The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia 20th Anniversary Seminar Report 162 May 2016 Canberra © Commonwealth of Australia 2016 ISBN 978-1-74366-512-1 (Printed version) ISBN 978-1-74366-513-8 (HTML version) This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License. The details of this licence are available on the Creative Commons website: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/au/. Contents Membership of the Committee ............................................................................................................ v Terms of reference ............................................................................................................................. vii List of abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... viii 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the report ................................................................................................................ 1 Program and participants ......................................................................................................... 1 Background ............................................................................................................................... 2 2 Reflections and assessment .............................................................................. 5 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 5 Statistics .................................................................................................................................... 6 Joint Standing Committee on Treaties .................................................................................... 8 Concerns ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 11 3 Overview of seminar ......................................................................................... 13 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 13 Trade agreements ................................................................................................................... 13 Memoranda of Understanding ............................................................................................... 16 Treaties and customary international law ............................................................................. 19 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 23 Appendix A—Program ............................................................................................. 25 Appendix B—List of Participants ............................................................................ 27 iv Appendix C—Transcript........................................................................................... 31 Appendix D—Reflections ......................................................................................... 97 Appendix E—Papers ................................................................................................ 99 Statistical data ......................................................................................................................... 100 Professor Andrew Byrnes ....................................................................................................... 107 Mr Bill Campbell, QC ............................................................................................................... 127 Membership of the Committee Chair The Hon Luke Hartsuyker MP Deputy Chair The Hon Kelvin Thomson MP Members Mr Ken O’Dowd MP Senator Chris Back The Hon Melissa Parke MP Senator David Fawcett Ms Melissa Price MP Senator the Hon David Johnston Mr Tim Watts MP Senator Sue Lines Mr Brett Whiteley MP Senator the Hon Joe Ludwig Mrs Lucy Wicks MP Senator Glenn Sterle Mr Matt Williams MP Senator Peter Whish-Wilson vi Committee Secretariat Secretary Lynley Ducker Inquiry Secretary Dr Narelle McGlusky Senior Researcher Kevin Bodel Research Officer Belynda Zolotto Administrative Officer Cathy Rouland Terms of reference The Resolution of Appointment of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties allows it to inquire into and report on: a) matters arising from treaties and related National Interest Analyses and proposed treaty actions and related Explanatory Statements presented or deemed to be presented to the Parliament; b) any question relating to a treaty or other international instrument, whether or not negotiated to completion, referred to the committee by: (i) either House of the Parliament; (ii) a Minister; or c) such other matters as may be referred to the committee by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and on such conditions as the Minister may prescribe. List of abbreviations ASIC Australian Securities and Investments Commission ANU Australian National University DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade JSCOT Joint Standing Committee on Treaties MOU Memorandum of Understanding MP Member of Parliament NIA National Interest Analysis 1 Introduction Purpose of the report 1.1 This is a report of the discussions at the seminar conducted by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) In our best interest: treaty scrutiny in a connected world. The seminar was held in Canberra on 18 March 2016 to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Committee. 1.2 A transcript of the seminar proceedings is included as an appendix to the report, as are a list of participants, the program and additional speeches provided by seminar participants.1 Program and participants 1.3 The seminar was attended by approximately 80 participants from a diverse range of backgrounds including parliamentarians, academics, public and parliamentary servants, students, as well as representatives from business and other interest groups. 1.4 The seminar was preceded by a reception and formal dinner at Parliament House, Canberra, hosted by the Committee. The Deputy Chair, the Hon Kelvin Thomson MP, welcomed guests and reflected on his time on the Committee. 1.5 The Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, addressed the guests during the reception, emphasising the importance of the work of the Committee and talking about the significant inquiries during her time 1 References in this report refer to an adapted copy of the Proof Transcript, included in Appendix C. The Official Transcript is available on the JSCOT website. 2 REPORT 162: 20TH ANNIVERSARY SEMINAR as Committee Chair. The Shadow Minister for Trade, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, addressed guests during the course of the evening and the Committee Chair, the Hon Luke Hartsuyker, wrapped up the event, wishing everyone all the best for the seminar on the following day. 1.6 The seminar looked at the effectiveness of the 1996 changes from a variety of viewpoints: academic, government, political and social. Speakers and participants included academics, government departments, members of JSCOT and interested members of the public. The presentations were enhanced by public discussions canvassing the ideas raised. Background 1.7 Although the Australian Constitution confers the power to make treaties on the Executive, there has been decades of debate and discussion about a role for Parliament in the treaty-making process. After a number of attempts to create a measure of parliamentary scrutiny, reforms were introduced in 1996 to establish the current process. 1.8 Under these reforms, all treaties are tabled in the Parliament at least 15 joint sitting days2 before the Government takes definitive action on each treaty. A Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) is set up under a resolution of both Houses, and a National Interest Analysis (NIA) is prepared and tabled for each treaty.3 1.9 Over the past 20 years, JSCOT has considered over 800 treaty actions and produced 160 reports. Many of the treaty actions have dealt with routine matters including taxation, air services, social security and the exchange of information. However, as this seminar demonstrated, during that time treaties have become increasingly complex, covering a wider range of subjects and presenting a growing diversity of issues for consideration. 1.10 As the Committee commented in its report on the history of its work, it has actively developed and refined its process, ensuring relevant information is provided in the NIA and continuing to push for broader, more effective consultation. It has endeavoured to work in a bipartisan manner and, on occasion, it has recommended that ratification be delayed or not take place. Where it has seen fit, it has recommended changes to both content and process.4 2 Later 20 joint sitting days for Category 1 treaties and 15 sitting days for Category 2 treaties (for further information on treaty categories see Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT), Report 160: A history of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties: 20 years, March 2016, pp. 18–19). 3 For details of the history of the 1996 reforms refer to JSCOT, Report 160. 4 JSCOT, Report 160, p.