2002-11-114013REPS857702002-11-11—————The SPEAKER (Mr Neil Andrew) took the chair at 12.30 p.m., and read prayers.Committees85778577857712:30:008577Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE9V5SturtLP10—On behalf of the Standing Committee on Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, I present the committee's report entitled Connecting Australia!—Wireless broadband, together with the minutes of proceedings.Ordered that the report be printed.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—This unanimous report reflects seven months of intense work involving eight public hearings at major Australian cities, several private briefings by officers of government agencies, and the consideration of 60 submissions from the public. These submissions covered a broad range of views. They included industry participants such as Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Alcatel, ArrayComm Inc., Motorola, Cisco Systems, Nortel, Integrity Data Systems, SR Telecom, m.Net Corporation, Ericsson Australia, AirNet, and Soul Pattinson Telecommunications. They also included community radio groups like Melbourne Wireless and others.We heard also from educational bodies like the Western Australian Department of Education, and the Australian Information and Communications Technology in Education Committee. In addition, we took into account submissions from state, territory and local governments, as well as university researchers. We heard from organisations representing the hearing impaired, including the Australian Association of the Deaf and the Australian Communication Exchange. We also heard from industry commentators and, of course, the Australian Communications Authority. To all of our submitters, we say thank you. We also thank the many people who addressed us at the public hearings.Our report addresses each of the terms of reference that were set by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts when he first suggested the committee initiate an inquiry into wireless broadband technologies. That was in April this year. So, in tabling today, members will appreciate that the committee has moved speedily to bring down this report. I want to thank members and the committee secretariat for their cooperation in this regard. The committee's 14 recommendations are aimed at improving the take-up of wireless broadband in Australia, especially in regional areas.The conclusion reached by the committee is that the solution to the last mile service involves a mix of technologies, both wire line and wireless. Clearly, however, for regional and remote Australia, where wire line solutions are not economically viable in the short to medium term, the last mile problem could be addressed by a variety of wireless techniques. Two possibilities are Nortel's CDMA2000 and Lucent's 450 MHz CDMA. The committee appreciate that spectrum availability for 400-500 MHz is a problem and so we recommend that the ACA consider allocating spectrum in this range for CDMA-450 on an experimental basis.Further, a possible way of bringing broadband services to remote areas involves the use of analog TV bands which will not be employed in the future for digital television services in Australia. These TV bands are able to provide long-distance services without the need for expensive infrastructure. They are to be abandoned at the completion of the analog-digital simulcasts, which will occur in 2008 in urban Australia and somewhat later in regional Australia. Some of the bands are available now in certain areas. Several groups are working on developing technologies for these low-frequency bands, including the ANU BushLAN group, Baltech Pty Ltd and ntl, with its Bushnet proposal. The committee recommends that the ACA and the ABA develop a scheme to allow the trial use of unallocated TV channels for rural wireless broadband links with a view to such spectrum being made available if the trials are successful. This has the potential to provide a uniquely Australian solution to the worldwide problem of long-distance last mile Internet provision.Inexpensive wireless technologies such as these longer wavelength technologies and 802.11—WiFi—could be used to `pull' broadband 3G wireless and wire line infrastructure to customers by creating the business case for broadband. In this way, a cheap wireless rollout could later be followed by a wire line rollout providing additional or better services. For both urban and regional Australia, the most exciting technology for wireless broadband is 802.11. The elimination of a carrier licence on the ISM bands for both commercial and non-commercial operation would be a simple regulatory change which would unleash its potential, and we recommend that this be done. For those areas of Australia where DSL or other broadband wire line connections are not yet in place, the committee recommend that the ACA should consider raising the power limits on the ISM bands to the equipment's rated values. This should encourage the wider availability of broadband services. In view of the interest that these changes may evoke in the community, the committee recommend that the ACA provide educational services to interested parties, whether they be carriers or non-carriers. We also recommend that training programs be developed for prospective wireless operators in relation to the wireless market and to customer requirements. In the event that these measures lead to much greater use of 802.11 equipment, they may result in co-channel interference and hence the need for a conflict resolution service of some kind to be offered by the ACA. That is another recommendation made by the committee.Should an organisation using 802.11 establish a business case in a certain area, then a profitable company operating on the ISM band could be given the opportunity to move to licensed spectrum. This may be, for example, a mechanism to prove a 3G business model. We recommend that the ACA and the ABA develop procedures to facilitate the migration of wireless activities from ISM bands to adjacent licensed spectrum by streamlining equipment qualification procedures.Greater use of the ISM bands increases the possibility that someone might attempt to use them for illegal activities. The committee consider that the ISM band should be treated in the same manner as all other telecommunications with respect to its capability for interception by the police. Therefore we recommend that a standing bureau or a working party be established to maintain a watching brief on the potential for WiFi and other ISM networks to be used for illegal activities.In order to facilitate the provision of Internet services by small wireless service providers, the committee recommends that the ACA and ACCC develop a mechanism to enable such providers to negotiate wholesale prices for Internet backbone connections. This is particularly important for the delivery of broadband services in areas where DSL/wireline broadband connections do not yet exist. The committee considers that impediments to the interoperation of wireless ISPs and their access to the Internet backbone should be removed.The committee noted concern about the nature of spectrum licensing procedures. Some witnesses were worried that the cost of spectrum licences is excluding small players and that services are not being provided to non-profitable regions that are under a spectrum licence covering a more profitable urbanised area. Some spectrum allocations have not been utilised owing to the fact that the profitability of the business operation on that spectrum does not justify the price of the spectrum licence in the first place. We therefore call on the ACA and the ABA to establish a spectrum bureau to examine these issues, including considering regionally adjusted spectrum auction reserve prices and financing terms.Some submitters expressed serious concern about the tenure of spectrum licences. The committee recommends that the ACA consider improving the system of licence renewal. Given the trend toward closer convergence of broadcasting, telecommunications and information technology issues, the committee calls upon the government to consider replacing the existing regulatory bodies with one central regulator. The committee strongly believes that the benefits of new wireless broadband technology should flow to everyone in the Australian community. In order that the hearing impaired are not excluded, the government may need to provide some specific encouragement to the industry to take their needs into account; and we recommend accordingly. Wireless broadband has an important role to play in extending the reach of broadband services within Australia, but there is no one particular technology that can solve all of our telecommunications problems. A mix of technologies will be required. The market should be permitted to determine, over time, which ones best suit particular applications. The government should maintain a general regulatory policy of technology neutrality—not favouring any particular technology, whether it be wireless or wire line. Within this overall setting, it is desirable for specific measures to be implemented to improve the understanding and takeup of wireless broadband. I believe the committee's recommendations, if adopted by the government, will go a long way toward achieving this desirable end.On another note altogether, I welcome the member for Adelaide back to the House. It is a pleasure to have her back again.12:41:008579Hatton, Michael, MPMr HATTONLN6BlaxlandALP00—I concur particularly with the last remark made by the member for Sturt, the Chair of the Standing Committee on Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. I fully endorse everything that has been said by him with respect to the findings of committee and also the processes which we undertook.An important element to underline is the fact that, in every one of the 14 recommendations put forward by the committee, the decision was unanimous. As well as being unanimous in its recommendations, this was a committee that worked extremely well throughout its entire period of operation. It was a very quick span of time within which to put a report together. It is an excellent example of how the parliament can work cross-party as a useful tool for the community at large, almost as a fulcrum between the community and the government. It is very important to note, firstly, that that process can work as well as it did, and it did so because of the openness of the members on the committee to look at a completely new and challenging area. Most of the matters we dealt with were entirely new to just about everyone on the committee. The matters were quite complex and technical and people were open to looking at them afresh. Secondly, the secretariat did—as all of our parliamentary committee secretariats do—an enormous job of organising the committee's basic work. Thirdly, the intensity brought by the people giving evidence, and their genuine fervour for this area, helped to enliven the process. There was terrific communciation between those who gave evidence, the members of the committee and the committee support staff. It is a fabulous example, in an area that is challenging and exciting. It is challenging and exciting because it goes to the core of some of the great challenges that face Australia at the moment. We have always had the key problem of the tyranny of distance. The overland telegraph helped to overcome that, lessening the distance between Australia and the rest of the world. We know that broadband communications and the use of Internet technologies can further shrink the distance between Australia and our overseas markets, in particular as we enter a period of economic change. It has really been going on for more than a century, but it is increasingly taking up pace and direction, and that is moving towards selling knowledge goods rather than just selling physical goods. Australia has had a tremendous history of investing our intellectual capital in improving the way we do things in areas of economic activity. However, we have also had a history where a lot of that has been lacking and we have not got as much out of it as we could have. This new area is one where we can take our whole range of capacities and create an Australia that is knitted together more effectively.The core reason that this committee's investigations are important is that broadband has not yet been taken up broadly within Australia. That is the point that we started from. We said that here is an enabling technology—one that can bring Australian people closer together, one that can make our economy work domestically much more effectively and one that can give us a platform of connectivity to the rest of the world to enable us to expand our exporting capacity—but it is one that is not yet working properly in the wired area. So we looked at why that was the case and we looked at the possibilities in the wireless area that would allow a better conjunction of the use of broadband. We found that it was apparent that: (1) you need a cluster of different technical and technological approaches to meet Australia's communication needs, and that developing that cluster is very important; and (2) the price point is probably the key factor determining why we have not had a great uptake of broadband in Australia, and it is one key thing we need to drive towards in the future. On top of that, the next two to five years will probably be the greatest for prospectivity, hope and movement we have seen in wireless broadband. Accordingly, this particular report occurs at a time when the future is opening up in the wireless broadband area. We are happy to have received the evidence we had and to have been able to present a report as strong, well developed and thoughtful as this. I commend the report to the House.12:47:008580Pearce, Christopher, MPMr PEARCEA8WAstonLP10—Firstly, I support the remarks made by the member for Sturt and the member for Blaxland. In making my remarks today about the report of the Standing Committee on Communications, Information Technology and the Arts titled Connecting Australia!—Wireless broadband,I would like to set the scene by touching firstly on the broad area of technology and its value to our society. The Internet has changed the way we live. It has provided people from all walks of life with a true window to the world right from their own lounge room. As we have seen in many areas of technological development, such as television, the video recorder, the compact disc player, the mobile telephone and many more newer inventions, Australians love to embrace new technology. We are seeing this trend yet again with the Internet as Australians increasingly become more and more comfortable with it. We now find that many Australians are frequently utilising it in a myriad of ways on a day-to-day basis—in fact, on an hour-to-hour basis and a minute-to-minute basis.According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics and many industry analysts, in Australia today, with a population of some 19.7 million people and over 7½ million homes, we have over 4½ million homes with a computer and over 3.6 million Internet-ready households. Of these, there are an estimated 300,000 broadband-enabled households. This means that every second house in Australia has the Internet and that Australia is very well placed to further leverage and maximise the opportunities that come from technological innovation and, in particular, from broadband.There is often confusion, complexity and, indeed, an element of mystery surrounding the area of technology when one starts to talk about it. This confusion is more real than ever when you get into the area of broadband. Quite simply, broadband is nothing more than the term given to a service that provides quick access to information—it is like having an express checkout lane to the Internet. When we talk about wireless broadband, it is simply accessing information quickly while being mobile; in others words, not being plugged into or hamstrung by a hole in the wall that we typically use for other media services.The presence of broadband itself has significantly increased in Australia in recent times. However, despite the recent growth, there remains discussion around the key areas of broadband price, access, use and, indeed, need. The committee's report will be a valuable vehicle for further discussion around these issues and for the progression of several new initiatives for this important area.As we have heard, the report is the result of over six months work by the committee members and the committee secretariat. The committee received 60 submissions during the inquiry. What is particularly worth noting is the diverse array of people and organisations that made submissions. For example, submissions were received from private individuals with a keen interest in this area through to some of Australia's major corporations. As a result, the committee was provided with a broad range of representations that has led, I believe, to an objective and technologically non-biased report that will prove useful in furthering the debate around this important initiative. The report puts forward a total of 14 recommendations. Importantly, in chapter 8 of the report there is discussion on the trends affecting wireless broadband into the future: trends like the convergence of telecommunications, IT and broadcasting—that worldwide trend that is converging those three areas into the broad area of ICT. Technology and how Australia embraces it and maximises it is a key plank to our future. Broadband, both wire lined and wireless, are a fundamental part of this. I commend the report to the House. (Time expired)12:52:008581Grierson, Sharon, MPMs GRIERSON00AMPNewcastleALP00—Like my colleagues, I am very pleased to be part of presenting the Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Standing Committee report Connecting Australia!—Wireless broadband to parliament. The inquiry conducted by our committee was particularly worth while and very informative. The provision of wireless broadband is a complex area of new technologies, and much technical analysis of the present options being introduced and trialed in Australia was required. The report gives an excellent overview of these technologies and, for someone like me who was not aware of them, it is a wonderful text in its own way. It also explores the flexibility and mobility which will be required more and more in communications and information in this current information age. Obviously the use of wireless communications will increase.The report takes the view that government should not attempt to dictate the type of technology used to implement wireless broadband in Australia, recommending instead that government adopt a technology neutral approach. That position is obviously supported by all the committee and is strongly recommended given the wonderful initiatives being taken. However, it is difficult for the CIT industry to address the other issues such as equity and affordability in access, or accelerating uptake and encouraging regional and rural initiatives. The report goes a long way in making recommendations that, should they be adopted by government, will certainly assist in those very important areas.Particular analysis of the last mile, taking wireless broadband to remote and isolated areas where cost and access are more difficult, has been a major feature of the inquiry and I congratulate all that have been involved in it. I join the member for Blaxland in acknowledging the benefit of the report and the work of all who contributed to this report. I also congratulate the participants and the many people who willingly made submissions to the inquiry, who shared their expertise and experiences and expressed their views and advice in a frank and honest way. The report is obviously much improved because of the quality of that input. The report's recommendations give good guidance on options and ways forward. The chairman, the member for Sturt, covered those technical recommendations particularly well.The report cannot cover all the issues, but it has played a most important role in highlighting other areas that need to be looked at in future and what an incredible area this will be for government in the challenges that lie ahead. The report makes recommendations on the needs of the disabled community, particularly hearing impaired people, which need careful attention. Due to its size, the market will not attract much attention from commercial providers, but it is absolutely essential that government finds ways to assist the take up of modern technology that is mobile, flexible and attractive, particularly to young people with disabilities. Equitable and affordable access in regional and rural Australia is something that we are all very aware of and the report goes some way to doing something about it. The report highlights—and I congratulate the regional presenters—problems in regional Australia and will assist regional areas, should the recommendations be followed. E-business is ready to assist in rural places and, should the report be adopted, will be encouraged to do so. Arising from the information we gained, another area the government may look at in future reports and inquiries is the amazing application of wireless broadband to transport. Being part of the committee, we realised the opportunities for the use of this technology in the transport industry. Finally, I point out that there is much more to be done in encouraging the take up of this sort of technology. One of the saddest submissions—and I have had it in other committees as well—has been the Ericsson experience, which demonstrates just how important it is for us to assist companies which are willing to buy into this area. We certainly need to look at e-education, e-medicine and e-transport, which I talked about before, to make our market more reactive to the needs of this industry. I register my appreciation to the chairman, the member for Sturt, for his inclusive and encouraging manner in conducting this inquiry. I commend the report to the parliament for its consideration.12:57:008582Hatton, Michael, MPMr HATTONLN6BlaxlandALP00—I am happy to begin my second innings, having bowled myself out in the first one, but I have only five minutes to go. I want to thank Brendan Egan, who assisted the committee so well during the early part of the hearings before he took up a job at Austrade. Given that we had a report to write and Brendan was not readily to hand—although he provided a summary of where we might go— invaluable assistance came to us from Professor Harris and Dr Borg, who gave unbiased evidence to the committee. We thank them for their work in preparing the report for us and putting a great deal of meat on the bones of that report. They did a tremendous job in an extremely difficult area.As with most reports, we hope that we will get a bit of a run with regard to this report, Connecting Australia!—Wireless broadband. We know that people will have a bit of a look at the executive summary and we hope that they will look at the recommendations, which are extremely strong. When that happens, what will come out of it will possibly be a very human story, one which struck us very strongly while we were hearing the evidence. It relates to recommendation 12, which recommends the Commonwealth develop the means to provide hearing impaired people with mobile telephones compatible with hearing aids, portable wireless devices that can communicate through the National Relay Service and appropriately adapted video compression and transmission technology for video communication using sign language.Every member of the committee who heard the evidence of hearing impaired people was tremendously impressed: one, with their capacity and fluency; two, with the real problems that they try to overcome and the fact that they bear an enormous cost relative to the costs that other people face. Telstra could go a long way to helping these people by looking at the current charge mechanisms. New technologies such as this offer much increased and better access for people who are hearing impaired, particularly if their first language is a spoken language. For the hearing impaired whose first language is sign language, this report is an indication that we can assist them in communicating fluently, effectively and cogently and in arguing extremely strongly, effectively, theatrically and dramatically within the community.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—Order! The honourable member for Blaxland's dexterity may have been challenged in saying that he bowled himself out. In this case—I think it may be topical—he has been caught by the standing orders because the time allotted for statements has expired. Does the member for Sturt wish to move a motion in connection with the report to enable it to be debated on a future occasion?Mr PYNE (Sturt) (1.00 p.m.)—I move:That the House take note of the report.I seek leave to continue my remarks later.Leave granted.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—In accordance with standing order 102B, the debate is adjourned. The resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting, and the member will have leave to continue speaking when the debate is resumed.8582858213:00:008582Georgiou, Petro, MPMr GEORGIOUHM5KooyongLP10—On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, I present the committee's report entitled Review of audit report No. 42 of 2001-02: integrity of the electoral roll.Ordered that the report be printed.HM5Georgiou, Petro, MPMr GEORGIOU—The report I have just tabled on behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters presents the committee's findings and recommendations arising out of a review of the Auditor-General's report on the integrity of the electoral roll. Audit report No. 42 2001-02: Integrity of the electoral roll was tabled in April this year.The integrity of the electoral roll is of fundamental importance to Australia's system of representative democracy and it has been the subject of a number of previous inquiries. Audit report No. 42 analysed the key components of electoral roll integrity—namely, accuracy, completeness, validity and security—and it also reviewed the effectiveness of the Australian Electoral Commission's management of the electoral roll in ensuring the roll's integrity.The AEC agreed with all 12 recommendations made by the Australian National Audit Office. The committee also broadly agrees with the ANAO's recommendations, and it has made 10 recommendations itself. Following on from comments about unanimity made on behalf of the Standing Committee on Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, I should also say that these recommendations were unanimous and have been made with a view to enhancing the integrity of the electoral roll, improving aspects of the Electoral Commission's management of the roll and, ultimately, reinforcing public confidence in this critical component of Australia's democracy.The committee considers that the components of integrity—accuracy, completeness, validity and security—should be tested and reported on regularly. The testing and reporting should be comprehensive, rigorous and transparent. In addition, the AEC should set targets for the accuracy, completeness and validity of the electoral roll where such targets do not presently exist, and the targets should be used as performance indicators for the AEC. Key features of an electoral roll with high integrity are accuracy and validity—that is, that the roll contains accurate and up-to-date information on individuals who are enrolled and that only those who are eligible are so enrolled. These elements are important because they provide a level of assurance that the risk of electoral fraud occurring in our electoral system is minimal.A standout feature of the audit report was the finding that the ANAO had independently validated that the roll was `96 per cent accurate'. It has to be said that a figure like this inspires a great deal of confidence. However, on closer examination it became apparent that the independent data matching by the Audit Office only established that the electoral roll was accurate to 96 per cent as to names and dates of birth. The ANAO did not establish that people defined by name and date of birth were correctly enrolled in the state, the division or at the address at which they resided. In the absence of such matching, the committee considers that the audit conclusion of 96 per cent accuracy is not proven. However, the committee also believes it is important to note that the finding of 96 per cent accuracy as to names and dates of birth on the roll does not necessarily imply that there is four per cent inaccuracy.In seeking to test accuracy, the ANAO found that 4.4 per cent of people on the electoral roll did not appear on Medicare records. The ANAO attempted to match these people to the motor vehicle registry records the AEC had access to—namely, those of South Australia, Queensland, the ACT and the Northern Territory. The ANAO did not seek to match addresses; nevertheless, it concluded that 15 per cent of the electors who were matched to motor vehicle records had vehicles registered in a state other than the state in which they were enrolled to vote. The ANAO explained that it understood that this was generally due to people being correctly entered on the electoral roll in their state of residence but having their motor vehicles registered in another state. Subsequently the ANAO indicated that it did not have any independent evidence of this but had accepted the AEC's data analysis. In response to the committee's inquiries, the AEC indicated that it had not conducted analysis that would support such a conclusion. The AEC maintains the accuracy of the electoral roll using a process called continuous roll update, CRU. The CRU process involves the Electoral Commission using its own data and data obtained from external sources to identify addresses on the electoral roll where residents have moved. Using addresses identified in this way, the Electoral Commission sends letters and enrolment forms to individuals inviting them to enrol or update their details on the roll. The Audit Office considered `that the CRU methodology is an effective means of managing the electoral roll and is capable of providing a roll that is highly accurate, complete and valid'. However, the ANAO also found that, to date, the CRU process has been developed and implemented in an ad hoc manner, without strategic planning to achieve a consistent national approach. The ANAO made a number of recommendations that were directed at addressing these defects.The committee has made two further recommendations on this point. The first recommendation is that the Electoral Commission develop and implement national standards for updating the electoral roll and also a timetable for implementing a consistent national CRU program. The second recommendation is that the AEC centralise its negotiations with state and territory agencies for access to data sources.CRU has replaced habitation reviews—going door to door to check enrolment details—as the means of maintaining the electoral roll. The committee considers that habitation reviews are not obsolete. Periodic, random spot checks of enrolment details at a sample of addresses should be conducted to test the effectiveness of CRU in achieving accuracy. Moreover, a total habitation review of an electoral division should be conducted in order to test by sample the accuracy of individual enrolments at the correct address.The ANAO also considered AEC management issues insofar as those issues affect electoral roll integrity. In its inquiry, the committee has come to the view that the AEC needs to implement more effective management information systems. The enhanced management information systems should be capable of providing the AEC with accurate estimates of the costs and the timetable for implementing enrolment activities. They should also provide adequate data to enable the AEC to properly analyse and report on its activities.The audit report commented that more performance indicators could be established to better reflect the accuracy of enrolment information on the electoral roll. The committee agrees with this and has recommended that the AEC use targets as performance indicators and report on these performance indicators in its portfolio budget statements and in its annual reports. In relation to questions about the implementation of the Audit Office's recommendations, the Electoral Commission advised the committee that this might require additional resources. The committee recommends that the AEC provide a report on its funding requirements for this task. The AEC should also develop and implement a pricing regime to charge for the use of electoral roll data, and should review its pricing arrangements for CRU data exchange. I note also that the AEC's funding has arisen as an issue in the committee's current inquiry into the conduct of the 2001 federal election.Finally, the committee believe that the audit report recommendations should be implemented expeditiously, and it will observe the AEC's progress with interest. Further to this, we recommend that the Audit Office conduct a follow-up audit to its 2001-02 audit of the integrity of the electoral roll. This will enable the committee to review the progress of the Electoral Commission in implementing the Audit Office's recommendations. The committee consider that both these follow-up reviews should be completed in advance of the next federal election. In concluding my remarks I wish to thank both the Australian Electoral Commission and the Australian National Audit Office for their various contributions to this review. In particular, I would like to thank the ANAO for seconding one of its very capable officers, Mr Christian Anderson, to the committee to assist. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of my committee colleagues. All the members of the committee have a very real interest in the work of improving our electoral system. Finally, I would also like to thank the secretariat staff who gave valuable assistance to the committee in this review. I commend the report to the House. 13:10:008585Danby, Michael, MPMr DANBYWF6Melbourne PortsALP00—The report on the integrity of the electoral roll as initially examined by the Audit Office was extremely useful. It added to the Audit Office's reputation for interesting and useful reports to this parliament. The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters and the Electoral Commission have evaluated some of the very interesting recommendations made by the Audit Office over the last few months. As the member for Kooyong has related, a number of recommendations emerged out of this very useful process.Of the 12 recommendations, I would like to focus particularly on a few. They deal with electoral roll accuracy, an issue that was of some interest in the last parliament and that was treated in a much more measured way by this report. It was handled, to the credit of the chairman and the committee, in a much more systematic and comprehensive way, with the long-term interests of the Australian people at heart, rather than in a way that tried to make political points about cats that had allegedly been enrolled under the aegis of the Australian electoral system.As far as the Audit Office was concerned, the electoral roll was accurate to 96 per cent. It did have the caveat that this was for names and dates of birth. This does not mean, however, that the electoral roll was inaccurate in all of those other aspects. It simply means that the Audit Office was able to say precisely—with names and dates of birth—that it was accurate for these people. As the member for Kooyong said, it also does not mean that four per cent of enrolments were inaccurate. As members of parliament know, 12 million people are enrolled, and there is a great deal of movement in the Australian population. People are moving all the time. At any one point of time, even with the comprehensive system that the Electoral Commission has in place, it is very difficult to have 100 per cent of people accurately enrolled. It is something that the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, the Australian Electoral Commission and the ANAO, which has provided this useful report, would all like us to get towards, but it is not something that can be achieved at the moment. Nevertheless, we have an electoral system that is the envy of this part of the world and the envy of other democratic systems.As the member for Kooyong said, the Audit Office considered continuous roll update as an effective method of managing the electoral roll. The continuous roll update is, in commonsense language, a matching of databases of various state and federal institutions to get the earliest possible indication of an address change so that the integrity of the electoral roll and the accuracy of people's addresses can be established at the earliest possible time. This emerges out of the obvious point that when people are shifting they sometimes comply with the legislation by advising of their new address for their driver's licence before they come to the Electoral Commission. This again emerges from the quite sensible point that most people are concerned to pay the gas bill or electricity bill or to get their drivers licence accurate before they necessarily think about politics and they update their electoral roll details.The CRU has grown out of the Electoral Commission's desire to use all of these databases rather than habitation reviews to get an accurate roll, but it has not happened accurately in all states with all public institutions that they obtain these databases from at the same time. The committee and the Audit Office had a very sensible idea and recommended to the Electoral Commission—and I think they accept this idea—that the CRU be approached more systematically and that a timetable be established to see that CRU is implemented in a more systematic and thorough way. The use of these matching databases is in fact a very good way generally of seeing that we have an electoral roll that does have integrity. As the member for Kooyong said, CRU does not replace habitation reviews entirely. One of the recommendations of this committee is most useful—that is, that at least sample habitation reviews take place in some electoral divisions to establish the accuracy of enrolments and correct addresses. Another aspect that I would like to particularly focus on is the AEC perhaps considering the issue of cost recovery. The committee noted comments from the AEC about the overall burden of managing the electoral roll without an adequate increase in funding. The electoral roll laws provide for specified persons and organisations to have access to the roll data and for the AEC to charge reasonable fees for goods and services supplied. The public hearing made apparent that the AEC was paying commercial rates for information it needed from other government agencies but was not charging commercial rates for information it was required to provide to other government agencies. The committee recommended that, with a view to recovering costs associated with the provision of the electoral roll data to Commonwealth agencies and departments listed in schedule 2 of the Electoral and Referendum Regulations 1940, the AEC develop and implement a pricing regime to charge for the use of the electoral data and review current pricing arrangements for the exchange of data with CRU data sources. I think that is a very useful recommendation to emerge from the deliberations that have taken place as a result of the audit report, as a result of the AEC looking at that report and as a result of our committee's examination of that particular recommendation. As Senator Ray said, quite jocularly, to the AEC, they should stop whingeing and start charging. Perhaps the other organisations that make great use of AEC accurate data, especially since it is so extensively sourced from this very involved CRU process, should contribute more. It would be a worthwhile thing for the Australian taxpayer if this were pursued. Can I echo the words of the chairman in praising the role of the people from the AEC and the Audit Office who appeared before the committee. These recommendations in this report, again, will keep the integrity of the electoral roll, something that is very high in public estimation in Australia, and are certainly a more measured, balanced and intelligent way of reacting to concerns about the accuracy of the Australian electoral roll rather than some of the political hysteria we had in the previous two years. 10000Jenkins, Harry (The DEPUTY SPEAKER)The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Jenkins)—Order! The time allotted for statements on this report has expired. Does the member for Kooyong wish to move a motion in connection with the report to enable it to be debated on a future occasion?13:15:008586Georgiou, Petro, MPMr GEORGIOUHM5KooyongLP10—I move:That the House take note of the report.I seek leave to continue my comments later.Leave granted.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—In accordance with standing order 102B, the debate is adjourned. The resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting and the member will have leave to continue speaking when the debate is resumed.Private Members' Business8586858613:20:008586Mossfield, Frank, MPMr MOSSFIELDMK6GreenwayALP00—I move:That this House:(1) recognises that:(a) young people have a diversity of talent and can provide a fresh insight into the creative industries;(b) there is a need for positive promotion of young people and their achievements;(c) young people wish to advance themselves by utilising work placement and work experience programs; and(d) young people are willing to promote and enhance positive programs of a range of issues such as multiculturalism, education, the environment and social justice issues, including asylum seekers; and(2) urges the Government to:(a) organise a collaborative effort by schools in local areas to provide the opportunity for students to audition, take part in and display their individual talents in a musical performance, with the help of local sponsorship and government funding, to provide a professional opportunity for students in creative areas; (b) provide increased resources to support mechanisms to students in order to enhance educational opportunities and outcomes, including library facilities, syllabus management and student support infrastructure;(c) provide incentives to employers to encourage their participation in work experience and work placement programs and to address the public liability insurance issues that are threatening such programs; and(d) create youth sport and recreation facilities where young people can physically participate and interact with each other to promote better physical and mental well-being.It gives me a great deal of pleasure to move this motion today. This is the second private member's motion that I have moved this year on youth issues. Each year, I host a Blacktown Youth Orientation, the BYO, in my office. Each year we get a number of students and youth leaders from around the electorate together to discuss the issues that they see as important to them. While my staff help out, the day is pretty much run by the participants, who set the agenda and talk about the issues that they consider important. The final session of the BYO is the drafting of a motion for debate in this place. The words are written by the participants themselves, and it is a credit to them that it is being debated so soon after this year's BYO. There are many issues listed in this motion, and if one looks at the previous motion, debated on 17 June, that arose from last year's BYO, one will see some similarities. The issue of perception comes through strongly in both motions. Many young people believe that the perception of youth, particularly in Western Sydney, is an incorrect one. As the motion states, young people have a vast array of skills and talents that need appropriate recognition. This motion differs from its predecessor in one major issue that was discussed on the day—that is the availability of quality workplace experiences. Every school has some form of work experience program where students are placed in workplaces for a period of time to gain an insight into the type of environment that awaits them when they join the work force. In some programs, it is one day each week for a term and for others it is a one-week block. The programs and their quality vary greatly across the school systems.The members of the BYO spoke about their various experiences—some were good, others not so good. They also identified several barriers to a good workplace experience. The number of employers willing to take on students for work experience is falling. It is getting harder to place students in the first place. I acknowledge that it is difficult for employers. Many jobs require a great deal of training, and a two-week block for someone who will not be there after it finishes makes it very difficult for employers to put in the required resources. This motion talks about the incentives for employers to take on students for work experience. Exactly what incentives would be appropriate is something for another debate at another time, but members should give some thought to how we can improve the situation.Some of the participants in the BYO have gone on to bigger and better things. I spoke last time of Eshan Fallahi, who became a delegate to the Prime Minister's Youth Roundtable and was one of only two Australian delegates to a global youth summit in England. Another BYO participant, Jonathan Wang, has just returned from the Fourth China Synergy Program for Outstanding Youth. Jonathan was one of four Australian delegates to this 17-day conference program, organised by the Chinese government, which aims to provide a chance for young ethnic Chinese from around the world to understand more about China, their ancestral homeland. Jonathan, like Eshan, has used his BYO experience to take that next step; next year Jonathan will be applying to be a delegate to the Prime Minister's Youth Roundtable.Both Jonathan and Eshan are remarkable young men who are a credit to their community. The BYO afforded me the opportunity to meet with them and other young people to hear their ideas on what is needed for our region and the future. It is always good to hear from young leaders of the community, but it is also important not to forget the disadvantaged. It is important that we direct the resources available to where they are most needed. Helping all young people is an investment in the future; in particular, we must ensure that all students receive appropriate workplace experience to help them prepare themselves for the world of work. There is no quick buck to be made, but the long-term pay-off can be enormous. The pay-off comes with a better society and a better community for our children and grandchildren to live in. I am grateful for the support the BYO has received from local schools who have sent delegates, and I am grateful to the participants for their honesty and hard work. The BYO has been a great conduit for me to listen to the concerns of young people in Greenway and to bring those concerns and ideas to this place in the form of this motion. It has been a remarkable exercise, and I commend the motion to the House.83SBurke, Anna, MPMs Burke—I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.13:25:008588Johnson, Michael, MPMr JOHNSON00AMXRyanLP10—It gives me great pleasure to speak today on the motion on youth and youth affairs put forward by the member for Greenway. As one of the youngest members of the parliament, I have made it my business to expand the aspirations, the dreams and the opportunities for young people, and to promote the value of young people in society—particularly those young people in my electorate of Ryan. These aspirations reflect very much the aspirations and objectives of the Howard government. One of the very top priorities of the Howard government since its election to government in 1996 has been to implement programs, ideas and initiatives that consistently recognise the value of our young people and give them all the opportunities possible to motivate them to make a contribution to our community and our country.I want to take this opportunity to highlight some of the initiatives the Howard government has put before the people and all of which the government supports very strongly. One of these is the National Youth Media Awards, which have been operated by the Commonwealth for four years. They have helped raise awareness of the critical role the media plays in forming public opinion about young people in our society. The awards encourage the media to take the lead by looking for positive stories when reporting on young people and youth issues. The 2002 awards attracted a record number of entries—some 1,159 were received nationally—and I think that is testament to their popularity and the part they play in this country.The Howard government also sponsors the Young Australian of the Year Award, which every member of this parliament would be more than familiar with. This award attracted over 2,000 nominations, which is testament to its popularity and its place in our community. The 2001 Young Australian of the Year was a Queenslander, Mr Scott Hucknall, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting. I expressed my support for all the work that he does as Young Australian of the Year.The coalition government also sponsors the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge, which over 20,000 secondary students participated in in 2002. These events provide valuable opportunities to publicly recognise young people's achievements and thus serve to raise the profile of young people in the community. I know that every member of this parliament is very supportive of the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge. I am pleased to say that, in my electorate of Ryan, the Kenmore State High School—a very popular and high-achieving school in Ryan—achieved an amazing result this year in the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge, coming ninth overall in the Brisbane division of the competition. I want to pay tribute to all those at the school who were involved in that: the parents, the teachers and all the families who supported it. Kenmore State High School and those people who were involved in it and played an important part in it deserve full accolades from the Ryan community.The Commonwealth government also sponsors National Youth Week, which focuses on youth participation in the Australian community and celebrates the diversity of young people from all over the country—all backgrounds and all regions. The main feature of this year's program was the youth calendar, which attracted 300,000 on-the-ground participants. Again, I think that is testament to what the Commonwealth government is doing and to the initiatives that it puts out into the community. I want to say a few words about the electorate of Ryan. It is one year since I had the privilege of becoming the representative of the people of Ryan, and that was a great honour indeed. One of the things I have done as the new member for Ryan has been to establish advisory committees. This Friday I will be presenting the Ryan Youth Recognition Awards and the Ryan Community Awards. These awards are an idea that I have come up with to acknowledge those in our community, especially young people. It is a very young electorate and it is a community that deserves all the support of its federal member. I certainly aim to provide that.I think it is very important that every member in this parliament acknowledges young people and all that they do. These are very challenging times for young people, and I am sure that anything we can do as members of the federal parliament to enhance and promote their opportunities is very much appreciated. For my part, it was phenomenal to see the enormous interest that my office received in the nominations by the exceptional young people in Ryan. I just want to mention one exceptional young Ryan student, Margaret Forrest. I am sponsoring her attendance at the National Young Leaders Brisbane Forum on Tuesday, 12 November. I fully support the forum. It brings together young people from all over the community. It inspires them, and they get access and exposure to young people in our country who have achieved a lot. (Time expired)13:30:008589Burke, Anna, MPMs BURKE83SChisholmALP00—It gives me great pleasure to rise in support of the motion moved by the member for Greenway and to second that motion. Often the youth of our society feel that they are `the forgotten' in the political process—that they do not carry the same voting clout as, say, the baby boomers. Many of them of course are not even of voting age and feel that politics and politicians do not even know that they exist or, worse still, if they are on the political radar, that it is through their parents and, predominantly, their parents' hip-pocket nerve. So I want to commend the member for Greenway for conducting his regular youth forum and for the motion that that forum has put before the parliament today. Sadly, I inform all people in my electorate that they cannot escape parliamentarians and politicians; we are actually there for all of them, whether or not they vote for us and whether or not they are of voting age. So it is particularly important that we do go out and garnish the ideas of these young people in our electorates. Each year since I have been elected, I have held forums with the year 12 school leaders from the 13 secondary schools in my electorate of Chisholm and with the grade 5 and grade 6 leaders from the 41 primary schools in my electorate. This year was no exception. Again, I was blown away by the insight, passion, concern and humanity expressed by those future leaders. What did concern me, though, were two factors. First, all three forums began with our youth expressing grave concern about the world we live in—in particular, the escalation of terror on both a global and a local level. The grade 6 forums, which were made up of 11- and 12-year-old kids, both began with in-depth discussions about the prospect of terror in Australia, concerns over hand guns—and they cited the recent example at Monash University which, sadly, occurred within my seat—and also the sniper in the US. The year 12 forum gave chilling insight into the extent of violence in our streets, with all present—and there were about 50 kids—relating tales of peers who carry weapons, mainly knives, and of incidents at parties or innocently at a KFC where they had experienced violence, terror and attack. The other issue of concern was the perception that these things were intractable, that change was very unlikely and that change came only from personal experience: people would have to learn the hard way that carrying knives did not make sense. One student at the year 12 forum put it nicely into perspective when he assured all present that Australians did not live in a violent society. He had recently emigrated from South Africa and explained quite calmly how it was almost part of life to carry guns for personal protection there. Why did this disturb me? The first year that I held these forums when I was elected back in 1998, we had a great debate about who should have won Big Brother, why it appeared rigged and whether it was reflective of society or just entertainment. Life was all pretty good, with hope for going on to university or work and only the fear of starting secondary school. Now, the forums are about fear, concern and despair at the future and in our world. We have in-depth discussions from grade 6ers about: is Australia too close to the US? What role does the ANZUS Treaty have? Should the Russian President have used the gas? Why did the student kill his classmates and how did he get hold of the gun? Why does someone lie in the back of their car and shoot complete strangers? This was the tenor of the forums. But there was something fantastic in all this—the vocabulary of these students was just tremendous; it was mind-blowing to be precise. When the grade 6er used the `surreal' explanation, the whole room just looked gobsmacked by this kid's use of language. Their knowledge of the issues, not just reciting events, and their ability to analyse and offer theories and solutions were well beyond all their years. And their genuine concern for their world and their fellow human beings shone through all the gloom. Emily from Mont Albert Primary School summed it up nicely when she wrote to me:Dear Anna, I really enjoyed yesterday's lunch. However, I was disappointed that the discussion on terrorism and snipers took up most of the time and we didn't get to discuss school matters as much as I thought we would. Thank you for a wonderful opportunity. EmilyEmily had raised great issues. She wanted to talk about graffiti and bullying in our classrooms, but in two hours over lunch we did not get there. At the year 12 forum, we had been going on and on about knives and terrorists so much that we did not get to talk about Kyoto and greenhouse gas emissions—and one student wanted passionately to talk about the actual chemistry of it. We did not get there. It was just so disappointing. All these students wanted us to hear their concerns and they wanted us to react to them. They wanted us to know that, even though they are not of voting age, they have ideas and concerns and they need to be heard. 13:35:008590Elson, Kay, MPMrs ELSON6K6FordeLP10—I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak today on the motion moved by the member for Greenway. Honourable members would know that I am a strong advocate for youth. I believe they are essentially the reason we are all in this House—to pass on a better standard of living for our children, grandchildren and all future generations of Australians. It is this desire to create a better future for our children that motivates parents to get involved in their community and, as a mother of eight and grandmother of 11, it is certainly what brought me to federal politics and keeps me motivated in this challenging job.While I support the vast majority of the sentiment of this motion, I have to say to the honourable member for Greenway that this government needs no urging whatsoever in this area. The Howard government has in fact made some very major advances when it comes to resources, support and funding for our young people. Implicit in this motion is the belief that more needs to be done—and in any area where funding is an issue, a case can always be made for more to be done. Youth services will never be a completed business, but I say to the honourable member for Greenway that he ought to be urging his state Labor counterparts to follow the Commonwealth's lead in this area and to devote more of their funds to helping our young people achieve their full potential.This motion includes references for more funds for resources and facilities in our schools. Of course, I fully support that, but I would also like to add that school funding is an area where Labor is hopelessly behind the Howard government. In this year's May budget, the Howard government increased funding for state schools on average by 5.7 per cent. Not one single state or territory government has matched that increase.Despite all the Labor hype on funding for public schools, the states have let their schools down badly. Their failure to at least match the Howard government's increases in funding represents millions of dollars missing from the education system. For example, if the Beattie Labor government in Queensland had matched our increases in education funding, Queensland schools would have an extra $102 million to help fund the sorts of things that the member for Greenway wants. If Labor did the same in New South Wales, there would be an extra $202 million; in Victoria, an extra $95 million; in South Australia, an extra $50 million; and in the ACT, an extra $13 million. These missing millions represent missed opportunities for government school students. So I suggest the member for Greenway should be urging his state Labor counterparts around the nation to do more because, as usual, their actions do not match the Labor rhetoric on this issue. In contrast, the Howard government has made huge inroads where it matters most of all—that is, in helping young people get the skills they need for fulfilling jobs. The latest figures show a current record of 330,000 apprenticeships in training—that is more than double the number since Labor left office. It is an incredible achievement, especially when you consider that Labor let apprenticeships fall to their lowest level in 30 years. In this year's budget alone, we have provided $54 million for additional new apprenticeships incentives, especially in the field of information technology and other emerging highly skilled occupations. We have done exactly as the member for Greenway suggests with the highly successful Jobs Pathway Program in schools, which is continuing to expand. In fact, an estimated 170,000 Australian students participated in vocational education and training while in secondary school last year.These examples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what our government has done to assist young Australians. It would take most of the day to list the various programs that are now in place to achieve the very thing that the member for Greenway wants to see from this motion. There is the ongoing Youth Roundtable where the government gets feedback and advice directly from young Australians. I was pleased last year to have Darren Chant, a local apprentice from my electorate, visit Canberra. He made some valuable contributions at the roundtable. There is also Ausyouth, a national coordination unit for the development of youth activities in Australia. In fact, I would highly recommend that the member for Greenway look up the very excellent web site that the Howard government established to help young people gain access to a large range of support and advice. It is at www.thesource.gov.au.One look at the plethora of options and the practical advice and assistance that is available to our young people would make the member for Greenway realise that the Howard government, unlike Labor, is indeed very serious about supporting young Australians to achieve their full potential. I urge the honourable member to tell his state Labor counterparts that they ought to be following our lead in this very important policy issue. I will indeed be supporting all future programs that help our young Australians reach their potential.13:40:008591Gibbons, Steve, MPMr GIBBONS83XBendigoALP00—I thank the member for Greenway for giving me the opportunity to speak in this private member's business debate on young people. I would like to talk about a very innovative program which commenced in Bendigo called Lead On. This particular program was started as a result of the efforts of Mr Rob Hunt, who was the Chairman of the Bendigo Bank and whom a lot of members would be aware of.In July 1999, Lead On was opened in Bendigo, Victoria. The plan was to create a pilot program that would find ways of engaging, informing and connecting young people to the business and broader community. The belief was that communities that fail to engage their young people are losing and underutilising one of their key resources. Lead On says that young people are the future leaders of our communities, and it is right.In the three years since the program model was developed, Lead On has expanded and now has offices in Mildura, Swan Hill and Echuca in Victoria, and Ipswich in Queensland—I think this is in the electorate of my good friend the member for Oxley. In that time, almost 700 young people from these communities have been actively engaged in a range of meaningful and worthwhile projects that have provided them with various skills, personal development, community connections, employment, direction and confidence. The more than 100 business and community partners from these communities who provided the project opportunities have experienced the value of having these young people involved with their businesses or organisations. Many of these Lead On facilitated projects have brought people, young and old, together from various industries, backgrounds, schools and environments to work towards a joint outcome for the first time. Lead On has never advertised for young people to be involved and has a steady stream of business partners ready and willing to provide project or other opportunities for young people in the communities. It is primarily through the real life project partnerships that the Lead On model engages and develops young people with the community. Some of these projects have provided ongoing roles, employment and development for young people. Projects such as the very successful, LOOP Bendigo Advertiser news supplement—written, edited and designed by youth—have presented wonderful opportunities. The Lead On Inc. project has provided web pages and other IT support for businesses, and Internet training for older people from the innovative Internet for the Oldies by Kids project. It is the dynamics and interactions along the way that provide the key development, learning, connections and outcomes for young and old people. Details of the projects are available, and range from the complex to the simple. Projects are the excuses to bring people together. While Lead On has facilitated some significant projects and benefits for the communities, it is the coming together and broad involvement that are key parts of building community capacity. They are what lead on from the involvement.Another important element of the program is the integration strategy as opposed to the traditional view of segmenting young people and categorising them. Lead On brings together young people from diverse backgrounds and so-called categories, and integrates them into working groups that include all shapes and sizes. The organisation is headed by Mr Chris DeAraugo, a former musical colleague of mine. He does a superb job with the young people in his charge. This is not an elitist organisation, as some have described it. This organisation takes young people from all walks of life. It is not specifically designed for unemployed young people, although unemployed young people are very welcome and indeed participate in the programs. It takes kids from all over Australia, gives them a sense of self worth and puts them in touch with the important parts of various communities and businesses. The kids gain skills that they are not able to gain in other areas. It is not like a work experience program as such—it does a lot more than that—and it is far more effective. I commend Lead On to the House. I encourage the government to get behind it and to work with Chris DeAraugo and others to ensure that it is able to provide the service, not only in the areas that I have mentioned but all over Australia. I thank the member for Greenway for the opportunity to speak.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—It being 1.45 p.m., the debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 106A. The debate is adjourned and the resumption will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. The member for Bendigo will have leave to continue speaking when the debate is resumed.Statements by Members8592859213:45:008592Irwin, Julia, MPMrs IRWIN83ZFowlerALP00—In the past decade the Internet has become the most important network to bring people and ideas together. The key benefit of the Internet is its openness—people are able to access information from anyone anywhere. This, however, is seen as a threat in some countries. The government of Vietnam has imprisoned a number of its citizens in recent months. Last Friday a 32-year-old lawyer, Mr Le Chi Quang, was sentenced to four years imprisonment and three years of house arrest on charges arising from the posting of an essay critical of the Vietnamese government on an Internet site. His trial was held behind closed doors and comes in the wake of similar trials in which the accused have been denied proper legal representation. Le Chi Quang has been in custody since February this year. He suffers from kidney disease and is in poor health. His family hold grave fears for his safety. His fate is being closely watched by human rights groups, including Amnesty International and locally the Free Vietnam Alliance, New South Wales chapter. And the Internet is bringing his story to the world. I would like to thank Ms Anh Linh Pham from the Free Vietnam Alliance, New South Wales chapter, for keeping me up to date on this issue.859313:46:008593Baird, Bruce, MPMr BAIRDMP6CookLP10—I rise to place on the record my concern about the implications of the most recent overseas arrival statistics for our tourism industry, both nationally and in my electorate. It is likely that the long haul international travel industry is facing a major crisis as a result of increased concern about terrorist activity along the lines of Bali or September 11. This fear seems to be borne out by the fact that overseas arrivals to Australia for September 2002 were down 11 per cent on the same time for the previous year. That represents six consecutive months of negative growth, and there was a particularly concerning figure from New Zealand that their visits were down by an incredible 29 per cent. While there were some positive areas, six months of decline is a real cause for concern to an industry that produces nearly five per cent of our GDP, directly employs well over half a million people—six per cent of all employees in Australia—and provides over 11 per cent of our export earnings, more than coal, iron and steel. At a local level the drop in incoming arrivals will be felt as well. I know that many of the hotels, hostels, B&Bs, restaurants, travel agents and the like in my electorate have been experiencing a downturn and are looking for direction and a strategy to take Australian tourism forward. I commend the minister for tourism for the work he is doing on the 10-year plan for tourism. This document will be of vital importance to this key industry, and I know that tourism operators in my electorate and around Australia will be looking forward to the leadership that it will provide.859313:48:008593Gibbons, Steve, MPMr GIBBONS83XBendigoALP00—On Monday, 9 December I will be presenting a petition by the Bendigo Plus group demanding that the Howard government honour its election commitments to fund its share of the Calder Highway redevelopment. The federal coalition is fast-tracking the Geelong Road and other RONI-come-latelies while it slams the brakes on the Calder. The coalition is victimising central Victorians, because the Calder is the only Victorian RONI that it refuses to finish.The Prime Minister said on ABC radio on Friday that he cannot fund the project because of the drought. But the PM has put a dollar drought on the Calder since 1996 while he floods federal funds into RONI-come-latelies at Geelong, Scoresby and Pakenham. The federal coalition designated the Calder a RONI in 1996 and promised 50 per cent of the funding—three years ahead of the Geelong Road and five years ahead of the Scoresby and Pakenham projects. The Calder will be just another example of Liberal-National deceit inflicted on Bendigo when the $200 million Pakenham bypass and the $1 billion Scoresby Freeway are completed. The Prime Minister is walking away from the $330 million work on the Calder while he commits $1.5 billion in three big city RONIs. This is pork-barrel politics at its worst and the coalition has left Bendigo at the bottom of the barrel.859313:49:008593Elson, Kay, MPMrs ELSON6K6FordeLP10—Today being Remembrance Day, I would firstly like to place on record my thoughts to all of those special service men and women who gave their lives in order for all of us to live in the freedom that we see today. But I would also like to place on record that last week I attended three schools in my electorate, Marsden, Versdale and Beaudesert, each of which opened their own memorial in the grounds of the schools. Each day as they pass this memorial—as each little student who stood up to talk at these three schools said—it will be a constant reminder to them to say thanks to those special men and women who went off and fought in conflicts over many years. I thank those three schools for all their work and thank the committees that were formed to make sure that those memorials were placed there. I thank them all for their extra hard work. I also thank the three RSLs in my electorate—Greenbank, Beaudesert and Jimboomba—for the support that they gave to these schools under the community link program. 859413:50:008594Roxon, Nicola, MPMs ROXON83KGellibrandALP00—I also want to speak briefly on Remembrance Day because I attended two services yesterday in my electorate, one at the Spotswood church, St Mark's Church. But the second service is the one I want to speak about. It is one that has been going since 1926 at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Williamstown. They have a service called `the lighting of the lamps' in which they—as many of the other church services and indeed the one in Spotswood do—have a march and present the flags as well as have a normal church service. This one is particularly of note because it has been going for so many years.Added now to those who walk in the parade and participate in the lighting of the lamps ceremony is a group of Karen people who have settled in Gellibrand. Many people would know that the Karen people of Burma fought with the allies in the Second World War. A number of these people have come as refugees to Australia, are now settled in my part of the world and attend as members of the church and join in our Remembrance Day functions and services. I think that it highlights that it is a time for remembering all of those who fought with us and on behalf of us but also all of our allies, many of whom have now come to settle in our country and take part in this service as well.859413:52:008594Lloyd, Jim, MPMr LLOYDIK6RobertsonLP10—I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the effectiveness of some of the smaller grants from the Commonwealth government, particularly those for our veterans under the Department of Veterans' Affairs. One of those grants is for $590, under the federal government's Saluting Their Service commemoration program. This will enable the honour roll at Narara hall to be completely rebuilt. The present honour roll has deteriorated beyond repair. Congratulations to Mr John O'Neill from Narara, who has been the prime mover of that project.The second grant is $2,000 from the federal government to assist the Alloura Waters residents' committee with the purchase of equipment to enhance the residents' computer education program. It is important that, as residents grow older, they have access to computers and the skills needed to operate them so that they too can be part of the information highway. I am very pleased that the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Danna Vale—an excellent minister—has approved that funding, and I know that the residents of the Alloura Waters Retirement Village will make very good use of that $2,000 to help them with their computers and particularly the education program that is needed for the older residents to have access to the information technology and the information highway.859413:53:008594Ripoll, Bernie, MPMr RIPOLL83EOxleyALP00—Last week I had the great honour and pleasure of welcoming home a young man called Mark Casey. Most people probably would not know Mark Casey's name as yet, but they should, because Mark Casey is Australia's newest world champion. He is the under 25 world indoor bowls champion. He just won his title in Belfast with quite a formidable field in front of him—competitors from Scotland, Wales and England—and he won the final, against Israel, quite convincingly. As I said, he has returned from Ireland a world champion. I do not think it has quite sunk in yet that at age 20 he now is the best in the world at his craft. He played brilliantly; as I said, he fought off great competition. Mark is a very humble young man. Not only has he not realised the extent of his feat but I do not think the community has quite grasped that this young bloke has such a huge career in front of him. We hope, obviously, that he will return with many more wins in the future. Mark Casey has an extensive record also in Australia. He is currently ranked No. 3. He has won the Queensland state singles championships, he was the Queensland finalist at the world indoor pairs and he is also the Sandgate Prestige Easter Singles champion and the Kingscliff Prestige Fours winner. He has skippered for Queensland and he has played premier league for Queensland. Importantly, while he is not a native of Ipswich or Queensland, he has been quickly adopted by Ipswich and by the local club, which is the Ipswich United Services Bowls Club. (Time expired)859513:55:008595Gambaro, Teresa, MPMs GAMBARO9K6PetrieLP10—Research recently released by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne has quantified for the first time the significant costs imposed on small and medium businesses by the unfair dismissal laws. The research shows that state and federal unfair dismissal laws cost both small and medium businesses $1.3 billion each year. It also shows that dismissal laws have a significant impact on jobs. These laws have contributed to the loss of some 77,000 jobs from businesses that used to employ staff and no longer employ anyone. About 60,000 of these are from small businesses with fewer than 20 employees. These figures do not take into account jobs that would have been lost by businesses that have reduced their work force due to the laws but still have employees. Nor do they include jobs that would have been created if there were no unfair dismissal laws. Further concerning results have emerged from the survey that, because of these laws, businesses are now less inclined to hire young people, the long-term unemployed and those with lower levels of education. Businesses now have to rely more and more on casuals and others on fixed term contracts or long probationary periods. The coalition has tried determinedly and will continue to try to pass a small business exemption into the law on a number of occasions; however, the ALP has consistently voted against unfair dismissal reforms—in fact, 22 times. The research clearly shows that both small businesses and marginalised workers have suffered as a result. (Time expired)859513:56:008595Danby, Michael, MPMr DANBYWF6Melbourne PortsALP00—On Remembrance Day, it is appropriate to pay tribute to the Rats of Tobruk Memorial Highland Pipes and Drums, whom I had the honour to march behind during yesterday's ceremony from the Elwood RSL to St Columba's. My days at drill on the parade ground at Puckapunyal were not very auspicious, but going to and from mass at St Columba's did bring it back. I particularly want to pay tribute to the Rats of Tobruk Memorial Highland Pipes and Drums band, which is a living memorial to those Australians who endured the siege of Tobruk. They were called the Rats of Tobruk because they hid underground from the German armoured divisions that were surrounding Tobruk. The band has travelled widely throughout Australia—it does not just perform in Victoria—performing at reunions of the Rats of Tobruk Association. In 1988, the band had the honour of representing Australia at the world-famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland, as part of the bicentennial, and subsequent visits to the Tattoo took place in 1994 and 1997, followed by an abortive trip to Tobruk in 2001, when they could not get their visas, unfortunately, for the 60th anniversary of the siege of Tobruk. The band, to my knowledge, is the only Australian civilian band that has been afforded this honour of participating in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and it has a further invitation for 2005. The band is totally self-funding and gains its income from playouts and ought to attract wide community support. (Time expired)859513:58:008595McArthur, Stewart, MPMr McARTHURVH4CorangamiteLP10—I would like to draw the attention of the House to the cynical move by the Bracks government of Victoria to stop logging in the Otways after the year 2008. This is tearing up the RFA that was agreed to by both sides of this parliament, following the National Forest Policy Statement as far back as 1992. Both the Labor Party and Liberal Party agreed to the RFA, and we have the Bracks government cynically tearing up this agreement and removing logging workers from jobs. Of course eventually, with the Otways being locked up, they will be burnt by natural fire. The fires of 1939 wiped out the Otways and large tracts of the forest in Victoria, and a similar wild occurrence will take place in the future. Ash Wednesday demonstrated what happens when the forests are locked up and catch alight. The fires in New South Wales and in America prove that without proper forest control wildfires break out. There has been no reduction in biodiversity— 84HZahra, Christian, MPVH4McArthur, Stewart, MPMr McARTHUR—Sustainable forestry has been undertaken, as the member for McMillan would understand, and not one species has been lost. The final comment I would make, Mr Speaker, is about where the timber will come from after this cynical move by the Bracks government to lock up the Wombat and the Otways. It is a move just to attract Greens preferences, not one based on science or any other fact.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—Order! It being 2 p.m., in accordance with standing order 106A, the time for members' statements has concluded.Miscellaneous859610000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—I have received a return to the writ which I issued on 16 September 2002 for the election of a member to serve for the electoral division of Cunningham, in the state of New South Wales, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of the Hon. Dr Stephen Paul Martin. By the endorsement on the writ, it is certified that Michael Keith Organ has been elected.Mr Michael Keith Organ made and subscribed the oath of allegiance.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—Order! On behalf of the House, I welcome the new member for Cunningham.Ministerial Arrangements859614:03:008596Howard, John, MPMr HOWARDZD4BennelongLPPrime Minister10—I inform the House that the Minister for Foreign Affairs will be absent from question time today. The minister is in Shanghai in connection with events recognising the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. The Minister for Trade will answer questions on his behalf.Questions Without Notice8596859614:03:008596Crean, Simon, MPMr CREANDT4HothamALPLeader of the Opposition00—My question is to the Prime Minister. I ask: is he aware that, when asked about whether and why he made phone calls to Victoria Police investigator Neil Jepson, conducting a criminal investigation into Telstra's conduct, the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts has given at least four different answers, including denying he made the calls, stating he called to ensure `matters were properly investigated', stating he called to ensure any action he took `did not compromise any investigation' and, finally, stating he made the calls on behalf of Mrs Ann Garms, which she vigorously denies? Prime Minister, have you spoken to the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts to determine which, if any, of these versions is correct, and can you inform the House what is the correct version?8596Howard, John, MPMr HOWARDZD4BennelongLPPrime Minister10—I have discussed this matter with the minister. The minister has indicated, both to me and also publicly, that he has referred to the Communications Authority the question which is crucial to this whole issue, and that is as to whether or not there was an upgrading in the network. When we have a response to that I will be better enlightened.859614:05:008596King, Peter, MPMr KING00AMQWentworthLP10—My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. What is the government's response to the passage of the new UN Security Council resolution No. 1441 on Iraq?8596Howard, John, MPMr HOWARDZD4BennelongLPPrime Minister10—I believe I speak for members on both sides of the House in welcoming the unanimous passage of the resolution which imposes new and very strict conditions of compliance on Iraq. The passage of the resolution is a tribute to the commonsense of all members of the Security Council. It should also be said that it is a vindication of the strong and patient attitude adopted by the President of the United States. It is important to make the observation that, if the United States had not persisted with the attitude it has taken over recent months, it is unlikely that the Security Council would have addressed this issue as vigorously as it has, and it is certain in my view that the resolution that emerged from the Security Council over the weekend would not have been adopted. The United Nations now has stronger authority for inspections than from earlier resolutions. I hope—and indeed the entire world hopes—that Iraq will comply, and comply genuinely. If Iraq complies genuinely with the terms of this resolution then, in the words of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, `considerable suffering and adversity can be avoided for the people of Iraq'. It is encouraging that there are signs emerging that Iraq will accept the terms of the resolution. It is early days yet, but it is to be hoped that those signs do bear fruit and do turn out to be the case. The resolution contains a number of key elements. Iraq is in material breach of existing resolutions and, in the words of the resolution, has one final opportunity to comply. The resolution asserts that false statements or omissions in the declaration required of Iraq represent a material breach. Iraq is required to provide immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access and has seven days to confirm its intention to comply with the resolution. Iraq is required to provide a full declaration of its chemical, biological or nuclear—military or civilian—programs within 30 days. Inspections are to be resumed within 45 days and the Security Council must be updated after 60 days of inspections. The Security Council has warned repeatedly that Iraq would face serious consequences if it did not comply. The world wants Iraq's weapons of mass destruction to be identified and destroyed. The world is concerned, because of Iraq's track record, that those weapons of mass destruction could be used against other countries and could be used again against the people of Iraq, as they have been in the past. The world is also rightly concerned about the consequences of weapons of mass destruction ever falling into the hands of terrorists. Therefore, there is an accumulation of powerful and compelling reasons as to why this resolution was necessary and why it is a welcome development that it was carried unanimously. The Australian government and, I believe, the great bulk of the Australian people very warmly welcome that development.14:09:008597Crean, Simon, MPMr CREANDT4HothamALPLeader of the Opposition00—On indulgence, I take the opportunity to join with the Prime Minister in welcoming the unanimous decision of the United Nations in its decision on Iraq, resolution 1441. I indicate that Labor has been calling for this position since April. This was not the view unanimously supported in this chamber, but it was consistently supported on this side of the House. I also welcome the fact that the Arab League has also today unanimously endorsed the fact that Iraq should comply with the United Nations resolution. That is a significant step forward, as was the unanimous decision of the UN Security Council. I also note that, under the terms of that resolution, unilateral action is not available to the United States. There is a requirement for the issue of noncompliance with that resolution to come back before the Security Council. What this demonstrates—Government members interjecting—10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—Order! The Leader of the Opposition has the call. He has been granted indulgence, he understands the restrictions that indulgence imposes, and he is winding up his remarks, I believe.DT4Crean, Simon, MPMr CREAN—I thank you for the indulgence, Mr Speaker. What this demonstrates is that the course that Labor has been calling for from the beginning is the correct one. It now should be allowed to be pursued, and we have the very solid basis upon which it can. 859714:11:008597Crean, Simon, MPMr CREANDT4HothamALP00—My question is again to the Prime Minister, and it follows his answer to my earlier question. Prime Minister, you would be aware that the ACA inquiry has nothing to do with the allegations of improper phone calls by Senator Alston to the police investigator in Victoria. I ask you, Prime Minister: have you spoken to Senator Alston about those allegations of improper phone calls to the Victorian police investigator? If so, what explanation has Senator Alston given you for such calls? 8598Howard, John, MPMr HOWARDZD4BennelongLPPrime Minister10—I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. Of course I have spoken to him. On the information available to me, I do not think Senator Alston has behaved in any way improperly in this matter, nor does the Victoria Police think he has, because on 23 October the Victoria Police issued a statement in the following terms: `At no time has any outside party attempted to pressure, influence, coerce or intervene in this matter.' That is a conclusive repudiation of the pathetic attempt of the Leader of the Opposition to generate something out of this.The minister has not behaved improperly. If the Leader of the Opposition is not content to rely on the assurance of the minister or my assurance on that matter, then he might at least accept the word of the Victoria Police. The Victoria Police have said, `At no time has any outside party attempted to pressure, influence, coerce or intervene in this matter.' Those are very clear words. The mere making of a telephone call is not of itself improper. The minister has indicated that he made a telephone call; he has acknowledged that, and he has provided an explanation. The relevant thing here is whether it was improper. It is not improper per se to make a phone call. It is improper in circumstances such as this to pressure, influence, coerce or intervene. We have the word of the Victoria Police—which I am prepared to accept—that there was no coercion, intervention or pressure. I think the Leader of the Opposition should accept the word of the Victoria Police as well.Distinguished Visitors859810000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—I inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon members of a delegation of shadow ministers from New Zealand, led by the Hon. Bill English. On behalf of the House, I extend a very warm welcome to our visitors.Honourable members—Hear, hear!Questions Without Notice8598859814:14:008598Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE9V5SturtLP10—My question is addressed to the Treasurer. Would the Treasurer provide the House with an update on the Australian economy and the factors affecting the current economic outlook?8598Costello, Peter, MPMr COSTELLOCT4HigginsLPTreasurer10—I thank the honourable member for Sturt for his question and for his interest in the Australian economy. The international economy continues to look more bleak; in particular, the developments in the United States—probably reflected in the cut of 50 official basis points by the US Fed last week—indicate fears about the American recovery and whether or not it has stalled. In addition to that, growth is sluggish in Europe, and Japan remains in recession.Despite these difficulties, Australia continues to perform well overall and most international forecasts—for example, the Economist forecast of this month—predict that Australia will have the strongest growth of the developed nations of the world both in 2002 and 2003. In addition to that, the labour force figures for October, which were released late last week, showed that unemployment actually fell to six per cent, which is equal to the lowest unemployment rate recorded since the great recession of April 1990. After that recession, which was dubbed by Labor `the recession we had to have', unemployment was above 10 per cent for 28 consecutive months. The figure for October 2002—at six per cent—is the lowest figure since then.Notwithstanding that, the risks that we see for the economy are on the downside. Firstly, the international economy continues to disappoint. Secondly, the effect of the drought on the economy is becoming greater and more pronounced as the severity of the drought takes hold. ABARE has put out crop forecasts showing that Australia's crop harvest will be slashed, forecasting the possibility of that detracting up to one per cent from growth in the current financial year, and assessments to that effect have been made by the Reserve Bank in its statement on monetary conditions today. The government will be taking into account all of these effects when it updates its forecast in the midyear review, which will be at the end of this month. As I have said, our budget forecast of 3¾ per cent would be affected by downside factors in the international economy and in relation to the drought. Nonetheless, we continue to lead the developed world in growth and employment generation. The number of jobs that have been generated this calendar year is 164,000, and 37,000 over the course of 2002 were full-time jobs. Over the course of the government's period of office, the increase in employment is over one million jobs. Notwithstanding the difficulties of the Australian economy, the creation of those jobs means so much to young Australians, their families and all those who rely on people in the work force.Good economic policy needs good leadership, and we continue to provide that leadership. We call on the Senate to enact all of our budget measures, including those that have already been defeated. We will be preparing those and presenting them to the Senate again to give the Senate the opportunity to reconsider its position in relation to those budget measures because important budget measures for the long-term sustainability of the Australian economy—good economic policy—are opportunities for Australians.859914:18:008599Tanner, Lindsay, MPMr TANNERYU5MelbourneALP00—My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Can the minister confirm that the Estens inquiry received a submission stating that members of the Country Fire Authority near Wodonga, Victoria, have experienced phone outages lasting from three days to three weeks, putting at risk their ability to respond to bushfire emergencies? Given that the Estens inquiry received about 175 submissions from Australians complaining about the state of Telstra's network yet found that fault levels in regional Australia are `reasonable', didn't the inquiry simply ignore these submissions? How will selling the rest of Telstra fix these problems?8599McGauran, Peter, MPMr McGAURANXH4GippslandNPMinister for Science10—I thank the honourable member for his question. The government warmly welcomes the regional telecommunications inquiry, which gives a full and balanced assessment and picture of regional telecommunications. It is worth noting that the report states that the government has responded positively and comprehensively to the Besley inquiry's recommendations of two years ago, and that arrangements have been put in place to address community concerns, including mobile phone services, which is a constant irritant in many areas in regional Australia.Overall the Estens report is a positive for the government and the commitment we have made to continually upgrade telecommunications in regional areas. The report recommends priority be given to a number of particulars—for instance, rural exchange upgrades, broadband width speed and the like—and the government will look at these recommendations, some 39 in all, to consolidate and complement the actions we have already taken over the last two years. We endorse the approach taken by the inquiry, which was to put it on the table to see what needed fixing and what needed to be brought up to a better level of service and provision. It is interesting that implicit in the member's question is an endorsement of the Estens inquiry, which, if my memory serves me correctly, he was very critical of at the time of its establishment—YU5Tanner, Lindsay, MPMr Tanner—What? It was a whitewash, a complete whitewash!XH4Mr McGAURAN—A `whitewash', he says. He was very critical of it at the time of its establishment, as he was with the Besley inquiry—discredit it, but use those parts of it that might fit his political agenda or his biased views. The government will now carefully consider its response to the Estens inquiry. The government has made it clear that it will not proceed with any further sale of Telstra until it is fully satisfied arrangements are in place to deliver adequate services to all Australians. It is a positive, balanced report, which the government will respond to.YU5Tanner, Lindsay, MPMr Tanner—Mr Speaker, I ask that the minister table the document he was reading from. 10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—Was the minister reading from a document?XH4Mr McGAURAN—Yes.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—Was the document confidential?XH4Mr McGAURAN—Yes.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The minister has indicated that he was reading from a confidential document.860014:22:008600May, Margaret, MPMrs MAY83BMcPhersonLP10—My question is addressed to the Attorney-General. Would the Attorney inform the House about the landmark agreement with the states which the Commonwealth has secured to help protect Australians from the threat of terrorism?8600Williams, Daryl, MPMr WILLIAMS7V5TangneyLPAttorney-General10—I thank the member for McPherson for her question. I am very pleased to inform the House that the detail of legislation referring constitutional power for counterterrorism matters to the Commonwealth was finalised at a meeting of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General in Fremantle last Friday. This follows the historic agreement between the Prime Minister and state leaders earlier this year whereby the states agreed to refer power to the Commonwealth to coordinate responses to all national terrorist situations. This agreement is the most significant development in the management of terrorism threats in the past 20 years. The effect will be that the Howard government's important package of counterterrorism legislation enacted earlier this year will not have any unforeseen gaps. We will cover the field and ensure that any terrorist act committed in Australia will be the subject of criminal offences and hopefully, in due course, prosecution. We will be able to pursue terrorists anywhere and the community can be confident we will do just that.We are committed to hunting down all those who would threaten the safety of our families and communities and bringing those people to justice. I welcome the strong support from my state counterparts for the Howard government's new counterterrorism laws. We are now in a position to finalise the legislation so that each state can enact referral legislation as quickly as possible. I have urged my state counterparts to do everything they can to pass the legislation as a matter of urgency. Since the September 11 attacks on the United States, the government has acted swiftly to introduce new policy measures and to provide more resources for our security and intelligence agencies. The recent attacks in Bali have strengthened our resolve to ensure these measures are put in place immediately.On the legislative side, the package of counterterrorism legislation was passed in the middle of the year and parliament is currently considering a bill to enhance ASIO's ability to gather information. Shortly, a bill will be presented to the parliament creating an international murder offence. Our counterterrorism laws are built on strong constitutional grounds. We cannot afford to take the chance that the laws can be effectively challenged by those with an interest in getting around them. We must make them as watertight as possible. The proposed reference of powers by the states will do just that. I welcome the development and look forward to the continuing cooperation of the states and of the opposition in dealing with the ongoing threat of terrorism.860014:25:008600Tanner, Lindsay, MPMr TANNERYU5MelbourneALP00—My question is again to the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. I again refer him to a submission to the Estens inquiry from people living near Wodonga stating that they had suffered outages of their telephones of between three days and three weeks, thereby placing them at greater risk in their role as CFA members associated with the forthcoming bushfire season. How can the minister and the government accept the Estens inquiry view that the Telstra network is in fine shape and that the level of faults in regional Australia, even though they are increasing, are acceptable and reasonable?8600McGauran, Peter, MPMr McGAURANXH4GippslandNPMinister for Science10—I again thank the member for his question. There were 606 submissions received by the inquiry. They were all looked at closely. Some were positive; some were negative. Both positive and negative submissions were quoted extensively in the report. So much for it being the whitewash you have alleged here today. It is a very balanced report. The submissions have influenced the 39 recommendations, as have the inquiries—41 meetings with stakeholders. There are a number of important recommendations which the government will respond to. We will consider them carefully and give a comprehensive reply. The report has only been in the government's hands a few days. It is an inquiry the opposition never wanted, never supported—in fact, actively opposed.YU5Tanner, Lindsay, MPMr Tanner—Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. A specific question about a particular submission regarding bushfire fighting risks and the Country Fire Authority was asked. The minister has failed to answer it.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Melbourne will resume his seat. I have considered the point of order. The minister has the call. He had not concluded his answer.XH4Mr McGAURAN—In regard to any Wodonga situation, I am sure the member for Indi would be more than ready in her typically competent style to take up any specific issues that may affect anything within her electorate. But remember the report's conclusion, which is this:The inquiry is confident that arrangements that have been put in place over the past five years, including the response to the Besley inquiry, together with commercial developments and the inquiry's further recommendations will create an environment into the future where regional, rural and remote Australians will be able to benefit fully from advances in telecommunications technology and services.That is what irks you more than anything else.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—Before I recognise the member for La Trobe, I point out to the minister and all honourable members that reference to `you' is inappropriate. All answers, questions and statements should be addressed through the chair.860114:28:008601Charles, Bob, MPMr CHARLESOT4La TrobeLP10—My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Would the minister inform the House of action the government has taken to secure the construction of a multimillion dollar gas processing plant in Victoria? What does the Patricia Baleen gas plant dispute say about the industrial relations climate in Victoria today?8601Abbott, Tony, MPMr ABBOTTEZ5WarringahLPMinister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service10—I thank the member for La Trobe for his question. The Patricia Baleen gas processing plant is a $120 million investment in Victoria's future. This plant means more jobs for Victoria. It means more efficient industries in Victoria. It means extending the life of the Bass Strait oil and gas field. It means giving alternative gas supplies to Melbourne. Despite its importance, for more than a month no work has been done on this project, because members of the AMWU and the ETU are refusing to cross a picket line, which is apparently being organised by a union official taking long service leave. It is funny that this picket line somehow appeared the instant the unions discovered that workers at the plant would be on Australian workplace agreements.Last week the Industrial Relations Commission issued a return to work order and disbelieved the union's story that this was somehow a community picket. This is a clear case of ultramilitant unions defying the law. This government supports and upholds the rule of law, and that is why we are now intervening in a Federal Court application to enforce the Industrial Relations Commission's order.This government is supporting freedom under the law. In contrast, the Victorian government is standing around like a useless bystander. Since 1999, Victoria has become the epicentre of industrial militancy in this country. Melbourne is now the strike capital of Australia. Victoria now accounts for about 40 per cent of all days lost through strikes, and it is no wonder, because the AMWU controls the largest single block vote inside the Victorian Labor Party—and it is the union Premier Bracks chose to join.2V5Swan, Wayne, MPMr Swan—I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question was about a pipeline; it had nothing at all to do with anything else. Would you bring the minister to order? 10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—I noted the question. The question was about a pipeline—the member for Lilley is right—but it was also about a dispute affecting the development of that pipeline. The minister was in order.EZ5Mr ABBOTT—That is right, Mr Speaker. This federal government is acting to uphold freedom under the law while the Victorian government, in contrast, is acting like a helpless bystander. As a result of the strike epidemic now afflicting Victoria, when Japanese investors think of Victoria they think of just two things: koalas and strikes—and thank God for the koalas.860214:32:008602Bevis, Arch, MPMr BEVISET4BrisbaneALP00—My question without notice is to the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Can the minister confirm that the Estens inquiry received a submission from a woman in Maidenhall, Queensland, complaining of inadequate mobile phone coverage on major roads and highways around Chinchilla and from a farmer from Lismore, New South Wales, who described the Northern Rivers region as a mobile phone black spot? Minister, given that the Estens inquiry received about 300 submissions from Australians complaining about Telstra's mobile phone coverage, didn't the inquiry simply ignore those submissions? How will selling the rest of Telstra fix these problems?8602McGauran, Peter, MPMr McGAURANXH4GippslandNPMinister for Science10—I thank the honourable member for his question. It is amazing, isn't it, that, having blackguarded the entire Estens inquiry and all those who comprised it, the opposition will now, in a very opportunistic and quite obvious way, seize on those parts they want to make political capital of. We have already said, as did the Estens inquiry, that there were complaints made to the inquiry. That is why we established it—to get the true picture. And we have got the true picture. We have got the positives, we have got the negatives and we have got a balanced report, which the government will now consider in detail.It is fascinating that a member of the Labor Party would ask a question about the mobile phone network, given that you were to close down the analog network, with no replacement. The Labor Party made the decision in the early 1990s to close the analog network and leave rural subscribers without any substitute, except GSM, which of course would have been inaccessible for a great many of them. So there is an air of hypocrisy in any question from the opposition on the mobile phone network.It is also a coincidence, is it not, Mr Speaker, that the member for Cunningham has been admitted today? On this side of the House, we extend our warm congratulations on your stunning success. The major issue for the Leader of the Opposition and the Labor Party in that by-election was telecommunications. The disallowance of Telstra's price controls, the Leader of the Opposition said, would be a centre point of the Labor Party's campaign. He was rebuffed on that. He was rebuffed at the last federal election when he said, `This election will be a referendum on the sale of Telstra.' He said that on 2 November 2001. We take the Estens inquiry extremely seriously, as do people of an open and fair mind—and that includes regional subscribers.860214:35:008602Ticehurst, Kenneth, MPMr TICEHURST00ANFDobellLP10—My question is addressed to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. On this Remembrance Day, would the minister inform the House what the government is doing to permanently record and archive the memories of Australian war veterans for future generations of Australians?8602Vale, Danna, MPMrs VALEVK6HughesLPMinister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence10—I thank the honourable member for his question on this important day. The stories of our veterans are a priceless part of our history, and the government is committed to ensure that there is a permanent and visual record of their memories. I am pleased to announce on this Remembrance Day that the government is taking action to save for posterity the records and memories of our veterans by commissioning an Australians at War archive, which will be one of the largest in the world—a film archive of veterans' memories. In the last six months a pilot study has been undertaken by the production team responsible for the successful ABC story Australians at War. This screened last year as part of the government's gift to the nation on its Centenary of Federation. Work on the Australians at War archive will commence next month with plans to record and transcribe 2,000 interviews with Australian veterans who served in any of the conflicts, including the First World War and the Second World War, of the first centenary of our nation. The project is expected to take some 2½ years to complete and the final product will be an archive of over 20,000 hours of veteran interviews. It will be the largest archive of its kind in the world and it will be of great interest to families, historians and researchers. When technology allows, it will also be available to schools and the general public. This will be a real step in ensuring that future generations will never forget the service of our Australian veterans and that they have played a significant part in the building of our nation. Indeed, on this Remembrance Day, it is a very significant gift demonstrating the government's commitment to our veterans.860314:38:008603Wilkie, Kim, MPMr WILKIE84GSwanALP00—My question is addressed to the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Can the minister confirm that the Estens inquiry received a submission from a couple from Cuballing, Western Australia, complaining of regular Internet drop-outs and on one occasion having tried to connect to the Internet 120 times? Minister, given that the Estens inquiry received about 275 submissions from Australians complaining about Internet speeds and drop-outs, didn't the inquiry simply ignore these submissions? How will selling the rest of Telstra fix these problems?8603McGauran, Peter, MPMr McGAURANXH4GippslandNPMinister for Science10—I thank the honourable member for his question. The government is determined to address very comprehensively and supportively the recommendations of the Estens inquiry, but we do need some time, if you will allow us, to put together such a comprehensive report. We are of course—PG6Macklin, Jenny, MPMs Macklin—Why haven't you responded?XH4Mr McGAURAN—I see. You say we could have done it completely over the weekend. I can assure you that work has started with great speed. As soon as possible, a response to the Estens inquiry will be forwarded. But I should say that the government, as the Estens inquiry has recognised, has done a great deal in the past few years—to the extent that, since 1996, we have spent $1 billion to improve communications and information technology infrastructure around Australia, including especially in regional Australia. We have implemented a whole range of consumer safeguards. We have strengthened the universal service obligation. We have introduced a customer service guarantee in a way that the Labor Party never did in 13 years and undoubtedly would not do. In regard to the mobile phone network, we have established the CDMA network, which extended Labor's to-be-abolished analog network by 50 per cent. We have introduced mobile phone coverage, along—84GWilkie, Kim, MPMr Wilkie—I raise a point of order on relevance, Mr Speaker. The question related to—10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Swan will resume his seat. The minister's answer is entirely related to the question, which was about the Estens inquiry.XH4Mr McGAURAN—Thank you, Mr Speaker. Along 10,000 kilometres of Australia's highway, there are many things we could list. Turning now to the issue of speed of the Internet: all Australians have access upon request to a guaranteed 64 kilobytes and digital data service, with the four per cent of remote Australians who do not have access to ISDN receiving a subsidised one-way satellite service under a special scheme. In summary, the opposition would do well to work with the government to provide even better and improved services across the length and breadth of the nation. We are serious and determined to do so. We have allowed two inquiries now to identify where the gaps exist so that the government can act and respond. We have done so in regard to the Besley inquiry; we will do so in regard to the Estens inquiry. 860414:42:008604Kelly, De-Anne, MPMrs DE-ANNE KELLYFK6DawsonNP10—My question is addressed to the Minister for Trade. Will the minister outline to the House the government's commitment to improving access for Australian exporters to the East Asian region? Is the minister aware of any other strategy?8604Vaile, Mark, MPMr VAILESU5LyneNPMinister for Trade10—I thank the honourable member for Dawson for her question. Obviously our trade with East Asia is very important for the electorate of Dawson, and particularly for the sugar industry. I do not think there has been any other government in Australia's history that has been more proactively engaged with East Asia in terms of developing trade and economic agreements within the region—no other government in Australia's history.Just by way of example, members would have noted—and the opposition spokesman, the member for Rankin, provided some support a week or so ago—that we announced the conclusion of the free trade agreement between Australia and Singapore. We have concluded that negotiation. We are in the process of negotiating a closer economic relationship with Thailand. We have concluded the agreement with the ASEAN countries—between Australia and New Zealand and the 10 ASEAN countries. We are in discussion with Japan and Korea about trade and economic agreements. And we are negotiating an economic framework agreement with China. Let us not forget some of the results of the work that this government has done in terms of our engagement with East Asia. I instance the announcement of the $25 billion LNG deal with China in recent months as a result of the work that our government has done. Of course, that engagement with East Asia is all aimed at improving and strengthening economic linkages between Australia and the East Asian economies that are so important to the Australian economy in terms of trade and investment. As I indicated, only last week we concluded the negotiations with Singapore on the free trade agreement between Australia and Singapore, the first such agreement that we have concluded in 20 years, since we concluded the CER agreement with New Zealand. It is interesting that we have colleagues from New Zealand in the gallery today. Twenty years ago next year, the Australia and New Zealand CER was concluded. It took this government to get back onto the bilateral stage to negotiate with Singapore, and I would point out that all those bilateral negotiations are taking place with East Asia. We know the position of the opposition. They are opposed to our proposal, our ambitions with the United States. But I would point out that it is the one and only bilateral pursuit we are undertaking outside of East Asia. Of course, we believe Australia has an ability, and we certainly have a policy perspective, to multilaterally, regionally and bilaterally pursue an improvement in our trade and economic agenda. The Labor Party would have us narrowly focus on the multilateral arena only. We believe we can undertake all those pursuits at the same time. We are proving that we can achieve that. We have concluded that negotiation with Singapore, we are engaged with Thailand, we are engaged with other countries in North Asia, and at the same time we are leading the way in terms of moving the multilateral agenda along. This is what our government is about—not just leading the way in Australia in terms of developing the economic base and our economic integration in the region but also leading the way internationally in terms of opening up markets across the world for trade and investment.Of course we are engaged with East Asia. I will give you an indication of the capacity of those engagements. Australia has a trade relationship with Japan of $44 billion; Korea, $15 billion; China, $19 billion; Singapore, $13 billion; Taiwan, $9 billion; Indonesia, $8.7 billion; Malaysia, $8 billion; and Thailand, $6 billion. Just remember: since 1996, our government has led the way with a 50 per cent expansion—an increase—in the level of exports out of Australia from $99 billion to $154 billion, with a lot of it going into these East Asian economies. When criticism comes from some quarters, like the Australian Labor Party, the majority of Australians know that it is without base and that our government is delivering in terms of our engagement with East Asia. 860514:45:008605Crean, Simon, MPMr CREANDT4HothamALP00—My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Can the minister confirm that recommendation 8.1 of the Estens inquiry states that Telstra should only maintain a regional presence when it is `compatible with Telstra's commercial interests'? Minister, doesn't this mean that, if Telstra is sold, it will leave town even faster than the banks have?8605McGauran, Peter, MPMr McGAURANXH4GippslandNPMinister for Science10—I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. Do you mean it will leave town faster than the 250 post offices you closed during your term in government? I know the Leader of the Opposition previewed in a doorstop this morning that Telstra would be the issue of the week, but the government is to consider the recommendations and the conclusions of the Estens inquiry. It is something of a broken record to select one part of the Estens inquiry over another to try to score a political point. What the government has done for several years, but particularly following the Besley inquiry, is to inject new funding into the telecommunications structure throughout regional Australia. As a representative of a rural constituency I can attest to the fact that services, maintenance and repair and installations are at a much higher level than ever before and are quite unrecognisable as the Telstra or Telecom of the Labor government years.Enormous progress has already been made, as the Estens inquiry concludes, but there is still a way to go. The government would never be complacent or reliant upon what has already been done. We will always drive improvement in telecommunications services, with particular emphasis on regional Australia. We will consider the Estens inquiry. We will not be baited into making policy on the run. That is something of the province of the Leader of the Opposition. Over the last few years the government have very comprehensively and thoroughly responded to complaints and issues as they arise. We are proud of our record on telecommunications services in regional Australia. We will build on that record and never take it for granted. The Estens inquiry is a very positive step forward.860514:48:008605Southcott, Dr Andrew, MPDr SOUTHCOTTTK6BoothbyLP10—My question is to the Minister for Ageing. Can the minister outline to the House the exceptional efforts of South Australia's Julia Farr centre in achieving Commonwealth accreditation for the provision of high-quality aged care services? Can the minister also outline to the House the South Australian government's proposed cuts to services at the Julia Farr centre?8605Andrews, Kevin, MPMr ANDREWSHK5MenziesLPMinister for Ageing10—I thank the member for Boothby for his question and for his ongoing and keen interest in the provision of health and aged care, particularly in South Australia. Last week I was in Adelaide, along with the Chairman of the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency, to present an award to Julia Farr Services in Fullerton, which is in the honourable member for Adelaide's electorate. Julia Farr Services is the first aged care residential facility in Australia to receive a new commendable award. This award carries with it a four-year accreditation, an additional year's accreditation above what has been available in the past, and it is to recognise the very best aged care services in the country. It was a tribute to the work of the board, the staff and the volunteers at Julia Farr Services to receive this award. Indeed, Julia Farr Services has been in operation in Adelaide for 123 years. It specialises in the care of elderly Australians, particularly those who have physical, neurological and brain injury disabilities. Currently, as part of the services, Julia Farr operates 70 high-care beds; indeed, it receives subsidies from the Commonwealth of well over $2 million per year. It was therefore disappointing that the very next day I learned that the state government in South Australia and the minister responsible had decided, secretly, to close down the aged care home at Julia Farr Services and, effectively, to take 70 high-care beds out of the aged care system in South Australia. ZD4Howard, John, MPHK5Mr ANDREWS—The Prime Minister asked rhetorically why. That is a good question for the minister in South Australia. She was reported as saying that the board of Julia Farr had decided, but a letter dated 19 July from the Department of Human Services in South Australia which has been made available to us directs the board of Julia Farr to cease to be an aged care provider. I say to members of the House that this is unacceptable. It is unacceptable that the South Australian government is effectively taking up to 70 aged care places out of the system in South Australia. It is unacceptable that an amount of up to $4 million will be lost to the aged care sector on an annual recurrent basis in South Australia. In the last three years the Commonwealth government has allocated more than 2,800 extra aged care places to South Australia, worth some $49 million in annual recurrent funding. I call upon the South Australian government—I call upon Premier Rann and Ms Key, the minister—to reverse what is a cold, uncaring and senseless decision.860614:52:008606Macklin, Jenny, MPMs MACKLINPG6JagajagaALP00—My question is also directed to the minister representing the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Minister, are you aware that a submission to the Estens inquiry states that, at Southern Cross University in Lismore, only two out of 171 first-year geology students are able to dial up the Internet at an adequate speed and that the majority of students cannot download required course reading? Minister, are you aware that university students in Lismore are frustrated because their university network runs at about half the speed of the sandstone universities' connection speed? Minister, why has the Estens inquiry failed to address the fact that regional students do not have access to something as basic as adequate dial-up Internet service? How will the sale of Telstra provide regional students with the same level of Internet service as city students?8606McGauran, Peter, MPMr McGAURANXH4GippslandNPMinister for Science10—I thank the honourable member for her question. Issues of access and equity are paramount to the government, and it is for that reason that we have already injected $1 billion into improving telecommunications and telecommunications networks throughout regional Australia. We have never said it is picture perfect; we have said that it has been incredibly upgraded since Labor left it in tatters and neglected, and that we still have a way to go. But we will respond properly and with thought, not just with the superficial examination or reading that the opposition has obviously undertaken of the Estens inquiry.But no amount of repetitious questioning will disguise the fact that the Labor Party has internal difficulties on this issue—and on a few others, at that. The member for Melbourne has written in a paper that the current ownership issue of Telstra is unsustainable. The member for Fraser has said publicly that ownership is not the issue, so he joins the New South Wales Premier in that regard. You then have the opportunist Leader of the Opposition, who will seize on any aspect of any part of telecommunications to try to make a political point. The government will come to the issue carefully and in a considered way, and will have full and proper regard for country people.860614:55:008606Hawker, David, MPMr HAWKER8H4WannonLP10—My question is directed to the Minister for Employment Services. Can the minister inform the House of any development in the Howard government's Work for the Dole program, in particular relating to projects of national significance? Furthermore, is the minister aware of any comments regarding Work for the Dole? How do these comments reflect community attitudes?8606Brough, Mal, MPMr BROUGH2K6LongmanLPMinister for Employment Services10—I thank the member for Wannon for his interest in Work for the Dole. Only last month I announced 337 new Work for the Dole programs, building better communities and opportunities around Australia. Eighty-six of those projects were in the home state of the member for Wannon, in Victoria, helping some 1,149 job seekers. Since the inception of the Work for the Dole program there have been 2,884 projects right throughout Victoria, helping communities, building better communities, building infrastructure and assisting Australia's unemployed. But the government is always looking for new and innovative ways in which to build better and stronger communities and also to build on the success which is Work for the Dole. To that end, a Work for the Dole nationally significant project was commenced in Melbourne and in Perth. It was building on our postwar immigration records, detailing these with the National Archives, entering the information into a data package and repackaging it so it would be available not in its original form—which is going to deteriorate over time, so we would lose a very significant part of Australian history—but in a data format so that it would be available eventually to all Australians. There has been a cooperative approach between my department and the Archives, and we are now about to extend the program in Victoria so that post-World War II records will now be put onto the database and made available. That will increase the Work for the Dole program by 20 places and it will do something very significant for Australia's heritage.I am asked about comments. There have not been too many negative comments from the opposition of late, but one has to wonder whether or not the comments that have been made in the past by Victorians such as the member for Batman—where he referred to the program as `somewhat of a flop'—still stand today, or whether perhaps he is starting to re-evaluate his thoughts on the program. I direct the member for Batman to—LS4Ferguson, Martin, MPMr Martin Ferguson—Have a look at the state of employment in your local electorate.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Batman! The minister has the call.2K6Mr BROUGH—They always spark up when we talk about Work for the Dole. It comes down to this: whether or not they support—PG6Macklin, Jenny, MPLS4Ferguson, Martin, MP2K6Mr BROUGH—I wonder whether some of the members on the opposition front bench understand the importance of this project or whether perhaps they are like the member for Batman. He perhaps should go and visit Ballarat and ask the eight participants in Ballarat about the young people who are—Honourable members interjecting—2K6Mr BROUGH—Well, the member for Batman often goes there. Perhaps I could invite the member for Batman—LS4Ferguson, Martin, MPMr Martin Ferguson—Have you ever thought about unemployment in your electorate?10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—I have, on three occasions, drawn the member for Batman's attention to the need for courtesy in the House. The minister has the call.2K6Mr BROUGH—The excitable member for Batman perhaps would like to go and visit the Black Hill Primary School. We are out there preparing teaching aids and displays, assisting with reading, assisting Australia's young people—there is worthwhile work being undertaken by unemployed Victorians with Work for the Dole. Perhaps he would like to visit the City of Bendigo, where retail training opportunities, the sorting of goods, the storing of displays and pricing items are some of the worthwhile activities being undertaken with the Salvation Army there. Not going too far from home, he could even visit Moreland in his own electorate of Batman, where he could determine once and for all whether or not this is a worthwhile program. Electors in the electorate of Batman are participating in organising to collect and recycle educational material to be redistributed to more needy people in the Cook Islands. Perhaps it is time that the member for Batman appreciated the worth of Work for the Dole and how it is working—as the member for Wannon and other Victorian members on this side know—for Victoria's unemployed. It is clear to everybody in this House that the member for Rankin was correct when he said that the electorate is left wondering what it is the Labor Party stands for. This side of the House certainly does not know what you stand for and neither do the unemployed in this country. 860815:00:008608George, Jennie, MPMs GEORGEJH5ThrosbyALP00—My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Is the minister aware of a submission to the Estens inquiry by a medical practice in Albury and Wangaratta which draws attention to the need for high-speed data transmission for the purpose of communicating scan results and diagnoses? Is the minister aware that the submission contains the following: Unfortunately, through Telstra's unwillingness to support rural customers, the ISDN service we use for this purpose is to be disconnected.And further: As you can see ... we have a total lack of confidence that Telstra can be trusted to do what is required.Minister, how will the full privatisation of Telstra ensure high-speed data transmission of medical information in rural and regional Australia? 8608McGauran, Peter, MPMr McGAURANXH4GippslandNPMinister for Science10—I thank the honourable member for her question, but the same question will elicit much the same response—that is, the government are deadly serious, as our record shows, about improving telecommunications services throughout Australia, including in regional and rural areas, across the board; all aspects of it—so that people do have fair and proper access to the network. I should say in regard to health that one of the government's responses to the Besley inquiry was a $50 million national communications fund to give people in regional areas access to remote health and distance education services. That is something the member for Throsby has not taken into account, but we will take into account all aspects of the Estens inquiry because the commitment to improve regional telecommunications services has dominated this government from 1996 onwards, after 13 years of studied and deliberate neglect by the Labor government. We will very responsibly and sympathetically reply to the Estens inquiry.860815:02:008608Bartlett, Kerry, MPMr BARTLETT0K6MacquarieLP10—My question is addressed to the Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government. Can the minister advise the House of the current bushfire situation in Australia? What funding has the federal government contributed for the Erickson helitankers to tackle the fire menace?8608Tuckey, Wilson, MPMr TUCKEYSJ4O'ConnorLPMinister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government10—As some would have read in the media, the bushfires throughout Australia this year are of great seriousness and are causing very major damage as we speak. In fact, some 3,000 volunteer and professional firefighters are fighting 102 fires in New South Wales alone, and there are significant fires in the Gold Coast hinterland and on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Already, some 36 homes have been destroyed in New South Wales alone. A major contributor to the protection of homes was best identified in an article in today's Sydney Morning Herald which refers to Southern Highlands historian Marie Chalker, who was luckier than some others mentioned. The article states:All that saved her Aylmerton home was a last-minute dousing by a heli-tanker. `I just said a prayer and then Elvis appeared and emptied its load,' she said.The fact that those particular helicopters were there and are so effective at saving people's homes in what is professionally called the forest-urban interface is very much due to the contribution and initiative of the Howard government. An inquiry recommended that some of these aircraft be imported. It was found that, with the very early commencement of the fire season, they needed to be airfreighted in, and they were. Not only did the Howard government make an original offer to meet half the sea freight and leasing costs to have this equipment in Australia; we were quick to offer 50 per cent of the airfreight costs as well. These particular aircraft are now making a great contribution—in fact, they commenced work on 17 October and one of the first areas where they set about protecting people's property was in the Blue Mountains, in part of the member for Macquarie's electorate. He of course is very conscious of the benefits this is bringing to his constituents. All that said, we should not for a moment ignore the contribution of the men and women and their terrestrial equipment that is at the very front of these fires; in fact, they are the people who must do their best. There are issues relating to that which must be addressed in the future. There has been a clear inadequacy in roads for those people to get in and address these fires, and that is one of the reasons why we need more aerial assets. But the fact of life is that there also has to be proper forest management. In fact, as was put to the select committee of the New South Wales parliament, the National Parks and Wildlife Service had reduced their hazard reduction by 60 per cent over seven years and as a result lost 750,000 hectares of their forest reserves to fire, compared to the 2,000 hectares which was all that was lost in state forests where appropriate hazard reduction of about 100,000 hectares a year had been practised continuously. So these are pretty important issues.Those on the other side of the House have also said a lot about the Commonwealth's role. There have been all sorts of suggestions and questions to the Deputy Prime Minister. It was of some interest to me, therefore, that on 22 October the Queensland Premier had the following to say, as recorded in Hansard on page 3828:Queensland has been participating in a project to develop a national aerial firefighting strategy. The project commenced as a result of concerns arising from the New South Wales bushfires in late 2001 and early 2002. The Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. John Anderson, wrote to the New South Wales Premier offering assistance to coordinate the development of a joint proposal amongst the states and territories on cost-effective options for improving Australia's aerial firefighting capacity.Now, that is not an example of offers, as has been reported, to buy four helicopters and do other sorts of things. In fact, it identifies that the Commonwealth took a leading role.In response to that, we were challenged on the last day of sitting in the previous session with, `Why don't we have a summit?' That challenge of course came from the opposition. They have had a lot of summits: there was the economic summit, there was the tax summit and there was the ALP rules summit, and they all had no effect. I thought I could identify some of the speakers that might be present. We could have the member for Werriwa tell us how effective a coastguard might be in putting out coastal fires; he says it will fix everything else. The member for Rankin could give a speech on how, under the Kyoto principles, you could sell all those charcoal credits after the fires. The member for Fremantle could tell us about the importance of recollections in getting yourself out of a fire.860915:09:008609McMullan, Bob, MPMr McMULLAN5I4FraserALP00—My question is to the Treasurer. Can you confirm that 10 foreign currency swap contracts have matured so far this financial year? Can you also confirm that these contracts have realised further losses of between $300 and $400 million so far this financial year? Treasurer, can you confirm that changes ordered by the Minister for Finance and Administration will mean that the table which contains the data on foreign currency losses, which enabled these foreign currency swap losses to be detected in February this year, will no longer be published in the annual report of the Australian Office of Financial Management?8609Costello, Peter, MPMr COSTELLOCT4HigginsLPTreasurer10—Prior to lunch the member for Fraser made a number of false allegations again, including the one he has just put to me. I am told by the Minister for Finance and Administration that under the finance minister's orders dated 24 May 2001 the requirement for 2001-02 is that all administered revenues, expenses, assets, liabilities and cash flows be disclosed by way of note rather than on the face of the statements. There is no diminution in the detail of information disclosed and foreign exchange gains and losses are explicitly required to be reported in the note: appendix A of the FMO for 2001-02.I am further instructed that the finance minister's orders were disallowable instruments and they were gazetted on 27 June 2001 without any demur from the Labor Party. Here was the big hot scoop before lunch. That is what Senator Minchin tells me.YU5Tanner, Lindsay, MPMr Tanner—Is this your defence? 10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Melbourne!CT4Mr COSTELLO—In addition to that, a number of other—YU5Tanner, Lindsay, MPMr Tanner—You've got to be joking!10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Melbourne must be aware that on a number of occasions today I have drawn his attention to his behaviour. Given that he may have found some of the questions and answers more provocative than others, I have been quite tolerant. He cannot expect that tolerance to continue.CT4Mr COSTELLO—A number of the other false claims were made by the member for Fraser shortly before lunch. I cannot deal with all of his falsity but I will deal with some of his most egregious ones. The report of the Australian Office of Financial Management as at 30 June 2002 reported on page 20 that the appreciation in the exchange rate over 2001-02 led to a foreign currency gain of $1.2 billion. 5I4McMullan, Bob, MPMr McMullan—What about all the realised losses?CT4Mr COSTELLO—I am coming that. If he can only restrain himself, I am coming to that! The then shadow Treasurer showed great interest as at 30 June 2001 on valuation effects, but he shows no interest in valuation effects in this year's report, which was tabled Friday week ago. It is all there on page 20:As at 30 June 2002, the realised gain on the total portfolio was $144.3 million ... and $777.4 million (in net present value terms).That is the realised gain. It is all there on page 20. He was fishing around on page 160 looking for Senator Minchin's alleged perfidy. Then it says: On a broader economic return basis, this takes into account both accruals and cash and exchange rate and interest differentials. The economic performance of the strategy since it commenced in 1987-88—which is 15 years ago—was a loss of $898 million ...Which is about $45 million over the course of 15 years. While they were busily thumbing their way on page 160, they apparently forgot to read the summary which set it all out. While I have got the opportunity—I was afraid I would not be asked a question on this today—when the member for Fraser is asked is he against the strategy of cross-currency swaps, he says there is nothing inherently wrong with it—and he nods again. He has to say that, doesn't he, because it is a Labor Party policy? There is nothing inherently wrong with it. When he is asked whether the government is doing the right thing by winding it up, he says he cannot disagree with that. It is his policy and we are doing the right thing to wind it up. So what is his complaint? When he is actually pushed on what his complaint is, he says, `The Australian government should have sold Australian dollars at the time of the Asian financial crisis. You should have wound down your cross-currency swaps which involve selling Australian dollars in 1997.' That is what he said. I will make a few points about this. The first is that it is great to be an expert on the 1997 exchange rate in 2002; that is easy. But if we searched the record in 1997 did we find anybody in the Labor Party advocating getting out of the Australian dollar? Did they advocate it in 1998? Did they advocate it in 1999? No, they advocated it in 2002—a sort of a Back to the Future, where somebody goes to the future and gets the race results and comes back in time and decides to bet on winners. That is the first point.Did the Labor Party advocate it in 1997, 1998 and 1999 or thereafter? No. Did the Treasury secretary advocate it? No. Did the Reserve Bank governor advocate it? No.WU5O'Connor, Gavan, MPMr Gavan O'Connor—Did you advocate it?CT4Mr COSTELLO—Did I advocate it? No, I did not. Let me tell you why I did not advocate it: in 1997, when the Australian dollar was falling and when Labor debt had peaked at something like $US9 billion, what would have been the effect of the Australian government selling its own currency in the midst of a financial crisis? Let me ask this other rhetorical question: what would the price have been—not the published price looking back now—if the Australian government had dumped its own currency? It certainly would not have been the advertised price of that day. At the time when the Asian financial crisis was on, no-one in their right mind would have advocated that. In fact, the Reserve Bank of Australia was actually buying the currency in 1997, if the truth be known. That has all been put on the record since. So to expect the Australian government to be selling currency to its own Reserve Bank in 1997 really does take one's breath away. If that is the level of the 2002 analysis, all I can say is: the Leader of the Opposition is very safe in his current job.861115:16:008611Billson, Bruce, MPMr BILLSON1K6DunkleyLP10—My question is to the Minister for Small Business and Tourism. Will the minister inform the House of how unnecessary regulation burdens small business and hinders growth? Is the minister aware of any proposals to increase regulation on small businesses?8611Hockey, Joe, MPMr HOCKEYDK6North SydneyLPMinister for Small Business and Tourism10—Thank you to the member for Dunkley, a great advocate for the 8,000 small businesses in his electorate. The member for Dunkley knows, as do all the members in the Liberal and National parties, that over-regulation prevents small businesses from making money. The Liberal and National parties want small business to make money; they want small business to be profitable. If a small business person is spending time dealing with regulation and they are not selling to their customers, they are not making money. One of the biggest causes of red tape is the overlap between Commonwealth, state and local government.This is quite an astounding figure: the Office of Small Business advises me that the Commonwealth requires approximately 250 licenses and permits—in this parliament, we are aware that those licenses and permits would be things like TV licences, broadcasting licences, banking licences and so on—there are 3,000 required by the states and there are 20,000 required by local government.ZD4Howard, John, MPDK6Mr HOCKEY—That could get us into some trouble, couldn't it?ZD4Howard, John, MPDK6Mr HOCKEY—I see. Any attempt to reduce the regulatory overlap is obviously welcome. Victoria took a major step forward in 1996 when under the Liberal and National government they referred power on workplace relations from the states to the Commonwealth so that a single system would apply, and 275,000 small businesses welcomed this initiative and it was great news for more than half a million Victorian employees. However, there is a disappointment to come. On 12 September this year, Steve Bracks introduced a bill to the Victorian parliament that would go back to the bad old days. It meant that there could be three levels of regulation for small business workplace relations instead of one. So Victoria under Steve Bracks want to go back to three levels of regulation in workplace relations instead of the single level they have at the moment. As an example, under this bill a Victorian business could reintroduce awards to a number of industries where they have not applied for years.So what does that mean? It means that effectively, for example, the old picnic days come into play as a result of the initiative of the Bracks government. The Australian Retailers Association estimates that the additional cost and compliance burden of this Bracks government initiative would cost Victoria 2,500 retail jobs. It estimates that 20 per cent of businesses would cease Sunday trading and a third of businesses would reduce Sunday trading. It is even worse in rural and regional Victoria. The Victorian Farmers Federation estimate that 10,000 rural jobs would be lost as a result of this Bracks industrial relations legislation. And this is during the worst drought in regional Australia in 100 years.On the one hand you have the Bracks Labor Party, which wants more regulation for small business and wants to create more impediments to the employment of people in Victoria and, on the other hand—as displayed by what they did in government—you have the Liberal Party, who are committed to reducing the red tape burden and who are committed to a single system of industrial relations applying to Victorian businesses. The Victorian Liberals are committed to getting on with the job, something that the Bracks Labor government has not done for three years. ZD4Howard, John, MPMr Howard—Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.Miscellaneous861215:21:008612Howard, John, MPMr HOWARDZD4BennelongLPPrime Minister10—I take this opportunity, on indulgence, to say on behalf of everybody how delighted I am to see the member for Adelaide, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, back and looking so well. It is great to have you back, Trish.15:21:008612Macklin, Jenny, MPMs MACKLINPG6JagajagaALP00—On the same matter, on indulgence if I may, it is great to see the member for Adelaide looking so fantastic and it is wonderful that the treatment has been so successful.Miscellaneous861215:22:008612SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER10000PON/A10—I would like to make a statement to the House on security in Parliament House. On 23 October 2002, I presented to the House the final report of a review of certain aspects of the administration of the parliament by the Parliamentary Service Commissioner, Mr Andrew Podger. The President presented a copy to the Senate at the same time. The report dealt in part with security at Parliament House, and I wish to outline to the House, as far as is appropriate given security considerations, the situation regarding security in this building.Since the events of 11 September 2001, the President and I have been actively seeking to strengthen the security of Parliament House in light of the heightened level of threat. We are determined to safeguard the Australian democratic system of government, the institution of parliament, the occupants of Parliament House and the 1.2 million Australian and overseas visitors who visit Parliament House each year. I know these sentiments are shared by every member of the parliament.To this end, a number of operational security initiatives were implemented immediately after 11 September 2001, in accordance with the heightened threat assessment issued by the Protective Security Coordination Centre, to which the Parliamentary Security Controller had immediate access. These included the introduction of electronic pass verification for pass holders. Security screening was extended to include all persons entering the building, and restrictions were placed on vehicle access to the ministerial entrance. Restrictions were also placed on the issue of visitor day passes and the delivery of unaccompanied goods. Procedures at the entrances and loading dock were also tightened, and a number of electronic security enhancements were introduced.The then President and I also agreed, in March 2002, to the establishment of an interim security management board to ensure the better coordination of the strategic, management and technical requirements of security at Parliament House. The board, which has met monthly since March, has provided a much improved and better coordinated focus on the full range of security requirements at Parliament House. It has been undertaking a comprehensive review of the security environment at Parliament House and implementing, with the approval of the Presiding Officers, further security measures. For example, we recently stopped short-term parking at the Senate and House of Representatives entrances. We have also asked the board to hasten the planning process to restructure the entrances in both the House and Senate wings, following the imminent relocation of the Synergy travel offices to the area previously occupied by Qantas. This will be done with the twofold aim of enhancing security and easing congestion at peak times.Following receipt of the Podger report, the President and I have established the Security Management Board as a permanent body. It is chaired by the Secretary, Joint House Department, and consists of the Usher of the Black Rod, the Serjeant-at-Arms, the Security Controller and representatives from DPRS, the ministerial wing, the Protective Security Coordination Centre and the Australian Protective Service.We have also decided, as recommended by Mr Podger, to centralise the security function in Joint House Department. We believe that the implementation of these changes will ensure that security at Parliament House is run in a centrally coordinated and professional manner, consistent with the security threat that we now face. Included in the Podger report on security matters were the following issues:· The physical design of the parliamentary precincts limits the ability to control vehicles from gaining close access to the premises, possibly endangering building occupants if a vehicle contained an explosive device.· There are concerns about the adequacy of the current arrangements for the issue and administration of passes within the parliament, including the relatively broad level of access to private areas of the building provided by passes.· There are better options for the deployment of Australian Protective Service staff in conjunction with Parliamentary Security Service staff to make the protective security of the building more effective.All of these issues have been considered by the Security Management Board or the Parliamentary Security Controller. For obvious reasons, it is not appropriate to discuss publicly the details of the outcomes of those deliberations. However, I can advise the House that they have either been attended to or are being attended to in an expeditious manner. In addition, these matters will continue to be monitored and measures upgraded if the threat environment changes.Some of these issues attracted media attention. In addition, various elements of the media have raised the issue of limited access control to the House of Representatives and Senate car parks during sitting weeks. The use of security personnel in these locations is primarily a car park management matter rather than a security initiative. The advice we have received is that an explosion in those car parks is not seen as a significant risk in the current threat environment—4I4McLeay, Leo, MPMr Leo McLeay—Except for the people in the cars!10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—I warn the member for Watson! The advice we have received is that an explosion in those car parks is not seen as a significant risk in the current threat environment and would have a low impact on the structure of Parliament House. This is not to suggest that there is no risk, and the Security Management Board is looking at measures to minimise the risk.The Security Management Board, with the authority of the Presiding Officers, is continuing its review of security arrangements at Parliament House and is receiving high-quality intelligence from the full range of relevant Commonwealth authorities, as well as other expert advice. Parliamentary security is being integrated with the rest of the Commonwealth in its continuing assessment of threat. As a result of the Security Management Board's reviews, it is expected that further precautionary measures will be implemented to enhance the security of Parliament House.Clearly, the tightening of security at Parliament House has an impact on all building occupants and visitors. It is necessary, however, that we ensure that any identified weaknesses in the existing security framework are addressed. This may include further aspects related to building access.We are aware that increased security measures may have an impact on the appropriations to the parliament. The possible need for additional funding for security emphasises the importance of addressing the remainder of the Podger report, which concludes that significant savings can be achieved from changes to the administration of the parliament. As advised when we presented the copy of the report on 23 October 2002, the President and I will be considering these matters at the end of this month, after seeking comment on the recommendations. We will be closely examining the impact on the appropriations to the parliament.We are grateful for the cooperation shown by members, senators and all other occupants of, and visitors to, Parliament House in the wake of the introduction of heightened security measures. The President and I will continue to do all we can to ensure that new measures balance our obligations to the people in this building with the need to maintain as far as possible Australia's Parliament House as an accessible and open public institution. Leave of Absence8614Mr ABBOTT (Warringah—Leader of the House) (3.32 p.m.)—I move:That leave of absence for the remainder of the current period of sittings be given to the member for Page on the grounds of ill health.Question agreed to.Questions to the Speaker8614861415:33:008614Murphy, John, MPMr MURPHY83DLoweALP00—I have a question for you, Mr Speaker. Is there any limitation on the number of times you can write to a minister under standing order 150 to facilitate an answer to a question? GT4Truss, Warren, MPMr Truss—Ha, ha! 83DMr MURPHY—The minister can laugh—10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Lowe will address his remarks through the chair. 83DMr MURPHY—Minister Truss can laugh, Mr Speaker—10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Lowe will address his remarks through the chair.83DMr MURPHY—If one has a look at the four questions that I put to the Treasurer on 26 August—I mention questions numbered 853, 854, 855 and 856—it would do justice to a Monty Python skit. The questions ultimately conclude—10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Lowe has asked his question. I will respond.83DMr MURPHY—It is a question asking when the minister will answer the question—8614SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER10000PON/A10—The member for Lowe will resume his seat. I will respond to his question. I would indicate to the member for Lowe that the chair has always followed up all of the requests that the member for Lowe has made, and that the situation that the member for Lowe finds frustrating has existed for longer than I have been a member of this parliament and is in the hands of the parliament to change.86141The ClerkThe Clerk—Petitions have been lodged for presentation as follows and copies will be referred to the appropriate ministers:8614168383C5V5Ms Jann McFarlane;Mr Stephen SmithTo the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:The petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House that the people of Australia have not been consulted on a commitment made that Australia will support an impending war against Iraq.We are concerned that such a war will—· Result in the deaths of many Iraqi civilians, as well as Australian, US and Iraqi troops.· Goad Saddam Hussein to use any weapons at his disposal in a bid to retain power.· Cause a civil war in Iraq, enlarge the refugee problem and further destabilise the Middle East.· Enhance the perception that The West is at war with the Islamic World, thus consolidating the recruitment power of anti-Western extremists.Your petitioners request that the House shall refuse to commit Australia to join the United States of America in this impending war, and further, that Australia uses what influence it has over the US to convince it to use non-violent strategies such as seeking a zone free of weapons of mass destruction over the entire Middle East.1587Ms Jann McFarlane83CMs Jann McFarlane (from 1,587 citizens) and96Mr Stephen Smith5V5Mr Stephen Smith (from 96 citizens).861424KL6Mr AndrenTo the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:The petition of certain citizens of Australia, namely `Radio for all Australians Association Inc' draw to the attention of the House the need for the establishment of a radio station for the benefit of those people who suffer the inability to read the spoken word and for the benefit of the community in general.The Federal Government has spent millions of dollars making sure that deaf people in this country receive television services, but for those who can't read or write, which is some 6.8 million Australians, there is a need for a special radio licence and frequency, so these special programs can be broadcast all over Australia.Your petitioners therefore request the House to urgently consider the need for the introduction of legislation to provide this essential service. 24Mr AndrenKL6Mr Andren (from 24 citizens).86151225KL6Mr AndrenTo the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:The petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House the widespread concern and disquiet held by many Australians with the possibility of a US led attack on Iraq and Australia's involvement in such an action.Your petitioners therefore request the House to:· use its influence to dissuade the US Government from the threat of precipitating military action in Iraq;· refrain from all support of such threats;· continue with diplomatic efforts to reach a resolution of the problems of the region; and· work through the United Nations, as the duly constituted international body, for building a secure basis for world peace.1225Mr AndrenKL6Mr Andren (from 1,225 citizens).8615383VDr EmersonTo the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in the Parliament of Australia:The petition of certain citizens of Australia draws the attention of the House that they believe that suicide bombing/homicide bombing is a crime against humanity.Calling on the humanitarian ideals of the people of Australia as represented by the parliament, your petitioners therefore ask the House to act immediately to propose a motion at the United Nations to declare clearly and unequivocally that the practice of suicide bombing is a crime against humanity. As a sub-clause that `This crime and its promoters, organisers and supporters are guilty of a crime which has been committed against the perpetrator (who has been indoctrinated) as well as the victims of the crime.' Further, that there is no moral, religious, political or ethical justification for this crime, and that the criminals should be prosecuted and punished as per international conventions.3Dr Emerson83VDr Emerson (from three citizens).86152083NMs HallTo the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:The petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House:· That increases to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in the 2002 budget will hit those that can least afford it, families and pensioners.· That this Government should remember the commitments made before the 2001 election in regard to the cost of prescription drugs.We therefore pray that the House oppose the Howard-Costello plan to increase the cost of prescription drugs for Australians.20Ms Hall83NMs Hall (from 20 citizens).8615340ZD4Mr HowardTo the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:The petition of certain residents of the state of New South Wales point out to the House that:If Sydney's airports are sold on a 99 year lease (50 years plus 49 year option), we will be left with the present sites and condemned to endure a future of increasing noise, pollution and significant risk of crashes.If Sydney's airports are sold for the current reported prices, the public will receive only a fraction of the true real estate value.The noise problem is not solved. The Howard government promised not to privatise the airport until the noise problem had been solved. Using Bankstown as an overflow airport will make room for more big noisy jets at Sydney Airport resulting in increased aircraft noise across the city. It will also inundate people around Bankstown with jet noise ruining their quiet enjoyment of their property and suburb.If Sydney's airports are sold, the public will lose control of future development. Overseas ownership would further reduce our control.The airports' exemption from noise controls mean that they should remain in public ownership and under government control.Your petitioners therefore ask the House to halt the privatisation of Sydney Airport and Bankstown Airport, and to repeal the sections of the Airports' Act which currently permits these sales.340Mr HowardZD4Mr Howard (from 340 citizens).86154IK6Mr LloydTo the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:The petition of certain electors of the division of Robertson draws to the attention of the House that Woy Woy Post Office needs to trade always on Saturdays and not only before Christmas. Your petitioners therefore request the House to draw the attention of Australia Post to the abovementioned requirement.4Mr LloydIK6Mr Lloyd (from four citizens).86162722WN6Mr Ian MacfarlaneTo the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:The petition of residents of the state of Queensland draws to the attention of the House the public need for an Australia Post Office to be located within High Street Plaza Shopping Centre, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350.Your petitioners therefore request the House to recognise the inadequate postal services within the suburbs of Rangeville and Middle Ridge and its surrounds and address this matter with the issuing of a licence to operate an Australia Post, Post Office at High Street Plaza Shopping Centre, the central focal point of our rapidly expanding region.2722Mr Ian MacfarlaneWN6Mr Ian Macfarlane (from 2,722 citizens).8616248JK6Mr McClellandTo the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House that the Federal Government has approved a grant of $5 million to fund a facility in Churchill, Victoria, for the breeding of laboratory monkeys to be used in research.The billions of dollars invested annually in animal research would be put to much more efficient, effective and humane use if redirected to clinical and epidemiological research and public health programs.Your petitioners therefore ask the House to:1. Rescind the grant to fund the building of a facility for the breeding of monkeys which will be harmed or killed in the course of research.2. Instead provide funding for the development and utilisation of research techniques which do not use animals at any stage.248Mr McClellandJK6Mr McClelland (from 248 citizens).861616683CMs Jann McFarlaneTo the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:The petition of electors of Stirling points out to the House our unhappiness with the continued increases in fees and charges by the banking sector, at a time when banks are making record profits. We urge the House to recognise that banks do have an obligation to be accessible and to provide a service to the community.Your petitioners therefore pray that the House heed our concerns and if necessary provide consumer protection regulations to ensure that the banks do not continue to diminish service to customers while increasing fees.166Ms Jann McFarlane83CMs Jann McFarlane (from 166 citizens).86162083CMs Jann McFarlaneTo the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:The petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House their opposition to food irradiation and the building of the nuclear irradiation facility proposed for Narangba, in Queensland, as well as the Electron beam irradiation facility proposed for North Queensland.Your petitioners therefore request the House to:· Prohibit the establishment of a nuclear irradiation facility or X-Ray or Electron beam irradiation facility at any location in Australia.· Ban the import, export and sale of irradiated food in Australia.· Call on the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council (ANZFSC) and the Australian New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) to amend Standards A-17 and 1.5.3—Irradiation of Foods in the Food Standards Code to ban food irradiation outright in Australia and New Zealand.20Ms Jann McFarlane83CMs Jann McFarlane (from 20 citizens).86166083CMs Jann McFarlaneTo the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled:We, the undersigned residents of Australia ask that the House of Representatives consider the health and welfare of the present and future residents of this country and the environmental impacts of possible negative impacts relating to the visits of nuclear powered and/armed vessels into Australian ports.Nuclear navies are not welcome here whatever the colour of their flags.The recent spate of accidents involving nuclear-powered submarines should be enough to convince all governments that the risk to the environment of these floating Chernobyls is a risk we don't have to take. Accordingly, we respectfully request that the parliament legislate to prevent all visits of nuclear armed/powered vessels to Australian ports and waters.And your petitioners as in duty bound, will ever humbly pray.60Ms Jann McFarlane83CMs Jann McFarlane (from 60 citizens).86173483CMs Jann McFarlaneTo the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in the Parliament:The petition of certain citizens of Australia draws the attention of the House to our concern that:(1) the Howard-Anderson Government plans to fully privatise the Australian people's 50.1 per cent share of Telstra as stated in the Government's own 2001 Budget papers;(2) a fully privatised Telstra will focus on profits not people; and(3) services will suffer under a fully privatised Telstra, particularly in outer metropolitan, rural and regional Australia.Your petitioners therefore ask the House to oppose the Howard-Anderson Government's plans to fully privatise Telstra.34Ms Jann McFarlane83CMs Jann McFarlane (from 34 citizens).8617683CMs Jann McFarlaneTo the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:The petition of certain citizens of Australia draws the attention of the House that the undersigned are deeply concerned about the American government's plans to invade Iraq and the Australian government's offer of troops and armaments to support them.We believe that the options for negotiating the monitoring and containment of the production of chemical and biological weapons by an impartial, international team of experts have not been fully explored. Until there is unmistakable evidence of Saddam Hussein's possession of, and intention to use these weapons for purposes beyond that of defending Iraq against an invading force, we oppose any Australian offer to support US military intervention in Iraq. Neither should any military action be taken without being sanctioned by the United Nations.We believe that the harmful consequences of an invasion would far outweigh the benefits. Heavy military and civilian casualties, damage to property and farming land and to relationships between America, Australia and the Middle East would lead to major, irreversible economic and humanitarian problems globally.We consider your refusal to allow parliamentary debate `until Washington has decided whether to launch a pre-emptive attack to wipe out Iraq's rumoured stockpile of weapons of mass destruction' to be irresponsible and misleading. By the time Washington makes this decision it will no longer be possible to reverse the present military commitment you have made on our behalf.Your petitioners request that the House shall refuse further attempts to involve Australian forces in this campaign unless it can be demonstrated beyond doubt that there are no options for diplomatic solution and that Iraqi military activities pose a direct threat to Australia.6Ms Jann McFarlane83CMs Jann McFarlane (from six citizens).86176683CMs Jann McFarlaneTo the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:This petition of electors of Balga, in the seat of Stirling Western Australia, wishes to request the House, that the Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs involvement in the lease of flats in Modena Place Balga from the Department of Housing and Works, be discontinued.We urge the House to recognise that whilst the Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs have just over two years of their lease to go, they intend to quit the lease as soon as practicable due to the limited use by Permanent Protective Visa Holders, and call for tenders for new accommodation managers.While this accommodation represents the remaining structures in a redevelopment site and their continued use is restricting the redevelopment of the area, we see no useful purpose in installing new accommodation managers, and ask that the facility be closed down.We, your petitioners therefore pray that the House heed our concerns and that the necessary steps are taken to discontinue the use of the Modena Place accommodation.66Ms Jann McFarlane83CMs Jann McFarlane (from 66 citizens).86185096J4Mr SciaccaTo the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament.The petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House the impact of sea cage fish farms in Moreton Bay.· Sea cage fish farms will significantly increase level of nutrients into the bay derived from excess feed, faeces, dead fish, operational pollution and cage cleaning;· Increase the risk of algal blooms;· Contribute to lowering dissolved oxygen in the water which leads to the death of marine life;· Place at risk the wild populations of fish, bird and flora species through introduced diseases, genetically modified breeding stock and pollution plumes;· Require the use of tetracycline and formalin as medication in the feed and anti-fouling agents to clean cages, the long-term environmental effects of which are not known;· Create a blight on the visual amenity of Moreton Bay significantly affecting the tourist potential of Moreton Bay;· Compromise the millions of dollars that has been invested to date to remove nitrogen from Moreton Bay to protect the fragile ecosystem.Your petitioners therefore request the House to immediately enact legislation that will prevent the establishment of sea cage fish farms in Moreton Bay.509Mr Sciacca6J4Mr Sciacca (from 509 citizens).86183315V5Mr Stephen SmithTo the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament:This petition calls upon the Commonwealth Government to grant an MRI Medicare licence to Western Australia's only specialist children's hospital, Princess Margaret.An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine is an essential diagnostic tool for a range of paediatric medical conditions.Your petitioners therefore ask the House to ensure that the Commonwealth provide children in Western Australia with access to Medicare MRI scans at Princess Margaret.331Mr Stephen Smith5V5Mr Stephen Smith (from 331 citizens).Petitions received.Personal Explanations861810000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—This is a little unusual but I did, in fact, owe the member for Melbourne Ports the call. I did not recognise him or, if he rose, I did not see him for other members. I now recognise the member for Melbourne Ports. 15:35:008618Mr DANBY,MPMr DANBYWF6Melbourne PortsALP00—Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?WF6Mr DANBY,MPMr DANBY—I do, Mr Speaker, by Mr Ramsey in the Sydney Morning Herald on 26 October. 10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Melbourne Ports may proceed. WF6Mr DANBY,MPMr DANBY—Mr Ramsey claimed in his report of 26 October that I had missed a meeting of the Selection Committee because I was at lunch with Mr Richard Butler. This is a factual error. I was not at lunch. As secretary of the opposition's foreign affairs committee, I had organised the largest meeting of our national security committee which commenced at 4 p.m., around the time of the Selection Committee meeting. Mr Ramsey claimed that I had asserted that the motion chosen in my absence was divisive and inflammatory: factual error 2. I had asserted that the continuing raising of this issue outside was divisive and inflammatory and that in the post-Bali situation such motions should also condemn homicide bombing. Mr Ramsey claimed that I called the Selection Committee Chair, Ian Causley, and that I had seen him on Tuesday: factual error 3. I had no meeting with Mr Causley. We spoke on the phone briefly about Selection Committee process, which Mr Causley later confirmed in a handwritten note. Mr Ramsey claimed that Deputy Speaker Causley told me the motion could not be withdrawn: factual error 4. Deputy Speaker Causley told me that the motion could be withdrawn or, as I was more interested in, amended. Mr Ramsey claimed that I had approached the member for Sturt: factual error 5. In fact, I met him by chance in the coffee queue at Aussie's. Mr Pyne was already aware of the controversial motion.Finally, Mr Ramsey implies in the Sydney Morning Herald that an email I had sent to the ABC Middle East correspondent Tim Palmer was somehow related to complaints to the ABC board about Tim Palmer's reportage: factual error 6. It was not. I know nothing about the ABC board discussion. Not only did Mr Ramsey fail to get my version of these above events but in his 26 October article he actually censored my comments about Tim Palmer, reported fairly by the Sydney Morning Herald on an earlier date. Private Members' Business8619861915:37:008619Moylan, Judi, MPMrs MOYLAN4V5PearceLP10—I move:That this House:(1) notes:(a) the alarming rise in the number of people with Type 2 Diabetes estimated to be 1 million, with half of those people currently undiagnosed;(b) according to a recent landmark study by Diab Cost Australia, Type 2 diabetes is costing Australians a staggering $3 billion a year with the bill for each person averaging nearly $11,000 in expenditure and benefits;(c) according to the study, as the complications of diabetes increase, the costs per person are estimated to escalate from $4,020 to $9,625 when there are both microvascular and macrovascular problems;(d) early detection through screening programs and action to slow or prevent the onset of complications will see reductions in health costs and improve and maintain quality of life for individuals with Type 2 Diabetes; and(e) the contribution this landmark study conducted by Associate Professor Stephen Colaguiuri of Daib Cost Australia will make to better informing Government and the public of a significant public health problem;(2) congratulates the Federal Government for the emphasis it has placed on public awareness programs in relation to Type 2 Diabetes; and(3) urges the Government to:(a) continue programs to raise public awareness of the high risk of undiagnosed and untreated cases of Type 2 Diabetes and ensure access to appropriate screening;(b) support access to new medications for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes while ensuring that Australian taxpayers get value for money through appropriate pricing arrangements;(c) continue to encourage people diagnosed with Diabetes to undergo regular medical testing including eye testing so as to prevent complications;(d) ensure adequate funding for further research into prevention and treatment of Type 2 Diabetes; and(e) develop a strong education program encouraging appropriate diet and exercise regimes to minimize the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.Diabetes is emerging as one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin, does not use insulin effectively, or both. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the body use glucose—a sugar that is the body's main energy source. When insulin is absent or ineffective, the level of glucose in the blood increases.There are two types of diabetes: type 1, which accounts for 10 to 15 per cent of cases and is not caused by lifestyle factors, and type 2, which accounts for 85 to 90 per cent of cases and is influenced by genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors. Type 2 diabetes is a silent killer. It often remains undiagnosed for many years, resulting in complications such as blindness, stroke, heart attack, amputation of limbs and kidney failure—to name a few. The cost in terms of quality of life can be very high if diabetes goes undetected and untreated. It is estimated that more than one million Australians have diabetes, and at least half of them do not know that they have this disease. After launching a retinopathy program for the former minister for health about two years ago, I decided to set up a parliamentary diabetes group in an endeavour to highlight the challenges we face with what many health professionals now call a diabetes epidemic. This epidemic is worldwide. I discussed the idea of setting up a parliamentary group with several of my colleagues, and I am grateful for the enthusiastic response of Cameron Thompson, the member for Blair; Dick Adams, the member for Lyons; Dr Mal Washer, the member for Moore—Dr Washer originally seconded this motion but he is unable to be with us in the House today, so I would like to acknowledge his support—and Senator Guy Barnett, Liberal senator for Tasmania. All of these people agreed to form the founding executive for a bipartisan parliamentary group committed to promoting better health outcomes for people with diabetes. The support group has been set up to provide support to members and others who have been diagnosed with diabetes. Managing diabetes in any circumstances is a challenge, but in this environment it presents a particular challenge. The group will also act as a conduit to government and ministers to improve the management of diabetes and education in the community; liaise with industry groups, research organisations and other health professionals to raise public awareness of lifestyle choices which increase the risk of becoming a type 2 diabetic and the importance of early detection; and promote the development of programs to minimise the risks of health complications associated with inadequate or poor management of type 2 diabetes. I would also like to thank many other members of the parliament who have joined this group. Not all of them are diabetics, but they all recognise that this is a key health issue in their electorates and in the states that they represent.We were lucky enough to have GlaxoSmithKline host an inaugural dinner here in Parliament House last month, which was a tremendous success. That was our first function as a group. Our guest speakers, Brian Conway, Chief Executive Officer of Diabetes Australia, and Professor Paul Zimmet, Director of the International Diabetes Institute, both gave wonderful speeches that certainly focused the mind.On World Diabetes Day, which is on 14 November—this Thursday—we have arranged with Diabetes Australia a number of activities in Parliament House to draw attention to this growing health problem, and we hope that everyone employed by or visiting the parliament that day will take the opportunity to better inform themselves of the risks and the options for the prevention and treatment of diabetes.In conclusion, I thank all of my colleagues for the support that they have given this motion today, particularly those of my colleagues who will follow me in speaking to this motion.15:42:008620Adams, Dick, MPMr ADAMSBV5LyonsALP00—I second the motion. As one of many sufferers of type 2 diabetes, I think it is very important that diabetes is highlighted as one of the most damaging problems affecting the general health of the community. None of us is immune to this threat. Some of us are born with a tendency to develop type 2 diabetes; others of us acquire it as a part of the ageing process because of our lifestyle and genetic make-up. No group of people is immune. It often takes some other health problem to highlight what should have been obvious, but we do not like to admit that we have it until we have to. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago and have been living with managing the disease since then. The good thing about knowing about the disease is that you can then set yourself up to manage it and take control over your life, rather than denying that there is anything wrong.Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 85 to 90 per cent of all people with the disease. This type of diabetes, also known as late onset diabetes, is characterised by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. The disease is strongly genetic in origin, but lifestyle factors such as excess weight, inactivity, high blood pressure and poor diet are major risk factors for its development. Symptoms may not show for many years and, by the time they appear, significant problems may have developed. People with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to suffer cardiovascular disease. Type 2 diabetes may be treated by dietary change, exercise and/or tablets. Insulin injections may later be required.This disease is running rampant in Australia. The Director of the International Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Professor Paul Zimmet, has said that it is the biggest epidemic in human history. Professor Zimmet expresses the position very clearly. There are 500 million people worldwide with either diabetes or the condition coming on. The so-called pre-diabetes condition is glucose intolerance. It can be detected with the same blood sugar test that picks up diabetes, but has no symptoms. Two million Australians have the condition, and more than half of those will have full-blown diabetes by 2007. A million Australians already have diabetes, though half of those do not yet know it. Three-quarters of diabetics will eventually die from heart disease. Physical activity is being engineered out of our lives with the automation of industry, computerisation, kids not exercising after school and going to the computer, parents driving their kids to school because they are scared they are going to be kidnapped et cetera. Elderly people are scared to exercise at night because they might be mugged. Professor Zimmet has said that it is not good enough for us to expect individuals to change their lifestyles if they do not have the infrastructure around them. According to Professor Zimmet, government has a responsibility to provide places for people to exercise in safety and the government should consider extending school hours to replace the physical education that has been cut out of curriculums. Professor Zimmet said that the public needed to be aware of risk categories for so-called pre-diabetes and should ask for a test by a GP if necessary. He would love to see screening for everyone, but did not think it economically feasible in the current health climate.I commend my colleagues, especially the member for Pearce, who established the group here in Parliament House. I certainly hope that we can make people aware, and our colleagues in this House aware, of the significance of this disease throughout the Australian community, the need to highlight it and the need to get people to take a test to see how they are going so that we can deal with it into the future. (Time expired)15:47:008621Thompson, Cameron, MPMr CAMERON THOMPSON84CBlairLP10—I have spoken in the past in the parliament about the problems of diabetes, being a type 1 diabetic myself. This motion, particularly given that it falls in the week of World Diabetes Day this Thursday, is significant, and the fact that it focuses on the problems of type 2 diabetics I think is well and truly timely and something that I hope will focus the minds of members of parliament on the great cost of this disease not only in dollar terms but in opportunities lost.It is a deadly disease and it is spreading dramatically across the world. That has been highlighted recently in the final report of the Australian diabetes, obesity and lifestyle study—AusDiab—within Australia, DiabCost Australia:Assessing the burden of type 2 diabetes in Australia. One of the most significant findings of the study, which was launched on 26 September in Adelaide, was that the complications of diabetes increase over time and with that the costs of maintaining the disease escalate. It is estimated that in Australia we pay $3 billion a year, with the average cost per person at $5,360 plus $5,500 in benefits. That is the cost of diabetes.Another significant factor to the debate we are having here is that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Indigenous Australians is one of the highest in the world. In 1995, self-reported diabetes was seven to eight times higher among Indigenous Australians than for other Australians aged between 25 and 55 years.Both the earlier speakers referred to the formation of the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group. I thank all those members who have lined up to join that group, because it is certainly highlighting in the parliament something that is very serious. As type 2 diabetes is something that does manifest itself mostly in older people—people with a sedentary lifestyle—I think that pure self-preservation should encourage more and more MPs to take an interest in diabetes and the parliamentary support group. I would like to pay credit to the member for Pearce for her vision in putting that group together. She was the one who thought of it and has promoted it, and I am glad that she has had such enthusiasm to get us on board and make it happen.In the year 2000 there were 160 million people worldwide with diabetes. The predictions are that that figure will grow to 280 million by the year 2025. One of the most remarkable aspects of Professor Zimmet's speech at the recent dinner of the diabetes support group was his comment on the rate at which the disease is growing, not only in Australia—we have a high growth rate here—but in other countries: in Asia, there are growth rates of over 50 per cent in the number of people being affected by diabetes. So it is something that we must come to grips with and we must put greater resources towards. In fact, the number of people with type 2 diabetes has increased in Australia by over 300 per cent in the past 20 years, from 250,000 to one million. It is also reported that in Australia one in four now have type 2 diabetes or are at risk of developing it in the next five to 10 years. Those are serious and dangerous statistics, and we must encourage not only our colleagues in this place but people in the wider community to take greater notice, because, particularly with type 2 diabetes, it is so very difficult to detect. It is important that people be proactive and engage in an active lifestyle and discover the things that can be precursors to diabetes and take active steps to make sure that it does not affect them. 15:52:008622McFarlane, Jann, MPMs JANN McFARLANE83CStirlingALP00—I join with my colleagues to speak on the motion by the member for Pearce on diabetes to ensure that community awareness is raised and that the Howard government puts time, effort and resources into strong education programs. As has been pointed out today, there is an alarming rise in the number of people with type 2 diabetes, which is estimated to be one million people with half of these people currently undiagnosed. With half a million undiagnosed diabetics in Australia, the need for strong education programs is critical. That old saying `a ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' certainly applies to diabetes.Prevention has three important aspects: first, people's lives are improved if they lead a healthier lifestyle and minimise the risk of developing diabetes; second, early detection means later onset of complications; and, third, the cost of the health bill for diabetes, currently running at $1.2 billion a year, is minimised. People are not greatly aware that their GP can arrange a simple blood test which can show if they are diabetic. People are also not greatly aware that early diagnosis and treatment for diabetes lessens the incidence of complications. Complications from diabetes range from eye problems, blindness, kidney failure and loss of limbs to heart attacks and/or strokes. These complications lead to people having to restrict their lives, and this often takes them out of the work force and onto a much lower income.I first became aware of the impact of diabetes when I had friends and family members develop the condition. I was not then aware of the prevention strategies that are available to people, their families and local communities. I became aware of the prevalence of diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, when I worked as a health education officer for three years. In this job, I was fortunate in being able to work with a team of health professionals to provide health checks at community events. These health checks resulted in many people being referred to their GP for the blood test to check if they were diabetic. We got positive feedback from many of these people that they had been diagnosed as diabetic and that, with early treatment and practical lifestyle changes, they would be able to cope with the diabetes. These people expressed gratitude for the publicly funded health checks, as they would not ordinarily have thought of themselves as being at risk of diabetes or thought of asking their GP for a blood test. Since then I have had continuing experiences of friends, family members and work colleagues being diagnosed with diabetes. Often the diagnosis comes through contact with a publicly funded health information stall. Their life and lifestyle have been enhanced through this contact with a public awareness campaign strategy.I was pleased earlier this year to become a member of the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group, and I commend my colleagues, particularly the member for Pearce, the member for Moore and the member for Lyons. I was pleased to attend the inaugural dinner and hear Professor Paul Zimmet speak on diabetes surpassing AIDS as the greatest public health challenge of the 21st century. His speech was thought provoking but practical. Brian Conway of Diabetes Australia also spoke on the work of his organisation in funding research, promoting awareness of diabetes and raising community awareness of early detection leading to enhanced lifestyle choices. I had an experience recently of publicly-funded prevention strategies in my electorate of Stirling at the open day at the Osbourne Park Hospital. I was pleased to see that amongst the information stalls there was a display about diabetes. Interestingly, the information being provided was of a high standard, and I was pleased to see many people expressing an intention to visit their GP for the blood test. I take this opportunity of commending the research organisations and scientists looking into the cause of diabetes, as well as improved treatments and possible cures. I support the scientists and medical researchers who have called on the government and the National Health and Medical Research Council to increase the length of grants. My sympathies lie greatly with research organisations and researchers relying on one-year grants and the limits that such short-term grants place on their research efforts.I join my colleagues in urging the government to continue programs to raise public awareness of the high risk of undiagnosed and untreated cases of type 2 diabetes; ensure access to appropriate screening; support access to new medications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes while ensuring that Australian taxpayers get value for money through appropriate pricing arrangements; continue to encourage people diagnosed with diabetes to undergo regular medical testing, including eye testing, so as to prevent complications; ensure adequate funding for further research into prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes; and develop a strong program encouraging appropriate diet and exercise regimes to minimise the risk of type 2 diabetes. (Time expired)15:57:008623Southcott, Dr Andrew, MPDr SOUTHCOTTTK6BoothbyLP10—I rise to support the motion by the member for Pearce on diabetes. I commend my parliamentary colleagues the member for Pearce, the member for Lyons and the member for Blair for their leadership of the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group, and the member for Pearce for introducing this motion to the parliament and putting it on the Notice Paper. I too wish to speak on this serious and increasing health issue.In 2000-01, the total number of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes registered with the National Diabetic Services Scheme in Australia was just over 493,000, representing an increase of 10.75 per cent on the previous year. It is estimated that that figure will double to about one million when you take into account those who are not registered with the services scheme or who are undiagnosed. The International Diabetes Institute has estimated that by 2010 there will be 1.23 million people in Australia with diabetes. Professor Paul Zimmet from the IDI—whom we were privileged to hear speak at a dinner on 26 September 2002 on the release of the final report of the Australian diabetes, obesity and lifestyle study, known as AusDiab—reported that the number of people with type 2 diabetes had increased by over 300 per cent in the past 20 years, from 250,000 to one million.The study also reported that one in four Australians now have type 2 diabetes or are at risk of developing it over the next five to 10 years. The implications of this for health are enormous. It means that we can expect to see continuing increases in life span but also increased morbidity associated with that. At the presentation, Professor Zimmet also spoke of the incidence of type 2 diabetes in children under 10. This is something that has never been seen before. We do not know what the long-term, 20-, 30- or 40-year consequence of this will be. Indigenous Australians have one of the highest prevalences of type 2 diabetes in the world. In 1995, self-reported diabetes was seven to eight times higher among Indigenous Australians than among other Australians aged 25 to 55 years.I also should mention the commitment of the previous Minister for Health and Aged Care, Dr Michael Wooldridge, in making diabetes one of our national health priorities in 1996 in recognition of the increasing incidence of it, its seriousness and its cost to the community. He also established the National Diabetes Strategy, which began in 1998. There have been a number of associated programs as part of this, including, in July 2001, $25 million in research funding through the NHMRC in partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and also, in March 2002, a further partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for $10 million over three years, which was announced to establish the world's first auto-immune vaccine centre to develop a vaccine for type 1 diabetes. The motion also talks about the DiabCost Australia study. One of the key findings of that study was that, as the complications of diabetes increase, the costs escalate. This lends weight to the need for a continued focus on policies and programs that aim to minimise the development of complications amongst people with type 2 diabetes, especially as we are now seeing diabetes occurring much earlier than it ever did before and people will be having it for much longer. There is some evidence that good control of blood sugar does decrease the risk of microvascular complications—that is, renal complications, retinal complications and so on. In terms of the cost, the burden of diagnosed type 2 diabetes is estimated at $3 billion a year, with the average cost per person at $5,360, plus $5,540 in benefits, totalling $10,900. He is not known for his comments on health, but I recall a comment by former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Newt Gingrich where he said if we actually do things much better on diabetes we can save over a billion dollars a year. It is exactly the same in Australia: a little spent now will save a lot in the future by avoiding the complications of diabetes. Things like the National Diabetes Strategy should lead to this. (Time expired)16:02:008624Ellis, Annette, MPMs ELLIS5K6CanberraALP00—I want to start my remarks by commending the member for Pearce for being part of the inspiration for the formulation of the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group, of which I am a member. I also want to thank her for her motion on the Notice Paper today coinciding, as has already been said, with the world recognition of diabetes this week. Unlike many other members of the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group, I am not a sufferer of diabetes, but I feel very strongly about the issue, the impact that it is having on our community and the need for people in this place to take every opportunity that they can to emphasise the need for continuing vigilance and growth in funds in the area. I acknowledge the steps that the government has taken so far, as outlined in the motion, in recognising the seriousness of this diabetes epidemic—and that is what it is—by making diabetes a national health priority back in 1996 and by continuing to take steps to attend to it.There is absolutely no doubt that diabetes is a major cause of disability and premature death. It is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is the most common cause of kidney failure, the most common cause of blindness under the age of 60, the most common non-traumatic cause of limb amputation and one of the most common chronic diseases in children and adolescents. Sadly, it also has an incredibly disproportionate impact on Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Islander communities in this country. I would like to make quick reference to the Department of Family and Community Affairs report that was tabled in the year 2000—which I had the pleasure of contributing to—which looked at the state of Indigenous health in this country. What became incredibly clear to us in that work, over the months leading to the tabling of the report, was the absolute trauma that is disproportionately experienced in those communities by the sufferers of diabetes.It is true, as the motion says, that some $3 billion per year is currently being expended on type 2 diabetes. I know that we do not have bottomless pits of money, no matter who is in government. I have to say—not in a negative but in an encouraging way—that I hope, through motions such as this, that the parliamentary group can put pressure on governments, no matter who may be in power at the time, to consider as carefully as they can the suggestions of the member for Boothby a moment ago that we provide as much funding as we can at the earliest possible opportunity so that we can alleviate not just the cost impact in future but also the economic impact. Podiatry services are another area that need to be talked about. Education programs are important to help people understand the disease if and when they become sufferers, but once it has been diagnosed there are a range of services that are essential, and podiatry is one of them. In fact, people with diabetes are 15 times more likely to have a leg amputated. I understand that some 2,600 amputations a year are performed on diabetics. Podiatry services simply must be available to people as needed to try to alleviate those pressures. The simple blood test that my colleague on this side mentioned a moment ago, performed by a GP, is a very good thing. A gentleman in my electorate recently went to his GP for that simple blood test and, as a result of that, on his GP's recommendation, sought specialist advice. He got a slightly contradictory blood test as a result of that referral. I stand to be corrected on this, but I understand that there is a limit to the number of blood tests you can have per year before you have to pay for them yourself. This is the question that this gentleman is facing. If that is in fact the case, maybe that is an area we should look at to see whether we can alleviate any pressure on individuals.There is no doubt at all that the growth in type 2 diabetes is very serious for this nation. There is no doubt also that the increasing level of diabetes in our young people—in our children—is far from acceptable. The reports and commentary in recent times on obesity in young people, and in children specifically, hopefully will raise the broader question of the incidence of diabetes and whether or not it is related to that particular point. If it is, we need to analyse and promote the education process as much as we possibly can to alleviate diabetes in that age group. (Time expired)10000Hawker, David (The DEPUTY SPEAKER)The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Hawker)—Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.862516:08:008625Irwin, Julia, MPMrs IRWIN83ZFowlerALP00—I move:That this House:(1) notes the continued occupation by the State of Israel of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in contravention of United Nations Resolution 242 passed on 22 November 1967;(2) supports the right of Israel to exist within secure borders;(3) calls on the United Nations to insert a peace keeping force into the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza and the unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces;(4) calls for the recognition of the State of Palestine based on the pre 1967 borders of the West Bank and Gaza; and(5) calls on the international community to encourage and support the resolution of outstanding differences between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine based on the Oslo and Camp David Agreements.Debating a motion on Middle East peace is a rare event in this parliament, but I cannot say I am grateful for the mere 30 minutes allowed, or just five minutes each for the six speakers. Whether that is through lack of interest or lack of courage on the part of some members of this House, either way it reflects poorly on our concern for world affairs. The first part of the motion notes the continued occupation by the state of Israel of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in contravention of United Nations resolution 242 passed in November 1967. In this short debate, I want to stress what is the most important aspect of this question—and that is, as resolution 242 puts it, `the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war'. That is the foundation of the security of all nations and must remain the basis of any settlement in the Middle East.The second part of the motion supports the right of Israel to exist within secure borders. I note that recognition of Israel and its security was accepted at the recent Beirut Arab Summit and has been acknowledged since 1988 by the Palestinian leadership. The third part calls on the United Nations to insert a peacekeeping force into the occupied territories and for the unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces. By now the international community must realise that the peace process begun with the Madrid conference and progressed through the Oslo accords is in tatters. What should be clear is that no Palestinian leader could have accepted the deal offered at Camp David. Given the current political climate in Israel, no Israeli leader will allow the creation of a truly independent state of Palestine with continuous and secure international borders. That path to peace has come to a dead end. In the meantime, we see almost daily the senseless acts of terrorism against Israeli citizens, and Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Last month the US Assistant Secretary of State, William Burns, proposed a road map to peace and a Palestinian state by 2005, which called for a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces and an enhanced international role in monitoring the transition. Since the end of the Cold War, the international community has been less restrained in dealing with conflicts around the world. We have seen successful NATO intervention in Bosnia and Kosovo. Closer to home we have seen—and indeed led—United Nations intervention in East Timor. When the world community looks at the ongoing tragedy in the Middle East, is it too much to ask that the United Nations take a leading role in bringing peace to that troubled region? After all, Israel is a creation of the United Nations. It came into being at the second session of the General Assembly under resolution 181 in 1947.The deployment of UN troops in the occupied territories was supported by the Palestinian Authority at the Sharm el Sheikh summit, and has more recently been central to peace proposals by Arab countries. A settlement based on resolution 242 and a circuit-breaker to cause both sides to stand back and build genuine peace is what is required. That is what UN intervention can provide. It can give the Palestinian people a chance to build a viable state, a chance to build their own nation and a chance to develop a culture of peace. It can give both nations the opportunity and the time to resolve the difficult issues, such as the future of Jerusalem, settlements, the right to return for refugees and the compensation for those displaced. It can give the people of Israel the only long-term promise of relief from a threat of terrorism, and it may at last bring peace to that troubled land.In conclusion, I should mention that this motion has had its own interesting history. I would like to thank the many people, including members of both the Jewish and the Palestinian communities, who have offered me support with this motion. I can now see why this issue is so rarely debated in this parliament. I congratulate members of this House for their support, including the members for Watson, Prospect, Grayndler, Sydney and Calwell.10000Hawker, David (The DEPUTY SPEAKER)The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Hawker)—Is the motion seconded?83MPlibersek, Tanya, MPMs Plibersek—I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.16:13:008626Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE9V5SturtLP10—Unlike most debates in this House, the issue today is not the wording of the motion but the purpose for its being moved and its implications. To understand the purpose, we have to examine the motivation of some of the participants. In 2000, the report into the Labor Party by former Premier Barry Unsworth found that 90 per cent of the Labor members in the federal seat of Fowler had been signed up by branch stackers exploiting ethnic hostilities. He wrote:Stackers target newly arrived ethnic groups ...... ... ...(They) see no ethical barriers in using ethnic hostilities and vulnerabilities to support their own personal political agenda.83MPlibersek, Tanya, MPMs Plibersek—Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I do not understand how the member can stand to speak on issues internal to the ALP in Fowler under the pretence that he is addressing this motion.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—The member for Sturt is in order.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—I am commenting on the motivations for this motion. In the Daily Telegraph in October 1999, David Penberthy reported:While the ALP usually recruits between 200 and 300 people across the state each month, more than 2,100 were signed up in December 1996. Around 300 Lebanese-Australians—83ZIrwin, Julia, MPMrs Irwin—Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. 9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—You are trying to shut the debate down!83ZIrwin, Julia, MPMrs Irwin—You are! The member for Sturt is not speaking to the motion. This is about peace. This is about lives. This is about the United Nations intervention.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—The member for Fowler will resume her seat. There is no point of order.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—Nine's Sunday program, in `Labor seats for sale', reported:Samir says he was the chief branch stacker for the Labor member for Liverpool, Paul Lynch. Over two years he recruited more than 600 members of the Lebanese community into the ALP, none paid their fees.... ... ...Mazir Hadid is the leader of Liverpool's 20,000 strong Islamic community and a member of the Labor party. He says the local MP promised—83ZIrwin, Julia, MPMrs Irwin—Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order under standing order 145. I am absolutely disgusted. This is about human lives in Palestine and human lives in Israel.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—There is no point of order. The member for Fowler will resume her seat.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—It goes on:... two members of the community would get seats on the Liverpool council in return for support.Mazir said: So this is why there is a lot of people, maybe myself who was working very hard, you know to get people to join the party.My point is that there is a base political motive for a motion critical of Israel being moved in this House today—and one that is silent on terrorism. It is called preselection. Without it, you cannot sit in this House. In other words, the stackees have taken over control from the stackers. The motion signals the end of 54 years of bipartisanship in support for the state of Israel.Opposition members interjecting—R36Albanese, Anthony, MPMr Albanese—Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. My point of order is on relevance. This is an extraordinary outburst by the member for Sturt at a time when the member for Fowler stuck to the issue.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—There is no point of order. The member for Grayndler will resume his seat.R36Albanese, Anthony, MPMr Albanese—Well, if he sticks to the issue—otherwise we will continue to move points of order.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—There is no point of order.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—There are always those in the ALP who oppose Israel, but they used to be kept under control when other leaders of the opposition were in charge, because bipartisanship was important.ET4Bevis, Arch, MPMr Bevis—Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. By his own admission, the member said he was speaking not on the motion before the parliament but on the motivation—they were his words. 10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—There is no point of order.ET4Bevis, Arch, MPMr Bevis—There are forms of the House available to him if he wishes to move a motion about the motivation of people in this House.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—There is no point of order. The member for Brisbane will resume his seat.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—Bob Hawke and Kim Beazley would never have let this happen. The Leader of the Opposition's position is a nudge-nudge, wink-wink position where he allows this sort of nonsense to be run by some people within his party and tries to walk on the other side of the street when he is in other places in Australia. So what has the Leader of the Opposition said about this motion? He has to choose. Is his position the Danby position or the Plibersek position? Opposition members interjecting—9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—Because the positions are incompatible. For example, does he agree with—R36Albanese, Anthony, MPMr Albanese—Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The member for Sturt is now discussing the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition is not mentioned in this motion. 10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—The member for Sturt is in order. R36Albanese, Anthony, MPMr Albanese—Mr Deputy Speaker, further to the point of order: this motion has a number of clauses. He has not referred to a single one, and if he cannot defend his own position and has no position on the substance of the motion—10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—There is no point of order. The member for Grayndler will resume his seat.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—Does he agree? Does the Leader of the Opposition agree with the member for Sydney that Ariel Sharon is a war criminal? Opposition members interjecting—9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—Does he agree with Barry Cohen that the Labor Party cannot have two distinct and separate—(Time expired)Honourable members interjecting—10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—The question is that the motion be agreed to.Honourable members interjecting—10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—Did the Chief Opposition Whip wish to speak?7T4Crosio, Janice, MPMrs Crosio—I would like to question why the relevant points of order under section 145 of our standing orders have not been dealt with by you in the chair.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—They have been.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr Pyne—Because it's a question time standing order. You're a fool!10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—As I said, the honourable member's time has expired. Is there another speaker to the motion? 9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr Pyne—Is this how you run your branch meetings, Janice?10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—The member for Sturt has had his opportunity.16:20:008628Danby, Michael, MPMr DANBYWF6Melbourne PortsALP00—I thank the member for Grayndler for giving me his place to speak on this motion on the Middle East, and I will stick strictly to the substance of the issues before us. When I stood at Mr Rabin's grave, as I did earlier this year, I lamented these last two wasted years. These years have ruined the future of the two peoples in that part of the world. The violence that has taken place over the last two years has delivered nothing. Like the Israeli writer Amos Oz, like the revisionist historian Benny Morris—indeed, like the vast majority of the people in the Centre Left and in the centre of Israeli politics—I lament the total failure of the two parties to reach resolution as outlined under the Oslo accords. The views of Amos Oz, Benny Morris and all of the people who seriously evaluate these issues are that the blame has to be put fairly and squarely on the Palestinian Authority and on Yasser Arafat.I supported the Barak-Clinton plan, which would have conceded 97 per cent of the territories to a Palestinian state. I supported the return of some refugees. I supported, and I still support, the dismantling of some settlements and even the division of Jerusalem, if it means peace. These very tough decisions offered to Barak and Clinton would have implemented UN resolution 242 had they been agreed by Arafat and the Palestinians. This, in effect, is what our motion today does not quite comprehend. Resolution 242 of 1967 does not instruct Israel to withdraw unilaterally from the territories occupied in 1967. As the Economist, referring to the resolution, said:It does not condemn Israel's conquest, for the good reason that most Western powers at that time thought it the result of a justifiable pre-emptive war. It calls for a negotiated settlement, based on the principle of exchanging land for peace. This is a very different matter.Unlike the member for Fowler, I am not ready to give up on the possibility that a negotiated settlement might come out of this proposal by Barak and Clinton, which was so close and yet so far. I lament the fact that the Palestinian Authority has spread completely false stories about the fact that Camp David involved cantons et cetera. As top US peace negotiator Dennis Ross—whom I personally have met and talked to about this—has said, all of these areas in the disputed territory were to be contiguous and would have led to a Palestinian state. What a missed opportunity.I have real concerns with paragraph (3) of the motion regarding a UN force, and these concerns would occur to anyone familiar with the history of the Middle East. We remember what the United Nations did in 1967 when it unilaterally withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula, precipitating the 1967 war. This resolution does not mention the phenomenon of homicide bombing. Perhaps if we had had the opportunity to negotiate, as we had at the ALP conference, then all of these things might have been taken into consideration. This is a matter that, particularly after the events in Bali, is of interest not just to me but to all Australians. A person from my electorate, Malki Roth, a 15-year-old flautist, was murdered in a Palestinian homicide attack at a Jerusalem pizza shop. She was looking forward to a future that involved looking after disabled children. What kind of Palestinian program leads to the murder of people like Malki? These murders were not done by groups such as Hamas or Hezbollah; they were done by groups associated with Mr Arafat. Today, for example, there was the terrible murder of two children at Kibbutz Menara, within the green line, by the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the people very close to Arafat. Amongst the Palestinian movement we have recently had Hanan Ashrawi, the Communique of 20, and Nabil Amr—the editor of the Palestinian intellectual publication al-Hayat al-Jadida—say that they missed an opportunity two years ago, and it is a terrible shame that we cannot get back to that. These kinds of resolutions will only come through negotiations between the parties, both here in Australia and over there. (Time expired)16:25:008629Smith, Anthony, MPMr ANTHONY SMITH00APGCaseyLP10—As the member for Sturt said, the reason we are debating this motion on the Middle East today is that the Labor Party is changing its position on Israel. We have the extraordinary situation where the member for Fowler will move a motion, bleat to every journalist about how she wants a debate and then, after she has spoken, seek to gag every speaker on the other side. Those who sponsor this motion do so not because they have balanced views but because they are public critics of Israel and always have been. You only need a cursory glance at the detail of the motion. It falsely portrays UN resolution 242 with respect to the post-1967 borders as a one-way street when it is nothing of the sort. It makes a number of other demands on Israel which have been written as if Israel's enemies—including the terrorists and some of the enemies mentioned by the member for Melbourne Ports—are pledging total peace if the substance of this dreamy motion were ever to be agreed to.As a bit of insurance—a bit of cowardly cover—it disingenuously states its support for Israel's continued existence while at the same time turning a blind eye to all the forces that threaten that very existence. You only have to look at what is not in the motion. While there is mention of borders, there is no mention of the extremists who have said that they do not care what borders are constructed. There is no mention of the extremists who say that the only map of the Middle East they want is one without Israel on it. There is no mention of the terrorists perpetrating the homicide bombings. These are some of the things the motion fails to mention.How you could have a motion on Israel and the Middle East with five points to it that does not even mention suicide bombers is totally beyond me. The motion makes demands on Israel but no demands on the PLO. It makes no demands on Yasser Arafat to actually accept a peace offer, such as the Barak offer, which would have given the PLO 95-plus per cent plus of what they were asking for. There is no demand on Yasser Arafat to actually come to the party on a peace agreement; rather, he finds every excuse under the sun to derail it. There is no demand that Yasser Arafat take greater steps to stop or curtail the suicide bombers.As the member for Sturt has outlined, this motion is only being debated here because the extreme Left—who have always opposed Israel—have been joined by an unprincipled Labor Right from New South Wales, who have sold out their support for Israel, while the Leader of the Opposition has sat back, watched and done nothing.Opposition members interjecting—00APGSmith, Anthony, MPMr ANTHONY SMITH—The Leader of the Opposition cannot control his own faction and he cannot control the Mount Bulla Bolsheviks—like the member for Sydney—who are running rampant. Thanks to him, we now have an anti-Israel unity ticket of left-wing extremism and Labor Right expediency, where the balance and strength of Hawke Labor on the question of Israel has been completely replaced by the weakness and policy immorality of Crean Labor. We now have a dangerous cocktail of policy madness from the Left and policy immorality from the New South Wales Labor Right. On this side of the House, we are not prepared to sit back any longer and watch the Leader of the Opposition walk on both sides of the street: he walks on one side of the street in Melbourne, and then he is mute in Sydney, where both the Left and the Right are pursuing a biased agenda against Israel. If the Leader of the Opposition truly supports Israel, he will publicly condemn and dissociate himself from the outrageous comments from the member for Sydney. The member for Sydney described Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a war criminal and described Israel as a rogue state. The Leader of the Opposition has met this statement with nothing but pathetic silence since 17 September. We say that, while the Leader of the Opposition is silent on the outrageous and mad left-wing statements from the member for Sydney, he supports her. As long as he says nothing, he supports her. On this side of the House, we say that this motion speaks volumes about Labor's unprincipled approach to Israel and volumes about the Leader of the Opposition and the rabble that he now leads. This is a rabble that has seen the previous speaker, the member for Melbourne Ports, state that his relationship with the member for Prospect is poisonous. This is a rabble that has seen the member for Fowler label the member for Melbourne Ports a bully.7T4Crosio, Janice, MPMrs Crosio—I will acknowledge that publicly—if the shoe fits.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—Order!00APGSmith, Anthony, MPMr ANTHONY SMITH—You ought to read the Australian Jewish News. This is a rabble that has seen the member for Grayndler reveal in Australian Jewish News that he has to talk to the member for Melbourne Ports through intermediaries. This is an absolute rabble that is crumbling because of the policy immorality of the Leader of the Opposition. It is a rabble that is now prepared to compromise policy on important matters of foreign affairs for cheap political purposes.16:29:008630Plibersek, Tanya, MPMs PLIBERSEK83MSydneyALP00— Even by the low standards of the member for Sturt, his recent performance was disgraceful. Instead of addressing the tragedy of the Middle East conflict, he wanted to score cheap political points. I am a bit more interested in what is happening in the Middle East than in hearing him spout off about the internal workings of the Labor Party— something he knows absolutely nothing about.The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine is a tragedy that has been with us for longer than my lifetime. Occasionally it has seemed that there was a danger of peace breaking out; at those times extremists on one side or the other have ensured that that did not happen. The rest of the world looks on with despair, wondering how many more lives must be lost before some lasting peace is found. According to Amnesty International, between 29 September 2000 and August 2002 some 1,700 Palestinians were killed, including more than 250 children, and more than 580 Israelis were killed, including 72 children.Let me start by saying that I accept the right of Israel to exist behind secure, internationally defined borders. I ask the people who are criticising this motion: do you support the right of a secure, independent Palestine to exist; or do you, like potential new Likud leader and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the majority of the 2,600 member Likud central council, swear that there will never be a Palestinian state west of the river Jordan?I deplore the violence of suicide bombers who target civilians indiscriminately, yet I also deplore the violence of Israeli army security forces who, on the instructions of the current government, use collective punishment, targeting the whole of the Palestinian population for the crimes of extremists. Some of the collective punishments I am talking about include curfews which prevent ambulances from attending the injured and prevent Palestinians from going to work or school; the economic blockade; the tanks used to bulldoze homes with people still inside; the destruction of roads and orchards, as well as other sources of food, so that malnutrition is increasing. Between 36 per cent and 50 per cent of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are now unemployed, resulting in severe financial hardship, with 70 per cent of people in these areas living on less than $2 a day. Thirty new settlements have been built in the last year alone, but not a single hospital has been built in the occupied territories in 35 years. There are Jewish Israeli citizens who face their fellow citizens every day in Israel and say more radical, more controversial things than we are saying in this motion today. Members of this parliament who have looked at the Bet'selem site on the Internet or read some of the writers in Haer'etz will know what I am talking about. These are the voices that will show their fellow Israeli citizens the path to peace. They are people like Yehouda Shenhav from Tel Aviv University, who says, `Don't say you didn't know that Israeli soldiers shoot civilians and children and bulldoze houses.' They are people like Gordon Levy, a Haer'etz journalist who, when the Israeli Supreme Court failed to rule on the legality of extra-judicial murders by the Israeli security forces, said, `I wish patriotic Israelis like me didn't need to say to the world: come and judge the perpetrators of war crimes.' This journalist took his case to the international community. They are people like Adi Ophir, Professor of Philosophy at Tel Aviv University, who says that the current conflict is designed to perpetuate the occupation and that settlement building and the `liquidations', as they are called, are war crimes. They are people like another writer who says that six million Israelis and three million Palestinians are being held hostage by 200,000 settlers, a few hundred of whom are extremists. Civilian Israelis are paying a very high price financially for the continued building of settlements on Palestinian land. We have seen that in the budget crisis that faces Israel at the moment.But what of the cost of lives on both sides of this debate? Another speaker against the Israeli army's activities is Noa Levy, a high school student, who says that it is her moral duty and the moral duty of all Israelis to refuse to cooperate with the occupation in every way. She has urged students who are almost of draft age to sign the 12th grader's letter of refusal to serve in the occupied territories during their military service. All of these people spoke in a documentary called It is No Dream, shown on SBS last month. The documentary showed 10,000 people who rallied in support of Israeli defence force soldiers who signed a letter stating that they refused to serve in the occupied territories. Do these people hate Israel? Certainly not. They are soldiers, writers, school students, artists, patriots and humanitarians who hate the idea that Israel will be at war with its Arab neighbours forever. They are seeking some way of establishing a lasting peace, recognising that it cannot occur while military repression is the only language the two sides communicate in. Surely a motion like this, supporting those in Israel and Palestine who are working for peace along paths already laid down by the international community, is something that we as a parliament can also support. (Time expired)16:34:008631Bishop, Julie, MPMs JULIE BISHOP83PCurtinLP10—I rise to speak against this motion on the Middle East. My opposition is based on the internal contradictions of the motion. Those contradictions betray the insincerity of, and the pretence behind, this motion. I direct the attention of the House to point (2): `that this House supports the right of Israel to exist within secure borders'. This is contradicted by the distorted representation of United Nations resolution 242 referred to in point (1) and compounded by the misrepresentation in points (3) and (4). This distortion of resolution 242 was also a malevolent characteristic of the earlier parliamentary debate on possible military action against Iraq. It has become the panacea for not only the Palestinian authority but the Labor Left as well. In that debate, a number of members opposite, including particularly the member for Sydney, sought to confect an equivalence between the democratic state of Israel and the regime of Saddam Hussein, by suggesting that Israel was, like the regime in Baghdad, in contravention of Security Council resolutions. Let us examine the background and the text of resolution 242. Specifically, resolution 242 does not call for Israel to immediately and unconditionally return to its pre-1967 borders. The resolution actually calls for the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, which should include the application of both the following principles: withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict—that was the Six-Day War of 1967; termination of all claims or states of belligerence; and respect for, and acknowledgment of, the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognised boundaries, free from threats or acts of force. This is a call for negotiation on the part of Israel—not for unilateral action. In no sense does resolution 242 impose pre-1967 borders on Israel.The architects of the resolution recognised that those borders were merely armistice lines following the repulsed invasion of Israel in 1948 and were unsustainable given the geography of the region. Since 1974 and the passage of UN resolution 338 following the Yom Kippur war, Israel has negotiated with the Arab states in question and withdrawn from territory in line with those negotiations. In return, the expectation is that Israel's enemies from 1967 and 1973 will cease pursuing their goal of the destruction of the state of Israel. It is to the credit of Arab leaders in states like Egypt and Jordan that these negotiations have proceeded to peace settlements. By contrast, the Palestinian leadership has failed to negotiate with the same good faith. In 1993 Yasser Arafat had the opportunity to end this conflict for good and to reach an accommodation in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians. The then Israeli Prime Minister Barak offered that solution. It was rejected by Arafat, to the disappointment of the international community.10000Jenkins, Harry (The DEPUTY SPEAKER)The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Jenkins)—Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. The member for Curtin will have leave to continue speaking when the debate is resumed.Personal Explanations863216:38:008632Ms PLIBERSEK,MPMs PLIBERSEK83MSydneyALP00—Mr Deputy Speaker, I seek your indulgence to correct the record and make a personal explanation.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?83MMs PLIBERSEK,MPMs PLIBERSEK—Yes. The member for Curtin has misrepresented me in her words.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr Pyne—Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I am sure you know this better than I but my understanding of the standing orders is that matters of personal explanation are begun after question time, not immediately after debates or at any other time that suits particular members, otherwise it would be happening on every occasion when someone stood up and said something that somebody else in this place did not like.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—The honourable member for Sydney is in order. It is the first available time. It is of interest that the honourable member for Sturt indicates that he does not observe this very often, but it is in order.83MMs PLIBERSEK,MPMs PLIBERSEK—The member for Curtin said that I compared the democratic state of Israel with Saddam Hussein's Iraq. What I said in my speech was that Israel has ignored a number of UN resolutions, and I think that is incontrovertible.16:39:008632Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE9V5SturtLP10—Mr Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—Yes.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—Please proceed.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—In the earlier debate on the Middle East motion I was attempting to give a speech for a very short period of time—five minutes—in which I was attempting to link the motivation and the implications of that motion— R36Albanese, Anthony, MPMr Albanese—Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The member for Sturt knows full well that he must indicate briefly and succinctly where he was misrepresented. He has not done so.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—The honourable member for Sturt will come to where he has been misrepresented in the debate.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—I was misrepresented because the claim was made that I was not speaking to the motion. Clearly, for members of the Labor Party, motivations and implications have got something to do with motions and so therefore I was speaking to the motion.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—The honourable member for Sturt will resume his seat.16:40:008633Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE9V5SturtLP10—Mr Deputy Speaker, I have another matter on which I wish to make a personal explanation.10000Jenkins, Harry (The DEPUTY SPEAKER)The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Jenkins)—Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—Yes.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—Please proceed.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—The claim was made during the earlier debate that the Leader of the Opposition's view was irrelevant to this motion. The Leader of the Opposition's view is very relevant to this motion because one expects leadership from the Leader of the Opposition.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—Order! The honourable member for Sturt realises that he has to go to where he has been misrepresented. He will conclude his explanation by indicating where he was misrepresented, and not then debate the issue.9V5Pyne, Chris, MPMr PYNE—I was misrepresented because the suggestion was that I was in error by saying that the Leader of the Opposition's view was not relevant, when his silence and acquiescence are relevant to the debate.10000DEPUTY SPEAKER, TheThe DEPUTY SPEAKER—The honourable member will resume his seat. I think he is now re-entering the debate.Grievance Debate8633Question proposed:That grievances be noted.863316:42:008633Kerr, Duncan, MPMr KERRRH4DenisonALP00—I rise in the grievance debate to continue the remarks I made in the adjournment debate on 23 October 2002 in which I raised serious allegations against the Office of the Ombudsman and accused the Ombudsman of improperly investigating a serious complaint against the Australian Federal Police. In July 1993 a warrant was created and signed by Mr Grahame Wheeler in his capacity as a justice of the peace. In 1994 the Internal Security and Audit Division of the Australian Federal Police began an internal investigation into then AFP officer John Cushion. During that investigation, Mr Wheeler became suspected of some wrongdoing. The AFP wrote to the New South Wales Police alleging that Mr Wheeler had an `improper relationship' with John Cushion. It was not until 1995 that Mr Wheeler was finally charged by the AFP with wrongdoing: he was accused of having fraudulently backdated a warrant document. The investigation into Mr Wheeler, which was codenamed Operation Graft, was headed by Mr John Lawler. Lawler was then a sergeant within the Internal Investigations Division of the AFP. He has since been promoted and is General Manager of Eastern Operations within the AFP.In the trial of John Cushion, with whom Mr Wheeler was alleged to have conspired, Mr Justice Pratt commented on the kinds of questions that had been put to the accused. He said:These are not the sort of questions we can have from police officers to suspects ... They are not in a position to start putting propositions like that: would you have prepared, would you have remembered, what a lot of rot. We can't have them doing this sort of thing, what do they think they are.Mr Cushion was acquitted. It is now clear that when Mr Wheeler was questioned in respect of the suspicions the investigating officers had, they had a belief in his involvement yet, despite this, they failed to caution him. Mr Wheeler asserts that the questioning he was subjected to was similar in its approach to that criticised by Mr Justice Pratt in the Cushion trial. The prosecution against Mr Wheeler was abandoned after he had been committed for trial. In 1997 Mr Wheeler began his complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman. He complained that he should have been cautioned before being charged, that he was set up, that the investigation had been improperly handled and that the AFP were aware of a witness who could verify his claims but had not interviewed that witness. Some time during 1997 the internal AFP report into Mr Wheeler's complaints was forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman for review. The Ombudsman accepted the AFP report as disposing of the issues raised by Mr Wheeler and concluded that no further investigation had to be undertaken.In 1998 John Taylor, the then head of the Ombudsman's law enforcement team, wrote to Mr Wheeler to explain the reasons for that decision. Mr Taylor is a former New South Wales public prosecutor. He maintained close social links with senior AFP staff, including those from Internal Investigations, whose work he was tasked to review. He is now Senior Assistant Ombudsman in another area of responsibility. Mr Taylor's 1998 letter reminded Mr Wheeler that he had been acquitted of charges against him. This was incorrect and misleading. Wheeler had been committed for trial but the prosecution had not proceeded with the charges. Mr Taylor's letter stated that Mr Wheeler should have raised his concerns in court. Plainly this was absurd because the prosecution had been abandoned prior to trial. For these manifestly unsatisfactory reasons the Ombudsman had decided not to investigate Mr Wheeler's complaints.Others might have given up in frustration at this point, but Mr Wheeler did not. Between 1998 and 2001, Wheeler asked several times for the Ombudsman to review the internal investigation. In June 2000 he signed a 13-page statement detailing serious allegations against members of the Australian Federal Police. His allegations were supported by what appears to be extensive documentary evidence. This material was given to Agent Murray Cottam, the Internal Investigations officer tasked with the investigation, but nothing, to Mr Wheeler's knowledge, occurred as a result of these complaints. Finally, in October 2001 the Ombudsman agreed to take up the matter. In July 2002, after a prolonged investigation, Mr Wheeler received a bland two-page response informing him of the result of the investigation into his allegations. The report admitted that there had been failures in both the AFP's and the Ombudsman's office's handling of the complaints but it failed to deal with the real substance—Mr Wheeler's assertion that the Lawler investigation into his alleged misconduct had been carried out in a grossly improper way.Mr Wheeler is aware, because of questions put to him by staff of the Ombudsman, that those issues of substance were supposed to be examined. He thinks that there has been a cover-up. He believes the Ombudsman's office colluded to prevent the investigation of those complaints. Remarkably, he is right. The evidence of this impropriety is both direct and circumstantial. The most damning document was obtained recently by Mr Wheeler as a result of an FOI request. Prior FOI requests had been fobbed off. Only after I spoke in this House on this matter some weeks ago were key documents provided. One of them is quite damning. It is a memo from Catherine McPherson, Senior Assistant Ombudsman, to Allyson Essex, the staff member of the Ombudsman's office who was the head of the investigation. Ms McPherson was asking for an update on the investigation. On the memo there is a note that I infer to be in Ms Essex's handwriting, stating inter alia: Meeting with CPM—McPherson, I infer—pm 10/12/01. CPM advised F/A—Federal Agent—Lawler extremely busy and important man. Therefore PRM—another investigator, I assume—and I were to (1) i/v for no longer than 1½ -2 hours (2) not accuse him of any wrongdoing.While an instruction from a senior officer to an officer investigating alleged police misconduct to limit the length of time of the interview with a busy and important AFP officer might be understandable if unwise, the instruction not to put adverse matters to the subject of an investigation is a direct corruption of the integrity regime. The impropriety of this action stands out when objective reasons to doubt the truthfulness of at least one of the two AFP members who were involved in the Cushion-Wheeler investigation exists. For example, at Cushion's trial former Federal Agent O'Toole denied making any allegations about Cushion or Wheeler to Lawler, while Federal Agent Lawler stated under oath that O'Toole had been the source of his information. McPherson's instructions meant that the Ombudsman's officers could not put key issues of this kind to Mr Lawler. No proper investigation of Mr Wheeler's complaints could have been possible when a preconceived decision to not accuse Mr Lawler of any wrongdoing had been made higher up in the Office of the Ombudsman. The bland report that was ultimately produced by the Ombudsman's office suggests that the investigating staff within that office had either accepted that they were not to make any recommendations about individuals—and did not make any findings about individuals and did not criticise the AFP—or that the report was later edited to delete such comments. Only an independent inquiry could ascertain which of those two possibilities is true.This issue goes beyond what is a particular instance to a culture which is obviously unsatisfactory. Senior police staff who have headed the police integrity section of the Ombudsman's office, including Mr John Taylor and Mr Peter Hassell, are both said to have maintained close personal links with serving and former AFP staff and with their counterparts in Internal Investigations. Perceptions of a conflict of interest naturally arise. The morale of the police integrity section within the Ombudsman's office appears to be shot to pieces. The police team has undergone something approaching a 90 per cent turnover of staff in each of the past two years. A survey conducted among staff of the Canberra Office of the Ombudsman in 2002 revealed that two-thirds felt that the policies in the workplace were neither clear-cut nor non-contradictory. A majority of those surveyed felt that the penalties for failure were greater than the rewards for success, and that there was not consistency between the professed philosophy of the organisation and the behaviour of its leaders. A disturbing number of staff felt that honesty and openness were not valued. This is crucial because the Ombudsman's office is the final port of call for anyone with a complaint about misconduct within the AFP. Soon it will be the final port of call and the integrity watchdog for those with complaints against the successor to the National Crime Authority, the Australian Crime Commission. Without confidence in its utmost probity, the citizen is entitled to sneer at any assurance that this is an adequate protection against overreach by law enforcement agencies.I have learned to respect the professionalism and dedication of the AFP. I think highly of its senior officers and of its reputation. But I know that every organisation will make mistakes and that most will be innocent. I know that every organisation will include some who are corrupt. I know that every organisation will become weakened if the integrity regime is not applied equally to high and low alike. If investigations of alleged misconduct of `busy and important' AFP staff can be perverted from within the Office of the Ombudsman, then the process does not deserve our respect. It must be cleaned up. The minimum requirement is that this parliament insist on an examination of why things are going so wrong within the Ombudsman's office. This is not just a matter of justice for Mr Wheeler; it is also a matter of fairness for agents such as Federal Agent Lawler and his fellow investigators. They may have done nothing wrong, but the circumstances and the way in which this appears to have been investigated lead to a sense of gross unfairness. This parliament cannot allow that kind of instance to go unnoticed. (Time expired)863516:52:008635Charles, Bob, MPMr CHARLESOT4La TrobeLP10—The recent Estens report indicates good progress by Telstra in improving the infrastructure for telephony and data services in the bush. These improvements are welcome but are just the first step down the road of enabling Australians, wherever they live, to truly begin conducting business via the efficiencies offered by the Internet. No-one disputes the importance of telephony services for access to information. However, the jury is still out on how important the Internet actually is for business, especially smaller businesses. We all know that email is a fantastic tool for business, but most businesses are still struggling to make a case for having a presence on the Internet. For the majority, what is to be gained by having a web site? Who but large corporations can afford the constant maintenance costs, the high level of technical skills and the budgets to market their properties to potential customers? For most business, the Internet is proving to be an expensive burden, with real commercial benefits out of reach except for an elite few. Recent indicators are ominous. A survey of CEOs by Dun and Bradstreet show a softening of attitude by CEOs to the Internet as an important tool for business; ABS reports indicate a softening of growth by business in the use of the Internet; and Melbourne IT, the registrar of the .com.au domain names, indicates that 13 per cent of Australian companies are not bothering to renew their domain names.No-one disputes that the Internet is a terrific delivery medium for information, but there are three areas of the Internet that are a problem for small business: one is the control of a business web presence, the second is the cost and the third is being found. With regard to control, once a small business has gone to the trouble of having a web site built for them, they can then face the trouble, frustration and inconvenience of having it updated. By the time it is built, the information is out of date and needs to be updated. By the time it is updated, it needs to be updated again. It is like a continuing treadmill for the business. Members who are familiar with these problems are probably aware of a golden rule of web site building for small business: never include a date, personnel names or prices, because they all change and it costs money to have a web builder alter them. Of course, not having dates, personnel or prices somewhat defeats the purpose of having a web site in the first place.With regard to cost, a reasonably basic web site costs a couple of thousand dollars, plus the constant cost of updating—a significant cost for small business. Being found is a much larger problem. Search engines deliver so much information that, unless a user is extremely sophisticated or already knows the name of the company they want, they are unlikely to find what they want. The chance of finding something local without knowing a business name is almost nonexistent. Yellow Pages and CitySearch online directories go some way to making the Internet work better for business, because a user can search online by categories of business using a locality name or post code. This process works well for local consumer searches but does not cater well for business to business searches, which typically are over larger areas and require much more sophisticated searches.For the last three years, I have encouraged a company in my electorate that has been addressing the shortcomings of the Internet for business. I was impressed when I first reviewed their system three years ago, and now I am excited. Super Internet Site System has developed a comprehensive online directory system that appears to me to form the foundation for business on the Internet. SISS21, as the system is called, allows any business to enter SISS21, register and then build a SISS21 web site on the system. The importance of this web site is that it can be built by any non-technical person. Even I, with my rusty computer skills, can build a site that I would not be ashamed of. Yes, Mr Deputy Speaker Jenkins, even the member for Franklin would not have trouble building a site on this system. More importantly, he would not have any trouble going back into the system to edit it, because it is so easy to operate. A web site on the system costs the business $400 per year—not several thousand dollars—and the business can build and edit to its heart's content for no extra cost other than company in-house labour.That is two problems solved. Now let us look at how SISS tackles the discovery, or being found, problem. SISS21 automatically locates each business on the SISS21 mapping system. This allows SISS21 to accurately search and find the web site. This means that any Internet user can specify their location and search within any distance they specify for any product, service or business they need. As a former building contractor, let me give you a building industry example. If a builder is costing a development in, say, Albury, he can call up the exact address of the site on SISS21 and then set search parameters. So, if he is looking for the best price for concrete, he can search within, say, 25 kilometres for concrete batching plants. As concrete is perishable, he is only interested in local suppliers. When looking for tradesmen, he can search within, say, 100 kilometres of his building site. When looking for steel workshops to build the steel structure of the building, he can search for steel fabrication workshops within 500 kilometres, because the steelwork is so easily loaded on a truck and economically transported long distances. Then price and quality are the builder's main concerns. If that was all SISS21 provided then that would be exciting enough, but the system recognises the fact that the needs of business vary from industry to industry. For example, the needs of, say, the retail industry are a great deal different from the manufacturing, agriculture or mining industries. SISS21 caters for each industry and allows the industry to customise the search system for industry needs. So, if a shopper wants to buy a washing machine in her local area, she can search according to her needs for the appropriate retailer by entering the distance from her house that she is prepared to travel and the required details of what it is she wants. She can specify that she wants a Whirlpool, that she will pay for it with her Visa card and that she wants immediate delivery and undercover parking. Only those retailers that match her specific requests will be in the results.SISS21 is an inclusive system, which means that various vendors are invited to become part of the system. I believe that industry organisations, information companies and especially local chambers of commerce that we all have in our electorates will extract enormous benefits for their business members by helping them to be discovered and to take control of their online presence. SISS21 also provides technology so that a business on the system can market to other businesses on the system according to the catchment required by the business itself. This is a very powerful tool, especially for small business. Another feature of the system is spatial delivery of banner ads, which allows a business to specify the area it wants to market to and ignore the rest of the world. An important additional aspect of this system is that it includes an industry survey facility that allows businesses to be surveyed on their attitudes to all manner of issues. This feature on SISS21 is spatial, which means that those surveys can be conducted in a small area with great accuracy, a perfect tool for local and state Australian governments to understand the needs of industry in their area.I am clearly impressed by this technology. I am also impressed that it has the potential to become a dynamic export industry for Australia. Let us face it: the problems that Australian businesses are facing with the Internet are exactly the same as the problems that businesses all over the world are facing. This Australian innovation has a market of one million businesses in Australia and perhaps 100 million businesses globally. The global market for this Australian innovation has the potential to create a $40 billion global industry, with significant royalty payments to Australia. Fortunately, SISS has had the foresight to apply for and get international patent approval of its system. SISS21 was developed and refined for a demonstrated business need; it is not an IT innovation looking for a commercial opportunity. The SISS team are now discussing leasing arrangements in Australia for their system and will have the production version operating in mid-December. When viewing this technology, it is not hard to see many other applications in engineering, asset management, defence, land use planning and environmental management. SISS21 has come from a small Australian company with dedicated shareholders that have set a goal and have gone after it. The team have had the wisdom to shun the hype of the .com boom, avoid institutional investors and avoid handouts from government. I am also impressed that the management and development team are not driving around in flash cars, taking huge directors fees or working in glamorous offices in Melbourne or Sydney at the expense of their shareholders. The SISS team work in old railway carriages in Emerald. As I remind them, Hewlett-Packard started life in a shed behind David Packard's house in Palo Alto in California, and they seem to have done all right. SISS21 is a web building system and a find engine, not a search engine. I am sure that every member of this House wishes this young Australian enterprise well. 863817:02:008638Quick, Harry, MPMr QUICKAV5FranklinALP00—Today, 11 November 2002, is 84 years after the signing of the armistice to end the First World War. At 11 a.m. today, we paused for a few minutes to remember the tens of thousands of Australians who have lost their lives in all conflicts in all parts of the world. As a youngster, I remember being taken by my father to the Shrine of Remembrance, a rather special place for him and for me, and being there at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and seeing that small chink of light coming through the crack and shining on that plinth in that mausoleum that is the Shrine of Remembrance. My father said, `It only shines through that crack at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.' It is somewhat ironic that, as we paused and remembered the futility of war and the untold suffering experienced by many over the past eight decades, our nation is girding itself for another war on foreign soil. One wonders: do we ever learn? The Flanders poppy proudly worn by members today to remember the slaughter on the Western Front all those years ago symbolises the fact that, despite the carnage, nature and its beauty will eventually return to reclaim the land in the fullness of time. As people know, I have a special affinity for the fields of the Western Front and the town of Fromelles in particular. In July 1996, almost 80 years to the day of the famous battle for Fromelles, I drove north from Paris to see where my father's battalion fought in the first of many battles that Australia fought on mainland Europe. In that battle on 19 July 1916, over 5,300 Australian soldiers, most from the Gallipoli campaign, were killed or wounded, including my father, who thankfully survived. On both sides of the highway, one could see small French villages nestled in the countryside and every so often signposts alerting the driver to battlefield cemeteries and memorials. Scattered throughout the French fields were thousands of Flanders poppies. Like many before me, I stopped, illegally entered the field and picked some in memory of my father and his mates. They are now pressed lovingly in my copy of the book Guide to Australian Battlefields of the Western Front. Why do I raise this issue in the grievance debate, a debate in which one usually gets only one chance to participate every year in this place? I do so because I want to highlight once again my strong opposition to war and to the fact that more and more people in Australia and throughout the rest of the world are now coming out to show their support for no war against Iraq. Those of us who have spent most of our lives in the 20th century have experienced either first-hand or through close family members the horrors of the many wars that blighted our world in that century. Many of us have been lucky enough to visit the battlefields in Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Islands and have seen thousands of white crosses in nearby war cemeteries. Many of us have visited the concentration camps and glimpsed briefly man's inhumanity on a colossal scale. As we celebrated the start of the new millennium on 1 January 2001, there was a feeling throughout the world that perhaps the forthcoming century might be different from the 20th century—the Iron Curtain had fallen, the Cold War had ended and European countries were striving to establish a vibrant and peaceful European community. It is close to two years since we were all filled with this expectation of real peace in our lifetime. But, unfortunately, as 2002 draws to a close, our media outlets trumpet every day the fact that the world is on the brink of yet another war, a war against Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein. `Regime change' is the phrase now used to gloss over what could potentially be a war of catastrophic proportions. If a war does occur, I personally will lay the blame at the feet of the US administration led by President George W. Bush, B1, and the British administration led by Tony Blair, B2. Of course, they will say that their actions now have the legitimacy of the United Nations Security Council. After all, haven't they passed resolution 1441, agreed to by every country sitting around the table in New York? I have been in federal politics for just over 10 years. I have been to enough international conferences to know what communiques and resolutions are all about. This UN resolution, 1441, finally agreed to by the US after weeks of discussion, in my mind is regarded by the Bush administration as something to be tolerated while they have the opportunity to secure their armed forces in close proximity for a unilateral attack against Iraq.This Iraqi war, 2002 style, will be unlike any war this world has ever experienced. The US, with their technological advances and military weaponry, will attack a country far inferior in military terms. If you believe the propaganda put out by Bush and Blair and supported by our Prime Minister, Iraq has a massive arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. Doesn't the Blair dossier tell us so? As a child growing up in the forties and fifties, I visited the movies on a Saturday afternoon and was entranced by the Movietone newsreels. I now look back and know just how propaganda works and how governments can use the media to manipulate the knowledge fed to its citizenry.I have been a teacher in disadvantaged schools for most of my life. One of the things I learnt very quickly was to come to terms with conflict resolution—the resolution of a conflict by sitting around the table, giving each participant the opportunity to have their say free from interruption and judgment, and giving everyone around the table that opportunity as an equal. Change comes through a form of words being agreed to by all participants, not through one form of words from someone dominating and threatening retribution if they do not get their own way.Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen massive anti-war demonstrations in other countries around the world, particularly in the United Kingdom and Italy. In both cases, over 400,000 people have marched in opposition to this war. As a politician who has been returned to office four times, I have learnt to consult my electorate, to feel the pulse of my electorate, to understand what people feel about a whole range of issues. Since I have been advocating an anti-war stance publicly and in this place, I have consulted my people rather widely and I would like to put a few of their comments on the public record. One of my constituents says:I am totally opposed to any attack on Iraq. I'm sure it would only inflame an already sensitive situation in the world. I think it rather strange that George W. is obsessed with weapons of mass destruction that Iraq is alleged to possess and does not seem to be particularly worried about other unstable and volatile countries that we know for sure have these weapons.I may be wrong but I think that George is more concerned with Iraq's oil reserves.I'm afraid that John Howard made a mistake by “jumping into bed” with the Americans. I feel it has greatly increased the risk of terrorism aimed at Australia, and any conflict with Iraq involving Australian troops will most certainly further increase the possibility of terrorist reprisals in Australia. Another of my constituents says:Dear HarryThank you for this opportunity to give you my views. That Saddam is a tyrant, dictator, and the rest, is something with which I have no problem, especially after being told by a six year old Kurdish boy whose parents had to escape from their country that “Saddam, no good!” I have to believe that.But to go to war with Iraq is another matter—just because they have weapons of mass destruction, so I understand. But then so have Israel, Pakistan, India, China and the USA, to name a few. I can hardly imagine USA going to war with Israel, for a start—and shouldn't it be a case of “do as you would be done by.” How about UN weapons inspectors looking at their weapons before the USA checks Iraq's!Another says:I believe Australia should not become involved with the war against Iraq ... (Time expired)864017:12:008640King, Peter, MPMr KING00AMQWentworthLP10—I rise today to address issues that have been conveyed to me by many of my constituents concerning the attitude of some in this House and the broader community toward the current relations between the state of Israel and the Palestinian people. All Australians have an interest in seeing peace prevail in the Middle East. We have a direct interest because so many Australians have families, loved ones and friends who live in that part of the world and who continue to suffer as a result of the conflict and, just as importantly, we have a tangible interest because as a nation we have staunchly sought to ensure that international disputes are resolved without bloodshed. In the words of Donne:No man is an island, entire of itself.Our common humanity means, therefore, that we are rightfully concerned to reduce the human suffering that this type of conflict inflicts so often on the innocent as well as on the combatants.Australia's role in the Middle East is obviously not as significant as that of nations like the United States, Russia, members of the European Union or those nations in the region itself. Nonetheless, as I said in my first speech in February, Australia has a role to play—doing nothing is not an option. We can and do play a role in seeking to maintain the momentum for peace. As a nation and a parliament, our actions are observed by the international community. We also set an example for those within our own community who, because of their heritage or beliefs, follow the current conflict with particular intensity.Today I want to make some remarks about that conflict because there is a deliberate attempt by some in the community, mainly of the radical Left, to create a public perception that will not help our understanding of the conflict or the steps necessary for its resolution, and that has the potential to encourage intolerance towards Israelis and, more broadly, people of the Jewish faith. In this respect, I want to touch on the language that we employ in participating in discussion and debate on the Middle East. We have a responsibility to conduct ourselves in a way that promotes a peaceful resolution, that promotes the truth and that guides our foreign policy goals based on a sound understanding of the challenges facing Israel and the Palestinian people. When so many Australians have a strong interest and when preserving the tolerance of our great multicultural society is so important, our language should not be the source in itself of incitement or irrational division. That means the wording of motions presented to this House should be based on facts not on prejudice or an attempt to appeal to a particular constituency, be it within the broader community or our own political parties. In debate, we should present our views forcefully but not in a way that hinders our contribution to the peace process.In this respect I particularly deplore the language that some honourable members have used in recent times. Referring, for example, to Israel as a `rogue state' led by a `war criminal responsible for massacres', as the honourable member for Sydney did in September of this year, deserves our condemnation. Her remarks, unbalanced and based on a contorted understanding of the facts, were inflammatory and, I suspect, designed to simply appeal to elements of her own party. Her comments reflect an insidious trend within the Left of the international community and here in Australia. It is a trend that deliberately paints Israel as the aggressor, willfully destroying the lives of the Palestinian people. It is a trend that we witnessed most dramatically at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, which saw the Left act in concert with those nations that do have something to genuinely be ashamed of in attempting to make Israel an international pariah.I find it ironic that the only functioning democracy in the Middle East should be targeted in this way, that a people who have suffered so much because of racism could become the accused and that, in the process, the Left can find itself justifying the often violent actions of regimes that are based on repression and corruption—certainly not on the principles of democracy or of Islam. Those in Australia who promote such ideas, in almost an abstract way, forget the consequences of their actions. This is not a conceptual debate for the coffee houses of the Left; it is a debate about real people and their daily lives. There is a reason why synagogues in my electorate are patrolled by armed guards and why attacks have been made on individuals and properties. Just as we correctly condemn those who incite intolerance towards those within our community of Islamic faith, we should deplore those on the Left who inadvertently or maliciously promote intolerance against those of the Jewish faith. Debate inside the walls of this parliament and within the community has attempted to engender an inaccurate understanding of the issues facing the Middle East. There are some, for example, who accuse Israel of repetitively ignoring United Nations resolutions and therefore seek to justify or draw parallels with the actions of a despot like Saddam Hussein. Security Council resolution 242 of 1967 is most frequently cited, despite Israel's support for that decision. It is claimed that Israel has ignored the UN's call for it to withdraw from territories it occupied during the 1967 Six-Day War. Certainly the resolution adopts the principle that a lasting peace will involve that withdrawal, but that is an incomplete analysis. Perhaps the Economist summarised the truth most accurately on 10 October this year. It said:[The resolution] does not instruct Israel to withdraw unconditionally from the territories occupied in 1967. It does not condemn Israel's conquest, for the good reason that most western powers at the time thought it the result of a justifiable pre-emptive war. It calls for a negotiated settlement, based on the principle of exchanging land for peace.For 20 years following that resolution, the PLO and most Arab nations refused to concede recognition of Israel, let alone negotiate a peaceful outcome in the terms supported by the Security Council. Since its neighbours and the Palestinians have adopted a more realistic approach towards the permanence of the Israeli state, negotiations have occurred.The Camp David and Oslo processes, supported by Israel, have been in the spirit of that resolution. Its negotiations with Egypt and Jordan, under the framework of 242, led to Israel's complete withdrawal from the Sinai. Its negotiations with Syria and Lebanon have also been in that context, and the withdrawal from southern Lebanon was in accord with resolution 425. Israel has therefore demonstrated its sincerity in attempting to negotiate outcomes in accord with UN decisions. Similarly, the negotiations convened by President Clinton at Camp David between Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat were within the spirit and letter of resolution 242. I remind the House that at that peace conference Mr Barak courageously proposed what we all hoped was the basis for a fair settlement. It was not Israel that walked away from that negotiation. To suggest that Israel withdraw from the occupied territories in the absence of a negotiated settlement is both naive and counterproductive.The Left have also sought to portray military action in the occupied territories as unjustified attacks on civilians. At the same time, those terrorists responsible for the murder of 652 Israelis since the commencement of the intifada—five just last night in a kibbutz north of Tel Aviv—are almost forgiven as the victims of poverty. And when the United Nations finds that left-wing hysteria about the actions of the Israeli defence forces in Jenin are not based on fact, what do we find? There is no apology and no regret at being duped by propagandists—perhaps just satisfaction that the damage had been done by the making of those claims in the first place.Australia can be proud that our nation has enjoyed a largely bipartisan approach to the Middle East, that our support for the state of Israel, existing within secure borders and free from external attack, has come from both sides of this chamber and that both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have made clear our support for a negotiated peace and the creation of a Palestinian state which fulfils the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. We also share with Israel the common goal of defeating those willing to use terrorism within the international community. A fair analysis of the situation in the Middle East and our genuine concern for the welfare of all its peoples have led us to that position. The current attack from the Left of the Australian Labor Party on that bipartisan approach is therefore regrettable. The only consequence can be to increase division within our own community and to weaken the role that we play in this parliament and outside it in promoting a fair outcome in this troubled part of the world. 8642NaN:21:005McFarlane, Jann, MPMs JANN McFARLANE83CStirlingALP00—I rise today to bring the grievance of the electors of Stirling into this House and to speak against the privatisation of Telstra. One of the realities of today's world is that communication is fundamental for both the realisation of fulfilling personal relationships and successful competitive business. An efficient and comprehensive telecommunication system is therefore indispensable to the social and economic operation of a modern-day democracy. Given the sheer size and make-up of our continent, this has added relevance.The above facts are of course recognised by most countries. The majority of OECD countries have retained a share of their national telecommunication infrastructure. Once again we see the Howard government ignoring current trends to pursue dogmatic and ideologically driven policies. As a committed local member and Labor MP, I am committed to policies that result in the best possible services for Australians. Our telecommunication services are too valuable for us to lose control over them.This sentiment is reflected in public opinion. A poll carried out by the Australian showed that up to 66 per cent of Australians are opposed to the privatisation of Telstra, with only a meagre 20 per cent in favour. This is hardly surprising, given Telstra's performance since the last round of privatisation in 1997. Since then, the Howard government has purged 36,000 jobs, increased telephone line rentals, increased mobile telephone flag fall rates and slashed about $800 million from infrastructure investment. These worrying trends will only continue if Telstra is unleashed to the private sector. The Howard government wants to create a titanic private monopoly which the government of the day will have no means of controlling.Services in rural Australia are still below the standard of those in urban areas. The President of the National Farmers Federation stated in the Australian that services in rural areas still have:... a significant way to go before there is equality between rural and urban telecommunication.How then is the government to guarantee the necessary services to Australians when Telstra is fully privatised? Ross Gittins wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald earlier this year:It should be clear that completing Telstra's privatisation would complete the process of making it uncontrollable.The forecast is bleak for regional Australia under the Howard government. If Telstra becomes subordinate to market pressures, telecommunication services could well flee regional Australia faster than the banks. Just as banks no longer have a commercial interest in regional areas, Telstra, driven to increase its share price, would have little interest in providing necessary services to regional Australia. Essential services need to be subordinate to public interest and not to profit margins. We only have to look at the telco disasters of BT to AT&T and WorldCom to KPN to see the danger our telecommunication services face if they become subject to market fluctuations.On top of these substantial problems, we face the very real possibility that our telecommunication system could well be taken over by foreign capital. Treasurer Costello is being deliberately ambiguous on this issue when he states:We would not accept Telstra becoming a foreign owned telecommunication company.But how do you stop it when the shares are put on the market?What did people—particularly the people of Stirling—want before the sale of the second tranche? They wanted prices kept reasonable, they wanted maintenance done in a timely manner, they wanted reconnections done in a timely manner, they wanted universal obligations, the provision of public telephones, free directory services, disability access and design improvements. Did they get those things? Yes, they did in urban areas, but not always in regional areas. I will not go over what people want in terms of Internet download speeds, SMS and other enhancements to telecommunications. People mainly talk about the basic items they want from their telecommunication systems. What do people want now that the second tranche has been well and truly sold? They still want the same. But what are their concerns? The concerns that I expressed to people when the second tranche was being sold are now being expressed back to me by the same people. They are expressing concern that once somebody sells their shares from the first or the second tranche they can be picked up by foreign companies. Where are the controls regarding this? People are concerned that there are no controls. The share market—the stock exchange—is an open, accessible place and people can go in and buy and sell what they want when they like and when the price is right. But there are concerns about who now owns these shares. There are even concerns about the shares being owned by major corporations in Australia and about the muscle they have to persuade Telstra to ensure that prices are kept high so that profits are kept high.What do people now want? I hear very little talk now from the electors of Stirling about selling any more of Telstra. In fact, the electors of Stirling want Telstra kept. Why do they want it kept? Because the concerns raised by a small number of people when the first and second tranche sales took place are now becoming common currency in the community; they are now becoming concerns for a greater majority of people. Labor's campaign to keep Telstra public and say no to selling Telstra puts a particular emphasis on senators and on reminding them exactly why most Australians remain opposed to the sale of Telstra. People need to be mindful of lobbying their senators about these issues. This is not just a lower house issue; it is an upper house and a lower house issue.One of the oldest newsletters in Australia—it has been going since 1947—is Inside Canberra. What is it saying about Telstra? In talking about Telstra, that newsletter heads its comments with the words:The Telstra sales conundrum—when how and why.The writer goes on to say:Telstra will be fully privatised, yet here are some of the imponderables: when will it be sold; in what form will it be sold; and what price will the rest of the shares (T3) bring? It is known why it is to be sold. According to Peter Costello, it is to write off all Commonwealth Government debt.With debt gone, he says, the Government will be able to provide infrastructure such as roads, an upgraded rail system, an attack on salinity, and so on. The National Party, the junior party in the Coalition, has not given its approval and may not for some time. If T3 does occur, the Nationals will go for the bird in the hand—spend the proceeds directly on regional and rural infrastructure.The question that many of my constituents ask is whether this is a fair thing. Many of my constituents are actually farming folk who own houses along the coastline of my beautiful electorate. When they pass the farm on in the family, they retire to the beautiful areas of Scarborough and Trigg, and so they have an interest in what happens with Telstra from the rural side and from the city or urban side. Many of these people come and talk to me because they can see that when they are in the urban parts of Western Australia, such as my electorate, the full range of services, such as timeliness of maintenance, reconnections and other items, are available; however, when they are back in their rural areas, on their farms or in their businesses in small country towns, they do not get exactly the same service—hence their concerns. They have started to realise that selling off Telstra may not bring them advantages. Also, other people in my electorate, while supporting the idea that rural and regional areas should get a fair share of any money if the sale of Telstra goes ahead, do not think it is fair that they should get all the money. They have concerns about that.When you read Inside Canberra, the headings on each paragraph of the article are interesting. They are: `The no debt argument', `Estens chairs yet another services inquiry', `Controlling the Telstra monster', `Costello misleads on foreign ownership of Telstra', `Alston can't say how to control a privatised Telstra' and `Controlling Telstra—hard to put in prospectus'. That is the point I now want to focus on. The Nationals' approach is to lock a privatised Telstra into de facto government control through some form of legislation. How could an honest prospectus be written that exposes to potential tranche 3 shareholders that they are being invited to invest in a company that will be hobbled by regulation from Canberra? I bring the grievance of my constituents into this House, and I ask the government to seriously consider its plan to sell off Telstra. It is not practical, it is not sensible, it is not wanted, it is unfair and it is inequitable no matter which way you look at it. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for letting me put this grievance to the House. 864417:31:008644Billson, Bruce, MPMr BILLSON1K6DunkleyLP10—On behalf of the Dunkley constituents, I grieve about three particular issues that I would like to canvass in the time available. It will not come as a surprise to members in this place that I open the batting with reference to the Scoresby transport corridor. Not only I but most of south-eastern and eastern Melbourne have been grieving about that subject for a long period of time, and we continue to grieve. As time goes by, it is becoming more evident that the words, the media stunts and the announcements of the Bracks Labor government in Victoria amount to a very cruel hoax on the motorists of eastern and south-eastern Melbourne. Some of the campaign material being circulated by the Labor Party members seeking re-election includes so-called `achievements'. In the community that I represent, a document is being circulated by a sitting Labor Party member who lists as an achievement the announcement of the Scoresby Freeway project. One needs to look carefully at that language, because the statement sits alongside tangible amounts of funding for schools and things of that kind—all well received by the local community. But that statement is actually it. That is all we have. All we have is an announcement. We havemultiple announcements, we have re-announcements and we have the repackaging of projects. The Scoresby Freeway now has a new name. It is now $400 million over budget and the project has not even started because the Bracks Labor government cannot get past making an announcement to actually making a commitment. There is a big difference between a media stunt, where all the press come along and you hear again about how the state government of Victoria is interested in the project, and the Commonwealth, which has had a rock solid $445 million on the table now for almost two years, seeking to prod the Labor government in Victoria into action.What we have is inaction and some very cleverly worded material from Labor candidates in the upcoming Victorian state election highlighting that we have nothing more than an announcement. We have ads on television talking about the virtues of a freeway, we have images of a four-lane carriageway and its support for industry, but we just do not have it. It is an image of a freeway from somewhere else, transposed to create this mirage that something is actually going on at the state Labor government level in support of the Scoresby transport corridor. It is a cruel hoax on the voters of Victoria, on the electorate that I represent, for anybody to suggest that the state Labor Party is even remotely interested in the Scoresby transport corridor. I know this is an issue dear to your heart too, Madam Deputy Speaker Corcoran. Your constituents and mine are looking for this venture to move forward.Another piece of evidence has emerged that shows what a cruel hoax the talk of the Bracks government being committed to the Scoresby corridor is. Just a few weeks ago, Budget Information Paper No. 1, presented by the Hon. John Brumby, Treasurer of Victoria, included on page 54 of the Public Sector Asset Investment Program 2002-03, under `Infrastructure', the renamed Scoresby corridor—now called the Mitcham-Frankston transport corridor. Under `Estimated expenditure' it reads: `tbd'. I assume that means `to be determined'. It could mean many other things that I will not go into, which some of the constituents in the electorate of Dunkley have described. Not a zack is there. Not a zack is committed in the current financial year and not a zack was committed in the year to 2002. What is being spent is the Commonwealth's money—on soil testing and engineering specifications. That is all Commonwealth money being spent by the state while the state trots around claiming credit for announcing things but not actually doing a darn thing. The latest piece of evidence is in one of the state Labor government's own budget papers, showing that not a zack is being committed this financial year, not a zack was committed last financial year and they do not even know how much the project is going to cost. In the time that they sit around simulating an interest, the constituents of the electorate of Dunkley grieve. They grieve vigorously, to the point where the community are standing up for Frankston. We are looking for some of the Labor candidates seeking election—or even some of the current Labor members of parliament who have done nothing—to step up and commit themselves to this project. To the credit of the Frankston Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the City of Frankston, there will be a `Stand up for Frankston day' next Thursday. The sad thing is, we are here in Canberra. But I am here today to stand up for Frankston, and I hope all people with responsibilities in the area at the southern end of the Scoresby Freeway will also stand up for our community. The meeting will call on all stakeholders in the city to support the immediate construction of the southern section of the freeway. Why does that matter? Because, as part of the repackaging of the Scoresby Freeway—now called the Mitcham-Frankston Freeway—there is this northern-centric focus. Everything is focused up the eastern end. The state Labor government had two shots at running tenders to get people to do the eastern freeway extension. Twice, people have spent money putting considered tender proposals together. Twice, the project has been put off. Now it looks like an entirely different project. The good folk in our electorates of Isaacs and Dunkley, Madam Deputy Speaker Corcoran, want to know when a bit of southern comfort is coming to the electors down our end of the Scoresby Freeway.We do not want more announcements; we want action and we want commitment. I encourage all those people who come to me grieving about the inaction of the state Labor government on the Scoresby freeway to join in this activity from 11 a.m. until 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, 14 November at Australian Arrow, a great local components manufacturer, at 65 Lathams Road. We will be calling on people to stand up for our city and to get this part of the Scoresby Freeway moving. It is the highest cost-benefit segment of the freeway. Ninety per cent of the land has already been acquired. One-fifth of Greater Melbourne's industrially zoned land is at the end of this freeway, north of the community that I represent and in the area that you represent, Madam Deputy Speaker Corcoran. We need this project and we need to get moving.Part of that campaign, though, is the crying need to construct the Rutherford Road on-ramp. There has been this fantasy running around the state government that the Rutherford Road on-ramp is somehow part of the Scoresby transport corridor. I am sure that a flu remedy would be included as part of the Scoresby transport corridor if it suited the state Labor government. To claim that the Rutherford Road on-ramp needs to be part of the Scoresby transport corridor is a nonsense. It has merit in its own right, and it should be constructed in its own right, so that those industrial enterprises operating north of Frankston around the Belvedere Park-Seaford area can actually access the Frankston freeway without having to go past St Anne's Primary School, the church that is there on the corner, the sporting facilities and the residential areas.There is considerable merit in getting on with that project now. It does not rely upon the Scoresby transport corridor; it has merit in its own right. We look, wondering, waiting and praying, for some action by the Bracks Labor government on the Scoresby transport corridor. We do not know when they are going to get their act together, but we do know that we need the Rutherford Road on-ramp now and that we need to get that moving. The electors of Frankston, the greater city of Frankston and all those with an interest in transport infrastructure will be able to stand up and argue for those two issues this Thursday. My final point relates to LPG. Eight times previously I have raised the issue of the LP gas industry and the great mystery—it is on a par with Stonehenge—of how LPG prices are set in this country. The fallacy is that we use a Saudi benchmark price—which is a spot price, a cherry-picked price—as the basis for the LPG price in this country and then, as motorists, we need to pay a premium for convenience. When you take all those factors into account, the price of LPG moves independently of them anyway, so there is something else going on. I have spoken repeatedly with all sections of the industry. I have gone to see big oil, and big oil has told me one story. I have gone to see the industry association, and they have given me another yarn. I go to see the converters, I go to see the wholesalers, I go to see the motorists, and everyone has a story. We just cannot get to the nub of what it is. In response to the representations of the LP gas industry, and through my advocacy, we have actually got a fuel standard for this fuel product. This transport fuel needs a constant standard, and we are moving in that direction. We are still trying to clear through the fog of how the prices are arrived at, and I have spoken on that issue before.The weekend's press illustrated again that the single biggest problem with the LP gas industry is that the industry itself does not talk up its own product. Right now, even though the price of LP gas is much higher than it was 20 years ago, it still is between 40c and more than 50c cheaper than alternative unleaded petrol. That differential represents the business case that backs the use of LPG. In the weekend press, when all of us were again talking about how curious the pricing mix is for LPG, the story coming through to the motorists was that it is somehow bad value. It is not bad value; it has never been better value to convert your vehicle to LPG. I say to fleet buyers and to families: get on the good product. To the industry, I say: get on your own product. (Time expired)864617:41:008646Gibbons, Steve, MPMr GIBBONS83XBendigoALP00—When the Bracks government first came to power in October 1999, Victoria's basic services—our schools, hospitals and community services—had been run down to crisis point. In education, more than 350 state schools had been closed and 9,000 teachers had been removed from those schools. Victoria spent less per student than any other state, and student-teacher ratios were higher than the national average. Class sizes were nearly the highest in Australia, and our retention rates were amongst the lowest. Funding of TAFE training had been slashed and it was the lowest in Australia. Traditional apprenticeship commencements had declined, despite skill shortages.In health, 3,500 nurses and a further 6,500 staff had been retrenched from our hospital system. Some $900 million had been taken out of the hospitals' budgets and 1,400 hospital beds had been closed. A total of 17 hospitals were being closed—five in the metropolitan area and 12 in country towns. The Latrobe Valley and Mildura hospitals had been privatised and plans had been made to sell the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre. Nursing home beds all around Victoria were privatised and 43 maternal and child health centres were closed. Victoria spent less on drug and alcohol services than New South Wales, Western Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory. Our ambulance system was in complete disarray.In fact, the former Premier, Mr Kennett, described rural Victoria as the toenails of the state. Rural Victoria had been left to fend for itself. Country Victorians were streaming to Melbourne in search of elusive jobs for themselves and for their children. Country train lines had been shut down, making transport between regional centres more difficult and further isolating country people. Police were leaving the Victoria Police service in droves, and recruitment was not sufficient to maintain the force at a viable level to ensure safety in the community. Important independent statutory office holders like the Auditor-General and the Director of Public Prosecutions had seen their powers reduced and independence undermined. There was a political culture that excluded community views and stifled public debate. The impact of the Kennett experiment on Victoria had far-reaching consequences and this makes the achievements of the Bracks government in starting to overturn the most disastrous impacts of this legacy in just three years the more remarkable. I would now like to point to some of the achievements of the Bracks government in my own area of Bendigo specifically. These achievements were made with the able assistance of my state parliamentary colleagues and friends, Jacinta Allan in Bendigo East and Bob Cameron in Bendigo West. They have been assisted by Marg Lewis, the Labor candidate for North Western Province. The Bracks commitments specifically for Bendigo are: 104 extra nurses; $20 million for an air ambulance service; $15 million for radiotherapy at the Bendigo Hospital, although that was a joint Commonwealth and state initiative; $10 million extra for the Bendigo Hospital's budget; and $1.2 million for the school dental clinic. In the area of education, we have seen 76 extra teachers; $3.1 million for La Trobe University's arts precinct; $3.3 million for an innovation park; $3.3 million for an information technology centre; and $250,000 for La Trobe University's Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities.In the area of community and jobs, the Bracks government assisted AAPT to locate in Bendigo, netting another 400 jobs. They relocated the Rural Finance Corporation to Bendigo—another 40 jobs. They assisted Australian Defence Apparel in Bendigo to the tune of another 100 jobs. They assisted Castle Bacon in Castlemaine, with another 200 jobs. They have supplied $70 million for the next stage of construction of the Calder Highway duplication project and have already put $25 million into construction at the Carlsruhe section. They have allocated $182 million to a fast rail link to Bendigo; that contract has been signed. They have provided $2 million for an upgrade of the Bendigo basketball stadium and allocated $6.3 million for the Long Gully public housing redevelopment. What an outstanding record of achievement, following on from the disaster of the Kennett years!Just last week, the state government announced $3 million for an MRI service at Bendigo Hospital, provided that the Commonwealth provides a licence for that service. Labor believes that MRI services ought to be available to all those who need them, not just those who can afford them. In catch-up politics, the Liberal opposition announced $2.5 million the same day for MRI services for Bendigo—once again on the back foot and following along. What they have not been able to announce is that Commonwealth licence. The opposition leader in the state of Victoria has not been able to convince his Commonwealth counterpart, the health minister, to provide a licence for an MRI service for Bendigo.The Bracks government's top achievements over all Victoria are quite astounding. For example, they have maintained the state's AAA credit rating and delivered strong budget surpluses, substantially exceeding their target of $100 million per annum. They have created well over 100,000 new jobs in Victoria since October 1999—almost a third of them in rural and regional Victoria—and Victoria has an unemployment rate below the national average. They have directly facilitated more than $3.5 billion in new manufacturing investment, directly creating over 9,000 new jobs. They have made Victoria's business taxes fewer and simpler and announced more than $1 billion in tax cuts.In delivering quality services, they have improved the standards of health care by attracting more than 3,300 nurses back into the health system. They have commenced rebuilding our public hospitals through a record investment of $900 million over three budgets to date. They have opened 12 new ambulance stations, upgraded a further 21 ambulance stations and put 267 new paramedics on the road. They have provided new services for people with a disability and their families through $194.6 million in additional funding—a 34 per cent increase over three years. They have banned smoking in restaurants and in enclosed shopping centres, and they have introduced new smoke-free restrictions for gaming venues, clubs and hotels. They have put an extra 3,000 teachers and staff and over $2.75 billion back into education. They have cut class sizes for the early years. From prep to second class, class sizes are at an average of 21.8 in 2002, down from 24.3 in 1999. They have allocated $822 million to build better schools and TAFEs, including 16 new schools and five replacement schools. They have put an extra 800 police on the streets. They are building 65 new police stations—22 metropolitan and regional, and 43 country—at a cost of $125 million. They are introducing guideline judgments to ensure that sentences adequately reflect community values, and they are committed to introducing tough asset confiscation laws to ensure criminals and drug dealers do not profit from crime.The Bracks government have been growing the whole of Victoria in providing funding for fast rail links between Melbourne and Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley and for the reopening of country rail passenger lines between Melbourne and Mildura, Leongatha, Bairnsdale and Ararat. They have introduced the $180 million Regional Infrastructure Development Fund for capital works in rural and regional communities, which to date has funded over 55 projects with a total value of investment of more than $225 million. A recent announcement added to that. They have provided $77 million to build the Wimmera-Mallee pipeline and have set a target for water recycling in Melbourne which will increase recycling from one per cent in 2000 to 20 per cent by 2010. They have unveiled Melbourne 2030, a 30-year blueprint to curb Melbourne's urban sprawl and to protect green wedges so Melbourne can retain its status as the world's most livable city. They have established the world's first comprehensive and representative system of marine national parks and sanctuaries along the Victorian coast. They have restored six per cent of the Snowy's original flow as a first step in restoring 28 per cent and provided funding to help restore the environmental flows to the Murray River. They have comprehensively addressed the public liability insurance crisis through a major legislative package which resolves problems in public liability and medical indemnity insurance, including protection of volunteers, good Samaritans and food donors. They have also restored democracy. They have restored common law rights for seriously injured workers, enacted the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act and implemented a comprehensive community education campaign. They have restored the powers of the Auditor-General and the independence of the Director of Public Prosecutions. What an extraordinary effort in just three years, given the confines that that government found itself in! Remember, it did not have a majority in either house, and it inherited one of the biggest messes in Victoria's history. I believe it has done a superb job, an extraordinary job, in achieving all I have just mentioned in that time. As the campaign slogan says, there is much more to be done. Indeed there is. If Victorians want to see their state continue to grow and prosper, I urge all of them to vote for Labor candidates all around the state.864817:50:008648Ley, Sussan, MPMs LEY00AMNFarrerLP10—I rise today to talk about the matter that affects my electorate above and beyond all others at this time—that is, the drought that is worsening every day across NSW and indeed other parts of Australia. I wish to make this House aware of just how difficult it is for farmers and rural communities to cope with the set of circumstances confronting them at this time. I wish to highlight what I believe is a significant threat, maybe not in the short term but definitely in the medium and long term, from the Green movement.There are two Green senators in this parliament and two in the upper house of the NSW parliament. Today we welcome a new member, also an Australian Green, in this place. We need to be well aware of what the Greens stand for. They talk a lot about logging, genetically modified foods, global warming and healthier rivers. They are issues that you could say cross over from mainstream politics; issues that many voters respond to in a positive way. They talk far less about their other so-called policies but they are certainly there, and if you vote Green in the upcoming Victorian or NSW state elections you vote for the whole package. It is important that we respect views different from our own, but what worries me about the Greens and their supporters is that they do not understand agriculture and they view farming activities as an assault on the landscape. I understand that there have been recent calls by the Greens to lock up the Western Division of New South Wales. Maybe they believe that there is nothing going on out there, that there are no communities to care for and that no value is being added. They are wrong on all counts. These are communities worthy of respect, affection, admiration and support, particularly during the current savage drought.A couple of weeks ago I flew my light plane out to Tupra Station near Oxley, west of Hay, in western NSW. I met many of the locals at a barbecue organised to celebrate the opening of another Telstra mobile base station in another of our less densely populated rural areas. Oxley is close to where the Lachlan meets the Murrumbidgee. In a good year the river spreads out over a 40,000-acre flood plain. Now the Lachlan is a series of muddy holes. The black soil plains to the north and the red sandy country to the west are as bare and desolate as you will ever see them. In fact, in some parts, the strong winds the area has experienced have blown away the sand and what little topsoil there is. If these conditions continue, I can see this land looking more and more like a desert: sand drifts, little vegetation and little water.Those of us who know this country know that a decent rain will transform it: the barren desolate look will vanish and feed will grow. Although it may be hard to imagine how sheep can do so well on what does not look like very much, believe me when I say that they do. Those of us who do not know the country make the mistake, made by so many city dwellers and writers in the broadsheet press, of speculating that we should not be out there farming in this very marginal landscape. This is arrant nonsense. Farming has been carried out very successfully on the western lands leases of New South Wales for 140 years. Certainly, the choices are limited. Sheep are an ideal animal to farm; crops and cattle are only possible in certain areas.Farmers in this part of Australia have coped very well with 10 years of low wool prices, challenges related to native title and a recent run of dry years. They have now been hit by a severe and exceptional drought. One farmer from a station out that way which has kept records for over 100 years told me that this is the lowest rainfall since the drought of 1922. The farmers and families who live this life are extraordinary people. Men and women work side by side, day after day, in the heat, the dust and the flies. There is rarely money available to employ labour for the farm, much less for help in the house. At the end of a working day spent in the sheep yards, shearing shed or down the paddock, women—and it usually is the women—take over as wives, mothers, cooks, bookkeepers and homework supervisors. I cannot emphasise how much I admire these inspirational women of the west.Imagine how these families must feel when they hear Green interests discussing locking up their farms and giving them over to national parks when we all know that the overstressed NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service cannot manage the parks it already has in its care. As if this would return the area to some sort of original condition; it would simply consign it to infestation from noxious weeds and feral animals. I am sorry to report that our own national symbols, the emu and the kangaroo, are in plague proportions—helped by the large numbers of man-made watering points, which have enabled them to breed up to artificially high levels. In the last drought the rabbit was in plague proportions. I am pleased to say that the rabbit has largely been eradicated, but the sight of emus and kangaroos caught in fences and too weak to move is not a happy one.I hope that the New South Wales government learns from this and acts to keep kangaroo and emu numbers down to a manageable level or at least allows others to carry out the culls that it will not. The people who currently farm this part of the state are the only ones who can; they are the only ones who really know how. They are the only ones who have the courage to hang on. For example, as the dams fed from the Lachlan slowly disappear into mud holes, farmers spend hours every day riding to these watering points, pulling their struggling sheep out of the bogs—where they are too weak to stand—and then going back and doing it all over again. At the gathering I attended, people maintained a cheerful exterior and showed that wonderful Australian attribute of keeping an eye out for your neighbour and being more concerned for his welfare than for your own. But, quietly, in other parts of western New South Wales I have heard stories that make your heart heavy as you worry about how people are going to get through this. In one town I was told that quite a few farmers were cancelling their newspaper subscriptions. Now, if times are tough and you have battened down the hatches and are waiting for rain, one thing you can do is sit and read the paper over a cup of coffee. It brings home just how difficult it is when you realise that some people can no longer afford to do that.As farmers all over my electorate come to terms with their future—some of them finding their bottom line has slipped back maybe half a million dollars without even trying—and as they attempt to buy irrigation water and feed, they worry. One of the things they worry about is losing the right to make decisions for their businesses. New South Wales state laws around native vegetation and the 10-year water-sharing plans are eroding property values and—from a farmer's perspective—giving remote outside interests with no real understanding of the bush control over farming communities. I am not talking about the legitimate and useful debate which the whole country is having about water: how we make the best use of it into the future and how we maximise irrigation efficiency. That is certainly a debate we have to have and one that I believe will have positive outcomes for all.But let me go back to the Greens. It is the Greens who subtly and successfully influence the wider, often city based, constituencies with misinformation and distortions about Australian agriculture. There are many who vote for the Greens believing that they are restoring some balance and environmental commonsense to the economic policy debate. Nothing could be further from the truth. To those who broadly describe themselves as Liberals—even Liberals who may have voted for minor parties in the past—I offer this salutary warning: if you think that by voting Green you are helping your children to inherit an environmentally sustainable world and that you are helping to address the excesses of capitalism and the tendencies of capitalism to build without regard for the environmental outcomes then you are sadly mistaken.The Greens have some admirable ideas—some of their aims and objectives are worth while and shared by all of us—but they do not understand how wealth is created in a modern economy. I heard one Victorian Greens leader say on the radio recently, in connection with the logging of old-growth forests, that there is just too much demand for the timber and we have to get rid of that demand. I should not have to go back to basic economics except to say that without demand precious little wealth and income can be created. Without a healthy, growing economy this government would not have been able to contribute $2.5 billion funding under the Natural Heritage Trust—plus the $1 million on the way for further environ-mental measures.The Greens' web site is instructive on the matter of a healthy economy; it tells us `the Australian Greens work towards ... the abandonment of economic growth ... in favour of indices showing changes in the quality of life'. The Greens believe in `taxing natural resources ... in preference to the taxing of income and labour' and yet most of their policies involve taxation incentives. They will raise the company tax rate, raise marginal tax rates, raise inheritance taxes, tax non-organic farming methods and tax activities which they deem unsustainable. I question whether, under their system, people will be earning enough money to pay tax at all. I save the Greens' most crazy policy until last: `Australia must interact with the international financial system on its own terms.' The Greens do not realise that Australia is a small, open economy—a tiny fraction of the world economy—which needs to engage the rest of the world in order to be successful. I conclude by recognising once again the long, hard slog it will be for the farmers in the rural communities in my electorate to get to that perfect day when the drought finally breaks. I encourage all those unsure of just how green we really are in rural Australia to travel to the farming areas of my electorate and see for themselves what good environmental managers we are.10000Corcoran, Ann (The DEPUTY SPEAKER)The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Corcoran)—Order! The time for the grievance debate has expired. The debate is interrupted and I put the question:That grievances be noted.Question agreed to. Bills8651Messages from the Governor-General reported informing the House of assent to the following bills:Crimes Amendment Bill 2002Criminal Code Amendment (Terrorist Organisations) Bill 2002New Business Tax System (Consolidation, Value Shifting, Demergers and Other Measures) Bill 2002Criminal Code Amendment (Espionage and Related Matters) Bill 2002States Grants (Primary and Secondary Education Assistance) Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2002Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Amendment Bill 2002Treasury Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002Bills8651The following bills were returned from the Senate without amendment or request:Criminal Code Amendment (Terrorist Organisations) Bill 2002Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment Bill 2002Insurance and Aviation Liability Legislation Amendment Bill 2002Family and Community Services Legislation Amendment (Budget Initiatives and Other Measures) Bill 2002Documents8651865118:01:008651Worth, Trish, MPMs WORTH8V5AdelaideLPParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing10—I present the government's response to the Productivity Commission inquiry into citrus growing and processing and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission report on the inquiry into a complaint by six asylum seekers concerning their transfer from immigration detention centres to state prisons and their detention in those prisons.Committees86518651865118:01:008651Bishop, Julie, MPMs JULIE BISHOP83PCurtinLP10—On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, I present the committee's report, incorporating a dissenting report, entitled Report 49: the Timor Sea Treaty, together with the minutes of proceedings and evidence received by the committee.Ordered that the report be printed.83PBishop, Julie, MPMs JULIE BISHOP—by leave—The report contains the results of an inquiry conducted by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties into the exchange of notes and the Timor Sea Treaty, both done at Dili on 20 May 2002 and tabled in the parliament on 25 June 2002. From the outset it was evident that the committee would require longer than the normal 15-day sitting period to review the Timor Sea Treaty, and on 26 June 2002 the committee informed the Minister for Foreign Affairs that this was the case. The longer period was required because of the high level of interest in the proposed treaty action among the Australian public. The committee took evidence at public hearings in Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Darwin from key stakeholders, including relevant government departments; state and territory governments; resource, oil and gas companies; business and commercial interests; and NGOs. In Darwin, the committee also took evidence from representatives of a large number of NGOs from East Timor.The purpose of the treaty is to set in place a framework that provides the necessary legal and fiscal security to enable the development of the oil and gas resources within the designated area. The treaty provides for East Timor to have title to 90 per cent of the resources within the joint petroleum development area—the JPDA—and for Australia to have title to 10 per cent. The revenue flow to Australia from the Bayu-Undan oil and gas fields, enabled by the ratification of the treaty, is not inconsiderable at $A2 billion over the life of the project. In addition, Australia as a whole—and the Northern Territory in particular—stands to gain through indirect benefits, such as employment associated with bringing oil and gas from the Bayu-Undan fields onshore. The Bayu-Undan venture participants estimate the construction of a liquefied natural gas plant in Darwin will create about 1,200 jobs and the operation phase will sustain 100 direct jobs and from 300 to 500 indirect jobs for the 20-year life of the project. The construction of the pipeline from the Bayu-Undan to Darwin together with investments in Darwin is estimated at $A2.7 billion. In an ever more global world Australia's interests are increasingly bound up with the interests of its region. Ratification of the Timor Sea Treaty serves the Australian national interest in providing the conditions that will allow East Timor economic independence and political and social stability. East Timor is the newest sovereign member of the international community and the ratification of the treaty provides a rare opportunity for putting in place conditions that will exert a beneficial influence upon the future course of this nation and contribute to the stability of the region.The treaty also makes provision for the unitisation and equitable sharing of any oil and gas resource that extends across the boundary of the JPDA. The oil and gas fields of the Greater Sunrise constitute a known instance of a straddling resource. The treaty provides that the Greater Sunrise shall be subject to a unitisation agreement on the basis that 20.1 per cent of the field lies within the JPDA and 79.9 per cent lies within Australian jurisdiction. It was estimated that under current expectations the resources of Greater Sunrise would be worth an estimated $A400 million per year to Australia, and East Timor could expect to receive approximately $A100 million per year, with indirect benefits including training and development opportunities for the East Timorese.The unitisation agreement for the Greater Sunrise fields is currently under negotiation. Both Australia and East Timor signed a memorandum of understanding on 20 May 2002 stating that they will work expeditiously and in good faith to conclude this agreement by 31 December 2002. The committee recommends that the government use its best endeavours to achieve this objective on or before the date on which the Timor Sea Treaty is ratified and, in any event, before 31 December 2002, as this would serve the best interests of both nations.The committee was concerned to ensure that the treaty provides for the adequate maintenance of employment and environmental standards within the JPDA. The occupational health and safety and environmental regimes that are currently in operation are likely to continue under the terms of the treaty. The committee urges the government to use its presence on the administrative agencies overseeing oil and gas development in the JPDA to ensure that standards are enforced. Although some non-government organisations and individuals in Australia and East Timor challenged the treaty as prejudicing future maritime claims by either East Timor or Australia, the treaty is without prejudice to the claims of either party. It is a provisional instrument that provides the necessary conditions for the development of petroleum related activities within the JPDA.There is a minority report of Senator Andrew Bartlett which in essence recommends that the parties not ratify this treaty but go back to the negotiating table, start again and determine the entire competing seabed delimitation claims between Australia and East Timor. This position is against the weight of the evidence and ignores the stated position of both parties to the treaty. It fails to take account of East Timor's need for immediate assistance and resources. The minority report suggests that 40 per cent of East Timor's share of 90 per cent be placed in escrow for at least five years, invariably longer. Inexplicably, the minority report requires Australia to put all its share of revenues from the JPDA into escrow. It fails to take account of the commercial reality of the impact of delay on the Bayu-Undan project that has signed delivery contracts in place, as well as the evidence that nothing less than treaty action will be required for the project to continue beyond its present state. The minority report does not take into account the fact that seabed delimitations can take decades to resolve—and this treaty provides an interim framework. The minority report also makes no reference to the rights of Indonesia in such a process and does not mention the stated preference of both treaty parties to negotiate, not litigate, over their boundaries. The committee notes that the ratification of the treaty is a fundamental condition precedent to the exploitation of the resources of the Timor Sea. The development of these resources will bring great benefits to Australia and is vital to the immediate and future development of East Timor. It is the view of the committee that it is in the interest of Australia for the Timor Sea Treaty, considered in Report 49, to be ratified. The committee so recommends. I commend the report to the House.18:08:008653Wilkie, Kim, MPMr WILKIE84GSwanALP00—by leave—I would like to make a few comments in supporting Report 49: the Timor Sea Treaty of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties. On 20 May this year East Timor, our nearest neighbour, became an independent country. At that time Australia exchanged notes with East Timor constituting an agreement between the government of Australia and that country concerning arrangements for exploration and exploitation of petroleum and gas reserves in an area of the Timor Sea between our two countries known as the joint petroleum development area. This formed the basis for the treaty which the committee has considered and on which this report is based.The committee reported on a number of areas. Firstly, we looked at the history of the treaty itself and then at the costs and future protocols, the people who were consulted in relation to the inquiry and how the inquiry was conducted. We also looked at the purpose of the treaty, how it was designed, different designated authorities that it reported to, the joint commission, ministerial conduct and dispute resolution, which are all very important parts of the treaty. During the inquiry, the committee heard from a range of parties who have an interest in ensuring that the treaty best reflects the interests of all parties. I would like to thank all those people who made submissions to the committee over an extended period of time. Their contributions were very valuable. I would particularly like to thank the non-government organisations from East Timor who actually made the trip to Darwin to give evidence to the inquiry.There are a number of different issues raised in the report. Firstly, a lot of submissions talked about the seabed boundary delimitation. We covered resource sharing arrangements, particularly in relation to the Bayu-Undan field and the Greater Sunrise field. Other matters that arose were employment, the environment, flags of convenience ships, how we deal with fisheries and also greenhouse gas emissions, so the committee received a wide range of evidence concerning this treaty. One aspect that was often mentioned was that Australia had been very heavy-handed in its dealings with East Timor in negotiating the treaty. I believe that we were. For example, the East Timorese get no money from the development of the Bayu-Undan field until the treaty is ratified and they are therefore under a lot of pressure to ratify the treaty as quickly as possible. Also, we received evidence concerning Australia's withdrawal of recognition of the ability of the International Court of Justice to determine maritime border disputes. We withdrew from that convention in March this year, even though we have been part of that body since the early 1940s. It was very disappointing that we did that. Clearly, we withdrew from that particular convention so that East Timor could not appeal to that court in determining maritime borders.But, in making that statement, I also recognise that the treaty, in articles 2(a) and (b), at least provides for ongoing negotiations regarding the boundary. I will quote from those articles because I think it is important to get them on the public record. Article 2(a) states that the treaty gives effect to international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, agreed at Montego Bay on 10 December 1982, which, under article 83, requires states with opposite or adjacent coasts `to make every effort to enter into provisional arrangements of a practical nature pending agreement on the final delimitation of the continental shelf between them in a manner consistent with international law'. This treaty is intended to adhere to such obligations, so it provides for ongoing negotiations. Article 2(b) states: Nothing contained in this Treaty and no acts taking place while this Treaty is in force shall be interpreted as prejudicing or affecting Australia's or East Timor's position on or rights relating to a seabed delimitation or their respective seabed entitlements.That is particularly important because a lot of submissions worked around the thought that, if in fact East Timor ratified the treaty, they may not be able to pursue any legal course at a future time. Clearly that is not the case—there are ongoing negotiations provided for.We also looked at the national interest. Clearly, when a treaty is being considered the committee must look at the national interest. I would like to quote one submitter, Alan Matheson from the ACTU, who I believe gave an excellent summation of what this committee should look at in terms of national interest in relation to this inquiry. Alan Matheson was representing Sharan Burrow, who unfortunately was unable to attend the committee's hearing in Melbourne. He made the following statement:I believe that, if we do not get this treaty process right, in five years we will have another joint Australia-New Zealand government mission into Timor to try to sort things out, as we have done in Bougainville and the Solomons.He went on to say:... if we do not get the treaty process right with Timor, it seems to me that we will have the Australian government in five years up there trying to work out governance. It is the capacity building and governance which will provide the background and the backbone to an effective treaty ratification process in terms of what it will deliver in Dili.Basically what he was saying is that it is in Australia's national interest to have a neighbour with a strong and stable financial base, and that to have otherwise could cause long-term difficulties for Australia. There are a number of areas we looked at in the national interest analysis that was provided to us. Unfortunately, what I found with the national interest analysis was that it was disappointing for what it missed out rather than for what it included. For a start, it did not consider that the Bayu-Undan field, which is totally contained within the joint petroleum development area, is at the moment under threat of not going ahead because the people who are developing that particular area, Phillips Petroleum, want certainty of ratification before they can proceed. They need to have that relatively quickly. The impact on the Northern Territory of not proceeding with that project was never considered in the national interest analysis. We are talking about 1,200 jobs in the construction phase and 400 on an ongoing basis. We are talking about $6 billion in infrastructure and about $2½ billion in tax coming to Australia. For example, the national interest analysis talked about Greater Sunrise, but it did not refer to the potential loss for Australia if we do not proceed with the Northern Territory project. If we do not proceed with the Northern Territory project and Phillips Petroleum withdraws, and if East Timor is not getting the money from that project, I am also concerned that that will mean Australia has to provide the equivalent level of aid to make up for what the East Timorese will be missing out on.We also heard that it was very important from Woodside's point of view to have unitisation in place to allow for their certainty in developing the Greater Sunrise part of the treaty. This demonstrates the incompetence of the government in not appreciating the issues that we are dealing with here. It is vitally important that the treaty be ratified, but it is also vitally important that we get the unitisation process happening as quickly as possible. If we do not do that, we could end up losing Bayu-Undan as a project and not getting Greater Sunrise developed in the future. I want to know what the foreign minister is doing and what his counterpart in developing projects, Minister Macfarlane, is up to in relation to getting these projects happening—that is, getting in there and getting unitisation happening before the end of the year, as per the memorandum of understanding. If they do not get that happening, Australia stands to lose billions of dollars. In closing, there are a number of other issues mentioned: staffing, which is also important, and the need to include Australian and East Timorese workers. Unfortunately, the treaty currently talks about East Timorese workers and does not mention Australians, but I think we can deal with that in the setting up of the project. Also, having occupational health and safety standards that meet international standards is very important. I will also make mention of the minority report of Senator Bartlett. I am very disappointed that Senator Bartlett did not attend one meeting to do with this treaty but has seen fit to put in a minority report in relation to it. Perhaps if he had actually attended he would have found something out that would have convinced him to go ahead with it. I commend the report to the House and thank the staff and members of the committee for all their work.83PWilkie, Kim, MPMs JULIE BISHOP—by leave—I move:That the House take note of the report.I seek leave to continue my remarks later.Leave granted; debate adjourned.8655865518:18:008655Baird, Bruce, MPMr BAIRDMP6CookLP10—On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority, I present the committee's advisory report, incorporating additional recommendations by certain members, on the Australian Crime Commission Establishment Bill 2002, together with the minutes of proceedings and evidence received by the committee. I seek leave to make a short statement in connection with the report.Leave granted.MP6Baird, Bruce, MPMr BAIRD—It is my pleasure to comment on this report of the committee. I would like to also commend the committee members for the cooperative way they all worked together to produce the report. We basically do not have a minority report; it was unanimous, with some of the members providing additional comments. I would particularly like to thank those who attended the meetings and contributed significantly. I mention the members for Maribyrnong, Denison, Dickson and Blair; and Senators Hutchins, Ferris and McGauran. It was a team that worked effectively and produced what I believe are quite worthwhile recommendations.Earlier this year, the government undertook a review of the National Crime Authority, in fulfilment of an undertaking made before the last election. The review was followed by a meeting of state and territory premiers and chief ministers to discuss security and related issues. At that meeting, state and territory leaders agreed to replace the National Crime Authority with the Australian Crime Commission. On 9 August the governance proposals were endorsed by the states and territories, and the bill was introduced on 26 September by the Attorney-General. On the same day, the bill was referred to the parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority for report by 6 November. The report was submitted on that date. In this relatively short reporting period, the PJC has received 18 submissions and heard evidence in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra from a wide range of individuals and representative bodies. The material the PJC received has founded its recommendations.The replacement for the National Crime Authority is a link in the chain of protection for all Australians from the consequences of organised criminal activity. On a national level this embraces security, the flow of money to and from this country, and the illegal importation of items such as drugs and guns. Mindful of this, the PJC has made a number of recommendations it believes will give the new body the environment it needs to operate effectively and with accountability. The recommendations are designed to strengthen the new body and improve the environment for the use of the coercive powers. These powers are not available to police in ordinary law enforcement environments; they are granted to royal commissions and are a potent weapon which can affect individuals significantly. In the case of the NCA their use was determined by an intergovernmental committee. This process was considered time consuming and cumbersome; some considered that it inhibited the work of the NCA. For the Australian Crime Commission, these powers are proposed to be extended to intelligence operations as well as investigations. This represents a fundamental shift in the use of such powers. The PJC noted a number of submissions which expressed concern about maintaining the balance between intelligence gathering and crime investigation, and the need to preserve certain civil rights. There was unease from some quarters about the invocation of a broadly defined public interest which could extend the use of coercive powers, particularly in the area of intelligence gathering, beyond what is justified by special circumstances. The PJC was concerned to ensure that there are safeguards both in the authorisation of the powers and in their use.The Australian Crime Commission Establishment Bill 2002 proposes that a 13-member board—consisting of state, territory and federal police commissioners, together with the Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department, the CEO of the Australian Customs Service, the Chairperson of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Director-General of Security—authorise an operation as a special operation or an investigation which would bring the coercive powers into play. The PJC considered at length a number of alternative proposals. Included was the suggestion that any authorisation by the board of a special operation should be ratified by the IGC. The IGC is made up of state and Commonwealth ministers. For urgent special operations, the PJC considered that the operation could commence pending ratification by the board. Alternatively, given the agreement between the Commonwealth, states and territories, the PJC considered the possibility of further ministerial negotiations over the process. Ultimately, the PJC agreed that the major concern lay with the board's power to create committees and delegate functions to them. The PJC took the view that a committee authorising the use of coercive powers would not provide sufficient safeguard and therefore recommended that the bill be amended. Accordingly, the PJC has recommended that any decision by a committee of the board to authorise the use of coercive powers for an investigation or a special operation should be ratified by the full board.Having addressed the issue of authorisation, the PJC considered at length the process for the exercise of these powers. The position of examiner has been established to conduct ACC hearings. Under the NCA Act, these hearings were undertaken by members of the NCA. In conducting these hearings, the examiner can, amongst other things, require the production of documents and the provision of evidence with significant penalties for failure to comply. The PJC noted that there was no provision for the examiner to provide reasons for his or her determinations regarding the use of these powers. The PJC is anxious to ensure that their use is limited to those situations in which doubt as to their appropriateness has been removed. Accordingly, the PJC has recommended that the bill be amended so that examiners satisfy themselves as to the reasonableness and appropriateness of using the coercive powers. In addition, the report recommends that the examiner record in writing the grounds for forming his or her view. The PJC noted that there was no explicit requirement for the examiners to receive a full briefing on investigations prior to conducting hearings. After deliberating at length, the PJC decided not to make such a recommendation, but it does wish to emphasise that full and accurate briefings are basic to the role of the examiner in his or her exercise of the coercive powers.Related to the use of coercive powers is the broader issue of organisational accountability and performance. Many witnesses referred to the current oversighting role the PJC has in relation to the NCA. This statutory duty will continue in relation to the ACC. The bill provides only technical amendments to the provisions of the NCA Act relating to the disclosure of information concerning an investigation. However, the PJC believes that access to operational information is essential for effective oversight of the ACC. It is for this reason that the report includes a recommendation which obliges the ACC to provide information when the PJC asks for it—provided, of course, that current inquiries are not prejudiced. The report also canvasses a number of other aspects of the bill, including the composition of the board. The PJC took the view that the ACC would be enhanced by representation from AUSTRAC. Part of AUSTRAC's charter is to create a financial environment hostile to money laundering, major crime and tax evasion. Given that financial matters are of immense significance to the drug trade and illegal importing, the PJC considers that the inclusion of AUSTRAC on the board would enhance the ACC's capacity for long-term success. The PJC's statutory role of monitoring and evaluating the organisation will continue under the new legislation. However, the PJC is also concerned to ensure that there is statutory review of the activities of the new organisation within a defined period. It is for this reason that the PJC has recommended that such a review take place after three years have elapsed from the date of commencement of the act.The PJC were pleased that so many people gave their time to appear at hearings and provide thoughtful and detailed submissions, particularly in view of the short time available. The amendments recommended in this report have evolved from the PJC's discussions of the evidence provided to them. The PJC consider that those amendments will provide a more accountable body which will effectively discharge its role in the detection and control of organised crime in this country. In general terms, a number of recommendations were brought forward in this report and they received the unanimous support of the committee. We believe this will enhance the role of the yet to be formed Australian Crime Commission in looking at organised crime in Australia and in tracing its links internationally. The committee carried out its role effectively. I commend the members of it and also the members of the secretariat, headed by the secretary, Ms Maureen Weeks.18:28:008657Sercombe, Bob, MPMr SERCOMBEQK6MaribyrnongALP00—Madam Deputy Speaker Corcoran, given the hour and although my remarks will be brief—and I expect my colleague the member for Denison will also seek leave to make a statement—subject to your view I seek leave to make a statement immediately after the dinner suspension.Leave granted.Sitting suspended from 6.28 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.QK6Sercombe, Bob, MPMr SERCOMBE—I wish to follow on from the quite comprehensive speech given prior to the dinner break by the member for Cook on the report of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority on the Australian Crime Commission Establishment Bill 2002. Mr Deputy Speaker, I am delighted that you introduced me as the member for Maribyrnong, because I am described in the report as the member for Denison. Whilst I have great admiration and affection for my colleague, I am quite delighted to be the member for Maribyrnong rather than the member for Denison. That error indicates the pressure that the very good secretariat was under to complete this report on time. The government gave the committee a very short time to come to grips with quite complex issues, but the committee wanted to take that challenge on board—and I think it did that reasonably successfully—because it wanted to assist the government in its desire to have the new organisation up and running by 1 January. The committee was also cognisant of the intergovernmental agreements and the framework that has been established on an intergovernmental basis between the Commonwealth and the states and territories in relation to this. The recommendations of the committee do not necessarily reflect the deeply held views of all committee members, but they recognise that, as a matter of practical governance and practical politics, compromises need to be reached to achieve the agreed outcomes.The report goes a long way to significantly improving the outcomes within the framework that has been established between the governments. The committee came to a unanimous agreement on about 15 recommendations that go to some important areas. For example, a number of recommendations go to questions of the structure, governance and accountability of the new body. We were guided in that respect by the words of the former chairman of the NCA, Mr John Broome, who said that there was a possibility that this legislation could end up as a `five-legged camel' that is unmanageable, unaccountable and doomed to failure. I cannot absolutely guarantee that we have completely achieved avoidance of that horrible plight, but if the government picks up a number of our recommendations in relation to governance—and they will be debated at more length later this week during the second reading debate—I think we will have a better chance of avoiding some of those problems. The other broad area that the committee deliberated on related to the use of coercive powers. As the New South Wales Privacy Commissioner, Mr Chris Puplick, indicated in a submission to the committee:Nevertheless the exercise of such powers—that is, the coercive powers—challenges received assumptions about a right to privacy, which underlie the way our legal system operates as well as the right against self-incrimination and the presumption of innocence. There is a danger that the mere invocation of a broadly defined public interest will override these legitimate interests of individuals, and that coercive intelligence gathering powers once established will be extended to a wider range of activities than those where they are justified by special circumstances.Mr Puplick very succinctly expressed the concerns that probably all committee members had to some extent. We were able to achieve a unanimous recommendation that improves at least one aspect of the operation of the coercive powers provisions of the new body, and they are extremely important and significant powers. The committee members agreed that there should be ratification by the full board, rather than simply a committee of the organisation, on when those powers were to be used. We also had agreement amongst all committee members about the way in which examiners—that is, the statutory officers created under the legislation—function. They are to give reasons in writing for their opinions on exercising special powers. Regrettably, the committee did not agree that the exercising of special powers needs to rest ultimately with the intergovernmental committee, and three committee members have put in additional recommendations on that. We believe that an organisation that is quite deliberately structured in a way which really makes it a `blue' organisation—in the sense that it is a police organisation; it is an organisation dominated by law enforcement interests—ought to have some political accountability associated with it when it may execute its quite extraordinary powers, its royal commission type powers. Unfortunately, there was not agreement amongst all committee members on that matter, and that has now become a matter of discussion within the parliament itself and will be the focus of a great deal of attention in the second reading debate. Overall, this is a good report, and I commend it to the House. I thank the chairman for his leadership, and I thank the committee secretariat for the work that they did in producing a quite good report under very pressing time constraints. 20:06:008658Kerr, Duncan, MPMr KERRRH4DenisonALP00—by leave—I join the member for Cook and the member for Maribyrnong in the remarks each has made about the work of the Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority. It was particularly difficult to achieve the substantive report on the Australian Crime Commission Establishment Bill 2002 that we now bring down within the time frame and, whilst it was difficult for us, it was certainly very difficult for those who were called upon to provide testimony to us to do that task adequately. I think they were asked to put together submissions in a matter of a few days or certainly less than a couple of weeks—far less a period of time than normally would have been provided for legislation of this kind. I simply say to all of those who either presented written submissions or appeared before us in public hearings that, given the time constraints, the work that they put in is to be commended. I will add briefly to what has already been said. The rationale for the changes that have been put before this parliament has yet to be fully articulated. Underlying these changes appears to be a presupposition that the existing organisation, the National Crime Authority, has been too lawyer driven and that there have been some instances of delays, which have been occasioned by the time between the seeking and the obtaining of references. Those deficiencies, if they be the reasons for the proposals that are now before this parliament, have been addressed by the majority report and by the recommendations of the two members and one senator who have signed additional recommendations. It should be indicated that those three people—the member for Maribyrnong, Senator Denman and I—agree entirely and fully with all of the other recommendations that have been made by the committee. Whilst there was lively and vigorous debate within the committee at various times, the fact that we achieved the outcomes that we did and that we obtained the agreement that we did in the time and under the circumstances is a tribute to both the chair and the deputy chair. I thank them both for that.I will say a couple of very brief things about the additional recommendations. Until this proposal, there had been a hitherto unquestioned view that the kinds of coercive powers to be bestowed upon the Australian Crime Commission ought not be vested in any police authority. That is not a view that is unique to those who have held parliamentary office; it is a view that has been expressed on a number of occasions by those who have served previously as commissioners of the Federal Police—and, indeed, it has been expressed by the current Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, Mr Mick Keelty. The additional recommendations that I have signed draw attention to two occasions in the recent past where the commissioner testified that it is inappropriate for any police organisation to have conferred the special powers that have been conferred on the National Crime Authority, and that it would not be appropriate to vest those powers in a police agency. Given the fact that, in a sense, the whole thrust of this legislation is to give greater priority to the management of law enforcement through the Australian Crime Commission, if it is possible to provide parliamentary accountability through ministers directly responsible to their parliaments within the terms and framework of the agreement that has been reached with heads of state, our view is that it should be so done.The recommendations that we have proposed achieve that. They take into account those basic principles but also concede that, in circumstances of urgency, references can be given entitling the use of coercive powers by the board—which is essentially the police commissioners—but that they would require ratification within a period of 45 days thereafter. Given the time and circumstances, I draw my remarks to a close. There will be ample opportunity for more extensive debate when the bill comes before the House.Bills8659R1591BillsR1592BillsR1593Bills8659Debate resumed from 23 October, on motion by Dr Kemp:That this bill be now read a second time.20:12:008659Cadman, Alan, MPMr CADMANSD4MitchellLP10—Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker Price. I know that you of all the occupiers of the chair will appreciate more than most the significance of our heritage. We share a common interest in the western suburbs of Sydney and we both know of the strong inheritance that we have from the pioneers and the early settlers of that district. Tonight we are considering a change to legislation which covers the national estate and our national heritage. Of course, this area is one that fits between what is significant to state or local authorities and what is important in anational and a world sense. Australia has a number of features which are of great significance in an international sense. The one that most people think of without any difficulty is the Great Barrier Reef. It is a unique geographical feature that is a phenomenon not matched anywhere in the world. Most people value the buildings and roadways of their suburbs that have been a feature of their district ever since the district was established. But there is a role to be played, and that role is the Commonwealth's as part of its responsibility for things that are of national importance. Over the years since its establishment—and I think it was first established in the 1970s—the concept of a national estate and some sort of national heritage process has increasingly captured the attention of Australians. In some instances, the failure of state or local authorities to value things of importance has encouraged people to apply for their registration as places of interest to the nation. In other instances there has been such overwhelming support for an idea or a concept that people have wanted to nominate a site to be of great significance. This legislation establishes a mechanism for the identification, protection and management of places of national heritage significance, and these places are going to be inscribed on the National Heritage List. The list will be comprehensive. It will consist of natural, historic and Indigenous places that are of outstanding national heritage significance. We will be looking at the register that is now established and asking, `What items on this register are really of national significance?' In some ways we are going to go back over old ground but we are also going to look at fresh ground. The minister is going to be advised by an expert group of people whose purpose is to advise him about the process of registration on the National Heritage List.Western Sydney is a most significant part of Australia. I will start with the environment around Mitchell and just mention in passing some of the areas that catch my attention. The member for Greenway will be aware of the Grantham Poultry Research Station. In my opinion, that is a very significant feature. It has wrapped up in it some of the most brilliant veterinarians and scientists Australia has seen, and the construction of the buildings and the grounds themselves also make it a very significant site. I believe that it was very far-sighted to place the Grantham Poultry Research Station at Seven Hills on the register. In the Penrith area we have the Museum of Fire and the Penrith Courthouse. Those are places that catch my attention as a visitor to that area.In the Parramatta region, nobody could be unfamiliar with St John's Cathedral, the All Saints Anglican Church, the buildings that were formerly the Kings School, or Burnside Homes—a magnificent group of buildings constructed by Mr Burns along Pennant Hills Road, Parramatta, leading towards Pennant Hills. They are fine buildings which have been beautifully maintained and are now being used as a school. There is also the Catholic cemetery in Church Street; the Cumberland Hospital landscape, which is itself unique; Lake Parramatta Dam; the Lancer Barracks Precinct and the Lancer Barracks themselves; and the Lennox Bridge. All these are in the western suburbs of Sydney. They are great features, crying out to be maintained and crying out to be preserved and not destroyed.In an area near where I live we have the Galston Gorge Road Bridge; Glenroy on Old Northern Road, Middle Dural; St Jude's Anglican Church; and The Pines, the famous building of the Roughley family—the outhouse, the pine trees and the whole area are just exceptional. Coming to Maroota, we have the Felton Mathew marked tree; the Indigenous place at Wiseman's Ferry and another place at Canoelands; and the Marramarra National Park in toto. Then in Castle Hill itself, there is Castle Hill House, which has been wonderfully restored. There is the Redeemer Baptist Church. The people of that church have lovingly restored what has become a feature of the district. It was an outstanding effort of dedication and showed a real valuing of the past and the pioneers. It is a beautifully restored building. We also have the Castle Hill Public School and residence on Castle Hill Road. Unfortunately, the owners of that building, QIC, have not done anything with it. They have not maintained it or put it to use. I trust they will shortly make a decision. It is not in a state of disrepair but it will shortly get to be in a state of disrepair. There is also the Castle Hill Settlement Site, the so-called heritage park. It is a wonderful site—an absolutely brilliant site. For ages I have been asking the minister to encourage the Commonwealth, through its heritage trust grants, to do something towards interpretation of that site through archaeological digs and to have interpretative displays to really explain to the community what is a completely open site. As far as I can determine, it was the third site of establishment in Australia. First of all there was Sydney, then Parramatta and then Castle Hill with a convict settlement. The remains of that settlement have been identified in a cursory way and further detail of that site is needed. It would be a wonderful opportunity for young people and schools to have a look at an archaeological dig and to work out what was on that site right from the beginning of the colony. To my knowledge, it is the only area that has been untouched since the beginning, and it is still there in open fields and paddocks. Crops have been grown on the site but the site is there. With modern technology, the roadways, the wells, the buildings and the foundations can be established and what was actually there can be demonstrated at what is called `heritage park'—the Castle Hill Settlement Site on Old Castle Hill Road, Castle Hill. We also have Elwatan on Castle Hill Road, the former St Paul's Anglican Church—a beautiful sandstone building in the centre of Castle Hill—and the Old Parsonage, which sits just opposite. All of these are part of our wonderful heritage that we should value and preserve.The Commonwealth government is, with this legislation, improving the way in which it protects our heritage. These three bills which have been introduced into the parliament, the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002, the Australian Heritage Council Bill 2002 and the Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2002, identify, conserve and protect places of national heritage significance. We need to understand that the new heritage regime will operate through a list of places of national heritage significance. A new Commonwealth heritage list will be established which will list the pre-eminent and elite sites—the sites that are truly and absolutely of great significance—and an independent expert body, the Australian Heritage Council, will be created to advise the minister on the listing and protection of heritage places. This is all good stuff. In my view, the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr Kemp, with his intellectual strength and determination, is just the guy to make it work well.Regarding the future of this legislation, I know the Australian Labor Party are supporting it, and I am pleased about that. It was, I believe, Tom Uren who established the concept of the national estate and what we should have as Australian heritage. After the passage of some 20-odd years, this current government is now looking at that again. For good reason but without properly understanding the value of buildings or natural sites, we have perhaps included things on the list which would be better on other lists. Perhaps we would be better gathering from other lists things that should be on the national estate list. So this list of Australian heritage, the Commonwealth Heritage List, needs to be cleansed, in a way, and brought up to date and reappraised. This legislation focuses, as did the original legislation, on the Commonwealth's responsibility regarding places of national importance and heritage areas owned or leased by the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth's own responsibility is to look after those things for which it has responsibility. A Commonwealth listing of its own properties is pretty important in making sure that we act responsibly as the Commonwealth government and give a lead to some of those governments that at times really do not appear to value the same sorts of things that we value from a federal perspective.Heritage places will be protected consistent with the Commonwealth's constitutional powers. That means we cannot override the states; if they want to bulldoze something, they will do it. We just need to be active to make sure that that does not happen. If they want to destroy something that is of value, constitutionally we will not be able to stop them with this legislation; they will still be able to go ahead. But with our list we ought to be able to prevent those acts of degradation occurring at those places that are—and I quote the words—`of national heritage significance'. What this legislation does is seek to lock in for permanent preservation those areas which are of particular significance to the Commonwealth and for which the Commonwealth has a responsibility. The legislation requires the minister to ensure that there are approved management plans listed for places owned by the Commonwealth, so that the Commonwealth does not just sit back and say, `We've got a fabulous building and it is historic,' when in 10 years time, when it actually decays, it will be past restoration. We have to put in place a management plan that will set out how to protect the heritage values of a place. The government will provide technical and financial assistance to the people who are the owners of such places and from whom we lease buildings.The minister will be required to report to the parliament on the state of the National Heritage List. The report is required to include the number of places on the list, their values and any threats to them; the progress of the preparation of management plans; changes in tenure; allocated resources; and, where applicable, the operation of any accredited management arrangements. In that way, each one of us can be sure that when something is listed it goes beyond just merely recording something on a list in a computer database somewhere or other; there has to be an active plan of the way in which that site is going to be managed. We have not had that before, and I think that is a great innovation. I congratulate the minister for being proactive in this area. We need, first of all, to make sure that buildings are properly looked after. As well, where we are talking about the built environment, the buildings need to be used. In other areas, where it is not the built but the natural environment that we are seeking to preserve, we need to know what the impending threats to such sites are. The monitoring and reporting process which is required under this legislation will ensure that every member of parliament and every member of the Australian Commonwealth, every individual living within Australia, will be able to access those plans for themselves. No doubt they will be on web sites as well so that people will be able to find out for themselves precisely what the Commonwealth intends to do regarding those places that are registered on the Commonwealth Heritage List or those that are part of the National Heritage List—the places of significance.The Commonwealth agencies that own or lease places will be required to assist the minister and the Australian Heritage Council to identify and assess the value of places. They will not be able to sit down as we have seen in the past and bulldoze a post office to build some sort of fake building which, although it may be more convenient to operate as a postal service, has led to the destruction of a heritage building in the process. The owners of those buildings will not be able to do that any longer. The legislation will prevent them from doing that. The bill provides a nomination, assessment and listing process. Protection is there.The establishment of the Australian Heritage Council will bring consistency. In New South Wales we have the New South Wales Heritage Council, and the Australian Heritage Council will replace the Australian Heritage Commission; I like the consistency of that. I think that the new title is more consistent with the status of what is now being established. It describes its advisory role as the Commonwealth's expert advisory body on heritage. The council will be independent and expert and it will help the minister in the identification, conservation and protection of places on the National Heritage List and on the Commonwealth Heritage List. It will include experts in the fields of natural, Indigenous and historic heritage, as I have already said, and it will also be responsible for keeping the register.I think this is good legislation, but I will be keeping an eye on where things are registered. I will look out for my area, as I hope every member will for their own area, to make sure that those buildings and sites which are of significance to them and to the people of their electorates are properly acknowledged by the Australian Heritage Council. I hope they will make sure that the nominations go forward and, if rejected, that they will fight to keep them on the list. Whether the nominations are on the major list or on the subset list of places of significance, I expect this parliament to be active, to make sure that, despite some of the activities of state or local authorities, we are able to preserve buildings, natural forms and the Indigenous inheritance that is so much the heart and soul of this nation. I do not look to the past for direction for the future but, unless we really understand what those before us have contributed to the building of this nation, we will not truly value the future we are putting together. 20:30:008663Mossfield, Frank, MPMr MOSSFIELDMK6GreenwayALP00—I rise to speak on the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002, the Australian Heritage Council Bill 2002 and the Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2002. These bills were originally introduced in 2000 under a different title. Debate was delayed and they lapsed as a result of the election. They have now been reintroduced and finally debated in this place. The bills have been slightly amended since they were first introduced, to take account of some of the concerns of the Senate reference committee which inquired into the operation of the bills, but fundamentally they remain the same. These bills, in effect, completely rewrite our heritage regime, which was first introduced by the Whitlam government in 1975. When the Australian Heritage Commission Act was first passed by the parliament in that year, it was recognised as world's best practice in heritage legislation. Like many things in our rapidly changing society, however, the act and the regime that underpins it need to be renewed and strengthened from time to time—strengthened, not weakened—and that lies at the heart of the problem Labor has with these bills. These bills seek to water down and weaken the heritage regime, and Labor sees this as a backward step in our community's progress.The Australian Heritage Commission Act will be repealed by this legislation, and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act will be amended to become the main act dealing with Commonwealth heritage protection. There are many questions and concerns about whether the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is the right framework for these changes; many would say not. By attempting to integrate heritage protection into the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, many of the important aspects of the unique requirements of heritage protection are neglected or simply omitted.There is also major concern over the decision to abolish the Australian Heritage Commission, which is a statutory authority independent of government, and replace it with a ministerial advisory council. At present there is a requirement that the chair and not less than half of the commission must not be Commonwealth officers. The provisions of these bills remove such a requirement. The final decision as to whether an item will be listed or not will, if these bills are passed unamended, rest with the minister and not with the independent commission. Under these bills, if a person nominates an item to be listed, the minister can reject it out of hand or he or she can ask the council for advice as to whether it should be listed. After that advice is given, the minister has the power to completely ignore the advice from the council and reject the nomination out of hand. Many of the functions that the commission currently undertakes will be exercisable only upon the recommendation of the minister. As the Bills Digest says:This implies that the new Council will have considerably less freedom of independent action and initiative than the Australian Heritage Commission ... The potential for politicisation or, at the very least, the appearance of politicisation of the heritage regime is enormous.Australia is in a unique position when it comes to heritage. We have one of the oldest cultures on the face of the planet, with our Indigenous heritage stretching back at least 40,000 years. However, Western settlement occurred only 214 years ago. We do not have ancient castles or churches that have stood for many hundreds of years. Our oldest continually licensed pub, for example—the Surveyor General Inn at Berrima—is only 168 years old. In the Greenway electorate, the Royal Cricketers Arms Inn has been there since 1881—121 years. When we compare that to something like Kyteler's Inn in Kilkenny, in Ireland, which has been a pub continuously since 1324—or for 678 years—we see there is no real comparison to be made. Ours is a young culture. In many respects, though, that is precisely why we must have in place strong protection and heritage laws; otherwise, pubs will not get to be 678 years old and counting. To give the House an example of the extent to which developers will go to get around their heritage responsibility, I want to refer to the demise of a well-known landmark in my electorate, the Robin Hood Inn, which I know you, Mr Deputy Speaker Price, would know—in a professional capacity, of course, not social—as you were previously a member of the Blacktown City Council. I think we agree that the demise of this great establishment happened sometime in the 1980s. The situation was that the Robin Hood Inn, as I said, was a well-known Blacktown drinking house and landmark. It was situated within a stone's throw of Blacktown railway station and was a convenient drinking house for both locals and the travelling public. The country train stopped at Blacktown station for a short period of time, allowing travellers to cross the road and have a quick drink before continuing on their journey. One Saturday night—we believe sometime in the 1980s—the patrons were cleared out of the inn at closing time. A high wall was erected around the inn and the inn was demolished overnight.SD4Cadman, Alan, MPMr Cadman—I want to hear the story.MK6Mossfield, Frank, MPMr MOSSFIELD—Maybe the member for Mitchell knows more about this than you or I, Mr Deputy Speaker.SD4Cadman, Alan, MPMr Cadman—No. I am interested in the story, though.MK6Mossfield, Frank, MPMr MOSSFIELD—I do not know; he might be able to help us with that. The fact is that the patrons were cleared out, as I said, but we do not know what happened to any boarders—I certainly hope they were cleared out also. The inn was demolished overnight. A number of local drinkers arrived on the site at about 10 o'clock on the Monday morning, only to find, to their disappointment, that the inn no longer existed. Of course the question that we ask is: why the haste? Why was it done so quickly and why was it done so secretly? That is a little bit of Blacktown folklore.It is not just drinking places that need protection; it is all sorts of places. In my electorate of Greenway, there are many and varied heritage sites. Sites of local significance include the Battle of Vinegar Hill memorial site, the Glenwood Park Dairy, the Hebe Farm, the Masonic Hall at Riverstone, the Meadows Public School in Seven Hills, St Andrew's Uniting Church in Marsden Park and St Anthony's Catholic Church in Kings Park. There are some 17 cottages, houses, farmhouses and the like scattered around the electorate that represent and preserve our local history. Of state significance are St Andrew's Anglican Church and rectory at Seven Hills, the Seven Hills Railway Station group and the rail underbridge, the Riverstone Railway Station and Rouse Hill House. There are seven sites on the national register in the electorate of Greenway. Three sites have the legal status of registered as well as the administrative status of registered—they have gone through the entire process.The first is the Grantham Poultry Research Station, which the member for Mitchell has already referred to; the second is a section of the Old Windsor Road; and the third, which is just on the border with the electorate of Mitchell, is Rouse Hill House, including stables and outbuildings. The other four places on the register are termed indicative places, which means that their details have been entered into the database and information has been collected but no final decision has been made. These places include the old boiler house in Blacktown, the Plumpton Ridge Aboriginal site, Schofields Aerodrome and the Second Pond Creek open site, which is also of Indigenous significance. Unfortunately, when Blacktown Hospital was redeveloped over the last few years, the boiler room and its contents were destroyed after extensive efforts to find a new home for the equipment failed. One might ask why something like a chicken farm is heritage listed, but the Grantham Poultry Research Station is more than just a chicken farm. The scientific research undertaken on that property, particularly research into manganese and vitamin deficiencies in food and their effects on hatchability, effectively saved the poultry industry from ruin and brought international acclaim, establishing the estate as one of the six leading poultry research stations in the world. I will speak about why the poultry research station is protected. After the First World War, the station was used for a soldier settlement scheme, providing a home and a new start for many injured and maimed soldiers returning home after that terrible war. The site also contains a significant remnant tract of Cumberland Plain bushland, which is an endangered species around Western Sydney. As you can see, there are many reasons why a single site should be protected and why a local chicken farm is deserving of preservation.Another local site of some significance is the Vinegar Hill memorial site. Australia has had a relatively peaceful history, with armed uprisings being relatively few. The first, however, occurred in what is today known as Rouse Hill, in the electorate of Greenway. On 5 March 1804, some 200 mainly Irish convicts, led by Phillip Cunningham, rose against the authorities in Australia's first rebellion, in what became known as the Battle of Vinegar Hill. It was crushed quickly before convict reinforcements from Toongabbie or Hawkesbury could arrive. The cry of `death or liberty' only resulted in the former for the ringleaders, while between 200 and 500 lashes were handed out to the other convicts involved. Each year sees a re-enactment of the battle on the original site. While grisly in its origin, it is nevertheless part of our history and should be protected. In fact, I attended the re-enactment of the event around Christmas last year and enjoyed the occasion very much.Another local icon is St Bartholomew's Church, which was commissioned by William Lawson, one of the three men who were the first to cross the Blue Mountains. St Bartholomew's was built in 1841 and operated until 1967, when increased vandalism forced its closure. In 1972, Blacktown council obtained the site and set up the St Bartholomew's Prospect Preservation Committee. The committee raised funds—holding various events each year—held numerous working bees and received some government funding, including a Centenary of Federation grant, which was very much appreciated. Finally, on 21 February 2001, after many years of hard work by local residents, the restored church was reopened to the public. St Bartholomew's stands adjacent to the M4 motorway and forms one of the gateways to Blacktown city—and indeed a gateway to the electorate of Greenway. The small graveyard attached to the church is the resting place for William Lawson, one of the great pioneers of early Australian exploration. This is a historically significant site that could have been lost through neglect but was saved and restored to its former glory. It now stands as a great testament to the hard work and dedication of the local community.The heritage listing of Schofields Aerodrome is of particular concern. While its final status has yet to be determined, the Department of Defence, which owns the site, has placed it on the list of Defence sites to be sold off. I ask you: how can you sell off a property whose heritage status is yet to be determined? Can you not see the potential for a conflict of interest if the final decision as to whether to list a property is left solely in the hands of the government of the day?SD4Cadman, Alan, MPMr Cadman—They sold Nirimba.MK6Mossfield, Frank, MPMr MOSSFIELD—The member for Mitchell will probably concede this point too—in privacy, no doubt. The government wants to flog Schofields Aerodrome, and the government makes the decision on whether it gets listed as a heritage site. It is not hard to see which way the heritage listing decision will go, given these circumstances. Some will say that the government can sell the site and still place restrictions on its use due to its heritage value. But who is going to buy a site they cannot use fully? Placing restrictions on the use of the land will automatically drop the price that the government will get for the land. If you can only build 500 houses, not 5,000 houses, then why would you pay full price? This government likes to get full price. What would happen in a situation where the land is sold subject to restriction, part of the property is bulldozed and built on, and then the final assessment is made placing a high value on the recently bulldozed portion? It would be a bit too late to be able to do anything about it, and our future would be the poorer for it. There is also the problem of who decides exactly what restrictions or covenants are placed on a property before the sale. So the argument that the property can be sold off before its final heritage value has been determined is, quite frankly, nonsense, even when some restrictions are made. This is why the final decision as to heritage listing must be put in the hands of a body that is independent of government and that has no consideration to make beyond whether the site is of heritage value. When you politicise the process, you naturally leave yourself open to accusations of conflict of interest. Not only must the process be independent but it must also be seen to be independent, and this legislation fails—miserably, I am afraid—on both counts.I represent the electorate of Greenway, which was named after Francis Greenway, a man with a very interesting history. He was born near Bristol in 1777, and he was convicted of forgery in 1812. He was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to transportation for 14 years to New South Wales. When Greenway arrived in the colony in February 1814, he was given a ticket-of-leave almost immediately. In March 1816, Governor Macquarie appointed him to the position of civil architect and assistant engineer on a salary of three shillings a day.Greenway was Australia's most influential early architect. He adapted his designs to suit the local conditions, and so he created buildings with an Australian flavour. He was the first to do so, and quite rightly he is remembered in our history. Along with Henry Lawson, Greenway was featured on the original paper $10 note, and he has a federal electorate named in his honour. For an architect, his name is extremely well known and his life is celebrated. I wonder if members would know how many buildings he designed before his death in Maitland in 1837 or how many are still standing. Greenway designed over 40 buildings, shaping the look of Sydney and surrounds. But how many are still standing?This is the most influential and well-known architect in Australia's history. Of his 40-plus buildings, only 11 remain—and every one of those 11 has been altered in some shape or form. We have nothing left that is wholly original from our most influential architect. Certainly, 11 still stand, including St Matthew's Anglican Church in Windsor, St James' Church in Queen's Square in Sydney, the Hyde Park Barracks and St Luke's at Liverpool, but they have all been altered to some degree over the years. And that is because our heritage regime was nonexistent or simply not strong enough at the time. So much of our history and heritage has already been lost, which is why we need a strong and independent heritage regime. Obviously not every building can or should be protected. If the old tram depot on Bennelong Point had been preserved and protected, we would not have the Opera House. It is a difficult balancing act between preserving our history and building our future. Nobody denies that, but this is precisely why we need strong legislation in place. The amendments that will be moved by Labor help to maintain this balance. They keep the commission in place as an independent body. They preserve the positive aspects of those bills that improve the system. I urge the government to consider the amendments on their merit, because they have merit, and not to try to play politics with this very important issue. This is an area where we can have bipartisan support but, as it stands, if the bill is not amended, I am afraid Labor cannot support it.20:50:008666Bishop, Julie, MPMs JULIE BISHOP83PCurtinLP10—The coalition government has a proven track record when it comes to the protection of Australia's valuable natural, historic, cultural and Indigenous heritage. It is, after all, a government that has provided $10.5 million over three years for heritage conservation projects under the rubric of the Cultural Heritage Projects Program. Likewise, the government has allocated $5 million for the restoration of historic pubs in regional Australia. The Howard government has, through the federal fund, the Federation and Cultural Heritage Projects program and the Conservation of Heritage Projects Program, provided more funds for the protection of heritage than any other government in Australia's history. But the protection of heritage means more than simply the writing of cheques, and the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002, the Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2002 and the Australian Heritage Council Bill 2002 before this House tonight testify to the commitment of the government to the structural reform of Australian regulatory practice as it relates to places of great heritage value. The reforms contained in this package of bills before the parliament are based on the national consensus reached by the 1997 Council of Australian Governments meeting. COAG agreed to the evaluation of the appropriate responsibilities and roles for the federal and state governments of Australia. Most pertinently, COAG decided that the focus of the federal government, in terms of heritage protection, ought to be on places of national significance. This is a most reasonable proposition in a federal polity. The great value of federalism is that it decentralises power and decision making to allow for policies that best reflect local interests. At the national level, the Commonwealth has an obvious role to play in safeguarding heritage, the value of which crosses state lines and transcends the parochial. Following COAG in 1997, the federal government undertook a long and productive process of community consultation, including the National Heritage Convention held in 1998. That consultation identified a number of deficiencies in the present heritage protection structure. At present, the 27-year-old Australian Heritage Commission Act does not offer adequate protection to places of national heritage significance. Its procedural deficiencies and overreliance on indirect triggers mean it is incapable of ensuring that heritage valued by all Australians is protected and fostered.These reforms address those deficiencies and will provide, in place of the Australian Heritage Commission, an expert advisory body called the Australian Heritage Council. The council will consist of a chair and six other members, and its members will be experts drawn from relevant fields—for example, the environment, history, Indigenous studies and the like. The National Heritage List will also be established. This will comprise places of outstanding national heritage significance, whether that significance is cultural, historic or natural. Such places will also be protected by an improved management system to ensure best practice standards are maintained.I note with particular approval the reference by the Minister for the Environment and Heritage in his second reading speech on the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002 to the possible inclusion on the National Heritage List of places identified with Australian industry. We often think of Indigenous heritage, sporting heritage, natural heritage or artistic heritage, but it is equally valid to recognise our industrial heritage, such as mining places, pastoral places or industrial places. These are sites that have given to our society work, wealth, and material and collective identity. I think this aspect will be appreciated by representatives from both sides of this House.It does have widespread ramifications. Just think of the preservation of heritage sites in terms of the tourism industry and the enhancement that such preserved sites can bring to tourism in this country. I would like to see a number of places in Western Australia considered for assessment. I take as an example the heritage precinct of Perth. This comprises a number of the earliest buildings of the Swan River Colony. The heritage precinct is the area around the intersection of Barrack Street and St George's Terrace, around Stirling Gardens. It includes the original Supreme Courthouse, a tiny little house at the bottom of Stirling Gardens, built with bricks made by convict labour. Government House is also in Stirling Gardens. It was also built by convict labour and is a superb example of early colonial architecture. There is the Treasury building across the road on St George's Terrace and the magnificent St George's Cathedral, which is one of the most gracious and yet simply adorned cathedrals that I have ever seen. The Town Hall is also in this area. It is a delightful little building made of bricks of clay from a clay pit just down the road which is now Queens Gardens in the city. All of these buildings surround the place where the Swan River Colony was founded. This is where Mrs Dance cut down a tree to mark the foundation of the colony in 1829. As the story goes, Captain Dance—who was the captain of HMAS Sulphur—was meant to take the longboat from the coast up the river to found the colony but he got sick with a cold that day and so he had to send his wife along instead. Back on that day in August 1829 Mrs Dance got into the longboat and went up to the place where the Swan River Colony was founded and cut down a tree. Trust the women to finish the job.We are not just concerned about places within Australia. As the minister noted to the House, this recognition might include places of national significance such as Lone Pine on the Gallipoli peninsula—the rocky outcrop thousands of kilometres away that symbolises the heart of our nation—the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea or even Australia House in London. The reforms provide for the assessment by the Australian Heritage Council of nominations, the listing of which will then be subject to the approval of the federal minister. A management plan will then be developed for each place added to the National Heritage List.I should note in this regard that the Register of the National Estate, which presently has about 13,000 recorded entries, will be retained as a useful source of information for the promotion of heritage protection. Information on the register will also be considered in the context of actions taken under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Places listed under the National Heritage List, the Register of the National Estate and the respective lists held by the state and territory governments will be accessible to the public by way of the Australian Heritage Places Inventory database. I think this is a terrific idea: an efficient, coordinated resource for heritage places throughout Australia providing all the convenience of a one-stop shop.The benefits of the reforms to Australian heritage laws are considerable. There will now be a greater certainty in terms of the respective roles to be played in heritage protection by the states and by the Commonwealth. This will be an advantage not only to the governments concerned but to citizens, who will now be better able to identify the responsible level of government and bring to the appropriate representatives their concerns, wishes, hopes, dreams and aspirations in relation to places of national significance in this country. This simplified and clarified system will also benefit industry, which will be better able to navigate through the murky world of development approval. An increased use of voluntary conservation agreements will allow for a more flexible approach to the conservation of heritage places located on private land. I commend this package of bills to the House.20:59:008668O'Connor, Gavan, MPMr GAVAN O'CONNORWU5CorioALP00—The Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002, the Australian Heritage Council Bill 2002 and the Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2002 represent the latest attempt by the Howard government to water down the Commonwealth's involvement in the protection of Australia's rich cultural and environmental heritage. This is not the government's first attempt at lessening the protection currently afforded to these assets. The heritage bills were first introduced into the Senate in December 2000 and were debated in that chamber in August 2001. They were never brought to this House for debate because of the deficiencies in the legislation. The Liberal and National parties have a long and unfortunate record in sponsoring or defending private interests which seek to destroy or compromise our environmental and cultural heritage, so I guess it is not surprising that the Howard government has introduced this insipid package of legislation into this House. Australia is a young nation and, in an increasingly global environment, it is often difficult for ordinary citizens to retain a sense of their own history, culture and identity. Our young people are bombarded on a daily basis with ideas, cultural mores, styles of dress and language from other societies with enormous propaganda resources to project into other communities not only the best of their own culture but the very worst. One means whereby nations that possess unique cultural characteristics can preserve and enhance their cultures in the face of this onslaught is to pay careful attention to the preservation of their cultural, historical and environmental heritage and to encourage their citizens to understand and take pride in that heritage. Here in Australia we have not been all that successful in that regard. In my own electorate of Corio, based on Victoria's premier provincial city of Geelong, local governments and the community in the past have not done nearly enough to preserve the cultural heritage of the city—a source of considerable regret to many people older than I am who have witnessed the destruction of that heritage in recent decades. Fortunately, Labor governments in power have done much in my own area to preserve the city's environmental and cultural heritage for generations to come. It was Labor in partnership with the then City of Geelong that commenced the refurbishment of the eastern beach area of the city and the public bathing area that is now so popular with residents in the summertime.It passed the old Commonwealth Customs House to the City of Geelong to enable the local community to preserve this asset. I note the recent proposal by the Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative to use the building for its purpose, in particular the retailing of Wathaurong glass to the wider tourist community. Labor in government is very proud of the role it played in Geelong in the refurbishment of the Deakin Woolstores campus, turning the old Dennys Lascelles Woolstore into a student campus and providing a world-class auditorium for showcasing local and international talent.Madam Deputy Speaker Gambaro, I know that you are a child of the sixties—perhaps a child of the seventies—so you would have an appreciation of the former Little River Band. Of course, they cannot go under that name any more. Glenn Shorrock, along with Beeb Birtles and Graham Goble, formed that great vocal trio in the Little River Band, who will be appearing in Geelong on Friday night in a very important cultural asset to the city, the Deakin Woolstores campus. There are other examples of Labor's involvement in the restoration and protection of not only the built environment in the Geelong area but also the physical environment. Last night on SBS I watched, along with many members, the interview with Gough Whitlam. In those golden Labor years from 1972 to 1975, Australia awoke from the stupor that it had fallen into under 23 years of Liberal rule. One of the great pieces of legislation that was passed by that government was the Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975, which, as former members have intimated, set the framework for world's best practice in Australia and elsewhere in the protection of environmental and cultural assets. It was a source of great pride to watch that program and know that many assets that would have been destroyed if the Liberal and National parties had continued in office are now part of Australia's rich cultural and environmental heritage. That is why I am appalled at this Howard government legislation. It reduces the current protection afforded to our cultural and environmental heritage in my own area and right across Australia. The limitations of this legislation in protecting our cultural and environmental heritage have been widely canvassed and I note the continued opposition of the Australian Conservation Foundation and a group of former chairs of the Australian Heritage Commission to the legislation as it is being proposed by the government, particularly concerning the powers of the minister to finally list. This is regarded as a thinly veiled attempt by the government to politicise the listing process in the whole area of heritage protection. I do not propose to outline all the major areas of concern by the opposition to this legislation as some of those have already been canvassed by previous speakers on this side, and they will be canvassed by successive speakers from the opposition in this debate. However, there is one substantial area of the legislation which is of particular concern to me, and that is the fate of the 13,000 places currently on the Register of the National Estate and, in particular, the many sites in the Geelong area that are currently on the register. In this legislation the government seeks to replace the Heritage Commission, which currently operates with a broad range of functions, with the Heritage Council, which will operate purely as an advisory body under ministerial direction. The Register of the National Estate will be replaced by the National Heritage List, which will create a limited list of places of national heritage significance. The government will also create the Commonwealth Heritage List of Commonwealth owned places of heritage significance—once again, a smaller, restricted list. The question that has to be answered is: what protection will be afforded those assets in the Geelong area and elsewhere that are currently on the Register of the National Estate but that will not make it onto the new National Heritage List or the Commonwealth Heritage List?In the Geelong area there are a variety of churches, hotels and public and private buildings that are currently on the Register of the National Estate. For example, as far as churches go, there is St Paul's Anglican Church, St Peter and Paul's Catholic Church in Mercer Street, St George's Presbyterian Church and manse, Christ Church, St John's Lutheran Church and the Church of Christ. Will these buildings that are very precious to Geelong's cultural heritage be listed on the new registers that are being set up by the government under this legislation? There are the beautiful old hotels in Geelong that are currently listed on the Register of the National Estate. I refer to the Golden Age, the Bayview Hotel, the Geelong Wool Exchange and Terminus Hotel. There are other buildings and houses, such as Corio Villa, the Dennys Lascelles Woolstore I referred to earlier, the Geelong Army Drill Hall, the Geelong Customs House, the Geelong Town Hall itself, Lunan House in Drumcondra and Wimmera House. There are others on this particular list, and I want to refer to one in detail, Osborne House, in a moment. The Commonwealth register currently provides some measure of protection, which will be removed if this legislation is passed, for many of these sites that have been listed on the national heritage register.Osborne House is the subject of considerable community debate at this time. It was built in 1857 for the squatter Robert Muirhead. This large, historic bluestone building occupies a truly magnificent site overlooking Corio Bay. I am indebted to the Osborne Park Association, which is endeavouring to keep this facility in public hands for use for community purposes, for the material I am quoting from. Osborne House is very significant to Geelong's pastoral, naval, maritime, social and civic history. It was the home of Australia's first naval training college from 1913 to 1915, a submarine base during the 1920s and an army training base during World War II. It was a military hospital in World War I, and back in 1900 it was the state Premier's country retreat.The Osborne Park Association has developed a unique proposal to create a heritage park and tourist facility at Osborne House and its stables that will showcase the early history of Victoria's largest provincial city, Geelong. It is a very interesting proposal. On 17 November there will be an open day at Osborne House and I urge all interested citizens in the city of Geelong to go along. The open day will see the arrival of the sailing ship Enterprize—the dignitaries and the mayor will sail over from Cunningham Pier to the Osborne House area. The Trailable Yacht Club will stage races at 10 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. The Wathaurong people will welcome to their traditional land everyone who attends the function. The Naval Reserve cadets will perform a fife and drum routine, and the Geelong Maritime Museum will be open to the public free of charge for the afternoon. There will be a wide range of activities on that day for the community to enjoy, and they will hear about the unique proposal to create a heritage park and tourist facility at Osborne House. We know that during the Kennett era and the era of the commissars in Geelong—the commissioners who were appointed when local government was abolished in Victoria—Osborne House was under threat of sale. It is a unique historical and cultural asset, not only to Geelong but to the state of Victoria, however, it has been under threat, most recently when the Kennett government was in power. I pay tribute to the Osborne Park Association for the magnificent effort they have put in to preserve Osborne House in public hands to be used for community purposes. I pay particular tribute to the former mayor of the City of Greater Geelong, Gerry Smith, to Cheryl Scott, Peter O'Brien and to others on that Osborne House committee who have laboured long and hard to persuade the City of Greater Geelong and its officers to take a keen interest in this facility and to ensure that it serves the people of Geelong and Victoria in future generations. They have faced enormous obstacles in this task: obstacles within the City of Greater Geelong, and apathy from councils and former mayors. Of course, if the public of Geelong do not get behind this particular proposal it may well wither on the vine and we may well see this very important community asset sold to private entrepreneurs for use as a restaurant or for some other facility on the site.The question is: will Osborne House wither under this legislation that is now before the House? I suggest that it would have little protection in any sense if this legislation were to proceed. That is the fate of many of the sites that are on the Register of the National Estate under the current legislation. Most of those listings will not be there under this new legislation being proposed by the coalition government. Labor have many concerns with this bill. I have mentioned the downgrading of the Australian Heritage Commission to an advisory council. We have concerns about the watering down of the definition of `action' on the part of the Commonwealth, and we will be proposing amendments to reinstate the definition of `action' to that which applies under the current legislation. We are proposing amendments to the preparation of management plans and heritage strategies under this legislation. We have concerns about interim arrangements for heritage protection of listed sites. We are going to propose to add all Commonwealth places on the Register of the National Estate to the Commonwealth Heritage List. We are also concerned about the protection of places or values. Labor support protection of a heritage place and its associated values, not just the values as proposed under this legislation.In conclusion, let me say once again that it always falls to Labor to protect the public interest in these matters. The Liberal and National parties have historically watered down, have attempted to water down or have opposed legislation that would give the Commonwealth power to protect the cultural and heritage assets of the nation. I wonder why this is so.00AMVHunt, Gregory, MPWU5O'Connor, Gavan, MPMr GAVAN O'CONNOR—The honourable member is new to the House. He might be a gun footballer in the media scrums and the media games that we participate in, but he was probably only a little whippersnapper back in the 1970s when we saw the party to which he now belongs hell-bent on destroying Australia's environmental heritage down in the Gordon below Franklin in Tasmania. Once again it was the Labor Party that stepped into the breach—opposed all the way by the Liberal and National parties—that preserved that wilderness area for all time for all Australians. That is why we are proud of what occurred in the years 1972 to 1975—because Labor set a framework. Labor set the standard that you are now trying to water down to your eternal shame. We will be proposing amendments to make sure that this legislation is up to standard and is not being watered down. We will see how the government handles these amendments. There are always actions that can be taken in another place to ensure that this government does the right thing and does not water down this very important legislation designed to protect Australia's cultural and environ-mental heritage.21:19:008672Hunt, Gregory, MPMr HUNT00AMVFlindersLP10—I am delighted to speak on the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002, the Australian Heritage Council Bill 2002 and the Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2002. These bills form a package which is aimed at preserving the most significant places within Australia in the environmental and heritage sphere. They represent a significant step forward for the protection of those places which represent our heritage, our environment and the very values which give us a sense of place, purpose, position and meaning. I am proud to speak on these bills. They represent a watershed in heritage protection. I want to speak on five aspects: first, core environmental and heritage issues within my own seat of Flinders; second, the government's proud record on the environment and heritage; third, the current heritage regime and some of the challenges which necessitate these changes; fourth, the provisions of the bills themselves; and finally, the benefits which flow from these actions. Turning first to the question of environmental and heritage issues in my own seat of Flinders, only last week 22 Envirofund projects were announced in the successor to the Natural Heritage Trust. This meant that projects such as Warrangine Park in Bittern and Hastings, the Balcombe Estuary in Mount Martha, preservation of the foreshore at Kilcunda, and preservation and restoration of the foreshore at Cannons Creek are all now being offered an opportunity to advance, succeed and proceed where none existed before. The Envirofund offers a chance which simply has not existed in Australian history for the government to support the work of community organisations in protecting and promoting heritage and environmental values.The second issue within my electorate of Flinders is the restoration of the natural order at Gunnamatta beach. The Boags Rocks outfall is one of Victoria's disgraces. Four hundred and twenty million litres of water proceed from the Carrum Downs treatment plant, underneath the Mornington Peninsula, and exit at Boags Rocks. There they create a toxic environmental plume and the result is a danger to health, extraordinary damage to the environment and a manifest waste of water. Only last week the Clean Ocean Foundation presented Melbourne Water with Victoria's Don't be a Wally with Water award for the year 2002. What needs to be done there is for concrete steps to be taken towards cleaning up the quality of the water and, ultimately, the cessation of the outfall, which should be twinned with a national policy to end all ocean outfalls by the year 2025.The third of the environmental issues within my electorate of Flinders, one which I consider very salient, is the future of Point Nepean. Point Nepean is an area of great national, historical and heritage beauty. It was offered free of charge to the Bracks Victorian government by the Commonwealth government this year. In addition, in 2001 the Commonwealth government, under the Federation Fund, gave $4 million towards the restoration of the grand buildings within Point Nepean. What was the state government's response? The state government's response was to say, `No. Thank you for the offer, but we won't accept it. Instead, in order to take land, we want $35 million given to us.' What an extraordinary action which puts at risk the future of that area. That responsibility rests solely and squarely with the Bracks government, which has refused to accept an extraordinarily generous offer. We will resolve this issue irrespective of the state government, which made itself irrelevant to the final solution leading to no housing, no preservation of the bush and no constructive use of the buildings.I now want to turn to the government's broader record on the environment and heritage. There have been many profound initiatives since 1996. Perhaps first and most important is the over $2½ billion spent on the Natural Heritage Trust. The provision of money for this initiative was opposed by Labor when they opposed the sale of Telstra. They simply would not allow the greatest bonanza that we have ever had for environment and heritage in Australia to occur. My own electorate of Flinders, one of 150 electorates, saw 22 community projects funded during last week alone. There was also the extension of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park by 4,830 square kilometres, $10½ million provided over three years for conservation projects under the Cultural Heritage Projects Program and $5 million allocated for the restoration of historic pubs in regional Australia. No doubt the member for Corio will take us through a tour of them, as he did in his speech on the pubs of Geelong. But, going forward, what is it that the government will do? Firstly, it will increase the level of Natural Heritage Trust community grants, designed to support environmental conservation projects. That is a tremendous opportunity for small communities in every corner of Australia to work—and it will require work, because this is not an easy thing—to clean up and restore areas of beauty which would never have been possible without the Natural Heritage Trust and its successor, Envirofund. Secondly, the government will push for World Heritage assessment for the Opera House, for the Melbourne exhibition buildings and for a range of convict sites around Australia. That World Heritage listing is something which is conceived within this legislation as being at the apex of the whole process of environmental and conservation protection.The provisions in this legislation will fulfil the government's promises made in its 2001 election policy in the Measures for a Better Environment package. The core of that was the promise of protecting the existing Register of the National Estate. Contrary to the assertions made by the member for Corio, the Register of the National Estate exists and will continue to be recognised for the purposes of public education and the promotion of heritage conservation generally. In addition, the 2001 policy promised a new Commonwealth heritage regime with, at its peak, the establishment of a Commonwealth Heritage List. So how does this legislation bring that promise into being? This brings me to the third part of the question this evening. The current heritage regime was established by the Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975, but there are limits with this regime. The current Register of the National Estate includes places of local and state significance rather than places of national significance. It fails to give prominence to or to highlight those areas which are of genuine importance to the country as a whole. As a result, there is unnecessary duplication, leading to inefficiency and confusion regarding jurisdiction. There is also a lack of protection for places of national significance. Far from in any way diluting the protection for those areas which we regard as sacred and of significance, this legislation for the first time offers powerful legislative protection for places of national significance. The current act simply does not provide for the protection of sites of environmental significance.How do the provisions in these three bills work? Together, they will replace and augment the Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975. The first objective is to establish a comprehensive heritage regime for places of national significance both at home and, for the first time, abroad. Places such as Gallipoli, El Alamein and the Kokoda Trail and perhaps even parts of Bali, following the tragedy there, can be registered as being places of national significance. That is quite a change of mindset. The second objective is to list such places on the National Heritage List. The third objective is to protect and to manage these places of national significance. If we turn to the first bill, what it does above all else is to create a hierarchy: firstly, World Heritage listing, which is carried out by UNESCO; secondly, national heritage listing, both within the National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List for Commonwealth land; thirdly, state heritage listing; and, at the same time, the long-term maintenance of the Register of the National Estate so not one property which is on the current Register of the National Estate departs from that.Schedule 1 of the legislation creates the National Heritage List. The National Heritage List will be compiled by the minister through consultation with the Australian Heritage Council and will be formed by the cognate legislation. A place on the list will entail national environmental significance under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999, which is to be amended. In addition, schedule 1 creates for the first time the Commonwealth Heritage List, which assesses Commonwealth land. The minister will select places within Commonwealth areas which are to be inscribed on the Commonwealth Heritage List, and it will be possible to consult the Heritage Council if required. In addition, there will be conservation of biodiversity and heritage. Schedule 2 of the bill allows for advice on Indigenous heritage, which is a very critical step if we are to recognise the full sense of place for all Australians. Schedule 3 ensures that the Register of the National Estate is maintained and that those buildings which are currently on the Register of the National Estate maintain their place and their standing. Schedule 4 enables the minister to delegate any of his or her powers under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act to the Director of National Parks.The second bill, the Australian Heritage Council Bill 2002, provides for the establishment of the Australian Heritage Council. The role of the council is to assess nominations for places on both the National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List and to advise the minister on the identification, preservation and management of heritage sites. All of this is backed up by the final bill, the Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2002. That bill repeals the Australian Heritage Commission Act and amends other acts in order to allow seamless transition between the current and proposed heritage regimes.What do these bills achieve together? First, the proposed legislation would eliminate the problem of heritage listing duplication and simplify the legal situation covering heritage sites. Second, the legislation clearly specifies the framework within which decisions are to be made regarding heritage sites. Third, it focuses the Commonwealth's attention on places of national rather than local significance. Fourth, it improves the protection of places of national significance both within Australia and abroad in a way which has never previously been available. I respect the work which was done with the 1975 act, and this does not derogate from it. It builds upon it and creates a new layer of recognition and protection which has never been available in Australia.Ultimately, this legislation creates a platform from which future generations will be able to look back with pride on those buildings and those areas of natural beauty within Australia which have been protected and preserved and which enshrine the most important areas and the most important elements of each of the different ages of Australian history. I commend these bills to the House. I urge all members to support them because they take forward the protection of our environment and our heritage in a way which has never before been achieved.21:34:008674Wilkie, Kim, MPMr WILKIE84GSwanALP00—This package of bills—the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002, the Australian Heritage Council Bill 2002 and the Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2002—represents the latest attempt by the Howard government to overhaul the current regime for the protection, conservation and management of heritage in Australia. The Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975 underpinned a regime for the protection, conservation and management of heritage that has been highly regarded around the world. It was one of the many great reforms of the Whitlam government and it provides an enduring legacy for which we can all be grateful. On a practical level, this regime revolutionised the management of Australian heritage. More than a quarter of a century after its introduction, this regime has been instrumental in the preservation of much of Australia's heritage. We cannot begin to imagine the rich array of heritage locations which would have been lost had it not been for the visionary reforms that Whitlam is so famous for. Indeed, the very concept of a Register of the National Estate exists because of the 1975 act. However, after more than a quarter of a century, Australia's heritage regime requires updating. However, these bills—sadly—do not meet that requirement.Consistent with the Howard government's poor record on the environment, this legislation joins a long list of failures. Since 1996, this government's environment policy failures have resulted in approval for uranium mining in Jabiluka, a multibillion dollar environmental pork barrel in the form of the Natural Heritage Trust, which has given funding disproportionately to projects in government electorates, and the continuing refusal to ratify the Kyoto protocol on climate change. This government is leaving a shameful environmental legacy, one that will endure long after it has left office. This package of bills only adds to its list of failures. Despite the changes made by the government to these bills since they were first introduced in the previous parliament, they still fall well short of achieving an effective overhaul of the protection, conservation and management of heritage in Australia. Labor supports the stated objective of these bills but does not believe that, even with the changes made to present them in their current format, they will achieve these objectives. For this reason, Labor has proposed a series of amendments to the bills to enable them to achieve these objectives.In highlighting the deficiencies of these bills, I want to focus on the impact they would have on existing heritage locations within my electorate of Swan. Covering just 108 square kilometres and comprising mainly urban residential and industrial areas within the Perth metropolitan area, Swan is home to a small number of heritage locations. In comparison to neighbouring inner metropolitan electorates such as Curtin, Fremantle and Perth, Swan has only a small number of heritage locations which are presently listed on the Register of the National Estate. While they may be few in number, there is a remarkable diversity in terms of the types of heritage locations there.There is the magnificent art deco cinema, the Cygnet, in Como, which many Western Australians, myself included, have visited since childhood and where they have enjoyed countless movies. It is a cinema I still visit with my family, and I did so about two weekends ago. It has retained an atmosphere and a charm that is not found in the modern cinema complex. Only a short distance from my electorate office in Victoria Park is the Edward Millen Hospital, which has provided a range of medical services to the community in its lifetime. It is presently disused but the Western Australian government and the town of Victoria Park continue to work on a master plan to ensure its preservation, at the same time allowing for appropriate redevelopment so that it can be used by the community. I am sure that the involvement of the local member for Victoria Park, who just happens to be the Premier, Dr Geoff Gallop, a scholar of history, will see this facility preserved for the community into the future.The Perth Zoo, in South Perth, holds important significance for the people of Western Australia. There would be few who have not visited the zoo at least once in their lifetime. Growing up virtually next door to the zoo, it was a place I visited many times as a child. As a parent, I regularly visit with my family and marvel at the enjoyment my sons derive from watching and interacting with the animals. As a member of parliament, I am impressed by the work of the zoo in educating the community about different species of animals and in contributing to the preservation of various animals at risk of extinction. I spoke recently in this chamber about the important work of the zoo in contributing to the preservation of orang-outangs through its highly successful breeding program. I commend to members a recently published book entitled Orangutans and their battle for survival, authored by Leif Cocks who is the curator of exotic mammals at Perth Zoo. Royalties from the book will go towards the zoo's orang-outang appeal.There are also a number of important natural environment heritage locations in Swan, such as the Canning River Wetlands and the Milyu Nature Reserve. While these heritage locations may be few in number, most importantly they are equally deserving of ongoing heritage recognition, protection and management. These bills will fail, unfortunately, to achieve these objectives. The proposition in these bills, that the Australian Heritage Commission be replaced by the Australian Heritage Council, is not supported by Labor. It represents the downgrading of the commission, which equates to the downgrading of the Commonwealth government's commitment to heritage. The Australian Heritage Commission should remain not just in name, but also with its existing functions and powers. The process by which locations are listed is an important part of the overall heritage regime. Presently, the assessment of locations is undertaken by the Australian Heritage Commission. The new bills politicise this process by giving the minister the power to make decisions on whether to list or not. This function should remain with the Australian Heritage Commission so that the process remains independent and does not suffer the same politicisation that this government is allowing to tarnish many other government organisations.The increased powers given to the minister through these bills also lack appropriate transparency. While the minister can invite public comment, there is no specification of the issues the minister should consider when making a decision nor any obligation for the minister to consider the advice of the Australian Heritage Commission. Governments, including ministers, must be accountable for the decisions they make, and this is achieved through transparency in decision making. This government is notorious for the secrecy surrounding many decisions it makes and its unwillingness to be open and accountable with the public. Labor does not support this proposed decision making process, which fundamentally lacks transparency and accountability. Labor also opposes the objective of these new bills, which would see heritage protection afforded to only the heritage values of a place. Labor's consistent position on heritage protection has been that of protecting a place and its associated values rather than the heritage values alone.Under the present heritage regime, around 13,000 places are listed on the Register of the National Estate. These new bills seek to create a National Heritage List, which is a list of places of national heritage significance, and a Commonwealth Heritage List, which is a list of Commonwealth government owned places of heritage significance. The existing 13,000 places listed will not automatically be listed on either the new national or Commonwealth heritage lists. While the Register of the National Estate will still technically exist, once the 1975 act is repealed, the protection it affords will cease. Thus, there is no certainty that those places presently listed will be listed in the future and, if they are, when this might occur. Labor is concerned that the vast majority of places presently on the Register of the National Estate will not be transferred to either of the two new lists. This represents a major downgrading of Australia's regime for the protection, conservation and management of heritage.The transitional process from listing on the Register of the National Estate to listing on the new National Heritage List or Commonwealth Heritage List is flawed and consistent with the overall impact of these bills—that is, a major downgrading of Australia's heritage regime. These bills do not provide for any procedures to manage the transition from the Register of the National Estate to the Commonwealth Heritage List. There is no provision for even a public consultation process. The minister does not have to seek the advice of the proposed Australian Heritage Council before deciding whether or not to transfer a property.Labor has a simple position on these bills—that is, they do not achieve the objectives that are important for the regime to protect, conserve and manage Australia's heritage. Labor acknowledges that the government has made some improvements to the bills since they were presented in the previous parliament. However, these changes were only made because of pressure from Labor on the government. The amendments Labor has proposed are necessary for this bill to achieve its objectives. Without further amendment, the Commonwealth government will introduce a heritage regime that fundamentally downgrades our commitment to the protection, conservation and management of Australia's heritage. Without further amendment, Labor will take the only responsible action available to it and will oppose these bills.21:43:008676King, Peter, MPMr KING00AMQWentworthLP10—The three bills that we are considering today, the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002, the Australian Heritage Council Bill 2002 and the Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2002, represent the most important, comprehensive and far-reaching changes to the way in which heritage places are managed and protected in Australia. They are a reflection of the genuine interest and concern that the Howard government has for the protection of those wonderful places—natural, Indigenous and historic—that reflect Australia's unique environment and the continent's cultural development during both Aboriginal and Islander history and post-European settlement. I had the great honour of serving as the chair of the Australian Heritage Commission for more than three years prior to the commencement of last year's election campaign when I was preselected and elected to this parliament. One of the more rewarding aspects of that period was observing and participating in the development of this legislation and the extensive consultation undertaken by both the Australian Heritage Commission and the government in finalising their reform proposals. This legislation is presented to the parliament against the background of traditional Commonwealth leadership in this area. In 1973 the then government commissioned Justice Robert Hope to inquire into Australia's national estate. His report led to the creation of the Australian Heritage Commission and the Register of the National Estate—proposals advanced and strongly supported by both Prime Minister Whitlam and Prime Minister Fraser during the 1974 and 1975 period. At the time, the Australian Heritage Commission and its enacting legislation put the Commonwealth at the head of the emerging community interest in providing better protection for and proper identification of those places of cultural and natural significance to our nation. The concept of the national estate was in itself groundbreaking both here and in most parts of the world.It is worth noting that the passage of the Australian Heritage Commission Act 1974 occurred at a time when the state level protection for heritage places was, at best, patchy. Some states protected a limited range of historic buildings. None had heritage protection regimes that comprehensively identified and listed or offered protection for heritage places with both natural and cultural values. In many respects the legislation that we consider today reflects the fact that states have caught up, but in some cases they still have a long way to go. Certainly most states now provide legislative protection for Indigenous and built heritage places. Very few, however, have legislation that allows for the listing and protection of natural heritage places outside the formal conservation reserve system.The Australian Heritage Commission Act has structurally changed little in the almost 30 years of its operation. During that time the commission has established an international reputation for its work to identify heritage places, promote sound conservation practices and encourage greater community awareness of the value of our national heritage. As chair of the Australian Heritage Commission I experienced how highly its work is regarded around the world. For example, I visited Beijing with commission staff at the request of the Chinese government to share our experience as China seeks to improve its management of that nation's incredible heritage. More recently during my visit to Israel earlier this year, I met with heritage officials in that country who expressed an interest in the Natural Heritage Charter and the Burra Charter, prepared by the commission. I was pleased to learn that those documents have now been translated into Hebrew and are being used to guide that country's development of heritage practice.Since its establishment, the commission has listed over 13,000 places in the Register of the National Estate, and by their identification in that way communities across the country have a greater appreciation of those heritage places in their midst. There can be no doubt that the Australian Heritage Commission has been a success and that the dedication of its commissioners and staff has had a tangible influence on the growth in community understanding of the value of heritage places. This legislation follows a process that began in 1996 that reflected both the new Howard government's desire to strengthen and reform the Commonwealth heritage regime and an internal realisation within the commission that new approaches were desirable. Under the chair of my predecessor at the commission, Wendy McCarthy, the commission began what it described as a future directions process. I particularly want to acknowledge today the leadership of both Ms McCarthy and the then executive of the commission, Sharon Sullivan, in that regard. In 1998 I had the honour of convening the first National Heritage Convention in Old Parliament House, which brought together heritage practitioners, community leaders and government officials in a way that I do not think had ever occurred before. That convention developed a set of heritage principles, the spirit of which is reflected in this legislation. The Australian Heritage Commission's work in developing proposals for the future of the Commonwealth's involvement in heritage issues occurred in tandem with intergovernmental processes initiated by the then environment minister, Senator Robert Hill. Part of the Commonwealth's goal was to not only improve the effectiveness of its own heritage regime but also lead improvements across all jurisdictions. Heritage issues were therefore an important part of discussions that occurred in 1997 at the Council of Australian Governments meeting.At that meeting, the Prime Minister, premiers and chief ministers adopted the principle in the historic Heads of Agreement on Commonwealth and State Roles and Responsibilities for the Environment. The agreement was the foundation for the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which I believe will long be regarded as one of the more important legislative reforms implemented by this government. It also contained a commitment by governments to rationalise the existing Commonwealth-state arrangements for the identification, protection and management of heritage places. It envisaged the development of a national heritage policy which would include nationally consistent criteria and standards for identification and protection of heritage places and also agreement on the establishment of a new list of nationally significant heritage places.This legislation reflects the spirit of that agreement, in that it seeks to reorganise and improve Commonwealth responsibilities for heritage protection in a way that recognises the federal government's national responsibilities. It is, however, a matter of regret that the legislation does not implement a national heritage strategy in the terms suggested by the COAG agreement to which I have just referred. This is disappointing, as there is no doubt that the cause of heritage protection would benefit from a streamlined joint Commonwealth and state approach, including common standards and listing criteria and common protective measures. Agreement on the division of responsibilities through the referral of certain state powers for national heritage places would also have strengthened the new national regime.The fault for this gap in these reforms lies squarely with the intransigence of state governments. For two years the former environment and heritage minister, Senator Robert Hill, sought to negotiate the national strategy that premiers and chief ministers said they agreed was necessary. However it became apparent that the frequent rhetoric from the states urging the Commonwealth to concentrate on places of national significance was not going to be matched by support for a referral of powers to make that most effectively happen. Equally, the states were not prepared to sign off on rigorous standards that would provide the Commonwealth with the assurance that it needed before it considered devolving responsibility for those places of state and local heritage value currently listed on the Register of the National Estate.In reality, what the states wanted was for the federal government to agree to a strategy that would have given it little more than a token role in relation to heritage protection. The people of Australia should be quite clear about that as we consider this legislation. The Commonwealth, correctly, has refused to agree to such a position and has pressed on with the drafting of this legislation to the extent of, but limited by, its constitutional powers. Through processes currently under way, I hope that the states will finally recognise that the Australian community does expect the federal government to have some responsibility for ensuring that places of clear significance to the entire nation warrant the protection of the national government. It is my fervent hope that it will not be too long before we can see the gaps in the new protective regime filled through the agreement that states claimed they were willing to progress at COAG. Reforms in the terms of this legislation are important for a number of reasons. Primarily, they relate to ensuring that the Commonwealth has greater power to protect those places that are of national significance. I mentioned earlier the important role that the Register of the National Estate has played in increasing awareness of the rich and varied heritage of this wonderful country, but the reality is that the register has been somewhat of a toothless tiger. Under the existing legislation, while the Commonwealth can list places through the auspices of the Australian Heritage Commission, it has virtually no power to protect those places. At present, a national estate listing only has implications for Commonwealth agencies, and their obligations are simply to seek the advice—known as section 30 advice—of the Australian Heritage Commission about the possible detrimental impact of proposals that affect listed places. While departments are required to consider prudent and feasible alternatives where damage may occur, neither the environment minister nor the commission have any actual powers to prevent even Commonwealth actions that may damage those sites. National estate listing does not provide even this protection against the actions of state governments, corporations or private individuals.In reality, it would be inappropriate and unmanageable for the Commonwealth to exercise such powers in relation to the national estate. I say that for two reasons. Firstly, the national estate does not draw a hierarchical distinction between places of national or local significance. I support the philosophical position that such a hierarchy is desirable and that the Commonwealth should regard its legislative domain to be principally those places of national significance. Secondly, in an administrative sense it would be impossible for the Commonwealth to seek to monitor and protect the over 13,000 places on the Register of the National Estate without an unacceptably massive expansion of the environment department. At present the Australian Heritage Commission is only able to report on the state of the national estate in a very limited way, as each year's annual report demonstrates.These bills are also important because they address a problem that the community has often expressed concern about and that was formally reflected in the landmark 1996 Schofield report; that is, the Commonwealth record of managing the heritage places it either owns or leases. While many departments and agencies perform this task superbly, many unfortunately do not. I think for example of the atrocious plans put forward by the Department of Defence for land around Sydney Harbour, plans that were only averted by the actions of Prime Minister Howard and Senator Hill in establishing the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. This legislation addresses these issues in two fundamental ways. First, the legislation will establish a new national list of heritage places and, for the first time, will give the federal government real powers to protect places included in the list. Regulations will prescribe the listing criteria for national heritage values but these will obviously be places of significance to the entire national community and will therefore be significantly smaller in number than those places on the Register of the National Estate. Through the established mechanisms of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, actions that could affect nationally listed places will need the approval of the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage and will be regarded as matters of national significance.The Constitution does limit our ability to protect places on the national list as there is no direct head of power for the Commonwealth in relation to the protection of our environment and heritage. While the external affairs and Indigenous affairs powers allow for the comprehensive protection of places pertaining to natural and Indigenous heritage, the Commonwealth is largely limited in its capacity to protect what I would broadly describe as built heritage from the actions of federal agencies and constitutional corporations and from actions that relate to interstate and international trade and Commonwealth territories. It is for this reason that a referral of powers from the states is desirable for the Commonwealth regime to be truly comprehensive. In the long term I support consideration of constitutional amendments that would give the Commonwealth a direct head of power in relation to matters of national environmental and heritage significance, but that is a debate for another day. Places will be entered on the national list by the responsible minister, following advice from the Australian Heritage Council, which will replace the Australian Heritage Commission. I am aware of the considerable debate that has occurred about whether this should be the function of the minister or the council as an arms-length independent statutory authority. Proponents of the latter course point to the fact that the commission currently determines whether places should be included on the Register of the National Estate. Arms-length listing decisions are also proposed by some because of concern that listing decisions could become politicised. I strongly support the proposed methods of listing contained in this bill. Unlike inclusion of a place on the Register of the National Estate, the inclusion of a place on the national list will have direct legislative implications for the minister and the federal government in relation to management and protection. In our democratic system, it is entirely appropriate that the delegate of the elected government—that is, the minister—have responsibility for making decisions of this magnitude. In so doing, he or she will have before them the expert advice of the Australian Heritage Council on whether or not a place is of national heritage value, but it is proper that he or she should also be able to consider economic and social issues before a listing occurs.I know that at times individuals and organisations do not like or trust what they would describe as `the political process', but that political process is our democratic process. What is important is that the minister's decision making be transparent. The bills ensure that that is so by requiring the minister to seek advice, both from the council and the community, to give reasons for his or her decisions. That is an actual requirement. I note that the approach adopted in the bills is consistent with the role the minister has in relation to other matters of national environmental significance as expressed in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. For example, the minister and the government determine whether to propose places for World Heritage and Ramsar listing. Similarly, the minister makes the final decision as to whether to list as threatened a species or ecological community.The second aspect of the legislation that I briefly want to refer to is the way in which it addresses deficiencies in the management of Commonwealth owned heritage places. The bills do that principally by establishing a Commonwealth heritage list which will include places in Commonwealth territories that are owned or leased by the federal government and that contain heritage values. The threshold for inclusion on the list will be more akin to that which exists for the Register of the National Estate than the national list. I note in this regard that some have estimated that, for example, 800 places on the Register of the National Estate may be included on the Commonwealth list. The bills ensure a direct role for the Minister for the Environment and Heritage in approving actions by Commonwealth agencies that may harm places on the Commonwealth list. Importantly, and in line with the recommendations of the Schofield report on this area, the bills specifically require Commonwealth authorities to develop agency-wide strategies for the management of heritage places. They also encourage individual management plans for those places on the Commonwealth list. These are important reforms and long overdue.The other reforms proposed in these bills relate to the Australian Heritage Commission and the Register of the National Estate. As I mentioned previously, the commission will be replaced by the new Australian Heritage Council. There will be some who mourn the passing of the commission, as it has many friends within the heritage community. While I am not sure that a change of name has served much purpose, I am confident that the new council will continue the fine traditions of the commission and take the mantle as the nation's pre-eminent heritage organisation. Its role will not be dissimilar to that of the commission and will in fact be expanded because of the creation of the national list and the Commonwealth list. These bills provide for it to continue to have an overarching advisory function in relation to heritage. It will have responsibility for promoting heritage conservation, education and best practice. It will also continue to maintain the Register of the National Estate. These bills reflect a change of direction by the government in relation to the Register of the National Estate. Originally it had been the government's intention to effectively freeze the Register of the National Estate so that it became a historical record to which additions were no longer made nor legislative responsibilities attached. These bills ensure that the Register of the National Estate continues in the living form kept by the new Australian Heritage Council. I know these changes will be welcomed by many in the community. In conclusion, these bills herald the beginning of an important new era in the way that we as a nation protect and treasure those heritage places that make us what we are. The task is vital. As the 1998 National Heritage Convention noted in its final communique:... Australia should act as a community that respects, sustains and celebrates its diverse heritage, which connects us to the past, present and country for all generations.In these bills, the Howard government has demonstrated the commitment to achieving that noble ambition. I commend the bills to the House.22:03:008681McFarlane, Jann, MPMs JANN McFARLANE83CStirlingALP00—I rise today to speak on the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002, the Australian Heritage Council Bill 2002 and the Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2002, as they directly impact on local treasures in the electorate of Stirling, such as Trigg Bushland, Star Swamp, the Centaur shipwreck at North Beach and Edlaston-Chellaston Reserve in Carine. These are all listed on the Register of the National Estate to preserve them for future generations. However, their future is now uncertain due to the provisions of these bills.These bills are the Howard government's attempt to again impose complete ministerial control over whether a place is included on the new national and Commonwealth heritage lists—complete control over heritage issues in this country. It is obvious that the government has not learnt the lessons from the 2000 bills, which were debated in the Senate last year. The crux of the opposition to the 2000 bills was due to the blatant power grab by the minister to become the ultimate decision maker in determining what is heritage listed. I must concede that the government has made attempts to fix some of the other problems of the 2000 bills, and it must be acknowledged for making that attempt. The issues the government has attempted to resolve include those raised by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS, and ATSIC in the Senate references committee inquiry. I further acknowledge that these bills protect places with heritage value outside of Australia, which is a welcome development. I want to acknowledge that the government is also taking steps to recognise and protect areas that are culturally and historically significant to our Indigenous people.So what are the differences between these bills and the 2000 bills? There are some substantive changes, which are outlined in the Bills Digest as follows:· the Register of the National Estate retains its statutory identity · the Council may undertake assessments of places for potential listing of its own initiative as opposed to needing a Ministerial direction to do any assessment · the Council has an enhanced role in advising the Minister · National and Commonwealth Heritage places outside of Australia are protected, and · Commonwealth agencies have greater responsibilities in relation to Commonwealth Heritage places they control or are intending to sell or lease.Currently in Australia, the Register of the National Estate has approximately 13,000 places on it. It was established by the Whitlam Labor government in 1975 and operates through the Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975, the AHCA. How do its powers actually work? Unless a place is protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the EPBCA, the only substantive legal protection a place listed on the Register of the National Estate has is through section 30 of the AHCA. Section 30 of the AHCA imposes the following two duties on the Commonwealth: that any action proposed by the Commonwealth which adversely affects a place in the register should only be taken where the minister or authority proposing the action is satisfied there is `no feasible and prudent alternative', and, if the minister or authority is satisfied no such alternative exists, they must also be satisfied that all measures that can be reasonably taken to minimise the adverse effect will be taken. On the surface, the current legislation seems a little weak for those who advocate strong protection of heritage listed sites. There are some legal protections offered by the two duties I have just described. Under the legislation, there is no explicit requirement that the minister has to take into account the commission's comments. However, if the minister fails to do so, it could be argued in a court of law that the minister had breached the second duty. In the most extreme case, the court could find that due process had not been followed and it could invalidate any decision to proceed with the action. The important thing to recognise is that, effectively, heritage legislation in this country is toothless or not invasive, depending on your point of view on the issue. The current laws are by no means draconian and would not invite the same reaction of talkback callers as the recent crusade Paul Murray ran on 6PR radio in Perth against local government listing of residences. These bills deal with places that are actually culturally significant.I will briefly outline the powers of the current laws. The Bills Digest succinctly describes the current status of the legislation in relation to civil or criminal penalties for breaches of the AHCA, as follows:Listing a place in the Register imposes no direct legal constraints on owners of private property, or on State or Local governments—the Commission has no power to direct private owners or State or Local governments on their actions that might affect a place in the Register.The only protection, albeit indirect, is that places on the register may be:... protected under the environmental assessment provisions of the EPBCA, if the place is also a matter of national environmental significance (MNES), is on Commonwealth land, or the proposed action ... is to be undertaken by a Commonwealth agency. In such circumstances ... an action that will have a significant impact on the place on the Register, they must first get approval from the Commonwealth Environment Minister ... failure to get Ministerial approval before taking an action with a significant impact renders a person liable to up to seven years gaol or fines of over $550 000.So what changes do these bills make? The first real change is that, although the register will remain, the AHCA will be repealed. This effectively removes the section 30 provisions I have spoken about. It removes the indirect protections: the two duties that I have just outlined. The Howard government is trying through this bill to replace the current structure with two separate lists: the National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List. The net effect of this move is that the 13,000 places which currently exist on the register will be significantly reduced, leaving the places removed with absolutely no protection at all. Places that are transferred to the new National Heritage List will be covered by the indirect environmental protections I outlined before under the EPBCA.The second issue that I have concerns about is the downgrading of the present commission to an advisory council which operates solely under the direction of the minister. This is totally unacceptable. My colleague the shadow minister for the environment and member for Wills has moved amendments to this bill to reinstate the functions and powers of the commission and retain its name. Labor does not want the commission turned into a rubber stamp for this minister. Continuing this rubber stamp policy, the minister is also changing the definition of `action' under this bill—maybe it should be described as `inaction'. Both the Australian Conservation Foundation and the International Council on Monuments and Sites have raised concerns about these changes. The deleted references include provisions for funding via grants and the granting of authorisations, including permits and licences. My colleague the member for Wills moved amendments to this bill to ensure that the deleted items are reinstated and to ensure that such actions include the making of Commonwealth decisions on grants which are excluded under section 524A of the EPBC Act. What this bill attempts to do, through technical means, is to eliminate the means to get grants to preserve the places of national significance. It is a mean and tricky way of cutting funding and redirecting it to projects or places that this government supports.The important listing process is also severely affected by this bill. It changes fundamentally the concept of who gets to list places of significance. Previously, heritage values of a place have been assessed and determined by the independent Australian Heritage Commission. The process of listing has been considered a technical decision based on technical merit made by an independent body. The government now seeks to remove technical merit from the decision. In effect, it is dumbing down its decisions. Environment groups are not dumb. They see this move for what it really is: the politicisation of heritage protection. No wonder groups like the ACF are angry about this politicisation. It changes the whole philosophy of heritage protection; it rips the soul out of it. Labor are opposing this politicisation of the process and the centralisation of power in the minister's hands, and we have moved amendments to reinstate the independent listing process.Another concern I have with this bill is the concept of protection of place versus the protection of values. Labor supports protection of a heritage `place and its associated values' rather than just the values. The ACF believes that the legislation should continue to protect places, including their associated values, as opposed to relying on just values. Labor has moved amendments to restore credibility to this bill by reinstating the specification of heritage `place and its associated values'.I mentioned earlier in this debate the concerns I had about the future of the 13,000 places that are currently covered by the 1975 act. A serious deficiency of this bill is that once it becomes law no places will be listed on either the Commonwealth or national lists. In a Senate estimates committee hearing, the department indicated that approximately six places a year will be added to the list. My question to the minister is: how can we trust you to place the 13,000 places currently on the Register of the National Estate on these two lists? I want the minister to give us a guarantee on the public record that none of the 13,000 places currently on the Register of the National Estate will disappear into the ether. Is the government prepared to give this guarantee?As I mentioned in my opening remarks, in the electorate of Stirling there are some significant sites of environmental and heritage importance. Luckily, there are a number of local volunteer groups that have been set up to ensure that these sites are protected and nurtured for future generations. I am going to briefly outline the activities of these groups to ensure their commitment and work do not go unrecognised. As a member of all of these groups, I would like to publicly reaffirm my commitment to them and to the conservation of the valuable natural assets in the Stirling electorate.Bushland in the Perth metropolitan area is a scarce commodity. The importance of urban bushland was not recognised by planners and governments until too much of it had been cleared for urban use. That means that the remaining sites need to be carefully protected from any future development. I will look at these sites individually, starting with Trigg Bushland, a site which will be affected by this legislation. Community action saw Trigg Bushland listed on the Register of the National Estate in 1987, and I want to place on notice that, if this government fails to ensure that this bushland is protected under this new legislation, I will personally lead a community campaign against the government to save this national treasure.To give the House a fair indication of the importance of the area in question, I will read from the brochure circulated by the Friends of Trigg Bushland: Trigg Bushland is one of the few larger bushland reserves (122ha) in the inner suburbs of Perth. It preserves a range of vegetation typical of the coastal strip and exhibits a progression of soil and vegetation types found in no other metropolitan reserve. Trigg Bushland is an important habitat for resident wildlife and it provides a sanctuary for birds moving from one bushland area to another.The bushland is managed by the City of Stirling under a management plan. The plan involves an ongoing program which includes the rehabilitation of vegetation, erosion and weed control, upgrading tracks to improve fire management and public access, and maintaining fences and signs. In partnership with the City of Stirling, the Friends of Trigg Bushland Inc. help conserve the natural habitat of the reserve. The role of the group is best summarised by the description in their brochure:The Friends group, formed at a public meeting in 1990, actively contributes to the implementation of the Management Plan, and is represented on the City of Stirling's Management Advisory Committee for Star Swamp and Trigg Bushland Reserves. The Friends conduct monthly guided walks through different parts of the reserve, collect seeds, remove weeds and rubbish, and assist with bush regeneration and fire watch schemes. The Group's committee meets monthly and produces a newsletter and a calendar of events. New members are encouraged. Urban bushland areas are under constant pressure and need your help.The Friends of Trigg Bushland need to be commended for the thousands of hours of work that they have put into the site over the years. A special mention needs to be made of Robyn Murphy, who was one of the driving forces in setting up the group. Robyn was the president of the group pretty much from its inception, and I was honoured by an invitation to an appreciation dinner held in her honour by the group a few months ago. Robyn has decided to step aside from the committee to let the next generation carry on the good work. Robyn and her husband Harley visited me in Canberra recently. It was great to catch up with them. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Challis Tilbrook, Lisette Nigot and Phyllis Robertson, who contribute enormously to the work of the committee.Another place in my electorate that is on the Register of the National Estate is Star Swamp. Star Swamp is a complete wetland ecological system containing a wide range of animal and plant life. Large areas of reeds and rushes provide nesting sites for waterfowl. The swamp and surrounding vegetation of tuart woodland and banksia woodland are examples of wetland and forest formations that are becoming very depleted on the Swan plain. The swamp was first registered in 1983.The Friends of Star Swamp is another local environmental group. They do hundreds of hours of work and conduct open days and walks. I am a member of the Friends of Star Swamp, and I would like to thank Christine Currie, David Pike, Jennifer Rogers and the other members of the committee for their dedication. On the site of the Star Swamp is the Henderson Environmental Centre, which was opened in April 2001. The Henderson Environmental Centre was made possible by a generous donation of $150,000 from Joyce Brushfield, a local North Beach resident. I was pleased that Joyce was able to be at the opening of the centre before she passed away last year. Her legacy will certainly live on through generations to come. I have been working closely with Councillor Bill Stewart to get funding from state and federal governments so that the centre can be open full time. Bill has been working nonstop with the officers from the City of Stirling to make the centre a viable and vibrant ongoing concern. I would like to thank Bill publicly again for his hard work for the North Beach, Trigg and Scarborough community. Changes to the grant system in this bill do not make me feel confident that any funding will be available for the Henderson Environmental Centre.Finally, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Jan Bant and the other members of the Friends of Dianella Bushland group. The group has been doing a lot of displays at local shopping centres and the Dianella library to advertise the group and to get families involved in the group's activities—activities such as the fungi walk. Phyllis Robertson, whom I have mentioned already in this debate, takes great photos which are a real asset to their displays. I attended the group's meeting in June and really enjoyed the lively debate by members. Although this bill does not directly affect the Dianella bushland, the site is of great environmental significance and needs to be preserved. In closing, I want to make this statement to the minister and this government: your environmental credentials are in tatters due to your refusal to ratify the Kyoto agreement. Why don't you do something positive for a change and not harp on about the pork-barrelling you engaged in in regional Australia as a basis for your environmental credentials? Do some things now: accept the Labor amendments to these bills if you are serious about environmental heritage and heed the Labor Party's call to ratify Kyoto. Without the Labor amendments, I will oppose this bill.22:20:008685Georgiou, Petro, MPMr GEORGIOUHM5KooyongLP10—Our cultural and natural heritage is part of our identity. It is part of our understanding of who we are and from where we have evolved. We come to know our heritage in all sorts of ways. It is passed through the generations in oral and written histories, but we also absorb it, consciously or by osmosis, from objects and sites in our environment. Sometimes we take our environment and heritage for granted, and we may pass key examples of it every day without giving them a thought. There are a large number of places in my own electorate of Kooyong which are listed on the Register of the National Estate. While we may not fully appreciate them every time we pass them, we would certainly notice if they were gone.Whether or not it is at the forefront of our consciousness, our heritage is of immense value to us. It is impossible to fully keep or transmit this heritage in words or in pictures. Even with the wonders of modern technology, with digital images and sound, the only way we can fully preserve heritage places is by preserving the physical matter that embodies the heritage values of these places.It is incumbent upon present generations to preserve the history of our forebears and our unique natural environment so that we may pass it on to future generations for them to learn from and enjoy. If we are to preserve our cultural and natural heritage adequately and appropriately, we need to ensure that our heritage management systems are compatible and complementary across all levels of government. We need to ensure that nationally significant places are properly identified, and we need to provide certainty to property owners, governments and the wider community about the treatment of significant sites.The Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002, the Australian Heritage Council Bill 2002 and the Australian Heritage Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2002 will meet these objectives. Together they will establish a Commonwealth heritage regime that will focus on matters of national heritage significance and clearly define the Commonwealth's responsibilities in this area. These bills represent the culmination of six years of community discussion and consultation, including the National Heritage Convention convened by the Australian Heritage Commission in 1998. When the forerunners to these bills were originally introduced into the parliament late in 2000, 76 briefing programs were held throughout Australia. These bills were before the Senate, awaiting debate, but lapsed when the 2001 election was called. Since that time, amendments have been made to the legislation to implement the commitments made by the government in the lead-up to the 2001 election campaign, and I will outline these in due course. The Australian Heritage Commission Act established the Commonwealth's existing heritage conservation regime in 1975. At that time, it was the only piece of heritage protection legislation in Australia. A generation later, we have a regime where all states and territories have heritage protection legislation and many local government bodies can also identify and protect their local heritage through planning guidelines. However, this has resulted in unnecessary intergovernmental duplication. Multiple different pieces of protective legislation and planning laws can apply to any one site, causing considerable uncertainty. The regime established by the Australian Heritage Commission Act has led to the listing of more than 13,000 places on the Register of the National Estate. While some of these places could indeed be considered significant to all Australians, many would properly be regarded as places of primary significance only to the states or the local communities where the site is physically located. More importantly, the Australian Heritage Commission Act in itself does not provide adequate protection for important heritage sites. Places on the Register of the National Estate are afforded only limited substantive legal protection under the Australian Heritage Commission Act. Under that act, any action proposed by the Commonwealth which would adversely affect a place on the register should only be taken if `there is no feasible and prudent alternative' and if all reasonable steps are taken to minimise the adverse effect. But no civil or criminal penalties are provided in the Australian Heritage Commission Act for breaches of the provisions of the act.Apart from its impact on the Commonwealth government, listing a place on the register imposes no direct legal constraints on the owners of private property or on state or local governments, nor does it give the Australian Heritage Commission the power to direct private owners or state and local governments in their actions if these actions might affect a place on the Register of the National Estate. Some places on the register incidentally fall under the existing environment protection framework established by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in 1999, but this is incidental protection rather than direct and explicit protection for places on the register. In effect, what we have at the moment is a heritage regime that does not provide strong, clear protection for all nationally important heritage places; yet, at the same time, it is a regime which may result in all three levels of government being drawn into heritage protection controversies that could typically be handled effectively by one alone.In 1997, the Council of Australian Governments agreed on the need for rationalisation of existing Commonwealth-state arrangements for the protection, identification and management of places with heritage significance. The council recognised that a list of places of national heritage significance— places that could reasonably be considered the responsibility of the Commonwealth— needed to be established. The measures contained in the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2002 will provide for heritage places of national significance located both within Australia and overseas to be included on the National Heritage List.The National Heritage List will be a key Commonwealth mechanism for heritage protection. The list will consist of natural, historic and Indigenous places with one or more national heritage values. In providing protection for heritage places of national significance, the list will strengthen Commonwealth heritage protection and complement the state regimes which protect places of local or state significance and the World Heritage regime which protects places of global significance.As I mentioned a moment ago, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999—the EPBC Act—provides a framework for the protection of places of national environmental significance. Under the new scheme, the definition of `environment' given in the EPBC Act is expanded to explicitly include the heritage value of places. The heritage value of a place is defined as including:... the place's natural and cultural environment having aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance, or other significance, for current and future generations of Australians.This amendment clarifies that heritage comes within the statutory environment protection framework under the EPBC Act.Moreover, the National Heritage List will be a new matter of national environmental significance under the EPBC Act. This will mean that the Minister for the Environment and Heritage must give his or her approval before anyone can undertake activities that will have, or are likely to have, a significant impact on the heritage values of a place included on the National Heritage List. The only circumstance in which prior ministerial approval is not required is either if an agreement between the Commonwealth and a state or territory or if a ministerial declaration provides that the action does not require approval. This requirement for prior ministerial approval is underpinned by a provision for severe civil and criminal penalties for those who fail to obtain such approval prior to taking an action which has a significant impact on a National Heritage List site. Those who contravene any of the conditions attached to notices of ministerial approval may also face significant penalties. There has been a lot of concern about what protection will be afforded to places on the Register of the National Estate, so I was anxious to have this clarified. The Register of the National Estate will be retained in accordance with the commitment made by the government during the 2001 election campaign.Debate interrupted. Adjournment868710000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—Order! It being 10.30 p.m., I propose the question:That the House do now adjourn.868722:30:008687Danby, Michael, MPMr DANBYWF6Melbourne PortsALP00—Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to attend in my electorate the wonderful opening of the Holden V6 engine plant that had been constructed on time and on budget, according to Senator Minchin, who represented the government as Minister for Finance and Administration. It was indeed a wonderful experience to see Australians making a great contribution in the manufacturing industry. We still have a manufacturing industry in my electorate, of which I am extremely proud. The V6 plant will export 200,000 engines, including V6 engines, to the United States. I could not get out of the local chairman of General Motors Holden which particular cars these would power. I think it is probably not quite a state secret, but it may embarrass some American car makers that their cars are powered by Australian engines. Senator Minchin's comment that the V6 engine plant was constructed on time and on budget is very significant, because it was made in the presence of Ian Jones of the Vehicle Builders Union and Martin Kingham, the state secretary of the CFMEU. I fully understood Ian Jones's comment that it was interesting that the Cole royal commission looking into the construction industry had not been sent down there to see this plant be delivered on budget and on time. Indeed, the minister for finance, to everyone's amazement there, said that this excellent work by the construction workers in Victoria would send a message to Detroit and Tokyo—and so it should. But perhaps it might also send a message to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations that there are some good things being done by Australian construction workers and that perhaps, in a balanced view of industrial relations, one ought to see construction workers as making a contribution to Australian productivity.Indeed, Ian Jones turned to the minister and said, in a very powerful speech, that they should not introduce the industrial caveats of the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Mr Abbott, into the very successful operation of the automotive industry. Ian Jones said to the minister, `Nick, if things aren't broke, don't fix them.' I think that is a very strong message that the 800 construction workers, people who are in the motor vehicle industry in my electorate, would send to this government.The motor vehicle industry is producing record exports, record productivity and record employment. We do not need wedge politics in industrial relations being inserted into the automotive industry, which is operating very successfully. Leave the Holden V6 plant and all automotive plants alone, Minister. The vehicle builders and the automotive firms are operating very cooperatively together. There are no industrial caveats where there are no problems. This plant was delivered on budget and on time, to quote the minister. It sent a message to Detroit and Tokyo and I hope the message is also received by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.868722:33:008687Baldwin, Robert, MPMr BALDWINLL6PatersonLP10—I rise tonight to pay who homage to Mary Turner. Mary Turner was an outstanding member of the Pacific Palms community in the electorate of Paterson. Unfortunately, Mary Turner passed away on 5 October. Mary Turner was an unusual person who left an amazing and wonderful legacy to the community in Pacific Palms through her involvement in the establishment of the Pacific Palms community hall and library. Mary and her husband, Eric Turner, worked tirelessly with other members of the Pacific Palms community to raise money for this project. Mary was not only involved in helping the community get off the ground but, as necessity dictates in a small community, she also became a self-taught librarian through buying, cataloguing and then shelving most of the books. Mary and Eric Turner moved to the Pacific Palms area in their retirement in 1975 and the entire family fell in love with the place, where Elizabeth Beach affectionately became known as Lizzie's. Here they built their pride and joy, which was close to the beach and accessed through a magnificent rainforest walk that leads to the beach through and around the Bouddi National Park. It is not hard to understand why they considered this area to be one of God's special places. Besides being a tireless worker for her community, Mary Turner also enjoyed writing poetry. One of her poems, called Beach Walk, beautifully describes the life that she had. It reads:Left by an ebbing tidethe mirroring sandsreflect the red legs of seagulls.They stand, immaculately suited in feathers ofgrey and white:beaks poised for preyin the lace of edged ripples.An errant cloud deflects the sun,shadowing a shimmering beach. The gulls lift, the cloud passesRestoring sea polished sands.Mary Turner also wrote many stories about her experiences throughout her life, including her childhood in Western Australia. Mary was born in Perth in 1914, where she later worked in a bank to help support her parents through the Depression, as so many of that era had to do out of necessity. It was there, whilst in Western Australia, that Mary fell in love with the west and, in particular, the wildflowers that flourished there. She had learnt to press and preserve them and later turned these skills into making cards for fundraising for various communities. It was following the outbreak of World War II that she had met Eric Turner, her future husband. They fell in love and married in February 1943 in Perth. After the war, when Eric returned from New Guinea, the family moved from Perth to Ashfield in Sydney and later to Sans Souci. The pair had three children—Susan, Simon and Andrew. Many of us in this House know Andrew Turner, who currently works in Parliament House as an attendant. I and, I am sure, all the people in this House send our deepest sympathies to him.The Turner family would later move further north to Taree and finally, in retirement, to Pacific Palms. As with so many Australians, retirement did not result in a quiet life for the Turners, who spent many years helping others in the community. Both Eric and Mary were lifetime members of the University of the Third Age in Forster, where they contributed to regular discussions. I congratulate the Turner family on their achievements and their lasting legacy to the Pacific Palms community in the Great Lakes. Mary was mother to three, grandmother to eight and great-grandma to three. I also congratulate Andrew, who delivered an outstanding and detailed eulogy at Mary's funeral at Wesley Gardens Chapel in Belrose, where both Eric and Mary spent their final years. Finally, I found one of Mary's poems which I feel combines her love of poetry and her faith. It goes:The Bible tells us “Seek and ye shall find,”Life is one long search for the unknowable;For the elusive needle in the haystack;For hidden truths obscured by the strawOf superstition, dogma and fear.Sometimes we are aided in our search by flashesOf intellect revealing truths that we know are eternal,By faith in all that is best in human nature,By glimpses of beauty in all its facetsBut most of all in love given and received.We know that the needle IS in the haystackAnd that we must continue to search.May Mary Turner rest in peace.868922:39:008689Gibbons, Steve, MPMr GIBBONS83XBendigoALP00—I visited Maryborough in my electorate last Friday and I was alerted by my state colleague Joe Helper, the member for Ripon, to yet another callous act of heartlessness by the coalition government. I refer to the Goldfields Employment and Learning Centre, which has been advised that the funding for the Job Placement, Employment and Training program will not be renewed for 2003. This program has been operating since 1997 and is currently funded by the Commonwealth department responsible for youth affairs. It has catered for disadvantaged 15- to 21-year-olds who have barriers of homelessness, early school leaving, abuse and a range of other problems.I see my good friend the squatter from Corangamite is here, looking on intently. If this bloke was any dryer he would shatter! I have often wondered why the people of the Corangamite electorate keep returning this bloke. I worked it out the other day. I was driving down in that area, I had the local radio on and I heard that the Bay City Rollers are still top of the pops down there. That would explain perfectly why they keep returning the member for Corangamite.To get back to Maryborough, the learning centre was contracted to service 180 clients over the previous 18-month period. The contract was in fact fulfilled, with some 195 young persons assisted over that period. It is understood that over 50 per cent of Victorian applicants for funding have been rejected and this reflects the national position. It is currently impossible to discover from the department what limited coverage is now intended. For Maryborough it is a disaster that the only program available to assist disadvantaged youth is being slashed.Maryborough has a current unemployment rate of about 10.5 per cent, with youth unemployment estimated to be in excess of 18.5 per cent—and I think these figures are very conservative. Over $100,000 of federal funding will be lost to the Maryborough centre and therefore the Maryborough economy. Unless last-minute changes are made there will be severe staff redundancies faced by the Goldfields Employment and Learning Centre. Maryborough is already reeling with the forthcoming loss of the Nestle plant and around 130 jobs and the potential for further job losses in the printing industry if the Howard government's Copyright Amendment (Parallel Importation) Bill is passed through both houses.The people of Maryborough could be forgiven for wondering what they have done to this government. Earlier this year in the budget we had the Treasurer take away two of the very important industry schemes for the printing industry without any consultation and without warning. To give credit where it is due, I have to pay some respect to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, who was able to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of the printing industry and get some of the assistance schemes put back in place. I commend the minister for doing that. When Nestle announced they were going to take their plant away from Maryborough and relocate it in New Zealand, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry stood up in this parliament during question time and pointed out that the reason Nestle took the decision to relocate their plant to New Zealand was because of the appalling industrial relations problems experienced at the plant. That was a deliberate untruth. There has never been one minute of down time lost in Nestle Maryborough since Nestle have been operating the plant, yet the minister for agriculture stood up in this chamber during question time and stated that it was because of the appalling industrial relations record.So what has Maryborough done to this government? Why do they hate Maryborough? The minister has never withdrawn that comment and he should, because it was a downright lie. I urge the government to reconsider the cancellation of this scheme. It affects those groups who are most at risk in our community and most disadvantaged. It is a very callous and heartless decision, and it just reflects the fact that this government deals with these sorts of problems with all the compassion of the Third Reich.869022:43:008690Bishop, Julie, MPMs JULIE BISHOP83PCurtinLP10—Since the election of the Gallop Labor government, Western Australians, week in, week out, have become used to the `faceless men' of the trade union movement dictating the terms of public policy in our state. So far, those `faceless men' have demanded the repeal of the progressive and competitive industrial relations policies of the Court government. In a clear case of the tail wagging the dog, they demanded that their representatives in the state Labor caucus alter a decision of cabinet in relation to school cleaning contracts.The latest example of union puppetry is the intended amendment of the Voluntary Membership of Guilds and Associations Act 1994. While the federal government is conducting a comprehensive review to bring higher education into the 21st century, the state ALP is trying to live in the 19th. The Acts Amendment (Student Guilds and Associations) Bill 2002, which is presently before the state parliament—suspiciously at the precise moment students are preoccupied with semester 2 exams—is nothing more than backdoor compulsory unionism. The bill permits university students to `opt out' of being union members but requires that they pay a union fee even if they have chosen not to join the union. Worse still, the Labor Party remains confused as to whether this opt-out clause is genuine. Last week the West Australian newspaper reported a statement by the state government indicating that fees paid by those who refuse to join a union would not be forwarded to that union but instead directed to the university. But just hours later that statement was pulled and the truth revealed: regardless of whether a student chooses to join the union, over half their compulsory fee will be forwarded straight to the union.University students in Western Australia are currently the only students to enjoy the benefits of genuinely voluntary student unions. For the past eight years, students in Western Australia, upon enrolling at university, have had the choice of whether or not to join their campus student union. This contrasts with the situation in other Australian states where students are compelled, with some exceptions, to become members of the student union as a condition of their enrolment at university—a real life, up-front fee. According to the latest figures, approximately 50 per cent of the students at the University of Western Australia, which is in Nedlands in my electorate of Curtin, choose to be members of the guild. As the Australian Liberal Students' Federation has said, this figure—... demonstrates that significant numbers of students are electing not to become members of the UWA Guild, suggesting that they value the choice under VSU ... [and] the increasing membership figures ... demonstrate that students will voluntarily pay a membership fee when student guilds provide relevant services and are responsive to student priorities and interests.The state education minister has attempted to justify his decision to compel students to join a union by stating that such compulsion will contribute to campus life. While student unions clearly have a role to play in student life and in making a contribution to the university environment, the fact that students are not joining reflects the importance of maintaining voluntary unionism. Students themselves are weighing up the benefits and costs of being part of the union and are often deciding that membership is not in their best interests.Moreover, it is on record that student unions extensively engage in outlandish fringe political activities. Voluntary student unionism allows students the choice as to whether they wish to pay money to fund such activities. I remember when I was at university in the 1970s, the student unions were funding terrorist groups like the Palestine Liberation Organisation. Nowadays it is fashionable for the student unions to give money to violent anarchist groups such as Global Action, which was responsible for the riots that took place during the World Economic Forum in Melbourne two years ago. In the same vein, I was shocked to discover—and I am indebted to the UWA Liberal Club in this regard—that the National Union of Students, the direct financial benefactor of compulsory fees, has distributed posters on campus depicting the men and women of the Australian Defence Force as murderers. Ironically, the image used on these posters is that of an infantryman subduing a militiaman during the UN intervention in East Timor. So, for almost 25 years, the student Left pointed to the injustice of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, but in 2002 their sympathies lie instead with the oppressors. What a poignant example of the moral bankruptcy of postmodern socialism. As a Liberal I believe strongly in the principle of freedom of association, particularly on our university campuses. On this issue the Australian Labor Party have again demonstrated that they are willing to trample on fundamental freedoms, to trample on the rights of students at the behest of their masters in the union movement. The Gallop government should leave voluntary student unionism and Western Australia's university students alone. (Time expired)869122:48:008691Burke, Anna, MPMs BURKE83SChisholmALP00—I rise tonight to speak about Monash University in my seat of Chisholm. Usually I am in this place talking of Monash as a place of great learning, a world renowned institution that leads in numerous areas of education and research. It is a place that has produced many members of this House, myself included. But today I rise to speak of the horror that befell the campus on Monday, 21 October. The sanctity of mind was shattered on this day when a gunman entered a tutorial room in the Ming wing killing two students, wounding five others and scarring the university campus forever. Universities are meant to be open places, where learning is unencumbered, youthful vigour abounds and certain freedoms are allowed. They should not become caged buildings with metal detectors at every door.I wish to extend my sympathies today to the families of William Wu and Steven Chan, the two honours students who were killed in the Monash shooting. I cannot begin to imagine the despair you are feeling at the loss of your sons and at the waste of such promising, bright young men. I was moved to tears by Professor McLaren's account of his econometric students at the recent memorial services at Monash, especially when he revealed that William had not been home for the past four years, instead taking summer school to finish his degree quickly. His parents were planning to visit in November. Sadly, they have now had to come to Australia to take their son's body home. The image of Steven working on his thesis on economic inequality, in which he argued that we need to promote ideas of fairness and equality to not allow the rich to get richer at the expense of the poor, painted a picture of someone we will miss in our world. To Laurie Brown, Lee Gordon-Brown, Daniel Urbach, Christine Young and Leigh Dat Huynh, who were wounded in the shooting, I wish you a speedy physical recovery and trust the mental scars of this day can be overcome. To the staff and students in the economics faculty, who will feel this event most painfully, my thoughts are with you.Numerous people need to be thanked and applauded for their efforts on that day and the days that have followed—most particularly Lee Gordon-Brown, who put his life at risk, Alastair Boast and Associate Professor Brett Inder, who also put their lives at risk to tackle the gunman, ensuring that the loss of more lives was averted. To you, I say thank you on behalf of those on the campus whose lives were saved by your heroic actions. To the police and paramedics who attended the scene on the day and the staff at Monash medical centre who treated the wounded, thank you again. The fabulous staff at Monash University counselling and chaplaincy service are owed an enormous debt of thanks. Their boundless work to assist the numerous staff and students throughout this period has been tremendous. The number of comments I have received about the speed and care extended by this group is quite amazing. Given it is the end of the year at the university and a time of heightened stress because of exams and final assignments being due, the care shown by the university has been remarkable.Professor Peter Darvall's handling of the whole affair and his genuine concern for all involved was most obvious. The awarding of Steven's and Williams's degrees posthumously was a fitting tribute to those two men who have lost their lives. To Rebecca Tomlinson, Liz and Sen at the Monash student association—a hotbed of radicalism, obviously, according to the previous speaker—I wish to extend congratulations to you on keeping your cool and looking after all the students at Monash. In particular I congratulate you on your handling of the issue of special consideration and for not using this event to beat up on any particular element or as a media stunt, but rather treating the event with the dignity and respect it deserves. I cannot begin to imagine what drove someone to do this, but the end result and the loss of innocence at Monash University, and indeed Australia at large, is palpable. I hope we can find some way to ensure that in our universities there remains a sanctity of mind and that we do not develop a bunker mentality following this tragedy. 869222:52:008692Panopoulos, Sophie, MPMs PANOPOULOS00AMUIndiLP10—I rise to record the contribution that the Howard government has made towards United Nations resolution 1441, which has irrevocably set in place a process that, in one form or another, I hope will finally guarantee the removal of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. It is the trigger that I hope will remove from reach instruments of war which have the potential to kill millions of innocent citizens of the world. The Australian government has played a crucial role in the UN finally confronting Saddam Hussein. The truth of the matter is that, had it not been for the persuasion imposed on the United Nations by the United States and two of its allies, this resolution would probably never have seen the light of day. This resolution only succeeded because it became blindingly obvious that, if the United Nations did not take a very strong stand against Iraq, there was the prospect that the United States and perhaps its allies would have taken unilateral action.This is not the occasion to catalogue the failings and defiance of Saddam Hussein. However, for more than a decade he has deceived and defied the will and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council by, among other things, continuing to seek and develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and prohibited long-range missiles. In the face of this blatant defiance, the UN has done nothing to enforce its resolutions. It has, until now, failed itself and those it is charged to represent. Were it not for Bush, Howard and Blair, little would have happened. The Security Council was confronted with two stark options: stand impotently aside, with the United States and perhaps the United Kingdom and Australia undertaking unilateral action against Iraq on behalf of the freedom-loving nations of the world to remove its weapons of mass destruction; or assume responsibility for enforcing its own resolutions. The result is now a matter of record. Had it not been for the resolution and determination of these three leaders, it is likely the United Nations would have done little and the Labor Party would now still be urging support for a further resolution to remind Iraq of the previous resolutions which it had ignored.In spite of this resolution, in spite of the 100 targets that the UN inspectors have already identified and in spite of overwhelming evidence, Mr Crean tells Australians that there is still not enough evidence of Saddam's acquisition of weapons of mass destruction. The truth is that Australians cannot trust Labor, and with good cause. During the last federal election they promised that they were tough on border protection, that they supported mandatory detention for all illegal immigrants and that they would be vigilant in policing our coastline. Having been defeated at the election, Carmen Lawrence and her fellow travellers publicly admitted that it had all been a great lie: they were soft on border protection and supported illegal immigrants hiding in our towns and cities. What have Labor members said about the war against terrorism? The member for Franklin told the people of Australia:He—referring to George W. Bush—just wants to justify getting in there and having a real ding-dong go. And I think we've been caught up in this 9/11 hype and I think it's ridiculous. I think we should stay out of it.And Carmen Lawrence said of the US—10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Indi will refer to the member for Fremantle by her seat.00AMUPanopoulos, Sophie, MPMs PANOPOULOS—The member for Fremantle said of the US earlier this year in September: Even its preparedness to go to war with Iraq without a mandate from the UN security council is a defiance of international law far graver—on the face of it—than Saddam Hussein's non-compliance with UN weapons inspectors.Australia is simply not safe under Labor. Simon Crean does not control the Labor Party.10000SPEAKER, TheThe SPEAKER—The member for Indi will refer to the Leader of the Opposition by his title.00AMUPanopoulos, Sophie, MPMs PANOPOULOS—The Labor Party is controlled by the loony left, the chattering class and Paul Keating's famous Balmain basketweavers. To appease his masters, the Leader of the Opposition says that diplomacy, not war, is the answer. Tell that to Saddam Hussein. As Senator Hill has said, it is the international community's responsibility to ensure that the new UN resolution is enforced through whatever means are necessary. If Australia under Labor found itself confronted with acts of terror, Labor would not confront these criminals and those who harbour them; it would dispatch its spokesman for foreign affairs to the United Nations. Australians cannot trust Labor with the economy, they cannot trust it with border protection and they cannot trust it to protect Australia from terrorism. Put in simple terms, Australians do not feel safe under Labor. As Kim Beazley Sr once famously observed, the Labor Party used to be represented by the cream of the working class; it is now represented by the dregs of the middle class. (Time expired)869322:57:008693Murphy, John, MPMr MURPHY83DLoweALP00—After all that humbug and cant, I would like to conclude tonight's debate on a positive note and bring to the attention of the House a wonderful initiative by a constituent of mine, Mr Lance Brooks. Mr Lance Brooks came to the public's attention earlier this year on Channel 9's program Australian Survivor. Paradoxically, he was removed from that program for his honesty. Arising from his experience on Australian Survivor, Lance Brooks gave consideration to how he could learn from that experience and give help to others less fortunate than we are in Australia. He established a program called Communities for Communities. Yesterday, at Drummoyne Oval, he held one of the many activities that he has organised to raise money for people who are less fortunate than us, as I have said, and I am specifically referring to the people of Ranong on the Thai-Burma border.Mr Brooks wants to bring the community of the city of Canada Bay closer to the community of Ranong, where the community is bereft of educational opportunities. The whole focus of the Communities for Communities program is to build community spirit not only in our own community in the city of Canada Bay but in the community of Ranong and to raise funds for the education of the children in Ranong who do not even have the fundamental elements of education such as an exercise book, a ruler or a pencil. If ever the children of the world needed to be educated, there could not be a better time than at this time when there is so much insecurity in the world. Mr Brooks is doing a tremendous job in my electorate of Lowe to help the people of Ranong and bring the community in the city of Canada Bay closer to them. I know that is appreciated, and I want to acknowledge the tremendous work that he has done to help people who are very unfortunate.23:00:008693House adjourned at 11.00 p.m.Notices8693The following notices were given:7V5Williams, Daryl, MPMr Williams to present a bill for an act to amend the Criminal Code Act 1995, and for related purposes.R36Albanese, Anthony, MPMr Albanese to move:That the House recognises that no holder of a public office in Australia should be above parliamentary scrutiny and as such standing order 74 should be amended to allow the performance of the highest office in the nation, the Governor-General, to be debated by the democratically elected Members of the House of Representatives.83LGillard, Julia, MPMs Gillard to move:That this House: (1) acknowledges the historic action of the Holt Government, with bipartisan support from the Australian Labor Party, in initiating the dismantling of the White Australia Policy;(2) recognises that since 1973, successive Labor and Liberal/National Party Governments have, with bipartisan support, pursued a racially non-discriminatory immigration policy to the overwhelming national, and international, benefit of Australia; and(3) gives its unambiguous and unqualified commitment to the principle that, whatever criteria are applied by Australian Governments in exercising their sovereign right to determine the composition of the immigration intake, race or ethnic origin shall never, explicitly or implicitly, be among them.Answers to Questions in Writing8695The following answers to questions were circulated:8695(Question No. 48)488695Murphy, John, MPMr Murphy83DLoweALP00 asked the Treasurer, upon notice, on 13 February 2002:(1) Does he have administrative portfolio responsibility for Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act.(2) Does section 50AA of the Corporations Act 2001 define control of a corporation in a broad manner, without specifying the percentage of controlling interest.(3) Does schedule 1 of clause 6 of the Broadcasting Services Act state that if a person has an interest in a company exceeding 15%, the person is to be regarded as being in a position to exercise control of the company.(4) Pursuant to the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act, is 15% the test applied for him to block acquisitions that would result in the control of a business passing to foreign persons.(5) Is he able to say whether, pursuant to the SANTOS (Regulation of Shareholdings) Act 1989 (SA), no shareholder can own more than 15% of SANTOS.(6) Pursuant to the clause 850B of the Financial Services Reform Bill 2001, is 15% the test applied to prevent market operators such as the Australian Stock Exchange or the Sydney Futures Exchange before ministerial approval is required.(7) Pursuant to the Financial Sector (Shareholdings) Act, is a person prohibited from holding a stake of greater than 15% in an authorised deposit-taking institution.(8) What is the policy rationale upon which the figure of 15% is based.(9) At 15%, does the operation of a parent company over pairs of airport lessee companies constitute a controlling interest; if not, why not.(10) Does the parent shareholding interest provisions for paired ownership of Australian airports bring this threshold of 15% into conflict with Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act; if not, why not.8695Costello, Peter, MPMr CostelloCT4HigginsLPTreasurer10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) The Treasury Ministers have administrative portfolio responsibility for Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act 1974.(2) Section 50AA of the Corporations Act 2001 defines control of a corporation in a broad manner without specifying the percentage of controlling interest.(3) Schedule 1 of clause 6 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 states that if a person has interests in a company exceeding 15%, the person is to be regarded as being in a position to exercise control of the company.(4) No. The 15% limit is a notification trigger. A foreign person proposing to acquire a substantial interest (i.e. 15% or greater) in an Australian asset or business must notify the Treasurer of the proposed transaction prior to the transaction being executed. This notification requirement is subject to specific exemption thresholds.The test applied to “blocking” a proposal is two fold. Firstly, it is necessary to determine whether the proposed transaction would result in a change in control of the Australian asset or business. If this is the case, the Treasurer must then judge whether the proposal is contrary to the national interest.If there is no change in control, the Treasurer can not issue a final order prohibiting the transaction.(5) Pursuant to sections 5 and 6 of the SANTOS (Regulation of Shareholdings) Act 1989 (SA), it is unlawful for a person to hold an entitlement to more than 15 per cent of the voting shares in Santos Limited. (6) The meaning of the honourable member's question is unclear.(7) No. The Treasurer may approve a person to hold a stake of greater than 15 per cent in an authorised deposit-taking institution provided it is in the national interest. (8) The 15% limits under different Acts reflect various policy objectives.(9) I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given by the Minister for Transport and Regional Services to parts (4), (5), (6), (7) and (8) of question 2881 as it appeared in Hansard on 27 September 2001 at page 31826. (10) The cross-ownership restrictions in the Airports Act 1996 (Airports Act) do not conflict with the Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Part IIIA). Part IIIA and the cross-ownership restrictions of the Airports Act operate to achieve different purposes.The rationale for the cross-ownership provisions of the Airports Act is to ensure diversity of ownership. In contast, Part IIIA, in conjunction with certain provisions of the Airports Act, provides a procedure to seek access to certain essential services and facilities of airports. This enables businesses needing access to negotiate with airport operators on commercial terms, or if negotiations fail, to have terms and conditions arbitrated by the ACCC.8696(Question No. 85)858696McClelland, Robert, MPMr McClellandJK6BartonALP00 asked the Treasurer, upon notice, on 13 February 2002:Does the Government have any plans to abandon and or modify the Diesel and Alternative Fuels Grants Scheme; if so, what are the Government's proposals.8696Costello, Peter, MPMr CostelloCT4HigginsLPTreasurer10—The Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:Sunset provisions in the legislation for the Diesel and Alternative Fuels Grants Scheme (DAFGS) mean that the scheme will cease to operate on 30 June 2003, at which time it, along with the off-road Diesel Fuel Rebate Scheme (DFRS), will be replaced by an Energy Grants Credits Scheme (EGCS). The EGCS will maintain benefits equivalent to those available under the DAFGS and DFRS. 8696(Question No. 99)998696Thomson, Kelvin, MPMr Kelvin ThomsonUK6WillsALP00 asked the Treasurer, upon notice, on 13 February 2002:Was Black Is White awarded a contract in excess of $1.3 million by the (ATO) to provide strategic advice and writing services to develop, implement and evaluate a communication program for all business tax reform products.8696Costello, Peter, MPMr CostelloCT4HigginsLPTreasurer10—The Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:In January 1999 the ATO invited tenders from providers of writing, editing and other communication services to assist in the delivery of an appropriately targeted education and information campaign. Black is White Communications Pty Ltd was selected as part of this process.Services ProvidedThe Service Provider provides high level expert strategic advice and actions related to:· developing and implementing a public relations and issues management program to support the tax reform public and business education campaign;· building and maintaining relations with key stakeholders in relation to whole of government communication approach to tax reform;· designing and implementing the Business Tax Review (Ralph) communication strategy; · mentoring senior staff of the Whole of Government and Administrative unit within Tax Reform-Business Education & Communication;· expert strategic advice in the development, implementation and evaluation of an education and communication program for business tax reform products;· development of communication strategies for sub-projects of tax reform to be provided in written and electronic forms;· strategic advice and writing and editing services;· editing and proof reading materials; and· writing of materials and briefs for publication (such as fact sheets, booklets, electronic publications, and other materials relating to tax reform).8697(Question No. 157)1578697McFarlane, Jann, MPMs Jann McFarlane83CStirlingALP00 asked the Treasurer, upon notice, on 19 February 2002:(1) Has his attention been drawn to the existence of the Part IVA Panel at the Australian Taxation Office.(2) What is the specific role of the panel.(3) Is the panel a formal body; if so, what powers does it have.(4) Who are the members of the panel.(5) Who appoints the members of the panel.(6) How many meetings did the panel have in (a) 1996, (b) 1997, (c) 1998, (d) 1999, (e) 2000 and (f) 2001.(7) Are minutes kept of the meetings of the panel.(8) Are the minutes of these meetings readily available for scrutiny by the public.8697Costello, Peter, MPMr CostelloCT4HigginsLPTreasurer10—The Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:(1) Yes.(2) The Part IVA Panel has been established to ensure that the Commissioner's power to make determinations under Part IVA is exercised appropriately and fairly, by ensuring that each case has been considered objectively on its facts. For this purpose leading professionals from outside the Tax Office have been appointed members of the panel (see below). Apart from the application of Part IVA itself, the panel also checks that proper consideration has been given to the primary tax liability questions in the cases that come before it. The Panel also helps to settle, maintain and develop the ATO position on Part IVA, monitors consistency and helps identify trends.The Panel looks at cases usually just before the application of the general anti-avoidance provision is formalised, so that taxpayers will know their case has been properly considered before that step is taken. However, it is not necessary for a matter to be referred to the Panel if a materially identical matter has been previously considered by the Panel.(3) The Part IVA Panel is an informal, rather than a formal body. It does not have, or exercise, any power. The Panel provides advice to officers who have power to make Part IVA determinations. The Deputy Chief Tax Counsel who attend the meeting have authority to define the ATO position on matters of law.(4) The composition of the Panel varies between meetings. The Panel is generally comprised of a number of senior technical tax officers from the Tax Counsel Network. It is supplemented by community representatives with expertise in taxation law and Part IVA. The Panel is also attended by officers responsible for the case being considered, including an officer of the Tax Counsel Network. The people who constitute the Part IVA Panel in 2002 are:Des Maloney Deputy Chief Tax Counsel, ATO (Chair)Peter Walmsley Acting Deputy Chief Tax Counsel, ATOPhil Foster Deputy Chief Tax CounselAmarjit Verick Community representativeJim Momsen Community representative (legal profession)Prof. Robert Deutsch Community representative (academia)Bronwyn Livermore Secretary(5) The members of the Panel are not officially appointed. A standing Chair is informally agreed with the Chief Tax Counsel. Community representatives are drawn from the Register of External Consultants maintained by the ATO.(6) The Part IVA Panel met for the first time on 14 April 1998.In 1998 the Part IVA Panel met nine (9) times;In 1999 the Part IVA Panel met eight (8) times; In 2000 the Part IVA Panel met nine (9) times;In 2001 the Part IVA Panel met nine (9) times.In 2002 the Part IVA Panel has met (9) times.(7) The outcomes of Part IVA Panel meetings are recorded in a report that is kept on file with the papers that were presented to the Panel.(8) These reports generally contain taxpayer information. Tax officers are therefore prohibited from disclosing the reports publicly by the secrecy provisions in the Tax Act. Individuals may request access to a report under the Freedom of Information Act, and such requests would be subject to the ordinary provisions, including exemptions, contained in that Act.8698(Question No. 332)3328698Ferguson, Martin, MPMr Martin FergusonLS4BatmanALP00 asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, upon notice, on 14 May 2002:(1) Since March 1996 how many feasibility studies or seeding grants have been funded from programs currently administered by his Department.(2) Which programs have provided the funding for each feasibility and seeding grant.(3) What sum was allocated to each feasibility study and seeding grant.(4) How many of these feasibility studies and seeding grants have matured into projects.(5) How many of these projects have received funding from programs currently administered by his Department.(6) From which programs has this funding been provided.8698Anderson, John, MPMr Anderson4K4GwydirNPMinister for Transport and Regional Services10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) 440(2) See Attachment A(3) See Attachment A(4) 128 feasibility studies and seeding grants have matured into projects within their original programme. Thirteen more are known to have matured into projects via other programmes. Many feasibility studies and seeding grants are still underway and a significant number of these are expected to mature into projects in the future. Feasibility studies approved under the Regional Assistance Programme (RAP) are expected to generate funding for subsequent stages from sources other than RAP. As a part of the RAP assessment process, funding is not given to feasibility studies where the project has little hope of being implemented or would exclusively depend on Commonwealth funding for implementation. At present, data on RAP projects is only available from 1 July 1999. Under the Rural Transaction Centres (RTC) Programme the development of a business plan is a prerequisite for submission of an RTC establishment application. RTC business planning projects do not mature into an RTC establishment project unless the business plan is able to establish the viability of an RTC for a community. Projects arising from funding for planning under the Regional Solutions Programme may be eligible for further support under that or other programmes. See Attachment B for an analysis of the status of projects under various programmes. (5) 128(6) Rural Transaction Centres Programme, Regional Solutions Programme, Rural Assistance Programme and Dairy Rural Assistance Programme.Attachment ATable 1 - Regional Programmes Feasibility and Business Planning Projects - September 2002OrganisationDescriptionSum Allocated (GST Exc)ProgrammeShire Of ChitteringTo undertake a full feasibility study for the supply of non-potable water to the Chittering region.$125,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeShire Of DowerinTo enable the applicant to engage consultants to undertake a feasibility study into the provision of accommodation.$16,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeWellington Shire CouncilTo employ a consultant to undertake a feasibility study into the establishment of a community owned solar power station.$9,090Regional Solutions ProgrammeCentral Highlands Community Development IncEmploy a qualified consultant to undertake a feasibility study of the Bernacchi Lodge's potential for its redevelopment.$12,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeDunedoo Central School P&C AssociationConduct a feasibility study into buying a school bus.$1,045Regional Solutions ProgrammeCarisbrook Historical Society IncTo undertake a feasibility study to form the basis of infrastructure development training proposals.$9,090Regional Solutions ProgrammeCooloola Shire CouncilTo conduct a feasibility study into the Riverfarm project.$46,110Regional Solutions ProgrammeSnowy River Shire CouncilFor the engagement of a Planning Coordinator, development of a strategic plan, feasibility studies and a business plan.$19,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeMooroopna Community CentreTo conduct a feasibility study into the relocation of the Community Information Centre.$40,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeGlenview Community CareTo undertake a feasibility study, business plan and funding submission to provide the necessary infrastructure to enable the ongoing provision of a broad range of health and community services in the district.$25,650Regional Solutions ProgrammeMoira Shire CouncilTo complete a feasibility study and the building design and fees towards the construction of a Community Health Centre in Cobram.$75,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeGreater Taree City CouncilA feasibility study to determine the need for a multi-purpose meeting hall/youth centre.$7,600Regional Solutions ProgrammeBelyando Shire CouncilTo perform a feasibility study into the purchase and refurbishment of the Blair Athol Single Person's Quarters.$10,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeFrank Partridge V.C. Military Museum IncConduct a community plan to assess the viability of a regional museum.$6,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeRiding For The Disabled Association Of Victoria IncTo develop a business plan for the development of a clubroom and amenities at the Amaroo Equestrian Centre.$2,727Regional Solutions ProgrammeHigh Country Community Media Association IncTo conduct a planning grant to consider the extension of the Community radio station in Cooma by building two new radio sites$5,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeAdelaide Hills Regional Development Board IncSeeks funds for a consultancy to undertake a financial viability assessment for the proposed entertainment centre.$6,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeOuyen United IncorporatedTo determine the feasibility of building a multi-purpose sporting facility in the area.$3000Regional Solutions ProgrammeFranklin Progress AssociationTo conduct a planning grant to transform a theatre for use by the Franklin community.$5,000Regional Solutions ProgrammePark For Play IncThe project aims to develop a business plan that will enable our organisation to design and build a community playground.$3,636Regional Solutions ProgrammeThe Coolah Campdraft and Rodeo Association IncorporatedTo conduct a community planning project regarding the restructure of the Coolah Recreational and Sporting Centre.$5,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeEvans Head Olympic Pool CommunityTo conduct a business plan to ascertain the costings, identify possible alternative funding sources and address the benefits of an Olympic Swimming Pool Complex for the Evans Head community and surrounding districts.$5,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeJilamara Arts and Crafts AssociationProject seeking funds to consult with the community and plan a new gallery/storage and accommodation facility.$9,750Regional Solutions ProgrammeBroken Hill City CouncilThis project is seeking funds for a feasibility study into building the Broken Hill Leisure Centre.$15,000Regional Solutions ProgrammeSwan Hill Rural City CouncilThis project is seeking funds to develop a business plan into building a Community Recreation Centre.$4,545Regional Solutions ProgrammeBallimore & District Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBega Valley Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBinnaway Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$10,250.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBoorowa CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBulahdelah Chamber of CommerceRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCarrathool Shire Council (Hillston)RTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCentral Darling Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$17,609.09Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCoffs Harbour City CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCoolah District Development GroupRTC Business Plan$10,909.09Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCoolamon Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCooma-Monaro Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$65,090.91Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCoraki Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$14,970.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCulcairn Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$12,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDelegate Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$3,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDenman & District Development Association IncRTC Business Plan$10,909.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDorrigo Chamber of CommerceRTC Business Plan$13,636.36Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDungog Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$11,425.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeEden Community Access CentreRTC Business Plan$8,545.45Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeEurobodalla Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$8,300.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeEvans Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGilgandra Shire Council (Tooraweenah)RTC Business Plan$4,950.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGulargambone & District Development CommitteeRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGunning Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeHume Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,909.09Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeJerilderie Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$8,800.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKempsey Shire Council (Bellbrook)RTC Business Plan$4,465.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLeeton Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMarulan & District Progress Association RTC Business Plan$3,960.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMendooran & District Development GroupRTC Business Plan$9,121.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMt Kosciusko Chamber of CommerceRTC Business Plan$8,325.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMungindi Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMurray Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$9,600.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMurrurundi Development AssociationRTC Business Plan$8,950.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNarrandera Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$9,090.91Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNarromine Shire Council (Tomingley)RTC Business Plan$9,091.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNarromine Shire Council (Trangie)RTC Business Plan$9,091.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeParkes Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$15,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeParry Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeRylstone Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeScone Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$9,772.73Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShoalhaven City CouncilRTC Business Plan$18,180.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeStuart Town Advancement AssociationRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTallaganda Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,575.45Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTemora Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$6,400.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTottenham Welfare CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,800.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTullibigeal & District Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$4,545.45Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTumbarumba Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTumbarumba Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTumut Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$7,496.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeUpper Hunter Business Enterprise CentreRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeUralla Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$16,533.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWalgett Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$12,635.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWeddin Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$9,200.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWentworth Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWerris Creek Economic Development CommitteeRTC Business Plan$6,750.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeYarrowlumla Council (Bungendore & Captains Flat)RTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeYass Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeYeoval & Districts Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$6,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeYoung Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$6,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeAnmatjere Community Government CouncilRTC Business Plan$7,500.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGaliwin'ku Community IncRTC Business Plan$12,100.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeJabiru Town CentreRTC Business Plan$15,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKardu Numida IncorporatedRTC Business Plan$17,950.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeManingrida CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMataranka Community Government CouncilRTC Business Plan$3,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNgaliwurru-Wuli Association (Timber Creek)RTC Business Plan$5,900.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNguiu Community Government CouncilRTC Business Plan$8,545.45Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNumbulwar Numburindi Community Government CouncilRTC Business Plan$15,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWalungurru Community Council Aboriginal CorporationRTC Business Plan$19,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWarruwi Community RTC Business Plan$8,960.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWurankuwu Aboriginal CorporationRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeYuyang Nyamung Aboriginal CorporationRTC Business Plan$12,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeAramac Shire Council - MuttaburraRTC Business Plan$7,500.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeAugathella Cultural AssociationRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBamaga Island CouncilRTC Business Plan$5,900.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBarcoo Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$7,954.55Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBauhinia Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$4,250.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBay Islands Community CentreRTC Business Plan$12,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBendemere Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$4,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBurdekin Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCook Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$14,940.91Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCroydon Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$6,906.36Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDauan Island CouncilRTC Business Plan$4,350.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDiamantina Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$8,750.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeEmerald Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$4,250.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeEumundi & Distrcit Community AsssociationRTC Business Plan$9,618.18Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGlenden Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$7,609.09Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGreenvale Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$4,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeHinchinbrook Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$8,227.27Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeIlfracombe Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$4,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeIsisford Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeJericho Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$4,250.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeJohnstone Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$6,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKilkivan Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKolan Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLifeline Central QueenslandRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMareeba Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$13,906.36Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMiriam Vale Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$15,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMornington Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$13,636.36Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMt Isa City CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNanango Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNorth Stradbroke Island Community AssociationRTC Business Plan$11,350.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammePeak Downs Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$4,250.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeRosalie Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$20,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeSouth West Regional Development Association (Supplementary funding )RTC Business Plan$9,545.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTaroom District Development BoardRTC Business Plan$4,818.18Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeThallon Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$6,818.18Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeThe Kilcoy Chamber of CommerceRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWarroo Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeYowah Opal Mining Community ServicesRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeAnglicare WillochraRTC Business Plan$11,577.27Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeAuburn Community Development CommitteeRTC Business Plan$7,900.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDistrict Council of EllistonRTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDistrict Council of Grant (Port MacDonnell & Tarpena)RTC Business Plan$11,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDistrict Council of Mt RemarkableRTC Business Plan$12,300.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDistrict Council of Naracoorte and LucindaleRTC Business Plan$6,500.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGoreta Aboriginal CorporationRTC Business Plan$7,400.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNorthern Areas CouncilRTC Business Plan$18,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammePenneshaw Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$6,500.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeRobertstown War Memorial Community CentreRTC Business Plan$7,500.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeThe Flinders Ranges CouncilRTC Business Plan$9,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWattle Range CouncilRTC Business Plan$17,250.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWudinna & District TelecentreRTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCape Barren Islanders Community AssociationRTC Business Plan$4,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCircular Head Business Enterprise Centre - StanleyRTC Business Plan$2,272.73Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDover Community TelecentreRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeHuon Valley Regional Development BoardRTC Business Plan$12,500.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMole Creek Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$11,420.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeScamander Community Development AssociationRTC Business Plan$3,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTasman CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTasmanian West Coast Business DevelopmentRTC Business Plan$35,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBuloke Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$7,970.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCardinia Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$14,931.82Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCity of Greater SheppartonRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeColac Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$18,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDunolly Goldrush CommitteeRTC Business Plan$7,500.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGlenelg Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$9,900.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeHeyfield & District Community BankRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeInglewood Tourism and Development RTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLeitchville & District Development GroupRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLexton Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$9,090.91Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLockington Community Care CommitteeRTC Business Plan$9,090.91Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLoddon Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$7,700.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLoddon Shire Council - WedderburnRTC Business Plan$8,170.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMacedon Ranges Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$8,300.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMirboo North Community Support Co-operative RTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMount Alexander Shire Council (Maldan & Newstead)RTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMurrindindi Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNathalia Community AssociationRTC Business Plan$8,500.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNorthern Grampians ShireRTC Business Plan$49,915.45Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNorthern Grampians Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$8,182.82Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammePyramid Hill Traders & Development CommitteeRTC Business Plan$9,120.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeRushworth Community House Inc.RTC Business Plan$8,170.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of StrathbogieRTC Business Plan$7,600.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of Yarra RangesRTC Business Plan$5,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeSouthern Grampians ShireRTC Business Plan$12,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeUltima Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$4,790.91Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeAshburton Shire CouncilRTC Business Plan$10,150.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeAugusta TelecentreRTC Business Plan$5,909.09Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBeacon TelecentreRTC Business Plan$8,500.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBetter Bencubbin Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBoyup Brook TelecentreRTC Business Plan$9,091.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBremer Bay Community Resource CentreRTC Business Plan$5,561.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCity of AlbanyRTC Business Plan$20,725.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCocos (Kneeling) Island Regional Business AssociationRTC Business Plan$10,075.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCoorow & District Technology Development AssociationRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeHyden Progress AssociationRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMarra Worra Worra Aboriginal CorporationRTC Business Plan$15,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMingenew Community TelecentreRTC Business Plan$6,728.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNewdegate TelecentreRTC Business Plan$8,496.36Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNgaanytjarra CouncilRTC Business Plan$22,727.27Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of BoddingtonRTC Business Plan$10,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of ChitteringRTC Business Plan$9,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of DandaraganRTC Business Plan$8,500.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of GoomallingRTC Business Plan$8,090.91Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of Halls CreekRTC Business Plan$15,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of JerramungupRTC Business Plan$1,818.18Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of LavertonRTC Business Plan$8,727.27Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of MukinbudinRTC Business Plan$8,000.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of NorthamRTC Business Plan$5,660.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of WaroonaRTC Business Plan$8,550.00Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWilliams TelecentreRTC Business Plan$7,727.27Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBruny Island Community Association Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeUrapuntja Council Aboriginal CorporationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeArltarlpitta Community Government CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMallacoota Community AssociationRTC Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeAshford Business CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBabinda District Community Association Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBaradine Progress Association IncRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBarcaldine Shire Council - BarcaldineRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNarrandera Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeYorta Yorta NationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCoomalie Community Government CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBeulah Historic Learning & Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBicheno On-Line Access CentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBlanchetown Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBlinman Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of BoddingtonRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeToomelah CooperativeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBollon & District Community GroupRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBonnie Doon Community GroupRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBoomi Licensed Post OfficeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBoulia Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBowraville Chamber of CommerceRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBuchan Resource Centre Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGulin Gulin & Weemol Community CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBute - District Council of Barunga WestRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCommunity Resource Centre Steering CommitteeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCandelo Area CommitteeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCann River Community CentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeApex CanowindraRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of CapelRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of CarnamahRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDistrict Council of GrantRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBuloke Learning Towns - CharltonRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCockburn Progress Association Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCoffin Bay Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMurrumbidgee Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeColeraine and District Development AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeComboyne Rate Payers AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCoonalpyn Communication Network Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCoonamble Neighbourhood CentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of CorriginRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMurrumbidgee Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMeander Valley Enterprise CentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDerrinallum Lismore Community AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDimboola CEC CommitteeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMoonlight CorporationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDrake School of the Arts & Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMurilla Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDumbleyung LPORTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDundee Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDysart Community Support GroupRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeElliott & District Community Government CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeEungella Community Development AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCommunity Builders Association of Finch HattonRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of Cranbrook - FranklandRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGlenmorgan - Tara Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCairns City CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeBass Coast Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGundagai Neighbourhood Centre - GundagaiRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGwabegar Community LinkRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNorthern Grampians Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeHarden Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWingecarribee Shire Council - Hill TopRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeHolbrook Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of RavensthorpeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeIron Knob Progress Association Pty LtdRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeJerilderie Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeJigalong Community Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMcKinlay Shire Council - Julia CreekRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKalannie Community TelecentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKalbarri Neighbourhood Support CentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of CoolgardieRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKaruah Progress Association IncRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKendall District AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKhancoban RTC/CTC Steering CommitteeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKiama Municipal Council - JamberooRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDistrict Council of KimbaRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeKondinin TelecentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of KulinRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLower Lachlan Community Services Inc. - Lake CargelligoRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLake Tyers Aboriginal TrustRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLaramba Community IncRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLatrobe Council - Port SorellRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLoch Sport CommunityRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeLock Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDistrict Council of Loxton WaikerieRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCommunity ConnectRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMalandaRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMallacoota Community AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeEast Murray Area SchoolRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMarree Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMystic Mountains Tourism - MarysvilleRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMetcalfe Community AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMilikapiti Community Government CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMingenew Community TelecentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMinjilang CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMintabie TelecentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMirani Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMoira Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMonto Community Development Council Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTara Shire Council - Moonie, QldRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCalliope Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMt Beauty Neighbourhood Centre Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWattle Range Council - NangwarryRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNarembeen TelecentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNatimuk and District Advisory CommitteeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeCarpentaria Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of Dundas - NorsemanRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNorthcliffe Telecentre IncRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNowa Nowa Community Development GroupRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of NungarinRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeOodnadatta Progress Association IncRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammePatchewollock Progress Association Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeResource Centre IncRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeDistrict Council of PeterboroughRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammePilliga & District CommunityLink Committee IncRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeAnangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Land CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammePooncarie Telecentre and Post OfficeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammePort Neill Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammePort Vincent Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of Flinders - Prairie and Torrens CreekRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeQuambatook Community Development AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTasmanian West Coast Business DevelopmentRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeRoebourne TelecentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeGolden Plains Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeRollingstone LPORTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeSea Lake Neighbourhood HouseRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeStanhope Community Action CommitteeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeStanley - Circular Head Business Ent. CentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeStratford Lions ClubRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeFar West Rural Service Group Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeSwan Reach Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMay Shaw Nursing CentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTumut Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTalbot TaskforceRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTambar Springs EmporiumRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeIsland Co-ordinating CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTibooburra TelecentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeTullamore Inc.RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammePristine Waters CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWagin TelecentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWalpole Community CentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWanaaring and District Progress Association IncRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWaratah and Wynard CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWards River District Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeFlinders Council Area Promotion CommitteeRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNorth East Rural Education Project Cooperative Ltd (NEREP)RTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWillaura & District Community Development GroupRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeMacedon Ranges Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWoomelang and District Development AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWycheproof Community Resource CentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWyndham Progress AssociationRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeYarrabah Aboriginal (Community) CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeWaggamba Shire CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeShire of YorkRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeYuendumu Community Government CouncilRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeYunta TelecentreRTC Field Officer prepared Business PlanN/A*Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeNorthern Rivers Regional Development Board Inc.The agribusiness feasibility study will aim to access the viability of locally grown herbs in the Northern Rivers, New England and Mid North Coast regions of NSW, to replace current import of herbs and related products$60,000Dairy RAPTatiara District CouncilConduct a feasibility study for a boutique cheese factory in Bordertown in the Upper South East of South Australia$8,300Dairy RAPWaterhouse Water TrustThis project aims to foster the establishment of a community based irrigation scheme capable of supplying irrigation water to about 18,000 hectares in the Waterhouse district in Tasmania's North East. An initial assessment will be completed followed by a full feasibility study leading to the preparation of an investment prospects and engineering specification required for the construction of the physical infrastructure.$372,962Dairy RAPAdelaide Metropolitan ACCBarriers to Employment$101,818.18Regional Assistance ProgrammeAustralian Alpine Valleys Agribusiness ForumAlpine Valley's Wine Industry Park$54,010.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeAustralian Inland Botanic Gardens IncorporatedAustralian Inland Botanic Gardens Management Plan$34,545.45Regional Assistance ProgrammeBallarat TramsBallarat Trams and Transportation Feasibility Study$66,500.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeBauhinia Shire Progress & Tourism AssocInvestigation of new industry development in Bauhinia Shire$49,170.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeBelyando Shire CouncilBelyando Shire - Employment Development program$53,202.73Regional Assistance ProgrammeBorder Highlands Rail CompanyJennings Rail Precinct$30,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeCamden Haven Association for Regional Performing ArtsRegional Performance Review$18,181.82Regional Assistance ProgrammeCamden Haven Association for Regional Performing ArtsRegional Performance Venue - Phases 2 and 3$61,818.18Regional Assistance ProgrammeCentral Economic ZoneRegional Organic Resource Management$76,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeCentral Highlands Development Corporation LtdEmerald Intermodal Freight Hub Study$60,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeCentral Highlands Development Corporation LtdEmerals Tourism Park Study$10,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeCity of AlbanyAlbany Boat Harbour Implementation Plan$70,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeCity of GeraldtonGeraldton Foreshore Development$168,181.82Regional Assistance ProgrammeCoffs Harbour Education CampusNative Hardwoods Value Adding Industry Development$60,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeCorangamite Development Board IncValue Adding in the Sugar Gum Industry$23,620.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeCorporation of the Town of GawlerGawler Accommodation Index$12,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeDalby Chamber of Commerce and IndustryQueensland Rural Exhibition centre$25,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeDelatite Shire CouncilRetail Profile Analysis$14,621.82Regional Assistance ProgrammeDeniliquin CouncilDeniliquin Viticulture Project$22,890.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeDuaringa Shire CouncilPowering Our Future - Duaringa Shire Processing Project$12,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeEurobodalla Shire CouncilHot Fire Training$50,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeFilm and Television Association (FNQ) IncorporatedDevelopment of an Investment Brief for Strategic Infrastructure for Film & Television for FNQ$15,045.45Regional Assistance ProgrammeGlenelg Region Water AuthorityMonivae Homestead Redevelopment$14,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeGreat Southern Development CommissionGreat Southern Wine Interpretive Centre$20,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeGreen Skills IncInvestigating Potential Bush Products$43,500.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeGunneddah Chamber of Commerce and IndiustryGunnedah Country Excursion Centre$32,272.73Regional Assistance ProgrammeHepburn Shire CouncilClunes Tourism Product Development and Scoping Study$25,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeHills Community Support Group IncorporatedEnvironmental Repair - A Key to Future Economic and Employment Growth$38,059.09Regional Assistance ProgrammeInverell Shire CouncilInverell Multi Purpose Tourist Complex$30,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeKwinana Education FoundationRegional Automotive Skills Centre$22,760.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeLake Grace Development Association IncLake Grace Town Centre Development Project$29,420.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeLaunceston Chamber of CommerceLaunceston Conference Centre Development Project$54,545.45Regional Assistance ProgrammeMacleay Valley Economic Development TrustLand based Aquaculture in Lower Macleay$22,727.27Regional Assistance ProgrammeMurilla Shire CouncilMurilla Shire Vision Millenium$42,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeMurray Darling Association IncMobile Carp Processing - Feasibility Study$23,800.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeNanango Shire CouncilNanango Lee Park Assessment and Management Plan$12,075.45Regional Assistance ProgrammeNewcastle City CouncilFestival of the Voice$29,500.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeNoosa and District LandcareSunshine Coast Rural Futures Centre$10,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeNorth Central Catchment Management AuthorityFarming Mallee Eucalypts - Plantation to Processing$86,900.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeNorthern Areas CouncilNew Directions for Farming in the Upper Mid North Region$29,500.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeNorthern Grampians Shire CouncilCommercial Marketing Opportunities - St Arnaud Dried Fruit$13,680.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeNorthern Midlands CouncilLong Marsh Dam Irrigation Project - Stage 1$77,500.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeNorthern Territory ACCIndigenous Banking and Finance$41,790.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeNorthern Territory ACCNTACC Employment and Entreprise Project$140,100.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeNSW AgricultureCitrus Development Strategy for NSW$50,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeNSW Reconciliation CouncilCultural Celebration Festival$81,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeOngerup Community Development IncOngerup Employment Facilitation Initiative$20,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammePyrenees ShireIndustry & By Product Industry Project$45,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeRiverina Regional Tourism IncRiverina Tourism Study$27,960.91Regional Assistance ProgrammeRoyal Agricultural Society of TasmaniaAustralian Agricultural Museum - Employment Opportunity Evaluation$76,363.64Regional Assistance ProgrammeRylestone Shire CouncilFeasibility Study for an Eco-Centre & Training Nursery - the Common, Rylestone$18,181.82Regional Assistance ProgrammeShire of GannawarraSalt Reclamation Project$115,727.27Regional Assistance ProgrammeShoalhaven City CouncilDemand Study for Upmarket Accommodation and Conference Facilities within the Shoalhaven$38,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeSmall Business Centre New England and North westMoree as Conference Destination$13,300.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeSouth Burnett Local Government AssociationMurgon/Wondai/Kilkivan Economic Development Strategy$20,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeSouth Gippsland Shire CouncilBarry Point Industrial Precinct$100,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeSouthern Grampians ShireBranxholme “Wild” Olives$20,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeSwan Hill Rural City CouncilSwan Hill Summerfruit Industry Development$35,454.55Regional Assistance ProgrammeSweeter Banana Group IncSweeter Banana Group Central Packing Project Plan$25,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeSwinburne University of Technology TAFE DivisionYarra Ranges Food Processing Initiative$33,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeTAFE NSW New England InstituteNational Centre for Innovation$29,900.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeTamworth City CouncilAustralian Equine and Livestock centre$30,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeTea Tree Gully Development Baord IncNorth Eastern Adelaide Home Business Survey$25,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeThe Bendigo TrustBendigo's World Unique Night Tram Experience$25,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeThuringowa City CouncilPre-feasibility Study - Northern Area Interpretive Centre$10,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeTjuwanpa Outstation Resource Centre Aboriginal CorporationEcotourism, Finke Gorge National park and Rodna Land Trust$43,909.09Regional Assistance ProgrammeTown of Port HedlandPort Hedland Public Transport Study$18,400.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeTransition 2010 IncBroken Hill Resort Development Demand Study$15,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeUniversity of NewcastleMajor Information Services Centre$50,000.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeWangarang IndustriesOrganic Gourmet Foods$25,227.27Regional Assistance ProgrammeWugularr Community Government CouncilWugularr Enterprise and Skills Development$46,200.00Regional Assistance ProgrammeYarriambiack Shire CouncilPiping the Wimmera-Mallee Channel System$100,000.00Regional Assistance Programme* GRM International Pty Ltd was engaged in December 2000 for a period of two years, at a cost of $5.9m, to manage, inter alia, the conduct of RTC business planning through a Field Officer Network(FON). The Department does not cost individual RTC Business Planning projects conducted by the FON.Attachment BTable 2 - Programme Status Statistics - 27 September 2002ProgrammeRural Transaction Centres ProgrammeRegional Assistance Programme (RAP) *#Dairy RAP*Regional Solutions ProgrammeNumber of seed funding projects/feasibility studies intitiated since 1 March 199633973325No further action - project terminated and/or found to be not feasible.19100No further action in DoTaRS, the project is being progressed beyond the feasibility stage by other agencies013 ++00 ++Further actions/advice anticipated:*19656 ++324 ++* feasibility studies still underway, or(35)* feasibility complete, application for next stage pending from the applicant, or(12) progress still uncertain, (2) application pendingfeasibility complete -decisions on further progression pending with the Department.(7)Substantive project either approved or completed.124301* RAP and Dairy RAP figures include projects initiated under DEWSRB prior to machinery of Government changes in November 2001 these changes brought these programmes under DoTaRS.# RAP figures are only available from 1 Jul 1999.++ This is the known situation at DoTaRS, noting that it is possible for RSP and RAP sponsored feasibility projects to be progressed by other agencies without the applicant notifying the Department.Table 2 SummaryFrom Table 2, of the 440 business planning and feasibility studies, to date 128 have led to substantive projects, 20 will have no further action taken, 13 are understood to be being progressed by other programmes or agencies and 279 are awaiting completion of the study, or where it is complete, a decision whether to proceed. The situation is one of `work in progress' with a significant proportion of the latter group expected to progress to a substantive project.8714(Question No. 343)3438714Ferguson, Martin, MPMr Martin FergusonLS4BatmanALP00 asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, upon notice, on 14 May 2002:(1) Further to the answer to question No. 106 concerning the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and the services of Mr A. Shand, QC and Mr Harvey in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal matter involving Whyalla Airlines, what was the total sum paid to each lawyer.(2) With respect to the external legal services for each of the last five years for CASA, (a) what sums were paid to each lawyer in each year, (b) who were the lawyers and (c) in which legal proceedings were they involved.8714Anderson, John, MPMr Anderson4K4GwydirNPMinister for Transport and Regional Services10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has advised that:(1) The total paid to Mr Shand and Mr Harvey in relation to the AAT proceedings involving Whyalla was $66,450 exclusive of Goods and Services Tax.(2) The legal costs incurred by CASA during the previous 5 years were incurred in relation to a variety of legal services, such as legal advice on regulatory, commercial, industrial and corporate issues and were not simply for “legal proceedings”. These costs were not paid to particular lawyers (except for individual counsel), but were paid to firms from whom advice and services were requested.In relation to costs incurred for specific legal proceedings, CASA's records indicate that the following amounts were paid in relation to legal proceedings: FirmMatterAmount $Financial Year 1997/1998AGSSaraya v. CASA130.00AGSHevi Lift v. CASA12,843.24AGSRichards Aviation v. CASA508.00Deacons, Graham & JamesMoore v. CASA54,255.88Griffith, JHevi Lift v. CASA9,125.00Henderson, RSouth Pacific Sea Planes v. CASA1,800.00Hilton, JWingz North v. CASA7,800.00Mallesons Stephen JaquesGriffiths v. CASA1,500.00Peek, DBrougham v. CASA18,750.00WG MuddleHevi Lift v. CASA6,800.00Sub Total113,512.12Financial Year 1998/1999Shand, AB (QC)Broadbent v. CASA73,755.45AGSCooke v. CASA956.00AGSBlaxendale v CASA22.00Harvey, IReddish v. CASA3,800.00Harvey, IBroadbent v. CASA48,595.00Sub Total127,128.45Financial Year 1999/2000AGSCooke v. CASA262.60Allanson, JOrd Air Charter v. CASA1,200.00Harvey, IChadwick v. CASA10,425.00Harvey, IBroadbent v. CASA880.00Harvey, IAerotechnology v. CASA2,850.00Harvey, ICain v. CASA1,550.00Mallesons Stephen JaquesRoyal Qld Aero Club v. CASA17,553.15Mallesons Stephen JaquesBroadbent v. CASA8,787.30Mallesons Stephen JaquesPacific Air Freighters v. CASA3,495.00Mallesons Stephen JaquesRepacholi and Snook11,048.20Mallesons Stephen JaquesBroadbent and Pacific Air Freighters&Hogan 18,180.57 Phillips FoxGroup Air Pty Ltd v. CASA1,306.27Phillips FoxAndrews v. CASA1,316.00Phillips FoxBlain v. CASA750.00Stack, D .RAerotechnology v. CASA3,189.00Sub Total82,793.09Financial Year 2000/2001Shand, A and Harvey, IWhyalla v CASA66,450.00Harvey, IOrd Air Charter v. CASA20,850.01Harvey, IGroup Air v. CASA4,265.00Harvey, IOrd Air v CASA 28,981.00Harvey, ISydney Harbor Sea Planes v. CASA13,970.00Harvey, IOrd Air v CASA & Saario v CASA11,730.07Mallesons, Stephen JaquesLea v CASA and Hogan v CASA4,346.36Mallesons Stephen JaquesBroadbent and Pacific Air v CASA13,137.07Mallesons Stephen JaquesBroadbent v CASA8,756.69Mallesons Stephen JaquesJenkins v CASA6,571.50Mallesons Stephen JaquesPacific Air Freighters v CASA19,184.12Mallesons Stephen JaquesRoyal Qld Aero Club v CASA1,354.00Stephenson, JAllan (Jackeroo) v CASA )6,798.00Stephenson, JHogan v CASA160.00Sub Total206,533.82Financial Year 2001/2002Harvey, IConner and Kouznetsov13,220.02Harvey, ISaario v. CASA1000.00Harvey, IBroadbent and Anor880.00Harvey, IOrd Air- Wyndham Aviation v CASA9,420.07Harvey, IVH-SKC Coronial13,350.00Harvey, IHardy Aviation1,575.00Harvey, ISchutt, Flyer Hire and Tapp10,536.00Harvey, ISnook, Rich, Broadbent & CSF618,920.00Harvey, IRich229.55Mallesons Stephen JaquesRoyal Qld Aero Club v CASA1457.72Shields, BAviex CASA4200.00Sub Total74,788.36Total728,135.848716(Question No. 404)4048716Gibbons, Steve, MPMr Gibbons83XBendigoALP00 asked the Treasurer, upon notice, on 27 May 2002:(1) Is it the case that the ATO's current plan, as per a draft GST ruling on prizes, will force radio stations to treat every contest and associated prize as a GST transaction.(2) Is it also the case that all prizes, no matter how low in value, will have to be treated as payment for the services of the listeners and that this will include packets of chips, cans of soft drink, CD's, tickets to concerts and community events, and station promotional materials such as hats, stickers and t-shirts.8716Costello, Peter, MPMr CostelloCT4HigginsLPTreasurer10—The Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:(1)&(2) No. Radio stations will not have to pay GST on goods and services given away freely and unconditionally as part of a promotional activity.8716(Question No. 580)5808716Grierson, Sharon, MPMs Grierson00AMPNewcastleALP00 asked the Treasurer, upon notice, on 24 June 2002:How many people with a disability are employed by the Minister's Department or agencies under the Minister's administration in the electoral division of Newcastle.8716Costello, Peter, MPMr CostelloCT4HigginsLPTreasurer10—The Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:From a recent Australian Taxation Office (ATO) staff census in the Newcastle region there are 11 employees with a disability.The ATO is the only portfolio agency in the electoral division of Newcastle.8716(Question No. 643)6438716Gillard, Julia, MPMs Gillard83LLalorALP00 asked the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:Do Budget papers state that there will be no onshore asylum seeker processing; if so, why is there an ongoing program of beautification at Woomera.8716Ruddock, Philip, MPMr Ruddock0J4BerowraLPMinister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:The 2002-03 Portfolio Budget Statements state that “Based on current estimated arrival numbers and offshore processing capacity, it is expected that no additional unauthorised boat arrivals seeking asylum will be processed on the mainland”. A landscaping program was completed at Woomera IRPC during the Financial Year 2001-02. There is no ongoing program of beautification. 8717(Question No. 649)6498717Gillard, Julia, MPMs Gillard83LLalorALP00 asked the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Who will be detained at the Baxter Immigration Reception and Processing Centre.(2) What are the final figures for the Baxter centre, including both construction costs and projected running costs.8717Ruddock, Philip, MPMr Ruddock0J4BerowraLPMinister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) The Baxter Centre is expected to be used primarily for unauthorised boat arrivals. (2) Projected final construction costs are in the order of $44m. The running costs will depend on the level of utilisation of the facility and the outcome of the current tender process. 8717(Question No. 650)6508717Gillard, Julia, MPMs Gillard83LLalorALP00 asked the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:Were funds provided for the Singleton, Coonawarra and El Alamein Immigration Reception and Processing Centres during the period 1 July 2001 to February 2002, yet there were no detainees at those centres; If so, on what were the funds spent.8717Ruddock, Philip, MPMr Ruddock0J4BerowraLPMinister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:Yes. The funds were used to establish contingency detention facilities for unauthorised boat arrivals as announced by me on 23 August 2001. The main costs relate to fencing, the provision of utilities and the purchase and installation of demountable buildings. 8717(Question No. 651)6518717Gillard, Julia, MPMs Gillard83LLalorALP00 asked the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Does the Budget state that the Government has announced a policy for the offshore reception and processing of unauthorised boat arrivals seeking asylum, either at facilities on Australia's external territories which are excluded from the Migration zone or third countries; if so, why is money being spent on the Baxter Immigration Reception and Processing Centre and why is money scheduled to be spent at Darwin and Brisbane.(2) What was budgeted for the construction of the proposed Brisbane detention centre in budgets prior to the 2002-2003 Budget.(3) What are the costs now budgeted and not disclosed in the 2002-2003 Budget.(4) What, if any, discrepancy is there between the two sets of figures.(5) Can his Department give a commitment that these centres will be used; if so, when.(6) What is the future for Port Hedland.8717Ruddock, Philip, MPMr Ruddock0J4BerowraLPMinister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Yes. I announced the results of a Government review of mainland immigration detention facilities for unauthorised boat arrivals on 11 April 2002, including:· The completion and commissioning of the Baxter Immigration Reception and Processing Centre near Port Augusta;· The closure of the facility at the Curtin RAAF base, which remains available as a contingency centre; · The scaled down operation of the Woomera IRPC;· A preferred site for a purpose-built immigration reception and processing centre in Darwin at the 11 Mile Antennae Farm; and· The establishment of Australia's first permanent purpose designed and built immigration reception and processing facility on Christmas Island. (previously announced).As part of the announcement of the review it was stated that the ongoing need for the development of an Immigration Reception and Processing Centre in Darwin would be revisited after the preferred site at the Department of Defence's 11 Mile Antennae Farm was decommissioned in 2003.The Baxter Immigration Reception and Processing Centre has greater amenity and security and will be more cost effective to run than contingency centres in the more remote areas. The commissioning of the Baxter facility allowed the closure of the Curtin IRPC.The continued development of the Immigration Detention Centre in South East Queensland is required to take account of the need for detention facilities in that part of Australia as part of the Department's ongoing compliance program.(2) No funding was provided for construction. Funding was provided on the basis of private sector development and leasing.(3) Funding provided in the 2002-03 Budget is for the acquisition of land, as reported in the DIMIA 2002-03 Portfolio Budget Statements.(4) None.(5) The Baxter Immigration Reception and Processing Centre has commenced operations. Brisbane will be used as soon as it is completed and commissioned.(6) Port Hedland Immigration Reception and Processing Centre remains part of the strategy for unauthorised boat arrivals.8718(Question No. 654)6548718Gillard, Julia, MPMs Gillard83LLalorALP00 asked the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:What are the industrial relations and human resource arrangements for Australians working on Nauru and Manus Island employed by UNHCR, IOM or any of the companies separately contracted to provide security, cleaning, or catering services. 8718Ruddock, Philip, MPMr Ruddock0J4BerowraLPMinister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:My Department does not employ people other than its own staff on Nauru and Manus. Employees of my Department are Australian Government employees under the Public Service Act and their employment conditions are governed by the provisions of respective Certified Agreements made under the Workplace Relations Act.There are arrangements with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other agencies to provide a range of services on Nauru and Manus, but the arrangements which Australian employees might have with these organisations are subject to the human resource management policies and agreements of their employers. My Department does not have details of employment arrangements and conditions provided by these agencies, but understands, for example, that Australians employed with IOM may fall under a range of different agreements according to international civil service standards for its staff. These agreements also need to conform with the industrial relations and employment legislative frameworks and conventions of the host countries involved.8718(Question No. 657)6578718Gillard, Julia, MPMs Gillard83LLalorALP00 asked the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Does the Migration Act require both the Refugee Review Tribunal and the Migration Review Tribunal to hand down decisions by making such decisions available to his Department and the applicant within two weeks. (2) Are decisions taking longer than two weeks to hand down. (3) What is the average time being taken to hand down decisions. (4) On how many occasions in the last three years have decisions been handed down outside the two week period. (5) What percentage of total decisions have been handed down outside the two week period in the last three years. (6) What is the reason for the delays.8719Ruddock, Philip, MPMr Ruddock0J4BerowraLPMinister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Sections 368B and 430B of the Migration Act 1958 (the Act) require the Migration Review Tribunal (MRT) and the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) respectively to hand down decisions in all cases except where:· the decision is given orally (MRT and RRT);· the decision concerns a person in immigration detention (RRT);· the decision concerns a person in immigration detention because of a decision to cancel or refuse to grant a bridging visa (MRT).Neither the Act nor the Migration Regulations 1994 (the Regulations) require the decision to be handed down within a specified period. However, the Act provides that applicants and the Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) must be given a minimum period of notice of the handing down.· In respect of MRT decisions, s.368A(3) of the Act requires the Tribunal to give the applicant and the Secretary of DIMIA written notice of the day, time and place at which the decision is to be handed down. The period of notice must be at least the prescribed period. The prescribed period for the MRT starts when the Tribunal gives the applicant notice of the day, time and place at which the decision is to be handed down, and ends at the end of 5 working days after the day on which the notice is received; or, if the applicant agrees in writing, at the end of a shorter period that is not less than 1 working day (r.4.27A). If the notice is posted to an address in Australia, the applicant is taken to have received the notice 7 working days after the date of the document (s.379C). · In respect of RRT decisions, s.430A(3) of the Act requires the Tribunal to give the applicant and the Secretary of DIMIA written notice of the day, time and place at which the decision is to be handed down. The period of notice must be at least the prescribed period. The prescribed period for the RRT starts on the day on which the Tribunal gives the applicant the notice of the handing down, and ends at the end of 7 days after the day on which the notice is received (r.4.35E). If the notice is posted, the applicant is taken to have received the notice 7 working days after the date of the document (s.441C). With regard to both the MRT and the RRT, where the applicant or the Secretary of DIMIA are not present at the handing down of the decision, the respective Tribunal must notify the applicant and the Secretary of its decision by giving each a copy of the written statement of the decision within 14 days after the day on which the decision is handed down (ss368B(6) and (7), MRT and ss430B(6) and (7), RRT, refer).(2) to (6) As explained in the answer to part (1), there is no requirement that a decision must be handed down within 2 weeks. For the RRT the average time taken to hand down decisions is 21 days from date of invitation to attend the handing down to the date of the handing down, while for the MRT decisions are handed down between 14 and 17 days after the date of the invitation to attend the handing down.Where the applicant fails to attend the handing down of the decision, which in the RRT context is 79% of cases, and in the MRT context is approximately 69.5% of cases (as set out in the tables below), the written statement of the decision is provided to the applicant by the respective Tribunal within the 14 day period prescribed. · In respect of the RRT, since the introduction of the handing down procedure, 79.4% of applicants have failed to attend the handing down, as set out in the following table. In those cases, the decision was mailed to the applicant within the 14 day statutory period. · In respect of the MRT, since the introduction of the handing down procedure, approximately 69.5% of applicants have failed to attend the handing down, as set out in the following table. In those cases, the decision was mailed to the applicant within the 14 day statutory period. Year% Not attended - RRTYear % Not attended - MRT1998/199967.01999/200079.71999/2000652000/200181.02000/2001702001/200278.32001/2002722002/200377.32002/200371TOTAL79.4TOTAL69.58720(Question No. 663)6638720Murphy, John, MPMr Murphy83DLoweALP00 asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) What are the details of the times, dates and reasons that the 80 air traffic movements an hour cap has been breached at Sydney Airport since the introduction of the cap.(2) What action has been taken with regard to these breaches.(3) Can he guarantee that there will be no further breaches of the cap; if not, why not.8720Anderson, John, MPMr Anderson4K4GwydirNPMinister for Transport and Regional Services10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Under the Sydney Airport Demand Management Act 1997, Airservices Australia is required to report to me on the extent of infringements (if any) of the maximum movement scheduling limit in each quarter. The movement cap reports covering exceedences of the 80 movement per hour cap since its introduction have been tabled in the House on 30 August 2000, 6 December 2000, 27 March 2001, 7 June 2001, 18 September 2001 and 14 March 2002. The reports and the supporting documents include dates, times and reasons for any exceedences of the 80 cap.(2) The Sydney Airport Demand Management Act 1997 does not provide for any action to be taken for breaches of the cap itself. There is a separate regime under the Slot Management Scheme for aircraft that operate without a slot and aircraft that operate outside the allowed time limits that apply to an allocated slot.(3) There can be no guarantee that there will be no further breaches of the cap. The Sydney Airport Slot Management Scheme is a planning mechanism that limits the number of allocated slots to 80. Operational factors such as unforeseen delays can cause aircraft movements to “bunch up” and the aircraft movement may not occur in the hour for which it has a slot but move into the next recording hour. This could mean that the actual number of movements in the next hour may exceed 80, even though the number of allocated slots is still 80 or less.8720(Question No. 667)6678720Murphy, John, MPMr Murphy83DLoweALP00 asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Further to the answer to question No. 401 in which he stated that the effects of the Long Term Operating Plan (LTOP) at Sydney Airport has been to significantly spread noise impacts with a consequent reduction in the overall numbers of properties within the noise contours that form the basis for eligibility for insulation under the Noise Amelioration Programme, what is his justification for that statement.(2) Will he provide data on the number of noise affected households eligible for the Noise Amelioration Programme (a) prior to and (b) after, the introduction of LTOP.(3) How can an increase in the spread over a large area of the Sydney Basin lead to a decrease in the number of properties eligible to participate in the Noise Amelioration Programme.(4) What standard is used to measure noise in the mapping of noise contours to determine eligibility of a property to participate in the Noise Amelioration Programme. (5) What is the scientific basis for the selection of the chosen standard and what are the merits of selecting that standard over the alternative standards available.8721Anderson, John, MPMr Anderson4K4GwydirNPMinister for Transport and Regional Services10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) See answer to question 2.(2) (a) In excess of 4,500 (b) the eligible number is currently just over 4,300.(3) Prior to the introduction of LTOP the burden of aircraft noise was essentially concentrated in areas in line with the parallel north-south runways. The effect of LTOP has been to spread this burden. As a consequence a smaller number of residential properties are subject to the high levels of aircraft noise exposure which would qualify them for insulation under the Noise Amelioration Programme.(4) and (5) The Australian Noise Exposure Forecast System was established following a major socio-acoustic survey undertaken by the National Acoustic Laboratories. The ANEF system is considered more technically correct than other aircraft noise metrics and is therefore regarded as the most appropriate metric to use when determining eligibility for insulation against aircraft noise.8721(Question No. 678)6788721Murphy, John, MPMr Murphy83DLoweALP00 asked the Attorney-General, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Further to his reply to parts (2) and (5) of question No. 403, can he indicate or give examples of how the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) might become aware of a change in the circumstances of the state of health of the former Senator, Dr Malcolm Arthur Colston, which might lead to the DPP reviewing the capacity of Dr Colston to stand trial on the twenty-eight charges of defrauding the Commonwealth through travel rorts; if not, why not.(2) Further to his reply to part (6) of question No. 403 and part (2) of question No. 555, what would need to happen for the DPP to deem it necessary to review the case of Dr Colston.(3) When was the last time the DPP received a medical report concerning the state of health of Dr Colston.(4) What did that report indicate in terms of the state of health of Dr Colston.8721Williams, Daryl, MPMr Williams7V5TangneyLPAttorney-General10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) The DPP has indicated previously that it would, if necessary, review the matter. In July 2002 the DPP initiated a further review of the matter.(2) See (1). (3) 9 February 2001.(4) That Dr Colston was unfit to stand trial.8721(Question No. 683)6838721Windsor, Antony, MPMr Windsor009LPNew EnglandIND00 asked the Attorney-General, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Has he received correspondence and supporting documents from me concerning allegations made by Mr Dennis Brown JP that a Justice of the Family Court and Mr Peter Johnson interfered with a judgement of the Supreme Court of Queensland; if so, will he investigate the allegations.(2) Will he obtain a transcript of the Supreme Court proceedings.(3) Will he consider referring the matter to the Australian Federal Police for investigation when the transcript is obtained.8721Williams, Daryl, MPMr Williams7V5TangneyLPAttorney-General10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) I have received a number of letters from Mr Windsor about allegations made by Mr Dennis Brown, the most recent dated 7 May 2002 to which my office responded.I am advised that Mr Brown's allegations appear to relate to a decision made by the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1976. In September 1999, Mr Windsor was advised that the material that Mr Brown forwarded to my Department in September 1997 was referred to the Australian Federal Police (`AFP') for their consideration of the issues raised by Mr Brown. The AFP decided to take no further action in the matter, noting that contributing factors in the decision were the lack of specific information provided to support Mr Brown's allegations and the length of time since the alleged incident occurred.As Mr Windsor was advised, if Mr Brown has further evidence to support his allegations then my Department could make an assessment as to whether to forward such evidence on to the AFP for their further consideration of Mr Brown's allegations. I am advised by my Department that Mr Brown has not provided any further evidence and that the material supplied by Mr Windsor, with his letter of 7 May 2002, consists of Mr Brown's annotations on a speech given by Chief Justice Gleeson and does not constitute further evidence of Mr Brown's allegations.It is not the role of the Attorney-General to investigate allegations of interference with court proceedings. This is properly the role of the AFP, which has in this instance declined to take the matter further.(2) Any investigation of Mr Brown's allegations would be done on the basis of the evidence provided by Mr Brown. If Mr Brown considers that the transcript of the Supreme Court of Queensland proceedings in which he was involved might be of assistance in an investigation of his allegations, Mr Brown should obtain such a transcript.(3) If Mr Brown is able to provide any further evidence, the material will be assessed by my Department and, if appropriate, forwarded on to the AFP for its consideration of Mr Brown's allegations.8722(Question No. 689)6898722Ferguson, Martin, MPMr Martin FergusonLS4BatmanALP00 asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) In relation to the Sustainable Regions Programme (SRP), who are the members of the committees for all the eight sustainable regions and when were they appointed. (2) What criteria were used to select the committee members.(3) What selection process was undertaken in choosing the committee members.(4) What skills, attributes and experience does each individual committee member bring to these positions. (5) What rules apply to the operations of each committee including (a) how projects are identified, (b) how projects are chosen for funding, (c) how projects are announced, (d) how projects are monitored, (e) how projects are evaluated, (f) how the success of a project will be measured, (g) what protocols apply to committee meetings, (h) how many members of each committee must be in attendance at meetings involving funding allocation decisions and (i) what protocols are in place for replacement of committee members.(6) When will selection of projects for funding in 2002-2003 be undertaken in each of the regions.(7) When will projects for 2002-2003 be announced.(8) Will he provide a copy of the standard contract for these projects(9) What organisations are eligible to apply for SRP funding8722Anderson, John, MPMr Anderson4K4GwydirNPMinister for Transport and Regional Services10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) (a) Members of the eight Sustainable Region Advisory Committees (SRACs) and (b) their date of appointment are listed below:Far North East New South WalesSRAC appointed - 5 October 2001Chair: Mr Geoff Provest.Members: Mr Greg Redmond, Ms Robin Amos, Mr Chris Condon, Ms Lexie Hurford, and Councillor Ernie Bennett.Campbelltown-Camden, New South WalesSRAC appointed - 5 October 2001Mrs Julie O'Keefe appointed - 22 August 2002Chair: Mr Bruce Hanrahan.Members: Mr Ken Tagg, Councillor Geoff Corrigan and Mrs Julie O'Keefe (note Councillor Corrigan resigned from the Advisory Committee on 15 July 2002 and was replaced by Mrs O'Keefe).Gippsland, VictoriaSRAC appointed - 5 October 2001Chair: Mr John Hutchinson.Members: Ms Robyn Cooney and Dr Robert Haldane.Atherton Tablelands, Queensland SRAC appointed - 10 December 2001Chair: Mr Peter McDade.Members: Councillor Mary Lyle, Councillor Anne Portess, Councillor Mick Borzi, Councillor Jim Chapman, and Professor Bob Beeton.Kimberley, Western AustraliaDate committee appointed - 21 December 2001Mr Ian Trust appointed - 3 June 2002Chair: Ms Cori Fong.Members: Councillor Josie Farrer, Councillor Elsia Archer, Councillor Barbara Johnson, Councillor Kevin Fong, Mr Chris Kloss, Mr Ron Johnston, Mr Ian Trust, and Mr Jeff Gooding. North West & West Coast TasmaniaSRAC appointed - 18 February 2002Chair: Mr Roger Jaensch.Members: Mr Russell Paterson, Mr Bob Wilson, Ms Catherine Fernon, Ms Megan Cavanagh-Russell, Mr David Sales, Mr Ross Hine, Ms Judith Liauw, Mrs Mary Binks, and Mr David Reed.Playford/Salisbury, South AustraliaDate committee appointed - 27 March 2002Chair: Mr Peter Smith.Members: Mr Tim Jackson, Mr Stephen Hains, Mr Kym Good, Mr Gerry Davies, and Mr Ron Watts.Wide Bay Burnett, QueenslandSRAC appointed - 4 April 2002Chair: Ms Diana Collins.Members: Mr Robin Grundon, Ms Dot Hamilton, Councillor Ted Sorensen, Mr John Metelli, Mr Stephen Dixon, Mr Howard Leisemann, and Councillor Bill Trevor.(2) Social, business, industry, environmental and cultural leaders and achievers in each sustainable region were selected for SRAC membership based on their knowledge and expertise.(3) Prospective names were sought from the region based on (2) above and then sent to me for consideration.(4) Each committee member was selected for their expertise within the region and the knowledge that they could bring to the role. Members were drawn from local government, local businesses, Area Consultative Committees, Indigenous communities and community organisations. All members are prominent in their region and were selected based on their past effective community involvement.(5) (a) Projects are identified through an Expression of Interest (EoI) phase (which includes placing advertisements in local newspapers) and those that best meet the programme assessment criteria and the region's identified priorities are invited to submit a full application. (b) Each application is rigorously assessed by the SRAC and the Department of Transport and Regional Services against project assessment criteria with proponents needing to demonstrate the project will address one or more of the region's identified priorities. I make the final decision on whether a project receives funding. (c) Successful projects are announced in a variety of ways including launches, media releases and posting on web sites. (d) The Department of Transport and Regional Services and the Executive Officer in each region monitor projects and regularly report back to the SRAC on progress. (e and f) Projects are evaluated and their success measured using the reporting mechanisms in the funding agreement and the overall objectives of the programme. (g) The SRACs are governed by operating protocols published in the SRP guidelines and based on Australian National Audit Office best practice. These are listed below. (h) A quorum is required (see Operating Protocols). (i) Where a committee member resigns and needs to be replaced this is done in accordance with the criteria and processes outlined in (2) and (3) above. OPERATING AND GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE REGIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEESTERMS OF REFERENCESUSTAINABLE REGIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEESThe Sustainable Regions Advisory Committee shall advise the Minister for Transport and Regional Services on matters relating to the implementation and management of the Sustainable Regions Programme and its strategic direction for the region. This will include:· In consultation with the community, determining the priorities of the region; · Managing an EoI exercise; · Providing direction to the Executive Officer; · Assessing grant applications; and · Making recommendations to the Minister on project funding.The Advisory Committee shall be guided by the objectives and priorities of the Sustainable Regions Programme as it relates to the region.· In undertaking the above, the Advisory Committee will; consider and provide advice on proposals, taking into account agreed selection criteria for projects, the programme guidelines and any departmental advice.· Review and advise on programme documentation - such as guidelines and application forms - as required;· Review and advise on programme direction; and· Consider the Commonwealth's accountability requirements. The Commonwealth follows the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) accountability requirements. The ANAO Guidelines for the Administration of Grants are available from the ANAO Website at http://www.anao.gov.au/, under `Publications'.Role of Chairs Sustainable Regions Advisory CommitteesThe duties of the Chair are:1. Lead the SRAC in the process of selecting and recommending projects for funding under the Sustainable Regions Programme, in accordance with the “Terms Of Reference - Sustainable Regions Advisory Committees” and the “Operating Protocols And Code Of Conduct - Sustainable Regions Advisory Committees”. 2. Act as spokesperson for the SRAC to the Minister, the public and the media.3. Participate in the selection of an Executive Officer for the Sustainable Region.4. Provide direction to the Executive Officer in accordance with a workplan agreed by the SRAC and the Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS) and in accordance with the Executive Officer's duties and responsibilities, which are:· managing the Sustainable Regions Programme delivery in the region;· provision of high level professional advice to the Advisory Committee to assist it in objectively assessing funding propositions from the community;· provision of executive support to the Committee, including organising and preparing meetings, planning sessions and correspondence;· initiating and managing partnership arrangements and coordinating activity between the Committee and government agencies, local communities and other organisations; · initiating proposals with local community groups and assisting in the development and preparation of proposals;· advising commercial entities and other regional stakeholders on the development of proposals to go before the Committee; and· undertaking other duties as directed, including acting on behalf of the Committee.5. Approve, in consultation with DOTARS, expenditure by the Executive Officer that is not included in a budget agreed by the SRAC and DOTARS.OPERATING PROTOCOLS AND CODE OF CONDUCT SUSTAINABLE REGIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEESOPERATING PROTOCOLSA majority of members shall form a quorum.The Federal Department of Transport and Regional Services is to be an observer at meetings of the committee. A formal record/minutes must be taken and endorsed at the following meeting. The committee will always try to reach a consensus but where a vote is taken at a meeting the outcome will be determined by the majority of members present. The majority and minority views will be conveyed to the Minister by the Department.The Minister has approved funding for Advisory Committees to appoint an Executive Officer initially for a period of one year. The Executive Officer will assist the Chair and the Committee by:· advising the Committee to assist in objectively analysing and assessing funding applications;· providing administrative assistance and secretariat support to the Committee; · liaising, negotiating and coordinating activity between the Committee and government departments and agencies, local communities, and other organisations; · promoting the Sustainable Regions Programme and assisting local community groups to identify, develop and prepare proposals; and· undertaking other duties at the direction of the Chair, acting on behalf of the Committee.Any official communication with the media should be sanctioned by the Chairman and approved by the Minister's Office.CODE OF CONDUCT1. PrinciplesMembers of the Committee must:1.1 act with impartiality and integrity, conscientiousness and loyalty to the public interest;1.2 ensure that the work of the Committee is not compromised or affected by any direct or indirect pecuniary or non-pecuniary interest;1.3 ensure wherever possible that there is no public perception that the committee's work may be so compromised or affected;1.4 act as an independent adviser rather than an advocate for any stakeholder organisation;1.5 ensure the confidentiality of information dealt with by the Committee;1.6 act in good faith for proper purposes without exceeding their powers; and1.7 be frank and honest in their official dealings with each other.2. Confidentiality2.1 With the exception of material referred to in paragraph 2.2, all information, whether written or not, dealt with by the Committee shall be treated as confidential unless agreed otherwise by a majority of the Committee.2.2 Any member tabling a document may identify it as not being of a confidential nature, and seek the Committee's agreement to that status. However, Committee members should not use such information for purposes unrelated to the Committee's functions. The distribution of such information outside the membership of the Committee may be limited or restricted by agreement of the Committee. 2.3 Information available to members must not be used to obtain any advantage whether direct or indirect, for themselves or for any other person or body.2.4 Confidential information available to members must be used only in ways which are consistent with the obligations of members to act impartially, with integrity and in the public interest.2.5 Where confidential information is provided to a Committee member, care must be taken to ensure that the information is kept in secure storage, and that numbers of copies are kept to the minimum necessary. If such information is to be disposed of by a Committee member, it must be destroyed.2.6 Members should avoid investments or business activities in relation to which they might reasonably be perceived to have access to confidential information which might give them an unfair or improper advantage over other persons.3. Improper or undue influenceCommittee members must take care not to use their position on the Committee to influence any other member of the Committee, or an applicant or potential applicant for assistance under the Sustainable Regions programme for the purpose of obtaining any advantage for themselves, or any other person or body, whether that advantage is direct or indirect.4. Conflicts of interest4.1 For the purpose of this Code of Conduct, conflicts of interest arise when members are influenced, or appear to be influenced, by personal interests in carrying out their duties as members of the Committee.4.2 Conflicts of interest generally fall into one of two categories : pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests.Pecuniary interests4.2.1 Pecuniary interests involve an actual or potential financial gain. A pecuniary interest could be described as an interest that a person has in a matter because of reasonable likelihood or expectation of appreciable financial gain or loss to the person, or another person or body with whom the person is associated.4.3.3 A person is taken to have a pecuniary interest in a matter if either· the person's spouse or de facto partner or relative, or business partner or employer of the person, has a pecuniary interest in the matter, or· the person, or a nominee, partner or employer of the person, is a member of a company or other body that has a pecuniary interest in the matter.4.2.3 A person is not taken to have a pecuniary interest in a matter referred to in paragraph 4.2.2:· if the person is unaware of the relevant pecuniary interest of the spouse, de facto partner, relative or company or other body, or just because the person is a member of, or a delegate of a company or other body that has pecuniary interest in the matter, so long as the person has no beneficial interest in any shares of the company or body.Non-pecuniary interests4.2.4 Non-pecuniary interests do not have a financial component. A non-pecuniary interest generally involves some form of personal advancement or gain for the individual or for others (for example, friends or relatives) in whom they have a personal interest. For example, it would include assisting with the preparation of an application for a member of an organisation.4.3 Disclosures to be made by committee members4.3.1 If:· a member of the Committee has a pecuniary or non-pecuniary interest in a matter being considered or about to be considered at a meeting of the Committee; and· the interest appears to raise a conflict with the proper performance of the member's duties in relation to the consideration of the matter;then the member shall, as soon as possible after the relevant facts have come to the member's knowledge: (a) disclose the nature of the interest to the Chair at a meeting of the Committee; and(b) refrain from voting on the matter.4.4 Action to be taken when interests are declared at committee meetings4.4.1 Any disclosures of interests and the member's consequent refraining from voting on the matter in hand will be recorded in the minutes and, where a majority of the Committee considers it necessary, the disclosure will be reported to the Minister together with any relevant advice on the matter.4.4.2 Where a member discloses a pecuniary or non-pecuniary interest relating to a matter under consideration by the Committee that member may, with the agreement of the Committee, contribute to the Committee's discussion on the matter.5. Use of public resources5.1 The Department of Transport and Regional Services will ensure that financial, material and human resources are provided so that the Committee is able to perform its functions. All these resources should be used for the work of the Committee only, and be used effectively.6. Gifts, gratuities, hospitality6.1 Members must avoid giving any indication that gifts, gratuities or hospitality relating to their membership of the Committee will be accepted, either for themselves or for any other person or body, or that these may influence their advice.6.2 Members may accept only token gifts and modest hospitality. Token gifts are taken to be those valued at around $20 or less. Hospitality is modest when it is not more than the Committee member would provide in return to that person, people or company.6.3 If any gift, gratuity or hospitality of other than a token kind is offered, full and prompt disclosure must be made to the Chair, or the full Committee as appropriate.7. Notification of suspected corrupt conduct7.1 Any matter that is suspected, on reasonable grounds, to concern corrupt conduct should be reported to the Chair or directly to the Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government.(6) and (7) The selection and announcement of projects is a continuous process. Each region is at a different stage and applications are considered regularly at SRAC meetings. Each SRAC recommends projects to me for funding. (8) A copy of the standard contract has been provided to Mr Ferguson.(9) Community groups, the private sector and local government.8727(Question No. 731)7318727Burke, Anna, MPMs Burke83SChisholmALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Does the Minister's Department administer any programs relating to illicit drug use.(2) If so, what has been the level of expenditure on these programs in (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000, (e) 2000-2001 and (f) 2001-2002.(3) In relation to programs which have allowed organisations to apply for funding for the delivery of services or programs, (a) what is the name of each program and (b) what was the level of expenditure in each State in (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000, (e) 2000-2001 and (f) 2001-2002 on each program.(4) In relation to funding under these programs, (a) how many applications were received from within electoral divisions of (i) Chisholm, (ii) Aston, (iii) Deakin, (iv) Latrobe and (v) Casey, (b) what is the name of each organisation that submitted an application, (c) what was the purpose of the funding being sought in each case, (d) what was the value of funding sought in each case and (e) if the application was successful, (i) what level of funding was granted and (ii) in which federal electoral division is the organisation based.(5) In relation to programs that do not provide for organisations to apply for funding, what was the level of expenditure for each program in the electoral divisions of (a) Chisholm, (b) Aston, (c) Deakin, (d) Latrobe and (e) Casey in (i) 1996-97, (ii) 1997-98, (iii) 1998-99, (iv) 1999-2000, (v) 2000-2001 and (vi) 2001-2002. 8728Andrews, Kevin, MPMr AndrewsHK5MenziesLPMinister for Ageing10—The Minister for Health and Ageing has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:(1) Yes. The “Tough on Drugs” National Illicit Drug Strategy (NIDS) which was announced in November 1997 is the major funding program relating to illicit drug use which is administered by the Department. In addition, the Department also administers a range of licit and illicit drug programs under the National Drug Strategy (NDS).(2) It is not possible to provide detailed information on the specific funding provided for activities under the NDS as many of the initiatives cover both licit and illicit drugs and cannot be easily disaggregated. However, under the NIDS, the Department has allocated the following funding: (a) none in 1996-1997; (b) none in 1997-1998; (c) $8.2 million in 1998-1999; (d) $50.38 million in 1999-2000; (e) $59.82 million in 2000-2001 and (f) $59.40 million in 2001-2002.(3) (a) The Non-Government Organisation Treatment Grants Program (NGOTGP), and the Community Partnerships Initiative (CPI).(b) The NGOTGP provides funding to non-government organisations to establish and operate new treatment services and expand or enhance existing treatment services for treating illicit drug problems. The level of expenditure under the NGOTGP to date is: 1998-1999($,000)1999-2000($,000)2000-2001($,000)2001-2002($,000)NSW1,7582,6782,4252,502VIC1,6132,0252,4032,269QLD0.8061,9651,9152,904WA0.6751,3221,4071,544SA0.6390.7200.7770.946TAS0.3820.4540.4810.494NT0.2180.5960.5490.314ACT-0.3430.5470.856The CPI aims to encourage quality practice in community action to prevent illicit drug use and to build on existing activity occurring across Australia. The level of expenditure under the CPI to date is: 1998-1999($,000)1999-2000($,000)2000-2001($,000)2001-2002($,000)NSW0.2570.4060.5590.572VIC0.1650.3700.3700.493QLD0.700.2510.3770.308WA0.540.1420.2070.242SA0.640.2690.2650.275TAS0.670.1230.1450.96NT0.360.1010.1350.95ACT-0.110.240.40There was no expenditure in 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 for these programs as they commenced in 1998-1999.(4) (a) Number of applications received under the NGOTGP and the CPI:NGOTGP - the number of applications received under this program in the following electoral divisions are: (i) six in Chisholm; (ii) seven in Aston; (iii) five in Deakin;(iv) none in Latrobe and (v) five in Casey.CPI - the number of applications received under this program in the following electoral divisions are: (i) one in Chisholm; (ii) five in Aston; (iii) three in Deakin; (iv) one in Latrobe and (v) eight in Casey.Note: Some of the projects are based in the suburb of Ringwood, which provides services to the electorates of Aston, Deakin and Casey. Therefore, applications received from Ringwood have been included under more than one electorate. (b) Attachment A provides the details of the organisations who have received funding under the NGOTGP and the CPI in the identified electorates. Decisions regarding the allocation of funding under both programs were made following an assessment process which included the Australian National Council on Drugs (representing the views of the non-government sector). For confidentiality reasons the Department is not able to provide details of those organisations who applied for funding but were unsuccessful. Approval would need to be sought from these organisations before this information could be provided.(c) to (e) Refer to (b) above.(5) Apart from the NGOTGP and the CPI that have allowed organisations to apply for funding, the bulk of the remaining funding under the NIDS is not allocated to a particular community or communities, and are not situated in a particular electorate(s). For example, the National Illicit Drug Campaign, the Australian Drug Information Network and the Training Frontline Workers Initiative benefit all of Australia.ATTACHMENT ANATIONAL ILLICIT DRUG STRATEGY - NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATION TREATMENT GRANTS PROGRAMSUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS IN ELECTORATES OF CHISHOLM, ASTON, DEAKIN, LATROBE AND CASEYORGANISATIONSUMMARY OF PROJECTFUNDINGMaroondah Social and Community Health Centre(Electorates of Casey, La Trobe and McEwen)To establish a family focussed outreach substance abuse service for young people in the Shire of Yarra Ranges.$593,000 (over four years)2. Knox Community Health Centre(Electorate of Aston)To provide an accessible, quality drug counselling service to the target group within an integrated, collaborative community health team.$231,200 (over four years)NATIONAL ILLICIT DRUG STRATEGY - COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS INITIATIVESUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS IN ELECTORATES OF CHISHOLM, ASTON, DEAKIN, LATROBE AND CASEYORGANISATIONSUMMARY OF PROJECTFUNDING1. Maroondah Social and Community Health Centre(Electorates of Casey, La Trobe and McEwen)The “Peers for Prevention: A Demonstration” project informs parents and young people about illicit drug use and enhances parents' skills and strategies in dealing with illicit drug use to create a network of shared knowledge between young people, their parents and the broader community; and to provide a resource for use by parent/youth groups in other settings.$64,800 (over two years)2. Knox Community Health Service Inc(Electorate of Aston)The “Community Owned Drug Education” project developed a network of informal drug educators in the Knox municipality; provided formal and informal primary prevention information to parents of young people; and promoted healthy lifestyle messages to young people through drug free youth events. The project also developed a train the trainer program and conducted parent and community drug information/education sessions.$73,920 (over two years)3. Ranges Community Health Service(Electorate of Casey, La Trobe and McEwen)The “Choose Life Program” employed a community development worker to assess, plan, implement and evaluate a series of primary prevention activities centring around decision making and choices regarding young people and drug use within their social and developmental framework. Activities included educating and informing young people and the community on the risks associated with drug use, focus groups, and developing linkages with schools in the region.$72,541 (over two years)4. Ranges Community Health Service(Electorate of Casey, La Trobe and McEwen)The “CAR 26” project aims to prevent and/or reduce the uptake of illicit alcohol and other drug use by young males between the ages of 14-26 years living in the Shire of Yarra Ranges, and address road safety issues amongst this target group. In 2000 the Shire of Yarra Ranges recorded the highest road death toll in Victoria. A significant number of the deaths involved young males, and illicit drug use was a contributing factor in some of the deaths.$80,000 (over two years) Knox Community Health Service Inc(Electorate of Aston)The “SMART” (Skills, Mentoring and Resilience Training) project aims to build resilience and achieve cognitive change in the world view of young people aged between 10 and 17 years by employing a multi-strategic approach to the problems of illicit drugs. $76,812 (over two years)8730(Question No. 734)7348730Burke, Anna, MPMs Burke83SChisholmALP00 asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Does the Minister administer any Commonwealth funded programs for which community organisations or businesses can apply for funding.(2) If so, what are these programs.(3) Does the Ministers Department advertise these funding opportunities.(4) In the electoral divisions of (a) Chisholm, (b) Aston, (c) Deakin, (d) Latrobe and (e) Casey in (i) 1996-97, (ii) 1997-98, (iii) 1998-99, (iv) 1999-2000, (v) 2000-2001 and (vi) 2001-2002, for each of the programs listed in part (2), (A) what was the name and postal address of each organisation that sought funding from the Commonwealth, (B) what was the purpose of the funding sought in each case and (C) for successful applications, what was the level of funding provided.8730Anderson, John, MPMr Anderson4K4GwydirNPMinister for Transport and Regional Services10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Yes(2) The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) Road Safety Research Grant SchemeThese grants are offered as a means to:· promote innovative worthwhile research into road safety; and· broaden the base of effective road safety researchers by encouraging established scientists, recent postgraduates, and commercial and community-based organisations to undertake research in the road safety field. Applications are invited from Australasian academic research institutions and Australasian commercial or community-based organisations. The research can be into any aspect of road safety. The maximum duration of a project is twelve months, and the maximum grant available is $25,000.Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme (TFES) The Scheme assists in alleviating the comparative interstate freight cost disadvantage incurred by the shippers of eligible non-bulk goods carried between Tasmania and the mainland. The objective of the Scheme is to provide Tasmanian industries with equal opportunities to compete in mainland markets, recognising that, unlike their mainland counterparts, Tasmanian shippers do not have the option of transporting goods interstate by road or rail. Some 1450 shippers, ranging from small sole proprietor businesses to large companies benefit from the Scheme.Payment Scheme for Airservices Australia Enroute Charges The Department manages delivery of a 3.5 year programme, commencing 1 January 2002, to subsidise Airservices Australia enroute air traffic control charges incurred by around 30 small regular public transport airlines, and those providing aero-medical services.Rapid Route Recovery SchemeThe Rapid Route Recovery Scheme was developed to provide short-term transitional support to restore air services to communities affected by the collapse of the Ansett Group.Sustainable Regions ProgrammeThe Sustainable Regions Programme provides assistance in the following eight regions: the Atherton Tablelands, Wide Bay Burnett (Qld), Far North East New South Wales, Campbelltown-Camden (NSW), Gippsland (Vic), North West & West Coast (Tas), Playford/Salisbury (SA) and Kimberley (WA) regions.Structural Adjustment ProgrammeStructural adjustment programmes include:Special Structural Adjustment Package for the South-West Forests Region of Western Australia: http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/adjustment/sw_forests/index.htm The Newcastle Structural Adjustment Fund: http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/adjustment/newcastle/index.htm A new package of assistance for the Namoi Valley was announced on 9 September 2002. Details of the Namoi Valley Structural Adjustment Package are at: http://www.ministers.dotars.gov.au/ja/releases/2002/september/A114b_2002.htm Regional Solutions ProgrammeFunding is available for projects by regional non-profit groups with strong support from their community or region. Local government bodies are also eligible to apply. Regional Access ProgrammeThe Regional Assistance Programme (RAP) provides seed funding for community based projects from `not for profit' organisations.Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeThe Rural Transaction (RTC) Programme ensures access for rural, regional and remote Australians to basic services that have been withdrawn from, or never existed in, small rural towns. Dairy Regional Assistance Programme (Dairy RAP)Dairy RAP assists communities that have been impacted upon by the deregulation of the dairy industry by facilitating long term employment and support for services that will lead to on-going economic and social benefits.(3) YesThe ATSB Road Safety Research Grant SchemeThe ATSB Road Safety Research grant scheme for 2002 was advertised in the Financial Review and Weekend Australian.Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme (TFES)These include: Centrelink has information stalls at the annual Tasmanian Agfest with information on TFES and Bass Strait Passenger Vehicle Equalisation Scheme; on the Centrelink and DOTARS websites; in the `Tasmanian Business Reporter' newspaper; advertised TFES in The Australian last year; and in the Commonwealth Regional Information Book.Payment Scheme for Airservices Australia Enroute ChargesAirservices Australia Enroute Charges was advertised in 11 major newspapers around Australia as well as on the DOTARS website.Rapid Route Recovery Scheme. NoSustainable Regions ProgrammePromoted on the DoTARS Web site http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/sustainable_regions/index.htm http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/sustainable_regions/index.htm. Funding rounds are advertised in relevant newspapers, local advisory committees and stakeholders are consulted as part of this process.Structural Adjustment ProgrammePromoted on the DoTARS Web site http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/adjustment/index.htm and funding rounds are advertised in relevant newspapers, local advisory committees and stakeholders are consulted as part of this process.Regional Solutions ProgrammeThe Regional Solutions Programme is advertised in national newspapers and electronically on the DoTARS website, http://www.dotars.gov.au and http://www.regionalsolutions.gov.au as well as through the Commonwealth Government grants website, http://www.grantslink.gov.au The programme is also promoted through the Commonwealth Regional Information Service.Regional Access ProgrammeThe Regional Assistance Programme (RAP) is promoted through the Area Consultative Committee (ACC) network. In consultation with their communities ACCs help identify local opportunities, priorities and development strategies for their regions. ACC's use various media outlets to inform communities about accessing RAP funding. The RAP is promoted through the DOTARS regional website http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/rap/index.htm and the ACC website http://www.acc.gov.au as well as the Commonwealth Regional Information Service http://www.regionalaustralia.gov.au/index.cfm and Grantslink http://www.grantslink.gov.au locations.Rural Transaction Centres (RTC) ProgrammeThe RTC Secretariat can be contacted at 1800 038 160 (freecall), the RTC website at www.dotars.gov.au/rtc and Grantslink http://www.dotars.gov.au/grantslink locations.Dairy Regional Assistance ProgrammeDairy RAP is promoted through Departmental Web pages http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/drap/index.htm, Grantslink http://www.grantslink.gov.au and Area Consultative Committees promote the Programme on behalf of the Department through Dairy Regional Assistance Programme facilitators.(4) I am not prepared to authorise the expenditure of resources and effort that would be involved in breaking down the information sought into the electoral divisions requested.8732(Question No. 745)7458732Burke, Anna, MPMs Burke83SChisholmALP00 asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Does the Minister administer any Commonwealth funded programs for which community organisations or businesses can apply for funding.(2) If so, what are these programs.(3) Does the Minister's Department advertise these funding opportunities.(4) In the electoral divisions of (a) Chisholm, (b) Aston, (c) Deakin, (d) Latrobe and (e) Casey in (i) 1996-97, (ii) 1997-98, (iii) 1998-99, (iv) 1999-2000, (v) 2000-2001 and (vi) 2001-2002, for each of the programs listed in part (2), (A) what was the name and postal address of each organisation that sought funding from the Commonwealth, (B) what was the purpose of the funding sought in each case and (C) for successful applications, what was the level of funding provided.8732Truss, Warren, MPMr TrussGT4Wide BayNPMinister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Yes Question 2Question 3National Feral Animal Control ProgramThe National Feral Animal Control Program (NFACP) has been established under the Federal Government's Natural Heritage Trust to develop and implement, in cooperation with State, Territory and Local Governments, a program to reduce the damage to agriculture and the environment caused by pest animals. The NFACP is jointly administered by the Bureau of Rural Sciences and the Biodiversity Group of Environment Australia.Yes.Natural Heritage TrustNational Landcare Program;National Rivercare Program;Murray-Darling 2001 Program;Fisheries Action Program ;Farm Forestry Program;Australian Government Envirofund.The Federal Government's $2.5 billion Natural Heritage Trust is Australia's largest ever environmental rescue package. The Trust was set up in 1996 to help conserve and sustain Australia's environment and natural resources. In the first six years of the Trust, funding was delivered through a range of programs addressing issues relating to land, vegetation, rivers, biodiversity and coasts and seas.In the 2001 Federal Budget, the Government announced an extra $1 billion for the Trust, extending the funding for five more years from 2002-03 to 2006-07. Under revised arrangements for the extension of the Trust, individuals and community groups can undertake small projects aimed at conserving biodiversity and sustainable resource use by applying for funding through the Australian Government Envirofund.Yes.National Action Plan for Salinity and Water QualityIndividuals or businesses are not eligible to apply directly to the Commonwealth for funding under the National Action Plan, funding is available to community-based regional bodies identified in bilateral agreements between the Commonwealth and each state and territory in which such agreements have been signed. Individuals and businesses would access funding through activities agreed to by governments in regional investment plans.No. As funding is limited to the regional bodies identified under bilateral agreements between the Commonwealth and states and territories, availability of funding is communicated directly with these bodies on a state-by-state basis.Environmental Management Systems Incentives ProgramCommenced on 1 July 2002 and is available to all eligible primary producers.Yes.Great Artesian Basin Sustainability InitiativeA $31.8M investment by the Commonwealth over 5 years (July 1999 to June 2004). Together with state investments, the Initiative provides technical assistance and financial incentives to eligible owners of uncontrollable pastoral bores in the Great Artesian Basin. Assistance is available to repair bores and/or replace open earthen bore drains with piped stock water reticulation systems in the interests of reducing the total outflows from the Basin and partial recovery of artesian pressures in priority areas.No. This is done by the responsible state agency.Fisheries Resources Research FundThe Fisheries Resources Research Fund supports an agreed programme of independent assessment of Commonwealth fisheries management performance, as well as the development of new and improved policies for fisheries management in accordance with the specific policy streams of Fishing Industry Development and Resources Sustainability.Yes.The Forest Industry Structural Adjustment Program (FISAP)Funded jointly with the NSW, Victorian and WA Governments and solely in Queensland. Also the Eden Region Adjustment Package.Yes.New Industries Development ProgramThe objective of the New Industries Development Program is to accelerate efforts to assist Australian agribusiness improve its capacity to efficiently and successfully develop new, innovative, high value products, services and technologies that will generate additional medium term commercial outcomes for the benefit of Australia.Yes.Dairy Regional Assistance ProgramDairy Regional Assistance Program is designed to assist communities that have been impacted upon by the deregulation of the diary industry. The program facilitates long term employment by supplementing business investment and provides support for services that will lead to on-going economic and social benefits for regions affected by dairy deregulation. The Department of Transport and Regional Services receives funding and is responsible for managing this program. DOTARS reports directly to Minister Truss.No. The Department of Transport and Regional Services is responsible for managing all aspects of the program.Australia China Agriculture Cooperation AgreementThe Australia —China Agricultural Cooperation Agreement (ACACA) provides funding for agricultural oriented exchange projects between Australia and China. It promotes agricultural cooperation between the two countries on the basis of mutual benefit and reciprocity.The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Australia (AFFA) and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) jointly fund and administer the Agreement.Yes.AAA-Farm Innovation ProgramAAA- Farm Innovation Program provides grants to eligible Australian farming, food, fishing and forestry businesses to adopt and demonstrate innovative practices, processes, products and technologies. All four rounds of this pilot program have now been successfully completed.Yes.Farmbis AustraliaThe FarmBis Australia program is administered by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Australia. Industry organisations and companies can apply for funding under the program to develop new and innovative training and education projects to enhance the business management skills of Australia's agricultural industries.Yes.Rural Financial Counselling ProgramThe AAA-Rural Financial Counselling Service provides funding to assist community groups who wish to provide financial counselling services to help primary producers, fishing enterprises and small rural businesses in rural areas who are experiencing financial hardship and have no source of financial advice. The program also incorporates new funding for short-term financial counselling projects to target specific regional or industry adjustment issues, either in conjunction with an existing community-based service or as a separate project instigated by an industry group or region. Yes.Young People's Rural Networks GrantsA grants program open to any not for profit community organisation that has 18-35 year olds who work in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, food, natural resource management or related industries as its members.Yes.(4) I am not prepared to authorise the expenditure of resources and effort that would be involved in breaking down the information sought into the electoral divisions requested.8734(Question No. 748)7488734Burke, Anna, MPMs Burke83SChisholmALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing and the Minister for Ageing, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Does the Minister administer any Commonwealth funded programs for which community organisations or businesses can apply for funding. (2) If so, what are these programs.(3) Does the Minister's Department advertise these funding opportunities.(4) In the electoral divisions of (a) Chisholm, (b) Aston, (c) Deakin, (d) Latrobe and (e) Casey in (i) 1996-1997, (ii) 1997-98 (iii) 1998-99, (iv) 1999-2000, (v) 2000-2001 and (vi) 2001-2002, for each of the programs listed in part (2), (A) what was the name of postal address of each organisation that sought funding from the Commonwealth, (B) what was the purpose of the funding sought in each case and (C) for successful applications, what was the level of funding provided.8735Andrews, Kevin, MPMr AndrewsHK5MenziesLPMinister for Ageing10—The Minister for Health and Ageing has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question on behalf of both the Minister for Health and Ageing and the Minister for Ageing:(1) Yes (2) Funded programs are:- Community Sector Support Scheme- Research funding provided under the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 (Section 11A)- The National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP) formerly known as the Residential Aged Care Advocacy -Services Program- Aged Care Workers Budget Initiative- The Bush Nursing, Small Community and Regional Private Hospital Program- The Asthma 3+ Community Support and Community Grants Program 2002- National Child Nutrition Program- Non-Government Organisation Treatment Grants Program (NGOTGP)- Community Partnerships Initiative (CPI)- 1999-2003 Diversion Program, including national education initiatives relating to needle and syringe programs- 1999-2000 Hepatitis C Education and Prevention Budget Initiative- Rural Chronic Disease Initiative- Strengthening the Evidence Base- Aged Care Innovative Pool- Aged Care Approvals Program (conducted under Division 13 of the Aged Care Act, 1997)- Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care -Strategy, 1994- Community Aged Care Package Program- Extended Aged Care at Home Program- The National Respite for Carers Program- The National Continence Management Strategy Innovative Grants Program- Quality Use of Medicines Evaluation Program- After Hours Primary Medical Care Grants Development Program- National Suicide Prevention Strategy- National Palliative Care Program- The Regional Health Services Program (RHSP)- The Multipurpose Services (MPS) Program- The Rural Health Support Education & Training (RHSET) Program(3) Yes. (Some funding programs are advertised, however, it is dependent on the guidelines/criteria for each individual funding program. In addition, some programs are fully subscribed and therefore advertising is not necessary.)(4) I am not prepared to authorise the expenditure of resources and effort that would be involved in breaking down the information sought into the electoral divisions requested.8736(Question No. 751)7518736Burke, Anna, MPMs Burke83SChisholmALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Forestry and Conservation, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Does the Minister administer any Commonwealth funded programs for which community organisations or businesses can apply for funding.(2) If so, what are these programs.(3) Does the Minister's Department advertise these funding opportunities.(4) In the electoral divisions of (a) Chisholm, (b) Aston, (c) Deakin, (d) Latrobe and (e) Casey in (i) 1996-97, (ii) 1997-98, (iii) 1998-99, (iv) 1999-2000, (v) 2000-2001 and (vi) 2001-2002, for each of the programs listed in part (2), (A) what was the name and postal address of each organisation that sought funding from the Commonwealth, (B) what was the purpose of the funding sought in each case and (C) for successful applications, what was the level of funding provided.8736Truss, Warren, MPMr TrussGT4Wide BayNPMinister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry10—The Minister for Forestry and Conservation has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:(1)Yes Question 2Question 3National Feral Animal Control ProgramThe National Feral Animal Control Program (NFACP) has been established under the Federal Government's Natural Heritage Trust to develop and implement, in cooperation with State, Territory and Local Governments, a program to reduce the damage to agriculture and the environment caused by pest animals. The NFACP is jointly administered by the Bureau of Rural Sciences and the Biodiversity Group of Environment Australia.Yes.Natural Heritage TrustNational Landcare Program;National Rivercare Program;Murray-Darling 2001 Program;Fisheries Action Program ;Farm Forestry Program;Australian Government Envirofund.The Federal Government's $2.5 billion Natural Heritage Trust is Australia's largest ever environmental rescue package. The Trust was set up in 1996 to help conserve and sustain Australia's environment and natural resources. In the first six years of the Trust, funding was delivered through a range of programs addressing issues relating to land, vegetation, rivers, biodiversity and coasts and seas.In the 2001 Federal Budget, the Government announced an extra $1 billion for the Trust, extending the funding for five more years from 2002-03 to 2006-07. Under revised arrangements for the extension of the Trust, individuals and community groups can undertake small projects aimed at conserving biodiversity and sustainable resource use by applying for funding through the Australian Government Envirofund.Yes.National Action Plan for Salinity and Water QualityIndividuals or businesses are not eligible to apply directly to the Commonwealth for funding under the National Action Plan, funding is available to community-based regional bodies identified in bilateral agreements between the Commonwealth and each state and territory in which such agreements have been signed. Individuals and businesses would access funding through activities agreed to by governments in regional investment plans.No. As funding is limited to the regional bodies identified under bilateral agreements between the Commonwealth and states and territories, availability of funding is communicated directly with these bodies on a state-by-state basis.Environmental Management Systems Incentives ProgramCommenced on 1 July 2002 and is available to all eligible primary producers.Yes.Great Artesian Basin Sustainability InitiativeA $31.8M investment by the Commonwealth over 5 years (July 1999 to June 2004). Together with state investments, the Initiative provides technical assistance and financial incentives to eligible owners of uncontrollable pastoral bores in the Great Artesian Basin. Assistance is available to repair bores and/or replace open earthen bore drains with piped stock water reticulation systems in the interests of reducing the total outflows from the Basin and partial recovery of artesian pressures in priority areas.No. This is done by the responsible state agency.Fisheries Resources Research FundThe Fisheries Resources Research Fund supports an agreed programme of independent assessment of Commonwealth fisheries management performance, as well as the development of new and improved policies for fisheries management in accordance with the specific policy streams of Fishing Industry Development and Resources Sustainability.Yes.The Forest Industry Structural Adjustment Program (FISAP)Funded jointly with the NSW, Victorian and WA Governments and solely in Queensland. Also the Eden Region Adjustment Package.Yes.New Industries Development ProgramThe objective of the New Industries Development Program is to accelerate efforts to assist Australian agribusiness improve its capacity to efficiently and successfully develop new, innovative, high value products, services and technologies that will generate additional medium term commercial outcomes for the benefit of Australia.Yes.Dairy Regional Assistance ProgramDairy Regional Assistance Program is designed to assist communities that have been impacted upon by the deregulation of the diary industry. The program facilitates long term employment by supplementing business investment and provides support for services that will lead to on-going economic and social benefits for regions affected by dairy deregulation. The Department of Transport and Regional Services receives funding and is responsible for managing this program. DOTARS reports directly to Minister Truss.No. The Department of Transport and Regional Services is responsible for managing all aspects of the program.Australia China Agriculture Cooperation AgreementThe Australia —China Agricultural Cooperation Agreement (ACACA) provides funding for agricultural oriented exchange projects between Australia and China. It promotes agricultural cooperation between the two countries on the basis of mutual benefit and reciprocity.The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Australia (AFFA) and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) jointly fund and administer the Agreement.Yes.AAA-Farm Innovation ProgramAAA- Farm Innovation Program provides grants to eligible Australian farming, food, fishing and forestry businesses to adopt and demonstrate innovative practices, processes, products and technologies. All four rounds of this pilot program have now been successfully completed.Yes.Farmbis AustraliaThe FarmBis Australia program is administered by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Australia. Industry organisations and companies can apply for funding under the program to develop new and innovative training and education projects to enhance the business management skills of Australia's agricultural industries.Yes.Rural Financial Counselling ProgramThe AAA-Rural Financial Counselling Service provides funding to assist community groups who wish to provide financial counselling services to help primary producers, fishing enterprises and small rural businesses in rural areas who are experiencing financial hardship and have no source of financial advice. The program also incorporates new funding for short-term financial counselling projects to target specific regional or industry adjustment issues, either in conjunction with an existing community-based service or as a separate project instigated by an industry group or region. Yes.Young People's Rural Networks GrantsA grants program open to any not for profit community organisation that has 18-35 year olds who work in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, food, natural resource management or related industries as its members.Yes.(4) I am not prepared to authorise the expenditure of resources and effort that would be involved in breaking down the information sought into the electoral divisions requested.8738(Question No. 755)7558738Burke, Anna, MPMs Burke83SChisholmALP00 asked the Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Does the Minister administer any Commonwealth funded programs for which community organisations or businesses can apply for funding.(2) If so, what are these programs.(3) Does the Ministers Department advertise these funding opportunities.(4) In the electoral divisions of (a) Chisholm, (b) Aston, (c) Deakin, (d) Latrobe and (e) Casey in (i) 1996-97, (ii) 1997-98, (iii) 1998-99, (iv) 1999-2000, (v) 2000-2001 and (vi) 2001-2002, for each of the programs listed in part (2), (A) what was the name and postal address of each organisation that sought funding from the Commonwealth, (B) what was the purpose of the funding sought in each case and (C) for successful applications, what was the level of funding provided.8738Tuckey, Wilson, MPMr TuckeySJ4O'ConnorLPMinister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Yes(2) The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) Road Safety Research Grant SchemeThese grants are offered as a means to:· promote innovative worthwhile research into road safety; and· broaden the base of effective road safety researchers by encouraging established scientists, recent postgraduates, and commercial and community-based organisations to undertake research in the road safety field. Applications are invited from Australasian academic research institutions and Australasian commercial or community-based organisations. The research can be into any aspect of road safety. The maximum duration of a project is twelve months, and the maximum grant available is $25,000.Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme (TFES) The Scheme assists in alleviating the comparative interstate freight cost disadvantage incurred by the shippers of eligible non-bulk goods carried between Tasmania and the mainland. The objective of the Scheme is to provide Tasmanian industries with equal opportunities to compete in mainland markets, recognising that, unlike their mainland counterparts, Tasmanian shippers do not have the option of transporting goods interstate by road or rail. Some 1450 shippers, ranging from small sole proprietor businesses to large companies benefit from the Scheme.Payment Scheme for Airservices Australia Enroute Charges The Department manages delivery of a 3.5 year programme, commencing 1 January 2002, to subsidise Airservices Australia enroute air traffic control charges incurred by around 30 small regular public transport airlines, and those providing aero-medical services.Rapid Route Recovery SchemeThe Rapid Route Recovery Scheme was developed to provide short-term transitional support to restore air services to communities affected by the collapse of the Ansett Group.Sustainable Regions ProgrammeThe Sustainable Regions Programme provides assistance in the following eight regions: the Atherton Tablelands, Wide Bay Burnett (Qld), Far North East New South Wales, Campbelltown-Camden (NSW), Gippsland (Vic), North West & West Coast (Tas), Playford/Salisbury (SA) and Kimberley (WA) regions.Structural Adjustment ProgrammeStructural adjustment programmes include:Special Structural Adjustment Package for the South-West Forests Region of Western Australia: http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/adjustment/sw_forests/index.htm The Newcastle Structural Adjustment Fund: http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/adjustment/newcastle/index.htm A new package of assistance for the Namoi Valley was announced on 9 September 2002. Details of the Namoi Valley Structural Adjustment Package are at: http://www.ministers.dotars.gov.au/ja/releases/2002/september/A114b_2002.htm Regional Solutions ProgrammeFunding is available for projects by regional non-profit groups with strong support from their community or region. Local government bodies are also eligible to apply. Regional Access ProgrammeThe Regional Assistance Programme (RAP) provides seed funding for community based projects from `not for profit' organisations.Rural Transaction Centres ProgrammeThe Rural Transaction (RTC) Programme ensures access for rural, regional and remote Australians to basic services that have been withdrawn from, or never existed in, small rural towns. Dairy Regional Assistance Programme (Dairy RAP)Dairy RAP assists communities that have been impacted upon by the deregulation of the dairy industry by facilitating long term employment and support for services that will lead to on-going economic and social benefits.(3) YesThe ATSB Road Safety Research Grant SchemeThe ATSB Road Safety Research grant scheme for 2002 was advertised in the Financial Review and Weekend Australian.Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme (TFES)These include: Centrelink has information stalls at the annual Tasmanian Agfest with information on TFES and Bass Strait Passenger Vehicle Equalisation Scheme; on the Centrelink and DOTARS websites; in the `Tasmanian Business Reporter' newspaper; advertised TFES in The Australian last year; and in the Commonwealth Regional Information Book.Payment Scheme for Airservices Australia Enroute ChargesAirservices Australia Enroute Charges was advertised in 11 major newspapers around Australia as well as on the DOTARS website.Rapid Route Recovery Scheme. NoSustainable Regions ProgrammePromoted on the DoTARS Web site http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/sustainable_regions/index.htm http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/sustainable_regions/index.htm. Funding rounds are advertised in relevant newspapers, local advisory committees and stakeholders are consulted as part of this process.Structural Adjustment ProgrammePromoted on the DoTARS Web site http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/adjustment/index.htm and funding rounds are advertised in relevant newspapers, local advisory committees and stakeholders are consulted as part of this process.Regional Solutions ProgrammeThe Regional Solutions Programme is advertised in national newspapers and electronically on the DoTARS website, http://www.dotars.gov.au and http://www.regionalsolutions.gov.au as well as through the Commonwealth Government grants website, http://www.grantslink.gov.au The programme is also promoted through the Commonwealth Regional Information Service.Regional Access ProgrammeThe Regional Assistance Programme (RAP) is promoted through the Area Consultative Committee (ACC) network. In consultation with their communities ACCs help identify local opportunities, priorities and development strategies for their regions. ACC's use various media outlets to inform communities about accessing RAP funding. The RAP is promoted through the DOTARS regional website http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/rap/index.htm and the ACC website http://www.acc.gov.au as well as the Commonwealth Regional Information Service http://www.regionalaustralia.gov.au/index.cfm and Grantslink http://www.grantslink.gov.au locations.Rural Transaction Centres (RTC) ProgrammeThe RTC Secretariat can be contacted at 1800 038 160 (freecall), the RTC website at www.dotars.gov.au/rtc and Grantslink http://www.dotars.gov.au/grantslink locations.Dairy Regional Assistance ProgrammeDairy RAP is promoted through Departmental Web pages http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/drap/index.htm, Grantslink http://www.grantslink.gov.au and Area Consultative Committees promote the Programme on behalf of the Department through Dairy Regional Assistance Programme facilitators.(4) I am not prepared to authorise the expenditure of resources and effort that would be involved in breaking down the information sought into the electoral divisions requested.8740(Question No. 761)7618740Burke, Anna, MPMs Burke83SChisholmALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing and the Minister for Ageing, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Does the Minister administer any Commonwealth funded programs for which community organisations or businesses can apply for funding.(2) If so, what are these programs.(3) Does the Minister's Department advertise these funding opportunities.(4) In the electoral divisions of (a) Chisholm, (b) Aston, (c) Deakin, (d) Latrobe and (e) Casey in (i) 1996-1997, (ii) 1997-98 (iii) 1998-99, (iv) 1999-2000, (v) 2000-2001 and (vi) 2001-2002, for each of the programs listed in part (2), (A) what was the name of postal address of each organisation that sought funding from the Commonwealth, (B) what was the purpose of the funding sought in each case and (C) for successful applications, what was the level of funding provided.8740Andrews, Kevin, MPMr AndrewsHK5MenziesLPMinister for Ageing10—The Minister for Health and Ageing has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question on behalf of both the Minister for Health and Ageing and the Minister for Ageing:(1) Yes (2) Funded programs are:- Community Sector Support Scheme- Research funding provided under the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 (Section 11A)- The National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP) formerly known as the Residential Aged Care Advocacy -Services Program- Aged Care Workers Budget Initiative - The Bush Nursing, Small Community and Regional Private Hospital Program- The Asthma 3+ Community Support and Community Grants Program 2002- National Child Nutrition Program- Non-Government Organisation Treatment Grants Program (NGOTGP)- Community Partnerships Initiative (CPI)- 1999-2003 Diversion Program, including national education initiatives relating to needle and syringe programs- 1999-2000 Hepatitis C Education and Prevention Budget Initiative- Rural Chronic Disease Initiative- Strengthening the Evidence Base- Aged Care Innovative Pool- Aged Care Approvals Program (conducted under Division 13 of the Aged Care Act, 1997)- Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care -Strategy, 1994- Community Aged Care Package Program- Extended Aged Care at Home Program- The National Respite for Carers Program- The National Continence Management Strategy Innovative Grants Program- Quality Use of Medicines Evaluation Program- After Hours Primary Medical Care Grants Development Program- National Suicide Prevention Strategy- National Palliative Care Program- The Regional Health Services Program (RHSP)- The Multipurpose Services (MPS) Program- The Rural Health Support Education & Training (RHSET) Program(3) Yes. (Some funding programs are advertised, however, it is dependent on the guidelines/criteria for each individual funding program. In addition, some programs are fully subscribed and therefore advertising is not necessary.)(4) I am not prepared to authorise the expenditure of resources and effort that would be involved in breaking down the information sought into the electoral divisions requested.8741(Question No. 764)7648741Gibbons, Steve, MPMr Gibbons83XBendigoALP00 asked the Prime Minister, upon notice, on 19 August 2002:(1) Has any embryonic stem cell research been carried out in Australia prior to the Research Involving Embryos and Prohibition of Human Cloning Bill 2002 being passed.(2) Has any funding been granted for the establishment of a centre for the purpose of carrying out research on embryonic stem cells; if so, what sum has been granted.8741Howard, John, MPMr HowardZD4BennelongLPPrime Minister10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Yes. The Council of Australian Governments agreed that research with existing cell lines will be permitted to continue in Australia subject to observance of conditions set by the National Health and Medical Research Council. The Research Involving Embryos Bill 2002 will regulate the use of excess assisted reproductive technology (ART) embryos for the derivation of new embryonic stem cell lines.(2) I am advised that there has not been any funding provided for the establishment of a centre specifically for purpose of carrying out research on embryonic stem cells. However, two grants have been made or offered for the establishment of centres to undertake research on a range of different types of stem cells as well as research into tissue engineering more broadly. The Biotechnology Centre of Excellence grant of $43.6 million, awarded to the National Stem Cell Centre, is for research on animal and adult stem cells as well as embryonic stem cells. Research on excess ART embryos to create new embryonic stem cell lines will only occur if the Research Involving Embryos Bill 2002 is passed. The government grant to the National Stem Cell Centre is not dependent on the Bill being passed. An offer of $5.5 million has been made to the National Centre for Advanced Cell Engineering over 2002-03 to 2005-06 to support the establishment of infrastructure to provide capacity to undertake stem cell and related systems research directed at tissue engineering. This contract has yet to be finalised. 8742(Question No. 838)8388742McFarlane, Jann, MPMs Jann McFarlane83CStirlingALP00 asked the Prime Minister, upon notice, on 22 August 2002:(1) In a letter to the Police Federation of Australia, dated 1 October 2001, did he state that the Heads of Government Agreement that deals with the preservation age for superannuation schemes was being reviewed by the Commonwealth Treasury.(2) Has the review by the Commonwealth Treasury made a decision regarding the application of the preservation principles contained in the agreement to superannuation schemes for police officers; if so, what is the decision; if not, why not.(3) Which States raised concerns regarding the application of the preservation principles to superannuation schemes for police officers.(4) What steps will the Federal Government take to facilitate an agreement with the States to exempt police superannuation from the Heads of Government Agreement.(5) Does the Government support the police officers' submission that they be able to access their superannuation at the age of 55.8742Howard, John, MPMr HowardZD4BennelongLPPrime Minister10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) On 1 October 2001, I wrote to Mr Mark Burgess of the Police Federation of Australia in response to a letter from him dated 2 July 2001. I informed Mr Burgess that the Heads of Government Agreement that deals with public sector superannuation schemes was being reviewed by the Treasury and that, as part of that process, the preservation age concerns raised by the Police Federation would receive consideration.(2) I am informed that the Treasury has since completed its review of the preservation age requirements for police that apply under the Heads of Government Agreement. At present under the Agreement, superannuation schemes that are exempt from the provisions of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (SIS Act) are required to adhere to the principles of Commonwealth retirement incomes policy. The government has decided that it would not be appropriate to change the preservation age requirements of police under the Heads of Government Agreement. Accordingly, police will continue to be subject to the general preservation age requirements that are in place to deal with the challenges posed by an ageing population and to ensure that superannuation is used for retirement income purposes. (3) I understand that certain states raised concerns with the former Assistant Treasurer in the context of the review of the Heads of Government Agreement. However, the government's position is based on the desirability of having a uniform national superannuation policy.(4) I am informed that the current preservation age arrangements that apply to police under the Heads of Government Agreement are consistent with those that apply to other sectors where work is physically demanding. Since November 1991, those entering the defence force, for example, are subject to standard preservation age requirements. Moreover, not all police are in superannuation schemes covered by the Heads of Government Agreement. The government is mindful that any change to the Agreement would, therefore, lead to differential treatment of police between those covered by the Agreement and those subject to general preservation age requirements under the SIS Act.(5) I am informed that on 20 September 2002 the Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer wrote to the Police Federation on behalf of the government informing them that the government would not be changing the preservation age requirements for police under the Heads of Government Agreement. It should be noted, however, that consistent with requirements under the SIS Act, these police are currently entitled to access their superannuation at age 55. The increase in the general preservation age from 55 to 60 years is to be phased in between 2015 and 2025. 8743(Question No. 852)8528743Murphy, John, MPMr Murphy83DLoweALP00 asked the Prime Minister, upon notice, on 26 August 2002:(1) Is question No. 2 which appeared on 13 February 2002 on the first Notice Paper of the 40th Parliament the same question No. 2476 which first appeared on the Notice Paper on 28 March 2001 during the 39th Parliament.(2) Did he receive a letter from the Speaker following my request to the Speaker on 20 August 2001 to write to him seeking an early reply to question No. 2476 under standing order 150.(3) Did he receive a further letter from the Speaker following my request to the Speaker on 14 May 2002 to again write to him seeking an answer to question No. 2 under standing order 150.(4) Did he receive yet another letter from the Speaker following yet another request by me to the Speaker on 19 August 2002 to write to him seeking an answer to question No. 2 under standing order 150.(5) When will he answer question No. 2.8743Howard, John, MPMr HowardZD4BennelongLPPrime Minister10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) to (4) Yes.(5) I refer the Honourable Member to House of Representatives Hansard of 15 October 2002 Page No. 7621.8743(Question No. 861)8618743Murphy, John, MPMr Murphy83DLoweALP00 asked the Attorney-General, upon notice, on 27 August 2002:(1) Further to question No. 678, does former Senator Colston's recent demonstrated capacity to undertake both motor vehicle and air travel indicate a change in circumstances whereby the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) might consider reviewing the current state of health of Dr Colston with a view to assessing his capacity to stand trial on the twenty-eight charges of defrauding the Commonwealth through travel rorts; if so, what might that review involve; if not, why not.(2) Since July 1999, was the DPP advised on each occasion of the full details of Dr Colston's taxpayer-funded motorcar or aircraft travel; if so, what was the DPP advised and what action did the DPP take to satisfy himself of the nature of Dr Colston's travel; if not, why not. (3) Since July 1999, did the DPP inquire of Dr Colston, or any of the medical practitioners treating him, whether any of Dr Colston's taxpayer-funded travel was for the sole purpose of medical treatment; if so, what was he advised; if not, why not.(4) In light of the independent medical assessments by two eminent medical specialists who reported on Dr Colston on 14 and 19 May 1999 that his life expectancy was only months and which led to the DPP at that time determining that there was no prospect of Dr Colston being fit to stand trial on the twenty-eight charges of defrauding the Commonwealth through travel rorts, is the DPP prepared to invite Dr Colston to offer himself for fresh medical examination and assessment by appropriately qualified expert medical specialists; if not; why not.(5) Will the DPP initiate immediate up-to-date medical assessments of Dr Colston by appropriately qualified expert medical specialists with a view to establishing Dr Colston's capacity to stand trial on twenty-eight charges of defrauding the Commonwealth through travel rorts; if not, why, not.8743Williams, Daryl, MPMr Williams7V5TangneyLPAttorney-General10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) I refer to my answer to Question on Notice 678.(2) Advice is being sought on Dr Colston's fitness to stand trial. The DPP has requested that travel be taken into consideration.(3) No. See (2).(4) The DPP's decision to discontinue was based on medical opinion as to fitness to stand trial. As part of the review of this matter the DPP has requested that Dr Colston be further independently examined. (5) See (4).8744(Question No. 863)8638744McClelland, Robert, MPMr McClellandJK6BartonALP00 asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, upon notice, on 28 August 2002:(1) Does the Sydney Airport Noise Complaints Line record statistics for the number of complaints made to the line in the evening after 5 p.m. when the staffed service ends; if so, what are the figures so far for 2002 and what proportion of those calls are from people living under the flightpath of the western runway.(2) Why are the phones not staffed between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. when families to the west of the airport generally experience the worst noise.8744Anderson, John, MPMr Anderson4K4GwydirNPMinister for Transport and Regional Services10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Yes. The Sydney Airport Noise Complaints Line records statistics for the number of complaints made to the line in the evening from 5pm when the staffed service ends. The year to date figures to August 2002 show that 1230 complaints have been received during out of service hours. 14% (172) of these complaints were received from people living under the flight path of the western runway. (2) Calls that are made between the hours of 5:00pm and 11:00pm are recorded on an answering service. Each call is then personally responded to the following day, assuming that the caller has left a message. 8744(Question No. 893)8938744Melham, Daryl, MPMr Melham4T4BanksALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Justice and Customs, upon notice, on 29 August 2002:(1) For each financial year from 1996-1997 to 2000-2001, how many alleged cases of fraud involving dishonestly obtaining a benefit by deception or other means were identified or reported for evaluation by Commonwealth Departments or agencies in accordance with the Commonwealth's Fraud Control Guidelines.(2) For each financial year from 1996-1997 to 2000-2001, how many alleged cases of fraud were identified or reported for each Department or agency submitting reports to his Department in accordance with the Fraud Control Guidelines.(3) For each financial year from 1996-1997 to 2000-2001, how many alleged cases of fraud were (a) investigated by the responsible Department or agency, (b) referred to the Australian Federal Police, (c) referred to State or Territory police or (d) not pursued.(4) For each financial year from 1996-1997 to 2000-2001, how many fraud investigations resulted in (a) referral to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, (b) prosecution by the responsible Department or agency or (c) no further action because insufficient evidence or suspects resigned, retired or otherwise left the organisation.(5) For each financial year from 1996-1997 to 2000-2001, how many persons employed by or serving as contractors to the Commonwealth Government were successfully prosecuted for offences involving fraud against the Commonwealth.(6) For each financial year from 1996-1997 to 2000-2001, what was the estimated value of losses resulting from alleged fraud reported by each Department and agency in accordance with the Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines.8744Williams, Daryl, MPMr Williams7V5TangneyLPAttorney-General10—The Minister for Justice and Customs has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:Fraud information provided by departments and agencies to the Attorney-General's Department for the purposes of compiling an Annual Fraud Report to the Minister for Justice and Customs, during the financial years of 1996-97 to 2000-01, was based upon the requirements of the Fraud Control Policy of the Commonwealth 1994 (the Policy) introduced by the previous Labor Government in 1994. Under the Policy there was no requirement for departments or agencies to provide my Department with much of the fraud information sought by the honourable member. I am therefore only able to provide answers to his questions in a limited sense, that is, where the previous Policy required departments and agencies to provide my Department with the information sought.I should also indicate that the type of detailed fraud information sought by the honourable member reflects the requirements of this Government's Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines (the Guidelines) which I released on 13 May 2002 and which becomes operative for the 2002-03 financial year.(1), (2) and (3) Under the fraud Policy that operated during the period of 1996-97 to 2000-01 departments and agencies were required to provide details of the number of fraud cases referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the number of cases handled administratively by the department or agency. Financial YearCases referred to the AFPCases handled administratively1996-971,4612,2181997-983571,9301998-99209Unavailable1999-002425,5952000-012143,191(4) My Department does not hold this information. Under the fraud Policy that operated during the period of 1996-97 to 2000-01, departments and agencies were not required to provide details on the number of cases referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions; the number of cases prosecuted by departments and agencies; or the number of cases where no further action was taken. (5) My Department does not hold this information. Under the fraud Policy that operated during the period of 1996-97 to 2000-01 departments and agencies were not required to provide details of the number of persons employed by or serving as contractors to the Commonwealth Government that were successfully prosecuted for offences involving fraud against the Commonwealth. (6) The information that departments and agencies were able to provide on losses under the fraud Policy did not distinguish between losses attributable to fraud and other losses and waivers. Accordingly, after 1996-97 this process of reporting on losses was discontinued.8745(Question No. 901)9018745Gillard, Julia, MPMs Gillard83LLalorALP00 asked the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice, on 16 September 2002:(1) Who carried out the post-mortem examination following the death of a 28 year old Afghan asylum seeker in August on Nauru.(2) What was the determined cause of death.(3) Given the age of the man and no reported signs of disease or self-harm, why was his body not flown to the nearest available facility where a proper autopsy could be conducted.(4) What arrangements have been made for the return of the man's body to Afghanistan.(5) What costs has been incurred and who will meet those costs.8745Ruddock, Philip, MPMr Ruddock0J4BerowraLPMinister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Following the death, the Nauru Coroner ordered an autopsy, which was conducted on Nauru by a pathologist from the Victorian College of Forensic Medicine.(2) The precise cause of death could not be determined despite extensive post mortem examination including microscopic and toxicological analysis. There was, however, no change to the conclusion of the Chief Medical Officer of Nauru that the death was of natural causes. The pathologist indicated that being unable to find the precise cause of death is not unusual for sudden deaths in this age group. The pathologist raised the possibility of cardiac arrhythmia or epilepsy.(3) The autopsy was conducted on Nauru under Nauruan law. The pathologist did, however, take tissue samples for analysis in Australia. (4) In accordance with the wishes of the family of the deceased, International Organization for Migration (IOM) staff arranged for the body of the deceased to be repatriated to Afghanistan for burial. The body was returned to Afghanistan on 15 September. (5) The IOM has advised that the cost of the autopsy, embalming and repatriation of the body to Afghanistan is in the order of $39,000. The Australian Government meets IOM costs.8746(Question No. 905)9058746McClelland, Robert, MPMr McClellandJK6BartonALP00 asked the Attorney-General, upon notice, on 16 September 2002: Will he bring up to date the information that he gave concerning conventions in the Hague Conference system in his answer to question No. 2743 (Hansard, 17 September 2001, page 30816)?8746Williams, Daryl, MPMr Williams7V5TangneyLPAttorney-General10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:Australia has ratified or acceded to nine Hague Conventions. There has been no change to this number since my previous answer of 17 September 2001.The Attorney-General's Department's work on Hague Convention matters is currently focussed on:· administrative work required under Hague Conventions to which Australia is already a party (including the 1970 Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters, the 1980 Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, and the 1993 Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption;· work with relevant Commonwealth, State and Territory agencies on ratification of other Hague Conventions with priority currently being given to:· The 1996 Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Co-operation in respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children. The Family Law Amendment (Child Protection Convention) Act 2002 implemented those aspects of the Convention within Commonwealth jurisdiction. The Commonwealth is working with States and Territories on legislation that will put Australia in a position to ratify the Convention;· work towards the preparation of new Conventions on:· Jurisdiction, Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters; and· the Law Applicable to Certain Rights in Respect of Securities Held with an Intermediary. 8746(Question No. 908)9088746Ferguson, Martin, MPMr Martin FergusonLS4BatmanALP00 asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, upon notice, on 16 September 2002:(1) Further to the answer to question No. 601 (Hansard, 20 August 2002, page 5296) concerning assistance to Australiawide Airlines, what agreement does the Government have with Australiawide to continue to provide air services to regional routes solely serviced by Kendall or Hazelton beyond the six months referred to.(2) What are the routes solely served by Kendall or Hazelton covered by the agreement.(3) Does the agreement detail the number of flights on these regional routes solely served by Kendall or Hazelton; if so, how does that service compare with that previously provided by Kendall or Hazelton and what mechanism will be used to ensure those routes remain serviced by Australiawide.(4) Does the agreement to pay $5 million to Australiawide provide for any other payment by the Government across any portfolio now or in the future.(5) How many dollars remain in the Rapid Route Recovery scheme program after payment of the $5 million to Australiawide.8746Anderson, John, MPMr Anderson4K4GwydirNPMinister for Transport and Regional Services10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) The agreement the Government has secured is as outlined in my previous answer.(2) Adelaide - Broken Hill, Adelaide - Ceduna, Adelaide - Cooper Pedy, Adelaide - Olympic Dam, Dubbo - Broken Hill, Melbourne - Sale/Traralgon, Melbourne - Albury, Melbourne - Merimbula, Melbourne - Portland, Melbourne - Wagga-Wagga (via Albury), Melbourne - King Island, Sydney - Orange, Sydney - Bathurst, Sydney - Parkes, Sydney - Broken Hill, Sydney - Narrandera, Sydney - Griffith, Sydney - Moruya, Sydney - Merimbula, Sydney - Lismore. (3) No. The Agreement requires Australiawide to maintain services on the route. The frequency of those services is a matter for Australiawide's commercial judgement. (4) No(5) There are currently no moneys available for further payments under the program beyond those to be provided under the Australiawide agreement.8747(Question No. 914)9148747Macklin, Jenny, MPMs MacklinPG6JagajagaALP00 asked the Minister for Education, Science and Training, upon notice, on 16 September 2002:Further to his discussion paper on university finances entitled “Setting Firm Foundations” and Table 1 which lists distribution of HECS debts, is he able to provide in the same format what the distribution of HECS debts is and the average HECS debt of (a) all HECS debtors who have not made any repayments and who first incurred a HECS debt in or prior to 1999, (b) graduates who have not made any repayments and who first incurred a HECS debt in or prior to 1999, (c) all HECS debtors who have not made any repayments, (d) graduates who have not made any repayments, (e) all HECS debtors who first incurred a HECS debt between 1997 and 1999 and who have not made any repayments and (f) graduates who first incurred a HECS debt between 1997 and 1999 and who have not made any repayments.8747Nelson, Dr Brendan, MPDr NelsonRW5BradfieldLPMinister for Education, Science and Training10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) administers HECS repayments. The HECS management information system used by the ATO for this purpose is not designed to generate all of the data requested by the honourable member. The ATO data system can only identify HECS debtors as a single group. It cannot distinguish between graduates with a HECS debt and current students with a HECS debt. Thus, only responses to parts (a), (c), and (e) of the honourable member's question can be provided.As requested by the honourable member, the data has been presented in the same format as the data in Table 1 of the issues paper Setting Firm Foundations: Financing Australian Higher Education (DEST, July 2002) which shows the distribution of HECS debts by level of debt, as per the table below. Range of loan balances(a) Number of HECS debtors who have not made any repayments and who first incurred a HECS debt in or prior to 1999 (c) Total number of HECS debtors who have not made any repayments(e) Number of HECS debtors who first incurred a HECS debt between 1997 and 1999 and who have not made any repayments $1,000 and under16,01928,5153,917$1,000.01 to $2,00022,21971,2366,011$2,000.01 to $4,00039,440108,49912,462$4,000.01 to $6,00032,05872,90211,541$6,000.01 to $8,00028,68372,30910,829$8,000.01 to $10,00040,25964,12312,317$10,000.01 to $12,00048,08862,40921,229$12,000.01 to $14,00041,87457,60123,172$14,000.01 to $16,00038,62140,05725,787$16,000.01 to $18,00028,40828,30720,524$18,000.01 to $20,00019,55919,49614,884$20,000.01 to $30,00029,04628,87522,520$30,000.01 to $40,0001,6571,648873$40,000.01 to $50,00050506Over $50,000440Total debtors385,985656,031186,0728748(Question No. 930)9308748Bevis, Arch, MPMr BevisET4BrisbaneALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, upon notice, on 17 September 2002:In (a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000 and (d) 2001, what percentage of births occurred by Caesarean section in (i) each State and Territory and (ii) in (A) private and (B) public hospitals in each State and Territory.8748Andrews, Kevin, MPMr AndrewsHK5MenziesLPMinister for Ageing10—The Minister for Health and Ageing has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:The percentage of births that occurred by Caesarean section is attached at Table 1.Table 1Percent of separations(a) of caesarian deliveries, by year, hospital type and State of treating hospital, acute and unknown episodes, Australia, 1997-98 to 2000-01 State of HospitalYearHospital TypeNSWVicQldSAWATasNTACTAus2000-01Public20.0%22.0%22.2%23.4%23.0%20.6%19.7%20.6%21.4%Private29.8%30.2%37.9%34.8%32.9%26.0%n.a.28.7%32.1%Total22.2%24.1%26.4%26.0%26.6%22.7%19.7%22.9%24.2%1999-00Public18.2%20.5%20.3%23.3%20.4%18.9%18.4%17.5%19.7%Private27.5%29.4%34.7%32.2%29.3%22.3%n.a.28.4%29.8%Total20.1%22.6%23.9%25.2%23.4%20.1%18.4%20.1%22.1%1998-99Public17.6%19.4%19.5%23.0%21.0%19.4%21.9%16.9%19.2%Private26.0%27.7%33.9%31.0%29.9%23.6%n.a.26.3%28.8%Total19.3%21.5%23.2%24.8%23.8%20.7%21.9%19.2%21.5%1997-98Public17.1%19.1%19.5%21.8%20.8%18.3%20.4%17.3%18.8%Private25.2%25.3%31.2%29.6%26.7%23.4%n.a.24.9%27.0%Total18.6%20.7%22.7%23.8%22.5%20.2%20.4%19.3%20.7%Source: Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, National Morbidity (Casemix) Database.(a) Figures include ADRGs O01 Caesarian Delivery, O02 Vaginal Delivery with complicating O.R. procedure, and O60 Vaginal Delivery.n.a. Not available.8748(Question No. 933)9338748Murphy, John, MPMr Murphy83DLoweALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, upon notice, on 18 September 2002:(1) Has the Minister seen a report titled “Hospital crisis as nurses walk out the door” by Mark Metherell and Joseph Kerr on page 1 of The Sydney Morning Herald on 17 September 2002.(2) Will Australia's nursing shortage rise six-fold to 30,000 in four years without major changes to stem the losses from hospitals; if not, why not. (3) What incentives will the Government introduce for students to enter nursing training courses.(4) What major changes will the Government introduce to improve the (a) retention and (b) working conditions of nurses in Australia.8749Andrews, Kevin, MPMr AndrewsHK5MenziesLPMinister for Ageing10—The Minister for Health and Ageing has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:(1) Yes (2) The National Review of Nursing Education contracted a number of bodies of research. One report, by Shah, C. and Burke, G. (Job Growth and Replacement in Nursing Occupations) projects 31,000 openings in positions for new entrants across the period 2001-2006, from directors of nursing to assistants in nursing. The paper provides these projections to enable estimates of the numbers needing to be trained to fill various types of positions. It provides no estimate of the relationship between demand and supply. (3) The Commonwealth currently provides the following:(a) Scholarships for undergraduate nursing in aged care - $26.3 million over four years (2002 - 2006).(b) Support for aged care workers to access education, training or upskilling opportunities - $21.2million over four years (2002 - 2006).(c) The Australian Remote and Rural Nursing Scholarship Program - $13 million over four years (2001 - 2005) to improve access to undergraduate nursing education for rural and regional students.(d) The Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship Scheme - $1.23 million over five academic years (2002 - 2006) for 44 undergraduate scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in medicine, nursing and Aboriginal health worker courses.(e) Remote and Rural Nursing - $5.2 million over four years (2002-2006) for 400 nursing scholarships per annum to assist former nurses in rural and remote areas who wish to return to work in the non-acute sector, ie. private health, aged care and community health sector. (4) The employment of nurses is a State and Territory Government responsibility.8749(Question No. 935)9358749Ferguson, Martin, MPMr Martin FergusonLS4BatmanALP00 asked the Minister representing the Special Minister of State, upon notice, on 18 September 2002:(1) How many (a) permanent and (b) casual drivers are employed by Comcar in each State and Territory.(2) How many (a) permanent and (b) casual employees are engaged in non-driving duties in each State and Territory and what are their designations.(3) Did Comcar have responsibility for the supervision of Comcar drivers during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), if not, which Department did have responsibility.(4) During CHOGM, how many employees of Comcar, not engaged in CHOGM, travelled to Queensland and (a) who were they, (b) what was the cost of their travel and accommodation and (c) what was the purpose of their visit to Queensland.(5) Over the last 7 financial years, (a) what training or consultative seminars have been held for management of Comcar, (b) where were such seminars conducted and (c) what was the itemised full cost of each seminar or consultation.(6) With respect to the duties of drivers and the need for a safe working environment, (a) what is the policy of Comcar on the safety practice of encouraging drivers on long trips to stop every two hours for a break and (b) are drivers required to take such fatigue breaks; if not, why not. 8749Abbott, Tony, MPMr AbbottEZ5WarringahLPMinister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service10—The Special Minister of State has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:(1) (a)CanberraSydneyMelbourneBrisbaneAdelaidePerthHobartDarwinOngoing (Permanent)1171354510(b)CanberraSydneyMelbourneBrisbaneAdelaidePerthHobartDarwinNon-ongoing (Casual)115301655600(2) (a) and (b) COMCAR's non-driving staff represent 17.6 per cent of total staff. The bulk of the staff represented in the table are operational staff - engaged in call centre and allocations duties as well as depot operations in all States and the ACT. CanberraSydneyMelbourneBrisbaneAdelaidePerthHobartDarwinOngoing (Permanent)*23.5*2210000Non-ongoing(Casual)130000000Designations1 SES 13 EXEC 2**2 EXEC 14 APS 64.5 APS 55 APS 417 APS 3APS 6APS 42 APS 5APS 4* includes full-time and part-time staff** one non-ongoing(3) While the CHOGM Task Force (as part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet) was responsible for allocating work to drivers (as the client) during CHOGM, COMCAR continued to have responsibility for supervision (including salary) of drivers during the event.(4) Nil(5) Over the last seven financial years, COMCAR's driver training has accounted for 87 per cent of COMCAR's training budget. The remaining 13 per cent has been expended on non-driving staff as follows. YearCourseVenueItemDriversNon-driving staffTOTAL2001/02IT TrainingVariousCourse Fee$923.45WritingIn-houseCourse fee$252.72TOTAL$115,060.86$1,176.17$116,237.03% of budget99%1%100%2000/01FOI & Admin LawAGS, ACTCourse Fee$789.55Comsuper SeminarIn-houseSeminar fee$410.65Manager's ProgramIn-houseProgram charges$17,151.00HR TrainingPSMPCCourse fee$2,302.73IT trainingVariousCourse fee$2,639.90Leadership Dev ProgramMt Eliza Business School, VicCourse fee$6,150.00People Management ProgramUNSWProgram fee$3,095.00TOTAL$116,958.60$32,538.83$149,497.43% of budget78.2%21.8%100%1999/ 2000HR TrainingDEWRSBCourse fee$125.00HR TrainingPSMPCCourse fee$1890.00IT TrainingVariousCourse fees$22,814.00Workplace DiversityPSMPCCourse fees$1,400.00IES Conference TrainingCourse fee$1695.00Skillpath SeminarSeminar fee$894.00TOTAL$58,548.95$28,818.00$87,366.95% of budget67%33%100%1998/99Coping with stressDiabetes AustCourse fee$50.00Skillpath SeminarSeminar fee$1029.00IT trainingVariousCourse fees$12,488.10Leadership trainingThe Leader-ship FactorCourse fees$2,750.00HR trainingVariousCourse fees$3,587.00TOTAL$90,089.24$19,904.10$109,993.34% of budget81.9%18.1%100%1997/98SES SeminarVarious$250.00IT trainingVarious$1,585.00VariousVarious$1,566.69TOTAL$63,602.36$3,401.69$67,004.05% of budget94.9%5.1%100%1996/97Details are unavailable - due to change in financial management information system. Totals are taken from the break-up of costs prepared at the time.$128,998.7892.2%$10,964.597.8%$139.963.37100%1995/96Details are unavailable - due to change in financial management information system. Totals are taken from the break-up of costs prepared at the time$170,000.0088.8%$21,500.0011.2%$191,500.00100%(6) Standard industry fatigue management principles are used to ensure drivers work in a safe environment. COMCAR's policy is in line with these principles and is consistent with industry standards for professional drivers. Accordingly, drivers are encouraged to take a break at least every five hours. In practice, the nature of COMCAR activities means that more frequent breaks are generally achieved.8751(Question No. 943)9438751McClelland, Robert, MPMr McClellandJK6BartonALP00 asked the Minister for Education, Science and Training, upon notice, on 23 September 2002:(1) Further to his answer to a question without notice (Hansard, 16 September 2002, page 6245) concerning the specialist unit he has created in his Department in relation to the Government's review of the higher education sector, what are the details of the industrial relations expertise he has brought into the process to inform the debate.(2) What is the name of each person consulted on industrial relations in or by this unit and from which Department, agency or organisation did they come.(3) Are these persons being engaged under a contract or agreement; if so, what is the monetary value of any contract or agreement.8751Nelson, Dr Brendan, MPDr NelsonRW5BradfieldLPMinister for Education, Science and Training10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) A senior officer from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) was seconded to the Higher Education Secretariat to provide advice on Industrial Relations issues.(2) NameOrganisationAmanda Grey (Secondee)Department of Employment and Workplace RelationsWes WalkerUniversity of BallaratDr Carolyn AllportNational Tertiary Education UnionKarl DubravsUniversity of CanberraBarbara PrestonAustralian Council of Deans of EducationLee GordonDepartment of the Prime Minister and CabinetProfessor Elizabeth HarmanEdith Cowan UniversityIan ArgallAustralian Higher Education Industrial AssociationSuzanne HammondCommonwealth Public Sector UnionAndrew NetteNational Tertiary Education UnionMr Mark NugentUniversity of the Sunshine CoastBernadette McDonaldDepartment of Education, Science and TrainingMonica AndrewDepartment of Education, Science and TrainingMelissa KingDepartment of Education, Science and TrainingMr Douglas PorterUniversity of QueenslandMr Paul RichardsonLa Trobe UniversityCraig ClarkeCharles Sturt UniversityDr Carol DickensonQueensland University of TechnologyProfessor Ann BrewerUniversity of SydneyProfessor Michael FryUniversity of SydneyProfessor Rhondda JonesJames Cook UniversityMs Elizabeth BareUniversity of MelbourneMr Steve TanzerUniversity of Southern QueenslandProfessor Ian O'Connor Griffith UniversityProfessor Roger HolmesNewcastle UniversityMs Susan MacIntoshNewcastle UniversityIan PikeNewcastle UniversityMr Ron WattsDeakin UniversityNeil MorrisUniversity of New South WalesChris Grange University of WollongongClaire WeightmanDepartment of Employment and Workplace RelationsMr Bernard LillisJames Cook UniversityPeter WaltonCurtin University of TechnologyGrahame McCullochNational Tertiary Education UnionMark ClisbyAustralian National UniversityJoanne YinNational Union of StudentsMaree ConwayAssociation for Tertiary Education Management Tom GreggAssociation for Tertiary Education ManagementBob ManganoVictoria University(3) The secondee from DEWR was engaged by agreement between the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and DEWR. The salary of this representative was paid for by the home department whilst on secondment to DEST. No other person was engaged under contract or by agreement in relation to industrial relations matters.8753(Question No. 953)9538753Murphy, John, MPMr Murphy83DLoweALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, upon notice, on 25 September 2002:(1) Is the Minister aware of a new automated machine-made pap test slide by medical practitioners in place of, or in addition to, a conventional pap smear.(2) How common is the use of an automated machine-made pap test slide.(3) Is a Medicare rebate not available for the preparation, microscopic examination and reporting of an automated machine-made Pap test slide.(4) Will the Minister consider providing a Medicare rebate for the preparation, microscopic examination and reporting of an automated machine-made pap test slide; if so, when; if not, why not.8753Andrews, Kevin, MPMr AndrewsHK5MenziesLPMinister for Ageing10—The Minister for Health and Ageing has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:(1) Yes.(2) The Commonwealth does not collect this information.(3) A rebate is available for automated reading of conventional Papanicolaou cytology slides but is not available for cervical cytology tests using liquid based slide preparation techniques.(4) The Government will consider Medicare rebates for automated machine-made Pap test slides following a broader review of cervical cytology techniques being carried out by the Commonwealth's Medical Services Advisory Committee and expected to be completed in early 2004.8753(Question No. 955)9558753George, Jennie, MPMs GeorgeJH5ThrosbyALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, upon notice, on 26 September 2002:(1) Has the Minister's attention been drawn to the view of an eminent American Director of Neurosurgery Dr Charles Burton that it does not appear that any significant study or due diligence was undertaken in regard to Iophendylate at the time the product was introduced or over the almost half century of its international use; if so, does the Minister accept that view.(2) Is the Minister aware of any evidence that shows that the producers of Iophendylate monitored adverse effects or continuing safety and efficacy of the product.(3) Has the Minister's attention been drawn to the views of Associate Professor Palmer that a causal relationship between Iophendylate and chronic Arachnoiditis was well established in studies undertaken in the 1950s; if so, does the Minister accept that view.(4) Has the Minister's attention been drawn to a 1995 report of the NSW Health Department's Radiology Advisory Committee which acknowledged that Myodil is a cause of Arachnoiditis, a condition which may result in chronic severe and debilitating pain; if so, does the Minister accept that view.(5) Is it a fact that Iophendylate was never evaluated by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).(6) Was one sufferer, Mr Derek Morrison, advised by the TGA in 1995 that Mr Morrison would have to write to the US Food and Drug Administration directly to obtain a copy of the initial licence for Iophendylate and that the TGA does not have access to the information.(7) Was the company that imported and distributed Pantopaque advised by the Therapeutic Goods Branch in June 1978 that the company was involved in unauthorised distribution of the product which had not been restricted to the approved end users but apparently supplied all parts of the Commonwealth.(8) What action was taken against the company for unauthorised distribution.(9) What evaluation was undertaken at any time concerning the safety and suitability of the use of Iophendylate by Australian authorities and what reports did the Therapeutic Goods Branch consider.(10) On what basis did the Therapeutic Goods Branch grant general marketing approval of Pantopaque on 9 October 1979. (11) Is it a fact that the removal of Pantopaque and Myodil through aspiration was not universally practised in Australia.(12) Has the Minister's attention been drawn to the advice of The NSW Radiology Advisory Committee which in 1995 stated that Myodil was not always removed following Myelography; if so, does the Minister accept that advice.(13) Were there standard Departmental and medical procedures which required aspiration by doctors and hospitals.(14) How many patients undergoing Myelography procedures were left with the dye intact and with no aspiration conducted.(15) Has the TGA the responsibility to reassure the Australian community that drugs in use are safe, effective and meet national quality standards.(16) Is there a need for an independent inquiry to investigate the (a) effects of exposure to the chemical Iophendylate, marketed under the name Pantopaque and Myodil, (b) basis on which Iophendylate was licensed, marketed and used in Australia and (c) social and economic costs arising from the disease.(17) Does the Chemically Induced Adhesive Arachnoiditis Sufferers of Australia group play a valuable role in assisting and counselling sufferers and as such deserves a commitment of resources and financial assistance from the Government.8754Andrews, Kevin, MPMr AndrewsHK5MenziesLPMinister for Ageing10—The Minister for Health and Ageing has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:(1) & (3) Yes. I am aware of the views of Dr Burton and Professor Palmer. I am also aware that iophendylate dyes were introduced into European and North American countries and Australia before modern evaluation and regulatory requirements for medicines were introduced. I am also aware that from the early 1970's, arachnoiditis was mentioned in the prescribing information as a possible adverse outcome of myelography using iophendylate dyes.(2) Yes. The sponsors of iophendylate updated the prescribing information concerning these dyes based on monitoring of safety and effectiveness.(4) I have been advised that enquiries of the NSW Health Department have been unable to establish the existence of such a report. (5) No. In the late 1970's the Therapeutic Goods Administration's predecessor, the Therapeutic Goods Branch of the then Department of Health, evaluated an application to register the iophendylate dye, Pantopaque, for general marketing in Australia. This application was approved in October 1979.(6) The TGA is not able to substantiate any such advice from its records.(7) Yes.(8) The Therapeutic Goods Branch of the Department took the matter up with the company directly and also asked the company to finalise outstanding matters relating to its application for general marketing approval of Pantopaque, which was under evaluation at that time.(9) -(10) A general marketing application for Pantopaque was evaluated during the 1970's. Such applications need to be supported by data related to chemistry and quality control, animal studies and evidence of the drug's safe use in humans.The sponsor submitted chemistry and quality control data related to Pantopaque, a list of scientific publications related to the use of Pantopaque and all labels, product information and promotional literature intended for use in Australia. All of this material was evaluated by the Therapeutic Goods Branch.General marketing approval for Pantopaque was granted with the following conditions:(a) all reports of suspected adverse reactions or related experiences were to be provided immediately on receipt;(b) any proposed changes to the chemistry and quality control details were to be forwarded for approval prior to implementation; and(c) any proposed amendments to the product information were to be forwarded for approval prior to distribution. (11) -(13) The Commonwealth cannot comment about the way in which individual doctors or the medical profession in general conduct their professional practice, as this is an area that the Commonwealth has no direct power or authority over. Medical practice is regulated at the local level by the various State or Territory Medical Boards and by State or Territory legislation.I am advised that the prescribing information for health professionals for Myodil from the early 1970's stated that the product should be removed after the myelographic procedure, and warned about the possibility of arachnoiditis. Once formally approved in 1979, the prescribing information for Pantopaque contained similar information for health prescribers.(14) It is not known how many patients undergoing myelography procedures were left with the dye intact and with no aspiration conducted.(15) The TGA is responsible for administering the provisions of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (the Act). The objective of the Act is to provide for the establishment and maintenance of a national system of controls relating to the quality, safety, efficacy and timely availability of therapeutic goods.(16) -(17) There is no basis for conducting such an inquiry. These dyes were used by doctors to diagnose and manage serious conditions of the spine, such as tumours and herniated discs and were the best method available at the time they were introduced to the market and for many years thereafter. The availability of these dyes in Australia preceded Commonwealth involvement in medicine regulation.Information was provided to doctors about the risks of these dyes, and how to avoid adverse effects of such procedures, such as arachnoiditis. It is the role of the treating doctor to assess the risks and benefits of treatments for their patients and to make the best decision keeping their patient's interests in mind. It must be remembered that these dyes were the best available technology when they were primarily used 20-40 years ago. It would not be appropriate to judge decisions made by doctors at that time against currently available technologies.As is appropriate, allegations of clinical practice issues concerning myelography and these dyes should be dealt with in the courts and through medical practice complaints mechanisms operated by the States and Territories. There have also been actions taken in court against those companies supplying the products in Australia.8755(Question No. 957)9578755Gillard, Julia, MPMs Gillard83LLalorALP00 asked the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice, on 26 September 2002:(1) What are the arrangements for the provision of sanitary products to female immigration detainees.(2) How many tampons or pads are female detainees entitled to at a time.(3) How often are they allowed to request tampons or pads.(4) What is the process for female detainees to follow when requesting tampons or pads.(5) Following a request, how are tampons or pads delivered to female detainees.8755Ruddock, Philip, MPMr Ruddock0J4BerowraLPMinister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) to (5) Under the Immigration Detention Standards Australasian Correctional Management (ACM) is required to operate in a manner that preserves the dignity and privacy of all detainees including females. Request and distribution arrangements for sanitary products are therefore established to ensure that female detainees can be provided with their sanitary products in the most discreet manner possible.Each Immigration Detention Facility has individual arrangements in place for the distribution of sanitary products to female immigration detainees. These arrangements are tailored to meet the needs of female detainees at each centre and the arrangements take into account the physical layout (infrastructure) of each centre, the composition of ACM staff (availability of female ACM officers) and the profile of the detainee population. The individual arrangements operating at each centre are as follows:Baxter Immigration Detention Facility · Upon verbal request to a female ACM officer or female nursing staff member all female detainees are provided with sanitary napkins from a female ACM officer or female nursing staff member. ACM has advised that tampons are provided on request. However, tampons are not generally a popular product among the female detainee population.· Female detainees are given a three months supply of sanitary products at the time of each request.· They may seek further supplies when they foresee that their three months supply will run out.· Sanitary products may be obtained from the nurse who is located at the nurses' station in their compound.· Sanitary products are supplied in discreet bags.Perth Immigration Detention Centre· Various sanitary products are available to all female detainees.· There is no restriction on the supply of sanitary products.· There is no restriction on the number of requests.· Female detainees usually ask a female ACM officer on duty for sanitary products or they can put in a written request to an ACM officer (preferably a female officer).· On receipt of a request, an officer (preferably a female officer) will deliver the sanitary product to the female detainee by hand in packet form in a manner that is discreet.Port Hedland Immigration Reception and Processing Centre· Female detainees are able to access sanitary products by requesting the products from ACM Welfare Officers. Sanitary pads are supplied by ACM to female detainees, or they may purchase tampons from the shop if they wish.· Once a request has been made, a female detainee is provided with one packet of sanitary pads.· Detainees may submit requests as often as necessary.· Female detainees submit a request to an ACM Welfare Officer in order to obtain sanitary pads.· Female detainees can collect sanitary pads from the ACM Welfare Officer on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre· Sanitary products are available in each compound from the ACM administration office block which houses provisions for the detainees. There is always at least one female ACM officer on duty.· There is no limit placed on the number of pads or tampons available for distribution.· Female detainees may request sanitary products as often as necessary.· Female detainees may request sanitary products from a female ACM officer in the compound, as there is always at least one female officer on duty.· Sanitary products are issued in packages that are discreetly wrapped.Christmas Island Immigration Reception and Processing Centre· Sanitary products are stored at the ACM officer post in Charlie block dormitory. A small supply of sanitary products is also stored in the medical clinic.· Upon request to a female ACM officer or female nursing staff member, a female detainee is provided with sufficient products to last five to six days. Most requests are for sanitary napkins, not tampons.· There is no restriction on the number of requests made.· Female detainees may either speak to medical staff, or to an ACM female officer, or they may request the products in writing.· Either medical staff or female ACM officers provide the sanitary products to the detainees.Villawood Immigration Detention Centre· As the majority of female detainees are housed in LIMA compound, which is fully staffed by ACM female officers, sanitary products are stored in the compound.· Sanitary pads are issued five or six at a time (the female detainees have indicated that this is their preference), while tampons are provided in sealed packs of ten. · Sanitary products are provided when required and on request.· Female detainees, including those in the general compound, verbally request sanitary products from a female ACM LIMA compound staff officer.· Pads are issued in discreet bags, while the tampon packs are small enough to be placed in a pocket or small bag.Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre· Sanitary products are available from the ACM female dormitory officer.· There is no restriction on the supply of sanitary products.· There is no restriction on the number of requests.· Female detainees can request sanitary products from the ACM female dormitory officer.· Sanitary products are delivered to the detainees by hand.Curtin Immigration Reception and Processing Centre (now closed)· Sanitary napkins were supplied upon request. Tampons were not popular with the female detainees.· Supply was consistent with detainees' monthly requirements, with a slight oversupply rather than undersupply of the products to the detainees occurring as a general rule, in order to ensure detainees' needs were fully met.· When required or anticipated to be required.· Female detainees would attend the welfare area where products were dispensed through the assistance of a female detainee who assisted ACM staff in the area.· Supplies were delivered in discreet bags.8757(Question No. 959)9598757Danby, Michael, MPMr DanbyWF6Melbourne PortsALP00 asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, upon notice, on 26 September 2002:(1) Is he able to say whether Qantas still issues metal cutlery to its business and first class passengers and issues plastic cutlery to its economy passengers.(2) Is he able to say whether there are other airlines in the world that still use metal cutlery on flights.(3) Is he able to say whether the Qantas Chairman's Lounge or Qantas Club issues only plastic cutlery.(4) Has Qantas received a different threat assessment for passengers transiting the Chairman's Lounge or Qantas Club.(5) Is it Qantas view that passengers lose all possibility of being a security threat once they board their flights.(6) Has Qantas received advice that terrorist threats will only come from economy passengers.(7) Has or will he advise Qantas management that all of the 11 September 2001 suicide terrorists were booked in either first class or the front section of their flights. 8757Anderson, John, MPMr Anderson4K4GwydirNPMinister for Transport and Regional Services10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) The Additional Security Measures do not distinguish between economy and other passengers. Airlines are permitted to use for meal services plastic knives, rounded blade butter knives with non-serrated edges or other types of metal knives approved by the Department. The manner in which Qantas issues these knives in-flight is a matter for them.(2) Yes.(3) The issue of plastic knives and cutlery (cutlery does not include metal knives) is permitted for the purposes of food consumption by concessionaires and airline lounges that are located in sterile areas.(4) -(6) These questions should be directed to Qantas.(7) Such information has been publicly reported. 8758(Question No. 960)9608758Murphy, John, MPMr Murphy83DLoweALP00 asked the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, upon notice, on 26 September 2002:Further to the answer to part (3) of question No. 682 (Hansard, 23 September 2002, page 6806), what is the time taken for payment processing for services given by medical specialists under the Repatriation Private Patient Scheme.8758Vale, Danna, MPMrs ValeVK6HughesLPMinister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:The Memorandum of Understanding between the Health Insurance Commission (HIC) and the Department of Veterans' Affairs states that payment of accounts are to be made within 28 days from date of lodgement with the HIC. The HIC advises that 99% of medical accounts are paid within 28 days of date of lodgement. I am advised that the 1% of accounts which take longer than 28 days to finalise involve issues that require clarification/resolution with the provider.8758(Question No. 963)9638758Vamvakinou, Maria, MPMs Vamvakinou00AMTCalwellALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, upon notice, on 14 October 2002:In regard to the announcement of Australia's commitment to the Joint Strike Fighter, was a (a) financial and (b) technical comparison made with alternative bidders, Eurofighter Typhoon programme and Dassault Rafael; if so, what was the mechanism used.8758Vale, Danna, MPMrs ValeVK6HughesLPMinister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence10—The Minister for Defence has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:The decision to commence negotiations to enter the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) System Development and Demonstration (SDD) programme was based on both financial and technical comparisons of the full range of bidders. Defence sought technical and costing information via issue of a Request for Information in November 2001. Information on the JSF was provided through a series of briefings to Defence personnel. On the basis of available information, an assessment was made that:· the JSF represents a leap in technology/capability over its competitors; and · SDD partnership offers substantial opportunities for Australian industry.8758(Question No. 964)9648758Vamvakinou, Maria, MPMs Vamvakinou00AMTCalwellALP00 asked the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice, on 14 October 2002:(1) Further to the answer to question No. 551 (Hansard, 29 August 2002, page 5826), what is the timeline involved in the installation of an integrated perimeter security fence and associated security and lighting system at Maribyrnong Detention Centre.(2) What were the dates for (a) final approval for the project, (b) starting work on the fences installation and (c) final completion.8758Ruddock, Philip, MPMr Ruddock0J4BerowraLPMinister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Tender processes for the design and construction of the new perimeter commenced in May 2001 with the completion of Detail Design/Contract Documentation. Construction commenced in July 2001 and operational testing and commissioning commenced in December 2001.(2) (a) Tender documents were approved in early May 2001.(b) Installation of the fence commenced on 6 July 2001.(b) Final completion will not be reached until all operational testing and commissioning is completed and there is acceptance that the defect liability period has expired.8759(Question No. 965)9658759Vamvakinou, Maria, MPMs Vamvakinou00AMTCalwellALP00 asked the Minister for Education, Science and Training, upon notice, on 14 October 2002:Further to the answer to Question No. 867 (Hansard, 23 September 2002, page 7071), of the people residing in postcodes within or shared by the electoral boundaries of the division of Calwell, what is the level of outstanding or accumulated HECS debt, in dollar terms, by postcode for people (a) currently enrolled in tertiary study and (b) not currently enrolled in university study.8759Nelson, Dr Brendan, MPDr NelsonRW5BradfieldLPMinister for Education, Science and Training10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(a) and (b) The following table lists the number of people with a HECS debt and the outstanding HECS debt for those people by postcode in the Calwell electorate. The data has been split between those who are currently enrolled in university study and those who are not.The minor differences in the numbers of HECS debtors provided in the earlier response to Question No. 867 asked by the honourable member and the response to this question, is due to the different times that the figures were extracted from the ATO information system and the fact that this is a peak processing period for tax-return related HECS payments and settlement of accounts.HECS debtors and debt amounts in the Calwell electorate PostcodePeople currently enrolled in university studyPeople not currently enrolled in university studyNumberHECS Debt Amount($)NumberHECS Debt Amount($)30361941,796,1482702,105,39730373673,183,4846664,933,83130387736,603,0601,0337,959,91030433763,386,7216384,951,54930464123,860,9818486,398,96330472772,585,2403973,125,09530482782,815,9624713,849,21930491501,227,5832341,688,26230592191,969,8352882,380,98530601381,390,1772531,941,098306186793,2221361,118,89930643102,396,8725373,763,524342752450,81749331,130342816144,62327184,863Total3,648$32,604,7255,847$44,732,7258759(Question No. 1022)10228759Fitzgibbon, Joel, MPMr Fitzgibbon8K6HunterALP00 asked the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, upon notice, on 17 October 2002:(1) Is he aware of the proposed time frame for the development of the Bayu-Undan gas field.(2) Is he aware of the terms of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export contracts and whether those contracts have been finalised; if so, when must those contracts be implemented in regard to product delivery.(3) Is he aware that the agreed price for the sale of the LNG from Bayu-Undan to Japan is up to substantially higher than the price secured for the LNG recently contracted for sale to China.(4) What is the anticipated value of production from Bayu-Undan.(5) What share of Bayu-Undan proceeds will go to Australia and to East Timor, respectively.(6) Have any of the partners in the Bayu-Undan field expressed concern to the Government about the completion of the legislative and regulatory processes necessary for the project to commence.(7) Could delay into 2003 mean the loss of the Bayu-Undan project or provide the Japanese customers with an opportunity to negotiate a lower price for the product. (8) If the operators are forced to re-negotiate the terms of the Bayu-Undan contract with the Japanese, what are the implications for Australian Government revenue and for the economy of the Northern Territory.(9) Is he aware that Dr Geoffrey Raby from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Joint Select Committee on Treaties on 14 October 2002 that it is the Governments view that it is in the national interest to risk the estimated $A2 billion in revenue from the Bayu-Undan in order to maximize the potential of all fields across the Joint Petroleum Development Area; if so, can he confirm that this is the Governments view and has the Government factored in the value of the associated infrastructure investment in Darwin.(10) Have the partners in the Sunrise field venture indicated to him that progress has been made on an agreed development concept and timeline for the Sunrise project; if so, what is that plan and does it involve bringing the gas on-shore.(11) Have the partners in the Sunrise field venture shared with him any information regarding progress on an agreed date for the commencement of the Sunrise project and for the flow of tax and other revenue from it to both Australia and East Timor.8760Macfarlane, Ian, MPMr Ian MacfarlaneWN6GroomLPMinister for Industry, Tourism and Resources10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) Only what has been made public by Phillips, the operator of the project. (2) No.(3) No.(4) On current estimates, Bayu-Undan contains petroleum worth about A$15 billion.(5) 90% to East Timor and 10% to Australia.(6) To my knowledge, these processes are continuing in the normal manner.(7) I am not aware of any contractual details.(8) See answer to 7 above.(9) I am aware that Dr Raby appeared before the Committee but am not aware that he answered any proposition put to him in the terms referred to in your question.(10) As explained previously, there is not, to my knowledge an agreed development concept.(11) No.8760(Question No. 1028)10288760Ferguson, Laurie, MPMr Laurie Ferguson8T4ReidALP00 asked the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, upon notice, on 21 October 2002:(1) For the last year for which data is available, what was the cost to the Translation and Interpreter Service (TIS) of providing fee-free translation of identity and other approved documents for eligible new arrivals.(2) Are eligible clients required to lodge any such documents with their local Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) outlet; if so, when did this arrangement commence.(3) Are AMEP providers paid by his Department for receiving documents on the TIS's behalf; if so, what is the annual cost to the TIS.(4) Was a tender process conducted for the provision of this service; if so, when was the tender awarded and when does the current contract cease; if not, why not.8760Hardgrave, Gary, MPMr HardgraveCK6MoretonLPMinister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs10—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:(1) The cost of providing the fee-free translation service in 2001-2002 was $689,627.(2) Eligible clients are required to lodge requests for fee-free translations with their local AMEP outlet. The arrangement commenced on 30 April 2002.(3) The AMEP providers are paid for receiving documents on TIS's behalf. The estimated cost for 2002-2003 is $340,000.(4) An administrative decision was taken to include the fee-free translation collection service in the services provided under existing AMEP contracts. These contracts cease on 30 June 2003. The delivery of AMEP services for the five year period commencing on 1 July 2003, which includes the fee-free translation collection service, is currently the subject of a tender process.