SENATE Official Committee Hansard
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COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SENATE Official Committee Hansard ECONOMICS LEGISLATION COMMITTEE (Consideration of Estimates) THURSDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 1997 BY AUTHORITY OF THE SENATE CANBERRA 1997 CONTENTS THURSDAY, 20 NOVEMBER Department of Industry, Science and Tourism— Program 2—Australian Industrial Property Organisation .......... 740 Program 1—Department of Industry, Science and Tourism—Subprogram 1.5—Industry policy ................. 745 Program 9—Australian Customs Service— Subprogram 9.1—Border management ..................... 745 Subprogram 9.2—Commercial services .................... 765 Program 1—Department of Industry, Science and Tourism— Subprogram 1.5—Industry policy ........................ 767 Subprogram 1.1—AusIndustry .......................... 769 Subprogram 1.2—Industry Liaison ....................... 782 Subprogram 1.5—Industry Policy ........................ 788 Subprogram 1.2—Industry liaison ........................ 792 Subprogram 1.4—Sport and Recreation .................... 795 Program 10—Australian Sports Commission .................. 795 Program 11—Australian Sports Drug Agency ................. 795 Department of The Treasury— Program 1—Treasury— Subprogram 1.4—Taxation ............................. 807 Subprogram 1.8—Financial and currency ................... 844 Subprogram 1.8—Finance and currency .................... 847 Program 7—Insurance and Superannuation Commission—Subprogram 7.4—Superannuation ................................. 851 Thursday, 20 November 1997 SENATE—Legislation E 737 SENATE Thursday, 20 November 1997 ECONOMICS LEGISLATION COMMITTEE Portfolios: Treasury; Industry, Science and Tourism; Workplace Relations and Small Business Members: Senator Ferguson (Chair), Senator Jacinta Collins (Deputy Chair), Senators Bishop, Chapman, Murray and Watson The committee met at 9.02 a.m. DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND TOURISM Proposed additional expenditure, $58,307,000 (Document A). Proposed additional expenditure, $37,550,000 (Document C). Consideration resumed from 17 November 1997. In Attendance Senator Parer, Minister for Industry, Science and Tourism Executive Mr David Mazitelli, Deputy Secretary Office of AusIndustry Mr Michael Dillon, Division Head Mr Denis Taylor, General Manager, AusIndustry Services Dr Andreas Dubs, General Manager, R&D Start Mr Phil Constable, General Manager, R&D Tax Concession Mr John Dean, General Manager, SME Programs Dr Alan Jones, Manager Policy Research and Analysis Ms Tricia Berman, Manager, Policy Ms Jennifer Wardle, Finance Officer Industry Division A Mr Alan Evans, Division Head Information Industries Task Force Mr Mike Todd, Leader, Information Industries Task Force Industry Division B Mr Keith Croker, Acting Division Head Sport and Tourism Division Mr Keith Maxted, Acting Division Head Mr Mike Edwards, Acting General Manager, International Tourism and Industry Development Branch ECONOMICS E 738 SENATE—Legislation Thursday, 20 November 1997 Mr Paul Davies, Acting General Manager, Regional and Environmental Tourism Branch Ms Jenny Harrison, Office of National Tourism Ms Lyn Franks, Acting Manager, Market Development Section Mr Peter Robins, Acting Director, Bureau of Tourism Research Mr Bill Rowe, Manager, National Office of Sport and Recreation Policy Industry Policy Division Ms Margaret Fanning, General Manager, Business Environment Branch Mr Barry Jones, General Manager, Industry Analysis Branch Mr Mike Roberts, Manager, Export Credit Policy Group Consumer Affairs Division Mr Philip Noonan, Division Head Mr John Wunsch, Manager, Resources and Co-ordination Science and Technology Division Dr Paul Wellings, Division Head Mr Eric James, General Manager, Science and Technology Advisory Branch Mr Bob Summerville, Manager, Science and Technology Policy Section Dr John Boyd, General Manager, National Science and Technology Programs Branch Mr Brian Delroy, Acting General Manager, International Science and Technology Branch Analytical and Mapping Division Mr Drew Clarke, Division Head Dr Sandra Hart, General Manager, Australian Government Analytical Laboratories Mr Barry Leigh, Australian Surveying and Land Information Group Corporate Services Division Ms Bev Clarke, Division Head Mr Steve Payne, General Manager, Ministerial and Co-ordination Branch Mr Lyn Hansen, Director, Portfolio and Policy Co-ordination Section Mr Krishan Singh, Portfolio and Policy Co-ordination Section Mr Chris Dainer, Manager, Corporate Resource Planning Unit Mr Peter Moore, Corporate Resource Planning Unit Mr Frank Barbaro, Corporate Resource Planning Unit Australian Industrial Property Organisation (AIPO) Mr Andrew Bain, Director General Mr David McEwan, Deputy Director General, Information Technology Services Mr Peter Richards, Deputy Director General, Business Services Mr Les Rymer, Acting Deputy Director General, Corporate Strategy Mr Bruce Murray, Commissioner, Patents and Designs Mr Ross Wilson, Registrar, Trade Marks ECONOMICS Thursday, 20 November 1997 SENATE—Legislation E 739 Ms Shirley Keating, Director, Finance Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) Mr John Morse, Managing Director Mr John Hopwood, Manager, Business Services Ms Margaret Hudson, Manager, Corporate Strategy Mr Andrew Larcos, Government Relations Officer National Standards Commission (NSC) Dr Grahame Harvey, Acting Executive Director Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) Dr Russell Reichelt, Director Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Prof. Helen Garnett Dr Adam Jostsons, Director, Materials Division Mr George Malosh, Director, Nuclear Technology Mr Pat Bull, Manager, Nuclear Materials Mr Richard Baker, Director, Corporate Services Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Dr Chris Mallett, Deputy Chief Executive, Agribusiness Mr Bob Garitt, General Manager, Corporate Finance Ms Marilyn DeVere, Acting Manager, Ministerial Liaison Anti-Dumping Authority (ADA) Mr Jock McGuire, Acting Member Ms Margaret McLeod, Administration Officer Australian Customs Service (ACS) Mr Lionel Woodward AO, Chief Executive Officer Mr John Drury, Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mr Mick Roche, Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mr John Jeffery, Acting National Director, Commercial Services Mr Graham Bannister, National Director, Business Development and Technology Ms Marion Grant, National Manager, Industry Ms Sue Pitman-Hobbs, National Manager, Budgets Ms Debbie Bates, National Manager, Intelligence Mr Mark Harrison, National Manager, Dumping and Self Assessment Mr Bryan Box, National Manager, IT Outsourcing Project Mr John Howard, Acting National Manager, Border Operations Mr Peter Hallett, National Manager, Passenger Processing Mr Richard Hunt, Acting National Manager, Excise Mr Jeff Buckpitt, Director, Budget Policy and Operations ECONOMICS E 740 SENATE—Legislation Thursday, 20 November 1997 Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Mr Jim Ferguson, Executive Director Mr Bob Hobson, Director, Commercial and Business Services Mr John Boultbee, Director, Australian Institute of Sport Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA) Ms Natalie Howson, Chief Executive Officer Ms Helen Quiggin, Manager, Corporate Services Mr John Mendoza, General Manager, Sports Services Industry Division A Mr Doug Williams, General Manager, Textiles Clothing and Footwear Branch Mr Ivan Donaldson, General Manager, Australian Building Codes Board Mr Doug Stuart, Acting General Manager, Pharmaceutical, Aerospace and Supplier Development Branch Department of Finance and Administration— Mr Wayne Turner Mr Gordon Lister CHAIR—I call the committee to order. We will continue with the estimates process for the Department of Industry, Science and Tourism. We are going to commence with program 2, the Australian Industrial Property Organisation, in order to accommodate those officers in that organisation. [9.03 a.m.] Program 2—Australian Industrial Property Organisation Senator BISHOP—Mr Mazitelli, turning to page 105 of DIST’s annual report, you have some facts in goal one which suggest that there has been an increase in patent applications, designs and trademarks. Is that a one-off increase? What is the trend in this area in recent years? What is your anticipation of future growth, if any? Mr Mazitelli—I will ask Mr Bain from the Australian Industrial Property Organisation to take that answer. Senator BISHOP—Mr Bain, while you are doing that, can you tell us why designs were only marginally up and if there is any significance to that? Mr Bain—First of all, if I could turn to patents and trademarks, it seems to be a trend increase. The increase is much faster in trademarks than it is in patents. We have been working on an expectation of about 10 per cent per annum. Last year we had an increase, from memory, of the order of 17 per cent. The increase in patents is less. I cannot recall the precise percentage figure. I would suspect it is of the order of 10 per cent. It is very hard to predict if that is a long-term trend or not. We have, at times, done quite a bit of work in trying to predict demand for patent and trademark applications. We have tried to use as predictors the state of the economy and other things and have not been very successful. We have had discussions with equivalent officers in other countries who have also tried to do the same thing without much success. A lot of the applications come from all around the world and they are generated by all sorts of activity, so it makes prediction difficult. Our expectation for the immediate future is an ongoing upward trend. ECONOMICS Thursday,