1998-03-033816SENATE15901998-03-03The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. Margaret Reid) took the chair at 2.00 p.m., and read prayers.Ministerial Arrangements159159Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—by leave—I inform the Senate that Senator Richard Alston, the Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, will be absent from the Senate chamber for question time today. Senator Alston is in Melbourne to attend the funeral of Mr Bob Santamaria. In his absence, Senator Ellison will take questions relating to Communications and the Arts. Senator Kemp will take questions on the Information Economy—Opposition senators interjecting—BH4Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILL—Very ably, I would think, Madam President, and I will take questions relating to the portfolios of Transport and Regional Development and Workplace Relations and Small Business.Questions Without Notice159159159Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator FAULKNER5K4NSWALP00—My question is directed to Senator Hill, the Minister for the Environment. Minister, in relation to the Natural Heritage Trust, when did your office direct your department to reassess the applications which had been rejected by the Victorian regional assessment panels? Who issued that direction? Was that direction cleared with you? What representations were made to your office, and by whom, prior to that direction being issued?159Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I will start by saying how proud we are of the Natural Heritage Trust and its achievements in a very short period of time. Madam President, the comparison is there: 13 years of Labor and what did they do in this vital area—vital in the interests of all Australians? Very, very little. How often were we told about the state of land and water degradation in this country or the state of sustainable forestry? Do we remember the forestry issues that we were experiencing when Senator Faulkner went out to lead the charge for the Greens, battled Mr Beddall, who was acting on behalf of the industry, and made such a mess of it that Senator Collins had to be called in to the rescue? Do we remember the decline in biodiversity as demonstrated by the State of the environment report?Do we remember the pitiful record of Labor in relation to feral weeds and animals? Do we know what they failed to do in relation to the Murray-Darling Basin—an area that all Australians know needed substantial investment? Do we know their areas of failure in relation to air pollution? And so I could go on. We make no apology that we committed ourselves to setting up a $1.1 billion—5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—On a point of order, Madam President: obviously the feral weeds have got in the way of Senator Hill's answer to the question, which I thought was a specific one directed to him in relation to when his office directed the department to reassess the applications rejected by the Victorian RAP process; who did it; whether it was cleared by him; and what representations were made. I thought it was a clear question. I ask you, given that Senator Hill has had a couple of minutes now, to direct the minister to answer the question that was actually asked of him.10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Senator Hill, you are aware of the question and I am sure you will get to the substance.BH4Senator HILL—Madam President, I was getting to it but I was laying the base first that that was clearly a pitiful failure of Labor in this area. The contrast is with what the coalition is doing and will continue to do. Over $360 million is being invested in restoring our native bushland and preserving remnants—the subject overlooked by Senator Faulkner yesterday. An extra $150 million from the federal government is going into the Murray-Darling Basin; over $160 million to protect biodiversity; $440 million to assist farmers and communities to redress the extent of land and water degradation; and $120 million to address coastal pollution.I said yesterday in this place that there were difficulties in relation to the Victorian experience at both the RAP and the SAP level. I said that my department—and I will take responsibility for the instruction—had a look at grants that were unsuccessful either at the RAP level or at the SAP level. I set out why we did that yesterday. They looked at a further 199 grants, as I understand it. They found there were three that they believed should have been funded. They made that recommendation to me and I accepted it.With regard to the one that you were preoccupied with yesterday, they found that there had been an error made, a misunderstanding of what the rules were at the RAP level. Why should the environment suffer simply because there was an error made at the regional assessment level? Of course it should not, Madam President.What is the objection to the federal government, which is responsible for the vast proportion of the funds, having a look at all the applications? In actual fact, the shadow minister for the environment has asked for the full 6,000 applications—all of those rejected. He wants to look at all of those rejected. That is fine, apart from all the work that is involved in putting it together. If Labor wants to trawl through all 6,000 applications in an attempt to gain some political mileage, so be it. But if Labor concentrated on doing something for the environment rather than that, then we would all be better off. (Time expired)160Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator FAULKNER5K4NSWALP00—Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. The minister did not answer the specific questions I asked. I direct his attention to them. If he cannot answer them now, perhaps he could provide the Senate with an answer to them by the end of question time. Further, Minister Hill, could you tell us: were there any discussions between your office and your department about the Baillieu grant prior to the department's recommendation that it be approved? Who was present in the room when you made the decision to approve that grant and will you table the record of that decision and the reasons for the variation?160Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I do not believe that my office knew of the, as you describe it, `Baillieu grant' at all. I certainly did not know of it. Until yesterday, I had never heard of Mr Antony Baillieu, as I said to you.RF4COOKSenator Cook—You forgot!BH4Senator HILL—No. It is not a question of forgetting it. I had never heard of him. And certainly I did not know who his relatives were, Senator Cook. What I do know is that it was a damn good application and that is what all the experts said. They said it was an excellent application. If you ask me another question, I will detail why it was excellent.5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—Who was present in the room?BH4Senator HILL—My memory is that officials brought over the supplementary list, took me through the supplementary list, the three that they recommended, and I approved them.160160Macdonald, Sen SandySenator SANDY MACDONALDCX5NSWNP10—My question is directed to the Minister for Social Security. Minister, the Labor government attempted to convince the Australian public that they had a social security system with world's leading standards in respect of fraud and compliance. As revealed last year, Australian taxpayers were saved $28 million per week because of some commonsense accountability action taken by this government. As there is nothing that infuriates Australians more than somebody receiving a benefit to which they are not entitled, will you inform the Senate of additional savings in the social security system and further measures designed to combat fraud?160Newman, Sen JocelynSenator NEWMANBE4TASLPSocial Security10—I thank Senator Sandy Macdonald for his question. It is very timely. It is interesting to note that the opposition are never interested in asking this question, just as they were never interested in being tough on cheats.Madam President, let me remind you of some of the statements that were made in past years under the previous government. `Measures have been implemented which have effectively solved the compliance problem.' Who said that? That was Labor's expert, Professor Weatherly, in 1993. In 1994 the minister, Peter Baldwin, said, `We have got a system which is at the cutting edge in terms of its effectiveness in combating fraud and compliance.' Again, in 1995, the minister Mr Baldwin said, `We have very effective compliance measures and measures to counter fraud.'They were utterly wasted years. The Labor government were not prepared to deal with cheats; they would not put the resources in; they were complacent; they were soft. Last financial year our compliance efforts picked up a lot of people that Labor had been soft on. We cancelled or reduced payments to 330,000 people because they were getting payments to which they were not entitled. That is how we saved the taxpayer $28 million every week.LI4PATTERSONSenator Patterson—Every week?BE4Senator NEWMAN—Every week of the financial year—over $1 billion. It is almost unbelievable. What a mockery that makes of Labor's claims that the system was as tight as a drum. Trim, taut and terrific was what Richo seemed to think it was. But sadly, once we came into government, we saw the grim reality. Only the other day, a man went to gaol for four years for defrauding the taxpayer of $305,000 over 14 years of consistent cheating. All the years that Labor was in government, this man was cheating the battler, cheating the taxpayer; $305,000 looks like quite an industry to me. Those are the very years when Labor was skiting about how trim, taut and terrific the system was. He is not the only long-term cheat that we have caught so far.During January, I provided the President with the fraud and compliance report for the first quarter of 1997-98 and I now formally table it. This report indicates a significant increase in our compliance activity over and above what we did in the previous financial year. There were more reviews undertaken, more payment variations made, more debts identified and more debts recovered. In three months, 668 people were convicted under either the Social Security Act or the Crimes Act. Those people were cheating their fellow Australians.LI4PATTERSONSenator Patterson—The greedy, not the needy. BE4Senator NEWMAN—The greedy, not the needy, as Senator Patterson says so rightly. Compliance reviews—checking on whether people are doing what they are required to do—went up by nearly 22 per cent. Fifty-four thousand customers had their payments cancelled in those three months and over 40,000 had their benefits reduced. There were nearly $88 million in new debts identified. Fourteen thousand reviews came as a result of the public knowing that this government is serious and that we will take action. They want us to take action. The increase in tip-offs from the public is very heartening because they know that we mean business.We are also undertaking covert surveillance of cases which have been particularly difficult. We have brought in the private sector there. So far, out of 20 cases that were given to the private sector, 11 have been finalised. All 11 customers have had their payments cancelled, they had debts to repay and some have been referred to the Federal Police and to the DPP. (Time expired)161161Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator FAULKNER5K4NSWALP00—My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment. Minister, can you confirm that John Madden Baillieu, one of the four current directors of Woodhouse Pastoral Co., the beneficiary of $52,900 from your natural heritage slush fund, is also Chairman of EL&C Baillieu which donated $50,500 to the Liberal Party in the last two years? Minister, how do you justify repaying that donation with interest from taxpayers' dollars from the Natural Heritage Trust?161Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—That is yet another disgraceful slur upon the Baillieus. If you had concentrated a little more when you were minister for the environment on achieving some decent environmental outcomes for this country, then you may be better qualified to attack the current government. But with your record, I am surprised that you have the gall to even ask a question on this matter, Senator Faulkner. Do you remember how your record was recorded as environment minister? Do you remember what was said in the Bulletin on your efforts over forests? If you do not, I will remind you. It said:Faulkner made a mess of things—comprehensively, as the commentators say. The extent of his mishandling of the issue is only now becoming apparent. Faulkner clearly intended to make himself a hero to the environmental movement. The result though, will be a setback for the cause, disillusionment for Faulkner and his department . . . Faulkner wanted to be a Graham Richardson. He emerges from this episode more like a Ros Kelly.That was Laurie Oakes in the Bulletin . The point is, Senator Faulkner, you left an appalling record. The alternative was the coalition that recognised the failures of the past and put in place a Natural Heritage Trust to invest more money than ever before in the major land and water degradation of our nation. We are proud of that and we have set up a comprehensive process to determine the best projects to get the best outcomes on the ground.In relation to the details of the question, I have no knowledge, as I said, of the relatives or the composition of directors. There was no suggestion, as I recall it, from the application that it was even an incorporated body. Anyway, you seem to have trawled that out.XE4BOLKUSSenator Bolkus—According to the application? You've never met the Baillieus?BH4Senator HILL—I have never met this Tony Baillieu. I do not know whether he or a member of his family have given a donation to anyone. Furthermore, it is totally irrelevant to the issue as to whether this was a meritorious application. The point is that this application was supported by the Trust for Nature, Victoria, who have been seeking for years to put in place covenants on valuable natural assets on private land, where the valuable asset is given up for the benefit of the community.5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—Was it the same mob who donated fifty grand to the Libs? Tell us that. The same mob?BH4Senator HILL—This is the point that Senator Faulkner either does not understand or fails to acknowledge. What this pastoral company is doing here is giving up a right to use a resource for its economic advantage for the benefit of the total community. It is prepared to covenant for the benefit of the community to achieve that outcome in the long term. That should be applauded.Anybody who has been interested in these issues would have known for a long time that the old recipe of national parks simply locking up these resources in public ownership is not working. The big challenge has been to find ways in which the resources on private land can be properly protected in the community's interest, and that is exactly what this project was all about. That is why the Trust for Nature, Victoria, has been working on a covenant on this particular land, I understand, since the early 1990s. I understand that it was the trust that first approached the family. It is the conservation interests out there who have recognised the value and applaud the fact that finally there is a government that is prepared to support them in what they are seeking to do. (Time expired)162Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator FAULKNER5K4NSWALP00—It is the Liberal Party interests not the conservation interests that are at issue here. Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, is it just a coincidence that the registered address of the Woodhouse Pastoral Co., the recipient of $52,900 of Natural Heritage Trust funds, is 360 Collins Street, Melbourne, which is also the registered address of EL&C Baillieu, donor of $50,500 to the Liberal Party?162Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—This is astonishing. Did you read what Tony Baillieu said about it? Did you listen to the radio and hear what he said?5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—I am asking you a question about the Liberal Party donation. That is what I asked.BH4Senator HILL—No. When he was asked about his alleged family connections and interests with the Liberal Party, what did he say?5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—I am asking you whether he is a director of the company at this address.BH4Senator HILL—You will slur anyone to try and advance your political interests. You have got no interest in the environmental outcome at all. The opposition have attacked the grants because they said they were in Liberal seats. This one is in a Labor seat, so they attack the proponent. You move from side to side, any way to win a political point and forget the benefits for the environment. In the Sydney Morning Herald article, Mr Baillieu said, `I have no connection at all, no influence and nothing whatsoever to do with the Liberal Party hierarchy.'163163Abetz, Sen EricSenator ABETZN26TASLP10—My question is to the Minister for Justice. We all know that the Labor government failed in its attempt to extradite Mr Christopher Skase from Spain. Senator Bolkus has recently said that the government should start the extradition proceedings again in Spain. Is the government able to reopen extradition hearings in Spain?163Vanstone, Sen AmandaSenator VANSTONE7E4SALPMinister for Justice10—I thank Senator Abetz for his question. Yes, Senator Abetz, on 5 January this year on 3AW Senator Bolkus—the shadow Attorney-General—confidently said, `This bloke,' referring to Skase, `is not sick. We're going to start the extradition proceedings again. There's nothing to stop that if we have evidence that the guy is healthy.' So there he was, the shadow Attorney-General, the would-be first law officer of the Commonwealth, telling the world at large, `We're going to reopen all of this and we're just going to bring him back. We're going to be heroes and bring him back.' All of this is out of the mouths of the people who, when in government, were the people who let him go. You were the people who let him go.I had occasion to reflect on this so I had a quick look at what Michael Lavarch said in 1995. Despite being a Labor attorney, he nonetheless had some respect in the community. He said:Extradition cannot be sought from Spain—`cannot', negative—for the relevant offences because the court has conclusively determined that Skase may not be returned to Australia and that issue cannot be reopened even in the face of further evidence that Skase was medically fit to travel.XE4BOLKUSSenator Bolkus—There's a lot of new evidence about.7E4Senator VANSTONE—That is what Michael Lavarch, the then Attorney-General, said in 1995. Despite all of that sort of comment from his attorney, Senator Bolkus goes out now because he is the shadow attorney and says, `Don't worry about that. We'll just reopen it all. We'll just bring him back. Forget the fact that we let him go. We'll bring him back.' That shows you something, Senator Bolkus. I had occasion to reflect on just who your party values. Who will they make Attorney-General? I had a bit of a look at it and, in March 1983, they had a chance to appoint an attorney. Did they appoint you, Senator Bolkus?UNKNOWNGovernment senatorsGovernment senators—No!7E4Senator VANSTONE—No, they appointed Gareth Evans. Then in 1984 they had a chance to reconsider. Did they appoint you?UNKNOWNGovernment senatorsGovernment senators—No!7E4Senator VANSTONE—No. In July 1987, Senator Bolkus, they had another opportunity to appoint you. Did they appoint you then?UNKNOWNGovernment senatorsGovernment senators—No!Opposition senators interjecting—10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Order!7E4Senator VANSTONE—No. On 18 September 1997, they had a chance to appoint you to the new ministry for justice. Did they appoint you to that?UNKNOWNGovernment senatorsGovernment senators—No!7E4Senator VANSTONE—No, they did not, and so it goes on.Opposition senators interjecting—7E4Senator VANSTONE—In April 1990, in December 1991, in May 1992, in March 1993 and in April 1993, your party had a chance to appoint you and they rejected you.Honourable senators interjecting—10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Order! The level of noise in the chamber is totally unacceptable on all sides.7E4Senator VANSTONE—It would be a lot easier to answer the question if I did not have to raise my voice above the cacophony of rubbish over there. So there we have it, Senator Abetz. On 10, 11 or 12 occasions, Labor had a chance to make that man Attorney-General or Minister for Justice, and on every occasion they chose somebody else. What do you think that tells you about what they think of him? It shows you they think he is an incompetent.Honourable senators interjecting—10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Order! The level of noise is absolutely unacceptable.7E4Senator VANSTONE—Senator Bolkus was caught touting around with in-chamber hearings from the Federal Court, undermining the national interest, undermining the government's genuine attempts to get at Skase's assets. That should show that he is an incompetent fool. Yesterday, he was quoting from model rules of professional conduct and practice urging people to be honest—this is the same bloke who was quoting from a stolen document in January. You don't have double standards, Senator Bolkus; you have no standards. Your party will never make you Attorney-General. Never. You have been referred to the Privileges Committee because all your colleagues think you are a leaker. They think you have no respect.UI4RAYSenator Robert Ray—Madam President, I rise on a point of order. We can all play the game of saying who has been referred to the Privileges Committee. Senator Alston has been, and so has a whole range of people. We do not refer to it in the chamber until the Privileges Committee brings down a finding.10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—There is no point of order.7E4Senator VANSTONE—The bottom line is this: you have no respect for the institution you are a part of, no respect for committee procedures, none for the parties you work with and you have got none from the Australian people. (Time expired)164Abetz, Sen EricSenator ABETZN26TASLP10—Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. I was wondering if the Minister for Justice might comment in relation to the obstacles in the Skase case as to whether the call to reopen the extradition hearings is as helpful as Senator Bolkus's contribution to the debate when he sought to leak confidential Federal Court documents to the media?XE4BOLKUSSenator Bolkus—Madam President, I rise on a point of order. The question should be struck out as being out of order because it is based on a wrongful assumption. The docu ments were already with the media. The Minister for Justice knows that full well. The former shadow Attorney-General who never made it to Attorney-General knows full well that it is based on the wrong premise.10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Senator Bolkus, you are debating the issue; there is no point of order. I call Senator Vanstone.164Vanstone, Sen AmandaSenator VANSTONE7E4SALPMinister for Justice10—Thank you, Madam President. Senator Abetz, you have just seen another example that Senator Bolkus is one of the greatest impediments to pursuing Skase. He seeks to say that the documents he leaked were already in the hands of the media. We have no evidence of that whatsoever, but we have got a video of you reading them out to the public, Senator Bolkus. Oh, yes. The bottom line is that, in any of these matters, when you are pursuing someone with top class legal advice, you need to have some sort of secrecy about your proceedings and, when you go to in-chamber hearings, you would hope that someone who purports to be the alternative first law officer would respect that and would give the government a chance to get at the assets that Labor let go.164164Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator FAULKNER5K4NSWALP00—My question is directed to Senator Hill, the Minister for the Environment. Minister, can you confirm your statement to the estimates committees last week that Senator Crane was present in your office when you made NHT funding decisions regarding Western Australian projects? In light of Senator Crane's astounding revelation that his own property in Western Australia received grant funding from the NHT and that he continues to hold a full share in the property, I ask: what is the name of Senator Crane's project? What was the purpose of the grant? How much was the grant for? Was this grant approved at a meeting when Senator Crane was present? Minister, was the Crane property identified in the project application? I ask that you table a copy of the application for that project and grant, as you did last night for the Baillieu grant.164Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I will just complete the answer to the last question because I ran out of time.5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—Madam President, I rise on a point of order. You know that is out of order. It is not competent for the minister to complete any other answers. He will be able to do so after question time, if he has misled the Senate or has to correct the record. You should direct him to answer the question I have asked on this occasion.10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—There is an appropriate time to add to other answers, Senator Hill.BH4Senator HILL—It is just that the attempt was made again to slur the Baillieu family and I thought Senator Faulkner would appreciate another quote from Mr Baillieu to demonstrate that in fact he has no apparent connection with the Liberal Party.10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Senator Hill, I draw your attention to the question.BH4Senator HILL—Okay, Madam President. I must say that I did see reference to a matter in the Canberra Times this morning that caused me to make some inquiries. What I found out is that there is a catchment group of some 27 families that has been operating, I think for about 10 years—anyway for some considerable years—in Western Australia. It is called the—4J4SCHACHTSenator Schacht—`Crane Family Farm'.BH4Senator HILL—No. I will find it in a minute. It is the Yallobup Creek Catchment Group. I found out that it applied for funding assistance for reclamation work—for damage that has been caused through loss of vegetation and the like—that it has been doing for many years. I found out that it takes off a corner of Senator Crane's property which makes up about one per cent of the catchment.I understand that the process is that the families within the catchment who wish to seek funding join together and do so. I made inquiries and found that Senator Crane, even though he has got a little slice of his property taken off in this catchment, made no such application. So it is not true to say that any benefit was going to Senator Crane from this particular project. I have now received written confirmation of that from the project managers, Madam President. As to whether Senator Crane was present when the matter was discussed, the answer is no. In fact, I understand that Senator Crane did not know that this application had been made until after Christmas.165Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator FAULKNER5K4NSWALP00—Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. We assume then from your answer, Senator Hill, that as apparently Senator Crane was providing you with information on a whole range of landcare groups—which is evidence that you gave to the estimates committee—do you believe that if you have a government backbencher, a coalition backbencher, in a room when you are making decisions about such projects and grants, that represents a clear conflict of interest?165Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I thought I just said to the honourable senator that in fact Senator Crane did not become aware that an application had been made by this group until after Christmas. And I have just said it is of no benefit to his property and to him at all. But, apart from that, the issue of seeking advice from those who are well informed on the background to land management and natural resource management issues in this country is something that I would suggest is very sensible.When I look around on this side of the chamber, Madam President, I see lots of well informed senators on the issues of landcare, soil degradation and dry land salinity—all the major land and water resource problems that this country is facing. But, of course, there is no interest in the subject on the other side of the chamber. These people are committed to a better environmental outcome for this country. (Time expired)165165Lees, Sen MegSenator LEES8U4SAAD00—Madam President, my question is directed to you. It follows on from the questions that Senator Faulkner has just raised. I think the matter is of sufficient importance that I ask, Madam President—if what we have just heard is correct, and if there is a question over the involvement of Senator Crane's property in the Natural Heritage Trust grant—are you aware of standing order of the Senate No. 27 which states: A senator shall not sit on a committee if the senator has a conflict of interest in relation to the inquiry of the committee.Is it true that Senator Crane is chair of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee which dealt with the Natural Heritage Trust fund in estimates in 1997 and 1998? If this is the case, Madam President, and there is an interest, what is the appropriate action? Should Senator Crane resign from that committee?Government senators interjecting—166The PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT10000PON/A10—Order! Senators on my right will cease interjecting. There is an element in that—Government senators interjecting—10000The PRESIDENT—Order! Senators on my right will cease interjecting. There is an element in that which is hypothetical, and there are matters of substance about which I will take advice and report to the Senate.166Lees, Sen MegSenator LEES8U4SAAD00—I thank you Madam President, but I think this is an important issue, and it is one that has been long overlooked in this chamber. If it is found that Senator Crane is in breach of standing orders, can you please advise the Senate on the appropriate action, on whether or not he should stand down? Also, can we have your ruling on whether or not this matter should be referred to the Privileges Committee?166The PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT10000PON/A10—I shall look into the matter, as I have indicated, and report to the Senate.166166Ray, Sen RobertSenator ROBERT RAYUI4VICALP00—Madam President, I ask Senator Hill, in light of his comments on Senator Crane's direct or indirect involvement in one of these grants, whether he can give the Senate an unequivocal assurance that no other coalition MP or senator has received Natural Heritage Trust funds, either directly or indirectly, through family trusts or other company structures.166Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I am not too sure what the reference to `no other senator' means, Madam President, because I know of no senator who has received any funds through the Natural Heritage Trust.166Ray, Sen RobertSenator ROBERT RAYUI4VICALP00—Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. I ask Senator Hill whether he intends to continue the practice of having coalition senators in the room when he is acting as a decision maker, or whether he is in fact going to desist from this particular practice in future.166Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I think what has to be understood is that this was the start of a long process. It was the start to a basis where this country had not done well in this area of natural resource management. We inherited a real mess, and we were determined to put in place a process that was going to deliver the best outcomes on the ground. That is what the Australian people wanted. We put the details of this program to the Australian people at the election. We described how we would fund it. We got the funding base through this parliament, despite your opposition. We set it up under a legislative framework. We set in so many checks and balances to the extent that I have described it as not only exhausting but at times exhaustive. Part of the challenge is to build that information base upon which we can make better decisions for the future than were made in the past. (Time expired)UW4CRANESenator Crane—Madam President, on a point of order: I ask that the comments made by Senator Schacht when he said, `Giving Winston money,' be withdrawn. I make the point that we did not apply for any money. Nor did we receive any money. This is a fabrication and it is a lie.10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Senator Schacht, I did not hear those remarks, but if they were made in that fashion, they ought to be withdrawn.4J4SCHACHTSenator Schacht—If that is your direction, Madam President, I withdraw.166166Margetts, Sen DeeSenator MARGETTSDX5WAG(WA)00—My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment and Minister representing the Prime Minister. In view of recent demonstrated high levels of public disquiet in relation to the Jervoise Bay dockyard project in Western Australia to be partially funded by the so-called Federation Fund, I ask: what steps has the federal government taken to ensure that the Federation Fund is used for projects which are environmentally sustainable and have a positive social impact and broad community acceptance? At what point in the decision to commit such funds are these issues assessed? Which federal agencies are involved? Is the Commonwealth government considering using the Federation Fund to subsidise the equally controversial deepwater port at Oakajee near Geraldton?167Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—In relation to the last part, obviously I am not at liberty to provide information on what the government might be considering it would do. In relation to the announcement that was made in Jervoise Bay, this is a project that is strongly supported within Western Australia and strongly supported by the Commonwealth government, which we believe will help to lay a stronger economic base for Western Australia and therefore Western Australians in the future. It is a project, we believe, to be of great commercial value to the state of Western Australia and therefore of considerable benefit to all Western Australians. We of course operate on the basis that all major developments must be subject to rigorous environmental assessment. That would be our attitude in relation to this particular project.The issue as to whether any Commonwealth action, in this instance the support through funds, triggers the Commonwealth legislation is something that will need to be addressed. You might recall in relation to the Commonwealth funding contribution in Tasmania that it was in fact found to trigger Commonwealth legislation and we became a party to that assessment. Of course this project has not got to that stage. The important thing at the moment is that the commitment we have made is subject to proper environmental assessment and that is what we would expect.167Margetts, Sen DeeSenator MARGETTSDX5WAG(WA)00—As Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. It is interesting, considering that the state is already involved in environmental assessment, for the minister to suggest that it is not at that stage when the Commonwealth has indicated that it will provide money. When will we know what will be the role of the Commonwealth in environmental assessments and checking whether the project truly has got community support, as I guess those 1,000 people who turned up at the public meeting on several days notice may contest? Also, what is to stop the heritage fund from becoming a slush fund for environmentally unsustainable projects?167Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—We do not do anything that is environmentally unsustainable. That is contrary to our objectives. Stop press: I have just been advised that Senator Parer has `just written' to me designating the Western Australian government as a proponent to that proposal. My department will now advise me therefore as to what level of assessment is appropriate and what should be the role of the Commonwealth in that assessment. That will be announced in due course and the appropriate environmental assessments will take place. I think you can be comforted that not only does the Commonwealth want to see a good environmental outcome but the Commonwealth will use its powers to ensure that there is a good environmental outcome.167167Carr, Sen KimSenator CARRAW5VICALP00—My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment. Minister, are you aware of claims made by the member for Leichhardt, Mr Warren Entsch, as reported in the Canberra Post on 19 November, that he helped push through many submissions for the Natural Heritage Trust fund for his electorate, including one for $31,000 which had initially been rejected. Is this true?YW4MACDONALDSenator Ian Macdonald—Which paper is the `Canberra Post'?AW5Senator CARR—I did say the Cairns Post . If so, which were the projects Mr Entsch managed to push through?167Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I have not seen that reference in the Cairns Post , but I will pursue the matter. It is not unusual for local members to claim personal credit in the event of successful projects whether they be in the environment sphere or elsewhere. I do not knock them for that. What I do know is that some 6,000-odd community groups Australia wide got behind the Commonwealth government in this program and made applications. I am pleased—I am thrilled, in fact—that we have been able to support over 2,000 of those programs in the first year. When you add that to the state agency programs and to other regional programs it provides a really positive base for what is going to be an exciting and very worthwhile project for the benefit of the whole country.It is under way. Good projects are being supported. That has been our commitment—that we will get good value for every taxpayer's dollar, that we will get the most done on the ground as possible, that we will try to support community groups more than has been the case in the past where these grants have tended to be dominated by state government agencies. I am sure when all these factors are brought together we can contribute something to a long-term environmental outcome that has been badly needed by this country.168Carr, Sen KimSenator CARRAW5VICALP00—I ask a supplementary question, Madam President. I take it, Minister, that you are asserting that Mr Entsch falsely claimed credit for securing these grants. If you are not, can you clarify for us: what did Mr Entsch do in terms of contacting your office? Did he have any contact with your office in relation to submissions to the Natural Heritage Trust funding prior to the final decisions being taken? If so, can you detail the contact he had had and the projects he was pushing?168Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I can pursue that. I have to say, Madam President, that I received many submissions from politicians, community groups and all sorts of organisations, pressing their case for particular projects. There is nothing illegitimate in that. The normal process was that I sent them off to my department.YW4MACDONALDSenator Ian Macdonald—Not many Labor projects.BH4Senator HILL—Not many from Labor, I have to say. I did get one last week from the shadow Minister for the Environment about his disappointment in relation to one particular unsuccessful project. That is fine. It goes off to the department for analysis to see if a technical error or something else occurred. If there was a technical error, it might be addressed. Senator Conroy interjecting—BH4Senator HILL—No, in actual fact it seems that, in relation to Tasmania, the Labor seats received double the amount that the Liberal seats got, but so be it. That is where the merit must have been because these were decisions that were based on merit and merit alone. (Time expired)168168Calvert, Sen PaulSenator CALVERT5F4TASLP10—My question to the Minister for the Environment relates to the Australian government's outstanding success at the Kyoto climate change meeting in Japan late last year. Everyone here will recall the dire predictions made by the opposition and other prophets of doom ahead of the meeting—that Australia's position was flawed and that we would be isolated by the rest of the world community. Now that the Labor Party and other parties have been proved absolutely wrong, will you outline the benefits to the Australian environment and economy as a result of the government's outstanding effort?168Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I thank the honourable senator for the question. Again, I am a bit shy about raising this because it does contrast individuals, but I remember what was said about Senator Faulkner in relation to this matter as well. Probably other honourable senators remember the article by Helen Trinka in the Australian of 8 April 1995 when she said Australia could have done with some of the heavy hitters of cabinet in Berlin as it struggled to maintain its image as a sophisticated power. That was the hand that Senator Faulkner passed on to the coalition government and, I have to say, a very difficult brief. Nevertheless, it was taken up by the coalition government which sought to achieve through the Kyoto process an outcome that was fair and achievable to Australia, but an outcome that was good for the environment. I am pleased that we were able to achieve those goals.What has come out of Kyoto is an outcome whereby developed countries will in fact be contributing to a very major reduction of greenhouse gases and that should be applauded by all. Furthermore, it is a start. It will be built upon, as the Kyoto process progresses and ultimately developing countries come on board, because you are not going to get the best overall outcome until you have developing countries within the loop as well as the developed.In relation to the contribution that Australia is making, it has been agreed that Australia's target by 2010 should be an increase of only eight per cent over 1990 levels. The projected increase without that commitment was about 43 per cent. What is being expected of Australia from an environmental challenge is, in fact, something that is very considerable. In fact, the difference between 43 per cent and eight per cent happens to be a little more than what most other developed countries found that they were to commit during this process. So it is an environmentally challenging result that we have accepted.But, on the other hand, it is also a fair result. It means that we are not going to put hundreds of thousands of Australians out of work, which was the position that the Labor Party originally took. The Labor Party, of course, before the negotiations at Kyoto, actually said that our starting position should be stabilisation at 1990 levels. The advice of DFAT was that that would cost 90,000 Australian jobs. The starting point! They wanted something better than that. I am not sure how many Australian jobs they were prepared to sacrifice, but we know that it was in excess of 90,000. By the time they got to Kyoto, the position had changed slightly, but with each step they criticised our efforts to achieve the fairest outcome for Australia that was consistent with a good environmental goal.I am pleased, Madam President, that we have achieved a good outcome for the environment. But I am also particularly pleased that we have been able to achieve a good outcome for Australian workers, particularly workers in the areas that would have been hit the hardest: in the Hunter Valley, for example; in the—KI4PARERSenator Parer—Wollongong.BH4Senator HILL—In the Wollongong area—all of those coal areas of Australia that have found it difficult in recent times. There is no doubt about that. Their jobs were going to be sacrificed by Labor. The coalition took a position that has meant that their jobs can be saved, yet we can hold our heads high that we have achieved a good environmental outcome and that Australia is making a fair and worthwhile contribution.169Calvert, Sen PaulSenator CALVERT5F4TASLP10—I ask a supplementary question, Madam President. Minister, you are to be congratulated for your fine effort, and I have written to you about that. But could you tell the Senate what the environmental and economic consequences for Australia would have been if the views of the opposition had prevailed?169Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I have said that the original position of the Labor Party would have cost 90,000 jobs. They were prepared to sacrifice 90,000 jobs to try to win the favour of certain international green groups. By the time they got to the Kyoto they always took a position that was on the green side of the government's negotiations. It did not help, I might say, being prepared to go out and brief the media to that effect. In fact, it got to the stage where they said we had been offered a five per cent opportunity and our failure to take that would be recorded as the greatest diplomatic failure in Australia's history. Of course, in the end we got eight per cent—a better outcome for Australian jobs.It is not surprising that they were the party that resulted in a million Australians being out of work. When it came to the crunch, the green interest groups prevailed over Australian workers' future. Contrast it to the position of the union leaders—Colley, for example, who went to Kyoto, who took a much more sensible and pragmatic position. (Time expired)169169Conroy, Sen StephenSenator CONROY3L6VICALP00—My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment. Minister, my question is in reference to your decision to fund a Natural Heritage Trust project in New South Wales, a project ranked at only 195 and located in the seat of Warringah, which is represented by Mr Tony Abbott. How many of the 60 higher ranking rejected projects were located in Labor-held electorates? Will you table the notes of your departmental officials as to why this variation occurred? Have you finally checked the records to determine if Mr Abbott made any representations to you or your office regarding this project?170Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I think the information that was required to be tabled after the estimates committee will provide the information base that the honourable senator is seeking. It is no secret—and I have said it before—that the applications from metropolitan Australia were somewhat disappointing, and I think, in contrast—Senator Robert Ray interjecting—BH4Senator HILL—They were disappointing in number and they were disappointing in quality. I think the explanation for that is that, not surprisingly, the community understood this to be a program that was being primarily directed at rural and regional Australia, which was true.3L6CONROYSenator Conroy—What about the Labor electorates? What about the Labor electorates ahead of it?BH4Senator HILL—Furthermore, within rural and regional Australia you have well structured, well organised and these days really quite professional landcare groups that tended to put in quality applications.3L6CONROYSenator Conroy—How did it get on the list?10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Senator Conroy!BH4Senator HILL—That is a problem because it is my view that a proportion of the money being invested in revegetation should be invested within metropolitan areas. That might be part of the explanation that the honourable senator is seeking.3L6CONROYSenator Conroy—How did you move it up the list?BH4Senator HILL—I don't think you are listening, Senator. That might be part of the explanation that you are seeking. When you have the full detail of that list, you will be able to make that assessment, and that is fair enough.3L6CONROYSenator Conroy—What about your office records?BH4Senator HILL—We accept that we must be accountable for this process. We do not shy away from that. We have set up a comprehensive system of accountability. Ultimately, we are accounted for by the Auditor-General and so we should be. That does not embarrass us.3L6CONROYSenator Conroy—Where does Winston fit into that level?10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Senator Conroy, this is your question. You should listen to the answer.BH4Senator HILL—But some on the other side are saying that we should not just seek to achieve the outcomes that I have said. We are committed to getting the best value for the taxpayer's dollar. We are committed to getting the best outcome on the ground in terms of environmental achievement. We are prepared to make the decisions that we are responsible to make under the legislation. We are not just a rubber stamp. We are not just going to rubber stamp what the states say or even what the regional groups say. We will stand by the judgments that we make because at the end of the day we know that it will start to address these weaknesses in our natural resource management system that have been evident for so long and that Labor disregarded for 13 years. So we accept our responsibility.We are proud of this program. It will grow and it will be even better in the future. Future generations will look back and say, `We're glad that at least one government, the coalition government under Mr Howard, had the courage to tackle the real problems and to do it in a way that was to provide some long-term benefits.'170170Allison, Sen LynSenator ALLISON1M6VICAD00—My question is to the Minister for the Environment. Minister, in the list of successful Natural Heritage Trust fund grants money has gone to projects with very questionable environmental outcomes and often to projects which would normally be funded by other federal and state budgets.7E4VANSTONESenator Vanstone—How do you know?FX5MURPHYSenator Murphy—According to whom?10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Order! Senators on my right will cease interjecting. Please continue, Senator Allison.1M6Senator ALLISON—For example, the grant for the 1993 spring floods program for urban areas of Melbourne and the numerous NHT grants for levee banks and other flood mitigation schemes. Minister, how about the $46,000 for expanding cane production in Queensland? Isn't it the case that there is $10.5 million available in the sugar industry infrastructure program of which, as I understand it, only one-third has been spent? Minister, aren't you misleading Australians when you say that the NHT is new money for the environment when so much is going to programs which should be funded by Commonwealth and state budgets?171Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—There is a number of parts to that, but it is true that we have made a real effort to avoid filling the gap of other state or Commonwealth responsibilities. Basically, we have said that the Natural Heritage Trust is to build upon existing programs and, as I have said, we have made real effort to avoid cost shifting—I think greater effort to avoid cost shifting than has ever occurred in the past—and it has not pleased everyone.It is possible to analyse every application and every grant. If honourable senators want to do that, they can do it. As I said, the Labor Party has asked for details of all 6,000 applications. They will, no doubt, seek to do what Senator Allison has done in shorthand in this question.The honourable senator must appreciate also that this program is a partnership between good environmental outcomes and sustainable agriculture. We have brought together the objectives of seeking to build productive Australia from an economic point of view with productive Australia from an ecological point of view. We have done that because we say that the distinction is really artificial. If you eat into the capital of your natural resources, you will ultimately eat into your capacity to maximise your economic outcome. So we have drawn both streams together to achieve that goal.I can understand that, when the honourable senator refers to landcare projects and some of the rivercare projects, for example, as opposed to bushcare projects, she will see the traditional emphasis on the sustainable agri culture. Over time that distinction will disappear as the two strains of thought, the two different cultures and the two different administrations both at the Commonwealth level, where we are making great progress, and at the state level, where less progress is being made, are finally brought together. It is only when they are finally brought together that we will, in fact, maximise the benefit from both an ecological point of view and from an economic point of view of our great natural resources in rural and regional Australia.171Allison, Sen LynSenator ALLISON1M6VICAD00—Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, you referred to landcare and bushcare projects, but how do you explain funding going to treated waste water on the Bright golf course? Isn't it a state or a local government responsibility to fund the disposal of sewage waste water? Aren't there already plenty of other golf courses doing much the same thing? Minister, how can you possibly stretch watering a golf course to the Natural Heritage Trust fund? Minister, can I suggest that we should rename the NHT the `green cost shifting scheme', or will you keep your promise to Australians that this is new money for the environment?171Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—It is a $1.1 billion fund which is new money. We have had to sell part of a Commonwealth asset to achieve that fund. It is a reinvestment of national capital—in that instance, capital that was obtained through the part sale of Telstra—towards the dual objectives that I said of better environmental outcomes and sustainable primary production. That is what this is all about. So clearly that is new money.As I said, we are making every endeavour to avoid substitution for previous programs. That is what we want to do because we would actually like to see this fund grow to something that is larger. We want to see greater non-government contributions. We want to see greater contributions from the states. We were pleased with what we were able to encourage the states to contribute in the first year, but they should know that we will be going back to them in the future and looking for them to contribute even more. Out of that we have achieved the objectives that we so clearly set out for the Australian people. (Time expired)BH4HILLSenator Hill—Madam President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper .Questions Without Notice172172172Herron, Sen JohnSenator HERRONVW4QLDLPAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs10—Yesterday in question time, Senator Bolkus asked me what day I had asked Mr Callinan QC for advice. I checked my diaries and it was 6 November 1996. I can confirm that the advice was given pro bono.172172Herron, Sen JohnSenator HERRONVW4QLDLPAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs10—Senator Ray asked me a question yesterday, which I said I would check, about an apparent inconsistency between the answer on 4 February to question No. 1050 from Senator Collins on 19 December and the evidence given to the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee last week in relation to some focus group testing of a possible advertisement recently undertaken by Brian Sweeney and Associates. The evidence to the committee confirmed that Sweeney and Associates had been engaged in late January to do the focus group testing, whereas the answer on 4 February to Senator Collins's question indicated that no opinion research of any kind on reconciliation or other issues had been undertaken since previous work by Sweeney and Associates in 1996.I would also like to correct yesterday's Hansard. It said I first became aware of it when I was asked this question at estimates. What I had said was `when the question was asked in estimates'. It was not asked of me, as Senator Ray knows, because I was not present at that estimates.The reason for the apparent inconsistency is that Sweeney and Associates was engaged between the time the proposed answer was submitted for my approval and the time the approved answer was tabled. The agency handling the answer, that is ATSIC, was not the same as the agency handling Sweeney's engagement, that is the Prime Minister and Cabinet. In addition I, like Senator Ray, was a bit concerned that I was not aware of this, and I had forgotten that during January I was on leave. I returned to the office on 27 January. So just to clarify it from Senator Ray's point of view and the Senate's point of view, the relevant dates are as follows.On 19 December, Senator Collins placed the question on notice. On 23 December, ATSIC commenced its coordination and preparation of the answer. Then on 15 January, ATSIC liaised with PM&C and was advised that no research subsequent to Sweeney and Associates 1996 work had been commissioned by PM&C. Then on 27 January, ATSIC submitted the proposed answer, as finally tabled, for my approval, and I signed it off on 27 January on my return. Then on 30 January, Prime Minister and Cabinet commissioned Sweeney to undertake focus group testing. On 4 February, ATSIC arranged lodgment of the previously approved answer to Senator Collins's question. So I think that clarifies it and it illustrates once again that Senator Ray is constantly at work checking the veracity of all answers given. I commend him for that.172172Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—by leave—I was asked if I would table the application for grants from the Yallobup Creek catchment, which I will. I do not have it with me, so I have asked for it to be brought in. I saw it for the first time this morning after I called for it when I read that little piece in the Canberra Times .By way of explanation, the secretary of the group, as referred to in the application, was a Dianne Crane. I asked of her. She apparently is a sister-in-law of Senator Winston Crane. She had a different property. She had clearly been involved in the catchment group because she signed as secretary of the group.5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—It gets murkier and murkier.BH4Senator HILL—Listen. She sold her property, I am instructed, before the application was assessed. So she does not gain any benefit either.Honourable senators will see from the application that there is also a page of signa tories of each of the families that supported the application. These are the families in the catchment group. There is one signature—N. Crane. I sought further information of that, and I understand that it is believed to be the daughter-in-law of Senator Winston Crane.As I said in my answer today, Senator Crane in relation to his family did not seek funding and is not getting funding. He did not at all relevant times know that the application had even been made by this longstanding community group. I obtained a brief statement from the Secretary-Treasurer of the Yallobup Creek Catchment Group Inc. which corroborates what I have just said and I will table that in conjunction with the application agreement.UW4CRANESenator Crane—Madam President—10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—I call Senator Crane.5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—Madam President, I seek leave—10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Are you seeking leave on the same matter?5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—No, I am not seeking leave, I am taking note of an answer.10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—I have not called to take note of answers yet.5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—Madam President, on a point of order: as you are aware, it is normal for you to call for taking note of answers. It is unusual, but not improper, for the leader or for a minister to receive the call—Senator Hill sought leave and it was granted; and that is a normal course of action. But this is a government backbencher, and I really think the Leader of the Opposition ought be accorded the courtesy of receiving the call.10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—He would be in relation to taking note of answers. I do not even know what Senator Crane is seeking the call about at this stage, and he would probably need leave to do it in any event. Senator Crane?UW4CRANESenator Crane—Madam President, I seek leave to make a personal explanation.10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Is leave granted?5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—After taking note.10000PRESIDENTThe PRESIDENT—Leave is not granted at this time. It will be granted after taking note of answers.17315:08:00173Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator FAULKNER5K4NSWALP00—I move:That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for the Environment (Senator Hill) to a question without notice asked by Senator Faulkner today, relating to the principals of the Woodhouse Pastoral Co.It is clear from a search of the company records of the Woodhouse Pastoral Co. that at least 17 members of the Baillieu family are involved or have been involved with the Woodhouse Pastoral Co. or associated companies. It is also true that most of those associated companies use the same registered company address as the Woodhouse Pastoral Co., which is 360 Collins Street, Melbourne.It is also true that Mr John Madden Baillieu is one of the four current directors of the Woodhouse Pastoral Co. I might say that Who's Who also identifies him as the Chairman of EL&C Baillieu Ltd which donated $50,500 to the Liberal Party in the past two years. There was a donation of $20,500 to the Victorian division in 1996, a donation of $20,000 nationally in 1996 and a donation of $10,000 to the Victorian division in 1997. A total of $50,500 was donated by the chairman of this company who is one of the four current directors of the Woodhouse Pastoral Co.Do not forget it is just a coincidence that the Woodhouse Pastoral Co. was one of those successful grants that was accepted after this extraordinary process where, apparently, a member of Senator Hill's office staff—but Senator Hill today has taken responsibility—directed the Department of the Environment to look again at the Victorian regional assessment panel process and, as a result of that, three grants were approved. One of those grants was to the Woodhouse Pastoral Co.Two other persons associated with the Woodhouse Pastoral Co. also list their individual addresses at 360 Collins Street, Melbourne: Mr Maurice Howard Lawrence Baillieu, a previous director, and Mr Richard Percy Clive Baillieu, the current secretary. Not only was $50,500 donated by EL&C Baillieu—and I have talked about the principals of that company—to the Liberal Party but also, extraordinarily enough, the same director of the Woodhouse Pastoral Co. made a personal donation, according to the returns we have available from the AEC, of $2,400 in 1995.You do not have to be a genius mathematician to be able to add $2,400 to $50,500. Lo and behold, what does it add up to? The amount of $52,900. What was the grant given to the Woodhouse Pastoral Co. through Senator Hill's shonky process? What was the value of the grant? It was $52,900. When I found this out, I thought it was just a balancing item for the Liberal Party.The reason this grant was agreed to by the Commonwealth government is that Senator Hill's office instructed the department to rejig the process. Three grants were approved through that reassessment process directed by Senator Hill's office, and one of them was the Baillieu family Woodhouse Pastoral Co. grant.We want to know from Senator Hill—he refused to answer in question time but he has taken responsibility—who in his office directed this department to do this and when those particular directions were made. We want to know what the full details are about the Baillieu grant as well as discussions between Senator Hill's office and his department about the Baillieu grant prior to the department's recommendation that it be approved. We want to know about those representations and we want to know as soon as possible. (Time expired)15:14:00174Macdonald, Sen IanSenator IAN MACDONALDYW4QLDLP10—Another low point in the Labor Party's smear campaign in this particular chamber. Not only do they continue to smear the Baillieu family but they also smear Senator Crane and then will not even give him permission to reply to those smears. That is the sort of action we get from the Labor Party.The Labor Party are not interested in the environment. They are determined to bring down the Natural Heritage Trust and all the good things that it has done for the environment because, in 13 years, they could not do a thing for it. They judge everyone by the way they act. They remember the Centenary House fiasco. Centenary House, the Labor Party headquarters, was given by their government a guaranteed rental. For how long? Ten years, Senator Ray? It was for ten years with a 15 per cent increase on rental—and you talk about this sort of smear!The Labor Party are used to doing this. You know how it is done. Your government was full of this sort of campaign. You transferred money to the Labor Party, transferred money to the union movement and then got them to donate it back to you. Just because you did that, just because that is your way of doing things, that does not mean to say that the Democrats do it that way, the Greens do it that way, the National Party do it that way or the Liberal Party do it that way. You may do it that way, but we do not. Do not judge others by yourselves.Having said that, I know Senator Ray and Senator Faulkner have received a direct and personal benefit from the Natural Heritage Trust—in fact, so has every senator in this chamber. That is because the Natural Heritage Trust goes about doing things for the ecology, for the environment. It will end up giving us better clean air, better rivers, purer water—AW5CARRSenator Carr—Oh yes; clean air!YW4Macdonald, Sen IanSenator IAN MACDONALD—the sorts of things we all take advantage of. We all take a direct and personal advantage from that. That is what the Natural Heritage Trust is all about: $1.25 billion is being put into the environment to make your air cleaner, Senator Carr. To clean up the air around your mouth would take a lot of money, but we are prepared to do that with $1.25 billion.Every senator—in fact, every person in Australia—receives a direct and personal benefit from the Natural Heritage Trust. There have been all these allegations of favouritism. As has been pointed out, it was the New South Wales government that wanted more money for the Murray-Darling scheme and, I understand, some electorates that are represented very well in this parliament by the Deputy Prime Minister. It was the New South Wales government that asked for that money.There have been a lot of allegations of a process. The Labor Party were in the chamber when this parliament dealt with the Natural Heritage Trust Bill. That bill requires the ministers or the board—which comprises the Minister for the Environment and the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy—to make decisions on these things. The bill did not say that some group in the north of Queensland or some group in the west of Victoria should make decisions on behalf of this government. Senator Hill and Mr Anderson were given that specific power. On the allegations that there is some want of process, the chairman of the Natural Heritage Trust Board, Sir James Hardy, said:I can't believe, given the number of assessment panels that applications must pass through, that it can be `green barrelling'.I will go further and repeat what the conservation groups across Australia said. They released a letter to the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment, Senator Hill, and Mr Anderson which endorses the intervention of the Commonwealth Natural Heritage Trust Board in the assessment of project applications. They endorsed the decision taken by the Commonwealth and HT board to be a joint decision maker with the states in restructuring the assessment panel. The Queensland Conservation Council also praised Senator Hill and Mr Anderson for their assessment and their choice of projects.This is just another part of the campaign by the Labor Party. They are not interested in the environment. They are annoyed and enraged by the fact that this coalition government is the only government in history that has been prepared to put such a major financial investment into the environment. (Time expired)15:19:00175Ray, Sen RobertSenator ROBERT RAYUI4VICALP00—This particular matter comes under interest because it did not go through the normal processes; this particular grant we are talking about did not come through the normal processes. We do not even know to this day whether the department had a repre sentative on their regional assessment panel in this case. No-one has told us that. If they did, they were there to give advice about eligibility. But what a great coincidence that Victoria is the main concentration of a reassessment of rejected grants. Who started this process? It was certainly not the department because, if you go to page 56 of Mr Campbell's evidence, it says:The question is: did you give advice to Senator Hill to re-examine the status of these grants prior to him or a staff member asking you to re-examine them?Mr Campbell's response:No.So the initiative came from the minister's office, not on the direct advice of the department. It came from Senator Hill's staff member, apparently without reference to Senator Hill. You do delegate authority—I understand that—but it seems that, for some reason, one of Senator Hill's staffers got the bright idea, `Why don't we reassess all these ones in this particular area?' So they reassessed 147 and, lo and behold, suddenly three make it back onto the list. We do not know what contact there was between Senator Hill's office and the department to discuss this particular process.It is not smearing to say that a lot of the members of Woodhouse are members of the Liberal Party. It is not smearing to say they share the same office building at 360 Collins Street with a whole range of other integrated companies. It is not smearing to say that the directors of Woodhouse and the company that made the large donation to the Liberal Party are one and the same. So it is of no use for Senator Hill to say that the person that manages this is not in the Liberal Party—I accept that—but a whole range of the others are. Of all the great coincidences in the world, we were very puzzled when we added up the donation. We kept coming up short. It was paid out at poker machine levels only. You put in $20,500 to the Victorian branch, you whacked another $20,000 up to the federal secretariat here, then you plonked another ten grand in the Victorian branch and it comes to $50,500.Well, what happened to the $2,400? This puzzled us for hours today. How come they did not get a full payout? Mugs—we are mugs. We forgot to search the individual donations. So we found the person that paid the cheques for the $50,500 in the individual donations. It does not say much for my comments about Senator Calvert the other day—he is a nearby neighbour of mine. I will not put the person's address on the record, but I will put his name: and that is J.M. Baillieu. He fronts up for $2,400. When you add that to the $50,500, that is exactly the same amount as the grant this mob got.What a great payout! You knock off one per cent in blackjack, five per cent in roulette, 13 per cent in poker machines, 15 per cent in the TAB and 41 per cent in Lotto. But the good old Liberal Party pays out at 100 per cent every time. The $52,900 you stick in you get back. You only get it back, provided there has been interference from the minister's office to make sure the particular grant is re-established after it fell at the first hurdle of the race—with the regional assessment panel which had ruled it ineligible. But it is put back in by big hitters in the Liberal Party.No wonder we have got questions about coincidence in this. It is not McCarthyism or smear; all the links are there. They are there for anyone to see who wants to walk down and have a look in 360 Collins Street—as we had someone have a look this afternoon—at all the interconnected companies there. It was $52,900 into the Liberal Party, $52,900 out. I think they picked that figure for the grant of $52,900 to rub all our noses in it. It was an insider's joke to set it at that particular level because none of us would ever catch on to it. Well, we have caught onto it and you are not going to rub our noses in it. It is a very sick joke to have that exact figure.15:24:00176Macdonald, Sen SandySenator SANDY MACDONALDCX5NSWNP10—I wish to take note of the question asked by Senator Faulkner of Senator Hill on the Natural Heritage Trust. The Natural Heritage Trust is the greatest financial commitment that has ever been made by a government to the environment in Australia's history. The $1.25 billion will be used for landcare, for bushcare, for rivercare, a commitment to land and conservation for the Murray-Darling catchment, and for com munity groups that range from very important and large groups right down to schoolchildren. When you consider that only 1.17 per cent of the Australian land mass is now held by the Labor Party it is not surprising that the greatest amount of money under the Natural Heritage Trust has gone to coalition electorates.The key points need to be made that 95 per cent of the funds have gone to 99 per cent of Australia; that the state assessment panels recommended that over 90 per cent of funds should go to rural areas and that is precisely where the money has gone; that close scrutiny given to projects by the ministerial board did not make any difference to the political distribution of grants, but did result in more projects going to community groups for on-ground works and less going to state government bureaucracies; and lastly, that the Australian environment movement has endorsed the ministerial board's close scrutiny given to the projects recommended by the state assessment panel.As the duty senator for the New South Wales rural seats of Calare and Hunter, I am really pleased with the generous allocation of natural heritage funding to these electorates. I am very proud the government has kept its promise to make that commitment to regional areas in Australia.In the seat of Calare, which is held by an independent, Peter Andren, over $1.5 million was allocated under the fund, and with more to come. And I do not believe that people in Bathurst and in the regional areas of Lithgow—areas which received $200,000 each for their flood mitigation schemes—would believe that there was any rort in the allocation of these grants. Far from it: they would agree that this money had been properly spent in the interests of all Australians.In his recent newspaper column, Joel Fitzgibbon, who holds the Hunter electorate for the Labor Party, alleged that Labor electorates were awarded an average of $94,325. Well, he has very little to complain about, because his electorate received around $330,000 for 11 community projects. He cannot take very much credit for this allocation of funds. They have been granted to very major projects in restoration of mines but also right down to the very lowest level of schoolchildren in primary schools who wished to take an interest in their local stream or community.It is a terrifically broad-based allocation of funds. It is in the interests of all of us and we are very pleased to be able to do it, because it will be something that goes on, right into the next century and beyond. It is an area of government expenditure which everybody agrees is important.It really does not stand any question about why the funds are going to regional areas because, as I said before, the Labor Party now hold only three regional seats out of 40 in regional Australia and they cover 1.17 per cent of the Australian land mass. There has not been any whiteboard. It might be very hard for the Labor Party to believe this, because I know the way they operated in government. We have spent the money where it is needed. We do not believe the leafy suburbs of Sydney or the parks of Melbourne are areas where NHT money should be spent. It should be spent in regional Australia, and that is where it has been.The sale of Telstra has enabled this government to tackle the big environmental problems. No other Australian government has done that. It has done that in a way which has provided a win-win situation for investors who took out a share of Telstra and also for the community at large in the way the money has been spent on the environment. It is in the interests of everybody in the city and in the country to solve the big problems of the environment. Farmers, landcare groups and rural communities have waited years for this money. (Time expired)15:29:00177Allison, Sen LynSenator ALLISON1M6VICAD00—Obviously, there are serious problems and questions to be answered surrounding the processes related to the trust fund. Today, the Democrats raise what we think are important questions about how this money is being spent. The Minister for the Environment (Senator Hill) says that it is new money because no-one has spent it before, which is an extraordinarily disingenuous response to my question. Of course, no-one has spent it before. The question is whether it should have been coming out of existing federal and state budgets.The minister says that Landcare and bushcare projects will merge and somehow improve the economy. I am not here today to analyse those projects, as he suggests, or to make any judgments about the value of those individual projects. The questions are: do we have a problem here with cost shifting with the states? Do we have money coming out of the fund and being used for projects when there is other Commonwealth money around which could and should be used for that purpose?The original proposal for the NHT was for additional money, and that was to be spent on top of existing environmental funding. It is patently clear that this promise of the government's has been broken. This is despite the Democrats asking the government to prove, over the passage of the legislation, that this was the case. Despite our repeated requests for the minister to prove this in estimates over two years, the government has never been able to show that it has spent one extra cent; in fact, it appears to be spending far less than it previously did. It also appears that money is going to pork-barrel coalition seats, which, obviously, can only be called into question.Returning to those projects which ought to have been funded elsewhere: the purpose of the 1993 spring floods program in my home state of Victoria is to carry out flood strategies for urban areas in Melbourne following the 1993 spring floods. Why is the NHT being used? Why isn't it an urban water program? Why isn't it the responsibility of Melbourne Water, which normally looks after such flood mitigation projects? Why is the Commonwealth involved at all, when its budget statements say that there will be reduced capital works activities in these areas and, in particular, those ones that are supporting the infrastructure and sewage treatment projects? These are the projects which primarily are undertaken by state and territory government agencies.Why is money going into property management plans like the farmsmart property man agement campaigns to focus on farming as a business, or the Cattlemen's Union with a quarter of a million dollars over four years for the so-called `future profits' program? Isn't it the case that there is other money available for agribusiness programs? I do not question the value of these projects. I am simply saying that there is other money available which should have been used for them.What about the $46,000 for expanding the cane production areas in Queensland? Isn't it the case that $10½ million is available in the sugar industry infrastructure program and that only one-third of that so far has been spent? Why is it, when there are other programs being funded that seem eminently more suitable for these sorts of programs, that money is coming out of the NHT?Here is another one: water to put waste water on the Bright golf course. This is something I mentioned in my question. How can the government possibly justify that? Is the government going to use NHT to water golf courses right around Australia? Is this what we will be looking at in the future?The Democrats, including my colleagues Senator John Woodley, Senator Meg Lees and me, have tried and tried to get some sense out of this government over this whole question. We asked hundreds of questions last year and this year in estimates. Those questions, by and large, have gone unanswered. In fact, the minister admitted during estimates that he had no way of knowing what the state governments had spent in the previous year on environment programs and no way of knowing whether their spending had been reduced. (Time expired)15:34:00178Ferris, Sen JeannieSenator FERRIS5L6SALP10—I rise to speak to the motion to take note of the answers given today on the Natural Heritage Trust by Senator Hill. What has been lost today and also in question time yesterday in the opposition's and, sadly, the Democrats' desperate search for the 1998 equivalent of the Ros Kelly memorial whiteboard and the slush fund that went with it is the coalition's real and genuine concern for issues improving our environment.By any measure, the Labor Party failed disastrously to make any real difference to the major environmental concerns that face Australia. In addressing our continent's land and water degradation crisis, Labor failed. In fixing Australia's rising water tables, salinity, soil erosion and noxious weeds, Labor failed. In preventing the spread of feral animals, Labor failed. In addressing the increasing problem of toxic blue-green algae, Labor failed. In addressing the major environmental issues facing this nation, Labor failed—absolutely failed.AX5EVANSSenator Chris Evans—Turn the page!5L6Ferris, Sen JeannieSenator FERRIS—I hope you are listening, Senator Evans. We now know there was no memorial whiteboard because, if there had been, it would have been as big as a tennis court to have held all the items that former minister Kelly claimed to have put on it.The Natural Heritage Trust is a genuine attempt to address Australia's real environmental problems. The major environmental groups recognised the quality of the Natural Heritage Trust package when they responded to the policy in the lead-up to the election. When endorsing the coalition's environmental policy, Jim Downey of the Australian Conservation Foundation said, `We welcome the fact that the coalition regards the environment as a core policy issue for Australia.' Mr Downey described the Natural Heritage Trust at that time by saying, `There's no doubt that it's the best policy the coalition has ever put forward.'Opposition senators interjecting—5L6Ferris, Sen JeannieSenator FERRIS—Perhaps you might like to go and ask him. He works with Senator Allison. Alex Marr of the Wilderness Society also made positive comments about the Natural Heritage Trust. He described it as an excellent environmental package that put the ALP's policy in the shade.Even John Faulkner recognised how good it was because he, as minister at the time, prepared for Paul Keating a launch of Labor's second-rate equivalent of the Natural Heritage Trust, the Our Land package. But there was one thing your former leader got right, Senator Faulkner. Paul Keating said that land and water rehabilitation was the most dramatic, single response needed to address this country's environmental problems. In fact, in that policy package that Senator Faulkner prepared for Mr Keating, Labor promised special funding for the Murray-Darling river system—one of Australia's most important environmental issues.We have recognised this problem and we have delivered with action and not the measly, empty words that we heard in this place yesterday and today directed at our environment. Our Murray-Darling Basin 2001 scheme is worth more than $150 million and includes 31 separate projects in South Australia that will try to fix this environmental problem which, to use Mr Keating's words, is a massive problem for this country.Labor senators in South Australia know why the Labor party electorates in South Australia do not have the major funding in our state: because there are not any Labor seats in South Australia's regional areas. South Australia did not choose Labor representatives in their rural and regional electorates, and that is where there is funding in our state: more than 300 other projects worth more than $16 million have been approved and more than half a million dollars for one project alone is going to address salinity. (Time expired)10000DEPUTY PRESIDENTThe DEPUTY PRESIDENT—Order! The time for the debate has expired.Question resolved in the affirmative.Personal Explanations179179Crane, Sen WinstonSenator CRANEUW4WALP10—I seek leave to make a personal explanation regarding the slurs that were made against myself and my family during question time.Leave granted.UW4Crane, Sen WinstonSenator CRANE—I would like to put the record absolutely straight and clear in terms of the charges that have been laid across this chamber without any foundation. The first point is that it is absolutely true that approximately one-tenth of our property falls in the Yallobup catchment area.AX5EVANSSenator Chris Evans—One-tenth?UW4Crane, Sen WinstonSenator CRANE—About one-tenth; 240 hectares out of 2,400.AX5EVANSSenator Chris Evans—Senator Hill said one per cent.UW4Crane, Sen WinstonSenator CRANE—No, he did not. He was talking about something totally different. The next point I want to make—and this is where people get it so wrong so often—is that people do not understand the process. When the applications went out—they were sent out by the local committee—my son, who now runs the property, did not respond. We did not put in any application whatsoever for funding. If you had listened to carefully to Senator Hill's explanation, you would have got that. If you can read and you read the letter on the table, you will get it twice. Also, our property will receive no funding whatsoever from the Natural Heritage Trust.I also want to put on the record—and Senator Murray would know this—that I doubt whether there is one rural politician in Western Australia, Labor or Liberal, in state or federal electorates, who does not come within a catchment area. Our state is virtually all covered by catchment areas. That is a fact of life and it is because we are so far ahead.All the work that we have done, we have funded ourselves. Because this portion of our property is at the source of East Yallobup Creek, the work we will do and are doing, and paying for out of our own pocket, will benefit everybody else down the creek just as much as it benefits us. It is a community program. Even though I am a senator in this place, we are paying for our part in that catchment area.I would like to give another explanation in terms of Dianne Crane, my sister-in-law, who was the secretary of the committee. She has been secretary of the committee for close to 10 years. I am not sure whether she has been secretary since its inception. She continued to work on this application with the full knowledge that they had sold their property—settlement was on 28 June—and she kept going. This slur that is thrown across this place that somebody who contributes to improving the environment, improving land degradation, restoring remnant vegetation and looking after the natural animals is absolutely outrageous, ludicrous, ridiculous and totally unfair. TH4KNOWLESSenator Knowles—That's what they did to Senator Panizza.UW4Crane, Sen WinstonSenator CRANE—Yes, it is the same as what happened to Senator Panizza. Those opposite should be hanging their heads in shame, particularly over that comment which Senator Schacht withdrew today.10000DEPUTY PRESIDENTThe DEPUTY PRESIDENT—Order! This is a personal explanation and not a debate.UW4Crane, Sen WinstonSenator CRANE—I know, but I am entitled to respond to the particularly points that were made here today and I am doing that. In particular I am responding to that slur that was made.My most vehement comments, however, go to the new Leader of the Democrats (Senator Lees). For her to ask that question and make that slur on my role as chair of that committee, when she had heard the answer from Senator Hill, saying that we did not respond to an application and were not to get any funding, and then to try to continue that line really puts her right back down in the depths with the defector who has moved over to your side of the chamber—Senator Kernot.I know that Senator Woodley did not support that question. I also know—because Senator Woodley and I have worked on the landcare inquiry, as have some members on the other side—that he believes, as I know, that my credentials on landcare are absolutely clean, beyond reproach and, I suggest, in front of anybody's in either chamber of this parliament—and that record goes back to 1976. I am very offended that these people did not check the facts before they came out with this slander. You can have a go at me, but when you involve my family, that is quite another thing.LI4PATTERSONSenator Patterson—They did it to Panizza and never apologised.UW4Crane, Sen WinstonSenator CRANE—I know they did it to Senator Panizza. The correct thing to do now is for them to have the guts and the decency to stand up in this place and apologise and acknowledge that there is not one cent of funding coming. When it comes to the Democrats, the sooner John Woodley or Andrew Murray takes them over and we get rid of that slur, that rubbish, that nonsense—I could use other words—the better.Miscellaneous180180180Hill, Sen RobertSenator HILLBH4SALPEnvironment10—I table the documents that I said I would table.18010001CLERKThe Clerk—Petitions have been lodged for presentation as follows:180135TW4Bourne Sen VickiTo the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in the Parliament assembled.The Petition of the undersigned draws to the attention of the Senate Indonesia's continued denial of human rights to the people of East Timor.Your Petitioners ask the Senate to call on the Australian Government to:1. actively support all United Nations resolutions and initiatives on East Timor;2. actively support the right to self-determination of the people of East Timor;3. work for the immediate release of all Timorese political prisoners;4. repeal the Timor Gap Treaty; and5. stop all military cooperation and commercial military activity with Indonesia.Senator BourneTW4Senator Bourne(from 135 citizens)18043TW4Bourne Sen VickiTo the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in the Parliament assembled.The Petition of the undersigned draws to the attention of the Senate the Australian Government's hesitation in signing the Ottawa Treaty to ban the production, sale, stockpiling, transfer and use of landmines.Your petitioners ask the Senate to call on the Australian Government to:1. actively support the Ottawa process2. immediately sign the Ottawa Treaty to ban landmines.Senator BourneTW4Senator Bourne(from 43 citizens)1801140DT6 TW4Bartlett Sen Andrew; Bourne Sen VickiTo the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in the Parliament assembled.The petition of the undersigned strongly opposes any attempts by the Australian government to mine uranium at the Jabiluka and Koongara sites in the World Heritage Listed Area of the Kakadu National Park or any other proposed or current operating site.Your petitioners ask that the Senate oppose any intentions by the Australian government to support the nuclear industry via any mining, enrichment and sale of uranium.Senator BartlettDT6Senator Bartlett(from 1,131 citizens)Senator BourneTW4Senator Bourne(from nine citizens)18112TW4Bourne Sen VickiTo the Honourable President and Members of the Senate:This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the Senate the need to continue to allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who wish to claim native title, the right to access legal aid outside of the Representative Bodies established under the Native Title Act.To force Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander claimants to seek funding from so-called representative bodies is oppressive and may result in breach of their human rights.Your petitioners request the Senate to refuse to pass the amendment 183(4)(a) which would remove the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander claimants to seek legal aid for their native title claims from the Attorney-General's department independently of and without interference from representative bodies.And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.Senator BourneTW4Senator Bourne(from 12 citizens)181104DT6 TW4Bartlett Sen Andrew; Bourne Sen VickiTo the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in the Parliament assembled.The petition of the undersigned recognises the vital role of a strong and comprehensive Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and asks that:1. Coalition Senators honour their 1996 election promise, namely that "The Coalition will maintain existing levels of Commonwealth funding to the ABC".2. The Senate votes to maintain the existing role of the ABC as a fully independent, publicly funded and publicly owned organisation.3. The Senate oppose any weakening of the Charter of the ABC.Senator BartlettDT6Senator Bartlett(from five citizens)Senator BourneTW4Senator Bourne(from 99 citizens)181240DT6Bartlett Sen AndrewTo the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in the Parliament assembled:The petition of the undersigned shows: That Australian citizens oppose social, legal and economic discrimination against people on the basis of their sexuality or transgender identity and that such discrimination is unacceptable in a democratic society.Your petitioners request that the Senate should: pass the Australian Democrats Bill to make it unlawful to discriminate or vilify on the basis of sexuality or transgender identify so that such discrimination or vilification be open to redress at a national level.Senator BartlettDT6Senator Bartlett(from 240 citizens)181131I4McKiernan Sen JamesTo the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in Parliament assembled:We the undersigned pensioners and citizens of Australia hereby call upon the Australian Government to cancel the current charges for entry into a nursing home by frail aged peoples of Australia. We point out that over many years the Private Nursing Home Industry has distributed large profits to shareholders, neglecting the need to upgrade buildings and facilities. We further call upon the Government to publish the profits of the Private Nursing Home Industry, before tax, over the past five years.Your petitioners therefore ask the Senate to direct the Government to provide a system that ensures that frail aged Australians be free from the stress and strains of the huge environmental changes of lifestyle in entering a nursing home and the uncertainty of a better quality of life in their twilight years. And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray.Senator McKiernan1I4Senator McKiernan(from 13 citizens)18184TW4Bourne Sen VickiTo the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in the Parliament assembled.The petition of the undersigned shows:(a) a proposal has been made by the Department of Transport to build a major no-curfew international airport in Sydney's western suburbs;(b) airports and attendant infrastructure are a major source of air and noise pollution;(c) Western Sydney already suffers from the worst air pollution in Australia;(d) an additional airport in the Sydney airshed will only serve to greatly increase such pollution; and (e) an airport in Sydney's west will harm the lifestyle and wellbeing of citizens living and working within the Sydney airshed.Your petitioners therefore request that the Senate not pass any bill which would lead to the construction of any new airport within the Sydney airshed.Senator BourneTW4Senator Bourne(from 84 citizens)18235F4Calvert Sen PaulTo the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in the Parliament assembled.The Petition of the undersigned draws to the attention of the Senate, the deleterious effects of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment.Your petitioners ask the Senate to call on the Australian Government to:1. Make available the draft text of the Agreement2. Make a public statement about its intentions with regard to the signing of the MAI, detailing the beneficiaries of the Agreement, and accountability measures for all corporations3. Not sign the MAI unless substantial amendment is made, including the observance of international agreements including environment, labour, health and safety and human rights standards4. Extend the deadline for signing the MAI to enable full and proper public consultations to be heldSenator Calvert5F4Senator Calvert(from three citizens)18242188U4Lees Sen MegTo the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate assembled in Parliament:The petition of the undersigned parents and friends of Woodvale Child Centre in Western Australia draws to the attention of the Senate that the Federal Government is seeking to link accreditation to eligibility for Childcare Assistance and in the opinion of your petitioners this link will only lead to higher fees for parents and no guarantee for improvement in quality of care for children. We know that quality care cannot be legislated for—it comes from the heart. Please help us help our children.Your petitioners therefore request the Senate to reject accreditation being linked to Childcare Assistance.Senator Lees8U4Senator Lees(from 4,218 citizens)182315F4Calvert Sen PaulTo the Honourable President of the Senate and Members of the Senate assembled in Parliament This petition of citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the Senate our desire to see a meaningful and just reconciliation brought about between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the broader community.I support the process of Aboriginal Reconciliation and therefore request that the Senate:Support the historic Mabo and Wik decisions to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a right to use their traditional lands under Native Title by upholding the Native Title Act;Acknowledge that the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, land and communities was wrong, apologise and fully respond to the continuing consequences through reparation and compensation;Fully implement recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody;Formulate through consultation with the people a new preamble to the Federal Constitution and those of the States which recognises the prior ownership and occupation of the land by indigenous Australians; andVote to change the date of Australia Day to a date which all Australians can celebrate.Senator Calvert5F4Senator Calvert(from 31 citizens)182145F4Calvert Sen PaulTo the Honourable President and Members of the Senate in Parliament assembled:The Petition of the undersigned wish to draw to the attention of the Senate the proposed closure of the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme to new employees from 1 July, 1998.Your petitioners believe the closure is unfair to new employees who will have fewer and less beneficial options for superannuation the closure will undermine the medium and long term viability of both the PSS and CSS for current employees the closure is a clear breach of government policy to maintain separate superannuation arrangements for the public sector and of the Prime Minister's commitment not to cut superannuation for prospective public sector employees.Your petitioners request that the Senate should: reject proposals to close the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme (PSS) to new employees and continue to ensure that both current and future employees of the Commonwealth maintain access to the current scheme. Senator Calvert5F4Senator Calvert(from 14 citizens)183155F4Calvert Sen PaulTo the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in Parliament assembled:The petition of the undersigned draws to the attention of the Senate Indonesia's continued illegal occupation of East Timor and its refusal to grant the right of self-determination to the people of East Timor since its invasion of that country in 1975.Your petitioners ask the Senate to call on the Australian Government to rescind recognition of Indonesian sovereignty over East Timor, so that:(1) Australia's position will accord with the position of the U.N. General Assembly and the U.N. Security Council(2) Australia will no longer be in violation of International Law(3) Australia will be able to work productively towards self-determination for East Timor as required by the International Court of Justice(4) Australia will take an important step towards helping resolve a situation of unremitting human rights abuses, dispossession and injustice.Senator Calvert5F4Senator Calvert(from 15 citizens)Petitions received.Notices183183183Evans, Sen ChrisSenator CHRIS EVANSAX5WAALP00—On behalf of Senator Jacinta Collins, I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, she shall move:That the time for the presentation of the reports of the Economics References Committee on promoting Australian industry and on whether a new reactor should be built to replace the High Flux Australian Reactor be extended to 29 June 1998.183183Bourne, Sen VickiSenator BOURNETW4NSWAD00—I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:That the Senate—(a) is concerned with the growing social and civil unrest in Indonesia, particularly in the lead up to the presidential election to be held during the People's Consultative Assembly in the fortnight beginning 1 March 1998; (b) calls on the Australian Government to raise with the Indonesian Government, the Indonesian Government's need to address calls for reforms in Indonesia's political, social, legal and institutional life, as recommended by Indonesia's own national human rights commission;(c) is aware that Indonesian non-government organisations are monitoring the human rights situation in Indonesia, especially at this time; and(d) calls on the Government to include in Australia's contribution to the International Monetary Fund rescue package provisions for the economic reforms to be complemented by democratising the rule of law, by greater government accountability and by respect for human rights in that country.183183Macdonald, Sen SandySenator SANDY MACDONALDCX5NSWNP10—I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:That the Senate—(a) notes: (i) the formation of the Investment and Financial Services Association of Australia (IFSA) to represent investment and financial service providers, and (ii) that IFSA members satisfy the investment management superannuation, managed investments needs of the Australian community;(b) observes that IFSA members hold assets of more than $400 billion on behalf of more than nine million Australians;(c) acknowledges that IFSA has a charter committed to increasing national savings and investments;(d) recognises that good public policy on national savings, investment, superannuation and life insurance can create tangible and lasting economic and social benefits for the Australian community; and(e) congratulates IFSA for having in its constitution a goal to uphold high levels of security, market integrity and transparency by adopting industry standards and engaging in self- and co-regulation.Business183183Motion (by Senator Bourne, at the request of Senator Woodley) agreed to:That general business notice of motion No. 872 standing in his name for today, relating to the introduction of the Labelling of Foods (Identification of Countries Involved in the Value-Adding Process) Bill 1997, be postponed until Tuesday, 24 March.184Motion (by Senator Margetts) agreed to:That general business notice of motion No. 927 standing in my name, relating to the Multilateral Agreement on Investment, be postponed until Thursday, 5 March.184Motion (by Senator Chris Evans, at the request of Senator Faulkner) agreed to:That general business notice of motion No. 931 standing in his name, relating to the establishment of a select committee to be known as the Select Committee for an Inquiry into Certain Government Accountability Matters, be postponed until the next day of sitting.184Motion (by Senator Bourne, at the request of Senator Lees) agreed to:That general business notice of motion No. 925 standing in her name for today, relating to the reference of a matter to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties—consequences for Australia arising from the Multilateral Agreement on Investment, be postponed until Thursday, 5 March.184Motion (by Senator Bourne) agreed to:That general business notices of motion Nos 928 and 933 standing in my name for today, relating to the Multilateral Agreement on Investment, be postponed until Thursday, 5 March.184Motion (by Senator Bourne, at the request of Senator Lees) agreed to:That general business notice of motion No. 930 standing in her name for today, relating to the further consideration by the House of Representatives of the Native Title Amendment Bill 1997 and the Public Service Bills, be postponed until Monday, 9 March. Committees184184Motion (by Senator Calvert, at the request of Senator Ferguson) agreed to:That the Economics Legislation Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on 5 March 1998, from 3 pm to 5 pm, to take evidence from Professor Fels as part of the committee's examination of additional estimates.Miscellaneous184184Calvert, Sen PaulSenator CALVERT5F4TASLP10—On behalf of Senator Tambling, I move:That notice of motion No. 924 standing in his name, relating to the recent flooding at Katherine, Northern Territory, be taken as formal.AX5EVANSSenator Chris Evans—I object. Senator Calvert indicated to the whips that he was not going to ask for formality.5F4Calvert, Sen PaulSenator CALVERT—Everybody I asked said it was okay.AX5EVANSSenator Chris Evans—You did not ask me.5F4Calvert, Sen PaulSenator CALVERT—My office checked with your office.5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—On a point of order, as I heard Senator Tambling give the notice of motion, I think it probably would be acceptable to the opposition but there are the ordinary courtesies here. Can I ask Senator Calvert in this circumstance, given that this is likely to be acceptable around the chamber, to postpone this notice of motion until the next day of sitting? I am sure we can deal with it then.5F4Calvert, Sen PaulSenator CALVERT—On the point of order: my clerk contacted all offices of all parties and it was okay with every office. The only person she could not contact was Senator Harradine, but I will postpone it, nevertheless.5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—If I just have a quick look at it, it might be okay.AX5EVANSSenator Chris Evans—On the point of order: I want to make it clear that this is normally fine. But at the whips meeting Senator Calvert indicated that they were not proceeding with the matter, and that was my last advice. All I am doing is indicating that we would like a day so we can consider it, because he did not ask for formality at the whips meeting and I have had no further information. If we postpone it for a day, as our leader indicated, I am sure we will be able to agree to it. I actually have not got the text in front of me and I am loath to agree to something that I have not seen.5F4Calvert, Sen PaulSenator CALVERT—Let me just add to that by way of explanation: the request for the formality came after the whips meeting. My understanding is that it was sent to every whip's office. We checked it out afterwards and they said, `Yes.'5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—So you are happy to postpone it in the circumstances?5F4Calvert, Sen PaulSenator CALVERT—Yes. I move:That the matter be postponed until the next day of sitting.Question resolved in the affirmative.Documents18518510000DEPUTY PRESIDENTThe DEPUTY PRESIDENT—In accordance with the provisions of the Parliament Act 1974, I present a proposal for works within the parliamentary zone, together with supporting documentation, relating to the installation of drinking fountains in the public gardens and on the tennis court pavilions of Parliament House.185Campbell, Sen IanSenator IAN CAMPBELLH15WALP10—by leave—I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:That, in accordance with section 5 of the Parliament Act 1974, the Senate approves the proposal by the Joint House Department for capital works within the Parliamentary Zone, being the installation of drinking fountains in the public gardens and on the tennis court pavilions of Parliament House, approved by the Presiding Officers on 3 December 1997 and presented to the Senate on 3 March 1998.I declare my personal interest in that.18518510000DEPUTY PRESIDENTThe DEPUTY PRESIDENT—In accordance with the provisions of the Audit Act 1901, I present the following report of the Auditor-General: Report No. 36 of 1997-98— Audit activity report July to December 1997—Summary of audit outcomes.Committees18518510000DEPUTY PRESIDENTThe DEPUTY PRESIDENT—The President has received letters from party leaders seeking variations to the membership of committees.Motion (by Senator Campbell)—by leave—agreed to:That senators be discharged from and appointed to committees as follows:Privileges Committee Discharged: Senator Bob Collins Appointed: Senator Sherry.Regulations and Ordinances Committee Discharged: Senator Quirke Appointed: Senator Sherry. Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee Discharged: Senator Lundy Appointed: Senator Sherry Appointed as a participating member: Senator Lundy.Bills185185Consideration resumed from 2 March.The bill.10000CHAIRMANThe CHAIRMAN—The question is that this bill stand as printed. I understand that there is a draft running sheet as there are a number of amendments. I think the first amendments relate to schedule 1, item 6, amendments Nos 1 and 2 on sheet 863.DX5MARGETTSSenator Margetts—On a point of clarification: the running sheet that has come out as yet does not have the amendments of the Greens WA, but there will be amendments from the Greens WA. Hopefully, very shortly we will have an amended running sheet, otherwise it is going to be extremely difficult.10000CHAIRMANThe CHAIRMAN—Do you wish to speak to the committee stage in general?DX5MARGETTSSenator Margetts—I will be needing to take advice very shortly.10000CHAIRMANThe CHAIRMAN—Senator Margetts, can you tell me if your amendments occur before the opposition amendments or not?H15CAMPBELLSenator Ian Campbell—Could I suggest, just for the sake of moving it along, that we deal with the opposition's amendments in relation to schedule 1, item 6. While Senator Neal is addressing those amendments, we will take advice as to whether any of her amendments affect that schedule.10000CHAIRMANThe CHAIRMAN—I think that is the best way to go at this stage. Senator Neal, you are looking very puzzled.B36NEALSenator Neal—It is just that there are a couple of difficulties. Senator Stott Despoja's amendment may be fine, but I have only just seen it. I have not even seen the Greens amendment yet. It is a little bit difficult to really be aware of what our position will be in relation to them and properly consider them. Also, bear in mind we have only just got the running sheet.H15CAMPBELLSenator Ian Campbell—If Senator Neal moved her amendment, we could deal with that.DX5MARGETTSSenator Margetts—I would like to be very helpful and suggest that, considering this is such a very important bill and it is so rushed, if it is possible and if there are more people to speak on the appropriations bills, we could have a few more second reading speeches on the appropriation bills so we will not have this ridiculous situation of having to deal with such an important issue in such a shoddy way.10000CHAIRMANThe CHAIRMAN—I am in the hands of the chamber.3I6STOTT DESPOJASenator Stott Despoja—You say you are in the hands of the chamber, so I just want to support Senator Margetts's comments. We made this suggestion yesterday. We are waiting on running sheets, let alone amendments that, admittedly, have just been circulated. (Quorum formed)16:02:00186Campbell, Sen IanSenator IAN CAMPBELLH15WALP10—For the information of the committee, the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Youth Allowance) Bill has been on the Notice Paper for something like five months. The Labor Party indicated—and still indicate—that they are ready to deal with it. Apparently the Australian Democrats are, too.I understand the Greens have some reservations, even though Senator Margetts has said she is keen to progress the matter. I now see that Senator Margetts is indicating that she is not. Although this legislation has been on the Notice Paper for something like five months, I am informed that we have only just received the Greens' amendments. They have not been incorporated in the running sheet, although they can be incorporated fairly quickly.It is in the interests of the chamber—and, of course, the government—to make progress on something. If it is easier to postpone consideration of this legislation to a later hour and debate the Appropriation Bills, then I will move in that direction. But, if there is a chance of proceeding with this legislation—if the Democrats, the Labor Party and the government are clearly ready to debate it, and if the Greens can get ready while we debate the first set of amendments—that would be the preferred course.I do not want to spend two hours getting bogged down in re-writing running sheets if everyone really does not know what they are debating. So, if that is the case, it is the government's preference to move to the appropriations debate.16:03:00186Brown, Sen BobSenator BROWNQD4TASAG00—The meticulous way in which the Greens have approached this social security legislation is demonstrated by the fact that we are going right to the wire. The government also has had five months in which to get alternative legislation ready. That is a choice for them to make. If there is a running sheet that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer can produce for us which has all the amendments available, then we are ready to proceed.16:03:00186Carr, Sen KimSenator CARRAW5VICALP00—We are ready to proceed with the social security legislation. We see no reason why it should be delayed. We are in the hands of the government when it comes to setting the pace in this matter. I understand that there are some objections from other parties in the chamber, but I want to make it clear that, as far as our amendments are concerned, they are there and they are ready to be debated. If there are other problems, I think we ought to make that clear now. We make it abundantly clear that we are ready to proceed.16:04:00187Margetts, Sen DeeSenator MARGETTSDX5WAG(WA)00—I think it is hardly totally accurate, Madam Chair, for anybody to say they are ready to proceed. I realise that we have just circulated amendments, and I have just had Senator Stott-Despoja's amendments come to hand as well. There has been communication between the various officers, but it would appear in fact that even the Labor Party is not ready to proceed until they can check through other people's amendments to see where they stand on them.AW5CARRSenator Carr—We are ready with our amendments.DX5Margetts, Sen DeeSenator MARGETTS—If you could let me continue. Yes, we might all be ready to talk about our own amendments but, in order to facilitate the debate, I am asking for us all to have a chance to look at other people's amendments so we can make sure the debate goes through as smoothly as it can, considering the importance of the issues.16:05:00187Campbell, Sen IanSenator IAN CAMPBELLH15WALP10—Until a few minutes ago the coalition had not seen the Greens' amendments. Clearly, we will not make the sort of progress we were seeking to make on this bill this afternoon, so I move:That the committee report progress.16:05:00187Newman, Sen JocelynSenator NEWMANBE4TASLPSocial Security10—Could I be assured that the amendments which we are now getting, which I still have not seen, are the last that we will be faced with on this bill?AW5CARRSenator Carr—No.BE4Newman, Sen JocelynSenator NEWMAN—We are dealing here, as most people know, with an extraordinarily complex piece of legislation, namely, the Social Security Act. Amendments that suddenly appear on the floor of the chamber at the last minute cannot be carefully assessed by other than laymen taking it on the run.Question resolved in the affirmative.Progress reported.Bills187r373Billsr376Billsr374187Debate resumed from 2 March, on motion by Senator Newman:That these bills be now read a second time.16:07:00187Quirke, Sen JohnSenator QUIRKEZS6SAALP00—Last night, when speaking to the Appropriation Bills, I was making out a case that in fact the Gulf War was something that was not contemplated by defence planners from any of the nations much more than a matter of weeks before that incident happened. I will also go on to say that the current situation in South-East Asia—although I doubt it will require a military response; I certainly hope it will not require a military response from this country—is another instance of the fact that we are living in a much more dangerous world.There is no doubt that during the times of the Dibb report in the middle 1980s, when there was division between the Soviet Union and the United States, a degree of safety that is not present today probably could have been built into the world we lived in. I said earlier that the Falklands war was one of the conflicts which emerged very quickly. There have been other conflicts since that time. There are other potential conflicts.There is no doubt that the defence parameters that have been used for many years in this country—that is, any conflict would have a 10- to 15-year lead-on time for us to get our act together—is now no longer so. There is no doubt in my mind that the world we are sailing into in the 21st century will probably see many more smaller conflicts and probably a number that we as a nation will become embroiled in in one form or another. As a consequence of that, we have to have a much more flexible approach to defence than what we have had in the past. The old world where the United States looked down the barrel at the Soviet Union and vice versa, where indeed there was a discipline amongst many nations, has now gone.In the last 10 years I think it has been interesting to see that we have put most of our weapons platforms in place. We have had funding for the Collins class submarines, the Anzac frigates and the FFGs before them, the FA18 aircraft, the Seahawk and the Blackhawk helicopters, and a number of other major defence procurement projects. Many of these projects started in the early 80s when defence in Australia was receiving something in the order of 2.4 per cent or 2.5 per cent, and in one year 2.7 per cent, of GDP. Of course it was a smaller gross domestic product then but as a percentage it was much higher than the 1.7 per cent that is now being given to defence.In fact, one of the central planks of the Dibb report was that that 2.7 per cent should be expanded further to an average of three per cent of GDP throughout the years into the future. That unfortunately never happened. The high watermark for defence spending was going to be 2.7 per cent of GDP. Since the Dibb report, as a percentage of GDP defence spending has been declining. In fact, it has been around the $10 billion throughout. There are a number of consequences of that. Certainly, the world as Dibb saw it back in 1985-86 would have been much different had we now had defence expenditures of $18 billion per annum. If the defence budget was $18 billion instead of the $10 billion that it is now, there would have been a number of things we would have been able to do.That has not been the case. Governments of both persuasions have not been able to match that. We have in many respects survived with a defence budget that has allowed us to spend money in other areas. I suspect that is not necessarily going to be the case in the future. There are some immediate problems which need addressing. The first one is in my view that of personnel. Obviously defence budgets over the last 10 to 15 years have been skewed towards defence procurement, to get hold of equipment, to get hold of the major weapons platforms, to build up a stock of ammunition which would do us in the instance of a small medium-size emergency, to get sufficient ammunition so that defence personnel can get practice with that ammunition and so that we can have a rudimentary stockpile that would get us by in times of danger.As I understand it, we have managed to put something in the order of $3 billion into defence ammunition stockpiles during these years. As I understand it, in 1983 when the Labor Party, of which I am a member, came to government that stockpile was only one-third of its present size. I think that is probably still inadequate. Of course, defence budgets are always enormously salary dependent and one of the great problems we are going to have into the future is that we are going to have to spend much more money in that area.I suspect, too, that we are going to have to raise the question of the integration of our reserves into the defence forces as such. We currently have a very good reserve in Australia. The ready reserve, which we would need in any significant conflict, is going to be one of the important personnel backbones of the army. However, one of the problems that we now find ourselves in is that there is not the civilian support out there; namely, employers who are prepared to let people go into the defence forces for the necessary blocks of time to make sure their skills are adequate in instances where we may well need these people in the front line at very few days notice.One of the reasons for my address on this question is to make a couple of significant points. The first one is that I think we will need to look very seriously at a legislative response to this. Not only do we need to give surety to the defence forces themselves, and in particular but not exclusively the army, but also we need to have surety that persons who join the defence reserve and are prepared to give their time and bring the skills that they have in civilian life into the army and into other services, are given the proper and appropriate support.There is no doubt that our present defence spending requires that we have a ready re serve. We are in a sense not spending money on defence; we are spending it on health, education and on a whole range of things. We are doing this on the basis that if a crisis were to arise we could very quickly integrate reserve formations into the defence forces; and we could rely on those personnel being properly and adequately trained so that they could go straight to the defence of their country.The first point that I want to come to here is that, in the new world that we are going into, we need to have a very close look at the integration of reserve formations into the defence forces. We need to ensure that there are no impediments to that. We need to be able to carry on the tradition of broadly recruiting reserve forces from all walks of civilian life rather than just from those areas where employers, such as the various government organisations around the countryside, allow people to join. In other words, we need to put a much greater emphasis on broadening the recruiting areas for the reserves. We need to point out to employers of all types, whether they be government or non-government, that these people need support. This needs to be done so that their employees who are members of the ready reserve can go into combat and training situations and be integrated into the armed forces much more easily than is now the case.We are going to have to look very seriously at the $10 billion. We have managed to get by—and we have got by. We have managed to buy most of the defence weapons platforms that this country will require well into the 21st century. We are seeing these weapons systems come on stream now. We have been able to do that with a defence budget that has been stationary around the $10 billion mark for a number of years. I suspect that will not be the case into the future. We are going to have to find a greater percentage of GDP. We have to make sure that the defence budget does not slip below 1.7 per cent, as it is now. There are some alarming signals. The government has said that probably the $10 billion mark will be the benchmark for the future. I would hope that the 1.7 or slightly higher percentage of GDP in a growing domestic product in this country would be more likely to be the amount of money that we can find as a community for defence each year.In essence, in an ideal world, most people—certainly people on this side of politics, and I suspect some on the other—would like to see defence spending given a lower priority. I say that, of course, because we, as members of parliament, are well aware of youth unemployment, homelessness and all the other problems out there in the community that we have scant resources to deal with. Indeed, housing and a number of issues out there are things which I would prefer to see us spend the money on. But in honest plain truth, the world we are now dealing with is a far more dangerous world, a world which requires a far greater level of defence preparedness and all of the downstream issues that come with it, than was the case 10 or 15 years ago.16:19:00189Reynolds, Sen MargaretSenator REYNOLDSXI4QLDALP00—In speaking on the appropriations today, I want to focus on child care and the dramatic impact that government policy is having on the quality and availability of child care. I want to do this not from a partisan perspective, as you might expect, but by referring to an independent report that was released in Queensland last week. A media release put out by the Queensland Child Care Coalition states:Federal cuts to child care are having a damaging effect on child care providers, forcing fee increases, staff cuts and causing parents to remove their children from professional care. A Queensland survey of child care services released today—and this was last Tuesday.reveals that both families and child care workers are hurting as a result of the cuts.I want to highlight some of the findings of the survey carried out by this independent coalition—how they have focused their generalised concern and how they have come together to find out just what is happening in child care. It is very easy for people to go on anecdotal material and to say, `Things are crook.' But the Q Queensland Child Care Coalition carried out professional research to find out exactly what is happening. The Child Care Coalition's media release stated:Amongst the findings of the Queensland Child Care Coalition's . . . survey of child care services in Queensland is a disturbing return to the `latch key kid' phenomenon, with parents allowing primary aged children to go home alone after school because they simply cannot afford to send them to child care.A child care provider in Charters Towers commented that the changes meant that care for one child increased from $25.40 per week to $44.50 per week.Anyone can see that that kind of a hike is just beyond the budgets of families. The media release continued:The survey reveals that in the last twelve months 3,255 children have been removed from the 244 respondent services alone.Not all services responded, but the survey shows that there are 3,255 children missing quality child care in Queensland. If you multiply that by what the position might be around Australia, we can see that it is a very serious situation. The media release went on to say:In addition, other parents have been forced to reduce the hours of care for their children, resulting in a further loss of 12,070 hours of care.So you have the children who are out of child care and you also have those who have less child care.What is happening, of course, is that the hours worked by permanent staff are being reduced. `We are losing staff,' said one Ipswich operator. The media release continued:The survey revealed that nearly 40% of the respondents had cut back on staff hours during 1997.What does this mean for the child care profession generally? It means that people who saw a steady, secure future employment in child care now see that it is not an area to choose as a vocation; it is not an area that will provide them with steady employment because the funding base is far too uncertain.Ironically, Mr Peter Walsh—I am sure you will appreciate the irony of that, Madam Acting Deputy President Knowles; the other Mr Peter Walsh will not share my views on this subject, but never mind—speaking on behalf of the Queensland Child Care Coalition, expressed grave concern about the negative impact that the child-care policy is having on families and the Queensland economy. He said:This second survey confirms our worst fears. Families can no longer afford to pay for qualified child care, so they are removing their children from care. Their need for care has not gone away so where are these children now? Who is caring for them?I think that is the question we have to ask. If children are not in the recognised child-care centres with recognised providers, with quality care and with qualified staff, where are they? Families are using informal networks. Some of these networks are able to be categorised as quite responsible, but others may not be providing that qualified care. Parents will be making decisions that maybe our eight-year-old or 10-year-old is able to go home alone after school.I want to read some of the statements that service providers are making about fee increases. A community centre in Ipswich stated:Mainly with fee increases families have found it difficult as their wage had no rise to combat the rise in fees. Some parents commenting about their security of employment . . . I am finding that the overall spirit of families is suffering as parents battle to meet costs, not only with child care but elsewhere as well. Families are convinced that the government is determined to keep parents—particularly the mother—at home.An after school care centre stated:There have been many families who were made redundant (mothers and fathers), others were offered shorter hours instead of redundancy . . . Others are letting their Grade 6-7 (children)—they would have an average age of 10, 11 or 12—to go home rather than send them to child care.The community centre in Ashmore stated:Definite decrease in full time workers—not worth returning to work after paying for child care.A private centre from Boronia Heights said:A familiar comment from single working mums is that it is hardly worth them working. As for the small difference in income, they could be at home on benefit. Surely this is not encouraging these mums to stay in the workforce.I digress for a moment to say that, despite the statements of Minister Newman and the Minister for the Status of Women, Judi Moylan, that single parent mothers should not be a scapegoat in terms of their reliance on benefits, out there in the community and, regrettably, among some members of the government—although I am pleased to say that those two women and I am sure others are not prepared to indulge in that kind of scapegoating—there is still an attitude that single mothers are somehow getting what they do not deserve if they are on the single parent benefit.Single parents in these situations are damned if they do and damned if they do not. If they are trying to meet their commitments by working, they are not getting the necessary support in terms of child care and they could be accused of `neglecting' their children. Yet if they go on the sole parent benefit, then they are accused of getting something that they do not deserve.So quite apart from the overall question of quality of child care and the entitlement of families to assume that society will provide appropriate child-care standards, there is this very real dilemma for sole parents, particularly mothers. I think we have to seriously question the attitudes of those members of the government who are using this debate to try to popularise themselves. I think it is quite scandalous that some of them are prepared to do that.A community centre at the Sunshine Coast reported:Parents are opting not to return to full time work/full time care due to costs involved—many are opting to cut their work down from 5 to 3 days or 5 to 4 days where possible.A Mackay area private centre said:Downsizing at the local mines has been the main factor in children ceasing to use our service as families have left to work elsewhere.Back in Brisbane a centre reports:It is becoming impossible for working mothers to afford child care—they are spending almost more in child care fees than what they are receiving . . . An Inala family day care centre reports:Parents are working part time rather than full time and this makes it difficult to find carers who will take part time children. More financially beneficial for parents to stay at home. Last year the government reported at the United Nations on its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. In the report, which I believe has not yet been tabled in this chamber or the other chamber, the United Nations committee recommended that an evaluation should be conducted of the Workplace Relations Act 1996 assessing its impact on women of different age groups with different levels of education and different occupation groups. It also recommended that the government assess whether the act leads to increased or decreased part-time and casual work and its impact on women workers' benefits.The United Nations also recommended that a similar evaluation and assessment was needed for Australia's new child-care benefits scheme. Clearly, there has been no action on this report. Australia is not meeting its obligations under that convention. Quite clearly, this information that has come from the Queensland Child Care Coalition highlights that in just one area—child care—there are serious issues that are not being addressed.I want to move to some of the survey results. I want to first focus on the increasing cost of care. The report states: Service Based Cost IncreasesIt was obvious from survey responses that service operators viewed increasing fees as a last option. Other strategies were implemented in an attempt to prevent fee increases. These are detailed later in this document. The survey results indicated that there is a genuine attempt by the majority of service operators to keep the cost of care down and not pass any additional costs on to families. Unfortunately fee increases could not be avoided during 1997.Fifty five (55) respondents (22.5%) from a variety of settings increased their fees during the first six months of 1997. The fee increases ranged from .50c—$30 per week per child . . . A 50c increase per child might be able to be absorbed, but $30 per week per child is beyond the budgets of working families. The average fee increase was something in the order of $7.60 per week per child. The report goes on to say:Sixty five respondents (26.6%) from a variety of service settings increased their fees in the last six months of 1997. The fee increases ranged from $1—$30 per week per child, with the average fee increase being $11 per week per child.Another area of concern is non-service based cost increases and the impact that federal policy is having here. The report states:The majority of respondents stated that cost of care was the primary concern for parents. The fees charged by a service is only one component of the cost of care to parents. 1996 federal budget initiatives that came into effect during 1997 have also resulted in increased costs to parents. These initiatives included—. Removal of the $30 per dependent child income disregard for the purpose of assessing family income. The capping of Child Care Assistance . . . . No indexations of Child Care Assistance . . . . 50 hour cap on Child Care Assistance . . . . Reduction in the CCA income cut off for families with two or more children. . . . . . . . .Parents largely find these changes difficult to comprehend. Concrete examples were given of how these changes are effecting families financially.. . . . . . . . .Other services predicted what fee increases in 1998 would mean to families:"Parents are concerned at the amount of (fee) increase and find it difficult to understand the CA contribution. Some parents are not entitled to assistance and have 2 or 3 children in care. A session for these children . . . will cost the parent nearly $30. Most of our attendees are casual so CA will not be paid on an ongoing basis, so session fees will have to be paid for up front. This is fairly daunting. Further, the receipt and management of CA will require extra time from the co-ordinator increasing our operational costs."The second area of major concern is falling enrolments. Australia for the last 10 to 15 years has built up a child-care system that is professional, that is the envy of many countries. Now we have a situation where we are losing staff. We are also losing enrolments, and the child-care standard is being eroded. So what was a model scheme is now being so changed that it really is nothing like it was built up to be over that 10- to 15-year period. The report states:A significant number of services noted variations to enrolments during 1997, either in the form of total removal of children from care or a decrease in hours of care required. (Removal from care— 49.6% in first half of year, 61.1% in second half of year. Hours of care decreased 37.3% in first half of the year, 50% in second half of the year).. . . . . . . . .For the period 1 January to 30 June thirty three services (13.5%) indicated that 258 families decreased hours of care used by an average of 15.4 hours per week.These statistics may not capture the imagination of some senators in this place, but they are certainly reflected in the hardship being placed on families around Australia. This is a Queensland survey, but this survey obviously could be replicated around the country. It reveals just how seriously government child-care policies are impacting on the families of Australia.16:36:00192Ray, Sen RobertSenator ROBERT RAYUI4VICALP00—These appropriation bills present a good opportunity to run over a few issues that may have been raised at estimates or are otherwise of some concern to senators. The first topic I want to address today is public opinion polling by government departments. This has always been a matter of some interest because all oppositions would like some scrutiny on what public expenditure there is on opinion polls that could be used by the incumbent government for political purposes.So it would not surprise you, Madam Acting Deputy President Knowles, that many times whilst you were part of the opposition, your colleagues often put questions on notice questioning the Hawke-Keating government departments as to the extent of opinion polling—who was doing it, what the cost was, et cetera. I thought it was only fair to put a similar question on notice across all departments. I have been somewhat disappointed in the response, but not entirely.This question was put on notice quite some time ago, and so far we have had 10 departments respond. Normally, one might get up here and ask ministers why their department has not responded. But I realise this is a complex question, so I had never had any intention of invoking the 30-day rule or even the 60-day rule. Maybe when it comes to the 150-day rule or in my mind I might seek to find out why we have not had responses.The interesting thing is that five departments have fully responded and five departments have refused to respond. The first ones that came in, of course, were those departments that refused to respond. I also asked the premier department, Prime Minister and Cabinet, whether they have given some guidance because quite often, quite properly, Prime Minister and Cabinet will give some guidance in the mode and method of answering questions across portfolios. But I suspect that on this question on notice, from their evidence and from what I have seen, they did not give any guidance.So far we have had answers in full from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Department of the Environment, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Workplace Relations and Small Business, and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. I must congratulate the departments: not only have they answered the question but they have also pretty much answered them fully.However, there are five departments that have refused to answer the question: the Department of Defence; the Department of Industry, Science and Tourism; the Department of Health and Family Services; the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs; and the Department of Social Security. Their ostensible reason for refusing to answer the question is the degree of resources it would take to answer the question, which begs the next question: just how much are they spending on qualitative and quantitative research if it is going to absorb enormous amounts of sums to answer the question I have asked? It certainly did not stop the other five departments from answering the questions. Why won't these five departments answer questions which we answered in government and which five of their colleague departments have answered?I have never been one to argue that it was incumbent on departments to answer every question put on notice irrespective of the cost of gathering the research necessary to answer the questions, because it can become a very expensive process. I recall that Senator Calvert used to troll through the government Gazette and then roll all the questions into us with no particular purpose. So what I instructed the Department of Defence to do at the time was to cost the answer. Every time a question came in which cost $800 or $900 to answer, I used to include that in the answer. Senator Calvert then turned his attention elsewhere.But to argue in this circumstance that it is too expensive is an unacceptable explanation. These departments have the information and should be able to provide it. It is a sensitive area. We want to know what sorts of questions they are asking. We want to know whether they are using it to bypass the normal political process and to inform themselves of public opinion which they can use in election campaigns rather than just in government policy formulation.Therefore, if they are to assure us that they are not misusing research in this way, we need full transparency. We do not have that as long as these sorts of departments refuse to answer the questions put to them, if the questions are reasonable and do not involve massive cost. They do not involve massive cost in this case. The government and government departments should not hide behind and use as an excuse resources needed because, sooner or later, they will need to use that reason genuinely. Sooner or later, they will get a question of such complexity and such absorption of costs that they will want to use the excuse they will not devote the resources. So they should not use it simply as a shield to protect themselves with.A most recent example of research was by Sweeney and Associates. On 20 January, cabinet determined to commission research about the Wik issue to more fully explain the government position, and they used qualitative research. I think there were six or seven focus groups involved and they were then to be tested on various concepts prior to a $3 million advertising campaign—mostly in the print media but some brochures—which was to cover the entire print media across Australia.Some people would argue that is just purely government propaganda. Generally, I would have to say that federal governments have had a far more honourable record in this regard than their state counterparts who seem to have no principle and on morals when it comes to expending taxpayers' money on so-called public information campaigns which only become in the end absolute propaganda for the government of the day.The worrying thing about the Sweeney operation was that the material put before them was drafted in ministerial offices. The advertisements and the creative artwork were drawn up in ministerial offices. We know from questioning that it was not actually done in Senator Minchin's office. We know Senator Herron's office had a role to play but we suspect most of the drafting was done in the Prime Minister's office.So they come up with these two cretinous ads, run them through two focus groups which cost $17,000 of taxpayers' money, and then they get results that they do not like so they dump the whole campaign. Well, good, we have saved about $3 million in that campaign. But everyone who looks at this area knows the dubiousness of qualitative research unless it is highly controlled. It is so interpretative, it is a bit like scoring the gymnastics or the diving at the Olympics—everyone disagrees. But, ultimately, you will only a get a good result out of qualitative research if you properly test concepts.Having marginalised amateur apparatchiks up at the Prime Minister's office or Senator Herron's office designing their own ads and then running them past the focus groups led me to say the other day, `If you put in rubbish, you get rubbish out.' It really is not the way to approach it. If they were just doing this sort of research in order to reinforce how the government should get its message across, they would have used professionals and not non-gifted amateurs from the minister's office.But trying to get answers on this during the estimates hearings was like trying to draw teeth. It was extremely difficult. Memories suddenly disappeared out of ministers and officials, et cetera. My colleague sitting in front of me, Senator Faulkner, asked a range of questions on what activity existed prior to the cabinet decision, and he was basically told none. It was only later we got correcting evidence that some activity existed.It was only when we went to another department that we found that that later activity consisted of booking $600,000 worth of advertisements over three particular days. I have been involved, as a minister for six years, in spending $60 billion but I would have remembered, even in that context, booking $600,000 worth of advertising—much more so than if you are just running the section dealing with indigenous affairs in PM&C. I doubt whether it is more than once every three years you would get the tap on the shoulder and say that you were going to order $600,000 worth of advertising.That matter has to be re-pursued at another time. But if that indicates the degree of amateurishness that is getting in the system, one really has to worry about taxpayers' money. When you look at the next great plan for government advertising, it is on the CD issue. I watched Senator Lundy cross-examine our absent colleague, Senator Alston. When it was put to him as to whether a strategy had been developed in the department, the answer was no. Fifty questions later we got the full admission. Of course there was a strategy. Of course $720,000 was contemplated. Of course research was going to occur. So in response to the old tactic of the minister at the table—he cannot remember, et cetera—you just need to get a few questions in to them and suddenly—bingo!—the memory is absolutely refreshed.I do not want to go into the whole strategy of the CD issue, but I did find something absolutely remarkable on page 4—`Target market for this campaign'. The primary targets were the general public, CD retailers, independent small record companies, performers and artists. The secondary target audience was `government backbenchers'. Are we really serious? The government is going to launch a $720,000 campaign, communications strategy, and part of the audience is government backbenchers. For heavens sake, that is what the government committees do! You have got a media committee. Why doesn't Senator Alston go down there and convince them he is right on CD pricing?5K4FAULKNER Senator Faulkner—Remember what happened last time he went down there?UI4Ray, Sen RobertSenator ROBERT RAY—That is cruel, Senator Faulkner. We know the last time he went to the committee, he got smashed. We know the Prime Minister had to intervene and pull the chestnuts out.AW5CARRSenator Carr—What about the frontbenchers?UI4Ray, Sen RobertSenator ROBERT RAY—I do not really think they are savable.UW4CRANESenator Crane—You are not, anyhow.UI4Ray, Sen RobertSenator ROBERT RAY—Even if the aim, Senator Crane, was to convince people like you on CD prices, not even you are dopey enough to put that in writing. You might get caught in a minister's office giving him advice when you should not be there, but I will say this for you: you were noticed. Your other colleague Senator Eggleston was in the room and no-one even saw him. They did not even know he was there; whether he was left over from a previous meeting or anything. But fancy putting in writing that one of your secondary target audiences is the government backbench. For heavens sake! It is taxpayers' money.One of the other things that happened in question time today was that we heard Senator Vanstone quoting Senator Bolkus in the media. This is the government that was going to abolish aNiMaLS. This is the government that was not going to get into opposition media monitoring. Of course, they are into it like big black dogs. They abolished aNiMaLS and then, suddenly, six additional media advisers were appointed, mostly to junior ministers, scattered across each of the states.These extra six people suddenly appeared on ministerial staff across each state. There was no public announcement by the Prime Minister of them. We have asked questions over the last two years: `What's all this about, Senator Hill?' `What's all this about, Senator Rod Kemp?' What do we get? Absolute weasel words. Then one day someone takes sick or someone has got something else, and Senator Parer wanders into an estimates committee. Senator Faulkner and I ask, `Senator Parer, what's the purpose of this extra staff member?' `Oh, Senator, it is to monitor the media.' `Do you send back the material to the Prime Minister's office?' `Yes,' says Senator Parer. The whole thing gets exposed because we have a minister not properly brainwashed, not properly instructed. And so we have it.It reflects the overall hypocrisy of this government: things they opposed, things they whinged about in government, they do. But there is a big difference. Labor did it up front. Labor had a media monitoring exercise up front, not a sneaky, Prime Minister inspired, through the back door one; one which everyone would know about.That is just one example of their sort of hypocrisy. If you want another one, I have an absolute classic one where the Prime Minister took firm and decisive action over certain problems with ministerial travel allowance. You all recall the press conference where he bravely got up and said that he had terminated two of his staff members. He did that at a personal cost—I understand that—but he terminated them. The following Monday he had to table all the papers in the parliament. What did we see in two of the papers? Resignation letters from chief political adviser Mr Grahame Morris and office manager Ms Fiona McKenna. They had actually resigned on the Thursday. They had offered their resignations to the Prime Minister.What did he do? He terminated them. He sacked them. He could have done it for two reasons: firstly, to look like a firm decisive leader—and you need to do more than change your glasses to be that, but he could have done it for that reason—not to accept their resignation but instead to say, `I'm Mr Tough Guy. I will sack these people.' I think a more cynical reason is that, if you sack them, how much better off are they? Mr Grahame Morris was $25,230.10 better off by being sacked rather than resigning. That is evidence that Prime Minister and Cabinet confirmed in the estimates. Ms McKenna was $12,256.26 better off. So, whichever way you go, if it was just a cynical exercise to maximise their benefits the Prime Minister is condemned, and if it was just a macho exercise in which he could show how tough he was, it has cost the taxpayers over $37,000 for that privilege.I want to mention a couple of other things that have come out of estimates. Firstly, the Prime Minister referred certain of these matters I have been alluding to—I do not want to go into them in detail—to the Auditor-General. The Auditor-General knocked back some parts of the inquiry and they have never been proceeded with anywhere else. I warn for the future: it is no good a government sending a reference to a body that is not capable of dealing with it and saying, `That's the end of the matter,' because they have not dealt with it. That is not an acceptable practice and, if this becomes a repetitious thing, we will be demanding proper Senate inquiries to replace the legal inquiries that they should have.The government is, at the moment, very good at instituting legal inquiries. Senator Faulkner mentioned a document from Prime Minister and Cabinet; a minute later the Federal Police are chasing up the leak. They never chased up who disappeared the aide-memoires out of the Prime Minister's office, but they are concerned about a leaked document.I suggest they go and read the various sections of the privileges act, because the only evidence they had for referring that to the Federal Police was evinced from an estimates committee process. So whatever solution or conclusion they may have drawn would have been totally useless because it could not have been used anywhere. And lo and behold, you get to the next estimates committee meeting with the Department of Finance and Administration, a document is read out there, and they have got the Federal Police in—again.It is not the only document that disappeared. The Kennedy report disappeared to the Canberra Times when only five senior DoFA officers had it. Guess what: no police inquiry. They put the internal fraud group in and dropped the matter—double standards again. If one leak is good enough to be investigated, the other is. We are at least able to say to DoFA that their so-called second leak was simply accidental, not a conspiracy, not a direct act by a public servant and, hopefully, they will drop the matter if they trust our word on it.I do think, though, that the newly formed Ministerial and Parliamentary Services is trying to tackle some of the endemic problems we have had with regard to parliamentary entitlements. Their reorganisation looks sensible: it has policy advisers, people who actually administer and people who respond to queries. While it is too early to say how well it will work, it is showing a promising beginning.I want to close on two other matters. I guess they both come back to this aspect of hypocrisy. I do not know how many times as Minister for Defence I was asked cheap, sleazy, opportunist questions on the VIP fleet: `Are you intending to replace the 707s? Aren't they good enough?'- et cetera. Guess what this government is doing? It is looking at plans for $160 million to replace the VIP fleet, including two 737s, four Falcon equivalents and four smaller planes—10 in all.They may expect me to get up and say `This is a disaster.' It might be. But I am saying that when a Prime Minister goes overseas he should have adequate transport to do so. Flying commercial involves all sorts of security risks. It is not fair on the other passengers. The 707s are still very useful as air-to-air refuellers for the RAAF. They are no longer a suitable aircraft for taking prime ministers overseas or prime ministers and leaders of the opposition around the country during an election period. So something should be done about it. I am not so sure the grandiose solution this government has considered and then pushed aside as an election gets closer is the answer. But something should be done about it, either by way of lease or by some other arrangement where you do not have massive down time and idleness of expensive assets. But something should be done about it if they can. I do not think it is up to the Labor Party to just go down the opportunistic path.The final point I wanted to make: a replacement of the Lodge is back on the agenda. PM&C and the Prime Minister have said `No, no, its nothing to do with us. We are not considering it.' Well, I think they should. I think that if this country does move to become a republic the Prime Minister should get Yarralumla and the new President of Australia should get another residence. That would cut the Gordian knot. We could get rid of the Lodge which is not suitable for a Prime Minister—that is probably why the incumbent spends very little time there—and in fact start all over again. If we move to a republic, it gives us an enormous chance to make that move to put the Prime Minister in Yarralumla and the President into a new residence.16:55:00197Crane, Sen WinstonSenator CRANEUW4WALP10—I rise also to address a number of issues arising from the appropriation bills before us. The first issue is the change of direction that we in government have brought to this country. The general running of the country is much more attuned to a business approach and we are able to stand on our own and pay our way, as far as monetary and fiscal arrangements are concerned. The crucial steps we took under the guidance of our Treasurer (Mr Costello) when we came to government have now put this country back on track financially.Comparing this record with what has occurred in Asia, I am not one of the doomsday people as far as Asia is concerned, even though some of those countries have gone through some pretty difficult times and still have some difficult times in front of them—particularly Indonesia and its social dislocation. Nonetheless, I believe they will come out of their problems fairly quickly with a much stronger financial system. While they may not grow at the rates they were growing before, they are still going to grow at a very significant rate—between four and seven per cent.I raise the matter in this context because, had we not taken the action we did when we came into government and had we continued running the sorts of deficits that were being run by the Labor Party in their past five or six years of government, we could well have seen Australia in a very similar position to some of our Asian friends. That will be recognised as applying to the Australian economy if you do your sums and see how over the last five budgets the Labor Party put something like $70 billion on the Bankcard. If we had added another $30 billion or $40 billion, we would have been looking straight down the gun barrel at the IMF and some very serious changes for our nation at this time.The worst enemy that Australia can have in terms of economic policy—and it is particularly relevant to our export industries and businesses, a growing component of the Australian economy—is high interest rates, high inflation, and an overvalued dollar because of the misuse of monetary policy. I want to deal with that issue of the overvalued dollar. In fact, during that period of Labor government it cost our exporters many dollars out of their bottom line but at the same time it put our import competing industries at a very significant disadvantage. There was a large flow of cheap imports because our businesses were put out of business by that policy of the overvalued dollar when they could not compete. It was a very flawed policy, and we need to rebuild the Australian industry to a competitive position and to a confidence that we are going to have a long period of sound fiscal and economic management in this country that does not repeat the mistake.This brings me to the comments made in recent times by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Beazley) who said that, if elected to government, he would ensure that Australia's budget would run at a surplus for the next three years. Why would we believe that when we look at his performance as the Minister for Finance for the last two years that the Labor government was in power? You would have to believe, on form, on the track record, that the dead opposite is likely to occur. So much for Mr Beazley's and the Labor Party's promises when they were in government, because invariably they were twisted; invariably they were broken, particularly the key ones which were so crucial to the Australian economy.I will make some points that have come out of this change of direction with regard to the fiscal and monetary arrangements in this country. Over the 1980s inflation averaged around eight per cent. In the December quarter of 1997, the underlying inflation rate was only 1.4 per cent. You do not have to be very clever to take 1.4 from eight to see what an enormous difference that makes to the inflation rate.The budget is expected to have an underlying surplus of around 0.4 per cent of GDP in 1998-99. This should be contrasted with the underlying deficit of 2.1 per cent of GDP inherited by the government. The outlook for economic growth in Australia in 1997-98 remains as forecast in the 1997-98 budget, at a rate of 3.75 per cent. Growth for 1998-99 is forecast at 3.25 per cent.If we continue to maintain our strict financial controls—our strict fiscal and monetary policies—I believe that over time we will do even better than that. And we must do better, if we are to address some of the economic issues for individuals in this country. As was noted in question time yesterday, I have to say how significantly better off people who have home mortgages are today as a result of the drop in interest rates. That speaks for itself. As I understand it, the impact of that is very close to the order of a wage increase of $100 per week, which is very, very significant indeed.One cannot cover all these matters before us now in the time that we have. I particularly want to deal with the waterfront—the importance of the restructuring and the lifting of the performance of our waterfront. I find it unbelievable—in fact, I find it incredibly foolish, ridiculous, stupid; whatever word you want to use—that we still have people on the other side of this chamber, and also, particularly, the ACTU, supporting a closed shop on our waterfront. It has been inherently damaging to the Australian economy.In that respect, when we consider the $420-odd million that was spent in 1991 to reform our waterfront, those of us in this chamber, around this country and in the other place must ask the question: why didn't we get a better result out of that? The answer is pretty simple: the reason we did not get a better result out of it is that those people who are rorting the system were left in control. There were no moves to bring some competition into the structure and to what was happening on our waterfront. Until such time—and it is occurring now—that we do get some competition and some freedom on our waterfront, it will continue. Hopefully, what we are seeing now, where there is a new player coming to work in that particular area, will be expanded and extended, and we will get proper competition right across Australia. It does not matter whether those individuals are members of a union or not; if you have competitive forces working, people take a lot more pride in what they are doing, and they are much more likely to endeavour to outperform those who are working on the other side.It is absolutely crucial over the next two, three or four months that the issues of the waterfront in this country are resolved and our performance becomes at the level of world best or close to it. There is no reason, when you look at the Australian climate, the facilities we have here and our ability to be innovative, that we should not be the world's best. We are the world's best at many, many things, whether it be in the economy, sport or in the medical field—one can run through these things. We must work assiduously to make sure that we lift our waterfront performance to that level.I want to raise one particular aspect which has concerned me greatly in terms of some of the media and some of the claims that have been made relating to training. In this country, teachers can go overseas and train—there is nothing wrong with that; doctors can go overseas and train. We even allow Rhodes scholars such as Mr Beazley to go overseas and train. Farmers go overseas and train. But I find it incredible that as soon as some people go overseas to train to work on the waterfront, they are suddenly branded `renegades', `guerillas' and `mercenaries'. What a load of absolute, total nonsense.How many on the other side who were union officials have gone overseas and trained? Many, many of them—and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We have to apply the same principles to our waterfront, to the people who work on the waterfront, and let them become truly competitive and truly properly trained, because our system of doing business on the waterfront has fallen into total disrepair.I am disappointed that Senator Bob Collins is leaving the Senate. I have always found him to be one of the more honourable straightshooters on the other side of this chamber, but he was the minister who worked over that particular $420 million. It has taken him a long time to resign, I might say. He said that if he did not fix it in 12 months, he would resign but, nonetheless, I will put on the public record that I have enjoyed working with Senator Collins and I think he has made an important contribution to this parliament.656FORSHAWSenator Forshaw—This is where the bucket comes.UW4Crane, Sen WinstonSenator CRANE—Nonetheless, you have to live over on that side of the chamber with the legacy that you wasted $420 million of taxpayers' money and you got no return on it at all. You ought to have a re-examination of what you did. I will continue to remind people in this country that you chose to spend that money on the privileged few who have held this country to ransom on so many occasions without any morality or decency whatsoever. But I think, and I hope, that the game is up and they will become a competitive force as well on the waterfront.I wish to say a little bit about the Natural Heritage Trust. I am not going to revisit what I said before when I made a personal explanation. Conservation issues in this country should be addressed in a proper manner, properly financed and through a system—I want to emphasise this for those people who are listening—that comes up from the bottom. That means the people on the committees in the landcare districts do the processing and make the recommendations which go to the regional assessment panels. They then go through another process, the state assessment panels. This is a very good system of identifying where the problems are and where the money has to be spent.At present, whether it be on this side of the country or on our side of the country, one needs to recognise that the beneficiaries of the spending of this money will extend right across the spectrum of the nation whether or not they are in a landcare district or in an area where the money is not being spent. I particularly want to refer to two areas: one is the Blackwood River, which runs into the ocean near Augusta in the south-west of Western Australia, and the other is the Swan River, which runs through our beautiful city of Perth. Much of the money, in terms of addressing the particular issues, will be spent hundreds of miles from either of those beautiful rivers. The Blackwood River runs through the Shannon basin, one of the most beautiful areas in the world and one which has the appropriate protections required to preserve that basin.Money spent around Arthur River, out around Wagin—for people who do not know, it is 200 to 300 miles north—will ensure that the quality of the water running down from Arthur River will improve. Therefore, the quality at Augusta will improve. We will see a reinvigoration of many things, marron and fish, for example, which will come back into that water as it improves.Senator Faulkner, you can laugh, but, as an ex-minister for the environment, you should know that you have to look at the source of the problem when addressing salinity in our rivers in this country. For instance, when we talk about the Swan River the beneficiaries will be the people in metropolitan Perth. The upper reaches of the Swan River go well beyond Northam and near Wongan Hills, and people need to understand this when talking about salinity in our rivers and about getting rid of the algal blooms and some of the other nasties that come with them.Looking at the beneficiaries, running down the Swan River, for example, when you get to Perth, whose electorate is on one side of the river? It is Stephen Smith's, the Labor Party member for Perth, and the electorate, incidentally, got the highest level of grants of any city electorate in Western Australia. On the other side of the river is Swan, formerly held by the current Leader of the Opposition, but he could not handle the heat in Swan and ran to Brand. Swan is now held by Liberal Don Randall. A little further down the river, the electorate of Tangney is held by Daryl Williams. On the other side of the river, the electorate of Curtin is held by Alan Rocher. When you get right to Fremantle, the member is none other than the one, glorious Dr Lawrence. So you need to recognise where the benefits of the Natural Heritage Trust fall and how they are going to improve whole river systems in this country.The people of Adelaide are grateful that we are addressing in a proper manner the situation which occurs in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria as far as the Murray River is concerned. They are going to be the beneficiaries, as are the people along the river. These points are important. I know the Australian public can understand that, but you people on the other side of the chamber have an enormous problem understanding the importance of what is required in addressing the salinity and wind erosion problems in this country, and the need to replant much of our land that has been cleared because the understanding of science in the past did not give the land-holders the information required to understand the value and importance of vegetation. We now have that knowledge and that scientific base and we are doing something very constructive about the problems.Finally, I return to where I began, to re-emphasise the point that, had we not taken the steps we did to get the fiscal management of this country right, we would now be suffering a lot more pain right across the community. We would be looking down the debt gun barrel, just as, unfortunately, many of our Asian neighbours are.17:13:00200Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator FAULKNER5K4NSWALP00—I want to canvass what I think is a very important issue, one that I have raised in the Senate estimates—that is, the fact that we have had exposed a loan from an organisation called the Greenfields Foundation which breaches the spirit of the Commonwealth Electoral Act. This is a bare-faced attempt by the Liberal Party to sidestep the disclosure provisions of the Electoral Act for party-political donations. We are starting to learn a little about the Greenfields Foundation and the loan that it has provided to the Liberal Party of Australia.I think as background it is worth saying that the Liberal Party has a long history of exploit ing apparent loopholes in the Electoral Act to launder money from undisclosed sources. Until 1995, the Liberal Party used the Free Enterprise Foundation to launder funds through donations of massive sums to the coalition without revealing where these funds originally came from. The Labor Party in government was successful in amending the Electoral Act to close that loophole by determining that not only the political parties themselves but also the associated entities had to disclose their source of funds. This did result in a very significant crackdown on disclosures in 1995, and the Free Enterprise Foundation was required to disclose any new donations that it received.I have had an opportunity to look at the returns of the Liberal Party for a number of recent financial years, and they make most interesting reading. The Liberal Party's 1994-95 AEC return—that is, the political party annual return—showed that the Liberal Party had a $10 million debt to the National Australia Bank, which I might say also gave the Liberal Party backing in the 1996 federal election campaign. The Liberal Party's return to the Australian Electoral Commission for the 1995-96 financial year listed the debt to the NAB at $6,762,763. For the 1996-97 financial year, the debt to the National Australia Bank had been reduced, according to the return for that year, to $158,305. But, for the first time, in 1996-97 we had a new lender listed. That lender was the Greenfields Foundation and the Liberal Party owed $4,650,000 to the Greenfields Foundation.From 1994-95 to 1996-97, the Liberal Party's debt to the National Australia Bank dropped from $10,068,527 to $158,305. The Liberal Party has disclosed that in the same period it paid $2,415,124 to the National Australia Bank and the Liberal Party has disclosed that in the same period it received $370,763 from the National Australia Bank.I want to focus in my contribution on this Greenfields Foundation because, while the trustees of the Greenfields Foundation do not appear to be current officials of the Liberal Party—they are not quite in the same category, say, as the Baillieus whom we were talking about earlier today—the Greenfields Foundation certainly seems to share an uncanny number of similarities with the Free Enterprise Foundation. For example, the Greenfields Foundation shares two of the three trustees with the Free Enterprise Foundation, which as I said is an associated entity and, therefore, does have to disclose sources of donations to the AEC. Those two trustees are Mr Tony Bandle and Sir John Atwill, who is a former Liberal Party president.The 1996-97 disclosure shows that the Free Enterprise Foundation has a postal address of GPO Box 292, Canberra. The trustees of the Free Enterprise Foundation have a postal address of Post Office Box 52, Deakin West, Canberra. This postal address was also used by the Free Enterprise Foundation in 1995-96 and is now used by the Greenfields Foundation. I might say that the same postal address is also used by Bandle McAneney and Co. In fact, in the last three financial years, these two Canberra post office boxes have had $8,432,267 go through them to and from the Liberal Party of Australia.Bandle McAneney and Co. has a long history of association with the Liberal Party. I think you will find that Mr Bandle previously was a trustee of the Liberal Party and he had some level of fame, or infame, for signing a whole lot of cheques down at the federal directorate of the Liberal Party during the years that Mr Eggleton was the secretary.The Free Enterprise Foundation telephone contact on their return is for Bandle McAneney and Co. Of course, they are chartered accountants at Deakin here in the ACT, and—surprise, surprise!—Stephen McAneney is the third trustee for the Greenfields Foundation.It is useful to remember the obligations of political parties. All donations over $1,500 to political parties, of course, must be disclosed. But, because the Greenfields Foundation money was in the form of a loan to the Liberal Party, the source of money to the Greenfields Foundation does not need to be disclosed to the Australian Electoral Commission under the Commonwealth Electoral Act.A loan to a political party is, of itself, not a problem. The problem arises from the fact that the Greenfields Foundation can collect substantial donations from sources which remain anonymous for the purposes of funding disclosure. Of course, this will remain the case until the Australian Electoral Commission examines the issue of whether the Greenfields Foundation is an associated entity—effectively that determination can be made only by the AEC. There is a regular audit of political parties once every three years. There might not even be an audit of the Liberal Party of Australia for a couple of years, but you have a situation where this money from the Greenfields Foundation is coming to the Liberal Party in the form of a loan.There are a whole lot of issues about this loan that do remain unanswered. When will this loan be repaid? How will it be repaid? How is the funding secured? Are there any concessional interest rates arrangements in the financing? We do know that the Liberal Party has made a payment of $100,000 to the Greenfields Foundation. That money may not have been a repayment; it may have been moneys used to set up the foundation.But, even if it is a repayment on a loan, it is certainly at a very lucrative rate of about 2½ per cent. There does not appear to be, in any sense, any indication that that would be any commercial rate of interest or a loan on a commercial basis. The Liberal Party is exploiting a loophole, or an apparent loophole, in the Commonwealth Electoral Act. By doing that, the Liberal Party can receive moneys through a loan which it might never have any intention of repaying.What is an associated entity, you might ask? Section 287 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act defines an associated entity as one which is either controlled by a political party or which operates wholly or mainly for the benefit of a political party. Section 314AE of the Commonwealth Electoral Act requires an associated entity to lodge an annual return, including details of all gifts of more than $1,500 received during the financial year and specifying the details of the donor.Greenfields have not lodged such a return, and we await a request from the Australian Electoral Commission to require them to lodge a return. As I have said, the AEC's regular audit of the Liberal Party could reveal the terms and conditions of the loan and other information which, I expect, would reveal the Greenfields Foundation as an associated entity and one which, quite obviously, given all this evidence, does operate wholly or mainly for the benefit of a political party.What do the principals of the Greenfields Foundation have to say about all this? In the Financial Review on 5 February this year, there was an article which appeared under Lenore Taylor's by-line saying:. . . because the electoral disclosure laws cover donations to political parties rather than loans, its trustees argue there is no need to disclose where the money came from.Mr Bandle, who is also a trustee of the party's previous secret funding vehicle, the Free Enterprise Foundation, would not comment on where the foundation's money came from or even when it was set up.On the same date in the Australian newspaper, Mr John Kerin wrote:Tony Bandle, making his first comments on the nature of the secret Liberal Party contributor The Greenfields Foundation since its existence was disclosed in a Liberal Party return this week, said he could not disclose the foundation's backers."Unfortunately, it's a private foundation . . . I can't comment at all except to say it will make fairly significant contributions to charity," he said."The Greenfields Foundation will make substantial contributions to organisations such as those that look after blind children."Really? In the Financial Review on 4 February, after this issue had been exposed, we find another trustee of the Greenfields Foundation—it is not Mr Bandle or Mr Stephen McAneney—Sir John Atwill, who, as Senator Conroy would know, is a former federal President of the Liberal Party, saying:I have no knowledge of Greenfields. I have nothing to do with it.3L6CONROYSenator Conroy—He is not. He is just a signatory.5K4Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator FAULKNER—He is a trustee. I hope someone in the Liberal Party tells poor old Sir John Atwill that he is actually a trustee and that he had better take a bit of note of what is being done in his name.The situation in relation to this particular matter is that we do know that the AEC wrote to Greenfields to inquire as to their status as an associated entity. However, the response of Greenfields was that they did not feel that they were required to provide any further information. They are into covering up. They have a lot to cover up. Given the connections to the Liberal Party and the Free Enterprise Foundation we say that it is essential that the AEC investigate the Greenfields Foundation to ascertain whether or not they qualify as an associated entity. We believe there is an enormous amount of evidence to suggest that this is just a fundraising arm of the Liberal Party.At the moment, the AEC says that they do not feel that there is a enough evidence to warrant such as an investigation. During estimates they informed us:We have no authority in the act to go behind a separate foundation on the basis of any suspicion that we may have.They have conceded that they may be able to pursue the Greenfields Foundation after a regular compliance audit of the federal Liberal Party, but, as I have said, we might have to wait up to two years for this audit to take place.We have here an open and shut case of the Liberal Party deliberately trying to breach the spirit of the Electoral Act. That is what they are on about. They are trying to side step, get around, any form of public scrutiny of what is a huge sum of money from yet unknown Liberal Party donors—many of whom may well be overseas donors to the Liberal Party.What we say in the Labor Party—and I know that my colleagues agree with me very strongly on this—is that the public has a right to know who these donors are. They have a right to know because the business of government needs to be transparent. It is a fundamental principle. What we have here is a very serious loophole in the Electoral Act being exploited by the Liberal Party. I hope that this parliament will take the necessary action to shut this sleazy operation down. (Time expired)17:34:00202Murphy, Sen ShayneSenator MURPHYFX5TASALP00—Tonight we are continuing to debate appropriation bills Nos 2, 3 and 4 which require an additional appropriation of about $1.684 billion. That represents about one per cent more than the 1997-98 budget estimated outlays.Most people would want us to ask: what does this mean in terms of jobs for Australians? If you look at the government's record you find that by August last year—and I do not have up-to-date figures—they had cut some 62,000 jobs out of the public sector nationally, 1,100 of which were cut from my home state. Unfortunately, I do not have accurate figures for the private sector, but they are also significant and growing. This is from a government that said it would deliver employment, create jobs, and bring unemployment down in this country.This is also from a government that intends, as we heard earlier, to spend some $750,000 of taxpayers' money and utilise the intellectual property branch of the Department of Communications and the Arts to educate its own backbench on the merits of its CD import legislation. People would really want to ask the question, as, I think, Senator Ray asked earlier: why can the Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, Senator Alston, not convince his backbench of the merits of that legislation? I think we know why he cannot. It is fraught with all sorts of problems which will have a serious impact on employment in the music industry.Another area that I particularly want to deal with in the appropriation bills is two appropriations in respect of the Tasmanian regional forest agreement, the RFA, which total about $27.4 million. When the Tasmanian regional forest agreement was signed we heard much about how many jobs would be created as a result. We had figures of up to 800 new jobs that would be created as a result of the Tasmanian regional forest agreement. It has been there for a few months now and I would suggest that fewer than 10 jobs have been created as a result of the Tasmanian regional forest agreement.There is another important aspect to this $27.4 million. It was supposed to be used for the purposes of protecting forests on private land. We heard about that today with regard to the Baillieu fence in Victoria. I find it rather interesting that Tasmanian farmers have to get their money by negotiation—and, at this point in time, they will be expected to pay capital gains tax on that money when they get it. Obviously, the Victorian Liberal Party members and farmers have much more clout than their Tasmanian colleagues because they will not have to do anything of the sort.I pursued this matter in estimates with the minister about whether or not the landowners would have to pay capital gains tax, but it is a question that remains unresolved. It is one that should be resolved because if it is not then the government, as much as it might like to say it will, will not be able to reach the targets that it set down from an environmental point of view. That will essentially mean that much of the land that should be managed in accordance with conservation values will not be so managed in the case of Tasmanian private land.As I said, what does it mean for jobs? It does not mean anything for jobs. In fact, sawmilling jobs in Tasmania, which one of the principal aspects of the regional forest agreements was about, are declining in great number. I read with some interest that North Forest Products has purchased one of the biggest woodchip machines in the world, and where is it going to be installed? In Tasmania.The Prime Minister (Mr Howard) used to accuse Paul Keating, the former Prime Minister, of being the king of woodchips. That is very interesting in terms of job losses in what is a very important resource based industry in this country. What has happened with woodchips since John Howard, the now Prime Minister, has taken office? They have gone up and up. Indeed, North Forest Products have just got an agreement with the support of the federal government to increase the volume out of New South Wales by some 600,000 tonnes a year. By the same token, many hundreds of jobs are being lost in New South Wales in the sawmilling and processing industries.What has the government done about the Wood and Paper Industry Council, the body that was supposed to provide information and advice to the government about how we would rebuild manufacturing in the wood resourced based industries? What has happened with that? Nothing. It has been turned into a Mickey Mouse show with no effect.Let us go back to my own home state again with regard to the paper industry. We have heard much about what this government has proposed over the two years it has been in office, in particular as it related to anti-dumping laws. The government said prior to the election that it would take certain steps and do certain things with regard to anti-dumping. It has taken them 22 months to make an announcement that they will do something. Indeed, Minister Moore and Minister Truss, in making the announcement, would have given people the impression that they had legislation ready to run with, that they had a bill that they would introduce to the parliament in this very first week of the new sitting. Not so; the bill has not even been drafted. It is not even in draft form—yet this from the government that talks about protecting jobs.The minister said, `We have introduced the fastest system.' If you have introduced it, why isn't it working? In Burnie and Wesley Vale in Tasmania there are two paper mills very dependent upon the protection of anti-dumping measures, even more so in the face of the Asian economic crisis. You would have thought that a government would have been prepared to take steps as quickly as possible. Even when they made the announcement, what did they announce? They announced a complete copy of the bills that we introduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives last year. It was exactly the same thing—nothing different. They did not propose anything different. We have had three ministers for customs in 22 months. We had Mr Prosser, then Senator Ellison, who was minister for a very short while, and now we have Minister Truss, who is still running around trying to work out what he should do and is not doing anything.Other areas, in so far as my own home state is concerned, have suffered at the hands of this government in terms of money that has been taken from the state. The Liberal state government in Tasmania has been bagging the Prime Minister, Mr Howard, and his govern ment all over the place with regard to the money that this government has cut out of health funding. Our state has suffered so greatly in respect of health it is almost unbelievable. The state of health in Tasmania is in such a pathetic situation that if something is not done the whole system will be bankrupted.As I said, the government keeps saying that it is all about jobs—it is about maintaining jobs and job security. We have seen them claim on many occasions, `We have lower inflation, the lowest interest rates, et cetera.' Nobody wants to buy homes. Why would they? They do not know whether they will have a job tomorrow.I referred earlier to the Copyright Amendment Bill 1997 . It is a rather interesting situation in that the Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, Senator Alston, has tried to get a win on many issues in this parliament. He has not got any yet. This seems to be the last bastion for him. He has sought to convey to the Australian public and to try to convince this parliament—he has failed to convince his own backbench—that we will get cheaper CDs. There is no evidence of that. In fact the government have trotted out Professor Alan Fels, the chief of the ACCC, to defend their position, to argue their case. But Professor Fels, before the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, could not prove that there would be cheaper CDs. Indeed, what will happen is that significant damage will be done to the local music industry.We have had evidence that the local industry, and particularly new artists, will suffer greatly; that there will not be the support there for them; that many of them will not be able to survive. We all know that the possibility of the importation of illegal and pirated CDs into this country is very real. Yet the government and the minister seem to want to ignore that. They want to ignore it because they know that customs, as the agency responsible for imports into this country, has no capacity to deal with the type of potential that will come as a result of legislation removing parallel import restrictions. They simply will not be able to manage. As a result of that, significant job losses will occur. The government has totally failed to understand the role of the local industry.The fact is, as was pointed out even to the Attorney-General's Department, which did acknowledge that there would be an increase in the level of importation, that there is a problem associated with the protection measures that are currently in place. Of course, that being the case, what does this government intend to do about it? It intends to do nothing. It intends to say nothing. It wants to introduce this legislation that will decimate the industry. Of course, I can recall Senator Alston, I think even in this place, referring to what is currently the most popular, and indeed the highest income earning music export this country has, Savage Garden, saying that they could have made it had this legislation been in place. That is simply not true.Nobody, but nobody, in this country will seek to invest in new talent or artists without their being able to secure some right. I use, as a reference to that, the circumstances of a person purchasing a franchise. This government made much ado about providing new provisions to protect franchisees. Of course, a franchise is a right. You buy a right. If you buy a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise and you set it up in Fyshwick or Queanbeyan, then you do not expect another person to come and plonk another Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet beside you. There is a law to protect the right that you purchase.Why would you expect a person or a company within this country to invest in artists, and provide them with security and a start in the world, when they will have no capacity to protect that right in this country if you remove parallel import restrictions? Because all that means is that, as soon as the records are produced overseas, other people can import them back into this country and cut out the sales that would otherwise be in place as a right. The right is conveyed, as it currently stands, with those CD import restrictions.Of course, there are no answers from the government with regard to these matters, no answers with regard to the number of jobs that will be lost in the promotion area, and no response with regard to the jobs that will be lost in the transport area. I do not think many people realise that the music industry is one of the biggest users of air transport in this country because most of the product is shipped by air. There will be a range of effects in this area in terms of employment.Under the appropriations within these bills we have lost huge amounts of money in my state. Even when it was put to the government on a number of occasions with regard to the cuts that it made to various Tasmanian projects, the Tasmanian members of the government have never sought to argue the case for their own state. They ought to feel ashamed. In Launceston, there has been some $30 million lost in various areas: the Australian Maritime College lost about $15 million for a cooperative research program centre; the university lost about $10 million, and on it goes. Even the now returned member for Bass, Warwick Smith, who ran a petition around a suburb known as Mowbray to install a Medicare office in Mowbray, promised the people that he would do so if he was voted back in but he has never achieved that outcome.It is a pretty sorry situation when these people who have the responsibility of government have done exactly the opposite to what they promised to do in the state of Tasmania. Indeed, they have taken away millions of dollars from Tasmanians and they have not delivered in any way, shape or form, the types of commitments that they gave. Of course, we have debated many times the matter of core and non-core promises. For Tasmania, it means no promises are to be kept. Whether they are core or non-core, none of them have been kept. I think the government members from Tasmania have a responsibility to answer to the Tasmanian people as to why that is the case and why they have not been able to deliver.As I said, in the latest round of events in terms of Tasmanian jobs, the jobs of paper workers at Burnie and at Wesley Vale are under very serious threat. The minister does have a power available to him to do something about it. He has chosen not to. I would suggest that Chris Miles, the member for Braddon, ought to be pursuing the minister to get him to take the steps under current legislation to protect those jobs. I am quite sure, and it worries me, that the company may well be looking for an excuse to see the mill at Burnie, in particular, close. I think the minister, at least, ought to be ensuring that the company does not use circumstances that he has allowed to occur to be the scapegoat for the closure of those mills.Appropriation bill or no appropriation bill, I think there are many issues that need to be resolved as a result of this government's actions over the last two years. We have had two budgets, not many jobs. We have had aged care torn to pieces. I noticed the other day that Minister Warwick Smith said that there was no reason why the government should not keep the $145 million that they had raised out of the nursing home daily fees. In fact, they should be putting that money back into the system—and the churches have called upon them to do this.The government have been rabbiting on that there is a need for some $500 million to restore nursing homes at least to a level where they can be considered livable. You have got $145 million that you have snipped off the aged care community. Why don't you give it back? Why don't you put it back into the system? It is about time the government started doing things that are in the interests of the Australian people and not continuing down the line of just tearing things away from them and not, as we head towards an election, trying to cover up with Wik legislation and industrial relations activities such as those that have been conducted on the Webb Dock in Melbourne. It is a very sad state of affairs indeed.17:53:00206Sherry, Sen NickSenator SHERRYZW4TASALP00—It is traditional in debates on appropriation bills for senators to touch on a variety of issues that range far and wide. In my contribution to this debate today I am going to make some comments about issues relating to national savings, tax, retirement income and expenditure, and, if time allows, the current economic problems in a number of Asian countries.National savings are very important for the economic future of a country. National saving is critical to a nation's capital formation, investment, economic development and, hopefully, resulting job creation. It is important for a country to maximise its own saving, not just from the point of view of capital formation, economic development and investment but also in order for it to maximise control of its own economic sovereignty. There are also greater costs associated with importing foreign capital, although inevitably a certain proportion of capital is required to be imported.There is no doubt that Australia has a significant savings problem. If you look at the statistics on Australia's national saving over the past 30 years, you will see that there has been a slow but steady decline. But Australia is not alone in having a savings problem; we share this problem with other OECD nations. Official statistics show that there is perhaps—and I emphasise the word `perhaps'—only one country that does not have a serious national savings problem and that is Japan.Just to make a side comment about tax, interestingly, one of the solutions touted to increase national savings is to introduce consumption taxes in a variety of forms—a goods and services tax or a value added tax. Certainly, the current government has rechristened these taxes BOBITS or BIBITS, depending on their latest repackaging attempt to sell a new indirect tax.The theory goes that if you tax consumption people will save more. This is a particularly interesting theory, given that in the last 30 years most OECD countries other than Australia have introduced a variety of indirect taxes, whether they are called a GST or a VAT. Not only have they been introduced but they have slowly but surely been increased.What has happened to national saving amongst those OECD countries? National saving has declined. So you could argue the reverse of the proponents of a new consumption tax. You could certainly argue that, if you track savings in OECD countries and you track the introduction of an indirect consumption tax and its increase, that a consumption tax leads to a reduction in national saving, not an increase.I think it is important to look very briefly at the causes of a reduction in saving, not just in Australia but around the world. Time does not permit me to go into all the detail, but I suspect there are much deeper and broader factors, particularly cultural and demographic changes. Certainly, the working generation of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s had very strong memories of the Great Depression and World War II. There is no doubt there was a much stronger saving ethic in our community.Combined with this is the fact that we are an ageing population; a greater proportion of Australia's population are over the age of 65. We also combine this with the very regrettable fact that the level of people out of work in our community is much higher than it was in the 1940s through to the early 1970s. For very obvious reasons people who are out of work for substantial periods of time and people who are retired are net dis-savers.I referred earlier to the increasing proportion of our population over the age of 65. In 1994, about 12 per cent of the population were over the age of 65. By the year 2051—it sounds a long way away; it is over 50 years—23 per cent, or almost one in four people in this country, will be over the age of 65. We have an ageing population. There is a range of problems and challenges—some would certainly refer to them that way—associated with this ageing population. We need to be able to provide a secure and comfortable retirement income for people over the age of 65, as well as a range of expenditures in areas such as health and other specific aged care services.I certainly consider as a member of a Labor government that it is the role of a Labor Party to provide fundamental support in areas such as education, health and incomes. By incomes, I mean a decent income for people not only while they are employed or unemployed but also while they are retired. The ageing population presents a significant number of major challenges or perhaps problems. I referred earlier to the statistics: one in four will be over the age of 65 by the year 2051. It seems a long time away. However, to accrue sufficient retirement income for that period with our changing demographic, the earlier you start, the easier the resolution of the problems becomes.As I mentioned earlier, there are significant problems on the income side of the equation to ensure a sufficient income in retirement, particularly when I suspect the expectations of today's generation in the work force are for a retirement income something greater than the current age pension, which is approximately $9,000 a year. On the expenditure side, governments have to fund expenditure in areas such as health and nursing homes. We have seen some recent debate about nursing home policy in this country. So it is quite critical to take a long-term view of both retirement income and service provision.The Liberal-National Party has taken a range of decisions since it was elected to government. It is appropriate, of course, as this week marks the second anniversary of the election of the government. But the government has taken a range of decisions that I would contend exhibit a fundamental lack of vision—indeed, a lack of compassion—for our rapidly ageing community. The government has taken a very short-term view, particularly in the area of retirement incomes, that will greatly magnify the long-term problems that we have to face.I am sure many senators in this chamber recall Labor's commitment and, firstly, its action to introduce the superannuation guarantee, phased in to nine per cent by the year 2001-02 and to match that with a government contribution of three per cent and an employee contribution of three per cent, making a total of 15 per cent.This government, Mr Costello particularly, has taken the view that government co-contributions should not be contributed to superannuation in this country and it would be delivered in another form—a savings rebate. If you look at the level of contributions for retirement incomes amongst comparable countries—these are the OECD nations—the average level of contributions is 13 per cent. They are struggling to maintain existing levels of retirement income, even with 13 per cent contributions over a person's working life.What do we have? We have nine per cent. It is interesting to look at the projected income a person will receive from the nine per cent superannuation guarantee. Average weekly earnings of $36,000 a year over a 40-year period will equate to a pension of about $9,000 a year for a person on reaching retirement age. I would emphasise that a significant proportion of Australia's population do not earn $36,000 throughout their working life.So how will people survive in their retirement? This government has effectively reduced their long-term retirement income, certainly on that side of the equation, and attempted to take a range of measures to reduce the service delivery to people when they retire. Of course, there is another way to provide essential services to people when they have retired, and that is to require the expenditure of their other asset, and their only other major asset is their own home. Australians want to pass this major asset on to their next of kin. Understandably, there is a great reluctance for a person to be required to use part or all of their asset, their own home, in funding retirement expenditure.That is exactly what the current government tried to do with the recent nursing home fiasco. It rejigged its policy, it juggled it around and finally had to do a backflip because it found out—I think to its political cost—that anything that attempts to touch the family home as an asset is not politically acceptable in this country, and understandably so. At the same time, it has embarked on a policy of ensuring that the income that Australians receive when they retire will not be as great as it would otherwise have been.I referred earlier to the savings rebates. I have commented on this before but, very briefly, the money that was to be paid in to Australian workers superannuation was specifically targeted at low and middle income earners. Certainly no-one who earned more than $70,000 was going to benefit from the government's three per cent payment to superannuation. Mr Costello abandoned that commitment and he is introducing a rebate. This rebate will be 7.5 per cent in 1998-99, and in the year 1999-2000 it will be 15 per cent, up to a maximum of $450 a year. If you look at people who save voluntarily in this country, they are generally, not exclusively, higher income earners.So what Mr Costello has done is taken away three per cent from low to middle income earners in this country that should have been paid into their superannuation for their retirement income. He has repackaged it and paid it generally to higher income earners—people who do not need that form of subsidy effectively for their retirement income. The savings rebate also has another very serious consequence in that it is unlikely to add to national savings. One of the virtues of Labor's approach to superannuation is that it did lead to an increase in national saving. If we look at last year's budget papers, nowhere is there any modelling for the projected increase in national saving as a result of Mr Costello's savings rebate. I suspect that, in their more honest moments, the Prime Minister, Mr Howard, Mr Costello and members of the government are worrying about the political return on billions of dollars that have been committed to this savings rebate, particularly also given the large question mark over any increase in national saving that would result. Even Mr Ted Evans—in one of his more honest moments at Treasury estimates—admitted that it was a significant risk. In concluding my remarks on superannuation and compulsory retirement schemes, it is interesting to note that a number of Asian countries—as a result of rapid economic development and also rapid social change consequent on that economic development—are introducing compulsory national saving schemes. Certainly, the most famous scheme is in Singapore, which has been in effect for well over 20 years. But there are other countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and I note that in the last few weeks Hong Kong has introduced a compulsory national savings scheme for retirement of 10 per cent with five per cent employee contribution and five per cent employer contribution. As I said earlier, what stands out is that contribution levels of less than 10 per cent are not sufficient to provide a decent retirement income for Australians and those countries in Europe that have an average contribution level of 13 per cent are really struggling to meet current pension requirements. I want to touch very briefly on the current problems we are experiencing as a consequence of the Asian crisis. At a lunch in Sydney on 15 December last year, which was actually at the Machiavelli Restaurant, the Prime Minister said:The single-most important thing that has happened over the last 12 months to Australia is that we have been able to withstand and come through relatively unscathed, the enormous financial turbulence in our part of the world. And of all the things that might be said about the last 12 months, that is the single-most important thing.He went on:. . . we first came into office to tackle the economic situation that we inherited, the very large budget deficit, the very poor levels of national savings, the inadequate industrial relations system . . . A few days later he said, `We have fireproofed the Australian economy against the ravages of the Asian economic meltdown.' We have had Mr Costello say this in September last year at a conference of economists:The fact that Australia has been immune to the instability that spread throughout South-East Asia—A month later, on 22 October, he said that the impact of the crisis on Australia—this is his prediction of the future—would `hardly be measurable'.There are three observations to make in respect of Mr Howard's comments. Firstly, Mr Howard gave a commitment to give an annual report to parliament. He certainly did give that report at the end of 1996, as I recall, but he did not do it at the end of 1997; instead, he fronted up to the Machiavelli Restaurant in Sydney and gave his assessment of the past year. If Mr Howard wants to front up to the Machiavelli Restaurant—in front of what must be a very sympathetic audience and a paying audience as well—rather than give his annual report to parliament, I suppose that is his prerogative, but it is not the commitment he gave at the last election. Secondly, Mr Howard and Mr Costello were wrong in their analysis of the effect of the current problems in Asia. The latest evidence of the problems in Asia are in the trade figures that were released yesterday where we had a $600 million trade deficit in January. We also had the release of figures showing a 57 per cent reduction in applications for tourist visits to Australia. The ABS rural exports figure fell $1.88 billion, which was the lowest figure since November 1996. But what is most disturbing is that imports of consumption goods rose to $2.28 billion. Our deteriorating trade deficit, mainly as a consequence of what has occurred in Asia, will have a significant economic impact and ultimately an increase in unemployment. I might remind the Senate that the Prime Minister was boasting last year that he had fireproofed the Australian economy against the ravages of the Asian economic meltdown.Thirdly, the Prime Minister also forgot to acknowledge the role Labor has played in some very fundamental economic reforms in its 13 years in office with record low industrial disputes, healthy corporate profits, floating of the dollar, deregulation of the financial system and lower corporate tax rates. Perhaps the Prime Minister did not want to openly—and in a balanced way—acknowledge Labor's record, but perhaps he forgot to acknowledge Labor's record. He did not particularly want to. Perhaps he forgot—like he forgot when he was Treasurer in 1983 during the election campaign to tell the Australian public that the then deficit would hit $9 billion, which in today's dollar terms would be over $25 billion—and he has the gall to accuse our current leader, Mr Beazley, of creating a black hole. (Time expired)18:14:00209West, Sen SueSenator WEST1X4NSWALP00—I rise tonight to address a couple of issues that have been brought to my attention as a result of the recent estimates process and media comments that have appeared in the Financial Review . The first one relates to the intended rise in airport landing charges at Kingsford Smith airport in Sydney, and the second one relates to nursing homes. There have been three articles in the Australian Financial Review —or there had been up to last week—about additional increases in airline charges and landing fees for aircraft flying into Kingsford Smith airport.It is certainly still not clear from the estimates answers—and a lot of those have still to come back on notice—what impact these rises will have on regional and rural commuter airlines that operate almost solely within New South Wales. There is grave concern on the part of the industry that there will be a significant increase in the cost of airline tickets—and, therefore, access—to KSA for regional and rural people. It is not just me who is concerned; the leader of the National Party in New South Wales and many others have expressed their concerns in the regional newspapers in recent times.The FAC has provided the industry with details of what their options are. I have not yet been provided with those, but they are coming on notice. I think it is important that we understand just what is being asked of industry and what the impact will be. Airlines like Impulse say that for them, over a two- or three-year period it means additional running costs of about half a million dollars. Another larger airline that operates more flights out of KSA has estimated it will cost them an additional million dollars.Increases of between $10 and $25 a ticket are being talked of. The intrastate airline industry will not be able to bear these increases very readily. The increases will certainly have an impact on the access of the people of rural New South Wales to Kingsford Smith airport. But it will not just affect the individual. There is industry west of the Great Dividing Range and north and south of Sydney-Newcastle-Wollongong. The increases will impact on Newcastle because there are small commuter airlines that run from Newcastle to Sydney. I presume it will also affect Canberra because the major operators, the big domestic carriers, have only a very limited number of jet services in and out of KSA to Canberra.It is the smaller subsidiaries—the Kendall airlines and the Eastern airlines—that operate the bulk of the services from Sydney to KSA, and they will, of course, be affected. The increases will have a major effect in my own area of Bathurst. We have a 6.30 a.m. flight. It is a very popular flight because it enables business and industry people to be in Sydney for a nine o'clock appointment. They spend all day on appointments in Sydney and can then catch the ten past seven flight home at night and not have the additional cost of an overnight stay.If airline fares were to rise by $20 or $25, these people would not fly. They would still leave home at about six o'clock in the morning, but they would drive in their cars to Sydney for their appointments and have to drive back in the evening. People will tell me, `Oh, it's not a great number of people.' But if you add up the number of people from all around the region, you will find that there will be a few more cars on that already dangerous road. The NRMA has worked out that the section from Penrith to Bathurst is probably the most dangerous road in NSW; statistically more dangerous than the Pacific Highway heading north from Sydney, which has had additional funding put into it. The impact of this move will be to disenfranchise the access of a lot of rural people to Sydney.There were suggestions by the FAC when I spoke to them about it that they were going to spend a lot of money at Kingsford Smith airport. That is fine. I asked them what amount of the moneys that they were expending would benefit regional and rural New South Wales. Fifty million dollars is to be expended on new pavements and taxiways, and that is very welcome. Something like $400 million will be expended on the international terminal. The bulk of travellers from regional and rural New South Wales do not use the international terminal; they use the domestic terminals. It does not seem fair that they will have to find and bear a disproportionate amount of money to meet those charges.I did not think that charges were to be used to control the number of flights into and out of Kingsford Smith airport. Last year we passed the Sydney Airport Demand Management Bill. That bill outlined the fact that there were slots available to the industry for utilisation, that the industry was moving to slot times and that regional and rural commuters would certainly be able to get access to that facility. In fact, I was told they were going to be ring-fenced, and I was again told this at estimates.I want to know the answer to a question I keep asking: if the Sydney Airport Demand Management Act is in operation and is controlling the number of aircraft movements per hour, why do we need to have peak and shoulder charges as well as flat landing charges for the rest of the day? The department cannot answer that question for me. I can foresee—and I prophesy here—that if these landing charge increases take place, regional and rural commuter airlines will be unable to take up the slot times that they are allocated in the peak times. I would bet my bottom dollar that, once they cannot take up those slot times because of the peak and shoulder charge increases, we will see regional and rural commuters lose access to KSA in the mornings and in the evenings at the peak times when, I think, we have as much right to travel as anybody else. So it is of major concern and major importance.There is another issue that relates to that bill. In the committee stage of the bill I asked for the figure for the revenue from the peak and shoulder charges to 30 June 1997. That was taken on notice. I received a letter from the minister six weeks or so later providing me with a figure but telling me that it was commercial-in-confidence. When I wrote back to the minister and asked why it was commercial-in-confidence the reason given was that the FAC `requested that it be treated as such because it was now in competition with the privately operated airports in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth and believed that the public release of this information would not be in the best interests of the airport.' At estimates I wondered what was in the best interests of the airline traveller—and I still do.When I asked Mr Snelling, the witness from the FAC, why this information was classified as commercial-in-confidence, he did not know. I asked him whether he could provide information on the peak and shoulder charges at KSA—how much revenue each charge had brought in. He said that he could get that for me, which then led me to ask why it had previously been commercial-in-confidence. I still ask that question. He was quite happy for me to say what the amount of money was. For the 12 months to June of 1997, just under $7.5 million was raised.I have a grave concern with the way this government is moving on privatisation, outsourcing and that type of thing that we are going to see more of this `It's commercial-in-confidence'. That is fine, but I want to know why it is commercial-in-confidence and what happens about accountability. There has to be accountability in all of this, not just in the interests of the airport and privatisation but of the travelling public and of the taxpayer. It is very important that we do not lose sight of this. Every time I get a letter that tells me something is commercial-in-confidence I am going to continue to say, `Why?' and `Give me the details'.The amount of revenue that is brought in to the FAC coffers by the peak and shoulder charges and by the general landing charges at Kingsford Smith airport is of interest to taxpayers, because they want to know how much is being subsidised and how much assistance is being given. If that $7.5 million is being paid so that it makes them competitive with the other airports, I wonder what the charges are and what the revenue from them is for the privately leased airports.I leave that issue at this stage and turn to aged care, an issue that I have been pursuing ever since the government advised that it was going to change aged care. In fact, I have been pursuing it and involved with it for as long as I have been here. I have probably been pursuing it for the last 30-odd years in my nursing career.Aged care is vital. It is something that should be given with compassion and care; it should not be something which is just a book entry. I raised the case the other day of a 55-year-old gentleman who has Alzheimer's disease and whose family has a farm. The income from that farm is negligible, because they have been in receipt of exceptional circumstances funding. They are still in receipt of a healthcare card because the income is so low. Because of his Alzheimer's this gentleman requires institutionalisation in a nursing home but, because of the value of the farm and of a small rental property, they are being charged the maximum accommodation charge per day that can be levied on them, because they are non-pensioners.This government some time ago outlined this wonderful new change—these wonderful new incentives and innovations—for intergenerational transfer of family farms. But it was for people who were in receipt of aged care benefits. At his age, my constituent—with Alzheimer's disease, an adult family, and a wife with a disability who cannot work the farm—is not eligible for the intergenerational transfer because he is not at age pension age. The only language I can think of to describe that situation is unparliamentary.I know that this initiative was sold as the panacea, as the solution to all of the problems of the rural industry when they needed to transfer property. Now we have this situation that I am acquainted with. I will be working very hard to ensure that this family is given a classification under hardship provisions. He did not ask for this disease; he has a chronic illness. It is an illness that can affect any age, but because of the type of illness it is he is treated in a nursing home. It is not at all fair.Also on aged care I turn to a letter that I and a number of people have received from a region of New South Wales where the directors of nursing have formed an association representing 35 institutions. They have written a very lengthy letter outlining their concerns and their thoughts about the changes in aged care. To say that they are uncomplimentary is putting it fairly mildly. They have grave concerns with the resident classification scale.In estimates late last year I introduced into the debate a report by Chris Aisbett from LAETA that had been done for the New South Wales Nurses Association, the New South Wales College of Nursing, and Geriaction. The report indicated that the resident classification scale is a flawed instrument. With pressure here in this chamber during the debate on the original legislation, we actually have managed to get the government to agree to a review after three months.Let me go through this letter and talk about some of the things that this group of directors of nursing are raising. These are all registered nurses with good qualifications. I have attended an in-service day that was held by a university that works out of that area as well. They are well-qualified people who know what they are talking about and who are expert in the area of aged care.They say that they were quite happy when the idea of a single instrument was introduced, because they thought that that would measure the direct care needs of all people accommodated in residential care facilities. They say:Upon final presentation of the RCSit is now very clear that it is purely a Funding Tool to measure "relative care needs" only and therefore, has very little to do with classification and direct care needs.They are critical of the training for the RCS. They say:The Training for the RCS was initially found to be adequate, however, since that training the intention and wording of some questions have changed creating confusion, uncertainty and indeed the movement of some residents to lower categories, even from high band to low band. The wording between questions is inconsistent, the weightings are inappropriate for the delivery of care required, particularly, for example the Medication question . . .This is one of the questions about which I am getting a lot of concern expressed to me by the industry. I admit that I have a nursing background and I have good contacts within these areas. They continue:. . . the Medication question which gives maximum weighting for an injection which may only have to be administered monthly and does not require the equivalent amount of effort and time as does crushing and mixing medications and standing to administer the medications to a confused, unco-operative or "slow" resident, not once a day, but up to four (4) times a day . . .The monthly injection can score higher than the administration of the medication. The other area of that which is causing grave concern is for hostels when they are using dose sets and Webster packs. These are methods of putting doses of medication together into an appropriate pack so that somebody just has to come along and open up one particular blister from the Webster case at the time it is due to be administered or, in the case of the dose set, to slide back a slide on the lid.These are being filled, and are required to be filled, by someone who has the appropriate qualifications. In the hostels in New South Wales that I am talking about, that is a pharmacist or a doctor. It is the hostel that has to foot the cost of that, not the patient. These people are being classified as the second lowest, and there is a big difference in the classification scale between the second lowest and the next one, which is where I think they should be, and I think most of the industry would agree with me. That is an added impost upon the hostels.The department tells us that they do not have to do it, but part of accreditation is that they will improve standards. They will have good, high standards. This is the sort of procedure that they should be adopting for good care and standards—and they are being penalised. That is just one instance where the resident classification scale falls down, and falls down badly. The sooner that review is made public, the better for everybody. (Time expired)18:34:00213Cooney, Sen BarneySenator COONEYSF4VICALP00—We are now debating the appropriation bills, which deal with the way money is collected and how it is spent on behalf of the Australian taxpayer. It is proper that rigour be brought to bear on the considerations of that process, and we have heard much debate directed to that issue.I want to talk about a few matters, all to do with the wise and good expenditure of money. It is not simply a matter of bringing to the process an accountant's mind or an economist's mind; there are other issues to take into account.I want to talk about certain matters to do with the working people of Australia—on Webb Dock in Melbourne, at Cobar in New South Wales, Yarrawonga in Victoria and Grafton in New South Wales. I probably take a different view on these matters to Senator Crane who was speaking earlier in this debate. I often disagree with Senator Crane on economic matters and industrial matters, but he is a person of outstanding character. I would not take issue with his character or with his integrity.Competition on the wharves around Australia is a good thing. It is a good thing that people who work on the wharves be as productive as possible. It does not follow from that that the way a number of people have gone about attacking the Maritime Union of Australia on the wharves in Melbourne is the correct way. The first thing to be remembered about the situation on the wharves of Melbourne is this: it has to do mainly with working men and working women of Australia.Most adult people in Australia work. Some earn more than others and it is often said that some people earn too much. `Profit' is not a dirty word, nor is `decent and proper wages' a dirty phrase. The fact that people earn money should not be a situation that attracts criticism or attracts a combination of forces to stop them earning what they are entitled to and have properly earned, just as there should not be a combination of forces to stop people earning profits. Indeed, we have provisions under the Trade Practices Act to look to that. It seems to me that those provisions in the laws of Australia, whether they come from statutory law or from common law, are more protective of people's right to earn a profit than they are to get decent wages for themselves.For most people, the strength of their bargaining position comes from their ability to combine, to put forward a common demand that leads to an agreement. In so far as that unionisation is stopped, to that extent, people's ability to earn a reasonable income is prejudiced. It is said there were 15 people in Australia who could repair the breakdown in power in Auckland in New Zealand. No doubt those sorts of people can command pretty much on their own what they would. But most people who want to get a reasonable wage and reasonable conditions need to go forward in a union and, in so far as we have laws that break down that ability, as I said before, to that extent, people's ability to earn a decent and proper wage is affected.It is clear that the Webb Dock affair arose out of a unfortunate strategy—which included government, Patricks and the National Farmers Federation—to bring down a particular union and, to that extent, to stop working men and women getting what they deserve from industry. I do not particularly want to go on about Webb Dock because I want to deal with some other matters, but I want to say this: the more prosperous a nation, the better it is for all of us. The better cared for is our environment—we have heard much talk about the environment today—the better it is for all of us. The more we can go forward as a community, the better it is for all of us.One of the bases upon which we can best go forward as a community is that there be truth and a candid exchange between people. One of the great problems with the affair at Webb Dock was that there was not that frankness. There was not the candidness that was needed to make sure that reform of the dock went forward in a way that had a communal sense to it and produced justice all around, so that not only was there profit but that there were fair wages awarded to everyone.I want to say something about the situation at Cobar. That is a tragic situation, not only for the people in the copper mines who have been deprived of their due return for the labour they put in there but for the town as a whole.RD4BROWNHILLSenator Brownhill—Hear, hear!SF4Cooney, Sen BarneySenator COONEY—I am glad that Senator Brownhill is here. He is a man who represents New South Wales and represents it well. He has affirmed that it is a tragedy for that town. It is something which we, as a parliament, ought to do something about.RD4BROWNHILLSenator Brownhill—We are, of course. We are pursuing it through the ASC.SF4Cooney, Sen BarneySenator COONEY—Thank you for that—you are pursing it. On paper you have a minor company, Cobar Mines Pty Ltd, which is in deep financial trouble but which has, through various connections, links with Ashanti Goldfields Ltd and even with Lonrhos back in London. The tragedy is that you have a group of workers and a very good town which is suffering because the money due to the people who have been working in the mines is not forthcoming. It is always a concern to everyone, including everybody in this chamber, I would suggest, where you have a structure of companies with enough money to pay what is due to working people, but the structure is such that the actual company that employs them can go into liquidation owing money that is due to the people who have worked hard and vigorously to obtain a just reward.There is a similar situation in Grafton with a meatworks run by Gilbertsons. Again, it is a situation where people are going to be deprived of their proper remuneration because of a company law. I do not think this is a party political issue. I think anybody, no matter what party they are in, would be anxious to see that people who have worked through the sweat of their brow and have earned money are not denied that money because of a flaw—and I think it is a flaw—in our corporate law.RD4BROWNHILLSenator Brownhill—Corporate law of insolvency.SF4Cooney, Sen BarneySenator COONEY—Yes, and the law of insolvency. Thanks for that, Senator Brownhill. The other situation I want to talk about is Yarrawonga. I have to be a little careful about this one because it is still before the courts. This involves a meatworks owned by ICM, which I think is a company owned by the same people who own Uncle Tobys. What has happened there is that people have been shut out of the works while they are undergoing a revamp—indeed, a major overhaul. It is quite clear that that meatworks at Yarrawonga was in need of the overhaul that it is undergoing, but things have been arranged in such a way that the Workplace Relations Act is being used to have the workers stood down while the slaughter house is undergoing the restructure that is needed. One would have hoped that the employer was such an employer that he would have made sure the major restructure that was needed was carried out so as not to penalise those good and faithful people who had worked for the company for a long time.As I said, this matter is before the courts, but it just seems to be a very mean spirited approach to life to shut your workers out, to put them on the grass—and I use that phrase—on the basis that negotiations are being conducted under the Workplace Relations Act. It is mean spirited to use that opportunity to undertake these major works. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.Leave granted; debate adjourned.Committees215215215Motion (by Senator Calvert)—by leave—agreed to:That the provisions of the Company Law Review Bill 1997 and the Managed Investments Bill 1997 be referred to the Joint Statutory Committee onCorporations and Securities for inquiry and report by 23 March 1998.215215215Calvert, Sen PaulSenator CALVERT5F4TASLP10—by leave—I present the first report of 1998 of the Selection of Bills Committee. I seek leave to have the report incorporated in Hansard .Leave granted.The report read as follows—SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEEREPORT NO. 1 OF 19981. The Committee met on 3 March 1998.2. The committee resolved—That the provisions of the following bills be referred to committees:Bill titleStage at which referredCommitteeReporting dateCommonwealth Superannuation Board Bill 1997 (see Appendix 1 for a statement of reasons for referral)immediatelySelect Committee on Superannuation26 March 1998Superannuation Legislation (Commonwealth Employment) Repeal and Amendment Bill 1997 (see Appendix 1 for a statement of reasons for referral)immediatelySelect Committee on Superannuation26 March 1998Superannuation Legislation (Commonwealth Employment—Saving and Transitional Provisions) Bill 1997 (see Appendix 1 for a statement of reasons for referral)immediatelySelect Committee on Superannuation26 March 19983. The Committee resolved to recommend—That the following bills not be referred to committees: Criminal Code Amendment Bill 1997 [1998] Company Law Review Bill 1997 . Customs and Excise Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 3) 1997 . Customs Tariff Amendment Bill (No. 6) 1997 . Gas Pipelines Access (Commonwealth) Bill 1997 . Higher Education Legislation Amendment Bill 1997 . Law Officers Amendment Bill 1997 . Managed Investments Bill 1997 . NRS Levy Imposition Bill 1997 . Superannuation Legislation Amendment Bill 1997 . Taxation Laws Amendment Bill (No. 6) 1997 . Taxation Laws (Technical Amendments) Bill 1997 . Telecommunications Amendment Bill (No. 2) 1997 . Therapeutic Goods Legislation Amendment Bill 1997.The Committee recommends accordingly.4. The committee deferred consideration of the following bills to the next meeting: (deferred from meeting of 22 October 1997) Health Legislation Amendment Bill 1997.(deferred from meeting of 2 December 1997) ANL Sale Bill 1997 Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Amendment Bill 1997 Health Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 1997 Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill 1997.(deferred from meeting of 3 March 1998) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Amendment Bill 1997 Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Amendment Bill 1997 Electoral and Referendum Amendment Bill 1997 Insurance Laws Amendment Bill 1997 Primary Industries and Energy Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 3) 1997 Social Security and Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Budget and Other Measures) Bill 1997 Taxation Laws Amendment Bill (No. 7) 1997 Workplace Relations Amendment (Superannuation) Bill 1997.(Paul Calvert)Chair3 March 1998Appendix 1Proposal to refer a bill to a committeeName of bill: Commonwealth Superannuation Board Bill 1997 Superannuation Legislation (Commonwealth Employment) Repeal and Amendment Bill 1997 Superannuation Legislation (Commonwealth Employment—Saving and Transitional Provisions) Bill 1997Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration: The bills appear to implement a policy which is inconsistent with the approach in the Superannuation Freedom of Choice Bills. Consideration of whether these bills will leave workers worse off or not, and whether they will involve additional costs for public sector workers.Possible submission or evidence from: CPSUSuperannuation Board ACTUCommittee to which bill is to be referred:Select Committee on SuperannuationPossible hearing date(s):Possible reporting date: As soon as practicable(signed)V BourneWhip/Selection of Bills Committee memberOrdered that the report be printed.Documents21610000TEMPORARY CHAIRMANThe TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN (Senator Knowles)—Order! It being 6.50 p.m., I call on the consideration of government documents.21621618:50:00216Tambling, Sen GrantSenator TAMBLING6E4NTCLP10—I move:That the Senate take note of the document.This annual report refers to the Tiwi Land Council, which is a unique and special Aboriginal Land Council situated on the Tiwi Islands just to the north of Darwin. Year after year in this chamber I have drawn attention to the uniqueness of that community and the excellent work that has been undertaken by the Tiwi Land Council on behalf of its constituency members who live on what are generally known as the Bathurst and Melville islands. The Tiwi Land Council is a small organisation. It enjoys a very good accounting process, a very strong accountability, and looks after a wide range of activities on behalf of the people who live on the Tiwi Islands.There are a number of matters referred to in this report that I would draw to the attention of my colleagues, particularly those that naturally affect issues relating to Aboriginal land, whether they are to do with culture, heritage, sacred sites and the processes that go with them. They extend into other important areas, such as health, training and employment, tourism occupations and freight and pearling. This small community that is so intimately involved and so successful certainly deserves commending.I will not seek leave to speak at a later time this evening, but I also notice that document No. 4 relates to the annual report for 1996-97 of the Anindilyakwa Land Council, situated on Groote Eylandt. Similar to the Tiwi Land Council, the land council on Groote Eylandt is almost as successful. It concentrates on Aboriginal land management issues and whilst, in my opinion, that community has more social problems than the Tiwi Islands, it is very interesting to note that the business range of activities covers fishing, turtle breeding, involvements with Telstra, mining negotiations and rehabilitation, but they also concentrate on many of the issues relating to the social dimension of that community.It is interesting to note that the finances of both these organisations are well structured and well maintained. In a moment, when the next report is tabled, I will make some more specific comments with regard to other land councils and current reviews that are being undertaken in the Northern Territory. I would single out for particular commendation and reference the reports of both the Tiwi Land Council and the Anindilyakwa Land Council.Question resolved in the affirmative.21721718:53:00217Tambling, Sen GrantSenator TAMBLING6E4NTCLP10—I move:That the Senate take note of the document.The northern and central land councils, historically, are much longer established community organisations in the Northern Territory. Because of the geographic spread of their area of influence in the Northern Territory, it is very important to look carefully at these accounts.Many senators will be aware that, for a number of years, I have often been critical of the accountability processes of both the northern and the central land councils, in particular those of the Northern Land Council. I am pleased to note that this financial year there has been a major improvement in the administration and accountability of, in particular, the Northern Land Council. In perusing this particular report, it is interesting to note that it is nowhere near as party political or partisan political as the Northern Land Council has previously been on other reports.I would like to draw to the attention of the Senate a very important review that is currently under way and commissioned by the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Senator Herron—that is, a review by John Reeves QC into a range of matters relating to the administration of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act. That particular review is now part heard, and I am certainly very well aware that Mr Reeves has been engaged in a very extensive series of consultations with a range of government agencies, other Aboriginal organisations and Aboriginal communities right throughout the Northern Territory.In looking at the travel itineraries of Mr Reeves, I certainly would not want to be trying to achieve what he is doing in a six-, eight- or 10-week period. It is a mammoth task, and I know from copies that I have received of much of the material that has been made available to the commissioner that this is a very serious and determined inquiry.I have had a range of discussions with Aboriginal organisations in the Northern Territory, in particular. Many of them are looking very much at the issues to be raised by Mr Reeves in his final report which relate to the whole impact of the land rights legislation, whether it is social, cultural or economic, whether it relates to exploration and mining or whether it relates to the administration of the royalty trust accounts or the application of the Northern Territory laws. There are a huge number of issues to be addressed. In particular, as I said, I am well aware that the fiefdoms that have previously been maintained by the northern and central land councils may not survive because many Aboriginal communities are saying either on a matter of regionalisation or on a matter of practical administration that there are just so many other areas that ought to be addressed.In fact, this afternoon I had consultations here in Canberra with representatives of the Jawoyn Association, largely headquartered in the Katherine region or the area just to the north. In those areas—and I am sure that the delegates would not mind my saying this—the range of areas that they see as needing regional agreements and priorities relate to law and order, economic development, employment, trade, land management, health, housing, community development, education, local government and sport. These are areas where the Jawoyn certainly see major need for change.Mr Robert Lee, the Chairman of the Jawoyn Association, left with me a copy of the Jawoyn Association's submission to the review of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act. It makes very interesting reading because it certainly looks for changes in land rights legislation from an Aboriginal perspective. It canvasses many practical applications. It looks very much at the successful operation of what the Jawoyn have achieved and draws out many parallels for change. I hope that Mr Reeves, in his moving around the Northern Territory, will be able to judge the northern and central land councils against this important criteria of both the wider Northern Territory community and the expectation of Aborigines in the Northern Territory.Question resolved in the affirmative.Adjournment21810000ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENTThe ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT (Senator Knowles)—The consideration of documents has now concluded, and I put the question:That the Senate do now adjourn.21818:58:00218Gibbs, Sen BrendaSenator GIBBS6L6QLDALP00—I rise tonight to speak about an article in the Courier-Mail yesterday which I found deeply disturbing. The article detailed a study conducted by the Council to Homeless Persons which revealed that almost 30,000 people in Queensland are homeless. The tragedy is that this figure underestimates the total number of homeless people because it includes only those using homeless services. The study stated that 147,000 people are using homeless services nationwide and found that, in the 1996-97 financial year, there were a further 304,000 requests for assistance from homeless services that were not met. This represents twice as many people who are actually helped by the homeless services.There are several tragic revelations in this report, including that throughout Australia over 38,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 used homeless services during the year. A further 69 per cent of homeless youth were not in education at the time of using the homeless service. Moreover, homeless families data include 25,000 adults and 46,000 children. Furthermore, of the 48,500 women using homeless services, just under 50 per cent, which is 21,000 women, were escaping domestic violence. Included in this figure are 8,000 homeless Queensland women, 4,500 of whom cited domestic violence or sexual and emotional abuse as the reasons for their dire situation.A further feature of concern in the study is the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people amongst the ranks of the homeless. They represent 12 per cent of people using homeless services, despite comprising only two per cent of the entire population of Australia.The Council to Homeless Persons has rightly identified unemployment as the major impediment to kerbing Australia's homeless numbers. As education is crucial to future employability, the statistic that 69 per cent of homeless youth were not in education or training is of particular concern, in terms of the ability of young homeless people to access employment in the long term when their homeless situation is resolved.Rather than attempting to assist these people, the Howard government has cut just about every available lifeline they could access, such as the proposal to abolish income support to 16- and 17-year-olds who are not in education and training, and the introduction of a parental income and assets test for unemployed 18- to 20-year-olds. Furthermore, there are the forthcoming changes to employment service provider arrangements whereby Australia's free employment service will give way to large private providers not interested in homeless people who need considerable attention before they are job ready.While the Commonwealth-state supported accommodation assistance program is obviously working well and covering a number of people in need, it is clear that further support and additional initiatives are needed from governments to attack the causes of homelessness. It has traditionally been Labor governments which have developed these initiatives. Many in this parliament will well remember the coalition parties' politically inspired beat-up when the previous Labor government attempted to initiate welfare payments for homeless youth to ease their circumstances. It is time conservative governments challenged their stereotype reaction to homeless people. The vast majority are not in this predicament solely as a result of their own failings.The Council to Homeless Persons data reveals that financial difficulties, domestic violence, family and relationship breakdowns are the major reasons people become homeless. The most tragic revelation from this study is that of family homelessness. Due to shortages of affordable housing, high unemployment and increased family poverty, family homelessness in Australia is increasing dramatically. An area of major concern is the data that shows almost half of the 46,000 homeless children nationally are under five years old. Obviously, this impacts enormously on a child's psychological, educational and physical wellbeing.What is particularly distressing—and we should all be concerned about this—is that it appears that the cycle of homelessness is being passed on to succeeding generations with little difficulty. Unfortunately, there are too few resources and initiatives to break the cycle. Many families do not know how to make a bed or use kitchen appliances as they have never experienced a home environment.The Council to Homeless Persons data echoes many of the issues raised in a recent St Vincent de Paul study. As the largest community based provider of services to homeless people in Queensland, the St Vincent de Paul organisation has found that nine out of 10 men were homeless due to financial difficulty, eight out of 10 women were homeless due to domestic violence, and six out of 10 homeless people were aged between 25 and 44 years.What is clear from the research is that the old image of a homeless person as an elderly male of scruffy appearance and with a bottle of booze in his hands is now ancient history. The average age of the homeless person has dropped to around 30 years. Those people are presenting a raft of problems to community care organisations as they are prone to mental illness, substance abuse, financial problems and relationship breakdowns. These people are regarded as high maintenance by community care organisations that barely have sufficient funds to meet basic shelter needs and are showing signs of buckling under the strain.My attention has been alerted to one such organisation, the Albert and Logan Community Care Centre, which provides emergency accommodation and housing for sole parents in the Beenleigh and Logan areas south of Brisbane. This organisation has been forced to turn people away on a weekly basis due to the unavailability of resources. I urge the new Queensland Minister for Families and Community Care to focus on providing financial support and creative initiatives for organisations like this one. Hopefully, the new minister will prove more capable in this area than her recently departed predecessor—sacked Minister Kevin Lingard, who was out of his depth in this field.Coalition governments have one last chance in Queensland and at the federal level to show they now have a commitment to social and community welfare. If they fail to use the great advantages and opportunities incumbent government presents they will forever be branded as political ostriches with their heads in the sand on homelessness and community care issues.21919:07:00219Coonan, Sen HelenSenator COONAN2M6NSWLP10—At the start of this parliamentary year one of the recurring issues that is trotted out for public gaze is the level of federal funding for health and the role of the states in delivering health services, especially so in my state of New South Wales. It is an issue which generates a great deal of misinformation. In New South Wales the Carr government is constantly trying to avoid scrutiny of its own mismanagement of health by blaming the Commonwealth for any shortcomings and shortfalls in the New South Wales health budget. This week Labor is at it again.Public hospital waiting lists in New South Wales for elective surgery topped 50,000 for the first time. There were calls, yet again, for the New South Wales health minister, Dr Refshauge, to resign. The only excuse he can think of is that the blame lies with the Commonwealth. It is a pretty lame excuse and it is an excuse that simply does not stand up to scrutiny.First of all, the states have a great deal of autonomy in how they use Commonwealth funds granted to the states. Under the present arrangements, the states and territory governments determine the total funds available for public hospitals, budgets for individual hospitals, the number and location of hospitals, and the services available for hospitals. They determine the level of service, the areas of service and the needs of their constituents. The Commonwealth provides the funds and the states attend to their distribution.But much of the argument about health funding relates not to the Commonwealth health distributions but to how state treasuries actually allocate financial assistance grants. These are non-specific purpose grants from the Commonwealth, and it is up to the states to determine how they are actually allocated. But the state health bodies argue their share of these funds should be in the same proportion as the share they get from the state budget. Therefore, if a state health department receives, say, 25 per cent of the budget, it argues it should receive 25 per cent of the financial assistance grants made available by the Commonwealth to that state.But, not surprisingly, the state treasuries do not always see it that way and in the continuing battle for funds the Commonwealth is often targeted unjustifiably as being responsible for holding back funds to state health bodies. Spats between state bodies are harming health services and nowhere is this sort of harm more evident than in New South Wales.As I said, latest figures in New South Wales indicate elective surgery waiting lists have now topped 50,000 for the first time. There are now 50,778 people waiting for surgery and, just as alarmingly, 4,602 people have been waiting 12 months or more. Those who do manage to have surgery without waiting the 12 months or more still have to cool their heals for an average of 1½ months compared with only 27 days a few months ago. But like an oft repeated mantra, the Carr government has blamed what it claims are Commonwealth funding cuts for this situation.But the Carr government simply ignores the facts. In 1995 to 1996 Commonwealth outlays on New South Wales hospital services was $1.65 billion, up from $1.3 billion in 1990 to 1991 and just under one-third of the $5 billion national total. The New South Wales slice of the total Commonwealth health services cake was $6.1 billion in 1995 to 1996, up from $4.4 billion in 1990 to 1991. Again, the slice represents almost one-third of the national total of $18.6 billion.The Commonwealth's contribution has increased every year. Yet Mr Carr and Dr Refshauge continue to claim that these problems are the result of claimed Commonwealth funding cuts. This is totally incorrect, and it is timely to examine the level of funds provided by both the Commonwealth and the states to see where the financial burdens actually lie.Under the 1988 to 1993 Medicare agreements, total Commonwealth hospital funding grants to states rose to $3.933 million from $3.80 million in 1988-89, a three per cent rise each year in real terms. In 1993 to 1998, Medicare agreements maintained the funding and indexation components of the previous agreements while adding new funding components, the implementation of which resulted in an additional $2 billion in Commonwealth funds for hospitals over five years. It is quite clear already from these figures that the Commonwealth is meeting its commitments and that the Commonwealth has continued to inject funds into the Australian health system.In the 1992-93 budget, the Commonwealth injected an additional $1.6 billion into hospital funding over six years. Following the Premiers Conference in 1993-94, it was raised to $2 billion as a result of the agreement to pay New South Wales and Victoria Medicare guarantees. These payments honoured the Commonwealth's guarantee to the two states that they would receive increased financial assistance grants. These amounted to $131 million for New South Wales and $112 million for Victoria. The net result of these factors was that Commonwealth funding to the states increased by about $500 million, or 11 per cent, in 1993 to 1994 and a further $216 million, or three per cent, in 1994 to 1995.In sharp contrast to the Commonwealth's contribution, state funding for public hospitals has failed to show any steady growth. The Commonwealth Grants Commission has researched the funding and found the states contribution to health funding has been maintained at 1990-91 levels over the five years to 1996. On the other side of the coin, the Commonwealth's contribution has risen more than 30 per cent in the same period. Of course hospital funding has fared no better from the states. It, too, has been maintained at 1990-91 levels while the Commonwealth's contribution has risen by about 25 per cent.This trend is confirmed by analysis published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare which shows that the Commonwealth share of expenditure on public hospitals rose to 49 per cent in 1994 to 1995 from 42 per cent in 1989 to 1990. In the same period, the states share fell to 42 per cent from 47 per cent. Under the current 1997-98 budget estimate, Commonwealth payments to the states under the Medicare agreement rose $175 million, or 1.5 per cent. Of this, 99.9 per cent was for the states with only $7.2 million being for national projects. The funding then, despite some claims to the contrary, was not reduced but was maintained at the funding levels of the previous budget. I will not go into the problems that the Commonwealth has experienced with cost shifting. The next round of hospital funding grants will not be finalised until June this year. It gives us some time to review some of the central issues, including the collection of a full year's data to determine the extent of cost shifting, investigation of strategies and devices to monitor the extent of the practice, and it could include measures such as an independent survey of doctors on the subject of cost shifting, a GPs cost shift audit through the accreditation process, and perhaps an investigation of pathology and diagnostic imaging requests.With all the evidence at hand, it is therefore clear that any assertion that the problems with the New South Wales health system are the result of Commonwealth funding cuts would not pass a basic kindergarten maths test. Perhaps Mr Carr and Dr Refshauge should be looking in their own backyard at the infighting between state government instrumentalities for financial assistance grants from the Commonwealth and their own ineptitude at managing an efficient health service. It is time the Carr government simply stopped blaming everyone else for its problems and started getting its own house in order and giving the people of New South Wales the health service they rightly deserve.22119:16:00221Allison, Sen LynSenator ALLISON1M6VICAD00—Back in November 1996 this government introduced its states grants bill. As we all know, it abolished the new schools policy, paving the way for the expansion of the private school sector and introducing a funding mechanism which would help it to pay for the ensuing increase in the cost to the federal government. The argument went along the lines that students in government schools were funded in two ways: a per capita grant of $400 to $600, depending on whether they were in primary or secondary schools, and untied grants which the states used to fund government schools.The federal government said that when students shifted across to private schools they saved money for the states, which no longer had to spend federal assistance grants moneys on those students. The enrolment benchmark adjustment would see to it that for every student enrolled over and above the 1996 proportion of students in the private sector—that is known as the benchmark—an average of $1,712.50 would be taken away from funding to the states.That sounded reasonable to many people, especially when the government made the point of saying that the money follows the student. What could be fairer than that? But during the debate we had on the bill Senator Vanstone was very careful to avoid spelling out how the EBA works because, of course, this is not how it works at all. The new minister, last week, mistakenly repeated Dr Kemp's line when he said again, `The funding follows the person.' Either he does not understand how the EBA works or he chooses to mislead people. The funding does not follow the student. The department admitted last week that it did not track students and it does not know whether students are actually exiting government schools or not. The only data that is available to the government is in aggregate figures in each state. And, of course, the aggregate figures show that there was no net loss of students from government schools.Back in November 1996, the Democrats said that this was a regressive and a punitive mechanism and quite unfair. We said that enrolments were increasing every year and that the proportion in private schools could increase and therefore trigger the EBA, even when there was no reduction in enrolments in government schools, and this is indeed what happened. In January this year the long awaited national schools census came out and it showed that not only did the government sector not lose any students but it actually gained 8,500. There were 8,500 more students in government schools in 1997 than there were in the previous year.I might add that this compares with the government's projections in 1996 of a reduction of 5,979. So they had actually underestimated government school enrolments by about 14,500 students. Much more accurate were the projections for private schools: 19,789 extra students were expected in private schools and just over 2,000 actually enrolled. By the way, if the government's projections had been accurate, $26.9 million would have been cut from the states using that EBA mechanism. But the national schools census came out and, according to the way the legislation was written, the figures meant that $20.5 million would have to be cut from the states. Remember that government schools have not had a net loss of any students—in fact they have increased by 8,500. But, of course, under the EBA this does not stop them from being punished. They have to wear the cost of the private sector just because it is growing at a faster rate.The figures have been available since January but the silence from the government has been deafening. We had to wait until estimates last week to quiz the minister and the department to extract the exact figures. No doubt the government is feeling the heat and perhaps it is not proud of its action in taking money away from government schools, especially when the rationale for doing so has now gone out the window. The minister says that the $1,712.50 cut per extra student has been re-negotiated with each state according to how much money they spend to educate each child. A state like Victoria now spends less than any other state government, so it is of course rewarded by having a lower amount applied to its EBA calculation.The new figure means that the EBA liability is $5.21 million from New South Wales, $2.47 million from Victoria, $3.34 million from Queensland, $1.7 million from Western Australia, $2.99 million from South Australia, $690,000 from the Northern Territory, $490,000 from the Australian Capital Territory, and Tasmania will not have to pay anything back. Of course, if the EBA was properly applied to Tasmania, the federal government would actually be the one to have to pay Tasmania back because the proportion of their private school enrolments actually decreased. Unfortunately for Tasmania, however, this is a one-sided deal and they do not get rewarded for keeping their numbers high in relation to private schools.The government has reduced the per student figure from state to state with the result that the debt reduces from $20.5 million to $16.89 million. Then, according to the department last week, the government has decided to further reduce the debt by introducing a buffer. This buffer is 0.05 per cent of enrolments.The effect of the buffer is to further reduce the debt to nothing in the Northern Territory and the ACT, but it results in $4.33 million being taken from New South Wales, $1.73 million from Victoria, $2.6 million from Queensland, $960,000 from WA and $2.28 million from South Australia. Overall, the cost of the EBA to all of the states is $11.9 million. Again I remind the Senate that government schools have not lost any enrolments—in fact, they have gained 8,500 new students.On Sunday, the Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Dr David Kemp, seemed to have forgotten about the EBA and how it works. He said, `The government is not moving funds from government to non-government schools.' He said in referring to the Australian Education Union, `What we are seeing is a very foolish, misguided and dishonest campaign from the Australian Education Union.'The Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training, Senator Ellison, said last month that the Democrats were conducting a scare campaign when we did our calculation based on the national school census. At that stage he apparently had not reached finality in negotiations with the states and he had not cooked up the buffer. This is not to say that the Democrats are unhappy with the idea of a buffer. Anything that will reduce that debt to government schools is fine with us.We need to understand that the EBA is a compounding mechanism. Every year the benchmark returns to that 1996 level. So whereas the projected debt for 1998 back in 1996 was $26.9 million, in 1999 it is expected to be a further $59.5 million. So the EBA was projected to double each year as the proportion of students in private schools continued to climb.The minister has dismissed our concerns. He says that $16.8 million represents about one-fifth of one per cent of government school budgets and we should not be focusing on this issue. The department says the EBA has caused the states to look at their own systems and see how they can retain students in government school sectors and cites the Tasmanian example. `That state,' it says, `has made its schools more attractive for its students.' What nonsense! To imagine that schools under threat of losing money will make themselves more attractive to students is really quite laughable.I visit many schools and it is true that they are feeling the competition with private schools, but it is unfair competition. It is competition where government schools do not have enough teachers or enough facilities. They have portable classrooms, inadequate science laboratories and sporting equipment, and class sizes that are too high. They do not have enough specialist teachers and their teachers are stretched to the limit—teachers who are missing out on professional development thanks to this government's last budget cuts.At the same time, the government schools are seeing their private sector counterparts excluding students who are difficult to teach and difficult to manage. They are seeing them get new classrooms funded by the Commonwealth. They look forward with concern about the influx of students who are forced back to school with the youth allowance—students who do not want to be there in the first place.The minister says that state governments and government schools should not be concerned about the EBA because it is a small amount of money in the scheme of things. The Democrats say that, if it is so inconsequential, let us support government schools and get rid of it. Our schools are operating under increasingly difficult circumstances and taking money away from them is not justified and nor will it improve education in this country.22319:26:00223Boswell, Sen RonaldSenator BOSWELLYE4QLDNP10—I would like to associate my colleagues Bill O'Chee and Julian McGauran with my remarks today. Today I was fortunate to be able to attend the state funeral of Bob Santamaria at the St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne. I was fortunate because this was a unique event connecting the world of the spiritual with the world of the state. Bob Santamaria was known for his contribution to both worlds.Often controversial, much has been written of the causes he championed and the impact he made. I am not a historian or an intellectual so I will not endeavour to lay down an academic assessment. Instead, I want to note the personal influence Bob Santamaria exerted over so many ordinary Australians who were neither bishops of churches nor ministers of state.Over 60-odd years from the days of the Catholic Worker, the Movement and then the National Civic Council, tens of thousands of Australians were the foot soldiers of these organisations inspired by Santamaria. Most were ordinary workers looking ahead to safeguard their families. Lest we think of those days as belonging only to the past, the attendance of many at the funeral today is testament to the lasting and continuing personal influence of Santamaria. They came from all around Australia, a loyal and devoted group of followers and admirers. Often Santamaria's influence extended over two or three generations in the one family. Some of those there today were white-haired and stooped, and some were young and spry, but all mourned the passing of an unusually committed and gifted man.The strongest image in the cathedral was not the presence of the thousands of people crushed to standing room only, nor was it the incredible show of support by the hundreds or so priests and bishops, nor was it the VIPs who were there; the strongest image for me was that created by Bob Santamaria's own family. They occupied row after row—children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and extended family members. They were the pride and joy of his life and his greatest legacy.Bob used to me tell me how much he enjoyed Sunday nights when there was a family get-together and he would cook a huge feed of spaghetti bolognaise. He was always so kind and encouraging to me and so many others. Since his death I have been amazed by the many and various people who have written about their personal friendships with him. These people have come from all walks of life and all political leanings. It was not necessary to agree with everything Bob said or wrote in order to have a friendship based on understanding and respect.Bob Santamaria was never diverted by short-term trends on society, state and church. He was there for the long haul and took a long-term strategic view. He was not afraid to go against the tide of opinion propounded by commentators. Yet how hard that struggle must have been at times, how hard and demanding the struggle against organised communism. How hard it must have been to take on the goals and aspirations of the hundreds of thousands of Australian voters left politically homeless following the Labor split.Someone wrote about Bob that he was born to champion causes and fight evil. Evil is an unfashionable concept today, but nevertheless real. The evil that Bob fought was anything which harmed families. That was the bottom line, and well we would do to remember that more often in this place. Families need champions. The other things that Bob fought for, like small business, need their champions too.Bob's passing has left a great void. The causes for which he fought have not gone with him. The baton of Bob Santamaria must be passed on. The fight must continue. The pressures on families and small business are still there. The big are getting bigger while the smaller family businesses are getting pushed out.We will have failed this great man if we allow his motivations to fall fallow. They must be moved forward, reinvigorated for another generation. To do that, Australia needs more people to stand up and be counted, more people brave enough to go against the tide when necessary to fight for what they believe.Archbishop Pell noted today, `Bob Santamaria did know the attractive force of the principle that the end justifies the means, but he resisted this.' That sort of thinking might well be against the tide in the world of state, but what a better world it would be if more of us could resist that. It was an honour to attend the funeral of this great Australian, to give him a send-off he would never have expected. It was made special by the wonderful family Bob has left with us.22519:32:00225Ray, Sen RobertSenator ROBERT RAYUI4VICALP00—Unfortunately, in January this year Mr Roger Shipton, the former member for Higgins, passed away. Roger Shipton held the seat of Higgins for 15 years. His two immediate predecessors were Prime Ministers of Australia—Mr Harold Holt and Mr John Gorton. His successor, if press reports are to be believed, certainly aspires to the position.Higgins, of course, is a blue-ribbon Liberal seat, although the odd booth in it does vote Labor. So in order to win preselection, Roger Shipton had to beat a quality field. The judgment of his preselectors was in no way misplaced. Within three years of entering parliament, Roger Shipton was elected as Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence—the most prestigious committee in the federal parliament. As chairman, Roger earned the respect and admiration of all members of the committee. He continued to serve on the committee under Labor chairmen—all of whom held him in the highest regard.Roger Shipton studied law at the University of Melbourne and was president of the student law faculty. His main job prior to entering parliament was as legal officer for ICI. It is probable that Roger's experience as a hammer thrower prompted his administrative involvement in at least three Olympic Games: Melbourne in 1956, Rome in 1960 and Tokyo in 1964. Having joined the Liberal Party, he became a branch activist and may well have been Harold Holt's successor in Higgins but for the necessity to find the then Senator John Gorton a seat in parliament so that he could fulfil the role of Prime Minister.Too often politicians are judged by the level of office they achieve, but it is not the be-all and end-all. At the very time that it could be expected that Roger Shipton could have become a minister, the coalition lost office. So, like many of his generation, he spent his political prime in opposition. In opposition, Roger served as a shadow minister in several portfolio areas—an indication that he would have made an excellent minister if he had been given the opportunity. Following his departure from federal politics in 1990, Roger established his own consultancy firm. This, together with his involvement with the United Nations Association, allowed him to maintain his interest in politics and international affairs.Roger was successful in many facets of his life, and this can be attributed to the nature of the man. He was honourable, gentle, urbane—a Liberal in the true Whig tradition. He was a good listener who provided wise counsel when necessary, and he always thought the best of people. He had much wider interests than just politics and, like many Australians, he enjoyed sport—especially tennis, cricket, equestrian three-day events, horse racing and football. I suspect he was the only member for Higgins who ever barracked for Footscray! He also enjoyed things such as walking and browsing around at the Prahran market. He was devoted to his family and was very proud of their achievements.All those who new him, irrespective of their party affiliations, will miss him. To his spouse, Suzie, his son, James, and his daughter, Kate, my condolences.22519:36:00225McGauran, Sen JulianSenator McGAURANWH4VICNP10—I extend my sympathy to the Santamaria family on the passing of Bob Santamaria. To Paul Santamaria, whom I know best, I wish him grace and strength during this sorrowful time. For while I and so many others attended today's funeral to pay respect to our hero, the Santamaria family were mourning the loss of their father. It was the family man, so well described by his daughter, Mary-Helen Woods, in the Australian newspaper during the week, that they will no doubt miss most, rather than the political mastermind he has been eulogised as this week. It was appreciated by all that the family shared this day of mourning with us.Today's state funeral was magnificent. It was held in the full tradition of the Catholic Church befitting, as Archbishop Pell said, `one of the church's greatest sons'. The Archbishop spoke of a crusade that began in the 1930s when in the Spanish Civil War a communist bullet struck the statue of Christ outside the Madrid Cathedral, continuing through to the 1990s with the internal struggle against the anti-papacy for the soul of the church. The Archbishop's homily concluded with the line: `His legacy lives on.' Looking around at the troops who had turned out to see off their general, the poignancy of the archbishop's comments were felt.For me, Bob Santamaria's decades of writings influenced the formation of my core political beliefs. The clarity of his intellect and argument was compelling even though I did not agree with him all the time—just most of the time. Significantly, it was the switching of the DLP Senate preferences in 1987 towards the National Party that facilitated my election to the parliament. Of all the qualities attributed to B.A. Santamaria in the multitude of articles written this week, two qualities appear over, which for me best identify the man I met: firstly, a lasting courage of his convictions; and, secondly, an honest broker. That is why he had such an influence on political life in Australia, without ever having held office. Santamaria's life example is his most powerful legacy.19:38:00226Senate adjourned at 7.38 p.m.Documents226226The following government documents were tabled:Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act—Reports for 1996-97—Anindilyakwa Land Council.Central Land Council.Northern Land Council.Tiwi Land Council.Audit Act and Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act—Energy Research and Development Corporation and Energy Research and Development Corporation Selection Committee—Reports for 1996-97.Treaties—Text, together with national interest analysis—Bilateral— Agreement on Judicial Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters and Co-operation in Arbitration between Australia and the Kingdom of Thailand, done at Canberra on 2 October 1997.Exchange of Letters, done at Canberra on 27 August 1997, constituting an Agreement to amend the Agreement on Health Services between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Malta of 6 July 1988.[Second] Protocol, done at Canberra on 5 November 1997, to amend the Agreement between Australia and Finland for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and [First] Protocol, of 12 September 1984.Treaty on Extradition between Australia and the Republic of Paraguay, done at Buenos Aires on 30 December 1997.Multilateral—Agreement between Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Zealand and Vanuatu concerning the Neutral Truce Monitoring Group for Bougainville, done at Port Moresby on 5 December 1997.Amendments (concerning phasing out sea disposal of industrial waste), done at London on 12 November 1993 under Resolution LC.49(16), to Annexes I and II to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter of 29 December 1972.Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, done at Paris on 17 December 1997.226The following documents were tabled by the Clerk:Corporations Act—Accounting Standard— AASB 1009—Construction Contracts. AASB 1036—Borrowing Costs.Higher Education Funding Act—Determination under section— 15—T28-97 and T3-98. 16—T4-98. 20A—T1-98. 24—T2-98. 27A—T5-98.Guidelines under section 35—T6-98.Public Service Act—Locally Engaged Staff Determinations 1998/5 and 1998/6.Workplace Relations Act—Rules of the Commission—Statutory Rules 1998 No. 1.Answers to Questions on Notice227The following answers to questions were circulated:227(Question No. 826)826227Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator Faulkner5K4NSWALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Finance and Administration, upon notice, on 3 September 1997:(1) What contracts for public relations services has the department, or its agencies, signed since 3 March 1996.(2) What was the value of each contract.(3) Did the value of any contract vary from the original cost; if so, what was the reason for the price variation.(4) How many of the contracts in (1) were awarded following an open tender process.(5) Where there was no tender process, what assessment criteria were followed in selecting the contractor and why was the normal practice of calling tenders not followed.(6) Did the department seek guidance from the Office of Government Information and Advertising before signing the above contracts; if not, why not.(7) How many journalists were employed by the department as at 3 March 1996.(8) How many journalists are currently employed by the department.227Kemp, Sen RodSenator KempWW4VICLPAssistant Treasurer10—The Minister for Finance and Administration has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:123456Office of Asset Sales (OAS)Phase 2 Airport Sales—the business adviser to OAS, BZW, sub-contracted Jackson Wells Communications to provide public relations services$113,400 (plus out of pocket expenses not to exceed 10% of the base consultancy fee)n/aContract awarded following a tender process involving a limited number of invited firmsn/aYesAustralian National Railways Sale—the business advisers to OAS, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, sub-contracted to Cosway Communications to provide public relations services.$50,000n/aContract awarded following a tender process involving a limited number of invited firms.n/aThe consultant was not engaged directly by OASTelstra Sale:Telstra Sale: Burson-Marsteller as the communications consultant; and$1.49mThe value of the contract was varied downwards from the estimate of $1.49m, following a reduction in the scope of the workContract awarded following a tender process involving a limited number of invited firms.n/aOAS sought guidance from OGIA throughout the tender processCultural Perspectives as the NESB communications consultant.$198,665 (excluding media spend)n/aContract awarded following a tender process involving a limited number of invited firms.n/aOAS sought guidance from OGIA throughout the tender processNational Procurement Board (NPB)Jane Singleton Pty Ltd$43,422Increased to include approved additional work, allowed for under the contract, and to meet actual costs of disbursements such as telephone and facsimile costs for which estimates only had been included in the contractContract awarded following a tender process involving a limited number of invited firms.n/aYesAustralian Electoral Commission (AEC)Michels Warren and Partners$171,353n/an/aThe AEC appointed Michels Warren and Partners for the Constitutional Convention information campaign for the following reasons:Yes. because of the very tight timeframe there was no time to conduct an open tender;. they had demonstrated relevant electoral expertise;. they had been appointed as the AEC's public relations consultants for the 1993 and 1996 federal elections following an extensive open tender process; and. the AEC had a high level of satisfaction with the services of the consultancy(7) At 3 March 1996 there were 2 Senior Public Affairs Officers and 21 Public Affairs Officers employed by the then Department of Administrative Services and Agencies whose duties included media liaison, general public affairs and photographic activities. The former Department of Finance did not employ any public affairs officers.(8) At 30 September 1997 there were 2 Senior Public Affairs Officers and 10 Public Affairs Officers employed by the then Department of Administrative Services and Agencies. The former Department of Finance did not employ any public affairs officers.229(Question No. 832)832229Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator Faulkner5K4NSWALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Finance and Administration, upon notice, on 3 September 1997:(1) What contracts for public relations services has the department, or its agencies, signed since 3 March 1996.(2) What was the value of each contract.(3) Did the value of any contract vary from the original cost; if so, what was the reason for the price variation.(4) How many of the contracts in (1) were awarded following an open tender process.(5) Where there was no tender process, what assessment criteria were followed in selecting the contractor and why was the normal practice of calling tenders not followed.(6) Did the department seek guidance from the Office of Government Information and Advertising before signing the above contracts; if not, why not.(7) How many journalists were employed by the department as at 3 March 1996.(8) How many journalists are currently employed by the department.229Kemp, Sen RodSenator KempWW4VICLPAssistant Treasurer10—The Minister for Finance and Administration has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:123456Office of Asset Sales (OAS)Phase 2 Airport Sales—the business adviser to OAS, BZW, sub-contracted Jackson Wells Communications to provide public relations services$113,400 (plus out of pocket expenses not to exceed 10% of the base consultancy fee)n/aContract awarded following a tender process involving a limited number of invited firmsn/aYesAustralian National Railways Sale—the business advisers to OAS, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, sub-contracted to Cosway Communications to provide public relations services.$50,000n/aContract awarded following a tender process involving a limited number of invited firms.n/aThe consultant was not engaged directly by OASTelstra Sale:Telstra Sale: Burson-Marsteller as the communications consultant; and$1.49mThe value of the contract was varied downwards from the estimate of $1.49m, following a reduction in the scope of the workContract awarded following a tender process involving a limited number of invited firms.n/aOAS sought guidance from OGIA throughout the tender processCultural Perspectives as the NESB communications consultant.$198,665 (excluding media spend)n/aContract awarded following a tender process involving a limited number of invited firms.n/aOAS sought guidance from OGIA throughout the tender process National Procurement Board (NPB)Jane Singleton Pty Ltd$43,422Increased to include approved additional work, allowed for under the contract, and to meet actual costs of disbursements such as telephone and facsimile costs for which estimates only had been included in the contractContract awarded following a tender process involving a limited number of invited firms.n/aYesAustralian Electoral Commission (AEC)Michels Warren and Partners$171,353n/an/aThe AEC appointed Michels Warren and Partners for the Constitutional Convention information campaign for the following reasons:Yes. because of the very tight timeframe there was no time to conduct an open tender;. they had demonstrated relevant electoral expertise;. they had been appointed as the AEC's public relations consultants for the 1993 and 1996 federal elections following an extensive open tender process; and. the AEC had a high level of satisfaction with the services of the consultancy(7) At 3 March 1996 there were 2 Senior Public Affairs Officers and 21 Public Affairs Officers employed by the then Department of Administrative Services and Agencies whose duties included media liaison, general public affairs and photographic activities. The former Department of Finance did not employ any public affairs officers.(8) At 30 September 1997 there were 2 Senior Public Affairs Officers and 10 Public Affairs Officers employed by the then Department of Administrative Services and Agencies. The former Department of Finance did not employ any public affairs officers.232(Question No. 854)854232Evans, Sen ChrisSenator Chris EvansAX5WAALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, upon notice, on 4 September 1997:(1) Can details be provided on the proportion of Green Corps (GC) participants who have entered education or training places, or have found employment, upon completion of the GC program.(2) Can details be provided as to the type of study or employment being undertaken and whether these jobs are related to the environment.(3) Can details be provided as to: (a) how monitoring of GC participants' outcomes will be undertaken; and (b) to whom this information will be made available.(4) In relation to the third round of GC participants, what percentage of placements went to: (a) the long term unemployed; and (b) the short term unemployed.(5) What percentage of the placements in the third round of GC participants went to people already in training or education or to people describing themselves as not unemployed.(6) In relation to the first, second and third round of GC projects, what level of training differentiates successful and unsuccessful applicants.(7) Can a breakdown be provided of the educational background of the participants in all three rounds of the GC projects.(8) With reference to the environmental training provided to GC participants, including accredited training modules in: environmental audit, Workplace Level Two Basic First Aid, Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to the Land Conservation and Restoration Industry; and selected modules from the Conservation Traineeship relevant to the particular project:For each of the three rounds of the GC projects please detail (a) which type of training is being provided; and (b) the precise nature of the project. (9) (a) Which third round GC projects are in the same area as former Land and Environmental Assistance Program (LEAP) projects; and (b) what are the differences in the LEAP and GC projects which are in the same area.(10) (a) Can the Minister's office or the department provide details of any complaints they have received or of which they are aware, relating to the GC program; and (b) have any of these complaints related to the level of training provided to GC participants.(11) (a) Have any participants in GC expressed concerns about workplace safety issues; and (b) what action has been taken in relation to these complaints.(12) On what grounds has or will the $500 take-up for GC participants not be offered.(13)How many people applied to participate in the GC program; (a) nationally; and (b) on a state by state basis.(14) Can a copy be provided of the guidelines used by Environment Australia in determining that each of the projects is assessed as having `environment or heritage benefits'.(15) Why do Work for Dole participants have reduced activity test requirements, whereas GC participants are not required to fulfil any job search activity at all.(16) In relation to the third round of GC participants, what percentage of places went to disabled people.(17) With reference to the GC guidelines which state that projects must reflect the `youth community profile', the department has stated that this means: `in making decisions about the composition of Green Corps teams, the contractor is required to ensure that local demographic factors are taken into consideration':(a) What do those factors include and how they have been taken into account; and in particular, (b) can an explanation be provided as to how such factors are taken into account in relation to the first, second and third round of GC projects in Western Australia.232Ellison, Sen ChrisSenator Ellison9X5WALPSchools, Vocational Education and Training10—The Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:(1) Green Corps participants are surveyed three to six months after completion of their projects. This information is expected to be available in March 1998.(2) As above(3) (a) As above (b) The Post Program Monitoring information is collected for Departmental use for future planning. Post Program Monitoring information is not usually publically available.(4) Of the total group of successful third round applicants; 14% had previously been unemployed for more than twelve months; 21% had previously been unemployed for less than twelve months but more than six months, and 32% had been unemployed for less than six months.Immediately prior to commencing a Green Corps placement(5) In the third round of projects 33%, of placements went to participants describing themselves as not unemployed.(6) Information is not collected centrally on this point. Previous training is one of seven selection criteria, as follows:. applicant's commitment to environmental issues;. previous training;. career aspirations;. diversity of hobbies;. age, ie older applicants within the eligible age group are favoured over younger applicants who would later have the chance to participate;. matching the applicant to the community profile; and. proximity of applicant to project location.(7)—Education LevelRound 1Round 2Round 3Less Than Yr 102%6%7%Completed Yr 1017%26%20%Completed Yr 1120%17%15%Completed Yr 1261%51%58%(8) See attachment(9) (a) The following areas have had LEAP projects and also have round three Green Corps projects;NSWSydneyVICBallaratBendigoQLDTownsvilleIpswichTASLauncestonACTCanberra(b) The differences in LEAP and Green Corps projects are that Green Corps projects have a much stronger focus on quality environmental outcomes and a higher quality of training. Green Corps projects have a stronger emphasis on linking Green Corps to quality career opportunities in fields such as environmental management, science, conservation and restoration. Green Corps trainees are paid a training allowance based on the Federal National Training Wage Award Structure between $152 to $252 per week. LEAP participants aged 15 to 17 were paid $125 per week and those aged 18 to 20 were paid $150 per week.(10) (a) I have received a very limited number of complaints about the Green Corps program. The main focus has been on the training allowance, which is based on the Federal National Training Wage Award structure. Other concerns which have been raised are; . the age restriction;. the standard of accommodation provided to participants whilst on residential projects;. screening of sites and work projects and,. training of supervisors.All of the above complaints have been addressed by the Department and the Contractor with exception to the complaint on the age restriction, which has not been addressed due to the program being a youth training program.(b) There has been one complaint about the status of a first aid course provided to participants. This complaint has also been addressed, all participants undertake accredited first aid training at Workplace level 2 or Senior First Aid level.(11) One complaint was received and subsequently withdrawn when the complainant realised that the facts provided were incorrect. (12) The $500 incentive payment will not be offered to those participants who have either not successfully completed their project or cannot provide evidence of enrolment with an accreditededucation or training provider to undertake further education or training within six months of graduation.(13) Number of ApplicationsFirst RoundEnquiredAppliedSecond RoundEnquiredAppliedNSW811277NSW579252VIC585234VIC201103QLD769285QLD288115SA422151SA12943WA369123WA9243TAS20378TAS27391NT5432NT5820ACT346144ACT8537TOTAL35591324TOTAL1705704Third RoundEnquiredAppliedNSW349159VIC390150QLD449173SA14774WA17483TAS297129NT2110ACT5338TOTAL1880816(14) Assessment of the environment and/or heritage benefits of Green Corps projects is conducted by several areas within Environment Australia. The areas have responsibility for a number of international agreements and legislative responsibilities such as the Register of the National Estate, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention), the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983, the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992, and relevant programs of the Natural Heritage Trust of Australia. The environment and/or heritage benefits of the projects are assessed by these program areas in the context of their responsibilities, and by reference to the attached guidelines.(15) Work for the Dole is an initiative based on the principle of mutual obligation: that it is fair and just that people be asked to make a contribution in return for payment of unemployment allowance. Work for the Dole is a work experience program, not a training program. Participants are required to attend Work for the Dole projects for two to two and a half days per week. Green Corps is a full time training program for six months. There is no requirement for participants to be unemployed prior to commencing their placement. Unlike Work for the Dole participants, Green Corps participants are not in receipt of unemployment benefits and so therefore are not required to fulfil any job search activity. As Work for the Dole is a work experience program and participants remain in receipt of unemployment benefits, participants are still required to look for work at a reduced requirement of a minimum of two job search contacts per fortnight.(16) In the third round of projects, 2% of placements went to people with disabilities.(17) (a) The contractor is required to ensure that there is a balance of young people who are representative of the youth community, such factors may include participants from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, women, people with disabilities and unemployed people.The program is voluntary, and where possible participants will be drawn from the local community, although the program is open to all applicants across Australia.(b) Demographic factors are taken into account when selecting participants, for example if a project is conducted in an area predominantly Aboriginal it would be expected that the make up of the group would reflect this.(8) The Contractor has advised the Department that the following training is proposed for each ofthe locations listed. Some changes for non core modules may occur due to actual project needs and trainer recommendations.ROUND 1ProjectStateTrainingDescriptionSydney 2000NSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Field Plant Identification and Vegetation Restoration TechniquesTo conserve and establish vegetation in Sydney's land and water transport corridors and broader environment prior to the Sydney Olympics. Major project activity will be revegetation, landscaping and erosion control.Western Plains ZooNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to the Propagation of Plants and Eco SkillsHabitat restoration in the Western Plains Zoo, Australian Native Fauna and Flora Sanctuary. Monitoring of released native animals and feral pests and creek bed restoration. Major project activity will be plantings for platypus reintroduction, feral pest management, revegetation in wetlands and creek sites.Kinchega National ParkNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Recognition of Weeds and Weed Control TechniquesProtection of aboriginal cultural sites. Reduce threat to endangered species of Acacia carnei by reducing rabbit population. Control weeds along lake edges. Major project activity will be fencing, destruction of rabbit warrens, revegetation, invasive flora control.MerimbulaNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Park Furniture Construction, Park Pathway Construction and Weed Control TechniquesAccess management of wetlands as outlined in Merimbula Lake Estuary Management Plan. Major project activity will be to construct raised board through sensitive wetlands and Mangroves. Construct walking track links. Revegetation and erosion control.Mount MacedonVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to Hand and Power Tools, Field Plants Identification and Park Pathway ConstructionRestoration of historic site extensively damaged by bush fires. Creek rehabilitation be re-establishment of indigenous plant communities. Major project activity will be landscaping, grassing with native plants, tree planting, shrubs and minor plants and ground cover planting. Bank stabilisation.Australian Inland Botanic GardensVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to Plant Propagation and Field Plant Identification. Assist in the development of unique Botanic Garden to act as a repository for endangered flora. Major project activity at the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens will be landscaping, installation of irrigation systems; sorting, propagating, and planting Australian dryland species of flora and maintenance of exhibition areas.Port PhillipVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsAssist in the Nature Links Program to re-establish native bushland throughout the city of Port Phillip and specifically along the foreshore. Major project activity will be revegetation, seed collection, bush regeneration and coastal rehabilitation.GrampiansVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Park Pathway construction and Portable Power Tools building. Restoration of heritage buildings in historical railway site. Revegetation of wetlands area. Major project activity will be landscaping and planting, carpentry, painting, track construction, revegetation.Darling DownsQLDEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety Recognition of Weeds, Weed Control Techniques and Wire Fencing of Conservation AreasRestoration of zones of the Upper Condamine Catchment as outlined in the Queensland Murray—Darling Basin Strategic Plan. Major Project Activity will be tree planting, wildlife assessment, weed control, fencing, relocation of watering points and recreational infrastructure.Tinchi Tamba WetlandsQLDEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Weed Control TechniquesRegeneration of Mangroves in significant migratory bird habitat on the Northern perimeter of Brisbane. Major project activity will be revegetation (direct seeding and tube stock), weed removal, track and bank stabilisation, re-establishing salt marsh.Upper Johnstone River (Malanda)QLDEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Sourcing Plants for Revegetation and Transplanting Small TreesConstruction of wildlife corridor between Bromfield Swamp and Malanda Falls Environmental Park. Major project activity will be bank stabilisation, access control, walking track construction, seed collection, plant propagation, revegetation. Viewing platform construction.Ross RiverQLDEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Vegetation Restoration TechniquesEnhancement of significant migratory waterbird habitat through management of estuarine mangroves, wetlands and salt water grasslands. Major project activity will be revegetation, formalisation of walking tracks and control of vehicle access, improvement in water quality, weed control, erosion control and bank stabilisation. Naracoorte CavesSAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to site evaluation and rehabilitation planning and Stone Wall constructionRehabilitation and protection of natural vegetation and limestone caves associated with World Heritage listing of the site. Major project activity will be stone wall construction, track maintenance, graffiti removal and bush regeneration.Kangaroo IslandSAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Occupational Health and Safety, Eco Skills, Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Koala Management/Catching SkillsImplement management plan for significant Koala population including relocation and population control program. Major project activity will be koala management program, catching koalas, health checks and relocation, site rehabilitation.Flinders RangesSAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Occupational Health and Safety Eco Skills and Introduction to MachineryAssisting `Operation Bounce Back' which aims to protect the Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies by managing feral species. Major project activity will be maintaining a fox free environment for Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies. Mapping and destroying rabbit warrens, removing or destroying weeds. Developing camp grounds and walking tracks and tree planiting.Shark BayWAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to Site Evaluation and Rehabilitation Planning, Job Seeking Skills, Park Furniture Construction, Wire Fencing of Conservation Areas, Levelling and Trenching and Introduction to Hand and Power ToolsAssisting in implementation of strategic plans in the Work Heritage area through rehabilitation of coastal recreation sites and monitoring of threatened flora and fauna. Major project activity will be restoration of historical homestead and develop new interpretation building. Reintroduction and monitoring of threatened fauna. Protect and rehabilitate coastal recreation sites.Millstream Chichester National ParkWAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Mapping and Survival Skills in Remote Locations and Site RehabilitationImplementation of the `Exotic Palm Control' at Millstream Chichester National Park. Major Project activity will be removal of palm trees, collect native seeds and rehabilitate areas.Penguin IslandWAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety Eco Skills and Vegetation Restoration TechniquesTransforming island into a unique native conservation reserve through removal of building and revegetation program to provide nesting areas for little penguins and other seabirds. Major project activity will be the removal of two buildings, rehabilitation of sites to provide nesting areas for bird life.Freycinet National ParkTASEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Park Pathway Construction, Park Furniture Construction—Timber and Weed Control TechniquesVisitor access management, clearing vegetation and erosion control. Major project activity will be vegetation and track management. Erosion control.Tasman Peninsula and Maria IslandTASEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Park Furniture Construction—Timber, Recognition of Weeds and Weed Control TechniquesStabilisation of historic structures, vegetation clearance and development of visitor facilities. Major project activity will be rehabilitation, feral animal control, track construction, erosion management, small mammal surveys.HuonvilleTASEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety Park Furniture Construction—Timber, Park Pathway Construction and Field Plant IdentificationConstruct basic outdoor study facility/walking track tohighlight forest ecology, history of the forest and current flora and fauna of the area. Major project activity will be construction of an educational walking track, associated signage and an outdoor study facility (bush classroom).Elsey National ParkNTEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Park Pathway Construction and Park Furniture Construction—TimberDevelopment of walking track along Roper River and high priority soil conservation work at Wabalarr. Major project activity will be management of park access—track construction, erosion control, constructing foot bridges and a viewing platform, removal of fences.Casuarina Coastal ReserveNTEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety Park Pathway Construction and Park Furniture ConstructionConstruction of 3km walking track and board walk through mangroves and monsoonal vine thickets along Casuarina foreshore. Major project activity will be track and board walk construction, plant identification and site interpretation.Namadgi/Tidbinbi llaACTEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Park Pathway Construction, Revegetation—including brush cutting and Weed Control Techiques.High priority repair of walking track in Namadgi National Park. Improvement of platypus habitat and reduction of fire threats in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Major project activity will be maintenance of walking tracks and management of erosion. Removal of invasive flora.ROUND 2ProjectStateTrainingDescriptionMacquarie RiverNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Wire Fencing of Conservation Areas and Impacts of Introduced Land Practices.The aim of this projects is to enhance and protect the Macquarie River and Catchment, especially by reducing nutrient levels, planting habitat for native species and controlling erosion. Major project activity will be corridor fencing, bushland regeneration, willow replacement, tree planting, wetland construction and construction of erosion control devices. The project will be based in the Bathurst regionSydneyNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Field Plant Identification and Vegetation Restoration TechniquesThis project will assist with the aims of the Greener Sydney 2000 program to conserve and establish vegetation in transport corridors prior to the Sydney Olympics. The project will also assist with a major revegetation and erosion control program within Sydney Harbour National Park. Major project activity will be seed collection, propagation, site preparation, tree planting, track construction, weed control, erosion control and management of urban bushland. The project may include the use of power tools and working with sandstone.Hunter ValleyNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Field Plant Identification and Vegetation Restoration TechniquesThe aim of this project is to revegetate roadside corridors and key environmental sites adjacent to the New England Highway and the villages of Branxton, Greta, Lochinvar and Rutherford. This is a demonstration project within the Hunter Gateway Strategy. Major project activity will be the creation of Corridors of Green along major road reserves, restoration of native vegetation and habitats and the reversal of land degradation.Big ScrubNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Eco Skills 1, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of Weeds and Tools for Plant RecognitionThe aim of this project is to undertake urgent restoration work in the Big Scrub, which has been described as the largest area of sub tropical rainforests in Australian at the time of European settlement. The project will focus on six remnants which are recognised as having extremely high conservation value. Major project activity will be weed control, fencing, seed collection, propagation of rainforest species and planting of appropriate indigenous species. The project has been developed in conjunction with the Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group.DorrigoNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Recognition of Weeds, Introduction to the Propagation of Plants and Impacts of Introduced Land PracticesThis project will assist the Dorrigo Farm Forestry Project by expanding the number of hectares of trial and demonstration planting's and helping to ascertain the most appropriate species, establishment techniques and planting models for farm forestry in the district. Major project activity will be seed collection, plant propagation, fencing, linking and extending remnant vegetation, labelling species in remnant bush, site surveying and mapping, site monitoring, removal of woody weeds, tree planting and the release of dung beetles.Wentworth FallsNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Recognition of Weeds, Introduction to Site Evaluation and Rehabilitation Planning, Introduction to the Propagation of Plants and Park Facility Construction—PavingThe aim of this project is to assist with the ongoing transformation of a disused mine site into a innovative environmental education centre. This project has been developed in conjunction with InteLife. Major project activity will be wide ranging and will include revegetation, construction and permaculture food gardens, erosion control, weed control and possibly assisting with the development of solar powered facilities. IlukaNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to Site Assessments, Eco Skills 1, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThis project aims to assist the restoration of the environment within the World Heritage Listed Iluka Nature Reserve and adjoining areas in Bundjalung National Park. These high conservation value areas have been impacted by sand mining, burning, grazing and severe weed invasion. Major project activity will be the removal of exotic weed species, regeneration of natural vegetation, plant propagation, tree planting and seed collection. The project fits in with the "Restoration Strategy for Iluka Peninsula".Fingal HeadsNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Recognition of Weeds and Weed Control TechniquesThe aim of this project is to protect and restore a unique and sensitive vegetation community at Fingal Heads. Major project activity will be tree planting, seed collection, weed control and other activities to re-establish a littoral rainforest.Ben Boyd National ParkNSWEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Park Pathway Construction and Park Furniture Construction—TimberThe aim of this project is to construct and maintain a walking track along the coast of Ben Boyd National Park near Eden. Major project activity will be track construction, maintenance of existing track and completion of signs and bridges. Wimmera WetlandsVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Field Plant IdentificationThe major focus of this project will be revegetation works on conservation reserves in the Wimmera. The majority of the sites involved are classified as High Value Wetlands under Victoria's Wetlands Conservation Program. Major project activity will be planting trees and shrubs, pest plant control, pest animal control, seed collection, removal of old fencing, installation of signs and walking track construction and maintenance. The project will be based in Horsham.Werribee Zoo Basalt PlainsVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Introduction to Plant PropagationThis project will assist with the creation of a 20Ha Western Basalt Plains exhibit. The exhibit will include key landscape elements of Victoria's threatened Basalt Plains. Major project activity will be tree planting, fencing, minor construction, wildlife surveys and plant propagation. The project will create a sanctuary for wildlife and an educational walking trail which will focus on Aboriginal perspectives of landscape and environment.Mallee Fowl SurveyVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Field Plant Identification, Native Fauna Habitat and Workplace CommunicationThe aim of this project is to assist with the monitoring of the endangered mallee fowl in Murray Sunset, Hattah and Wypefeld National Parks. The project will be based from Mildura. Major project activity will be finding, plotting and describing all new mallee fowl nests in the region. Trainees will also find and plot rabbit warrens and fox dens. The project may include camping in remote areas for extended periods.Regent HoneyeaterVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to Site Assessment, Workplace Communication, Computer Operations Fundamentals and Word Processing OperationsThe aim of this project is to help the endangered regent honeyeater of which only 1000—1500 surviving in the wild. The Lurg district provides essential nectar supplies for the birds which arrive each winter to feed on the flowering Ironbarks. Major project activity will be fencing of remnant vegetation, tree planting, Mistletoe removal and direct seeding. The project will also involve trapping arboreal mammals, building and monitoring nest boxes and monitoring water quality.SaleVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to Plant Propagation and Impacts of Introduced Land PracticesThe Sale Green Corps Team will assist in securing substantial and diverse seed stocks for use by landcare groups contributing to revegetation projects under the Lake Wellington Salinity Strategy. Major project activity will be salinity mapping, seed collection and storage, water quality monitoring, erosion control, plantings and wetlands monitoring. Some of the project may involve on site accommodation. Swan HillVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Recognition of Weeds and Weed Control TechniquesThe Swan Hill Green Corps Team will assist with the protection of remnant vegetation and rehabilitation of degraded wetlands and riparian zones within the Lake Bael Bael to Lodden Corridor Network. Major project activity will be tree planting, weed control, pest and animal control, salinity surveys, water quality testing, seed collection and restoration of heritage buildings.PakenhamVICEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Recognition of Weeds and Weed Control TechniquesThis project involves catchment management works and enhancement of wildlife/recreational corridors in three flora and fauna reserves adjacent to the Cardinia and Toomuc Creeks and Bunyip River Catchment. Major project activity will be environmental weed control, track relocation and construction of barrier gates, track erosion control work, walking track construction and construction of a display board/shelter.Mt Cook National ParkQLDEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Park Pathway Construction and Introduction to History of Aboriginal Land ManagementThe aim of this project is to construct a graded walking track within Mt Cook National Park. The track will present the parks diversity of natural, scenic and cultural values to both visitors and locals whilst creating minimal environmental impact. Major project activity will be surveying and constructing a walking track. The project will also include the identification of European and Aboriginal Cultural Sites. This project will be based in Cooktown.Mary RiverQLDEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to Site Evaluation / Rehabilitation Planting and Vegetation Restoration TechniquesPark Pathway Construction, Introduction to History of Aboriginal Land ManagementLockyer ValleyQLDEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe aim of this project is to survey a threatened vine forest remnant which is in public ownership. The data collected will assist with the creation of a management plan for the Glen Rock property. The project was developed in conjunction with the World Wide Fund of Nature. Major project activity will be vegetation and fauna surveys, weed mapping, basic track construction and installation of signage. The project will be based in Lockyer Valley between Ipswich and Toowoomba.Upper Mary RiverQLDEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThis project aims to reverse land clearing and degradation in portions of the Upper Mary River Catchment through revegetation programs using a wide mix of native species. The project has been developed in conjunction with the Barung Landcare Association. Major project activity will be removal of woody weeds, tree planting, erosion control, seed collection, propagation and fencing. The project will work along the Obi Obi Creek at the Barung Landcare Nursery and in a bush food demonstration park.Mountains to MangrovesQLDEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Recognition of Weeds and Weed Control TechniquesThis project will assist the Mountains to Mangroves Corridor Project which is based on remnant bushland links across North Brisbane to the Mangroves of Moreton Bay. The project aims to link existing walking trails so that a wildlife and passive recreational corridor can co-exist. Major project activity will be seed collection, nursery work, fencing, trail construction, weed control and riparian vegetation. This project will be based in the North Brisbane metropolitan region. Urban ForestSAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Field Plant IdentificationThe Green Corps Team will assist the Urban Forest Biodiversity Program which has been developed to co-ordinate revegetation and wildlife habitat protection projects in the Adelaide metropolitan area. Major project activity will be plant identification, seed collection, weed control, fencing and tree planting throughout Australia.The Brouhgton CatchmentSAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Field Plant IdentificationThe Green Corps Team will assist with broadscale revegetation projects with local communities within the Broughton Catchment as part of the Corridors of Green Program. Major project activity will be site preparation, seed collection, fencing, direct seeding, propagation and tree planting. The project will be based in the Gladstone region and may also involve nursery work in Quorn.Mount BarkerSAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Introduction to Propagation of Plants, Vegetation Restoration Techniques 1 and Field Plant Identification 1The aim of this project is to develop community based seed banks across South Australia. Major project activity will be establishing eight seed banks across the state and will therefore involve a significant component of travel and living in remote areas for up to two weeks at a time.Norwegian BayWAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Park Pathway Construction and Park Furniture Construction—TimberThe aim of this project is to establish a walking trail to a derelict whaling station in Norwegian Bay within the Ningaloo Marine Park near Exmouth Major project activity will be track construction, establishing interpretive signage and a major clean-up of the whaling station. This project may involve a significant component of remote area camping.KimberleysWAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe major focus of this project is to control environmental weeds at a number of sensitive environmental sites in the Kimberleys including Parry Lagoons Nature Reserve, Point Spring Nature Reserve and Mirima National Park. Major project activity will be control of environmental weeds in rainforest borders, seasonal wetlands, creeks and flood plains. The project will also involve track construction and access redevelopment. The project may involve a significant component of remote area camping.South Coast EstuariesWAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Eco SkillsThis project will assist with a variety of programs including the development of the Kalgan River Walk Trail, a farm forestry project at Oyster Harbour, the Wilson Inlet Project and working with catchment groups in the Jerramungup Region. Major project activity will be a walkway construction, fencing, tree, planting, direct seeding, tree fertilising and revegetation. The project will be based from Denmark or Albany and may involve a number of residential projects.West Cape HoweWAEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Eco SkillsThe aim of this project is to assist with the ongoing development of the Bibbulmun Track. Major project activity will be track construction and maintenance. Due to the nature of this project it may involve a substantial amount of remote area camping. Derwent ValleyTASEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Wire Fencing of Conservation Areas and Park Pathway ConstructionThis project involves the upgrading and rerouting of two walking tracks in Wellington Park and assisting the Derwent Valley Corridors of Green Project with the fencing and planting of a number of project sites. Major project activity will be fencing, planting, direct seeding, track maintenance and track construction.King IslandTASEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Wire Fencing of Conservation Areas and Vegetation Restoration TechniquesThe aim of this project is to protect the habitat of penguins and shearwaters at Cataraqui Point on King Island. Major project activity will be fencing to exclude cattle, revegetation to stabilise dunes and construction of a walking trail to Sea Rocks. Tamar ValleyTASEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Recognition of Weeds and Weed Control TechniquesThe aim of this project is to assist the Tamar Valley Weed Strategy by the comprehensive mapping of weed infestations in the Tamar Valley. Major project activity will be weed mapping including map interpretation, use of GIS System, knowledge of weed plant species and the production of weed maps. The projects will also involve the eradication of weed species.North Esk RiverTASEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety Chainsaw Licence, Wire Fencing of Conservation Areas, Transplanting Small Trees, Container Plant Production and Introduction to Hand and Power ToolsThe aim of this project is to revegetate the banks of the North Esk River in support of the Hoblers Bridge Reserve Management Plan. Major project activity will be tree planting and weed control along the North Esk River and bushland regeneration in Cataract Gorge.Macdonnell RangesNTEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety Recognition of Weeds and Weed Control TechniquesThis project aims to control and eradicate weed infestations in river and catchment areas. A minor project surveying feral and native animals in the MacDonnell Ranges, including monitoring of feral cats and trapping and habitat surveys of the Central Rock Rat and other native fauna species. In general the project may involve a significant component of remote area camping will also be conducted.Tennant CreekNTEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety, Recognition of Weeds and Weed Control TechniquesThe Tennant Creek Green Corps Team will assist in developing methods for sparrow control and eradication in the Tennant Creek and Barkly district. The team will also assist in the management of historic buildings. Major project activity will be identifying nesting sites of sparrows, constructing devices to catch sparrows and restrict access, monitoring and recording sparrow movements and control of Parkinsonia. The project may involve a significant component of remote area camping.Katherine River CorridorNTEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety Impacts of Introduced Land Practices and Vegetation Restoration TechniquesThe aim of this project is to repair, stabilise, revegetate, enhance and protect areas within the Katherine River Corridor. Major project activity will be erosion control, tree planting, control of noxious weeds and rubbish removal. The project will implement recommendations in the Katherine River Master Plan.Murrumbidgee River CorridorACTEnvironmental Audit, First Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation, Occupational Health and Safety Recognition of Weeds and Weed Control TechniquesThis project will assist with the protection of habitat of the Wingless Grasshopper within the Murrumbidgee River Corridor as well as erosion control on Mt Painter. Major project activity will be Grasshopper surveys, weed control, vegetation mappings and erosion control.ROUND 3ProjectStateTrainingDescriptionGilgandraNSWFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration, Industry Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Wire Fencing for Conservation AreasThe project will contribute to the Central West Catchment Management Committee's Strategic Plan to restore high priority catchment areas. The project will involve fencing and revegetation of creeks and gullies to stabilise and improve wildlife habitat. It will also provide protection for Aboriginal cultural heritage sites and areas of traditional plant foods. The partner agency for the project is the Gilgandra Adolescent Support Project. SydneyNSWFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety Park Pathway Construction and Vegetation Restoration Techniques 1The project will combine on-going commitment to revegetation along Sydney Olympic transport corridors with track construction in Sydney Harbour National Park. Specific activities will include seed collection, propagation, tree planting, track construction and management of urban bushland.Lake IllawarraNSWFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe project aims to secure the existing remnant rainforest community and re-establish the original floristic composition of the Wollomai Point headland. Invasive weeds will be removed and controlled. Planting of native species will be undertaken to protect and extend the rainforest remnant. The training and project bases may be in Wollongong. The Green Corps team will undertake the project in partnership with the Lake Illawarra Authority.BundanonNSWFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety ,Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Wire Fencing of Conservation AreasThe project is consistent with local catchment management goals and aims to restore the banks of the Shoalhaven River to their natural vegetated state. Trainees will remove lantana and other introduced weeds, revegetate, survey flora and fauna, erect fences to control stock access and repair historic rock wall fences. The training and project bases may be at Nowra. The partner agency is the Bundanon Trust.Broken HeadNSWFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Park Pathway ConstructionThe project will assist in controlling visitor access to Broken Head Nature Reserve by a rationalisation of walking tracks. The project will also involve weed control and revegetation to restore habitat and control erosion. The training and project bases will be in Byron Bay. The project will be undertaken in consultation with NSW Parks and Wildlife Service.PatersonNSWFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe project site is based at historic Tocal Homestead. The project will involve regeneration of riverine rainforest and wetlands, construction of post and rail fences and building conservation. The project is consistent with the approved conservation plan for the homestead and will be done in conjunction with the C.B Alexander Agricultural College. The training and project bases may be in Maitland.SeafordVICFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe project will protect and improve a range of values related to significant coastal remnant vegetation at Seaford and Grantville foreshore. The trainees will collect seeds, transplant seedlings (including mangroves), control environmental weeds, maintain tracks, erect fences and stabilise sand dunes. The training and project bases may be at Seaford.Snake IslandVICFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Animal Handling, Tree Climbing / Arboriculture, Vegetation Restoration Techniques, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe project will focus on the capture and relocation of koalas from Snake Island to mainland Victoria. Snake Island is massively over-populated by koalas and habitat trees are under great stress. The project will contribute to habitat survival and long-term viability of the koala population. The trainees will be assisting with Parks Victoria officers and reside in accommodation on Snake Island during the weeks the project is there. The training and the mainland project bases may be in the Latrobe Valley area. GuildfordVICFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Wire Fencing of Conservation AreasThe project aims to minimise further loss of priority remnant vegetation on the Guildford Plateau fringes. It will involve remnant bush regeneration including creation of wildlife corridors by fencing, tree planting and environment weed control. The Green Corps team may be based in Castlemaine for training. The project will be undertaken in conjunction with the Guildford/Upper Loddon Landcare Group.BallaratVICFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe project will implement the City of Ballarat LINCS Strategy to establish linear reserves in the Ballarat region. It will involve establishing the Ballarat—Skipton Rail Trail and the rehabilitation of the Yarrowee River by weed control, tree planting and track work.TownsvilleQLDFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe Townsville Green Corps project is to be undertaken in conjunction with Queensland Rail. The project involves the rehabilitation of riparian and woodland zones which Queensland Rail has committed to rehabilitate before donating for public use. The project will involve removal of exotic weeds, planting of native species, seed collection, propagation and maintenance of plantings.YeppoonQLDFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Park Pathway ConstructionThe Yeppoon project is in two parts—It will undertake extensive rehabilitation to upgrade existing walking tracks so that visitor impact is minimised. The project will also promote the regeneration of foreshore vegetation communities by the removal of invasive weeds. Assistance with the project will be provided by the Department of Environment. The training and project bases may be at Rockhampton.Mount TamborineQLDFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe Mount Tamborine project involves the rehabilitation of the Cedar Creek riparian corridor, including weed removal, bank stabilisation and revegetation. The project will enhance a major wildlife corridor linking existing remnant vegetation with established National Parks. The Mount Tamborine Natural History Association will work in partnership on the project. Bases for the project and training may be on the Gold Coast.TullyQLDFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques Recognition of Weeds, Wire Fencing of Conservation AreasCardwell Shire Council will be involved with Tully Green Corps team to focus on the Wet Tropics high conservation value area of Mission Beach / Tully, Murray Catchment. The project will address issues of riparian degradation through revegetation, enhancement of key habitat areas of endangered species (Cassowary), and development of walking tracks.Tolga ScrubQLDFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques 1 and Field Plant IdentificationThe project aims to preserve the biodiversity of the Tolga Scrub which contains a number of rare and threatened species. The Green Corps team will be involved in extensive rehabilitation and revegetation tasks as well as on the construction of an interpretive walkway. The project and training bases may be in Atherton. Atherton Shire Council is the partner agency for the project.IpswichQLDFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Park Pathway ConstructionThe project will assist in implementation of Purga Wetlands Reserve Concept Plan, specifically by conserving the largest pocket of remnant swamp tea tree in the Ipswich region and facilitating visitor access. The project will involve trail construction, boardwalk construction, weed control, revegetation, fencing, seed collection and propagation. Ipswich City Council is the partner agency. Darling DownsQLDFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and wire fencing of Conservation AreasThe Darling Downs Green Corps project and training bases will be in Oakley or Toowoomba. The project will involve management of fifty hectares of remnant vegetation. This will involve fencing, controlling environmental weeds and planting 6,000 trees in association with landcare groups in line with the Condamine Catchment Strategic Plan.GympieQLDFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Chainsaw OperationThe project will be undertaken in conjunction with the Gympie and District Landcare Group. The project is a component of a major urban landcare initiative to revegetate the riparian corridor along a permanent creek in Gympie. It will involve eradication of woody weeds and invasive vines, re-establishment of riparian habitat, creek bank stabilisation and walkway construction.NaracoorteSAFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Field Plant Identification and Vegetation Restoration Techniques 1The project will restore and protect native vegetation associated with the world heritage features of the Naracoorte caves, specifically by planting to reinstate natural hydrologised processes affecting the caves. The project will also assist with seed collection and tree removal and include a major component of interpretive display construction.Kangaroo IslandSAFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Eco Skills 1 and Vegetation Restoration Techniques 1The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has worked with a Green Corps Round 1 Project Team on Kangaroo Island. The project will provide the Department with continued assistance in the capture, sterilisation and relocation of koalas from Kangaroo Island. The project will also assist with seed collection and fencing for habitat restoration.Mount CompassSAFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Wire Fencing for Conservation AreasThe project will assist with the implementation of the Tookayerta Catchment Plan by revegetation, controlling weeds, seed collection and improvement of habitat. The trainees will research native fish populations, evaluate threats to Black Swamp and construct fences. The project has been established in conjunction with Compass Creek Care Inc. The training may be based at Victor Harbour.Mount GambierSAFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Mammal Surveying TechniquesThe project will be undertaken in conjunction with Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The project will restore and protect habitat in coastal reserves near Robe and contribute to the aims of the Little Dip Conservation Management Plan. The project will involve weed survey and control, vermin survey and control, erosion control, revegetation and construction of vehicle barriers. The project and training bases may be in Mount Gambier.BayswaterWAFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Introduction to MachineryThe partner agency for the Bayswater Project is Regeneration Technology Pty Ltd. Based in Perth, the project will focus on enhancing habitat and water quality in Baigup Reserve, one of only two Western Australian wetland restoration projects listed on the National Register. The project will involve planing, weed control, boardwalk construction and installation of educational signage.Fitzgerald RiverWAFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Path Pathway ConstructionThe project will develop and implement strategic plans for path management in the Fitzgerald River National Park. The major project will concentrate on the coastal route from Point Ann in the wilderness zone to Myllies Beach. The training and project bases may be in Albany. South Coast WetlandsWAFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques 1, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe South Coast Wetlands project will focus on restoring corridor linkages between remnant vegetation associated with wetlands and restoring corridors linking the Stirling Ranges National Park, the Fitzgerald biosphere and protection of Pallinup River Catchment. The project will involve flora and fauna surveys, seed collection and storage, weed control, feral control, fencing and ground water monitoring. The base for the project and the training may be in Denmark.Shark BayWAFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Vegetation Restoration Techniques and Basic Building / Renovation SkillsThe project will focus on protection of endangered fauna by assisting Project Eden in eradicating feral animals from Peron Peninsula and reintroducing native species. Green Corps trainees will assist with threatened fauna captive breeding, reintroduction and monitoring. The project will also help to restore a shearing shed and in collecting seeds for planting. The project and training bases may be in either Geraldton or Carnavon.GlenorchyTASFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Park Pathway ConstructionsThe N.R. Pierce Memorial Reserve in Glenorchy presents 13 different native plant communities which have high or significantly high conservation values. The project will develop and initiate management practices for the Reserve. It will involve erosion control, weed eradication, rehabilitation, track maintenance and invertebrate surveys. The training and project bases may be in Hobart. Glenorchy City Council will be the partner Agency.BurnieTASFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Chainsaw OperationThe project will plan and commence implementation of an environmental weed management strategy encompassing the development of a management plan for Little Penguins in the area. The project will involve removal of environmental weeds, survey of penguins and nesting sites and protection of habitat. The project will be undertaken in conjunction with Burnie City Council.Cataract GorgeTASFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques and Recognition of WeedsThe Cataract Gorge Green Corps team will be based in Launceston. The project will assist the Cataract Gorge Reserve Management Plan by controlling bushland weeds and willows along South Esk River. Repairs and maintenance on walking tracks throughout the Gorge Reserve will also be undertaken. The partner agency will be Launceston City Council.DarwinNTFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Vegetation RestorationThe project will assist four Landcare groups with bush regeneration in urban Darwin. The project will involve weed control, site preparation, tree planting in association with Arbor Month and follow-up maintenance.MurrumbidgeeACTFirst Aid, Introduction to Land Conservation and Restoration Industry, Environmental Audit, Occupational Health & Safety, Weed Control Techniques, Recognition of Weeds and Wire Fencing of Conservation AreasThe project will involve revegetation and maintenance of indigenous riparian plants and grasses along the Murrumbidgee river corridor. This will be achieved by planting, fencing to exclude stock and the removal of exotic weeds from revegetation sites. The project will be undertaken in conjunction with ACT Parks and Wildlife Service. The training and project bases may be in Canberra.246(Question No. 906)906246Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, upon notice, on 16 October 1997:(1) What qualitative or quantitative research has been undertaken by the Department and its agencies since 3 March 1996.(2) What was the nature of the research undertaken (sample sizes, questionnaire length, evaluation) and to whom were the results of the research available.(3) In each instance, which firm or firms have been engaged to undertake this work.(4) In each instance, what has been the cost of the work undertaken.246Alston, Sen RichardSenator AlstonLD4VICLPCommunications, the Information Economy and the Arts10—The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:The following research has been identified:Film, National Broadcasting And Intellectual Property1. The Department has provided a grant to Monash University as part of the Performing Arts Multimedia Library (PAML) program.2. The grant is to cover the cost of appointment of copyright advisers on a project being conducted by Monash University. The project involves supplying audio-visual material from the PAML program across an experimental broadband network within the University and to certain Victorian schools. The advisers will engage in a number of tasks including examining all issues of copyright relating to online interactive media from technical, legal and industry perspectives. Guidelines will also be produced for the negotiating of digital copyright agreements, for the guidance of performing arts and multimedia industries.3. Monash University4. The Department has provided $92,000.00 to Monash University.CulturalCultural Development—New Media1. New Media Section had the following qualitative/quantitative research conducted since 3 March 1996:. Two research projects conducted from 21 March to 30 June 1997 relating to the PAML.. One session of focus group testing on 10 September 1997 relating to the development of Australia's Cultural Network website. 2. (a) The PAML Marketing Study was conducted to provide a comparative assessment of a variety of electronic products and distribution mechanisms which the Department of communications and the Arts (DCA) and performing arts organisations might consider in making PAML recordings accessible via Australia's Cultural Network (ACN) and other electronic environments. The PAML Universal Resource Locator (URL) from which the Report can be downloaded is being publicised to performance arts companies and administrators with related responsibilities: http://www.dca.gov.au/ahnbd/paml.html(b) The PAML research project on intellectual property issues was conducted to identify such issues in relation to the delivery of recorded performances by means of on-line technologies; and research holdings of recordings of significant Australian performances by Commonwealth agencies. Apart from local and international research, the project included a program of interviews and assessment of responses to a ten-part questionnaire. The Researcher has provided some material from interviewees on an `in- confidence' basis to the Department of Communications and the Arts. The rest of the report and its recommendations have been made available to the PAML Steering Committee and officers with relevant duties within DCA.(c) Australia's Cultural Network (ACN) focus group assessment of the website prototype was conducted to test the proposed look, feel, and functionality of the Website prototype for Australia's Cultural Network. Thirty six people participated in four focus group sessions answering 50 questions. An evaluation of the results was prepared for the New Media Section of the Department which has responsibility for the development of the ACN website.3. (a) Stephen Hall and Associates, 4 Mair Place, Curtin ACT 2605(b) Globalink Communications Pty Ltd, 8/2-6 Lugar Street, Waverley NSW 2024(c) Deborah Wilson Consulting Services Pty. Ltd., Level 7, 10 Felix Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000.4. (a) $15,000, b) $15,000 and c) $7,900Cultural Industry Development1. The Department has commissioned from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) since 3 March 1996 a number of statistical research projects on cultural matters. Those which have reached fruition are:(a) A census of businesses which employed staff and which were predominantly engaged in book publishing in 1995-96.(b) A census of businesses mainly involved in selected music activities (record companies and distributors, manufacturers of recorded music, music publishers, sound recording studios) in respect of the financial year 1995-96.2. In relation to the research referred to at 1(a), 214 businesses were surveyed, the questionnaire comprising 36 questions. The research was made available to the public. In relation to the research referred to at 1(b), a total of 541 businesses were surveyed of whom 249 received a questionnaire comprising 65 questions and the remaining 292, which were sound recording studios, a questionnaire comprising 48 questions. To date, the research has been made available to the public in summary form.3. None.4. The research referred to at 1(a) cost $100,000. The research referred to at 1(b) cost a total of $400,000. The project was initially contracted before 3 March 1996 at a cost of $200,000. An expansion of the project at a cost of a further $200,000 was decided on after that date.ArtsInfo1. In connection with the implementation of the Government's initiative, the ArtsInfo telephone information and referral service and website, which provides a single access point to the full range of opportunities and assistance available to the cultural sector, the Department commissioned the following research:(a) initial market research(b) concept testing and a benchmark study of potential users(c) focus group testing of the prototype website design and data-base structure and subsequently of website.2. In relation to 1(a) the research combined qualitative research based on interviews with 57 members of the cultural sector, including cultural organisations, grant applicants and service providers, together with quantitative research based on 293 interviews with members of the same population. The qualitative interviews were loosely structured and lasted from 3/4 to 1 and a half hours. The quantitative interviews used a fully structured questionnaire and lasted on average 12-15 minutes. The research results were made available to the Department. In relation to 1(b) the sample was 324 cultural sector workers, peak body advisers and service providers. They were interviewed by telephone using a questionnaire which differed for each of the three types of respondent. The research results were made available to the Department. In relation to 1(c), the earlier testing involved a total of 83 emerging and established artists in eight focus groups lasting 90 minutes each. The later testing involved four focus groups comprising some of the artists involved in the earlier groups. These later focus groups involved between 6 and 10 participants and sessions lasted 90 minutes. The research results were made available to the Department.3. In relation to 1(a) the firm engaged to undertake the work was Artcraft Research. In relation to 1(b), the firm engaged to undertake the work was Worthington Di Marzio. In relation to 1(c), the firm engaged was Deborah Wilson Consulting Services Pty Ltd.4. In relation to 1(a), the cost was $30,000. In relation to 1(b) the cost was $39,900. In relation to 1(c), the cost was $12,239.National Gallery Of Australia1. The National Gallery of Australia conducts continuous weekly Visitor Surveys to measure visitor satisfaction and obtain quantitative data regarding usage of National Gallery products and services.2. Weekly Visitor Surveys were conducted resulting in 150 completed questionnaires per week (A4 sheet double-sided). The results were used internally and to advise Canberra tourism industry.3. Market Attitude Research Services Pty Ltd.4. $10,000-$15,000 per year.National Library Of AustraliaReader Survey1. Two-week pilot study of questionnaire.2. To determine user satisfaction with Reading Room services. Carried out over two weeks in December 1996 for internal use only. Full length survey not yet carried out.3. No outside firm used.4. Not costed—met from internal resources.National Portrait Gallery Evaluation1. One visitor survey and four stakeholder surveys.2. To determine effectiveness of NPG in meeting its objectives. Conducted from January-March 1997. National Portrait Gallery Evaluation Draft Report issued March 1997 for the information of NPG Advisory Committee, Library Corporate Management Group.3. No outside firm used.4. Not formally costed—met from internal resources. Staff seconded: 1 x PO-1,7 weeks; 1 x ASO6, 12 weeks. Steering Committee included a representative from DCA.Customer Service Charter Survey1. 6,000 printed questionnaires distributed in October 1997.2. To gauge staff, user and stakeholder response to draft Customer Service Charter. Questionnaire also made available on Library WWW server. Comments to be incorporated into final version, to be issued in 1998.3. No outside firm used.4. Not formally costed—met from internal resources. Staff seconded: 1 x SOGC, 12 weeks.QUESTACON—The National Science And Technology CentreEvaluation of advertising concepts for the BHP WildScience exhibition1. This research was done in April-May 1996 to explore target audience reactions to three different advertising concepts developed for possible use in the marketing of the BHP WildScience exhibition (a hands-on science and technology exhibition developed by Questacon in collaboration with other science centres and museums around Australia)2. The research involved fewer than 100 people, with each of the 12 group sessions (spread over Sydney and Newcastle) lasting between half an hour and an hour. The results of the research, in broad outline, were available to the marketing/public affairs officers of the science centres and museums participating in the project, and to the relevant BHP representative. The results were used as part of the process of selecting an advertising agency for the project, and the detailed research report was used by Questacon in framing the brief for development of advertising materials for the exhibition. Feedback relating to individual advertising concepts was also passed to the companies responsible for the development of each concept.3. Environmetrics Pty Ltd4. $15,000.Development of an evaluation package for the BHP WildScience exhibition1. To enable comparison of the success of the BHP WildScience exhibition in relation to its educational objectives at the ten different venues on its 1996-2000 itinerary, an evaluation package comprising two visitor surveys was developed in late 1996-early 1997. The development of this package included testing of the evaluation tools with Questacon visitors.2. 122 Questacon visitors were surveyed, with data collectors filling in answers to a standard set of questions (a mix of closed and open ended questions), taking between 5 and 10 minutes per interview. A modified version of the questionnaire was provided to 26 teachers who had brought class groups to visit the exhibition. The results of the research were available to Questacon, BHP, and other science centres/museums involved in the project. The same evaluation materials are being provided to other venues hosting the exhibition.3. Interactive Consultants Pty Ltd 4. $5,000.Promotional study of the BHP WildScience exhibition1. This was a study carried out over the period September 1996-February 1997 to gain a profile of exhibition visitors, explore factors involved in awareness issues to assist communications strategy planning, and to evaluate visitor satisfaction with the BHP WildScience exhibition.2. The first part of the study, with seventy interviews, was part of ongoing research for the Canberra Visitors Study and involved special questions on BHP WildScience being added to a standard questionnaire. A further 128 interviews were conducted with exhibition visitors to provide a larger sample specifically focused on this exhibition. The research results were made available to Questacon, with the general data also available to Canberra Tourism and the other Canberra attractions that took part in the Canberra Visitors Study.3. Frank Small and Associates.4. $2,600.Evaluation of NRMA Tomorrow's Drivers exhibition1. This research, being carried out in September-November 1997, is assessing visitor reactions to the Tomorrow's Drivers exhibition, and also exploring the needs of a key target group (teachers and school students) to assist in planning a possible upgrade of the exhibition.2. The research has involved focus groups, paired face-to-face interviews and telephone interviews. The target audience includes teachers, students, parents, curriculum advisers, road safety educators and media representatives. A total of 100-150 people will be involved, in five locations (Sydney, Geelong, Tamworth, Nowra, Brisbane), covering the locations where the exhibition has been seen in the last eighteen months. The results of the research will be used by Questacon and NRMA in joint planning of the future of the Tomorrow's Drivers program.3. Environmetrics Pty Ltd.4. $39,500.Promotional evaluation of Off the Planet, K'nexhibition and Terrorsaurus1. This study is to provide feedback to assist in finetuning the communication strategies for the exhibitions and to evaluate visitor satisfaction with each of the three exhibitions. The study is being undertaken in four parts—(i) evaluating the Off the Planet and K'nexhibition exhibitions during July 1997; (ii) evaluating the Terrorsaurus exhibition during September 1997; (iii) indepth interviews with visitors in October 1997; and (iv) evaluating the Terrorsaurus exhibition during January 1998. 2. Phases (i), (ii) and (iv) of the study involve interviewing of the order of 100 visitors to each of the exhibitions. Phase (iii) of the study involves indepth interviews with ten visitors to Terrorsaurus. The results of the research will be used internally by Questacon.3. Frank Small and Associates.4. $10,000.The Australian Broadcasting Authority1. Since 3 March 1996, the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) has undertaken qualitative and quantitative research into a number of broadcasting issues in accordance with its primary function as specified in s.158(g) of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992: `to conduct or commission research into community attitudes on issues relating to programs'.ABA attitudinal research conducted since 3 March 1996 has consisted of the following projects:A. monitoring industry codes of practice;B. young families and television;C. young Australians and music; andD. media usage by migrants to Australia.In addition to the above, the ABA has released three research monographs since 3 March 1996 based on research conducted prior to that date:. Families and electronic entertainment, June 1996;. Music, new music and all that: Teenage radio in the 90s, June 1996;. Kids talk TV: `super wickid' or `dum', September 1996.As the research for these monographs was conducted prior to the specified date, no further details are provided in relation to parts 2, 3 and 4 of the question.A. Monitoring Industry Codes of Practice2. Nature of Research and Provision of ResultsIn September 1996, as part of its ongoing role to monitor the effectiveness of the commercial television industry code of practice, the ABA conducted a third national survey on people's concerns about material they had seen on television. The survey was conducted with a sample of 1157 people representative of the population 14 years of age and over. The survey consisted of 35 questions administered face-to-face as part of an omnibus survey.The research measured awareness of television classifications, in particular the M and MA classifications, and the perceived suitability of movies on commercial television starting at 8.30 pm. The suitability of the movies was gauged in relation to the use of swearing, and the presentation of sex scenes, nudity and violence. Preliminary results were provided to the Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations (FACTS) in December 1996. The results were provided to enable FACTS to consider any implications during its review of the commercial television industry code of practice.The results were published in August 1997 as part of the ABA's Trends and Issues series: Views on viewing: community views about commercial television, 1994-1996.In October 1997, some of the questions on concerns about television material are being repeated in a fourth national survey aimed at monitoring industry codes of practice. The 1997 survey also includes questions on concerns about material heard on radio. The sample for the 1997 survey is slightly smaller—approximately 1000 people—but again representative of the population aged 14 years and over. The 1997 survey consists of 26 questions and as in 1996, is being administered face-to-face as part of an omnibus survey.Results of the 1997 survey will be provided to FACTS and to the Federation Australian Radio Broadcasters (FARB). They will also made publicly available in an ABA publication in the first half of 1998.3. Firms EngagedRoy Morgan Research Centre was commissioned to conduct the 1996 survey. The 1997 survey is being conducted by AC Nielsen McNair.4. CostThe 1996 survey cost $36,000, while the 1997 survey will cost $24,580.B. Young Families and Television2. Nature of Research and Provision of ResultsThe ABA is conducting an analysis of data on the amount and type of television watched by preschool-aged children. The research is also looking at parents' attitudes, and their behaviour, towards their child's viewing. The data was collected as part of a larger study conducted by Dr Brent Waters, formerly the Director of Psychiatric Services at St Vincent's Hospital, and Dr Judy Ungerer of Macquarie University.The sample for the research was 157 couples and their first-born child in the Sydney metropolitan area. Two methods were used to collect data from the sample at each of four assessment points: prior to the child's birth, when the child was four months of age, when the child was 12 months of age, and when the child was 30 months of age.The first method of data collection was a questionnaire which varied in length at each of the four assessment points and increased in length as the child got older. The second was a viewing diary in which each family was asked to record their television and video viewing over a seven-day period. Data collection started in April 1988 and finished in August 1994.The ABA is preparing a publication which will report the results of the research. It is expected that this will be publicly available by the end of this year.3. Firms EngagedIn March 1995, the ABA funded Dr Waters and Dr Ungerer to sub-contract a research assistant to enter, code and begin analysing data from the questionnaires.4. CostThe funding was for a total of $10,000.C. Young Australians and Music2. Nature of Research and Provision of ResultsYoung people and music are the focus of a joint research project being undertaken by the ABA in conjunction with the Australia Council and the Australian Recording Industry Association. Information is being gathered about the role of music in the lives of young people (12 to 24 years of age) and their attitudes to the music currently available to them. It is considering music delivery through radio, television, CDs and newer delivery mechanisms such as the Internet. Live performances and the participation of young people in music are also being considered.The research consists of the following stages: a literature review, consultative stage, and qualitative and quantitative data collection.The ABA commissioned a comprehensive literature review as the first stage of the project. The review was released as a monograph, Youth and music in Australia: a review, in June 1997.The consultative stage involved ABA staff conducting interviews with key stakeholders in music and youth related organisations. The interviews identified key issues for discussion in the qualitative stage and are helping to shape the quantitative stage.The qualitative stage consisted of focus group discussions with young people in the target age range. Fourteen groups were conducted in April and May 1997 in a range of locations: Sydney, Darwin, Warwick and Melbourne.The first three stages are feeding into the development of the quantitative stage. This final stage will obtain measures from a representative sample of Australian youth on the place of music in their lives and their attitudes to music access, consumption and participation issues. The methodology for the quantitative stage is currently being considered with field work scheduled for November 1997. Results will be made publicly available in a research monograph in 1998. 3. Firms EngagedThe ABA commissioned Juliet London Research and Consultancy to conduct the literature review.While ABA staff facilitated the focus group discussions, various firms were engaged to recruit participants and provide venues for some of the groups.Quadrant Research Services has been engaged to conduct the quantitative stage of the research.4. CostThe literature review cost $5,000.The total amount paid to firms for focus group recruitment and venues was $1,598.$50,000 has been budgeted for the quantitative stage.D. Media Usage by Migrants to Australia2. Nature of Research and Provision of ResultsIn February 1997, the ABA finalised arrangements with the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) to include four questions on the third wave of Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants (LSIA) being conducted by DIMA during 1997 and 1998. The third wave of LSIA surveys approximately 5000 people who have migrated to Australia in the last few years.The questions developed by the ABA seek information about media usage and perceptions of the portrayal of ethnic groups on commercial television. Questions about media usage ask about the frequency of use of radio, television, videos, newspapers and the Internet, as well as the media used most often for various news, information and entertainment services.Due to the large sample for the survey, the data collection phase of LSIA occurs over an extended period of time. Preliminary results will therefore not be available until the second half of 1998.3. Firms EngagedDIMA has responsibility for the LSIA and is running the media usage questions on the ABA's behalf.4. CostDIMA has charged the ABA a total of $20,000 to administer the questions and tabulate the results.Australia CouncilInternational Visitors and Aboriginal arts1. International Visitors and Aboriginal arts.2. Survey of international visitors: additional questions added to the regular survey by the Bureau of Tourism Research; the survey asked questions of international visitors to Australia about their purchases of Indigenous arts and crafts; Report to be published, widely distributed and freely available on request 3. Bureau of Tourism Research4. Total cost: $20,625Preliminary Research on Indigenous artists1. Preliminary Research on Indigenous artists2. an exploratory research project to assess the extent of Indigenous arts practice in Australia;Available to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board, the Australia Council and to interested researchers and members of the public on request3. carried out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics4. Total cost: $50,000Economic Impact of the Arts in Australia1. Economic Impact of the Arts in Australia2. a national study of the economic impact of the arts in Australia using a statistical analysis of existing economic data relating to the arts; Report to be published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. project in progress: being carried out by Economic Strategies Pty Ltd4. Total cost: $32,000Music and Theatre Audience Research1. Music and Theatre Audiences Research2. a study of music and theatre audiences and potential audiences: qualitative and survey research; including a survey of 1000 people throughout Australia;Report to be published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. project in progress: being carried out by Woolcott Research Pty Ltd4. Total cost: $60,000Arts Marketing Research Study1. Arts Marketing Research Study2. a study of the current marketing and audience development practices of arts organisations in Australia; Report published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. Biztrac and Donovan Research4. Total cost: $60,000Study of Consumers of Visual Arts and Crafts1. Study of Consumers of Visual Arts and Crafts2. a study of consumers and potential consumers of visual arts and crafts; Report published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. Quadrant Research Services Pty Ltd4. Total cost: $42,900Corporate Support for the Arts1. Corporate Support for the Arts 2. the fourth in a series of statistical surveys of corporate support for the arts; Report published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. Yann, Campbell, Hoare, Wheeler4. Total cost: $24,500Taxation and the Arts Research1. Taxation and the Arts Research2. analysis of various options for taxation reform and their impact on the arts; For information and advice to the Australia Council3. project in progress; work being carried out by KPMG4. Total cost: $25,000Young Australians and Music1. Young Australians and Music2. joint research project with the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) and the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) exploring the role of music in the lives of young Australians; Literature review published and widely distributed; further report to be published, widely distributed and freely available on request.3. project in progress; work being carried out by the ABA and Quadrant Research Services Pty Ltd4. Total cost: $40,000Developing New Audiences Research1. Developing new audiences Research2. an academic research project investigating opportunities for developing new audiences for the arts; Report to be published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. project in progress: Australian Key Centre for Cultural and Media Policy4. Total cost $30,000Public Opinion Survey on Arts and Other Organisations1. Public Opinion Survey on Arts and Other Organisations2. questions included in a commercial omnibus survey about the perception of arts and other organisations; Produced for management, Australia Council3. Quadrant Research Services Pty Ltd4. Total cost: $9,615Public Opinion Survey on Arts and Other Organisations1. Public Opinion Survey on Arts and Other Organisations2. questions included in a commercial omnibus survey about the perception of arts and other organisations; Produced for management, Australia Council 3. Quadrant Research Services Pty Ltd4. Total cost: $10,000Local Government Cultural Development Benchmarking1. Local Government Cultural Development Benchmarking2. a collaborative demonstration project involving a limited survey followed by the development of a collaborative investigative process involving six local government authorities over twelve month period; initial survey by questionnaire of 35 local government authorities, followed by ongoing action research with six local government authorities; Report to be published and distributed to local government throughout Australia3. People for Places and Spaces4. Total cost: $45,000Better Places Richer Communities1. Better Places Richer Communities2. case study research into local government cultural development best practice: limited desk research into best practice examples of arts and cultural development in the local government context; Report to be published and distributed to local government throughout Australia3. Marla Guppy and Associates4. Total cost: $6,500Case Studies: Arts for a Multicultural Australia1. Case Studies: Arts for a Multicultural Australia2. case studies on developing audiences of non-English speaking background; Report to be published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. project in progress: being carried out by Cultural Perspectives Pty Ltd4. Total cost: $40,000New Information Technologies: Arts for a Multicultural Australia1. New Information Technologies: Arts for a Multicultural Australia2. investigation of access to new information technologies by people of non-English speaking background and the impact on new media arts development; Available to the Australia Council Multicultural Advisory Committee, the Australia Council and to interested researchers and members of the public3. project in progress: being carried out by Centre for Workplace Communication and Culture (JCU)4. Total cost: $10,000Research on Training Programs for Senior Editors 1. Research on Training Programs for Senior Editors2. Field research including interviews about the present training programs for senior editors in Australia. Report to be published, distributed and freely available on request3. project in progress: being carried out by Arms Mathews & Co4. Total cost: $7,500Visual Arts Service Organisations Survey1. Visual Arts Service Organisations Survey2. survey of national visual arts service organisations; Produced for Australia Council Fund members and management3. project in progress: being carried out by Peter Alexander and Associates4. Total cost: $18,450Survey of Arts Service Organisations1. Survey of Arts Service Organisations2. desk research about arts service organisations in Australia; Produced for Australia Council and management3. project in progress: being carried out by Julie Owens4. Total cost: $16,405Crafts People and Visual Artists in Australia1. Crafts People and Visual Artists in Australia3. a further statistical analysis of existing survey data about crafts people and visual artists; Report published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. Professor David Throsby and Claire Bardez4. Total cost: $4,088Public Attitudes to the Arts1. Public Attitudes to the Arts2. a public opinion survey about attitudes to the arts and related issues; Report to be published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. Australian Bureau of Statistics4. Total cost $24,000Study of Indigenous Writers1. Study of Indigenous Writers2. a statistical study of Indigenous writers in Australia including a survey and qualitative research; Report to be published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. Australian Bureau of Statistics and other agencies4. Total cost: $50,000Report of Employment in the Arts1. Report of Employment in the Arts 2. a statistical report on employment in the arts in Australia from existing statistical data; Report published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. Australian Bureau of Statistics4. Total cost: $16,000Research into National and International Audience Development and Marketing Trends and Issues1. Research into National and International Audience Development and Marketing Trends and Issues2. Detailed research into current audience development activity, trends and issues in Australia and overseas; Report to be published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. Project in progress: being carried out by consultant Anna Grega4. Total cost: $34,160Regional Arts Audience Development Case Studies Project1. Regional Arts Audience Development Case Studies Project2. Research, for promotional and professional development purposes, into innovative and effective practice in regional arts audience development and marketing in regional Australia; Report to be published, widely distributed and freely available on request3. Project in progress: being carried out by Sue Hodge and Associates4. Total cost: $ 56,204Arts Marketing Case Studies1. Arts Marketing Case Studies2. Collection of Australian arts marketing case studies for commercial publication and for promotional or other advocacy purposes. The case studies will cover community cultural development, literature, music, dance, theatre, visual arts and craft, new media arts; Case studies to be published and widely distributed3. Project in progress: being coordinated by Deakin University4. Total cost: $ 24,084The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)ABC Radio Audience Research1. Study for ABC shops2. Qualitative study of 8 focus groups, the results of which are available to ABC Enterprises.3. None4. $13,3901. National Regional Radio Survey 1996 2. Telephone Diary Survey of 3438 people. The results of the research are available to ABC Radio Management3. None4. $36,9711. WA Regional Radio Survey 19962. Telephone Diary Survey of 3275 people. The results of the research are available to ABC Radio Management3. None4. $26,4941. Radio Appreciation Survey Pilot Test 19962. Telephone Survey in Adelaide SA of 667 people. The results of the research are available to ABC Radio Management3. None4. $4,0041. Tasmanian Radio Survey 19962. Telephone Diary Survey of 1155 people in Hobart and 1193 people in regional Tasmania. The results of the research are available to ABC Radio Management3. None4. $21,6251. Queensland Regional Radio Survey 19962. Telephone Diary Survey of 4055 people. The results of the research are available to ABC Radio Management3. None4. $36,9421. Darwin Radio Survey 19962. Telephone Diary Survey of 1176 people. The results of the research are available to ABC Radio Management3. None4. $11,0921. News/Caff Study Phase 12. Qualitative Study of 10 focus groups. The results of the research are available to ABC News/Caff Management3. None4. $18,6131. News/Caff Study Phase 22. National Telephone Survey of 2059 People. The results of the research are available to ABC News/Caff Management3. None4. $23,1081. ABC TV Idents Study 2. Qualitative Study in Sydney of 2 Focus Groups. The results of the research are available to ABC TV Management3. None4. $2,3521. Victorian Regional Radio Survey 19972. Telephone diary survey—4 page questionnaire asked of 3111 people. The results are available to ABC Radio Management.3. None4. $20,3081. Appreciation Survey 19972. National telephone survey—3 page questionnaire asked of 3252 people. The results are available to ABC Senior Management.3. None4. $19,0001. Race Around The World Survey2. National telephone survey—1 page questionnaire asked of 281 people. The results are available to ABC TV Management.3. none4. $1,0001. Triple J Survey2. National telephone survey—4 page questionnaire asked of 1256 people. The results are available to Triple J General Manager.3. None4. $23,0001. Ipswich Survey2. Telephone Survey—3 page questionnaire asked of 390 people. The results are available to Queensland ABC Management.3. None4. $5,0001. Survey on ABC Funding2. Questions on ABC omnibus survey—4 questions asked of 2057 people. The results are available to ABC Senior Management.3. AGB4. $32601. Foreign Correspondent study2. Qualitative study of 8 focus groups. The results are available to ABC TV Management.3. Jigsaw Strategic Research4. $19,8001. Australian Story study2. Qualitative study of 8 focus groups. The results are available to ABC TV Management.3. Jigsaw Strategic Research 4. $10,0001. TV quality survey2. Questions on AGB omnibus survey. Information on the number and type of questions asked is unavailable. The results are available to ABC TV Management.3. AGB4. information on the cost of this survey is unavailable.Australian Archives1. Survey of researchers in reading rooms about the level of satisfaction with services provided.2. Questionnaire containing 24 questions—available in reading rooms since August 1997. 160 forms have been completed to date.3. Looking glass Press Pty Ltd—Graphic design.4. $1,7951. Survey of researchers in reading rooms about the level of satisfaction with services provided—2 monthly survey.2. A summary of responses to the survey on reader satisfaction is prepared and made available in the reading rooms every 2 months.3. The Australian Bureau of Statistics.4. $5,4501. Formative evaluation of Australia's X-files exhibition concept.2. Qualitative (Just over 20 people interviewed). The report will be internal to Australian Archives.3. Environmetrics plus Australian Archives staff.4. $2,6501. Formative evaluation of the Australia's Portrait of Papua exhibition concept.2. Qualitative (Just over 20 people interviewed). The report will be internal to Australian Archives.3. Environmetrics plus Australian Archives staff.4. $2,6501. Summative evaluation of the Scene Stealers: Australian Theatre 1870-1955 exhibition2. Qualitative (Just over 17 people interviewed together with 20 structured observations). The report will be internal to Australian Archives.3. Environmetrics plus Australian Archives staff.4.$2,6501. Old Parliament House Visitor Survey, May 1996, (Joint evaluation with the National Museum of Australia).2. Qualitative (260 people interviewed). The report will be internal to Australian Archives and the National Museum of Australia.3. Environmetrics plus Australian Archives staff. 4.Archives spent $2,500.1. Canberra's Early Years exhibition.2. Qualitative (interviews and structured observations). The report will be internal to Australian Archives and the National Museum of Australia.3. Australian Archives staff.4. Nil1.Formative evaluation for two exhibitions for National Archives building2. Qualitative (3 focus groups of 6-8 people so far; 22 personal interviews). The report will be internal to Australian Archives and the National Museum of Australia.3. Environmetrics plus Australian Archives staff.4.$8,0001. Exploring Citizenship school kit—evaluation.2. 2,700 questionnaires sent out to all recipients of the kit. Report still to be produced.3. Australian Archives staff.4. Nil.National Transmission Agency (NTA)1. In June 1996, the NTA conducted market research designed to evaluate viewers' perception of TV reception quality in the Sydney area. This research was intended to survey viewers' perceptions of their television reception in areas throughout Sydney, in order to alert NTA planners to any possible problems that might need to be addressed in regard to transmission of ABC and SBS services.2. A two-page questionnaire was completed by approximately 100 households chosen at random in ten Sydney suburbs, and an additional 500 households were interviewed over the phone to obtain data. The results were collated by Quadrant Research Services, and evaluated by the Agency's Transmission Planning Unit and E D Field Engineering, who conducted follow-up work in the areas surveyed. The survey results were not publicised outside the NTA.3. Quadrant Research Services Pty Ltd were engaged to conduct this market research.4. $11,400THE SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS)1. The research undertaken by SBS is, essentially, audience research. Most of this is the kind undertaken by all free-to-air television stations—the daily A.C. Nielsen audience measurement, and more detailed audience response surveys by News-poll. SBS has commissioned one additional Newspoll survey in the period since 3/3/96.In addition, SBS has commissioned language group surveys to assess ethnic community trends in listening and viewing. The last form of surveying has been commissioned over the past 14 months from Quadrant and is ongoing.2. A.C. Nielsen: quantitative, measured by electronic People Meter technology in-home installation. Sample sizes are approximately 500 in both Sydney and Melbourne and 400 in the other State capitals. Major aggregated regional television markets are also metered in this way with a sample size comparable to Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. The results are circulated to management, programming and production staff for performance monitoring purposes.Newspoll: quantitative and qualitative. Specific SBS-related questions, at roughly six-monthly intervals, to the regular Newspoll national omnibus survey gauge quantity of SBS programs viewed per household per week, public perceptions, value assessments, program regard and reception capability. Regular tracking results are provided to TV management, while special survey results are provided to SBS management and the Board.Quadrant: quantitative, gauging audience levels for SBS Radio language programs and for SBS Television based on language groups. The sample sizes are as follows:Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Khmer, Polish 400 per surveyVietnamese, Greek, Italian, Spanish 800 per surveyThe results are circulated to relevant SBS Radio and marketing staff, management and the Board.3. A.C.Nielsen, Newspoll, Quadrant4. The cost of A.C. Nielsen audience research is commercial confidential.A.C. Nielsen treats as commercial in confidence all fees paid by its clients.The cost of Newspoll audience research was $39,294 since 1/3/96.The cost of Quadrant research into language groups was $152,560.00.TELECOMMUNICATIONSFor information relating to the Telecommunications Industry Division (TID), the Australian Communications Authority (ACA), Australia Post and Telstra, please refer to the following table:(1) What qualitative or quantitative research has been undertaken by the Department and its agencies since 3 March 1996.(2) What was the nature of the research undertaken (sample sizes, questionnaire length, evaluation) and to whom were the results of the research available.(3) In each instance, which firm or firms have been engaged to undertake this work.(4) In each instance, what has been the cost of the work undertaken.(ECONTECH consultancy (14 June 1996 to 19 June 1996)reported on Telstra's labour and capital efficiency.ECONTECH was engaged to use its proprietary economic modelling system to assess projected Telstra labour and capital efficiencies. The resultant data was used in the Departmental submission to the Senate Environment, Recreation, Communications and the Arts References Committee inquiry into Telstra. The consultancy was limited to the processing and analysis of labour and capital efficiency. It did not involve making recommendations on the Department's submission to the Senate Inquiry.ECONTECH.$5000.00On 7 July 1996, the Minister for Communications and the Arts established the Standard Telephone Service Review Group with the objective "to determine whether recent and emerging development in telecommunications technology, or increased demand for more advanced telecommunications services in the Australian community warranted a change in the level of service mandated under the Universal Service Obligation."The review was undertaken by the Group consisting of ten members, including the Chair from the Communications Law Centre. Membership was drawn from organisations representing a range of consumer interests and industry representation. The Group held 13 meetings—a combination of in-person meetings, tele-conferences and a video conference. Several organisations were invited to make presentations to Group meetings. The Review Group reported to the Minister in December 1996. The Report was made publicly available on request from the Department of Communications and the Arts and on the Department's Internet Homepage.A consulting fee was paid to the Communications Law Centre (CLC).The cost of the review was $37,570. This amount includes the $10,000 consulting fee paid to CLC; incidental expenses including report printing; travel and related expenses for the Chair, two other Group members, and the Departmental Secretariat. To minimise the travel expenses involved the meetings were held in Sydney where the majority of consumer representatives were located and no funding was provided to carrier representatives.On 8 September 1997 the Department of Communications and the Arts invited proposals for consultancy services to provide the assistance of an accountant experienced in the telecommunications industry to assist in defining "eligible revenue" and ensure that, as far as practicable, the definition is linked to established accounting standards and practices. The aim is to develop a definition which is transparent, simple to apply and administer.The approach falls into three stages:McKerlie Consulting Pty Ltd.The total cost payable under this Contract shall not exceed $17,000, unless written approval has first been obtained from the Department.(a) Position Paper Critique—liaising by phone with Department, consultant to provide initial critique and comment on the draft position paper prepared by the Department of Communications and the Arts(b) Workshop Attendance—consultant to fly to Melbourne the day before the workshop to meet with Departmental officers in preparation for participating in the workshop on an advisory capacity.(c) Post Workshop—consultant to work with Departmental officers in finalising the paper which specifies the new regime.On 15 August, the Department of Communications and the Arts engaged two consultants, International Consulting Services and CommStrategies International, to investigate and report on the current billing practices between Telstra and other service providers.Together with Telstra, four service providers agreed to take part in the study. The consultants investigated the current situation, including sample testing and collection of statistics and assessment of service levels. The report has been given to the Minister for consideration of the recommendations.International Consulting Services and CommStrategies International.The Department has incurred no costs in relation to this consulting study, as all costs were borne by Telstra.AGB McNair was commissioned in July 1996 to conduct a qualitative and quantitative survey.The survey was conducted in two parts:AGB McNair Pty Ltd.The cost of the work undertaken was $27,500The nature of the work was to conduct market research on the extent of awareness within the community of possible health issues associated with electromagnetic energy.-a quantitative phone survey of a random nationwide sample of the Australian population; and-a qualitative survey comprising in person in-depth interviews with concerned individuals and groups identified from ministerial and other representations.The results of the survey were announced in a joint media relass from Senator Alston and Dr Wooldridge MP.A consultancy was undertaken to assist the States and Territories with the transition to the new regime for regulating telecommunications infrastructure post 1 July 1997. The consultancy was overseen by a steering committee comprising representatives of each State and Territory and Federal Government.The work involved consultations with carriers and representatives of the States and Territories. The final report was provided to the carriers, each State and Territory and made available via the Department's web site. Most States and Territories have circulated the report to groups representing local government.Purdon Associates (Canberra) in association with Ratio Consultants (Melbourne) and Clayton Utz, Solicitors.$109,850. Funds were provided by the carriers—Telstra, Optus and Vodafone—on a proportional basis. The Department provided assistance with project management.The Department is providing a secretariat for the Working Group on Putting Cables Underground ("the PCUWG"). The Departmental secretariat has, on behalf of that Working Group, engaged consultants to provide research on a number of issues in relation to putting cables underground. The funding for the PCUWG has been provided by industry and is held in a trust fund administered by the Department.Develop principles to assist the PCUWG in identifying the appropriate role of governments, utilities, local councils, property owners and others in funding any program for putting cables underground.The Allen Consulting Group P/L$29,900, paid out of the industry money held by the Department on trust for the PCUWG."Provide the PCUWG with methodologies for assessing the economic, equity, public finance and other impacts of options for funding any program for putting cables underground.The Allen Consulting Group P/L$55,000, paid out of the industry money held by the Department on trust for the PCUWG. "Prepare a report for the PCUWG on technical options and recommendations developed by an expert group in relation to the technical and service aspects of putting telecommunications and electricity cables underground.Amos Aked Swift P/L$29,100, paid out of the industry money held by the Department on trust for the PCUWG."Produce a background paper which addressed legal, regulatory and industry structure issues which may arise from regulatory options for putting cables underground which the PCUWG is examining.Australian Government Solicitor$87,000, paid out of the industry money held by the Department on trust for the PCUWG."Provide research and specialist advice to the PCUWG on: (a) Existing literature and research on putting cables underground; (b) The likely kinds of benefits and costs arising from putting cables underground; (c) Development of models for estimating the aggregate cost and benefits of putting cables underground at both a national and a local level.Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics$138,066, paid out of the industry money held by the Department on trust for the PCUWG.The answer incorporates information in respect of research commissioned externally by the Australian Communications Authority, the former Spectrum Management Agency and those elements of the former AUSTEL which now form part of the Australian Communications Authority.Research Commissioned by the Australian Communications AuthorityIn July 1997, a quantitative report was commissioned on business and domestic consumers' understanding of the implications of common or no area codes on long-distance call charges.606 businesses and households were asked 10 questions. The results of the research were made available to the Numbering Public Education Program Committee including representatives of Telstra, Optus, the Australian Telecommunications Users Group, Department of Communications and the Arts, Community Information and Referral Service and the Citizens Advice Bureau.The consultant for this survey was Brian Sweeney & Associates.The cost of the consultancy, which was met by telecommunications carriers, was $30,508.Research Commissioned by the Spectrum Management AgencyCustomer Service Delivery SurveyIn March 1996, the SMA undertook research on service delivery by way of a series of surveys of the Agency's external clients. The objectives of the surveys were to:The surveys were directed at three separate areas of the Agency's activities:Orima Research Pty Ltd.The cost of the research was $27,750determine how the Agency's clients perceived service from its offices around Australia;Apparatus Licence clients with a sample size of 1498 "Australia wide"; determine clients' preferences on dealing with the Agency in the future with respect to financial transactions and method of contact; andclients reporting radio and television interference complaints with a sample size of 200 "Australia wide"; andestablish a benchmark for measuring changes in the quality of service delivery.clients who apply for radiocommunications operator qualifications with a sample size of 200 "Australia wide".Two data collection mechanisms were used in the surveys:written self-completion questionnaires administered by mail; licensing clients, 72 questions; television and radio interference complaints, 45 questions; and operator qualifications, 45 questions.in-depth one-on-one telephone interviews to obtain qualitative data with a sample of 200 clients, 20 questions.The analysis and report was for internal use by the Agency. A copy of the report was also provided to the Australian National Audit Office to assist with an audit of service delivery in radio and telecommunications.Introduction of Regulation—EMCStudy to evaluate the introduction of regulations enhancing the electro-magnetic compatibility of electronic and electrical goods offered for sale in Australia.The study commenced in 1995 and consists of an annual survey of 1,000 to 1,500 suppliers of electrical and electronic products to the Australian market. In May/June 1996, suppliers were asked to complete a questionnaire outlining their expectations for the forthcoming regulations. In June 1997, after the introduction of regulations, suppliers were asked their opinion of the effectiveness of the SMA/ACA method of introduction and the effect of the regulations on their services. A concluding survey is scheduled for 1998. The results are available to the public on request.A consortium led by Hi-Tech Marketing Services (including the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research).In 1996 the cost of the survey and reporting was $39,850. In 1997 the cost was $51,975.Review of Issues concerning International Satellite Network Coordination and PlanningResearch in preparation for a review of the International Telecommunications Unions' frequency coordination and planning framework for satellite networks.The research involved a review and revision of documents. The results of the research were made available to the Spectrum Management Agency.Mr Gary C Brooks, Ontario, Canada.The cost of the consultancy was $14,850.00. Research Commissioned by AUSTELAnalogue Closure Public Education ProgramA qualitative research study was undertaken in February 1997 to assist with questionnaire design and to provide a basis for the interpretation of survey results for a quantitative study to be undertaken in May 1997. The aim of the survey was to assess the understanding and awareness of mobile phone users regarding the closure of the analogue mobile phone network on 1 January, 2000.Four discussion groups were conducted in February 1997. These groups comprised two groups in Melbourne (comprising one group of Small Business users and one group of 18 to 30 year old domestic users) and two groups in Horsham (comprising one group of Small Business users and one group of 30-50 year old domestic users). The results of the research were made available to the members of the Analogue Closure Public Education Campaign Advisory Committee including the mobile phone carriers, industry and consumer groups.The firms engaged to undertake research were Grey Advertising, subcontracting to Brian Sweeney and Associates.The cost of the research was met by the telecommunications carriers and was $14,343.65.Analogue Closure Public Education ProgramA quantitative research study was conducted in May/June 1997 to gain an understanding of levels of awareness and comprehension of, and attitudes towards, the closure of the analogue mobile phone network.The research involved a telephone survey of 947 business and domestic respondents. The survey covered respondents in capital cities, large provincial cities and rural areas in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia:—Firms engaged to undertake research were Grey Advertising, subcontracting to Brian Sweeney and Associates.The cost of the research was $20,000 and was met by the telecommunications carriers.411 from capital cities; 251 from larger Provincial cities; and 285 from rural areas.The telephone survey involved 17 questions for domestic respondents and 15 questions for business respondents.These survey results were published in a Media Release—"ACA Announces Analogue Closure Awareness Research Results". Results were made available to the media and members of the Analogue Closure Public Education Campaign Advisory Committee, which includes the mobile phone carriers, industry and consumer groups.Beaudesert Study (25 March 1996)The purpose of the research was to measure Telstra's performance against the requirements of the Universal Service Obligation and was specifically focussed on telephone ownership, usage and customers' opinions on service.The research involved face-to-face interviews based on a questionnaire of 25 questions. The results of this research were not made available externally.AGB McNairThe cost of the consultancy was $46,550. Telephone Connection Survey Report—Population Survey Monitor (September and November 1996)The surveys provided nation-wide statistics on the number of households with a telephone connected. The surveys also asked those respondents without a telephone connection for the main reason why there was no telephone in place.4,101 households were visited for the surveys, from which 3,211 completed questionnaires were obtained. The surveys included questions on personal, household, dwelling and geographic characteristics of respondents. The results of the surveys were not made available externally.Australian Bureau of Statistics.The cost of the consultancy was $12,450.Numbering Public Education Program—Western AustraliaIn April 1997, a quantitative report was conducted on business and domestic awareness and understanding of the numbering change in Western Australia.403 businesses and households were asked 11 questions. The results of the research were made available to the Numbering Public Education Program Committee including representatives of Telstra, Optus, the Australian Telecommunications Users Group, Department of Communications and the Arts, Community Information and Referral Service and the Citizens Advice Bureau.Brian Sweeney & Associates.The cost of the consultancy, which was met by telecommunications carriers, was $22,881.38.Numbering Public Education Program—Northern TerritoryIn September 1996, a quantitative report was conducted to understand why uptake of the new eight-digit telephone numbers in the Northern Territory was so low, and whether any weakness existed in awareness and comprehension of the numbering change.205 people (105 domestic, 100 business) were asked 10 questions. The results of the research were made available to the Numbering Public Education Program Committee including representatives of Telstra, Optus, the Australian telecommunications Users Group, Department of Communications and the Arts, Community Information and Referral Service and the Citizens Advice Bureau.Brian Sweeney & Associates.The cost of the consultancy, which was met by telecommunications carriers, was $7,847.03.Numbering Public Education Program—TasmaniaIn September 1996, a quantitative report was conducted on business and domestic awareness and understanding of the numbering change in Tasmania.304 people (154 domestic; 150 business) were asked 12 questions. The results of the research were made available to the Numbering Public Education Program Committee including representatives of Telstra, Optus, the Australian Telecommunications Users Group, Department of Communications and the Arts, Community Information and Referral Service and the Citizens Advice Bureau.Brian Sweeney & Associates.The cost of the consultancy, which was met by telecommunications carriers, was $14,512.50. Advertisement Concept ResearchIn July 1996, a quantitative advertisement concept test was conducted in Tasmania to gauge the clarity of `message delivery' in a proposed advertising concept for the Tasmanian number change. The research also examined expectations and attitudes with respect to the need to dial the area code in intra-area calls in Tasmania.A sample size of 200 adults interviewed in Tasmanian shopping centres were asked 11 questions. The results of the research were made available to the Numbering Public Education Program Committee including representatives of Telstra, Optus, the Australian Telecommunications Users Group, Department of Communications and the Arts, Community Information and Referral Service and the Citizens Advice Bureau.Brian Sweeney & Associates.The cost of the consultancy, which was met by telecommunications carriers, was $10,750.Numbering Public Education Program—Sydney Numbering Change Wave 3In May 1996, a quantitative survey titled "Sydney Numbering Change Wave 3" was conducted to measure consumer understanding of the Sydney telephone number changes.300 people (150 domestic; 150 business) were asked 11 questions. The results of the research were made available to the Numbering Public Education Program Committee including representatives of Telstra, Optus, the Australian Telecommunications Users Group, Department of Communications and the Arts, Community Information and Referral Service and the Citizens Advice Bureau.Brian Sweeney & Associates.The cost of the consultancy, which was met by telecommunications carriers, was $14,334.05.Numbering Public Education Program—Numbering Change Follow-Up StudyIn April 1996, a quantitative survey was conducted to measure consumer understanding of the Sydney telephone number changes.500 people were asked 14 questions. The results of the research were made available to the Numbering Public Education Program Committee including representatives of Telstra, Optus, the Australian Telecommunications Users Group, Department of Communications and the Arts, Community Information and Referral Service and the Citizens Advice Bureau.Brian Sweeney & Associates.The cost of the consultancy, which was met by telecommunications carriers, was $23,888.65.Numbering Public Education Program—Sydney Phase 3 Advertising Execution TestIn April 1996, a quantitative survey was conducted to evaluate two draft advertising concepts for Phase 3 Sydney telephone number changes.100 people were asked 9 questions. The results of the research were made available to the Numbering Public Education Program Committee including representatives of Telstra, Optus, the Australian Telecommunications Users Group, Department of Communications and the Arts, Community Information and Referral Service and the Citizens Advice Bureau.Brian Sweeney & Associates.The cost of the consultancy, which was met by telecommunications carriers, was $12,518.38. Australian Postal CorporationAs a GBE operating in a highly competitive commercial environment, Australia Post in the normal course undertakes a wide range of market research, principally in relation to product/service enhancement or development.In Australia Post's case, therefore, much of the information sought by the question would be competitively sensitive and its public availability contrary to our commercial interests.In addition, the information sought is not centrally located and its collation would likely take some considerable time and require significant resource commitment.Telstra Corporation Limited(1) & (2) Telstra undertakes research and development on specific business projects in many of its Business Units throughout the organisation with more exploratory research and development being undertaken at the Telstra Research Laboratories. Such research includes Services for Business Enterprises, Mobility Services and Systems, Consumer Services Infrastructure and Customer Care.See answer to (2). Telstra regards additional information on its contractors as commercial-in-confidence. Research results are also regarded as commercial in confidence, although edited results may be published in technical journals where appropriate.Telstra' total research and development expenditure between 1992 and 1997 totalled $1 billion. Over the next three year period, Telstra expects to invest about $500 million on research and development.Telstra is also involved in external research through contracts with universities and other research providers throughout Australia.Continuing support is also provided through the Cooperative Research Centres Scheme to the Australian Photonic Research Centre, the Distributed Systems Technology Centre, and the Research Data Networks Cooperative Research Centre.In addition there are ongoing research contracts with the Institute for Telecommunications Research at the University of Wollongong, and the Teletraffic Research Centre at the University of Adelaide.Telstra is required to operate as a commercial business operation, and consequently details of its market research must be regarded as commercial in confidence.263(Question No. 909)909263Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, upon notice, on 16 October 1997:(1) What qualitative or quantitative research has been undertaken by the Department and its agencies since 3 March 1996. (2) What was the nature of the research undertaken (sample sizes, questionnaire length, evaluation) and to whom were the results of the research available.(3) In each instance, which firm or firms have been engaged to undertake this work.(4) In each instance, what has been the cost of the work undertaken.263Hill, Sen RobertSenator HillBH4SALPEnvironment10—The Minister for Foreign Affairs has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:Only completed research undertaken externally by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and AusAID has been included in this response.This response does not cover research activity undertaken by institutions funded through DFAT or AusAID contributions or grants.What research has been undertakenNature of research—availabilityWhich firms have been engagedCost of the work undertaken Evaluation of benefits/results of 1996 Integrated Promotion in India, New HorizonsSurvey of corporate participants. The results were made available to relevant policy and trade promotions areas within DFAT, Austrade, stakeholders in the business community, the media and other interested partiesBuchan Communications Group$49,000Evaluation of the benefits/results of the 1994 Integrated Promotion in Indonesia, Australia Today Indonesia `94Evaluation by extensive survey of participants and econometric modelling to interpret and project the economic benefits derived from the promotion for Australia. The results were made available to relevant areas of DFAT and Austrade.Newspoll$30,000The benefits of a free-trade arrangement between AFTA and CER. There were three components to the study: Consideration of how an AFTA-CER free-trade arrangement would fit in with existing arrangements for trade liberalisation in the region; Quantitative analysis of the present structure of trade barriers by broad industry categories; Economy-wide modelling of the introduction of an AFTA-CER trade and investment arrangement.The study involved comprehensive economic modelling of three separate scenarios—AFTA-CER only, APEC only and AFTA/CER and APEC—and a baseline assessment using APG-cubed model (a multi country, multisector dynamic general equilibrium model). It was also necessary to build New Zealand into the model. The study was the first economic analysis to include economic modelling into a cost/benefit analysis of an AFTA-CER free-trade arrangement. The results were released publicly at the conference on The AFTA-CER Linkage: The Way Forward in Singapore on 5-6 September 1997. Copies of the study are available publicly from the MTIA or the Centre for International Economics.The MTIA engaged the Centre for International Economics (Canberra) to undertaken the economic modelling and analysis.The total cost of the study was $55,000. DFAT contributed $30,500. Further contributions were made by New Zealand MFAT $16,000, the MTIA $5,000 and the Australian Food Council $3,500.Expanding Processed Food ExportsResearch conducted in 2 states with survey of about 100 small,medium and large firms for different sectors with further survey of the top 30 companies. Report distributed widely to processed food companies and on request to libraries, government departments (state and federal), media, overseas posts and consultants.International Trade Strategies Pty Ltd, Four Design Group Pty Ltd and National Capital Printing (IMSEP Pty Ltd).DFAT (Trade Facilitation Fund) contribution $60,000Food Security: an Historical PerspectiveIndependent analysis of historical trends and future projects of factors affecting food security. Reports distributed to all APEC contacts involved in Food Security Task Force, FAO, industry associations and, on request, other organisations and individuals—are public documents.ABAREDFAT contribution $30,000Food Security and Trade: a Future PerspectiveIndependent analysis of historical trends and future projections of factors affecting food security. Reports distributed to all APEC contacts involved in Food Security Task Force, FAO, industry associations and, on request, other organisations—are public documents.Centre for International EconomicsDFAT contribution $30,000 East Asia Analytical Unit (EAAU)- a wide range of research has been undertaken for utilisation in EAAU publications.EAAU reports: The New ASEANS: Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia and Laos, June 1997; A New Japan?—Changes in Asia's Megamarket, June 1997; China Embraces the Market: Achievements, Constraints and Opportunities, April 1997; Asia's Global Powers: China-Japan Relations in the 21st Century, April 1996; Pacific Russia: Risks and Rewards, April 1996. All reports are publicly available and were tabled in parliament at the time of release. Working papers released in August 1997: China's Transitional Economy—Between Plan and Market; China's Infrastructure: Sectoral Plans and Reforms, and Financing Policies; China's State Enterprise Reforms—Nine Case Studies.Japanese Energy SectorABARE: 1425$23,000China: regional and global trade modelABARE: 1411$20,000Enterprise reform in ChinaABARE: 1410$28,000China: regional and global trade model—additional simulationsABARE$1,600Legal Reform in ChinaACT Consultancy P/L$1,500Foreign Investment in ChinaBORA, B. (Luminus P/L)$15,225Macroeconomic management—ChinaCAO, Dr Yong, Singapore$11,000State owned enterprises—ChinaCHEN, Dr Kang, Singapore$11,000Regional disparities and opportunitiesCAO, Dr Yong, Singapore$11,000Trade policiesCAO, Dr Yong, Singapore$11,500China WTO entry modellingDIXON, Prof Peter, Monash Uni$10,000Chinese InfrastructureECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT (EIU)$30,000Keiretsu relationships—JapanEIU$15,000Distribution structures—JapanEIU$15,000Regional markets- JapanGASTIN, D. (Instate P/L)$17,000Alcohol distribution in JapanGASTIN, D. (Instate P/L)$5,000Japanese financial sectorGOWER, Dr L.$9,500China's Commercial LawHOBGOOD-BROWN, Beijing$1,500Political environment in ChinaJENNER, Prof, ANU$7,500Japanese transport systemKOGAWA, Masahiro$4,000Construction/housing—JapanLAWSON, D. (Naspact P/L)$3,500Chinese administrative reformLEUNG, C. (Caplus)$5,000China labour market reformMENG, Dr Meng, ANU$12,200Corporate experience in ChinaMORGAN, Stephen$8,410Japanese survey dataNICHOLAS, Prof. Stephen$3,500Regional markets—JapanRIETHMULLER, Dr Paul$750Distribution system—JapanRIETHMULLER, Dr Paul$1,500Services sector outlook—JapanSakura Institute, Tokyo$10,000Business interests—Vietnam, Laos, CambodiaSMEE, M & Associates$44,000China's regions—commercial opportunitiesTRETIAK, D. Hong Kong$10,000China's non-state sectorTRETIAK, D. Hong Kong$15,000Trade liberalisation—ChinaZHANG, Dr X. Melbourne Uni$4,500AusAIDCommunity Health Insurance Schemes in Thailand, Vietnam and FijiUnpublished research report can be made available on request, in full or in part.Deakin University$44,500Urbanisation in Asia: Lessons Learned and Innovative ResponsesResearch report is being published and will be made available free of charge to interested parties.Queensland University of Technology$70,000Advances in Information Technology—Issues for Development in Asia/PacificParts of the research findings have been published in various academic publications.University of Adelaide$40,000266(Question No. 913)913266Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Finance and Administration, upon notice, on 16 October 1997:(1) What qualitative or quantitative research has been undertaken by the Department and its agencies since 3 March 1996.(2) What was the nature of the research undertaken (sample sizes, questionnaire length, evaluation) and to whom were the results of the research available.(3) In each instance, which firm or firms have been engaged to undertake this work.(4) In each instance, what has been the cost of the work undertaken.266Kemp, Sen RodSenator KempWW4VICLPAssistant Treasurer10—The Minister for Finance and Administration has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION(1)(2)(3)(4)Research UndertakenNature of ResearchFirmCost ($A)(a) DOMESTIC PROPERTYAnalysis of the Canberra Office Market.To assist in the preparation of a report to the Commonwealth Property Committee.J G Service (Canberra)2,100Qualitative research as part of a review of Commonwealth fire safety policy.Research into fire safety policies and practices. Results made available to relevant Commonwealth agencies.Charles Halton CBE45,000Phillip Chun & Associates18,000(b) REMOVALS AUSTRALIA(1) Effectiveness of a trial outposting of staff in the Albury/Wagga area.New Focus Pty Ltd23,164(2) Effectiveness of arrangements to move the households of Government employees overseas.New Focus Pty Ltd12,309External qualitative and quantitative research of service delivery.(3) On-going effectiveness of service delivery for some 27,000 household relocations within Australia (November 1996 to October 1997). (The amount in column 4 represents the total amount, which comprised $7,000 set-up costs, $11,274 per month and $6,000 for additional analysis in each 6 monthly report.) All results made available to removals industry representatives.New Focus Pty Ltd154,288(c) COMPETITIVE TENDERING AND CONTRACTINGElectronic Commerce Capability of Suppliers to Australian Government agencies.Questionnaires consisting of 66 simple multiple choice questions and 12 short answer questions were distributed. The report was available on the former Purchasing Australia's World Wide Web site.Roger Clarke and Kevin Jeffrey, Electronic Trading Concepts Pty Ltd22,500Implementation and effectiveness of the 1994 Purchasing ReformsSurveys of Commonwealth agencies commenced in 1995 and continued throughout 1996. 7 agencies were resurveyed in August 1996 to determine any change in implementation progress compared to survey of 15 agencies in Oct 95. The results were compiled in a report to Government.Coopers and Lybrand6,500Customer survey into the requirements of the IT buyers guideSample size was 200 government buyers. Survey undertaken by telephone and consisted of approximately 20 questions. Research outcomes were distributed internally only.Minter Research5,000Research into the outcomes of Meet the Buyers 1996Survey of business attendees of Meet the Buyers Adelaide 1996. Sample size was 60 businesses. Survey was by telephone and consisted of approximately 50 questions. Research outcomes were distributed internally only.Minter Research10,000The needs of small and medium enterprise under electronic commerceResearch into the needs of small and medium enterprises in doing business with government. 2197 surveys were posted and 493 companies responded. Survey consisted of 17 questions. Research outcomes were distributed internally only.Woolridge and Webb47,000Business Opportunities from the 1997 Federal BudgetAnalysis of portfolio program funding of departments and agencies for business opportunities. Research is being distributed to businesses attending functions within the Supplier Information Program.Price Waterhouse18,000Review of charging practices used by the former Purchasing Australia in its revenue raising activities.Evaluation of the charging regime provided to the former Purchasing Australia.Ernst and Young16,600Publications Audit of the former Purchasing Australia.Evaluation of the effectiveness of the former Purchasing Australia's publication program in terms of target audience, distribution channels and resources for internal use.Michels Warren24,260Buyer Benchmarking StudyTo identify ways of simplifying procurement process for government buyers and for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as prospective suppliers. 18 interviews conducted covering 31 staff in Commonwealth agencies. Results were made available to the National Procurement Board (NPB).Chant Link and Associates23,790Joint NPB/Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) Supply StudyStudy of the experiences and perceptions of Queensland suppliers in dealing with the three tiers of government. A 31 question questionnaire was distributed to 6,200 Queensland firms, and 934 responses were received. Analysis of the results is awaiting publication.Jointly by NPB and QCCI19,200(d) OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT INFORMATION AND ADVERTISING (OGIA)A quantitative mid-term assessment of client satisfaction in relation to aspects of the service provided by TMP Worldwide Advertising for non campaign advertising.409 of TMP's Commonwealth Government clients were interviewed by telephone. The sample was representative across States, Portfolios and client size (based on frequency of use). Research was commissioned for contract administration purposes only. Outside OGIA, results of the research was made available to TMP.Delta Outlooks Pty Ltd25,900An evaluation of the service provided by AIS Media (master agency for the placement of campaign advertising) to the Federal government.Group discussions with OGIA and AIS Media. Face to face interviews with Commonwealth agencies and the Industry. Semi-structured telephone interviews were held with personnel from government and creative agencies. Research was commissioned for contract administration purposes only. Outside OGIA, results of the research were made available to AIS Media.Woolcott Research Pty Ltd21,400PORTFOLIO AGENCIES(1)(2)(3)(4)Research UndertakenNature of ResearchFirmCost ($A)(a) AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION (AEC)Federal Election 1996: Post Election Survey1,200 people were asked 24 questions in telephone interviews about their experience of voting. Research has been made available externally upon request.Newspoll31,000Federal Election 1996: Media Survey89 journalists interviewed by telephone about the quality of service received. Research has been made available externally upon request.Chartwell (Sydney)14,500Enrolment Survey14,454 people was asked two questions about citizenship and enrolment. Research has been made available externally upon request.Roy Morgan8,610Use of Divisional Offices1,200 people were asked how recently they had visited an AEC office. The research has been made available externally upon request.Newspoll2,865Constitutional Convention Election: Advertising Concept Testing5 focus group interviews were conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of the explanation phase of advertising for the Constitutional Convention election. The research has been made available externally upon request.Eureka Strategic Research (Sydney)17,000Constitutional Convention Election: Benchmark Survey and Tracking Research1,200 people interviewed to determine levels of understanding of the Constitutional Convention Election and the information campaign. The research can be made available externally upon request.Eureka Strategic Research (Sydney)58,650AEC Information Technology Client Services Unit: Client SurveyClients were surveyed to determine the perceived quality of service provided by the Unit. The research results will be presented to the Australian Joint Roll Council and the AEC's Management Board.Corporate Diagnostics Pty Ltd25,000(b) COMMONWEALTH GRANTS COMMISSIONProvision of advice on the valuation of land in each state.Expert valuation advice and data prepared on the value of land in each state. Results of the research were made available to State Valuers' General.Australian Valuation Office (AVO)10,000Provision of advice on Statistical Procedures.Advice on the application of statistical procedures to police services data. Results were included in the Commission's Reports on Research in Progress 1996 and are now being debated by the States and Territories.Anutech Pty Ltd2,530States and Territories road maintenanceSupply of statistical and geographic factors impacting on States and Territories road maintenance. Results were included in the Commission's Reports on Research in Progress 1996 and distributed to States.National Resource Information Centre (NRIC), Department of Primary Industry and Energy.4,000(c) OFFICE OF ASSET SALESCommonwealth's sale of its remaining interest in the Commonwealth BankMarch 1996—qualitative research as part of the advertising selection process. April 1996—qualitative research and in-depth interviews were conducted of investment advisers' needs and attitudes in CBA. Results passed to the Commonwealth's communications consultant, financial adviser, Global Co-ordinator, Joint Lead Managers and OGIA.The Leading Edge81,870Commonwealth's sale of its remaining interest in the Commonwealth Bank March 1996—quantitative research to evaluate specific groups of potential investors. The sample size was 2,000 CBA shareholders, other shareholders and non-shareholders. The objective was to establish awareness of the offer and likely demand from each group.Eureka Strategic Research144,112Commonwealth's sale of its remaining interest in the Commonwealth Bank Continuous tracking research to track the effects of the retail communications campaign. The research was conducted over 4 weeks during the advertising campaign.Eureka Strategic Research179,600Commonwealth's sale of its remaining interest in the Commonwealth BankJuly and August 1996—post sale research to evaluate the reasons for investment/non-investment, factors influencing the decision, impact of the complexity of the offer, effectiveness of communications and public offer document.AGB McNair96,850Commonwealth's sale of up to one third of its equity in TelstraMay 1997—qualitative and quantitative research to feed into the development of a communications plan. The research objective was to understand attitudes to Telstra as an investment, components of a share offer that are most appealing, estimated number of prospectuses required, estimated number of investors and likely retail demand. The methodology for the qualitative research was group discussions (2 with current shareholders and 2 with non-shareholders).Quantitative: DBM Consultants Pty Ltd Qualitative: Open Mind Research Group (subcontracted by DBM Consultants)} Commonwealth's sale of up to one third of its equity in TelstraJune 1997—research to test creative concepts developed by advertising agencies to allow the target market for shares to identify which concepts provide the most positive response to the offer.Open Mind Research Group (subcontracted by DBM Consultants)}305,850 Commonwealth's sale of up to one third of its equity in TelstraAugust 1997—quantitative research was conducted to provide benchmark information on awareness of the float, attitudes to the offer, awareness of advertising. From August to November 1997 continuous tracking research was conducted on changes in the retail market against the benchmark to assess the impact of advertising and to further refine key demand estimates. The results were presented over 9 waves from August to November 1997. The sample size was 460 per wave. As part of the tracking research, additional quantitative research was conducted in September and October 1997 on pre registration (two waves of 300 each), high value investors (one wave of 600) and applicants' awareness of various features of the Telstra Share Offer (one wave of 300).DBM Consultants Pty Ltd} Commonwealth Department of Administrative Services (DAS): Business UnitsMay 1997—qualitative and quantitative research as part of the sale process for DAS business units. The purpose of the research was to generate information on the level of interest within each business unit in working for a new owner. A report on the results was prepared for each business and these were made available to prospective purchasers. Reports were provided to the Office of Asset Sales, its business and legal advisers, and senior management in the former DAS. A summary of the results was provided to the staff in each business.Corporate Diagnostics Pty Ltd59,772(d) COMSUPERSurvey of client satisfaction with ComSuper's services over a 12 month periodThis survey is current. Single quantitative and qualitative survey consisting of a set of questionnaires to be issued to ComSuper's three principal client groups, contributors, preserved benefit members and pensioners, and a single questionnaire to employers, in the course of the 1997-98 financial year. Survey results will, in the first instance, be used by ComSuper management as a means of further improving service delivery. Results will be made available to the CSS, PSS and MSBS Boards of Trustees.Orima Research> 68,700269(Question No. 915)915269Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Transport and Regional Development, upon notice, on 16 October 1997:(1) What qualitative or quantitative research has been undertaken by the Department and its agencies since 3 March 1996.(2) What was the nature of the research undertaken (sample sizes, questionnaire length, evaluation) and to whom were the results of the research available.(3) In each instance, which firm or firms have been engaged to undertake this work.(4) In each instance, what has been the cost of the work undertaken.269Alston, Sen RichardSenator AlstonLD4VICLPCommunications, the Information Economy and the Arts10—The Minister for Transport and Regional Development has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's questions:The following table lists qualitative and quantitative research conducted by consultants for the Department, including sub-programs which are sometimes seen as departmental agencies, such as the Federal Office of Road Safety and the Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics (where relevant to transport and regional development portfolio responsibilities).ATTACHMENT ARESEARCH UNDERTAKEN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT SINCE 3 MARCH 1996Firms EngagedResearch Project and Availability of ResultsTotal CostSnowy Mountains Engineering Corporation LtdTo assess the network of major roads comprising the National Highway System plus a number of other major roads on which data have been supplied by State road authorities and convert data on the condition of major non-urban roads to a new database. The data base was required for the Bureau of Transport and Communication Economics (BTCE) assessment of the adequacy of non-urban road infrastructure for submission to the House of Representatives Inquiry into Federal Road Funding (Neville Report).$51,630Queensland University of TechnologyTo conduct an assessment of the life-expectancy and potential cost of replacement of bridges on some major non-urban roads under various scenarios for traffic growth and increased vehicle masses. The assessment was required for submission to the House of Representatives Inquiry into Federal Road Funding (Neville Report).$35,500OPUS International ConsultantsTo develop an algorithm to predict the effect of passing lanes on vehicle speeds for different passing lane frequencies, traffic volumes, vehicle mixes and terrains, to use in a BTCE computer model which predicts future road investment needs. The assessment was required for the BTCE submission to the House of Representatives Inquiry into Federal Road Funding (Neville Report).$16,500AUSTROADS Inc.Establishment of the Australian Pavement Studies and Research Centre (APSARC). Generally available.$6,038 PPK Environment and Infrastructure Pty LtdPreparation of the draft Environmental Impact Statement on the development of a second major airport for Sydney. Draft EIS addresses a range of planning, physical environmental and biological, and social and economic impacts of developing a second major airport for Sydney. The draft EIS will be released to the public, as will relevant technical papers.$4.3 million (excluding printing and community consultation)TNT Logistics AsiaLogistics Mapping Case Study. This study maps out the transport and logistics chain for exporting fruit to Indonesia. The study will assist Australian exporters in developing an efficient and cost effective transport and logistics chain for exporting their goods. This study is still in progress.$50,000MariTrade ConsultantsEmpty Shipping Container Repositioning Study. This study looks at the extent and cost of empty shipping container repositioning between Australia and our three major Asian trade routes and possible solutions to address the imbalance. A formal evaluation has not been undertaken at this stage. The report has been distributed to the Supermarket to Asia Council's Transport and Logistics Working Group and to the participating port authorities. The report is available to the public on request.$5,000KPMG Corporate Finance (Vic) Pty LtdResearch was conducted into how best to sell off the assets of the Albury-Wodonga Development Corporation (AWDC). The research commenced in December 1995 and the report was handed to the Department on 16 June 1996. Project was undertaken through: community consultations; release of an issues paper; public workshops and discussions; interviews with key business people and community representatives; and inviting written submissions from the public. The Study was presented to the 45th Albury-Wodonga Ministerial Council Meeting in February 1997. After Ministerial Council meeting, results of study released to the public.$173,543FDF Management Pty LtdTo research and advise on regional freight flows and to verify priority corridors for freight in regional areas. Generally available.$29,500MAC Project and Management ServicesDeveloping a national research strategy for local government—preparation of issues paper for the National Office of Local Government (NOLG) as well as academic and local government organisations.$3,750University of CanberraReview of recent Australian research into Local Government—preparation of a background paper for the Local Government Research Workshop for NOLG as well as academic and local government organisations.$10,500Austin EconomicsComparison of Grants Commission methodologies—preparation of papers for discussion—key information published in the second Local Government National Report to be tabled in Parliament and to be distributed to all local government bodies in Australia.$8,500Australian Water Technologies To perform a collection and analysis of yabbie, sediment and water samples from inflow streams in the Jervis Bay Territory. Results made available to Jervis Bay Territory Environment Committee.$50,029Chem Affairs Pty LtdTo undertake a human health risk assessment of possible contamination of Mary Creek in the Jervis Bay Territory. To determine possible risks due to the known chemicals of potential concern, and to determine whether any immediate actions are necessary in order to eliminate or control those sources of contamination contributing to health risk and determine whether there are any grounds for further risk assessment. Results were made available to the Jervis Bay Territory Environment Committee.$12,245Price WaterhouseIndependent assessment and advice on whether an applicant is reasonably capable in terms of the viability of its business plan of implementing international air services on the proposed routes from Australia for the purposes of Para. 4.1(ii) of the Minister's Policy Statement. Information only made available to Commissioners of the International Air Services Commission.$10,000The Federal Office of Road Safety (FORS) research reports are distributed through a wide mailing list to State and Territory Road Authorities, relevant industry groups, researchers, international road safety and transport organisations and are made available to the general public on request. Research reports are available free of charge and abstracts and publication details are published on the internet.The following list includes research commissioned before 3 March 1996, but still in progress at that date. "Total cost" includes cost of work on these projects prior to 3 March 1996.Firms EngagedResearch Project and Availability of ResultsTotal CostSpent Since March 1996Griffith University—Dr R HomelConduct a program of research to identify the most effective and efficient methods for implementing random breath testing in a range of settings and conditions which will enable the impact of random breath testing to be optimised.$89,000$7,500Keatsdale Pty LtdDevelop a code of practice for the use of digital imaging technology in the policing of traffic offences. The project involved a review, in conjunction with senior traffic police, of the technological, legal and operational issues involved with the implementation of digital imaging technology in enforcement.$51,650$51,650Monash University Accident Research CentreUndertake a study and benefits analysis of a hybrid dynamic side impact standard, based on the current US and European regulations to determine the potential reduction in Harm for Australia. Study will also consist of an injury reduction assessment, followed by benefit computations.$61,466$53,444Monash University Accident Research CentreUndertake a case-control study comparing a group of crash-involved motorcycle riders with a group of riders not involved in crashes. The aim of the study was to identify and assess the contribution of modifiable risk factors associated with serious injury and fatal motorcycle crashes. The research involved crash site and vehicle inspections, rider interviews and roadside observation surveys to gather detailed information on 222 crashes and 1195 controls.$246,998 (includes a 50% contribution from VicRoads)$233,075National Health and Medical Research Council—Road Accident Research UnitUndertake a research project to quantify the relationship between the travelling speed of a car and the risk of involvement in a serious crash in urban areas. The results of this project will provide essential input into the development of speed management programs in Australian jurisdictions. The central component of the research involves the detailed investigation and reconstruction of 154 crashed vehicles; control information was collected for 604 vehicles.$369,450$177,950National Health and Medical Research Council—Road Accident Research UnitAssess the potential for reducing head injuries among car occupants through the application of improved interior padding measures. The study incorporated a literature review, an analysis of occupant head injury data (including a harm mitigation analysis) and an assessment of relevant energy absorption treatments.$70,308$29,161Queensland University Dr Mary SheehanConduct a longer term evaluation of the Queensland "Under the Limit" drink driving rehabilitation program.$62,400$19,914Road Accident Prevention Research Unit, University of Western AustraliaUndertake research to investigate the characteristics of recidivist drink drivers in an Australian jurisdiction, as part of the preparation for a seminar on Recidivist and Hard Core Drink Drivers.$24,102$24,102Sinclair Knight MerzThe collection and coding of fatal crash data for 1994 from coroners' reports. These reports are a primary source of information on fatal road crashes which directs research and public education initiatives. Sample size: 1822 fatal crashes and 2017 fatalities.$214,900$220,766 Monash University Accident Research CentreConduct truck rear under-run project to develop an energy absorbing underrun barrier.$80,000$18,786Autoliv Australia Pty LtdConduct a crash test research program involving frontal, side impact and off-set frontal tests. This is a period contract which provides set rates for each crash test type. The Federal Office of Road Safety research program provides for the following projects under this contract:Total Project cost *includes cost of cars, printing, transport etc.Crash analysis costs paid to Autoliv since 3 March 1996. Conduct a series of crashes involving vehicles with and without airbags using the same crash test methodology. The purpose of this stand-alone consumer information program was to compare the injury outcome of vehicles tested and provide consumer education on the benefits of airbags.$417,529*$417,529 (includes $362,529 for cars, transport, equipment, etc). Conduct a series of crashes to validate proposed off-set frontal crash regulations.$172,248*$172,248 (includes $87,248 for cars, transport, equipment etc). Conduct a series of crashes to develop regulations for dynamic side-impact crashes.$378,374*$258,374 (includes $154,374 for cars, transport, equipment, etc). Conduct a truck rear under-run crash test using a prototype under-run barrier developed by Monash University Accident Research Centre. This will assist in developing an energy absorbing underrun barrier designed to reduce the severity of truck rear under-run crashes.$50,961$50,961 (includes $35,961 for cars, transport, equipment etc). Conduct a series of 6 airbag deployments using out-of-position child and small adult instrumented crash test dummies, and one unrestrained full frontal barrier test. (Commissioned on behalf of US NHTSA).$67,832$52,100Keatsdale Pty LtdDetermine the cost effectiveness of Australian periodic motor vehicle inspection practices in Australia. Arrangements vary widely from compulsory government administered schemes (ACT), and privately administered schemes (NSW) to no inspection requirements (SA).$40,000$30,000Worksafe AustraliaPrepare a summary report that consolidates the findings of prior research into strategies to combat fatigue in the long distance road transport industry.$12,500$10,500National Health and Medical Research Council—Road Accident Research UnitConduct a review of the evolution of the understanding of the nature and severity of injuries to a pedestrian when struck by a vehicle. Carry out a review of the research activities which have led to the development of vehicle test procedures to optimise the protection afforded to a pedestrian in the event of a collision.$15,530$15,530NSW Roads & Traffic AuthoritySled tests of child crash test dummies in adult seat belts and child harnesses to compare the outcome.$21,898$21,898 Royal Melbourne Institute of TechnologyDevelop a method for measuring spray from heavy vehicles and investigate aerodynamic methods for spray reduction.$20,000$20,000Peter Young Pty LtdConduct a study examining the feasibility of establishing a National Highway Geographical Information System (GIS).$60,000$44,839Stancombe ResearchEvaluate pilot Drink Drive campaign. This was a quantitative phone survey, the results of which are available to the Federal Office of Road Safety (FORS) and all jurisdictions. The questionnaire comprised 17 initial questions and 34 follow up questions. 20 individual interviews were conducted with 250 pre-phone interviews and 350 post interviews with 17 pre-interview questions and 34 post questions.$39,414$27,414Chris Adams ResearchTest advertising concept Speed campaign. This was a qualitative survey involving focus groups, the results of which are available to FORS and all jurisdictions.$16,800$16,800Frank Small & AssociatesEvaluate Motorcycle campaign. This was a qualitative evaluation involving focus groups and interviews, the results of which are available to FORS and all jurisdictions. The questionnaire comprised 31 initial questions and 30 follow up questions. 1200 individual pre-interviews were conducted with 1200 individual post-interviews.$33,200$24,900Frank Small & AssociatesTest Motorcycle concepts. This is a qualitative evaluation involving focus groups and interviews, the results of which are available to FORS and all jurisdictions.$42,000$15,000Elliott & ShanahanMarket research Rural Safety campaign. This was a qualitative survey involving 20 focus groups and 27 individual interviews, with each interview having 9 questions. Results are available to FORS and all jurisdictions.$69,740$69,740Ms D OldfieldMarket research results from the National Safe Travel to School Awards campaign. This was a quantitative phone survey, involving 66 primary schools with 32 questions being asked of each school. The results of the survey are available to FORS and all jurisdictions.$250$250Two organisations were engaged by FORS to conduct the preliminary testing and analysis phase of the Diesel Vehicle In-service Emissions Study. The data from this phase is being used internally to develop the final stage of the project. The final report of the study will be released to the public.NSW EPAProvide specialist equipment and personnel to collect and analyse gaseous and smoke emissions from the 17 vehicles tested in the program.$34,800$34,800Queensland University of TechnologyProvide specialist equipment and personnel to collect and analyse particulate emissions from the 17 vehicles tested in the program.$33,350$33,350Research commissioned since 3 March 1996:Firms EngagedResearch Project and Availability of ResultsTotal CostSpent Since March 1996ARRB Transport Research LtdPrepare proposed methodology for safety risk assessment of horizontal curves for unsealed roads.$3,200$3,200ARRB Transport Research LtdProvide a final report for a study to assess priorities for rural road shoulder treatments. The consultants were required to undertake technical research to obtain details of treated sites, consult with the relevant authorities on current methods of treatment and analyse crash statistics before and after treatment. The study included a review of information available within Australia and overseas regarding the use and effectiveness of road shoulder treatments in reducing crashes, methods used to assess site priorities for treatment and current procedures for road shoulder treatments. The review identified the benefits and costs involved in sealing shoulders on rural roads.$72,500$72,500Australian Fleet Managers Association (AFMA)Administer a fleet safety award, which involved disseminating information to fleet managers, inviting nominations, evaluating the merits of nominated fleet safety programs, designing an appropriate trophy, staging the presentation event and producing a report on the outcome.$25,000$15,000Data Capture and AnalysisUndertake a project to develop a table to identify possible road treatments as countermeasures for particular crash types. It is expected that the project will contribute to greater efficiency and effectiveness in black spot treatment.INTSTAT AustraliaAd hoc analysis of road safety data. Provide in-depth statistical analysis of road crash data in response to requests from the Parliament, State Authorities, industry and the public.$200,000$177,538Monash University Accident Research CentreValidate the use of the Victorian Transport Accident Commission's driving simulator as a means of testing and developing a range of visual road treatments designed to reduce vehicle speeds. Several treatments were used in both on-road and simulator trials; correlation analyses were carried out on the pattern of responses of the simulator method. This project follows recommendations from an earlier study on the development of perceptual road treatments.$44,165 (includes 50% contribution from NSW RTA)$28,265Monash University Accident Research CentreUndertake a pilot study of crashed vehicles with airbags and similar vehicles without airbags to examine airbag effectiveness and identify any problems associated with their introduction in conjunction with Australian Design Rule 69. The pilot involved the identification and inspection of 60 crashed vehicles.$84,200$33,680Professor Ray OverProvide a literature review and discussion paper on national and international Research relating to female drivers. The literature review is part of a larger project involving statistical analysis of existing road crash databases and the conduct of an independent research study of female drivers. The project will provide a better understanding of the factors related to female driver involvement in serious crashes and contribute to policy formulation on this issue.$5,000$5,000QSTATS Data Management and ConsultingCollection and coding of fatal crash data for 1996/97 from coroners' reports. These reports are a primary source of information on fatal road crashes, which directs research and public education initiatives. Sample size is around 2,000.$135,000$58,084Institute for Gender and Health, University of NewcastleInvestigation of factors associated with female drivers' involvement in serious crashes. (Female drivers are known to have relatively high risk of involvement in crashes resulting in serious injury, but not fatality.) 5,000 women were surveyed to identify socio-economic, mental health and physical health factors related to risk. Results will contribute towards Departmental policy on female drivers. The questionnaire comprised 30 questions.$50,000$40,000University of NSWUndertake laboratory and on-road studies involving long distance truck drivers to develop performance indicators for fatigue management in road transport, and evaluation tools for road transport operators to determine effectiveness of fatigue management strategies. The study is part of the pilot project for Fatigue Management Programs being run in Queensland and involving State and Commonwealth governments, the Road Transport Forum and road transport operators.$310,940$135,000Taverner Research CompanyUndertake a series of national surveys of community attitudes to road safety issues. Information from these surveys contributes to the formation and review of road safety policy and public education programs. The current survey involves telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of some 1250 Australian residents. On average, each interview lasted about 13 minutes.$115,806$75,806Adelaide University Road Accident Research Unit (Luminis Pty Ltd)Conduct headform impact tests to EEVC standard on top 10 selling vehicles in Australia as part of pedestrian safety research program.$356,235$129,035Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Investigate and analyse the pattern of travel speeds and trip times for vehicles engaged in a range of typical urban journeys and develop a method for estimating the potential effects of speed limits and speed enforcement on travel times, travel speeds, traffic flows, congestion and travel demand characteristics in urban environments.$70,520Road Transport Forum TruckSafe research fundingThe Department provided $50,000 in June 1996 to the Road Transport Forum for the development of an alternative compliance industry accreditation program. This funding was provided specifically for the purpose of developing an audit framework for this scheme and aligning the industry program with the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme with is being developed by governments in parallel with the development of national road transport law. It is vital for the success of these schemes that they have consistent standards in order to maximise the participation rate by operators. These funds came from the research allocation under the Australian Land Transport Development Act 1988. The Road Transport Forum is an approved research organisation for the purpose of this Act.$50,000$50,000Coopers & LybrandDevelop general audit principles and practices module under the national alternative compliance scheme.$1,968$1,968ITS AustraliaEstablish an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) interaction website on the Internet designed to stimulate industry and promote service with potential users.$120,000$120,000MR QuantumEvaluate the Speed campaign. This was a quantitative phone survey, the results of which are available to FORS and all jurisdictions. Questionnaire comprised 14 initial questions and 16 follow-up questions. Comprising 812 pre-phone interviews and 814 post-phone interviews. $37,200$37,200Worthington Di MarzioEvaluate Young Driver campaign. This was a quantitative and qualitative survey involving 7 focus groups, the questionnaire contained 102 questions and there were 304 pre-benchmark phone interviews conducted followed by 350 post-phone interviews. The results of which are available to FORS and all jurisdictions.$35,000$35,000Elliott & ShanahanTest creative concept Rural Speed campaign. This was a qualitative survey involving 9 focus groups, with reactions to 10 concepts. The results are available to FORS and all jurisdictions.$30,000$30,000 EurekaEvaluate FORS Rural Speed campaign. This was a quantitative phone survey, with a questionnaire containing 32 questions. 500 pre-phone interviews were conducted followed by 500 post-phone interviews. The results are available to the Federal Office of Road Safety and all jurisdictions.$42,636$42,636John GunnSurvey of all staff, May 1997 (2 pages with additional 3 pages for managers) as part of a diagnostic report to assist the Department to achieve accreditation as an Investor in People. Results to all staff included in a Minute from the Department's Deputy Secretary.$15,000$15,000Interaction Consulting GroupSurvey of Staff Attitudes in Department, October 1996. 602 respondents (80% return rate). Questionnaire of 15 pages, including benchmarking questions. Results available to all staff in the form of the complete report in Departmental library, presentations to each Sub-program by Secretary and summary on Departmental electronic Bulletin Board.$21,785$21,785276(Question No. 930)930276Faulkner, Sen JohnSenator Faulkner5K4NSWALP00 asked the Ministers listed below, upon notice, on 22 October 1997:Minister representing the Prime Minister; Minister representing the Minister for Trade; Minister representing the Treasurer; Minister representing the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy; Minister for the Environment; Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts; Minister representing the Minister for Workplace Relations and Small Business; Minister for Social Security; Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs; Minister representing the Minister for Industry, Science and Tourism; Minister representing the Minister for Defence; Minister representing the Minister for Health and Family Services; Minister representing the Minister for Finance and Administration; Minister representing the Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs; Minister representing the Attorney-General; Minister representing the Minister for Transport and Regional Development; Minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs; Minister representing the Minister for Veterans' Affairs; Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.Has the Minister or the Minister's office ever overturned a departmental recommendation in relation to the awarding of a consultancy or other contract; if so: (a) when was the action taken; (b) what was the nature of the consultancy or contract involved (these may be specified in general terms if there are problems of commercial confidentiality); (c) what amounts of money were involved; and (d) what was the reason for taking such action. 276Hill, Sen RobertSenator HillBH4SALPEnvironment10—The Prime Minister has provided the following answer, on behalf of those ministers, to the honourable senator's question:The awarding of consultancy and other contracts is a regular feature of the work of most departments, and the task of examining advice on each contract since March 1996 would involve a workload I am not prepared to authorise. To the extent that Ministers receive advice and make decisions on whether or not to accept it, I regard that deliberative process, in the normal course of events, to be confidential to government.276(Question No. 963)963276Abetz, Sen EricSenator AbetzN26TASLP10 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, upon notice, on 17 November 1997:(1) What funding was provided, and, if any, what was the amount provided to the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) in the 1996-97 financial year by the department.(2) What funding was provided, and, if any, what was the amount provided to the Wilderness Society in the 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97 financial years by the department.276Hill, Sen RobertSenator HillBH4SALPEnvironment10—As indicated above, the honourable senator has asked identical questions of both ministers. The following answer has been provided by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on behalf of both ministers:(1) Neither the Department of Foreign Affairs nor Austrade provided any funding to the Australian Conservation Foundation in the 1996-97 financial year. AusAID provided $37,860 in 1996-97.(2) No funding was provided to the Wilderness Society by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Austrade or AusAID in the 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97 financial years.277(Question No. 981)981277Allison, Sen LynSenator Allison1M6VICAD00 asked the Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, upon notice, on 17 November 1997:With reference to the answers to questions on notice nos 495 (Official Senate Hansard , 7 May 1997, p.2999), 698 (Official Senate Hansard , 27 August 1997, p.5885) and 859 (Official Senate Hansard , 22 October 1997, p.7794) regarding Telstra's offer to fund parliamentarians to the Atlanta Olympics.(1) Can a copy of the Telstra Employee Code of Conduct which sets out guidelines for the expected behaviour of employees in their dealings with customers and suppliers be provided(2) Without disclosing business or individual names, what is the value of equipment and services purchased over the past 2 years from Telstra by each of the companies represented by the 10 business guests of Telstra to the Atlanta Games(3) Were all States and Territories canvassed seeking expressions of interest to attend the Atlanta Games(4) Did the Northern Territory Government indicate to Telstra at any stage that it proposed to make a bid for the 2006 Commonwealth Games; if so, was such a proposal discussed in the Northern Territory Parliament or in any other way made public.(5) Why were the cost of trips taken by the Victorian Minister for Education (Mr Gude) and the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (Mr Stone) not met by their respective governments.277Alston, Sen RichardSenator AlstonLD4VICLPCommunications, the Information Economy and the Arts10—The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:(1) A copy of the Telstra Employee Code of Conduct is attached.*(2) Telstra has informed me that it is not in a position to calculate the sum the Senator is seeking. Telstra has advise that this is because each of the customers has varying expenditure levels of Telstra services and each is a heavy user of telecommunications services. Telstra considers "value" lies in the customer relationship, providing Telstra with an opportunity to work with the customer to better understand their business and their business needs. (3) Telstra has advised that it examined its customer list and made choices about which customers it would invite as its guests at the Atlanta Olympics. In assessing which customers were to be approached to attend Atlanta as Telstra guests, many factors were taken into consideration. Telstra has advised each State and Territory government was assumed to be a potential bidder for future Commonwealth Games, including the 2006 Games. Telstra has further advised that the overarching basis for approaching government was the status of the business relationship between the customer and Telstra. Because of this criterion Telstra has indicated that not all state governments were approached.(4) As Telstra has previously indicated in response to question on notice 495, the offer was taken up by the Northern Territory government as an opportunity to gain first hand knowledge of the Olympic Games to enhance possible future bids for the Commonwealth Games. Telstra has further advised that it is not aware of any proposals discussed by the Northern Territory Parliament.(5) Telstra has advised each customer was accommodated as a business guest of Telstra, including the government customers.* Copies of the Telstra Employee Code of Conduct is available from the Senate Table Office.277(Question No. 1002)1002277Allison, Sen LynSenator Allison1M6VICAD00 asked the Minister for Social Security, upon notice, on 25 November 1997:(1) Following the cut backs made to funding for the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs' On Arrival Accommodation program and the narrowing of the scope of eligibility, what sort of provisions for housing are currently available for newly arrived migrants.(2) How much funding is allocated and to which programs.(3) Given that many migrants acquire information about the public housing application procedure through word of mouth or informal networks, how does the department propose to address the problems encountered by these migrants in gaining access to clear and accurate information pertaining to eligibility criteria and housing services provided, particularly in the light of the fact that many are illiterate or unable to comprehend written English.(4) Given that there is presently great disparity between the States concerning the extent to which preference is given to refugees allowing them greater access to public housing: what measures, if any, have been taken by the Federal Government to ensure uniformity between the States' categories for special consideration with regards to humanitarian entrants.(5) Does the Government propose to amend the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement in the future to allow refugee status to be a primary factor in the allocation of public housing.278Newman, Sen JocelynSenator NewmanBE4TASLPSocial Security10—The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:(1) The Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs informs me that there has been no cut back to OAA funding this financial year for Humanitarian Program entrants. The eligibility criteria for Humanitarian Program entrants also have not been changed recently. In the past migrants who were in need of emergency accommodation because their on-arrival arrangements had broken down were eligible to be accommodated in migrant hostels for up to four weeks. This practice was scaled down following the disposal of migrant hostels by the former Government.(2) The Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs has advised me that expected expenditure on OAA in 1997/98 will be around $3.6m which was the level of expenditure in 1996/97. These funds form part of the Humanitarian Settlement Sub Program which has an annual appropriation of $11.224m for 1997/98. An additional $5.08m was allocated to this item this financial year to fund the introduction of the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy.(3) The Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs informs me that his Department distributes a settlement information kit to newly arrived migrants which contains contact and referral information about public housing services in the relevant State/Territory. The kit is translated into a number of different languages. Assistance is also available from the Translating and Interpreting Service to assist non English speaking newly arrived migrants and Humanitarian Program entrants to access settlement services. The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs also provides up to 510 hours of English tuition to these NESB entrants through its Adult Migrant English Program.(4) Allocation to public housing is the responsibility of State and Territory Governments. Refugees are able to access the full range of public housing options available to low income applicants. Priority public housing allocation is made available to people who meet priority criteria such as demonstrating an urgent housing need or having no other housing options.(5) No. 278(Question No. 1003)1003278Allison, Sen LynSenator Allison1M6VICAD00 asked the Minister for Social Security, upon notice, on 25 November 1997:(1) Is the Minister aware that (a) for the 1996-97 financial year, $728 million was allocated for expenditure on housing in Victoria but that only $361.3 million was actually used for this purpose; and (b) the reason quoted by the Victorian State Government for this `under use' of funds was the uncertainty created by the Commonwealth Government over the future of funding provision under the present Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement (CSHA).(2) Are there any mechanisms in place under the CSHA to ensure that funds allocated for housing are actually used for that purpose, and within a set time frame; if so, what are these specifications; if not, what is the justification for the absence of any such mechanisms.(3) Given that the Victorian Government's under use of housing funds has come at a time when waiting lists in the State are long, rental markets are tight and characterised by very low vacancy rate, homelessness is on the increase and public housing is being sold off: Does the department perceive the need for the Federal Government to place binding conditions upon these grants on order to compel the State Governments to uphold their side of the bargain by actively spending the allocated funds to improve State housing programs.278Newman, Sen JocelynSenator NewmanBE4TASLPSocial Security10—The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:(1) (a) The figures quoted in the question ($728 million allocated to expenditure on housing and $363.1 million actually used for this purpose) do not relate specifically to housing. I am advised the figures represent the budgeted and actual expenditure on Housing and Community Amenities, a Government Purpose Classification (GPC) which includes expenditure by some 20 agencies, including the Office of Housing, Melbourne Water and non metropolitan water and sewerage authorities.The Commonwealth CSHA grant for 1996-97 was approximately $243 million. Victoria's State matching requirement was approximately $105 million. CSHA funds carried over by Victoria from 1996/97 to 1997/98 were $118.8 million.(b) The Victorian Minister for Housing sought the agreement of the Commonwealth to carry over unexpended capital funds for 1996/97 to 1997/98. In September 1996, I advised the Victorian Minister that unexpended funds could be carried over. Funding certainty for the final two years of the current CSHA was provided by the Prime Minister in May 1997 when he made a commitment to States and Territories that funding would be guaranteed through to 30 June 1999.(2) Yes. The 1996 CSHA provides that available funds, for the period of an approved Strategic Plan, can only be used for specified housing assistance purposes. The 1996 CSHA further stipulates that where funds have not been used for allowable uses a Strategic Plan can be suspended and consequently further Commonwealth funding is withheld.(3) See the answer to Part (2).279(Question No. 1006)1006279Stott Despoja, Sen NatashaSenator Stott Despoja3I6SAAD00 asked the Minister for Social Security, upon notice, on 26 November 1997:(1) How will the Youth Allowance impact on postgraduate students, will they be able to access Youth Allowance.(2) Will postgraduate studies be recognised as a `legitimate activity' for the purpose of Youth Allowance assessment.(3) What will be the access afforded postgraduate students to health care cards.279Newman, Sen JocelynSenator NewmanBE4TASLPSocial Security10—The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:(1) Austudy guidelines applying to post-graduate students will broadly be incorporated into Youth Allowance.A student will be able to get Youth Allowance for one graduate or post-graduate course.(2) Post-graduate study will be recognised as a `legitimate activity' for the purpose of Youth Allowance assessment.(3) As now, post-graduate students will be eligible for a health care card if their income is below the appropriate limit.279(Question No. 1007)1007279Neal, Sen BelindaSenator NealB36NSWALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, upon notice, on 26 November 1997:With reference to the answer to question no. 293 (Senate Hansard, 4 December 1996, p.6725):(1) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that: `The Department organised, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Royal Navy, the identification and burial of two members of Operation Rimau at Kanji War Cemetery Singapore on 27th of August 1994': (a) can details be provided of what action the department took in conjunction with the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Royal Australian Navy in identifying the remains of the two members; (b) can it be confirmed that an identification of Sargeant Cameron's remains was conducted by a doctor at the Sydney Coroner's office in conjunction with a colleague at the Adelaide Coroner's office; (c) can it be confirmed that a letter dated 18 January 1993 from Director of Personnel Services, Department of Defence, to Major Tom Hall RFD ED advised that the Australian Defence Force head quarters is responsible for the identification of the remains of service personnel and the removal of those remains to an appropriate place of burial; (d) can it be confirmed that in a letter dated 12 March 1993 from the Director of Personnel Services, Department of Defence, the Surgeon General ADF had been requested to obtain Sargeant Cameron's medical file and to arrange for military forensic experts to be available to examine the remains held by the New South Wales Coroner's office; (e) did this examination take place; if so, what was the date of this examination; (f) can it be confirmed that Sub Lt JGM Riggs RNVR's remains were exhumed by the Indonesian Navy, and that his remains where entrusted to the British High Commissioner in Jakarta up until the time of his burial in the Kanji War Memorial Cemetery in August 1994; and (g) did a forensic examination of these remains take place; if so, who conducted the examination and when.(2) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that: `The Department has also provided legal advice regarding current legislation and Military Law relating to alleged War crimes': (a) can it be confirmed that this advice was provided in response to a letter from Major Hall, dated 11 February 1993, asking the Minister to investigate the actions of a particular Captain during the period of 1943 to 1945; (b) can it be confirmed that despite Major Hall's request for the advice from the department referred to by the Minister, it was only provided to Major Hall after he had requested it through the freedom of information section of the department; (c) is the Minister satisfied that the information received by Major Hall from the department was a satisfactory response to his specific request; and (d) is the Minister satisfied that the advice given to Major Hall that the statute of limitations now applied and there was nothing that could be done.(3) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that: `The statement that Major Hall has provided documentary evidence to the Department of Defence since 1992 is not strictly correct. Correspondence from Major Hall to the Department of Defence commenced on this matter in mid February 1993': (a) can it be confirmed that a letter and map from Major Hall, outlining documentary information of the location of War graves, dated 30 January 1992 and addressed to the Records Officer of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission' was copied to both the Ministers for Defence and Veterans' Affairs; and (b) can it be confirmed that this correspondence is in the possession of the department as acknowledged by a letter to Major Hall from Chief of General Staff dated 6 March 1996.(4) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that: `Major Hall provided a summary of his research to Army Headquarters in late January 1996 after a request from the office of the Minister for Defence to provide any further information he may have in this matter': (a) can it be confirmed that this request was made to Major Hall after he had informed the department that he believed the Army Attache (8-15 October 1995) had visited a site which was 2 000 metres north of the grave site and on the wrong side of the river; (b) can it be confirmed that the Army Attache was not provided with the Dili Map 1937 which Major Hall had provided in documentation to the department; if so, could an explanation be given as to why the Army Attache was not provided with this map.(5) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that: `As a result of the information provided by Major Hall, the Army Attache in Jakarta undertook a visit to Dili, Timor in the period 8-15 October 1995, to search for the grave sites of Warrant Officer Second Class Jeffery Willersdorf and Lance Corporal Hugo Pace, as well as another Australian, Lieutenant Eric Liversidge': (a) can it be confirmed that the only information provided to the Army Attache in Jakarta was a copy of a letter sent by Major Hall addressed to the Commonwealth War Graves on 30 January 1992 (which did not include a copy of the Dili Map 1937) and a newspaper report and request from the President of the Returned and Services League of Australia in Victoria; and (b) why was none of the other information given to the department provided to the Army Attache.(6) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that: `The invitation was extended in a letter to Major Hall dated 15 May 1996.Major Hall has not replied to this invitation': (a) can it be confirmed that on 23 May 1996 Major Hall did reply to the letter dated 15 May 1996 stating the assurances he required before he could attend any meeting in Canberra and outlining the results of previous meetings he had attended in 1988 and 1995 with the Departments of Defence and Veterans' Affairs on the subject of Australian unmarked war graves.(7) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that: `Departmental policy requires that "investigating authorities must assess the feasibility of successfully recovering any remains given the information provided, the size of the area to be searched, sensitivity to local issues. . . and the reliability of the informant"': (a) could details be provided of what size an area the department considers acceptable to search, and whether or not the area of the Dili Map 1937 provided by Major Hall with the grave sites marked is acceptable to the department; (b) could details be provided of what sensitive local issues exist in this particular case; (c) does the department consider the evidence provided by Major Hall to be reliable; and (d) is the Minister aware that most of the evidence provided to the department by Major Hall was collected by the Australian military forces between 1945 to 1951 and has been held by Australian Archives since 1981.(8) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that: `In regard to marking the graves of Australian and Americans killed at Surabaya Java, Major Hall advised the Department that the area where he suspects the remains are located is in a restricted Indonesian Naval Base. To date, action has not started to progress this search of the naval base due to the sensitivity of the site and a lack of hard evidence to support an approach to the Indonesian Authorities': (a) is the Minister aware that on 26 February 1996 a representative from the Army History Directorate inspected part of the documents held by Major Hall, which provided evidence to support his information on the location of graves of Australian and Americans killed at Surabaya, Java, but did not return on 1 March 1996 as had been arranged with Major Hall to collect this information; and (b) is the Minister satisfied with the efforts made by the department to obtain the documents held by Major Hall RFD ED with respect to Surabaya, Java.(9) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that: `No date had been set for the visit to Surabaya at this stage, but it is expected that a visit may be organised early 1997, subject to the approval of Indonesian Authorities': (a) has that visit to Surabaya taken place; if so, what were the findings of that visit; and (b) if that visit has not taken place when is it expected to, and what are the reasons for the delay.(10) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that: `In the main, however, the Department has endeavoured to keep Major Hall advised of progress by telephone calls and by letter', can it be confirmed that an amount of the information collected by Major Hall from the department was given to him only after he invoked the Freedom of Information Act and paid the necessary fees.(11) With reference to the answer, in which the Minister advised that Major Tom Hall had, `albeit unintentionally, contributed to the delay by having initiated correspondence with several different areas of the Department', can it be confirmed that the original correspondence from Major Hall was addressed only to the Ministers for Defence and Veterans' Affairs, and that it was the decision of their respective offices to direct this correspondence to others in their department and not Major Hall's decision.281Newman, Sen JocelynSenator NewmanBE4TASLPSocial Security10—The Minister for Defence has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:(1) to (11) Major Hall's claims regarding the content of the response to Senate Question on Notice No. 293 placed on notice by you on 1 November 1996, and published in the Senate Hansard of 4 December 1996 on page 6725, would appear to be based on information of which at least some has not been seen by the Department of Defence. The initial response was prepared in good faith and contained the most accurate information available from departmental records.To fully research your current question would require significant effort which would involve accessing Australian and International Archives. The Minister for Defence is not prepared to authorise the time and public expense required to obtain and collate the requested information.An invitation was extended to Major Hall in May 1996 to discuss his research findings with Defence officials. This invitation remains open and details of a departmental contact officer have been forwarded separately to the honourable senator's office.281(Question No. 1011)1011281Murray, Sen AndrewSenator Murray3M6WAAD00 asked the Minister for the Environment, upon notice, on 28 November 1997:(1) Is the Minister aware that the Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management has scheduled approximately 600 hectares of clearfelling in Giblett block for 1998.(2) Will this logging commence before or after the Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement is signed.(3) Has the Commonwealth agreed to the logging.(4) How does the planned logging affect the outcomes of the Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement. 281Hill, Sen RobertSenator HillBH4SALPEnvironment10—The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:(1) During the Comprehensive Regional Assessment process all forest areas in Southern-west Western Australia will be assessed for their conservation values and the contribution they may make to the comprehensive, adequate and representative (CAR) reserve system.Under the Deferred Forests Agreement (DFA) signed in July 1996, interim protection is provided to sufficient forest areas so as not to foreclose options for a CAR reserve system. In addition, under a voluntary undertakings by the Western Australian Government, all National Estate places were protected until the end of 1996, and selected National Estate places are protected to the end of 1997 or until the signing of a Regional Forest Agreement.Under the DFA and voluntary agreement, almost two thirds of the 3,954 hectare Giblett block has been set aside from timber harvesting until the conclusion of the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) process.I understand that the WA government intends to allow timber harvesting in 460 hectares of the remaining portion of Giblett block. This is in accordance with the DFA and the undertakings of the WA Government.(2) I understand that the Western Australian Minister for the Environment, the Hon Cheryl Edwardes, has announced that proposed logging in Giblett has now been rescheduled to the winter of 1998. This is after the scheduled signing of the Regional Forest Agreement.(3) As the area currently proposed for logging is outside the areas set aside under the DFA, this matter is a decision for the Western Australian Government. Commonwealth agreement to the logging is not required and has not been sought.(4) As any logging proposed within the Giblett forest block will now not take place until the winter of 1998, after the scheduled signing of the Regional Forest Agreement, the outcomes of the Regional Forest Agreement will not be affected.281(Question No. 1013)1013281Crane, Sen WinstonSenator CraneUW4WALP10 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Transport and Regional Development, upon notice, on 2 December 1997:(1) Is the Federal Government aware of any positive effects resulting from breath testing machines in licensed premises.(2) Is there any evidence to demonstrate that the presence of breath testing machines will reduce the number of drivers and riders who are killed and injured in road crashes whilst having a blood alcohol level exceeding 0.05.(3) What has been the impact of public breath testing machines in States across Australia over the past 12 months.(4) Has the Federal Government considered legislation which would make compulsory the establishment of public breath testing machines in establishments which serve alcohol.282Alston, Sen RichardSenator AlstonLD4VICLPCommunications, the Information Economy and the Arts10—The Minister for Transport and Regional Development has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question.(1) It is difficult to demonstrate a direct link between the presence of breath testing machines in licensed premises and reduction in alcohol-related road crashes.Such reductions are achieved by applying an integrated package of drink driving countermeasures, which focus on high levels of random breath testing accompanied by appropriate public education.Public breath testing may contribute to this process of public education. if these machines are used on a number of occasions and after consuming different numbers of drinks, people can build up a personal rule of thumb about how many drinks they might be able to safely manage and stay under 0.05.(2) Research by the Monash University Accident Research Centre into the benefit-cost ratios (BCR) of public breath test machines concluded that a BCR of 5.8 might be achieved if machines were installed in a substantial number of licensed premises; if promotion of the machines occurred; and if at least 10% of drivers over the legal BAC limit of 0.05 used the machines. However it is not possible to quantify the actual effect of breath testing machines on road trauma.(3) Unknown.(4) No. The Federal Office of Road Safety (FORS) and other road safety agencies encourage the voluntary installation and use of Australian Standard personal breath testers as a way of educating drivers about blood alcohol levels.282(Question No. 1014)1014282Collins, Sen BobSenator Bob CollinsOF4NTALP00 asked the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, upon notice, on 4 December 1997:(1) Did Wana Ungkunytja Proprietary Limited approach the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) in May 1994, in order to gain urgent financial support to purchase 10 per cent of the Ayers Rock Resort Company.(2) Is it a fact that the Minister instructed ATSIC Commercial Branch, on 30 May 1997, to undertake a detailed financial analysis of the Company's business proposal after Wana Ungkunytja Proprietary Limited informed ATSIC in the same month that the Ayers Rock Resort was to be sold.(3) Did it take ATSIC Commercial Branch more than 2 months to prepare a one-page brief instructing Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Brisbane, to undertake the financial analysis.(4) (a) Is it a fact that the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu analysis was completed some 4 months later, on 14 October 1997; (b) how much did this cost; (c) was a report prepared; if so, can a copy be provided; if a copy cannot be provided, can it be confirmed that the report recommended ATSIC financially support the company in its bid to take up options in the Ayers Rock Resort as a matter of urgency.(5) Is it a fact that the full commission approved financial support through ATSIC decision no. 1985.(6) Given that the sale of the resort has gone ahead, has ATSIC honoured, or does it intend to honour, its decision to fund the company's bid to take up its full options in the general property trust before the December deadline; if so, what form will this financial assistance take; if not, why not.282Herron, Sen JohnSenator HerronVW4QLDLPAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs10—The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission has provided the following information in response to the honourable senator's question:(1) No. The Nyangatjatjara Aboriginal Corporation (Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd holds shares on behalf of the members of the Nyangatjatjara Aboriginal Corporation) approached ATSIC in 1994 regarding the purchase of shares in the Ayers Rock Resort Company Pty Ltd. However, a formal application was not lodged. A letter was sent to the Nyangatjatjara Aboriginal Corporation in August 1994 advising that the Commission's Business Funding Scheme (BFS) does not have the capacity to fund a single project of this size and that the project did not meet the then current BFS funding criteria. The letter suggested that the organisation may wish to approach the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commercial Development Corporation. A previous approach had also been made to the Papunya Regional Council which did not support the funding decision.(2) No. The Minister and ATSIC representatives met with representatives of Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd on 30 May 1997 to discuss the proposal. ATSIC representatives offered to fund the cost of an independent assessment. Subsequent to this meeting, ATSIC commissioned Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu to undertake a full commercial assessment of the proposal. The proposed sale of the Ayers Rock Resort Company (ARRC) would not impact on Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd's rights to access a 10% share.(3) No. Following telephone negotiations during June, written instructions were sent to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu on 3 July 1997(4) (a) No. After finalisation of a quotation, Deloitte Touch Tomatsu wrote to Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd on 29 July 1997 requesting information to assist in the assessment. Negotiations for additional information were completed on 25 August 1997. The assessment was undertaken during September 1997. The Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu report was completed on 6 October 1997 and received by ATSIC on 14 October 1997.(b)The total cost of the report was $18,110.25, which is less than 0.2 % of the sum applied for.(c) The report is of a confidential nature. The report supported the original concept considered by the Commission whether to assist Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd to obtain up to a 10% share in the ARRC in order to secure a financial stake in a business operating in an area of high cultural significance. In addition, it was proposed that this investment would secure continuation of Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd's current level of involvement with ARRC. The original concept subsequently changed.(5) No. The Commission provided support for the proposal but did not give unconditional approval. Commission Decision No. 1985 states that the Commission "Supported a grant/loan mix to allow Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd to purchase at least 5% of the shares and the option agreement" and "Agreed that, if a decision needs to be made on the grant before the next scheduled Board meeting, the Chief Executive Officer should make the decision under her existing delegation from the Commission". The Commission's support of a grant/loan mix did not constitute an approval.(6) Not applicable. The Commission made no decision to approve funding the 10% equity. The Chief Executive Officer of ATSIC declined the application from Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd on 3 December 1997. The reasons for this decision can be summarised as follows:. Developments emerged since the sale of ARRC to General Property Trust (GPT). GPT offered units to Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd to the value of $7.268 million at a rate of 2.5% below the current market value, providing that they agree to the terms of a proposed Deed. Under the draft Deed if Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd exercises its rights in respect of the 10% share in ARRC, the $7.268 million share offer would be withdrawn.. The change in circumstances resulting from the sale of ARRC to GPT not only affects the cultural significance that was associated with the proposal (as ARRC will not be operated as a separate company), but the offer made by GPT ensures a solid financial base for Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd. It would not seem appropriate for ATSIC to provide additional funds over and above the offer by GPT.. The Business Funding Scheme policy precludes the Commission from funding proposals that are viewed as being passive investments. The proposal which has been put forward by GPT and the terms of the purchase of the ARRC, removes the cultural significance of the proposed venture which formed part of the basis for consideration by the Board and is clearly of a passive nature.283(Question No. 1016)1016283Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 as the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department have occurred outside Canberra since March 1996; and (b) Where has the training taken place.283Hill, Sen RobertSenator HillBH4SALPEnvironment10—The answer to the senator's questions are as follows:(a) A total of 61 Canberra-based Austrade staff attended training courses or seminars provided or facilitated by Austrade outside Canberra, between 1 March 1996 and 31 December 1997, as detailed below. These courses/seminars were also attended by non Canberra-based Austrade staff.(b) See below.Name of Training/SeminarConducted AtDatesNo. Attended from Canberra OfficeIntroduction to AustradeSydney April, August, November 199725Australian Operations WorkshopSydney November 19965Major Opportunities Group Workflows WorkshopMelbourneFebruary 19977Train the TrainerSydney April 19975Presentation SkillsSydney April 19972Client Service Policy TrainingSydneyNovember 19972MelbourneJanuary 1996, November 1997, December 199714AdelaideFebruary 19961Total 61284(Question No. 1017)1017284Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Treasurer, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the Department have occurred outside Canberra since March 1996; and (b) where has the training taken place.284Kemp, Sen RodSenator KempWW4VICLPAssistant Treasurer10—The Treasurer has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:The Department of the Treasury advises me that it has organised no training or seminars outside Canberra for its staff since March 1996.284(Question No. 1018)1018284Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department have occurred outside Canberra since March 1996: and (b) Where has the training taken place.284Parer, Sen WarwickSenator ParerKI4QLDLPResources and Energy10—The Minister for Primary Industries and Energy has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:(a) The Department of Primary Industries and Energy (DPIE) does not maintain easily accessible records of training and seminars undertaken by Canberra-based staff by location and I am not willing to allocate resources to comprehensively answer this question. However, a major training program which DPIE senior and middle management staff have attended is the DPIE/Monash Mt Eliza Leading People Program. The first program commenced in September 1996 and 420 officers have participated in the 21 programs already undertaken.(b) The program is held at the Monash University, Mt Eliza Business School, in Victoria.285(Question No. 1019)1019285Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister for the Environment, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department have occurred outside Canberra since March 1996; and (b) where has the training taken place.285Hill, Sen RobertSenator HillBH4SALPEnvironment10—The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:Since March 1996 the Department has organised one training workshop outside Canberra. It was held in July 1997 at Bungendore, NSW. This answer does not include training or seminars organised by other Departments or bodies which might have been attended by staff of this Department.285(Question No. 1020)1020285Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department have occurred outside Canberra since march 1996; and (b) where has the training taken place.285Alston, Sen RichardSenator AlstonLD4VICLPCommunications, the Information Economy and the Arts10—The Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:(a) and (b) The Department's Human Resource Development Plan states that "individuals, teams and their managers or supervisors are responsible for identifying and managing internal and external learning opportunities". Under this principle, decisions about participation in training, seminars or any other developmental opportunity are determined by individual managers on a case by case basis. As with any other decision involving resourcing matters, cost effectiveness is a prime consideration.In accordance with these devolved arrangements, there is no central administration or recording of the participation of staff in training or attendance at seminars outside Canberra. There were no corporately organised training or seminars held outside Canberra since March 1996.285(Question No. 1021)1021285Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Workplace Relations and Small Business, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department have occurred outside Canberra since March 1996; and (b) where has the training taken place.285Alston, Sen RichardSenator AlstonLD4VICLPCommunications, the Information Economy and the Arts10—The Minister for Workplace Relations and Small Business has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:(a) The department has not run any training courses for Canberra-based public servants outside Canberra since March 1996.(b) N/A.285(Question No. 1024)1024285Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Industry, Science and Tourism, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department have occurred outside Canberra since March 1996; and (b) where has the training taken place.285Parer, Sen WarwickSenator ParerKI4QLDLPResources and Energy10—The Minister for Industry, Science and Tourism has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:Training/Seminar (a)Location (b)Business Planning seminarBinalong (NSW)R&D Tax Concession Assessor Training workshopAdelaide (SA)R&D Tax Concession Assessor Training workshopMelbourne (VIC)Executive Media TrainingMelbourne (VIC)Leadership ProgramYass (NSW)286(Question No. 1025)1025286Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department haveoccurred outside Canberra since March 1996; and (b) where has the training taken place.286Newman, Sen JocelynSenator NewmanBE4TASLPSocial Security10—The Minister for Defence has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:(a) and (b) Listed below are the training courses and seminars occurring in locations outside Canberra which have been attended by Canberra-based public servants in the Department of Defence since March 1996.Course TitleLocation1/97 LOGASSESSOR CourseLaverton, Vic11th International Conference on Composite MaterialsGold Coast11th Ship Control Systems SymposiumSouthampton, England12th Annual Conference—Australia and NZ Society of CriminologyBrisbane12th National Quality Management ConferenceSydney13th International Corrosion ConferenceMelbourne1996 Alliance User Group ConferenceSydney1997 SNAME Annual MeetingOttawa, Canada1st Australian Data Fusion SymposiumAdelaide20th National Information Systems Security ConferenceBaltimore, USA3rd Annual Australian SESA SymposiumMelbourne3rd Annual SESA SymposiumMelbourne3rd International Marine Corrosion ForumEdinburgh, Scotland4th International Conference on Fast Sea TransportationSydneyAAPAE 4th National ConferenceMelbourneABM Seminar SydneyABM Training SessionSydneyAccess 2.0 IntermediateSydneyAccess 96 ConferenceBrisbaneAccess 97 ConferenceBrisbaneAccountants Association ConferenceSydneyActivity Based CostingSydneyActivity Based Management CourseMaritime HQ—SydneyAdobe Illustrator AdvancedSydneyAdobe Photoshop AdvancedSydneyAdvanced BudgetingSydneyAdvances in Marine Structures IIDunfermline, ScotlandAHRI Leadership SymposiumSydneyAIE Symposium: the Future of Gas Resources, Technology and Industry ReformSydneyAIIM SeminarMelbourne AIPIO Intel 97 ConferenceBrisbaneAirfield Lighting Supervisors SeminarPerthAirport Lighting Supervisors SeminarBrisbaneAlumina Meeting `97SydneyAmmunition Seminar 1997VictoriaAnalytical and Diagnostic SkillsSydneyAnalytical Methods for Logistics ProfessionSydneyAnnual Waterfront Reform ConferenceSydneyAPCOE 97SydneyAPWWW ConferenceSydneyAQC 12th National ConferenceSydneyArchivists Association Conference and SeminarAdelaideArchivists ConferenceDarwinAsia Australia Institute ConferenceSydneyAsia Pacific Developers ConferenceMelbourneAsia Pacific Societies ConferenceMelbourneASO5-6 Development WorkshopSydneyASO5-6 Development WorkshopMelbourneAsset Management in the Public ServiceSydneyASWEC 97 Workshop—Industrial Experience with Safety Critical SystemSydneyAUUG 1996 ConferenceMelbourneAusmarine `96 ConferencePerthAustralasian Hydrographic SymposiumPerthAustralian Association of Professional and Applied EthicsMelbourneAustralian Conference on ExportingPerthAustralian Data Fusion SymposiumAdelaideAustralian Graduate School of ManagementMt Eliza, VicAustralian Institute of Project ManagementQueenslandAustralian World Wide Web Technical ConferenceBrisbaneAuthoring with InterleafSydneyAutocadSydneyAUUG 97 ConferenceBrisbaneBasic Hazards CourseMelbourneBenchmarking TeamsMelbourneBest Practice in ProcurementSydneyBest Practice Internal AuditSydneyBest Practice Record KeepingMelbourneBetter Decision Making Using Analytic Hierarchy ProcessMelbourneBetter Decision Making Using Decision and Event TreesMelbourneBrainshare Australia 96—Building the Global NetworkSydneyBreakthroughRobertson, NSWBridging the Gap between Investors & TechnologySydneyBuilding Australia's Future ConferenceGold CoastBuilding Java ApplicationsSydneyBuilding the New Public SectorSydneyBulk Liquid Storage TanksBrisbaneBusiness Planning WorkshopQueanbeyan, NSWBusiness Presentation SkillsMelbourneBusiness Process Re-engineeringSydney Business Process Re-engineeringMelbourneC++ ProgrammingSydneyCanadian Computer Security SymposiumOttawa, CanadaCAPLOG Basic CourseLaverton, VicCapturing Light in WatercoloursBathurst, NSWChallenges of BiotechnologyJakarta, IndonesiaCollins Class—Level 2 AcquaintHMAS StirlingCompetency Based ManagementBrisbaneCompetitive Tendering & Contract ManagementSydneyComputer TrainingSydneyComputer TrainingMelbourneConference on Vocational Education & TrainingAdelaideContamination Site AssessmentSydneyContract ManagementSydneyCorporate Intellectual PropertySydneyCorporate Law SimplificationSydneyCorrosion & Prevention 97BrisbaneCost/Schedule Control SystemsAtlanta, USACreating Valuable Outcomes in the Public SectorMelbourneCyber SecuritySydneyDecus World 96BrisbaneDefence Industry Business WorkshopAdelaideDefence Intelligence Research and Analysis CourseCanungra, QldDefence Senior Management Course Mt Macedon, VicDefence Senior Planning & Management CourseBowral, NSWDefence Strategic Communications SeminarThredbo, NSWDEFMIS Operations Manager CourseSydneyDelay in Contract PerformanceSydneyDesign of Steel Buildings for Fire SafetySydneyDevelopment WorkshopYass, NSWDigital Imaging WorkshopSydneyDSB 2000 SeminarQueenscliff, VicDSTO Mine Warfare Conference 1997HMAS WaterhenDynamics in ANYSYSMelbourneEducation & Training of Professionals for the Maritime IndustrySydneyEffective Leadership Skills for Modern ManagersSydneyEffective Procurement and Management of Capital FacilitiesSydneyEkranoplans & Very Fast CraftSydneyElectronic Business SummitSydneyElectronic Commerce EDI/EFT Electronic GatewaysSydneyElectronic Communications EnvironmentSydneyElectronic Design, Photoshop 3SydneyElectronic Key Management SystemsTexas, USAEnd to End Software TestingSydneyEnergy Management Opportunities in Changing Energy MarketSydneyEnvironmental Audit WorkshopSydneyEnvironmental Law SeminarSydneyEnvironmental Management Systems Auditor Training courseSydneyEnvironmental Outlook ConferenceSydneyEnvironmental Symposium 1997Virginia, USA ESAD Executive RecessYass, NSWESRI and URDAS ConferenceFremantle, WAEthics in the Public ServiceBrisbaneEvaluating Training EffectivenessSydneyEvaluation: Equipping Communities and GovernmentAdelaideEvent Marketing and ManagementSydneyExecutive DevelopmentSydneyExecutive Development ProgramMelbourneExecutive Development WorkshopBatemans Bay, NSWFALCON TrainingSydneyFALCON TrainingLaverton, VicFatigue Design & Metal Structures & Components & Fatigue in Aluminium High Speed CraftSydneyFinance CourseNewcastleFinance for ExportsSydneyFinance Training CourseLaverton, VicFinancial Analysis CertificateSydneyFMSS User ConferenceAucklandForce Development & Analysis Leadership WorkshopBungendore, NSWForces Executive Development WorkshopBowral/Jindabyne, NSWFrom Management to Leadership: Making the New Public ServiceMelbourneGartner Group IT SymposiumQueenslandGovernment ContractingMelbourneGovernment Contracting: Legal and Commercial IssuesMelbourneGovernment Service Charters All You Want To KnowAdelaideGraduate Program in Scientific LeadershipAdelaideGraduate Program in Scientific LeadershipMelbourneHands on Strand 5.1 MelbourneHow to Apply AS4390 RecordsMelbourneHow to Deliver Business Strategy through HR LeadershipSydneyHow to Handle Difficult PeopleSydneyHow to Implement Family Friendly Measures in the WorkplaceSydneyHow to Write a Successful Strategic PlanSydneyHQLC Finance Managers CourseLaverton, VicHQLC Logistic Managers CourseLaverton, VicHR in 1997—Key IssuesMelbourneHRM ConsultingSydneyHydrogen Management in Steel WeldmentMelbourneImagery TrainingCanungra, QldImplementing Cost Effective Business CardsSydneyIndexers Association ConferenceSydneyIndoor Air Quality ManagementSydneyIndustrial and Organisation Psychology ConferenceVictoriaInformation Management ConferenceSydneyInformation Online and Ondisc `97 ConferenceSydneyInformation Privacy ConferenceSydneyInformation Security Management SeminarWellington, NZInformation Systems—Driving Radical ChangeSydneyInformation Technology and Training Project ManagementSydneyInformation Technology WorkshopSydney Intel ConferenceBrisbaneIntellectual Property Rights in AsiaSydneyIntelligent Buildings Beyond 2000SydneyInternal Audit MasterclassSydneyInternational Aerospace Congress 97MelbourneInternational Benchmarking ConferenceSydneyInternational Business & Offset in Emerging AsiaSingaporeInternational Conference on Software EngineeringBoston, USAInternational Countermeasures ConferenceBaltimore, USAInternational Humanitarian Law ConferenceMelbourneInternational Quality and ProductivitySydneyInternet Commerce DayMelbourneInternet PublishingSydneyInternet SecurityBrisbaneInterpreting HR InformationSydneyInterpreting Human Resource InformationMelbourneIntranets `96 ConferenceSydneyIntroduction to ANYSYSMelbourneIntroduction to Database WorldSydneyIntroduction to Defence Intelligence CourseCanungra, QldIntroduction to Formal DevelopmentUniversity of QueenslandIntroduction to Hazard & Risk AnalysisBrisbaneIntroduction to Interleaf 5 & Book CataloguesSydneyIntroduction to Interleaf 6—Managing Document StylesSydneyIntroduction to Joint WarfareMelbourneIntroduction to Joint WarfareWilliamtown, NSWIntroduction to ManagementAdelaideIntroduction to Multisensor Data FusionAdelaideIntroduction to Performance and Operational AuditsBrisbaneIntroduction to Performance and Operational AuditsSydneyIntroduction to Risk AnalysisSydneyInvestigation Processes and ManagementWagga, NSWIPAA ConferenceMelbourneIRIX System AdministrationMelbourneISO ConferenceSydneyIT Expo/SymposiumBrisbaneIT Expo/SymposiumGold CoastIT OutsourcingSydneyJava ProgrammingSydneyJoint Maritime Tactical CourseMelbourneJoint Maritime Tactical CourseNewcastleJoint Warfare SeminarMelbourneLandcruiser & Loaded Trailer Driving TrainingQueanbeyan, NSWLanguage TrainingMelbourneLanguage TrainingAdelaideLANSA Concepts & FundamentalsSydneyLaw of the Sea and EEZ ManagementWollongong, NSWLeadership CourseSydneyLending LearningMelbourneLinkwest South Africa ProgramSydney Living & Working in Unfamiliar CulturesSydneyLOGENSPT CourseLaverton, VicLogistics Management ConferenceSydneyLooking Glass CourseBrisbaneLotus Interchange SydneyMaking Construction Projects WorkSydneyManagement Competence WorkshopBrisbaneManagement of the Intelligence Staff ProcessCanungra, QldManagement TrainingSydneyManagerial Decision MakingSydneyManaging and Staying On Top of All ProjectsSydneyManaging Information TechnologySydneyManaging Intellectual Property & Technology AssetsMelbourneManaging IT for Business Users WorkshopSydneyManaging Outputs & Outcomes MelbourneManaging QualitySydneyManaging the Practicalities of Contaminated LandSydneyMarine Engineering SymposiumHMAS CreswellMaritime Regulation and EnforcementWollongong, NSWMarket Research Society of Australia ConferenceGold CoastMarketing Principles & PracticeSydneyMBTI Accreditation ProgramMelbourneMBTI CourseMelbourneMeeting the Energy ChallengeSydneyMentoring in Action—10 Learning GuidesMelbourneMicrostation Forum and ExhibitionSydneyMicrostation Seminar/WorkshopMelbourneMILCOM 97Monterey, CaliforniaMINCOM 1997 User Group ConferenceBrisbaneMindware InterchangeMelbourneModern Industrial Control Short CourseNewcastleModern Information Technology Project ManagementSydneyModern Radio Communications SydneyModule 2—Environmental Audit WorkshopSydneyMonash 1996 SeminarMelbourneMultisensor Data FusionAdelaideMunition Survivability for Force XXIVirginia, USANational Hazardous Waste ConventionSydneyNational Public Sector Accountants ConferenceSydneyNational Trade & Investment Outlook ConferenceMelbourneNational Utilities ITAB 3rd Annual ConferenceSydneyNatural Trade & Investment ConferenceMelbourneNavigation Rights ConferenceWollongong, NSWNegotiating A Better Electricity DealSydneyNegotiation Skills for WomenSydneyNetworking ExpoSydneyNetworld and InteroperabilitySydneyNuclear Science and Engineering ConferenceSydneyObject World 96SydneyObject World Australia ConferenceSydney OOAD UML TrainingBrisbaneOpen VMS System & Management CourseMelbourneOperational Test & EvaluationAdelaideOperations Training SeminarBowral, NSWOracle RDBMS SQL & SQL Plus CourseSydneyOracle World 96 ConferenceSydneyOzone Protection ConferenceUSAPacific Basin Nuclear ConferenceKyoto, JapanPC 97 ExhibitionSydneyPerformance Based Fire Safety DesignMelbournePerformance IndicatorsAdelaidePerformance Indicators/Program EvaluationSydneyPhased ImplementationSydneyPNG ConferenceSydneyPositive Vetting Training SeminarBowral, NSWPowerful Speech & PresentationSydneyPractical Solutions to Power Quality ProblemsSydneyPredictive & Preventative Maintenance through Machine Conditioned MonitoringMelbournePreparing Content for all PublishingSydneyPrinciples of Test & EvaluationAdelaideProgram Executive SeminarBowral, NSWProject ManagementSydneyProject Management for EngineersSydneyProject Management WorkshopSydneyProject Management WorkshopMelbourneProject Management WorkshopAdelaideProtective Security ConferenceMelbournePurchasing and Materials Management ConferenceSydneyPutting the Talent to WorkMelbourneQuality Council SeminarSydneyRAAF Reliability Management CourseHMAS CresswellRadar Fundamentals for EW EngineersArlington, USARAN Dockmasters CourseHMAS StirlingRAN Environment & Energy ConferenceHMAS Stirling Records Management ConferencePerthRe-Engineering Accounts Payable/ReceivableSydneyReliability Centred MaintenanceSydneyReliability Centred Maintenance IISydneyReporting With InfomakerSydneyRMAA ConventionPerthSage-Au 4th National ConferenceBrisbaneSage—Au Conference 97MelbourneSAMAP 97Portsmouth, EnglandSAS Users Group AustraliaSydneySASP (Society of Australasian Social Psychologists) 1997Wollongong, NSWSatellite Navigation Technology ConferenceSydneySatellite Systems CourseSimpson Barracks, VicSCAN TrainingMelbourneSE—96 SymposiumMelbourne Security 97 ASIAL ConferenceMelbourneSecurity Australia 96 ConferenceSydneySelf Assessment & the Australian Quality AwardsSydneySeminar on Project ManagementSydneySenior Officers Media Awareness CourseSydneySGML Asia 96 Pacific ConferenceSydneySimpson ConferenceBrisbaneSimulation Technology ConferenceMelbourneSmall Publications WorkshopMelbourneSmall Publications WorkshopsSydneySoftware Project ManagementSydneySoftware QualitySydneySoftware Review & TestingUniversity of QueenslandSoftware Test & EvaluationAdelaideSolaris Systems Administration EssentialsSydneySpecialist Librarians ConferencePerthSpillcon `96MelbourneStaking Out a Future FirstSydneyStandards LicensingMelbourneStrategic Asset ManagementSydneyStrategic Human Resource ManagementSydneyStrategic PlanningMelbourneStrategies for DisposalBrisbaneStrategy & Intelligence Management WorkshopYass, NSWStress Management for WomenSydneyStructural Analysis & Design of Composite Boat HullsSydneyStyle Council ConferenceSydneySuccessful Iterative Development ProjectsSydneySuccessful User DocumentationSydneySuccessful User DocumentationAuckland, NZSuccessfully Partnering with Customers and SuppliersSydneySUGA 97SydneySum Specification Techniques—AdvancedBrisbaneSupervisors in ManagementSydneySurface Mount 1996 ConferenceMelbourneSybase Users Group ConferenceSydneySynergy in SafetySydneySystems EngineeringSydneySystems Engineering for Defence & AerospaceMelbourneSystems Engineering for Defence and Aerospace ConferenceAdelaideSystems Engineering Management ConferenceSydneySystems Testing & Quality Assurance TechniquesMelbourneSystems Testing & Quality Assurance TechniquesSydneyTeam Management AccreditationBrisbaneTech-Ed 97 ConferenceMelbourneTechnical ConferenceSydneyTechnical TrainingSydneyTechnical WorkshopSydneyTechnical WritingSydneyTelecommunication Cabling TechniqueMelbourne Tender Evaluation TrainingWagga, NSWTest and Evaluation Down UnderWATest Instrumentation Electronics CourseSAThe 1997 Australian Privacy SummitSydneyThird Annual Contracting Out CongressSydneyTime ManagerMelbourneTOOLS Pacific 1996MelbourneTotal Contamination ControlMelbourneTowards Integrated Management SystemsMelbourneTraining Workplace AssessorsSydneyTRIM Users ForumBowral, NSWTRIM Users ForumMandurah, WAU-Cubed Spring 96 ConferenceMelbourneUndersea Defence Technology ConferenceSydneyUniface Advance Applications DevelopmentSydneyUsing CA/Open RoadBrisbaneVictorian Government Paccer ConferenceMelbourneVirtual Instrumentation SeminarSydneyWaste Tech ConferenceMelbourneWeb Publishing and DesignSydneyWindows NT 4.0 Installation & ImplementationSydneyWinning Business in the Middle East Ocean RegionSydneyWomen, Management and Industrial RelationsSydneyWorkshop on Adhesive BondingBrisbaneWorld Class MaintenanceSydneyWriting Competency StandardsSydneyWriting Reports to Key People in ManagementSydneyWriting, Designing and Editing NewslettersSydneyNote: It has been difficult to collect comprehensive and accurate data as requested for two reasons: the data on training is not kept centrally or electronically, and the records were held under Defence's pre-existing eight program structure, rather that the current fourteen program structure. The data provided is as accurate and complete as existing staff resources allow.294(Question No. 1028)1028294Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department have occurred outside Canberra since March 1996; and (b) where has the training taken place.294Ellison, Sen ChrisSenator Ellison9X5WALPSchools, Vocational Education and Training10—The Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:(a) and (b) Refer to the attached table.Training and Seminars for Canberra Based DEETYA Staff1 March 1996 to 17 December 1997Activities Conducted by the DepartmentTitleDatesLocationsIMPACT25 August 1996Various locationsManagers Making a Differencevarious datesVarious locationsMt Eliza 6 Day Residential10 March 1996Mt ElizaMt Eliza 6 Day Residential14 April 1996Mt ElizaMt Eliza 6 Day Residential28 April 1996Mt ElizaMt Eliza 6 Day Residential19 May 1996Mt ElizaMt Eliza 6 Day Residential16 June 1996Mt ElizaMt Eliza 6 Day Residential7 July 1996Mt ElizaMt Eliza 6 Day Residential4 August 1996 Mt ElizaMt Eliza 6 Day Residential8 September 1996Mt ElizaMt Eliza 6 Day Residential20 October 1996Mt ElizaOutbound Focus18 March 1996Various locationsOutbound Focus15 April 1996Various locationsSES Strategic Framework Conference28 July 1997Bowral295(Question No. 1029)1029295Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Attorney-General, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department haveoccurred outside Canberra since 2 March 1996; and (b) Where has the training taken place.295Vanstone, Sen AmandaSenator Vanstone7E4SALPMinister for Justice10—The Attorney-General has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:(a) and (b) My Department has provided the following details of training courses and other seminars/conferences (excluding meetings) which were organised by this Department and held outside Canberra for the period from 2 March 1996 to 5 December 1997.Course TitleLocationBuilding Professional Teams WorkshopSutton, Batemans Bay, Bungendore, Thredbo, Bowral,Wilton—all in NSWBusiness Development WorkshopSydney, MelbourneProfessional Leadership ConferenceWollongongAustralian Government Solicitor ConferenceSydneyRegistration and Accreditation Committee ForumsBrisbane, Melbourne, SydneySenior Management WorkshopWindsor, NSWOrganisational Change/Business Planning ConferenceBungendore, NSWBankruptcy ConferenceSydney295(Question No. 1030)1030295Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Transport and Regional Development, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the Department have occurred outside Canberra since March 1996; and (b) where has the training taken place?295Alston, Sen RichardSenator AlstonLD4VICLPCommunications, the Information Economy and the Arts10—The Minister for Transport and Regional Development has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:Title of Seminar/ConferenceLocationDrink Driving Recidivism SummitAdelaideEnhanced Safety of Vehicles ConferenceMelbourneInformation Session on Road Vehicle Certification SystemMelbourneIndustry familiarisation tour of Ansett operationsMelbourneSeminar for the release of the National In-service Vehicle Emissions StudySydney296(Question No. 1031)1031296Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department have occurred outside Canberra since March 1996; and (b) where has the training taken place.296Vanstone, Sen AmandaSenator Vanstone7E4SALPMinister for Justice10—The Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:(a) One conference was organised by the Portfolio: Bureau of Immigration and Population Research Conference, 3-4 June 1996.This conference was attended by a broad range of public, private and community sector representatives. Two Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Canberra-based public servants attended.(b) The conference was held in Sydney, NSW.296(Question No. 1032)1032296Ray, Sen RobertSenator Robert RayUI4VICALP00 asked the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, upon notice, on 5 December 1997:(a) What training or seminars for Canberra-based public servants employed by the department have occurred outside Canberra since March 1996; and (b) where has the training taken place.296Newman, Sen JocelynSenator NewmanBE4TASLPSocial Security10—The Minister for Veterans' Affairs has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:Title of Training or Seminar AttendedLocationToday's WANs & Using ATMSydney10th Quality Management ConferenceMelbourneFrom Management to LeadershipMoss ValeDemystifying LANSSydneyBusiness Continuity & Disaster Recovery ConferenceSydneyEffective Records Management & Document HandlingSydneySupporting Windows 95SydneyDemystifying LANsMelbourneMicrosoft Tech Ed 96BrisbaneInternetworking CombinedSydney1996 AHRI ConventionSydneyFundamentals of LANS & NetworksMelbourneAPHA Casemix ConferenceBrisbane1996 Help Desk ConferenceGold CoastAdvanced Executive Program CourseBowralAustralian Quality Awards Case Study SeminarSydneyElectronic Document ManagementSydneyInternet for PlannersSydneyCertificate 4 in Quality ManagementSydneyOH&S Management—Commitment & ActionSydneyCasemix StudySydney Dynamic Graphics Electronic PhotoshopSydneyIntroduction to Microsoft VisualSydneySupporting SNA ServerSydneyAuditing for Business ImprovementSydneyCouncil of Remote Area Nurses ConferenceDubboSenior Executive Leadership ProgramBowralContinuous Improvement Facilitator TrainingMelbourneComputer Management Group—Annual ConferenceSydneyIntroduction to Object TechnologySydneyAUUG ConferenceMelbourneAPPC Concepts & FacilitiesSydneyGartner Group SymposiumBrisbaneHelp Desk SymposiumWollongongAEP CourseSydneyPABX & Voice Networks SeminarMelbourneAPBUG ConferenceAdelaideUnderstanding AnxietySydneyPC Hardware Problem SolvingSydneyCA ExpoBrisbaneQMF/SQL for End UsersSydneyInternetworking SydneyICS 140/160 Customer Admin TrainingSydneyInternational DB2 Users Group ConferenceSydneyACOSM ConferenceMelbourneICS 140/160 Customer Admin TrainingSydneyIPA/CAPAM ConferenceMelbournePublic Sector Contracting/Privatising SeminarMelbourne Strategic Management in the 90s & BeyondSydneyContracting in HealthSydneyFederal IR ReformSydneyDAMA ConferenceMelbourneOptivity 7SydneyProgramming in C in Windows NTSydneyData Warehouse SeminarSydneyHow to Write, Design & Edit NewslettersSydneySupporting & Troubleshooting W95SydneyElectronic Data ManagementSydneyTraining MasterySydneyCOMPAQ Systems TechnologySydneyCOMPAQ NT Performance & IntegrationSydneyCOMPAQ Systems ManagementSydneyTCP/IP NetworksSydneyMIS 97 AustraliaBrisbaneCOMPAQ LAN TechnologiesMelbourneCommunicating Effectively with HD CustomersMelbourneKnowledge Management ForumSydneyCustomer Satisfaction Study TourMelbourne & SydneyData Protection & PrivacySydneyMVS VSAM & ICF Categories for SYS ProgrammersSydneyDeveloping & Managing Performance MeasuresSydney Job & Career Transition Coach TrainingMelbourneAdvances in Cancer ResearchUSAOccupational EpidemiologyMelbourneComplaints HandlingSydneyPerformance Reporting ConferenceSydneyPerformance Measures for GovernmentSydneyThe new Workplace Relations ActSydneyBusiness Intelligence, ABNSydneyMicrosoft Tech Ed 97MelbourneHuron Object Star ConferenceSydneyYear 2000 ConferenceSydneyManaging Contractor SafetyMelbourneNAS WorkshopUSADioxin 97USACouncil of Remote Area Nurses ConferenceLauncestonProgramming in Win NT 32 Bit environmentSydneyDelphi 3/Client Server FundamentalsSydneySecond Aust Conference on Industrial StatisticsMelbournePublic Health ConferenceMelbourneMaking Workplace Innovation & Tech ChangeSydneyCallcentres—Increasing Customer SatisfactionSydneyAPBUG ConferenceGold CoastTCP/IP NetworkingSydneyBalanced Scorecard WorkshopSydneyInformation Mapping—Reports & ProposalsMelbourneNeuro Linguistic ProgrammingSydneyContracting in HealthSydneyOracle OpenworldMelbourneGentia Software, Balanced ScorecardSydneyTender EvaluationSydneyContracting in HealthSydneyNational Casemix ConferenceBrisbaneInternet IBMSydneyElectronic FormsSydneyStrategically Oriented Management and Planning (OECD)FranceCreating Valuable Outcomes in the Public SectorMelbourneAQC Benchmarking Study Tour—CommunicationsSydneyAQC Benchmarking Study Tour—LeadershipMelbourneCI Facilitator TrainingBrisbaneCertificate 4 in Quality ManagementSydneyAustralasian Evaluation Society ConferenceAdelaideCorporate Security & Protection ConferenceSydneyAQC teams ConferenceBrisbaneCouncil of Remote Area Nurses ConferenceDubboCouncil of Remote Area Nurses ConferenceLauncestonTender Evaluation CourseSydneyInternet CourseSydneyContracting in Health ConferenceSydneyAustralian Podiatry ConferenceMelbourneAPOFA AGMSydney Rehabtech Limb Administrators ConferenceMelbourneThe Millenium Compliance Testing and Complete Test Management SeminarsSydneyElectronic Forms Training/SeminarSydney1997 World Congress of GerontologyAdelaideAustralian Association of Gerontology National ConferenceHobartAlzheimers Association of Australia 6th National ConferenceHobartThe Practical Prostate, Community Awareness and Professional DayAdelaideNational Physical Activity & Health ConferenceMelbourne9th Australian Association of Health Promotion Practitioners ConferenceDarwinWomen: Living Well into the 21st Century ConferenceNewcastleWorld Congress on Psychosomatic MedicineCairns2nd National Men's Health ConferenceFremantleQualitative Methods in Health Promotion Research & EvaluationSydneyIntensive Bioethics CourseMt BuffaloSUGA97SydneyCasemix StudySydneyFinancial Management Information SystemsSydneyAustralian Society of Certified Practising Accountants National Public Sector ConferenceSydneyLeadership workshopWoodendANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE299299Allison, Sen LynSenator Allison1M6VICAD00 asked the Minister representing the Treasurer, without notice, on 27 October 1997 (Official Hansard page 8058):Has your government assessed the impact on taxation on revenue of the Telstra float.299Kemp, Sen RodSenator KempWW4VICLPAssistant Treasurer10—The Treasurer has provided the following information in response to the honourable senator's question:The various financing schemes being marketed to potential purchasers of Telstra shares represent fairly standard opportunities available to any investor regardless of whether they are investing in a privatised Government Business Enterprise or a private corporation.The overall impact on taxation revenue depends on the totality of investor behaviour both with respect to Telstra shares as well as other investments. It would not be possible to track with any degree of confidence all of the actions of private and institutional investors who may participate in the Telstra sale. For example, for some investors, investing in Telstra could involve liquidating other investments which would make them liable to capital gains tax. Therefore, it would be a gross simplification to portray any perceived cost to revenue from the Telstra float as an overall net loss to revenue.299299Woodley, Sen JohnSenator WoodleyHX5QLDAD00 asked the then Minister representing the Attorney-General, a question without notice (Official Senate Hansard page No. 7481), on 2 October 1997:The Minister took on notice that question and a supplementary question asked following the Minister's response to the original question.The question related to the accuracy of testing by AQIS of cooked chicken meat imports for Newcastle disease and other bird viruses and the role of the Attorney-General and his department in assessing the risk of legal liability arising from that test.299Vanstone, Sen AmandaSenator Vanstone7E4SALPMinister for Justice10—The Attorney-General has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:(1) I am informed that no record has been able to be found in the Attorney-General's Department that nay officer of the department has checked AQIS reports on testing of cooked chicken imports to ensure that they are accurate.(2) Generally, such a task would n to be done within the Attorney-General's Department unless the Commonwealth agency concerned asked the Attorney-General's Department (including the Australian Government Solicitor) to give legal advice on issues to which the question of the accuracy of such tests was relevant.(3) While the Attorney-General is concerned to minimise any exposure of the Commonwealth and its agencies to any legal liability sounding in damages or other relief, it is not part of the normal functions of his department to check, without request, processes and procedures for which other departments and agencies are responsible, in an endeavour to minimise legal liability. It needs to be borne in mind, in that connection, that since 1 July 1992 the provision of legal services by the Attorney-General's Department Legal Practice has operated on a user pays basis and, accordingly, it is properly a matter for the responsible agency to determine whether legal services are required.(4) Should there be a request from the responsible Minister or agency, the Australian Government Solicitor is available to provide advice concerning potential liability that may be related to the testing of chicken meat imports.