Division Description Changes — Bills — Home Affairs and Integrity Agencies Legislation Amendment Bill 2017; Second Reading — 9th May 2018

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senate vote 2018-05-09#3

Edited by mackay staff

on 2018-05-31 12:03:36

Title

  • Bills — Home Affairs and Integrity Agencies Legislation Amendment Bill 2017; Second Reading
  • Home Affairs and Integrity Agencies Legislation Amendment Bill 2017 - Second Reading - Agree with the bill's main idea

Description

  • <p class="speaker">Mitch Fifield</p>
  • <p>I thank colleagues for their contributions to the debate on the Home Affairs and Integrity Agencies Legislation Amendment Bill 2017. As the Prime Minister announced in July 2017, the establishment of the Home Affairs portfolio is part of the most significant reforms to Australia's national intelligence and domestic security arrangements in decades. It is complemented by a strengthened role for the Attorney-General in oversighting our intelligence, security and law enforcement agencies. As the Prime Minister said when introducing the bill in December last year:</p>
  • <p class="italic">We must ensure Australians have confidence in the scrutiny and oversight of our intelligence agencies.</p>
  • The majority voted to support the [main idea](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd1718a/18bd067#_Toc504660817) of [the bill](http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/r6016). In parliamentary jargon, they voted to read the bill [for a second time](https://www.peo.gov.au/learning/fact-sheets/making-a-law.html), meaning that they can now discuss the bill in more detail.
  • ### What is the bill's main idea?
  • The [bills digest](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd1718a/18bd067) explains that:
  • > *On 18 July 2017, the Prime Minister announced that the Government would establish a Home Affairs portfolio that will bring together Australia’s immigration, border protection, law enforcement and domestic security agencies in a single portfolio. Australian governments had previously considered but rejected the establishment of something similar to the US Department of Homeland Security or the UK Home Office on several occasions since the early 2000s. The new portfolio will be ‘modelled loosely’ on the UK’s arrangements, comprising a central department responsible for policy and strategic planning and several agencies that will retain their statutory independence.*
  • <p class="italic">Security and integrity go hand in hand, each enables the other.</p>
  • <p>Colleagues have well canvassed the key elements of the bill in this place and the other, so I'll simply commend the bill to the Senate.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">Barry O&#39;Sullivan</p>
  • <p>The question is that the bill be now read a second time.</p>