international human rights law. It sets out the committee's consideration of 32 bills introduced into the parliament between 24 August and 3 September this year and 63 legislative instruments registered on the Federal Register of Legislation between 28 July and 11 August 2020. The committee is seeking further information in relation to six bills and one instrument.
For example, the committee seeks further information about the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2020. This bill would establish an extended supervision order scheme for high-risk terrorist offenders who have completed their custodial sentence or been subject to a continuing detention order. It would enable a court to impose any conditions on a person which it was satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, were reasonably necessary and reasonably appropriate and adapted for the purposes of protecting the community from the unacceptable risk of the person committing a terrorism offence. This could include requiring that the person remain at specified premises within certain times, not leave their state or territory or even Australia, not communicate with specified persons or classes of person, and not access specified technology, such as social media. It would also enable evidence to be withheld from the offender but still used against them, as well as triggering monitoring powers under other acts.
The committee notes that an extended supervision order scheme engages and may limit a number of human rights—for example, the committee seeks further information as to whether the proposed scheme engages the absolute prohibition against retrospective criminal laws, as the scheme would apply to persons who are currently in prison and may constitute an additional penalty in some circumstances. The committee also seeks further information with respect to several other human rights, which may be permissibly limited where a limitation is prescribed by law, pursues a legal objective, is effective to achieve that objective, and is proportionate.
In addition, the committee seeks further information about the Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020, which would alter the cost of higher education for students, including increasing the cost of several areas of study, and introducing a minimum pass-rate for students to continue to be enrolled as Commonwealth supported students.
The committee notes that these measures engage the right to education, and may engage the right to equality and non-discrimination, and seeks further information in order to form a concluded view. I encourage all parliamentarians to carefully consider the committee's analysis. With these comments, I commend the committee's report 11 of 2020 to the chamber.
BILLS
Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020
Second Reading
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That this bill be now read a second time.
Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (16:56): I'm very pleased to speak on this important bill, the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020, in the House today. I say that as the member for Gilmore, representing the New South Wales South Coast, where we saw some of the most horrific bushfires during 2019 and 2020. I really want to say thank you to our defence personnel and our reservists for all their work during the bushfires. This bill is really important. It will simplify the process for advising the Governor-General, prior to the issuing of an order to call out defence reservists. It will also increase the Chief of the Defence Force's flexibility to determine the periods and types of service reservists render during a call-out. It will provide immunity for our ADF and defence personnel, in certain circumstances, from civil and criminal liability, similar to that enjoyed by civil emergency services. Importantly, it will also address a gap in current arrangements that currently mean reservists providing continuous full-time service during a call-out do not receive superannuation, with the change to be retrospective from November 2019.
Some time ago, I think I described the Currowan fire as 'out of this world'. There really was no way to describe a fire that tormented my community every single day for so many months. Our emergency services volunteers, our workers and HMAS Albatross, with our Defence Force members, were there from the beginning, from November 2019. I want to thank particularly our members from HMAS Albatross, who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to support our state and local council areas through the bushfire crisis.
This bill is important and it deserves a proper government response. That's why I'm standing here talking on this bill today. I am standing here for the fine women and men in my community, for our children, for our organisations and for our businesses—everyone who went through the Currowan fires—for our extraordinary volunteer firefighters, for our emergency services volunteers and workers, for our councils and council workers, and for our dedicated Defence Force personnel at HMAS Albatross, who provided extraordinary support during the Currowan fires and elsewhere. Operation Bushfire Assist, from 4 January 2020, saw the call-out of 3,000 Australian Defence Force reservists to increase operational support on the ground. Since November 2019, HMAS Albatross had been involved in supporting the bushfire fighting effort. I want to particularly thank the outgoing commanding officer of HMAS Albatross, Captain Fiona Sneath, and the incoming commanding officer, Captain Robyn Phillips. At the time, there was certainly a baptism of fire around HMAS Albatross. At that time I was also going around and visiting our evacuation centres, and I just happened to run into Captain Fiona Sneath. I think it proves the point that everyone was impacted in some way by these bushfires. Even HMAS Albatross itself was under threat from the bushfires. It was a concerted community effort to fight the fires.
Of course HMAS Albatrossplayed a pivotal role in having the bushfire aerial command base there. That was a base for all the Rural Fire Service fixed-wing planes and helicopter water bombers. Right along the South Coast people, including people from my electorate, would have looked up into the sky and seen those little yellow fixed-wing planes and helicopter water bombers. It was a great relief for people to see those and the amazing work that they did. The aerial command base was back at HMAS Albatross, and our ADF personnel were playing such a pivotal role in supporting the emergency management there.
HMAS Albatross also provided logistics support—and there were a lot of logistics—water refuelling and retardant loading of our aircraft fighting the fires. They also provided engineering support, day- and night-time aerial mapping of fires, the transport of firefighters and accommodation and catering support for firefighters. We had a massive number of firefighters come into our area, which we are very grateful for. They came from all over the place. A lot of these firefighters were accommodated at HMAS Albatross. Again, our thanks go to our Defence members and our reservists who provided that support.
Importantly, our defence liaison officers, I'm really, really proud to say, played an absolutely pivotal role in working side by side with our local emergency services management. Every morning, for months on end, I was really privileged to go into my local fire control or emergency management centre and have those morning briefings with all the different agencies, and Defence were part of that. I think the reason that the efforts of HMAS Albatross were so successful was that they have literally been part of our community for decades. Their response was simply outstanding. Our squadrons at HMAS Albatross were ready and able to assist people, not only in our local area but right across Australia, during the bushfires.
The Royal Australian Navy's MRH-90 Taipan helicopters, based at HMAS Albatross, carried out many evacuations—some from Fishermans Paradise, North Sassafras and Yalwal. These were quite complex evacuations, where they were actually taking people out and there were flames all around them. It was quite difficult terrain and there were orange skies. They did an absolutely magnificent job. The 808 Squadron, in their MRH-90 helicopters, also played a key role across Australia—not only in the Shoalhaven—in assisting with evacuation operations in Victoria, delivering liaison teams into isolated areas, dropping off food, water and medical supplies into Mallacoota and resupplying HMAS Choules with everything from nappies for children of evacuees to food for the galley.
Since November 2019, flight squadrons flew a total of 640 hours in support of Operation Bushfire Assist 2019-2020. Of these 640 hours, 808 Squadron, based at HMAS Albatross, flew a total of 310 hours. That is an amazing amount of flying time. In addition, 808 Squadron conducted fodder drops for wildlife whose food sources had been destroyed by the bushfires. I want to thank the 808 Squadron members, their commanding officer, Commander Paul Hannigan, and their families. This happened at a time of the year when it's normally quiet, but they were there on red hot alert and helping and supporting everyone.
I see Defence Force members from 808 Squadron and other squadrons out in the community all the time. They are there supporting and fundraising to help our local community groups. So, whether it is the bushfires or supporting our community group, they are there. We could not be more proud of them and their role at Albatross during the bushfires, and I want to publicly thank them for their efforts.
Of course, reservists assisted with a whole range of duties in the bushfires. Often we didn't see them, because they were out in the middle of the bush, clearing fallen trees, clearing fire trails, creating fire breaks and putting up temporary bridges or workarounds, whether it was meals, logistics, transport support or more. So, our reservists were there, and I really want to say thank you to our reservists as well.
I want to mention another interesting aspect: Air Affairs, which is a local defence industry contractor physically based just outside of HMAS Albatross, at the Aviation Technology Park, played a pivotal role as well, through the fire schemes. That is basically the line mapping of the bushfire activity. People across Australia probably would have seen that through the bushfires. Line scanning is delivered during both day and night-time flight operations, providing imaging of the ground, clearly defining active fire and burnt terrain through dense smoke, which is invaluable support for the RFS, to our water bombers, to our firefighters, to defence personnel—a really important service.
I want to talk a little bit about the Eurobodalla, particularly around Batemans Bay and Moruya in my electorate. Reservists played a vital role there. They were a familiar sight, particularly next to the Batemans Bay evacuation centre. And we've got to remember that people went through extraordinary—there's really no way to describe it. What people went through was horrendous, and I think during those difficult conditions it was certainly a welcome sight and a relief for locals to see the Army roll in and set that medical tent up and help with a whole range of duties. Again we didn't see the reservists a lot, because they were out in the bush, but they were certainly assisting through clearing trees and fire trails and things like that. So, again I want to say thank you to our reservists and our Defence Force personnel.
I also want to mention the Mogo Zoo. People might have heard about that, because it's been in the news quite a lot, and of course the Mogo Wildlife Park was really hit hard by the bushfires, as was the whole Mogo community. But Chad and his team of wildlife keepers did everything to protect their animals, and it was just amazing. When I went back to visit the zoo and to talk with Chad and the team I found a team of Army personnel working to build a veterinary hospital for native wildlife injured in the bushfires. We lost over one billion animals in the bushfires, and this is just another example of where our Army personnel have stepped in. When I went the first time the walls were just starting to go up, and I had the pleasure of talking to some of the Army personnel, which was terrific—Army personnel attached to the 5th Engineer Regiment Task Group, part of Defence's Joint Task Force 1110. I think also assisting them were some Army members from our regional neighbours, which really just goes to show the huge effort both from Australia and from right around the world to fight these fires and shows that our Army and our reservists played a pivotal role in supporting that. Again, this was a real morale booster for wildlife keepers and their staff. I was delighted to return again at the official reopening of the zoo and see that vet hospital completed. It's a great example of how our Defence Force members, our councils, our state government and everybody else can work together to help fight the fires. I don't think there's ever been a greater example of that than the disaster effort on the New South Wales South Coast during the bushfires.
I want to conclude by saying that obviously there's been a lot of talk about Army reservists and what role we can play in the future. Think this bill is really important, because it goes a small but very important way towards helping and supporting our Defence reservists. But it's not the be-all and end-all. I guess the integration of military, volunteer and paid civilians and contractors during a very long bushfire crisis can sometimes be a very tricky thing to implement. I know I'm certainly lucky to live in the Nowra area and have had HMAS Albatross there for decades. So for me and for people in my local area HMAS Albatross is part of our community. Our defence members are part of our community. Our reservists are part of our community. And it's those connections, along with our local emergency services, that are so important.
Today I've highlighted many positive examples of where our Defence Force members have done so well in helping through the bushfires. We do need to build on those links and ensure our defence reservists are ready into the future, and I think this bill will help reservists as well. I just want to say, to conclude, thank you to our Defence Force members and their families. We're immensely proud of you and your efforts. We will never forget that. Thank you.
Ms STEGGALL (Warringah) (17:11): I rise to speak on the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020. Defence's role is to defend Australia and it's national interests. This bill clarifies the legal basis of arrangements for call-out of defence personnel in defence of Commonwealth interests and in protection of state and territories in a domestic scenario. The bill aims to enhance the Australian Defence Force's capacity to provide assistance in response to natural disasters and other emergencies, such as we saw—so sadly—this year during the bushfires and the pandemic. In recent months, we've seen the east coast ravaged by bushfires and we've seen society brought to its knees by the pandemic, and, absolutely, defence assistance has been essential.
Defence has vast capabilities and resources that are for the purpose of the protection of the Australian people, and this is traditionally thought to be the protection of Australia from external threats. However, as we've seen this year, and we have seen it over time but more and more, we are also likely to need our Defence for domestic protection. I thank the work of the Defence Force in response to both of the emergencies that we've seen through 2020. The work that has been done by defence personnel has been invaluable and I can only imagine, for those communities that were absolutely on the front line of the bushfires, how absolutely essential it has been.
Currently, in relation to this bill, the legal basis for the operation of defence forces, especially reserves, in these scenarios requires clarification. We don't need to see a to and fro on the nightly news to understand how or when defence personnel can be called out. Communities need to know that they will be there to help when needed. The measures in this bill will enhance the ability to provide defence assistance. They will streamline the process for calling out members of the ADF Reserves under sections 28 and 29 of the Defence Act 1903. It will provide ADF members and other defence personnel and members of foreign forces with similar immunities to state and territory emergency services personnel, in certain cases, while performing duties to support civil emergency and disaster preparedness, recovery and response. It will amend the ADF superannuation legislation to ensure that reserve members who provide full-time service following a call-out are appropriately covered for superannuation and related benefits.
These are all amendments that are absolutely welcome. But there are some concerns in relation to this bill. This bill allows for the deployment of defence forces, both Australian and foreign forces, to be deployed in Australia in response to natural disasters and other emergencies. Natural disasters are well understood to include bushfires, floods, cyclones and landslides. However, I am concerned with the lack of specificity of these amendments in relation to the definition of 'other emergencies'. 'Other emergencies' could be anything from the pandemic that we're currently experiencing to chemical spills and nuclear incidents—any public health emergency. However, there is a lack of detail and definition of the term 'other emergencies'. Not defining it or at least limiting it to public health emergencies is a concern.
Our Defence Force should never be used for quashing internal protests or the exercise of democratic rights. Section 39(3)(b) of the Defence Act prohibits the use of the Australian Defence Force in industrial disputes and protests, but that doesn't completely quash my concern, because that prohibition does not apply if there is 'reasonable likelihood of serious damage to property'. To be very clear, the Defence Act does not define 'serious damage to property'. So there is a gap, and that gap is concerning.
We've seen a dangerous rise in authoritarian responses to civil protests around the world and in many neighbouring nations. Some months ago the Prime Minister himself spoke words that I found concerning in relation to the right to protest, especially around environmental issues. It would be concerning if there were any intention to use these measures in the amendments for something that was in fact quashing democratic rights.
There's another example of a lack of a definition. For example, the term 'domestic violence' is not defined, yet the Defence Act uses the term 'domestic violence' to justify the deployment of the Defence Force in the civil community. Similarly, it's not defined. There is danger, therefore. Having an ill-defined set of circumstances in which defence personnel can be deployed means that the public don't have assurance about their rights and liberties or that the deployment of defence personnel is not being used for a political purpose. That is something that should be clarified.
Defence personnel are immune from prosecution if acting in good faith under this legislation. The immunities that apply are similar to those of other emergency service personnel, which is absolutely appropriate. I repeat that the term 'other emergencies' should be defined. It must be defined to prevent deployment in circumstances that are not consistent with the public interest and the expectations of Australians. The government claim that they have left this term deliberately ambiguous as the nature of emergencies is that they cannot be forecast. While I agree it is difficult to establish an exhaustive list of emergencies, we can be very clear and define the circumstances in which defence personnel cannot and should not be engaged.
I urge the government to send this bill to a committee to refine the definitions and circumstances in which defence and the reserves can and should be deployed. The referral is important so that organisations, such as the Law Council of Australia, have an opportunity to consult and consider the amendments in detail and present findings to the committee. That would make the law better.
This summer we saw the first Australian climate refugees up and down the east coast of Australia. Defence personnel evacuated people from the beaches of Mallacoota and up and down the east coast. So many communities were decimated. Defence personnel and reservists have been intrinsically involved with the clean up and the rebuild. The rebuild is huge. Over 6,500 defence personnel were deployed in response to the summer bushfires—nearly 3,000 of whom were reservists.
Whilst it's important that we deploy all of our valuable resources to protect our communities from events like this summer's fires and to deal with floods and cyclones, it is also important that we look at the underlying causes. The government needs to step up and address the underlying factors exacerbating these events, actually invest in adaptation and resilience, and help communities protect themselves from extreme events, which we know from the scientists will be more frequent. As a matter of urgency the government needs to address the underlying factors exacerbating these events. The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements found in its interim report:
Australia's weather and climate agencies have told us that changes to the climate are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of natural disasters in Australia. Further warming over the next 20 years appears to be inevitable. Sea-levels are projected to continue to rise. Tropical cyclones are projected to decrease in number, but increase in intensity. Floods and bushfires are expected to become more frequent and more intense.
Australia needs to plan for a worsening scenario of natural disasters.
After last summer's bushfires, the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, made up of 33 retired fire chiefs with a collective experience of over 600 years of firefighting emergency management service to the community, took the lead and held a national bushfire and climate summit on what needs to be learnt. The summit concluded with the release of the Australian Bushfire and Climate Plan, which has 165 recommendations to ensure we do not leave communities unprotected again. The recommendations include establishing a domestic aerial firefighting fleet; early detection, warning and intervention systems; and community resilience hubs.
Nevertheless, having spoken with former New South Wales fire commissioner Greg Mullins, I know that all our strategies and plans to build more resilient communities will be for nothing if we don't mitigate the ultimate cause. We have to do something about climate change and our increasing emissions. Last year, the emergency leaders' warnings to this government were not heeded. I urge the government to learn from its mistakes of last year and to listen now. The government should invest further funds into the established natural disaster response agencies and organisations. The Rural Fire Service, the state emergency services, the country fire services and others require government support. At a time when we're in recession and unemployment is rising sharply, I urge the government to invest in the capabilities recommended by the emergency leaders. This can, of course, be done with defence forces. These organisations need greater capabilities themselves. The measures in this bill only add to these organisations. The Defence Force does not replace them; it works with them.
I support the use of the vast resources that Defence has at its disposal to respond to natural disasters. It is a proper and fit use of the capabilities Australia has invested in. But I urge the government to do more to define the circumstances under which Australian Defence Force personnel can be deployed in response to other emergencies through the explanation of this bill by committee. And the government must do more to protect Australians from a warming climate than just committing to militarise our response to the resulting catastrophes. The government must commit to a target. We must mitigate the risks. If this were an army advancing upon our shores, we would mobilise all resources available, so I urge the government to do that now.
Ms SWANSON (Paterson) (17:22): I rise to speak on the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020. As stated by my colleagues, Labor will support the passage of this bill through this House, which is an important thing, but it does need further legislative scrutiny via a Senate inquiry. The Australian Defence Force—the ADF as we affectionately know it—plays a vital role in assisting the Australian community, not only through its sovereign purpose of the defence of Australia but also in assisting us in emergencies and natural disasters. Having been a very young woman of the tender age of 19 when the Newcastle earthquake hit in 1989, I still remember the Army being called in to Newcastle to provide incredible support, assistance and reassurance. Really, it was a terrible shambles, in terms of buildings falling and danger all around. Knowing that the Army was there during that month or so when the city was completely shut down, on the streets, securing perimeters and helping residents, was a great comfort. It is not a recent thing that the Australian Defence Force has come to the aid of civilian society, in terms of natural disasters and incredible events in our community. They've always been there during these times.
We, of course, witnessed it more recently. In 2019—which was last year, even though it feels like it was about 10 years ago, as this year has really tested many of us—the bushfires were so incredible. I remember having to go home because there were fires in my own electorate that were circling not only my property but also neighbouring properties. We managed to hold off the fire and have a firebreak put in at a nearby road. We witnessed those devastating events that saw the loss of homes and sheds and lives. In fact, 33 of our fellow Australians were taken from us during last year's fires. I note that the member for Macquarie has just taken her place in this chamber, and I pay special tribute to her because I know she has worked tirelessly for her community amidst bushfires and, more recently, the coronavirus and all manner of things. She has suffered her own loss from bushfires. I think it's one of those situations where it's probably not until you've lost your home and all of your worldly possessions that you do think, 'This is incredible.' So I do want to take a moment to acknowledge the impact on those people who lost loved ones and homes, as well as photographs and all the things that you can't bring back. When those fires are bearing down on you, they have such an impact.
When the ADF are called out in circumstances like that, they come not only with the requisite training and skill but also with the gravitas of being the Army, the Navy, the Air Force—the Defence Force. Seeing those people in their uniforms does bring a certain sense of relief. Even though it can be a very frightening time, you know that the best of the best are there to give their best for you. Reservists are part of this. The Australian Defence reserves are, and have always been, a critical part of our nation's military. I really want to say thank you to those reservists and, just as importantly, to the businesses that employ reservists. Reservists often are not in a position to serve full time, but they make themselves available to help when they can, and their employers release them to do that. If you've got a small business, again, it is often a drain to lose a crucial staff member. So thank you to those businesses that release reservists and allow them to go and serve their country in this way. Thank you for doing that.
This bill aims to address issues identified in a review conducted by Defence in the aftermath of the 2019-20 bushfires, which, as I mentioned earlier, took the lives of 33 of our fellow Australians, including nine firefighters. Over 17 million hectares were burnt across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT, Western Australia and South Australia. We know that the Bureau of Meteorology, affectionately known as the BOM at our place, reported that these fires were likely to be the single largest fire event recorded in eastern Australia. It's hard to fathom the sheer scope of these fires, the area of the country affected and the determination of our people to try and stop them. We all witnessed the devastation and the loss of life, property and our natural environment. In circumstances such as these, it is easy to understand the necessity of calling upon our Defence Force reservists to assist in combating natural disasters of such scale.
The review identified that the process of calling out the reserve forces needed to be simplified in order to allow faster mobilisation. This bill seeks to address the need for expediency, which is really important, by simplifying the process for advising the Governor-General prior to the issue of an order to call out reservists; increasing the Chief of Defence Force's flexibility to determine periods and types of service that reservists render during a call-out, including by removing a requirement for continuous full-time service; providing to the ADF and Defence personnel—as well as to other protected persons, potentially including foreign military and police services—immunity from civil and criminal liability in certain circumstances, similar to that enjoyed by civil emergency services; and addressing a gap in current arrangements that means reservists providing continuous full-time service during a call-out do not receive superannuation, with the change to be retrospective from November 2019. Importantly, the bill does not confer additional authority nor expand the ability to deploy the ADF.
We really want to support these changes because they do make it easier and simpler and—let's face it—more practical and timely. When those fires are bearing down, when that tsunami tidal wave is bearing down, when any sort of natural disaster is bearing down, it is so important that we are able to deploy quickly and efficiently. The improvement of processes regarding the utilisation of defence people and equipment in times of national disaster should be supported and taken very seriously. As we all know, we are seeing more of these natural disasters as well.
We should also not forget the tardiness of this Prime Minister in acting to fight these horrific fires. We shouldn't forget that while the country burnt the Prime Minister was on a beach in Hawaii. I've heard many of his colleagues say he was having a holiday. Everyone accepts that he worked hard and he deserved a holiday, but when something of that magnitude was happening he really needed to truncate his holiday and come home, like every Prime Minister that has faced similar or equivalent disasters has done. I do think that's an important point to make. Yes, he's a human being and, yes, he's got a terrific family and, yes, he deserves a holiday, but you sign up to be the Prime Minister. It is a very important job. Whilst families are all-important, being the Prime Minister is, for that period of your life, the most important thing, and he really should have come home at his first availability. Given the fact that he has transport at hand, that shouldn't have taken the time that it did. Even though we recognise that, as the Prime Minister, he has worked hard, he should have gotten himself home much faster. I think even reasonable Liberal people would accept that observation.
We shouldn't forget that 23 former fire and emergency services leaders attempted, unsuccessfully, to meet with the Prime Minister. That leaves me aghast. We're always looking for experts and people with experience. Everyone who has been elected to this place over the years talks about good policy being formed when experience and expertise come together. So when 23 former fire and emergency services leaders reach out to a current leader and say: 'Look, we've got a bit of experience in this. We've walked a mile in these moccasins, and we'd like to share some experience with you,' wouldn't you think that a Prime Minister would be at least willing to give them an hour of his time? Again, I am still aghast at that one. These people have put their life on the line for many thousands of hours across their careers. For the Prime Minister, in the midpoint of his career, not to give them time last year was extraordinary.
This is the background to which the suggested changes to the administration of the Reserve Assistance Program have come about. This is why we're making this legislation. We're going to support this bill. We've said all along that we will. But it does require really good scrutiny, and that's what the review by the Senate committee will do. I implore the government to be proactive and to listen to the results of what comes out of the review in the Senate. We need to be able to combat these huge events. Had we listened to the experts in the community, much could have been saved, I dare say. So it is a great shame that the Prime Minister fiddled while Australia burnt.
Labor has consulted and will continue to interact with stakeholders in both government and the wider community. We note that representatives of key defence personnel and reservists associations are generally supportive of the changes that this bill proposes, and that's a good thing. There you have it again: people who have been involved in this and have history, providing examples and providing knowledge.
We must look after our reservists, as they look after us, and ensure that the gap in current arrangements is filled and they receive superannuation while providing continuous, full-time service. We must set them up for success so that they can do their job. The provision to provide immunity in certain circumstances from civil and criminal liability, for defence personnel and other designated protected persons responding to an emergency similar to that enjoyed by civil emergency services, is welcome, and that is very important. We want these people to feel as though they don't have to be thinking, 'Will this person sue me?' or 'Will I be in some sort of strife if I carry someone from a fire or a flood?' We need these people to fully do what they're trained to do and to be able to help, no matter what.
I want to take a quick moment to speak on schedule 2 of the bill, which provides immunity to certain personnel, while they're performing duties, to respond and to support emergency and natural disaster preparedness. I think that is very important. The manner in which the proposed amendments are drafted does raise the question of whether the bill, as well as providing certain immunities, provides the minister with the statutory power to direct use of the ADF and other defence resources in certain natural disasters and other emergencies.
We understand that the minister has some non-statutory executive power to direct assistance. The extent of that non-statutory power depends on the scope of the Commonwealth's nationhood power, which is not regarded as settled in constitutional law. It is possible that these provisions expand the existing executive power. These are things that really must be explored more and expanded in greater depth, and that's why it is good that it's going for further review in the Senate.
I would like to take a moment to also speak on schedule 3 of the bill, which will make amendments to the Military Superannuation and Benefits Act 1991, the Australian Defence Force Superannuation Act 2015 and the Australian Defence Force Cover Act 2015. These amendments will ensure that Reserve members who provide continuous full-time service under a call-out order will receive superannuation and related benefits commensurate with those reservists who provide the same service on a voluntary basis. I think that's really important. It's vital that we recognise the fantastic contribution our ADF make, especially during times of national emergency. With this, we must ensure that they're sufficiently compensated.
I welcome these amendments as they will provide greater flexibility in the call-out of our reserves, enable greater consistency in the treatment of our reserves and ensure that our defence personnel have all the appropriate legal protections when serving our nation, in good faith, during times of great crisis and emergency. We agree to support this bill and, in closing, again, I want to thank those people who pull on the uniform every day. They serve our country in conflict, in crisis and in natural disaster. This bill, for all intents and purposes, is a good bill because it brings about requisite change to those serving personnel and our reservists. But we must ensure that it's properly drafted and its intent is also what is delivered for those people who pull on that uniform every day.
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (17:38): As the member for Paterson has been saying, it is really good to see some movement on this. There haven't been a lot of outcomes from the fires of last summer. The inquiries are still happening. There are tentative recommendations but we haven't seen a lot of action. So I'm really pleased to see that Defence can get its stuff together and get a bunch of recommendations through to be considered by this parliament. I note that we do have some questions about some of the issues and look forward to it being considered by the Senate and for us to make a final view about it. As we saw in the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury, in my electorate, firsthand throughout summer, the Australian Defence Force played an absolutely vital role in assisting our community during that emergency, and that applies to a range of emergencies and disasters across the rest of the country.
In our case, the Richmond RAAF base was a hive of activity and there was never a more hopeful sound than that of a plane full of fire retardant heading towards the smoke. People were very pleased to see those planes. There are some planes I don't want to see over my electorate and there are others I'm very happy to see. The planes and their crew were supported by the entire base. I know that leave was cancelled and permanent defence personnel and reservists alike threw everything they had into making sure the tankers could get in and back out as fast as possible, in what were some of the darkest days for our small communities. The RAAF provided space in the workshop and maintenance hangers and it provided accommodation and catering support for firefighters. So, they were there for us across the whole gamut.
In the first month of the campaign, between 150 and 300 firefighters from Victoria's Country Fire Authority were fed and watered at the base. The same went for others as the months went on. The RAAF aircraft, including the C-130 'Hercs' were used to bring firefighters from interstate and to take them elsewhere. 37 Squadron was kept busy. For example, in November alone they brought South Australian firefighters from Adelaide up to Port Macquarie in New South Wales, Tasmanian firefighters were carried from Hobart to Port Macquarie, and Victorian firefighters were brought from Essendon and Mildura up to Armidale. So, our RAAF base didn't just support the fire effort in the immediate area of the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury. They supported the fire effort up and down the eastern seaboard. It really does highlight how important that base is. There is periodically talk about closing Richmond RAAF base—that it's outlived its usefulness. But I cannot imagine there ever being a good reason to give up that strip of tarmac on the edge of our largest city. It isn't just a base for our emergency operations overseas when international crises occur and we lend a hand—in the Pacific or in Asia—but, as last summer showed, it was pivotal in our ability to deal with the Gospers fire and with fires up and down Victoria and New South Wales, up into Queensland and across to the west. We sometimes think about bushfires as being on the eastern seaboard, but there are also those that occur further west.
There is so much capacity at the base, either by drawing on the Defence resources that are already there or by, potentially, building up alongside the defence forces the additional skills for bushfire defence. We could be training our own firefighting pilot crews there, for instance. We could be researching the effectiveness of various firefighting techniques and honing our ability to respond fast to fires. But what we saw should leave nobody in any doubt that it is absolutely an essential base now for our firefighting efforts in the summer. As we expect that fires will become more frequent, not less, and will be of greater ferocity, not less, it remains absolutely crucial.
We had RAAF personnel, including 22 Squadron, plus Army reservists not just working off the base but also at the RAAF headquarters in Wilberforce, where I turned up for the early morning briefings. They'd often be there unloading pallets of stuff or getting ready to deliver eskies of food to the fire ground. They were out at Bilpin providing supplies for the firefighters, with volunteers preparing the meals for the firefighters as they came in from a long, hard shift or were heading out for one. Everywhere I went I caught moments of our reservists and permanent personnel helping out. Once the fire had gone through, they were there long after the flames had cleared, for many, many weeks, helping to clear dangerous trees from trails in places like Blackheath, Bell and Mount Victoria.
I witnessed all of that last summer and I give a heartfelt thanks to Defence Force personnel for their service on behalf of the people in the electorate of Macquarie and beyond. We all watched on TV, way outside my electorate, what the Navy was doing down on the South Coast and into Victoria. I think none of us have any doubt about the role that the Defence Force can play in something like a bushfire. But, with the pandemic, we've also seen the roles that can be played during other types of disasters or emergencies.
That's why I am really pleased to see that there is some intent to improve the way in which their role is activated and defined. I think that there could have been a greater role for Defence during the fires. They have the skills, the training and the mindset. We need to do more work on what that role is and what role they play in the future. None of us in New South Wales will forget the confusion that surrounded the activation of their role and the clear discord between the Premier of New South Wales and the Prime Minister. We need to get things right so that we don't have those sorts of disagreements playing out in the midst of a disaster. We need to get the legal stuff right.
This bill will make several changes to the administrative arrangements for the use of ADF personnel, particularly, when reservists are called out. The changes follow the review by Defence after the last bushfire season. I do hope they take into account the experience of Defence during the current pandemic. The aim of the bill is to simplify arrangements, particularly for advising the Governor-General prior to the issuing of an order to call out the reserves. That's a really good thing. It'll increase flexibility, hopefully in terms of the types and periods of services that reserves render during a call-out, rather than just requiring one continuous full-time service call. Having some flexibility clearly was what was needed during the bushfires.
The changes will also look at the immunity that's provided in certain circumstances from civil and criminal liability for Defence personnel and other designated protected persons responding to an emergency—similar to those that are enjoyed by civil emergency services. That is really important and has come up in discussions that I've had with people. Getting that bit right will be really key. I note we are aware of some concerns about that part of the bill, around the immunity provisions and potential interpretations. I think there is real value in the Senate taking a look at that before we form a final position on it.
I welcome the fact that this does look at addressing the current arrangements that mean reservists who are providing continuous full-time service during a call-out don't receive superannuation. They're the sorts of basic things we need to get right. I welcome this legislation. We're coming up to nearly 12 months after the fires began and there hasn't been a lot of change that we've seen. I talk about this from a perspective of what people are seeing on the ground as well as what we're seeing here. There's been lots of talk but there hasn't been a lot of tangible action. There's still a lot to do. Just to be clear, so that this place recognises it, the work is far from over in bushfire-affected areas. There's been no significant planning to reduce the impact of bushfires. We still have the $4 billion Emergency Response Fund that this place voted on 18 months ago and we've not seen a cent spent. There's been nothing in my electorate to say, 'Here's how we will make things better for next time.' That is really disappointing. While it's good to see this type of legislation, there's so much more that could be happening.
We're not seeing an injection of funds into the community to really tackle the enormous environmental issues that we face. There are small amounts of money that are just starting to trickle through, but we're into the next fire season. We failed to get environmentalists and researchers out on the ground fast to do early audits of what was lost. We've missed that opportunity now, so why aren't we seeing legislation here that would set up a fund that allows, in the case of an emergency, researchers to be taken off and allowed to park their existing projects. Academics tell me that parking a project, in a research context, is an impossible thing to do, but why aren't we making it easier so they can sideline certain research and divert their energy into the stuff that can only happen in a tiny little window of opportunity in our World Heritage area? We have missed the opportunity to really understand the impact. We'll now start to see which bits recover and which bits don't, but we're never getting that ground zero data that would have been so useful. That's the sort of legislation I'd like to see here: some real planning around how we respond to these sorts of disasters going forward.
The other thing we're not seeing in this place is any commitment to fixing one of the fundamental issues for communities like mine, which is around a failure of mobile communication. There were people in my electorate who had no way to make a phone call as fires were bearing down on them. There were brigades who had no way to activate their brigade. They had no way to communicate because of a failure of communication. We're meant to be seeing a satellite phone in every rural fire brigade. The failure to make any provision for improved telecommunications is a fundamental flaw, and it leaves people's lives at risk. The lives of people in the Blue Mountains, the Hawkesbury and many other areas are at risk because of that failure. We don't need recommendations; we just need to fix that problem. This government has failed miserably to do that.
That's why there is some unease in my community when they look at the areas that were fire affected. I was in Mount Tomah last Friday with shadow minister Jason Clare, and we identified that not one single house had been rebuilt in that area. As far as I can establish, there were only two pre-DAs of all the 40 hours that burnt down. We didn't lose hundreds of homes—not this time; we lost hundreds in the previous fire—but the pace of the recovery is so slow that there aren't any homes being rebuilt yet.
These are the sorts of things that this parliament really needs to consider. We need to put in place mechanisms so that recovery can happen faster. Ultimately what I'm saying is that this is a step forward, but, gee, it's a small step. It's a terrific step from a defence personnel perspective, and I know that my community will be grateful for the clarity that it will ultimately provide. The RAAF, Army and Navy personnel and reservists who live in my electorate will be grateful for that clarity.
My communities have faced disasters, and we're not just talking about bushfires in the electorate of Macquarie; we also face floods and storms—you name it; it probably happens in my electorate. We need confidence in the government that things are in place—so that things can happen much faster. I worry less about a Prime Minister being overseas than about the mechanisms being put in place—and they clearly weren't. Personally, I couldn't sleep while the beds were burning; I needed to be out in my electorate every day. That was my approach to it. I saw great people doing incredible work, but they didn't have the things in place that would have made their lives better, that would have made the decisions quicker and faster, and that may well have meant a different outcome for some of my communities.
Eighty per cent of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area was fire affected. The fire went through 80 per cent of it. If we had been able to reduce that, we might be seeing less of an environmental disaster unfolding there. While some parts of it are recovering, and there are the wonderful furry trees with the new green growth growing from the bottom of the trunk right up the top, there are others that are still black ash—simply a burnt forest standing, never to recover, for the foreseeable future.
Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (17:53): Before I begin my speech on the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020, I want to acknowledge the member for Macquarie and her sterling leadership through the fires in her electorate, Fiona Phillips, the member for Gilmore, Mike Kelly, the former member for Eden-Monaro, and of course Kristy McBain, the current member for Eden-Monaro. There were many others who were genuinely there to help, but I wanted to particularly point out those people.
Labor supports the passage of this bill through the House. We understand the need to expedite it, but we also note our intention to refer the bill to the Senate for legislative inquiry. I'd like to take this opportunity to once again thank our men and women in uniform, our firefighters, police officers and emergency workers, and volunteers from across society who pulled together to fight those devastating fires, and I want to again offer my condolences to the families and friends of those Australians who were lost.
We also had international assistance that flooded in to help Australia in our time of need. I especially thank our US ally for sending over 100 firefighting personnel, the 44 Forest Service and wildlife personnel to assist Australians. At an airport down south, I spoke with one of the American Forest Service personnel; he was in an air bomber. He was keen to be here. He was keen to help. But, of course, we also remember with great sadness the three Americans who lost their lives fighting the bushfires: Ian McBeth, Paul Hudson, and Rick DeMorgan Jr.
I also want to thank our Pacific family mates, including those from Papua New Guinea, which sent a hundred soldiers to help fight the flames and offered up to a thousand personnel to help us during the crisis. Thank you to our wantoks. Fire-ravaged towns like Merimbula received $60,000 in donations raised by youth from Lae in PNG. We thank them. I've got family in Merimbula. I've also got mates who are veterans who were in Merimbula during the fires. On their behalf, I say thank you. Vanuatu offered $250,000 to assist bushfire victims and their families. I want to acknowledge the Vanuatuans picking mangoes right now in the Northern Territory. The Anzacs, our trans-Tasman cousins, also sent over 125 firefighters and personnel to help, as early as October. We thank them. A 43-person Indonesian military engineer contingent supported efforts in the Blue Mountains region, so we say terima kasih banyak.
Singapore and France offered military assistance. Thank you; merci. Canadians offered to come and fight the fires. Thank you to them. I note the help of our heroic friends, allies and families because it reminds us of the fact that the bushfires on this scale across our nation, across our continent, did resemble a coalition task force who were at war through fire ravaged communities. It was a form of coalition warfare as the fire advanced on many fronts. So I want to thank all of those internationals. It's important to note that this legislation will provide cover for those personnel when they come to help, and it also reminds us of what our own ADF Reserves and regular personnel were up against and why it's so important to protect them from, for instance, potential prosecution for just doing their jobs, or loss of income, or being forced into conditions of full-time employment when their personal situation might determine a better response to be of a part-time nature.
In this bill, we ask a lot from our men and women in uniform. Labor will not oppose the bill, and we'll make our final position on it known after the Senate legislative inquiry helps to ensure that our ADF members are given the same protections that their Indonesian, American, New Zealand and Papua New Guinean foreign military personnel in Australia would have enjoyed—and, indeed, the same protections that our civilian emergency personnel, like my brother, who's a professional firefighter, also enjoy.
There's very important and even critical risk to assess around issues such as civil military relations, as raised by my learned colleague the member for Wills. I acknowledge those. Labor is aware of concerns around some of the immunity provisions. It's vital for our own ADF personnel as well as for the high esteem in which the community hold our armed forces that this issue be thoroughly and adequately addressed.
Mr HOGAN (Page—Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) (17:58): I'd like to thank all members who've contributed to the debate on the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020. As someone who experienced last year's devastating bushfire season firsthand, I know the importance of the changes outlined in this bill. The critical support provided by Defence Force personnel is something many communities, particularly in my electorate of Page, will never forget. At the peak of the bushfire support, some 6½ thousand personnel provided support to emergency services in five states and territories. More than 8,000 ADF service personnel were involved over the entire operation, and they were joined by nearly 500 personnel from Australia's international defence force partners. Around 3,000 reservists supported the entire operation, about 2½ thousand under compulsory call-out and around 500 providing further support across the nation.
This bill is about making positive changes to defence legislation to enhance the Commonwealth's ability to assist in natural disasters and emergencies of a national scale. As we have moved from the bushfires to managing a global pandemic, it has become clear that our Defence Force is integral to the nation's response. This bill will streamline the process of calling out the reserves for the purpose of responding to natural disasters or emergencies. It ensures defence personnel are provided similar immunities as state and territory emergency services when performing their duties in good faith to support disaster preparedness, recovery and response. And it ensures reservists who serve under a call-out order will receive commensurate superannuation to those who provide the same service on a voluntary basis.
Schedule 1 amends the Defence Act 1903 to streamline the process of providing advice to the Governor-General on a call-out of reserves, including for responding to natural disasters or emergencies. The amendment allows the Governor-General to act on the advice of the Minister for Defence after consultation with the Prime Minister. This enables a more timely and effective defence response to national disasters for a call-out of the reserves. Preserving the power of the Governor-General to call out the ADF reserves ensures decisions of this magnitude are only taken when absolutely warranted by the circumstances.
Additionally, the changes provide the Chief of Defence Force the delegation to determine the nature and period of reserve force provided under a call-out order. This gives the Chief of Defence Force the flexibility required to integrate reservists into the overall defence response.
Schedule 2 amends the Defence Act 1903 to provide immunities to defence personnel supporting disaster preparedness, recovery and response efforts. The immunity provision covers assistance, directed by the Minister for Defence, where the minister is satisfied that: (a) the nature or scale of the natural disaster or other emergency makes it necessary for the benefit of the nation for the Commonwealth, through the use of the ADF's special capabilities or available resources, to provide the assistance, and/or the assistance is necessary for the protection of Commonwealth agencies, Commonwealth personnel or Commonwealth property. This will see our defence personnel being provided with immunity from civil and criminal liability when they are performing their required emergency response duties in good faith, similar to the immunities provided to state and territory emergency services personnel.
Schedule 3 makes amendments to the Military Superannuation and Benefits Act 1991, the Defence Force Superannuation Act 2015 and the Australian Defence Force Cover Act 2015. These changes ensure reservists who provide continuous full-time service under a call-out receive commensurate superannuation and related benefits as reservists who provide the same service on a voluntary basis.
This bill provides greater flexibility for a call-out of the reserves, enables greater consistency in the treatment of our reservists and ensures defence personnel have appropriate legal protections when serving our nation in good faith.
To the men and women in uniform, on behalf of the government and the many communities you have served through the bushfire and pandemic, can I simply say thank you for your service. I commend this bill.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Message from the Governor-General recommending appropriation announced.
Third Reading
Mr HOGAN (Page—Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) (18:03): by leave—I move:
That this bill be now read a third time.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a third time.
Payment Times Reporting Bill 2020
Consideration in Detail
Mr BUTLER (Hindmarsh—Deputy Manager of Opposition Business) (18:03): on indulgence—Before we adjourn, the member for Clark asked that it be recorded that, in the division that took place earlier this afternoon to consider opposition amendments to the Payment Times Reporting Bill 2020, the member for Clark would have supported the opposition amendments.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Vasta ): I thank the honourable member for Hindmarsh. The chair will be resumed at 7.30.
Sitting suspended from 18:04 to 19:30
BILLS
Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2020-2021
First Reading
Message from the Governor-General transmitting particulars of proposed expenditure and recommending appropriation announced.
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mr Frydenberg.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mr FRYDENBERG (Kooyong—Treasurer) (19:31): I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
In 2020, Australians have been tested like never before.
Flood, fires, drought, and a global pandemic.
So many Australians, through no fault of their own, are doing it tough.
Lives have been lost.
Businesses have closed.
Jobs have gone.
Our cherished way of life has been put on hold.
Our local heroes, the healthcare workers on the front-line, just as the volunteer firefighters did over summer, are showing us the way.
Their courage, commitment, and compassion show the very best of Australia.
Tonight, a grateful nation gives thanks.
These qualities are the invisible strength of Australia.
We are a resilient people, a proud nation and we will get through this together.
The Great Depression and two World Wars did not bring Australia to its knees, and neither will COVID-19.
Economic environment
COVID-19 has resulted in the most severe global economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Across the world the equivalent of 600 million jobs have been lost.
The global economy is expected to contract by 4.5 per cent this year compared to just 0.1 per cent during the GFC.
Australia has not been immune.
Our economy is being hit, and hit hard.
In the space of just one month, more than one million Australians have lost their job or saw their working hours reduced to zero. In my home State of Victoria, millions have been in lockdown.
In response, the Morrison Government has committed unprecedented support, saving lives, cushioning the blow and helping Australians remain in work.
Our measures were temporary, were targeted, and were proportionate.
JobKeeper is a $101 billion economic lifeline that is today supporting more than 3.5 million Australians.
The cash flow boost has already provided $28 billion, helping around 800,000 small and medium businesses stay afloat.
JobSeeker doubled the safety net.
Two $750 payments went to millions of pensioners, carers, and others on income support.
Together, our actions saved 700,000 jobs.
We could do this because we entered this crisis from a position of economic strength. We brought the Budget back to balance for the first time in 11 years and we maintained our AAA credit rating.
This gave us the fiscal firepower to respond when we needed it most.
Our economic response has come at a significant cost.
COVID-19 will see our deficit reach $213.7 billion this year, falling to $66.9 billion by 2023-24.
Net debt will increase to $703 billion or 36 per cent of GDP this year and peak at $966 billion or 44 per cent of GDP in June 2024.
This is a heavy burden, but a necessary one to responsibly deal with the greatest challenge of our time.
By comparison, Australia's net debt as a share of the economy will peak at half of that in the United Kingdom, around a third of that in the United States and around a quarter of that in Japan today.
Australia's economy contracted by seven per cent in the June quarter. By comparison, there were falls of around 12 per cent in New Zealand, 14 per cent in France, and around 20 per cent in the United Kingdom.
The Australian economy is now fighting back.
More than half of those who lost their job are now back at work.
There remains a monumental task ahead.
But there is hope, and Australia is up to the task.
Tonight, we embark as a nation on the next phase of the journey—a journey to rebuild our economy and secure Australia's future.
Our plan will grow the economy.
Our plan will create jobs.
Our plan will guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on.
And we will do this without increasing taxes.
Our plan is guided by our values.
Our circumstances may have changed, but our values endure: providing a helping hand to those who need it; personal responsibility; reward for effort; the power of aspiration.
We owe it to the next generation to ensure a strong economy so that their lives are filled with the same opportunities and possibilities that we have enjoyed.
Tonight, I lay out the Morrison government's economic recovery plan to steer Australia through this crisis and build a better future.
JobMaker Hiring Credit
There is no economic recovery without a jobs recovery. There is no budget recovery without a jobs recovery.
This Budget is all about jobs.
Starting tonight, there will be a new JobMaker hiring credit to encourage businesses to hire younger Australians.
The JobMaker hiring credit will be payable for up to 12 months and immediately available to employers who hire those on JobSeeker aged 16 to 35.
It will be paid at the rate of $200 per week for those aged under 30, and $100 per week for those aged 30-35.
New hires must work for at least 20 hours a week.
All businesses, other than the major banks, will be eligible.
Treasury estimates that this will support around 450,000 jobs for young people.
Having a job means more than having an income.
It means economic security.
It means independence.
It means opportunity.
And we can't let this COVID recession take that away.
Record investments in skills and training
Mr Speaker, this Budget is making a record investment in upskilling and reskilling Australians.
We have established the $1 billion JobTrainer fund to create up to 340,000 free or low cost training places for school leavers and job seekers.
We have also committed $2.8 billion to protect 180,000 apprenticeships and trainees.
Tonight, we go further.
We commit an additional $1.2 billion to create 100,000 new apprenticeships, with a 50 per cent wage subsidy for businesses who employ them.
In this Budget, to help Australians get a job we are funding:
50,000 new higher education short courses in agriculture, health, IT, science and teaching
12,000 new Commonwealth supported places for higher education in 2021
2,000 indigenous students through the Clontarf Foundation to complete Year 12 and pursue further education or find employment.
We are investing in regions across Australia to connect job seekers to local employment opportunities.
Including in Darwin, Townsville and Cairns in our north, through to Gippsland, Hobart and Adelaide in the south; from Perth in the west, and the Hunter in the east.
Tonight, we are also making important changes to our tax system to further encourage businesses and employees to retrain.
In a modern economy, workers and businesses need to adapt.
So should our tax system.
Backing hard working Australians
Mr Speaker, in last year's Budget we promised the Australian people tax relief so that they could keep more of what they earn.
We delivered.
Putting more money into the pockets of hard working Australians strengthened our economy and our ability to respond to this economic crisis.
Tonight we go further again.
More than 11 million taxpayers will get a tax cut backdated to 1 July this year.
Australians will have more of their own money to spend on what matters to them, generating billions of dollars of economic activity and 50,000 new jobs.
It will help local businesses to keep their doors open and hire more staff.
Lower and middle income earners will this year receive tax relief of up to $2,745 for singles, and up to $5,490 for dual income families compared with 2017-18.
We will achieve this by bringing forward Stage Two of our legislated tax cuts by two years, lifting the 19 per cent threshold from $37,000 to $45,000, and lifting the 32.5 per cent threshold from $90,000 to $120,000.
We will also retain the Low and Middle Income Tax Offset for an additional year.
As a proportion of tax payable compared to 2017-18, the greatest benefits will flow to those on lower incomes—with those earning $40,000 paying 20 per cent less tax, and those on $80,000 paying around 11 per cent less tax this year.
Under our changes, more than seven million Australians receive tax relief of $2,000 or more this year.
These expanded tax cuts are part of a major structural reform to our tax system that will see around 95 per cent of taxpayers face a marginal tax rate of no more than 30 cents in the dollar in 2024-25.
Under the coalition taxes will always be lower.
Kick-starting investment
Mr Speaker, eight out of every 10 jobs in Australia are in the private sector.
It is the engine of the Australian economy.
It needs a kick-start.
Building on the successful expansion of the Instant Asset Write Off during the COVID crisis, tonight we go further, announcing the largest set of investment incentives any Australian government has ever provided.
From tonight, over 99 per cent of businesses will be able to write off the full value of any eligible asset they purchase for their business.
This will be available for small, medium and larger businesses with a turnover of up to $5 billion until June 2022.
It is a game changer.
It will unlock investment.
It will dramatically expand the productive capacity of the nation and create tens of thousands of jobs.
A trucking company will be able to upgrade its fleet, a farmer will be able to purchase a new harvester and a food manufacturing business will be able to expand its production line.
This will boost the order books of the nation.
Small businesses will buy, sell, deliver, install, and maintain these purchases.
Every sector of our economy, every corner of our country, will benefit.
This is how we will get Australians back to work.
Through no fault of their own, millions of small and medium sized businesses have faced lockdowns and restrictions that have severely impacted their ability to trade.
COVID-19 has turned fundamentally good businesses into loss-making businesses.
Normally, businesses would have to return to profit before they can use these losses.
But these are not normal times.
In order to keep their workers, these businesses need our help now.
They cannot wait years for the tax system to catch up.
They need our help now.
So tonight I am announcing companies that have been doing it tough throughout this crisis will be able to use their losses earlier.
Losses incurred to June 2022 can be offset against prior profits made in or after the 2018-19 financial year.
The combination of the immediate expensing and loss carry-back measures will create an additional 50,000 jobs across the country.
Together with our reforms to insolvency and the provision of credit, we are giving Australian businesses their best chance to succeed and keep more Australians in work.
Women's economic security statement
Mr Speaker, Australian women made up the majority of those who lost their jobs during this crisis.
As the health restrictions have eased, these jobs have started to come back, with 60 per cent of the 458,000 jobs created since May filled by women.
But challenges remain.
We are determined to see female workforce participation reach its pre-COVID-19 record high.
This Budget includes our second Women's Economic Security Statement, with $240 million in measures and programs to support:
New cadetships and apprenticeships for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Job creation and entrepreneurialism, and
Women's safety at work and at home.
The 2020 Women's Economic Security Statement will create more opportunities and choices for women, not just for this recovery but for generations ahead.
Strengthening our recovery and building our capability
Mr Speaker, COVID-19 has reinforced the importance of Australia's sovereign manufacturing capability.
Almost overnight, resourceful Australian businesses adapted.
A reconfigured supply chain tripled mask production at a factory in Shepparton.
Production lines for sleep apnoea devices were converted to make ventilators in Western Sydney.
Gin distilleries became manufacturers of hand sanitiser across Tasmania.
And, tonight, we build on these strengths with a plan to ensure Australian manufacturing plays an even greater role in our economic recovery.
Our $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing plan will target six national manufacturing priorities:
food and beverage manufacturing
resources technology and critical minerals processing
medical products
recycling and clean energy
defence industry, and
space industry.
This plan is built on the JobMaker platform of enabling our manufacturing businesses to be globally competitive through cheaper and more reliable energy. Better skills and training. Lower taxes. Less red tape and more flexible workplaces.
Mr Speaker, Research and Development, the adoption of digital technology, and affordable and reliable energy will be critical to Australia's future economic prosperity.
In this Budget, we are providing $2 billion in additional Research and Development incentives – removing the cap on refunds, lifting the rate and rewarding those businesses that invest the most.
We are also providing:
$459 million in additional funding to the CSIRO
$1 billion for new research funding for our universities, backing our best and brightest minds whose ideas will help drive our recovery, and
$1.9 billion in new funding as part of our energy plan to support low emissions and renewable technologies, helping to lower emissions and address climate change.
We are also helping to unlock five key gas basins starting with the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory and the North Bowen and Galilee Basins in Queensland.
More gas at lower prices will support jobs in Australia's manufacturing sector.
Infrastructure investment to drive jobs
Mr Speaker, rebuilding our economy includes building more roads, more rail and more bridges.
In this Budget, we will expand our record 10 year infrastructure pipeline which is already supporting 100,000 jobs across worksites today.
Together with what we have announced since the start of this crisis, measures in this Budget will see $14 billion in new and accelerated infrastructure projects support a further 40,000 jobs.
This will boost productivity and deliver benefits to Australians.
This Budget will fund major projects across each state:
The Singleton Bypass and Bolivia Hill Upgrade in New South Wales
The upgrade of the Shepparton and Warrnambool Rail Lines in Victoria
The Coomera Connector in Queensland
The Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Network in Western Australia
The Main South Road Duplication in South Australia
The Tasman Bridge Upgrade in Tasmania
The Carpentaria Highway Upgrades in the Northern Territory, and
The Molonglo River Bridge in the Australian Capital Territory.
These and the many other projects we are funding will set Australia up for the future.
We know that building more infrastructure now means creating more jobs.
So tonight, we are also announcing a $2 billion investment in road safety upgrades to save Australian lives.
Funding for these shovel ready projects will be provided on a use it or lose it basis.
If a state drags its feet, another state will get the money.
We need works to start, not stall.
We are also expanding the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program, investing an additional $1 billion to support local councils immediate upgrades of local roads, footpaths, and street lighting.
These investments in our local communities will support local jobs.
Supporting the recovery in our regions
Mr Speaker, our regions have endured the most widespread natural disasters in decades.
Tonight's Budget includes a package of measures to create jobs and back regional Australia's economic recovery:
$2 billion in concessional loans to help farmers overcome the devastating drought
$350 million to support regional tourism to attract domestic visitors back to the regions and a further round of the Building Better Regions Fund, and
$317 million for Australian exporters to continue to access global supply chains, building on the 80,000 tonnes of exports we have already helped get to market.
Our regions cannot thrive without water.
This Government is building water infrastructure for the 21st Century to increase our water security, build resilience, deliver jobs and grow our agricultural sector.
We have already funded over 20 projects to supply billions of litres of water for productive use, with construction of the Emu Swamp dam currently underway.
In this Budget we have doubled our commitment to Wyangala and Dungowan dams with our investment totalling $567 million.
Tonight, we go further.
I announce $2 billion in new funding to build vital water infrastructure across the country as part of our national water grid, including dams, weirs, and pipelines.
This will support regional communities and regional jobs.
Protecting our environment
Mr Speaker, protecting our environment and this magnificent continent is our responsibility.
This Budget builds on the investments we made in last year's Budget with an additional $1.8 billion in funding for the environment.
Our investments reflect our commitments to help our wildlife recover from the Black Summer bushfires and to protect and enhance our unique natural environment.
We will undertake the biggest single investment in Australia's Commonwealth National Parks, injecting $233 million to upgrade facilities in Uluru, Kakadu, Christmas Island and Booderee National Park.
In this Budget we will also provide $67 million in further funding to protect our oceans by improving their health and restoring Australia's mangroves, tidal marshes, and sea grasses.
By recycling more waste we can also create jobs.
The Morrison Government is banning the export of plastic, paper, tyres, and glass waste.
In the words of the Prime Minister: 'it's our waste, it's our responsibility'.
This Budget will invest $250 million to modernise our recycling infrastructure, stop more than 600,000 tonnes of waste ending up in landfill and by doing so help to create a further 10,000 jobs.
Further investments to strengthen our resilience to natural disasters will be announced in our response to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.
Increasing home ownership & investing in affordable housing
Mr Speaker, tonight we help thousands more Australians achieve home ownership, and support thousands of jobs in the construction industry.
An additional 10,000 first home buyers will be able to purchase a new home sooner under our First Home Loan Deposit Scheme.
This builds on the 20,000 first home buyers we are helping to purchase a home this year with a deposit as low as 5 per cent under this Scheme.
In this Budget, we are also enabling an additional $1 billion of low cost finance to support the construction of affordable housing.
This takes the total concessional finance that has been made available to community housing providers to $3 billion.
It is in addition to the $4.6 billion a year we provide in rental assistance.
Tonight we are also investing $150 million in the Indigenous Home Ownership Program to construct new homes in regional areas, creating more jobs and helping hundreds of indigenous families buy their own home.
Guaranteeing the essential services
The COVID-19 crisis has confirmed how vital it is to have a strong economy that can continue to guarantee the delivery of essential services.
In this Budget, there is record funding for hospitals, schools, child care, aged care and disability services.
We are providing an additional $3.9 billion for the NDIS which is providing life-changing support to 400,000 Australians with a disability.
Every Australian can be confident that the NDIS will always be fully funded under a Coalition Government.
We have committed over $16 billion as part of the Government's ongoing health response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Securing millions of masks, gowns, goggles, and ventilators, we have worked with the States to significantly increase the capacity of Intensive Care Units across the country.
We have extended Medicare subsidised telehealth services, enabling more than 30 million consultations to occur since the crisis began.
We have secured access to more than 80 million doses of potential vaccines for COVID-19.
Mr Speaker, mental health and suicide prevention is a national priority.
My heart goes out to all those Australians - young and old - for whom COVID-19 has caused such pain.
My message tonight is that this House stands with you.
You are not alone.
Around 7 million Medicare subsidised mental health services have been delivered since March.
Tonight we are doubling the number of Medicare funded psychological services through the Better Access Initiative, from 10 to 20.
We are providing more funding for Lifeline, headspace, Beyond Blue and Kids Helpline.
We are providing support for more young Australians with a mental illness to help them participate in the workforce.
These initiatives bring our commitment to mental health support to $5.7 billion this year.
And this is not the last word.
In coming weeks, we will release the Productivity Commission's Mental Health final report and the interim report into suicide prevention commissioned by the Prime Minister.
These reports will guide our future actions, and working together with the states and the territories, we will save lives.
Mr Speaker, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) has provided access to critical medicines for all Australians.
We have delivered on our commitment to list all medicines recommended by the independent experts.
With more than 2,000 new and amended listings since we came to Government.
Tonight I am announcing the listing of Lynparza to help women with ovarian cancer.
Instead of costing more than $140,000 per course of treatment, patients will now have access to this medicine at $6.60 per script for concession card holders and around $41 per script for general patients.
This is what it means to have a strong economy. This is what it means to look after one's fellow Australians.
Mr Speaker, senior Australians have faced enormous challenges during COVID-19 including isolation and separation from their children, their grandchildren and their friends.
To support our Aged Pensioners, we provided $750 payments in April and July.
Tonight I announce that Aged Pensioners will receive an additional $250 payment from December and a further $250 payment from March next year.
Aged care is one of the greatest challenges that we face in delivering essential services to Australians.
During this crisis an additional $1.6 billion has already been provided to support the needs of Australians in aged care.
Next February, the Government will receive the final recommendations of the Royal Commission we established into Aged Care. In December of last year we committed an additional $537 million to immediately respond to the interim report.
The Government will provide a comprehensive response to the final recommendations following receipt of that report. This will involve significant additional investment.
But we will continue to take action now, as promised.
For senior Australians who want to keep living at home, tonight the Morrison Government announces our largest single increase of 23,000 additional home care packages, at a cost of $1.6 billion.
This brings the total to more than 180,000 places, three times the number of home care packages than when we came to Government. Ninety nine per cent of all those seeking an in-home aged care package now have access to some form of in-home support.
We're also investing more in this Budget to improve skills in the aged care workforce and provide additional dementia training and support.
But we know that there is more to be done.
Your future, your s uper
Mr Speaker, there is now $3 trillion in the superannuation accounts of Australians.
Too many Australians are paying too much in their superannuation fees.
At $30 billion a year, the superannuation fees Australians pay exceeds the cost of their household gas and electricity bills combined.
Australians today are paying $450 million a year in unnecessary fees as a result of 6 million multiple accounts.
Tonight I announce that new super accounts will no longer be automatically created every time a worker changes jobs.
Under our reforms, your super will now follow you.
Superannuation funds will be required to meet an annual performance test under the guidance of the prudential regulator.
Poor performing funds will have nowhere to hide and will be required to notify their members of their underperformance.
To help more Australians make an informed choice about who will manage their retirement savings, the Government will also establish an online comparison tool known as 'YourSuper'.
It will provide Australians with transparent and trusted information about fees and returns.
Over the next decade, the reforms announced tonight will reduce waste in the system and save Australian workers $17.9 billion – ensuring your super works better for you.
Keeping Australians safe
Mr Speaker, the coronavirus is a new and invisible enemy.
However, other threats to our security have not gone away.
Additional funding in this Budget will see a total $1.7 billion invested in our cyber-security plan to keep Australians safe and secure online.
A further $450 million is provided for our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to keep Australians safe from domestic and foreign threats.
We're also providing record funding for the Australian Defence Force as it continues to defend our interests abroad and come to our aid at home.
We saw them in action evacuating families stranded by the fires at Mallacoota, disposing of livestock that had fallen victim to flood in Julia Creek and conducting over 250,000 COVID tests across the country.
Our Defence Force is always there for us.
In this Budget we are bringing forward $1 billion in planned defence spending to support jobs as well as extending a range of health and employment programs for our veterans, helping them transition to civilian life.
Economic o utlook
Mr Speaker, the global economic environment remains uncertain with the impact of this crisis to be felt for many years to come.
In Australia, the economy is forecast to fall by 3.75 per cent this calendar year and unemployment to peak at 8 per cent in the December quarter.
Next calendar year, the economy is forecast to grow by 4.25 per cent, and unemployment to fall to 6.5 per cent by the June Quarter 2022.
Our economic and fiscal strategy sets out the path to grow the economy, stabilise debt, and then reduce it over time.
It has two phases.
First, it focuses on boosting consumer and business confidence, growing the economy and creating jobs.
Once the recovery has taken hold and the unemployment rate is on a clear path back to pre-crisis levels, comfortably below 6 per cent, we will move to the second phase where there is a deliberate shift from providing temporary and targeted support to stabilising gross and net debt as a share of the economy.
We will then rebuild our fiscal buffers, so that we can be prepared for the next economic shock.
More people in jobs means a stronger Budget position.
Conclusion
Mr Speaker, this year, Australia's circumstances have changed dramatically.
But Australians have not.
We are a hard-working, resilient, resourceful, and compassionate people.
Across this country, people are digging deep, banding together, and getting on with it.
The road to recovery will be hard - but there is hope.
The Morrison Government's message to all Australians is that we have your back.
We have a plan to rebuild our economy and to create more jobs.
Our JobMaker hiring credit will support nearly half a million young Australians in work.
Our record investment in skills and training will strengthen Australia's workforce.
Our manufacturing plan will support the recovery and build our sovereign capability.
Tax incentives will unleash a wave of investment across the country.
And tax cuts will put more money into the pockets of 11 million hard-working Australians and their families.
We are building the infrastructure we need for the future.
We are guaranteeing healthcare and the essential services that Australians rely on.
We are doing this by growing the Australian economy, not increasing taxes.
Together Australia will come back.
Together we will rebuild the economy and secure Australia's future.
I commend this bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.
BUDGET
Documents
Mr SUKKAR (Deakin—Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing) (20:15): For the information of honourable members I present the following documents in connection with the budget of 2020-21:
Budget strategy and outlook—Budget paper No. 1—2020-21.
Budget measures—Budget paper No. 2—2020-21.
Federal financial relations—Budget paper No. 3—2020-21.
Agency resourcing—Budget paper No. 4—2020-21.
Documents made parliamentary papers in accordance with the resolution agreed to on 28 March 2018.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS
Regional Australia
Mr SUKKAR (Deakin—Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing) (20:15): I present the following ministerial statement: Regional Australia—growing a strong and resilient regional Australia 2020-21.
BILLS
Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2020-2021
First Reading
Message from the Governor-General transmitting particulars of proposed expenditure and recommending appropriation announced.
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mr Sukkar.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mr SUKKAR (Deakin—Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing) (20:16): I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2020-2021, along with Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2020-2021 and Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2020-2021, are the budget appropriation bills for the remainder of this financial year.
This bill seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of approximately $14.9 billion. This broadly represents five-twelfths of the estimated 2020-21 annual appropriations and new measures. Together with Supply Act (No. 2) 2020-2021, this bill provides a full year of appropriations for purposes that are non-ordinary annual services of government for 2020-21, including capital works and services; payments for the states, territories and local government authorities; and funding for new administered outcomes not previously endorsed by the parliament.
This bill also includes a revised advance to the finance minister for $6 billion, as a part of the reset ceiling of $10 billion between bills 1 and 2. This is down from the total $40 billion that could be issued under previous AFM provisions and takes into consideration the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, allocations that have been made to date and the uncertainty around what may be required over the balance of 2020-21.
I will now outline very briefly the significant items provided for in the bill.
The Defence portfolio will receive nearly $8.5 billion to deliver on the government's commitments to improve defence capability, as set out in the 2016 Defence white paper, as well as the 2020 Force Structure Plan and 2020 Strategic Update.
The Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio will receive approximately $2.5 billion including for concessional loans to primary producers and related small businesses through the Regional Investment Corporation as part of the measure Drought Response, Resilience and Preparedness Plan—further support for farmers and communities in drought.
The Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications portfolio will receive approximately $1.4 billion, including funding for local councils and the state and territory governments to maintain and deliver social infrastructure, improve road safety and bolster the resilience of our local road network.
Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedules to the bill and the 2020-21 portfolio budget statements.
I commend this bill to the chamber.
Debate adjourned.
Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2020-2021
First Reading
Message from the Governor-General transmitting particulars of proposed expenditure and recommending appropriation announced.
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mr Sukkar.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mr SUKKAR (Deakin—Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing) (20:20): I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
The Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2020-2021 provides appropriations for 2020-21 for the operations of:
the Department of the Senate;
the Department of the House of Representatives;
the Department of Parliamentary Services; and
the Parliamentary Budget Office.
Together with Supply (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No. 1) 2020-2021, this bill provides appropriations for the expenditure of the parliamentary departments for the full year of 2020-21.
The most significant item in this bill is for the Department of Parliamentary Services, which will receive $83.4 million for the maintenance of the Australian Parliament House, and to support the functions of parliament and parliamentarians through the provision of professional services, advice and facilities.
Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedule to the bill and the 2020-21 portfolio budget statements.
I commend this bill to the chamber.
Debate adjourned.
House adjourned at 20:21
NOTICES
The following notices were given:
Mr McCormack to present a Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to Territories, and for related purposes. (Territories Legislation Amendment Bill 2020)
Mr Tehan to present a Bill for an Act to amend legislation in relation to export market development grants, and for related purposes. (Export Market Development Grants Legislation Amendment Bill 2020)
Mr Sukkar to present a Bill for an Act to amend the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Act 2020, and for related purposes. (Economic Recovery Package (JobMaker Hiring Credit) Amendment Bill 2020)
Mr Sukkar to move:
That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Proposed fit-out of new leased premises—Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment at Block 34, Section 26, Canberra City.
Ms Hammond to move:
That this House:
(1) notes the longevity of the 'Australian Made, Australian Grown' logo since its creation more than 30 years ago as Australia's most trusted, recognised and widely used country of origin symbol to promote authentic Australian brands all around the world;
(2) commends the Government for providing the Australian Made Campaign Ltd, the not for profit public company which administers the logo, with $5 million to promote the logo in key export markets as well as establishing trademark registration in the United Kingdom, the European Union and Canada;
(3) further commends the Government for its $5 million investment in the 'Go Local First' campaign, which is run by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia and is encouraging all Australians to promote and support our local small and family businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic; and
(4) encourages all Australians to recognise the importance of local industry, manufacturers, producers, and businesses to our economy, and the quality of Australian made products and Australian grown produce.
Ms Bell to move:
That this House:
(1) recognises the passing of Don Burrows AO MBE on 12 March 2020, especially noting his:
(a) lifetime contribution to the Australian music industry; and
(b) contribution to music education and indigenous communities; and
(2) further recognises the:
(a) contribution that creative arts and culture make to Australian society; and
(b) impact of COVID-19 on the creative arts sector.
Mr Young to move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the renewed interest, both in Australia and overseas markets, in Australian-made products in the wake of the global pandemic;
(2) recognises that:
(a) Australian made products have a reputation for quality and value;
(b) the changing global marketplace creates new opportunities for Australian manufacturers;
(c) the Government has committed $5 million over the next four years to promote 'Australian Made' and expand its reach overseas; and
(d) buying Australian Made supports local manufacturing businesses and local jobs; and
(3) encourages all Australians to buy Australian Made where possible to support our local businesses as part of the national economic recovery.
Mrs McIntosh to move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the role that Australian manufacturing businesses continue to play in ensuring our nation has vital supplies, including food and personal protective equipment, especially during the pandemic when global supply chains were disrupted;
(2) recognises that a vibrant manufacturing sector is important for our economic security; and
(3) congratulates Australian manufacturing businesses on their ongoing efforts to adapt to the current circumstances, keep people in jobs, support local supply chains and contribute to our national economic recovery.
Mr Stevens to move:
That this House:
(1) recognises the opportunities for Australian businesses, especially our advanced manufacturers, in the growing Australian space industry;
(2) acknowledges that the Government has:
(a) set a goal of tripling the size of the space sector to $12 billion by 2030;
(b) established the Australian Space Agency to drive the sector forward; and
(c) recently commenced ground works on the new Space Discovery Centre at Lot 14 in Adelaide, which will engage and educate on our next generation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics leaders; and
(3) welcomes the Government's opening of Supply Chain Capability Improvement grants that will enable Australian businesses to become part of international space supply chain and have a role in NASA's Moon to Mars mission.
Ms Stanley to move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges south-western Sydney:
(a) is one of the key contributors to economic growth in the Australian economy;
(b) is in need of investment to support jobs and growth;
(c) is home to diverse and endangered species;
(d) has a population of approximately 700,000, which is over 9 per cent of the NSW population; and
(e) provides over $30 billion in gross regional product to the NSW economy;
(2) notes that south-west Sydney is chronically underfunded and under-resourced in the following areas:
(a) road infrastructure and public transport;
(b) hospitals and health services;
(c) communications services; and
(d) schools and universities;
(3) acknowledges that investment in south-west Sydney is required to support jobs creation; and
(4) calls on the Government to provide the necessary support to:
(a) encourage business growth;
(b) encourage jobs growth; and
(c) build infrastructure to sustain growth.
Ms Sharkie to present a Bill for an Act to amend the law in relation to financial transparency in the aged care sector, and for related purposes. (Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Financial Transparency) Bill 2020 [No. 2])
Mr Wallace to move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) 10 October 2020 was World Mental Health Day;
(b) World Mental Health Day aims to raise awareness of mental health issues worldwide and to encourage action to promote better mental health; and
(c) this year's theme for World Mental Health Day is 'Greater Investment–Greater Access. Everyone, everywhere';
(2) further notes that:
(a) 45 per cent of Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime;
(b) 3.8 million Australians live with a mental illness while 65 per cent of all GP presentations are for mental health issues;
(c) 54 per cent of people with mental illness do not access any treatment; and
(d) levels of anxiety, social isolation, and emotional distress have increased significantly worldwide during this year's global health emergency;
(3) welcomes the Government's additional investment of more than $500 million in mental health services during the COVID‑19 pandemic; and
(4) commends Mental Illness Fellowship Australia for their work supporting the mental health of more than 20,000 Australians each year.
Ms Flint to move:
That this House:
(1) recognises that 120,000 Australians live with type 1 diabetes, and:
(a) the cause of the disease is unknown; and
(b) the majority of people with the condition are diagnosed before they are 19 years of age;
(2) acknowledges the many Australian families raising children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and the incredible efforts they make to support their loved ones;
(3) supports the important work of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in raising awareness and funds for vital research and prevention of the disease, which includes $152 million invested in Australian research to date; and
(4) notes that:
(a) 1 October 2020 marked the beginning of the JDRF One Walk Step Challenge, encouraging participants to raise funds by walking 120,000 steps in October for the 120,000 Australians living with the disease; and
(b) 14 November 2020 is World Diabetes Day, promoting the role of nurses in the prevention and management of diabetes.