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senate vote 2024-02-29#1
Edited by
mackay staff
on
2025-03-06 15:01:44
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Title
Committees — Selection of Bills Committee; Report- Committees - Selection of Bills Committee; Report - Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Legislation Amendment (Safety and Other Measures) Bill 2024, Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Amendment Bill 2024
Description
<p class="speaker">Anne Urquhart</p><p>I present the second report of 2024 of the Selection of Bills Committee. I seek leave to have the report incorporated in <i>Hansard</i>.</p><p>Leave granted.</p><p class="italic"> <i>The report read as follows—</i></p><p class="italic">SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE</p><p class="italic">REPORT NO. 2 OF 2024</p><p class="italic"> <i>29 February 2024</i></p><p class="italic">MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE</p><p class="italic">Senator Anne Urquhart (Government Whip, Chair)</p><p class="italic">Senator Wendy Askew (Opposition Whip)</p><p class="italic">Senator Ross Cadell (The Nationals Whip)</p><p class="italic">Senator Pauline Hanson (Pauline Hanson's One Nation Whip)</p><p class="italic">Senator Nick McKim (Australian Greens Whip)</p><p class="italic">Senator Ralph Babet</p><p class="italic">Senator the Hon. Anthony Chisholm</p><p class="italic">Senator the Hon. Katy Gallagher</p><p class="italic">Senator Matt O'Sullivan</p><p class="italic">Senator David Pocock</p><p class="italic">Senator Paul Scarr</p><p class="italic">Senator Lidia Thorpe</p><p class="italic">Senator Tammy Tyrrell</p><p class="italic">Senator David Van</p><p class="italic">Secretary: Tim Bryant</p><p class="italic">02 6277 3020</p><p class="italic">1. The committee met in private session on Wednesday, 28 February 2024 at 7.13 pm.</p><p class="italic">2. The committee recommends that—</p><p class="italic">(a) the <i>provisions </i>of the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Fair Go for Consumers and Small Business) Bill 2024 be <i>referred immediately </i>to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 15 March 2024 (see appendix 1 for a statement of reasons for referral);</p><p class="italic">(b) the Crimes Amendment (Strengthening the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Violence) Bill 2024 be <i>referred immediately </i>to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 24 April 2024 (see appendix 2 for a statement of reasons for referral);</p><p class="italic">(c) the Fair Work Amendment (Right to Disconnect) Bill 2023 [No. 2] be <i>referred immediately </i>to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 14 March 2024; and</p><p class="italic">(d) the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Military Invalidity Payments Means Testing) Bill 2024 be <i>referred immediately </i>to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 10 April 2024 (see appendix 3 for a statement of reasons for referral).</p><p class="italic">3. The committee recommends that the following bills <i>not </i>be referred to committees:</p><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><p class="italic">Treasury Laws Amendment (Foreign Investment) Bill 2024</p><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><p class="italic">4. The committee deferred consideration of the following bills to its next meeting:</p><ul></ul><ul></ul><p class="italic">Agriculture (Biosecurity Protection) Charges Bill 2024</p><p class="italic">Agriculture (Biosecurity Protection) Levies and Charges Collection Bill 2024</p><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><p class="italic">5. The committee considered the following bills but was unable to reach agreement:</p><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><ul></ul><p class="italic">(Anne Urquhart)</p><p class="italic">Chair</p><p class="italic">29 February 2024</p><p class="italic">Appendix 1</p><p class="italic">SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE</p><p class="italic">Proposal to refer a bill to a committee</p><p class="italic">Name of bill:</p><p class="italic">Competition and Consumer Amendment(Fair Go for Consumers and Small Business) Bill 2024</p><p class="italic">Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:</p><p class="italic">To allow for an enquiry into this Legislation.</p><p class="italic">Possible submissions or evidence from:</p><p class="italic">Interested parties and stakeholders.</p><p class="italic">Committee to which bill is to be referred:</p><p class="italic">Economics Legislation Committee</p><p class="italic">Possible hearing date(s):</p><p class="italic">March</p><p class="italic">Possible reporting date:</p><p class="italic">15 March 2024</p><p class="italic">(signed)</p><p class="italic">Wendy Askew</p><p class="italic">Appendix 2</p><p class="italic">SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE</p><p class="italic">Proposal to refer a bill to a committee</p><p class="italic">Name of bill:</p><p class="italic">Crimes Amendment (Strengthening the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Violence) Bill 2024</p><p class="italic">Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:</p><p class="italic">To address stakeholders concerns about the Bill and ensure thorough scrutiny.</p><p class="italic">Possible submissions or evidence from:</p><p class="italic">Interested parties and stakeholders.</p><p class="italic">Committee to which bill is to be referred:</p><p class="italic">Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee</p><p class="italic">Possible hearing date(s):</p><p class="italic">March and April</p><p class="italic">Possible reporting date:</p><p class="italic">24 April 2024</p><p class="italic">(signed)</p><p class="italic">Wendy Askew</p><p class="italic">Appendix 3</p><p class="italic">SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE</p><p class="italic">Proposal to refer a bill to a committee</p><p class="italic">Name of bill:</p><p class="italic">Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Military Invalidity Payments Means Testing) Bill 2024</p><p class="italic">Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration:</p><p class="italic">To allow for an enquiry into this Legislation.</p><p class="italic">Possible submissions or evidence from:</p><p class="italic">Interested parties and stakeholders.</p><p class="italic">Committee to which bill is to be referred:</p><p class="italic">Community Affairs Legislation Committee</p><p class="italic">Possible hearing date(s):</p><p class="italic">March</p><p class="italic">Possible reporting date:</p><p class="italic">10 April 2024</p><p class="italic">(signed)</p><p class="italic">Wendy Askew</p><p>I move:</p><p class="italic">That the report be adopted.</p> <p class="speaker">Nick McKim</p><p>I have circulated an amendment to the motion before the Senate, and I move that amendment:</p><p class="italic">At the end of the motion, add: "and:</p><p class="italic">(a) the provisions of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Legislation Amendment (Safety and Other Measures) Bill 2024 be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 8 May 2024; and</p><p class="italic">(b) the Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Amendment Bill 2024 be referred immediately to the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 14 March 2024".</p><p>I want to speak very briefly to part (a) of the Greens' amendment, as to the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Legislation Amendment (Safety and Other Measures) Bill 2024. That is an extremely benign-sounding piece of legislation, but what that legislation does is anything but benign. This is a desperate last-minute attempt by Labor to allow the minister to bypass environmental law when approving new offshore gas projects.</p><p>And why is Labor doing this? It's because they are run by the gas cartel in this country, and this is the big corporate gas giants of Australia reaching their power and influence into the heart of our democracy. I predict, very confidently, that the Labor and Liberal parties in this place will collude to vote down the Greens' amendment, and that is, of course, because the gas cartel donates massively to both the Labor and Liberal parties, and we all know that corporations do not give political donations for nothing. This is the institutionalised bribery of Australia's politics. Corporations don't give those massive multimillion-dollar donations for nothing. They expect outcomes. And you know what? Outcomes are exactly what they're going to get today, because the Greens' attempt to have this dangerous bill that erodes environmental protection for offshore gas projects in this country subject to a proper and rigorous scrutiny by a Senate inquiry is going to be voted down by the Coles and Woolworths of Australian politics today.</p><p>The changes contained in this legislation are undemocratic and they are dangerous. The planet is literally cooking, folks, and it is nothing short of a disgrace that the major parties in this place, in the middle of the climate of the earth breaking down around us, are still doing the bidding of the psychopaths who run the gas corporations in this country that are cooking the planet. It is an utter disgrace and shows that our democratic system is completely and utterly broken, and one of the things that is breaking our democratic system every day is the use of institutionalised bribery of political donations.</p><p>The changes in this legislation effectively hand the resources minister broad-ranging powers to reduce environmental protection and reduce consultation obligations, with no oversight from the environment minister. Now, the pro-gas expansion amendments to this largely unrelated bill about protecting workers' rights have been delivered by the Labor Party operating on behalf of the gas cartel. This, of course, sets Minister King on a collision course with environment minister Plibersek, who has promised to fix Australia's broken environment protection laws. Where are those reforms? We are entitled to ask—they are well overdue, and it's about time we started putting on the record that we are heading towards a massive broken promise from environment minister Plibersek and the Labor Party, who went to the last election pledging to fix EPBC and to date have done precisely nothing to do that.</p><p>Of course, this is all about the gas cartel. This is all about the Liberal Party and the Labor Party delivering for their political donors. This is all about the giant gas corporations who are cooking this planet, breaking our democratic system and getting outcomes for the political donations that they made. Senator Chisholm knows that, because he has come from the gas sector. Senator Duniam knows that. We all know what's going on here. The fix is in, ladies and gentlemen, and in a minute, after my colleague Senator Cox makes a contribution to this debate, we are going to see proof positive that it is actually the gas cartel that runs this chamber, not the Labor or Liberal parties.</p> <p class="speaker">Dorinda Cox</p><p>Thanks to my esteemed colleague Senator McKim, who is always ever so articulate in the way he puts things—that's why we know he has a particular swag about him. But what an absolute farce that this government is hiding such a large shift—a shift of power—in an offshore-worker safety bill. This government has tried to play it off like it's nothing. They've downplayed it. They're trying to say: 'There's nothing to see here. It's not going to do what you think it is going to do'—those are the words of the resources minister Madeleine King, from the other place. They're stitching up that deal, as Senator McKim just said, without any scrutiny to the detail. They're putting a very significant change in this bill which essentially is such an important issue. I do not see this government engaging in the offshore-worker safety field, and they know how important it is to protect offshore-worker safety. We've had many instances, particularly in my home state of Western Australia, with offshore gas rigs and worker safety. This government, and their friends over the aisle there who they're holding hands with today on this, want to make sure that this bill is about fast-tracking the environmental approvals in schedule 2 part 2 in this bill. They don't want that to be scrutinised in this place, the house of review. They don't want that to be scrutinised at all.</p><p>There is absolutely no reason for this, and I'll tell you why there's no reason. I met with Minister King, the Minister for Resources, yesterday as part of our quarterly meetings. I asked her to explain to me why it is so important to ram this through after an FOI revealed a letter from Santos's CEO, Kevin Gallagher, asking the minister to make sure that those approvals that they're having so many issues with are watered down—'issues' like asking First Nations people for permission, for free, prior and informed consent to drill in Commonwealth waters for offshore gas to export for their bottom line. It is not for the Australian public, because we know PRRT is broken. These guys want to hold hands over that. They want to make sure that there is no scrutiny.</p><p>Minister King stood in the other place yesterday during question time and said, 'It'll do the same thing your bill will do,' to the Greens member for Brisbane, Stephen Bates. It will not do the same thing our bill will do. Our bill is giving voice to First Nations people. It will make sure that we get free, prior and informed consent. It will make sure First Nations people are included as relevant people. That's the loophole in the legislation for the offshore petroleum regulations and in the act, and Minister King does not want to admit that.</p><p>The absolute irony of this is that before the ice age there was First Nations cultural heritage on that land, but it's now under water because those seas rose. And the Minister for Resources, as the only approver, goes out, under NOPTA and offshore leases, on junkets overseas with a begging bowl to Japan and Korea and tells them, 'Please, give Australian money.' It's an embarrassment for offshore regs to be watered down for environmental approvals and also for silencing the voices of First Nations people.</p><p>I asked the minister yesterday, 'Were the names Tipakalippa and Cooper included on the consultation review that this government is undertaking, which means they weren't included on the list of the 200 people?' 'We're trying to find a blackfella to sign off on them. We're going to put them on the website and say we're doing consultation.' How about the Closing the Gap target about digital access? How about that, government? We know that First Nations people don't have adequate digital access, but you ram it onto your website and say: 'Let's fast-track this. Let's make sure they aren't able to have their say.' This is a government that said it wanted a voice to parliament. How ridiculous—the hypocrisy of saying that when now they want to silence our voices in this bill.</p> <p class='motion-notice motion-notice-truncated'>Long debate text truncated.</p>-
- The majority voted against an [amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2024-02-29.13.2) introduced by Tasmanian Senator [Nick McKim](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/tasmania/nick_mckim) (Greens), which means it was unsuccessful.
- ### Amendment text
- > *At the end of the motion, add: "and:*
- >
- >> *(a) the provisions of the [Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Legislation Amendment (Safety and Other Measures) Bill 2024](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Fbillhome%2Fr7149%22) be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 8 May 2024; and*
- >>
- >> *(b) the [Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Amendment Bill 2024](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=s1408) be referred immediately to the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 14 March 2024".*
- ### Original motion
- > *That the report be adopted.*
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