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SENATE Official Hansard COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SENATE Official Hansard FRIDAY, 28 JUNE 1996 THIRTY-EIGHTH PARLIAMENT FIRST SESSION—FIFTH PERIOD BY AUTHORITY OF THE SENATE CANBERRA CONTENTS FRIDAY, 28 JUNE Civil Aviation Amendment Bill 1996— First Reading ........................................ 2523 Second Reading ...................................... 2523 Committees— Native Title Committee—Consideration of House of Representatives Message .......................................... 2523 Development Allowance Authority Amendment Bill 1996— Consideration of House of Representatives Message ............. 2523 Taxation Laws Amendment Bill (No. 1) 1996— Consideration of House of Representatives Message ............. 2540 Customs Tariff Amendment Bill (No. 1) 1996— Consideration of House of Representatives Message—in Committee . 2540 Committees— Selection of Bills Committee—Report ...................... 2547 Consideration of Legislation ............................... 2548 Migration Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 1996— Second Reading ...................................... 2556 Development Allowance Authority Amendment Bill 1996— Consideration of House of Representatives Message ............. 2569 In Committee ........................................ 2569 Customs Tariff Amendment Bill (No. 1) 1996— Consideration of House of Representatives Message ............. 2577 Third Reading ....................................... 2577 Minister For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs .......... 2577 Committees— Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee—Extension of Time .......................................... 2578 Membership ......................................... 2578 Leave of Absence ...................................... 2578 Personal Explanations .................................... 2578 Special Adjournment .................................... 2583 Leave of Absence ...................................... 2583 Notices of Motion— Withdrawal ......................................... 2583 Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum ........................... 2583 Committees— Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee—Report . 2583 Reports: Government Responses .......................... 2583 Auditor-General’s Reports—Report No. 33 of 1995-96 ........... 2588 Migration Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 1996— Second Reading ...................................... 2588 Senator-elect Ferris ..................................... 2591 Documents— East Timor ......................................... 2592 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody ........... 2592 Adjournment— Senator Chamarette .................................... 2592 Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Auditor-General’s Report ..... 2593 Australia Post: Air Parcel Service .......................... 2594 Tabling of Documents .................................. 2595 The President ........................................ 2595 Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs ......... 2595 Documents ........................................... 2598 Questions On Notice— Tariff Concession System,—(Question No. 79) ................ 2599 Gun Control—(Question No. 87) .......................... 2665 SENATE 2523 Friday, 28 June 1996 Aviation is a complex and detailed industry that requires people to administer it who have appropri- ate qualifications relevant to aviation. With appropriately qualified persons oversighting The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. the administration of aviation safety regulation, the Michael Beahan) took the chair at 9.00 a.m., government and the public can be confident that and read prayers. aviation safety is in the best possible hands. CIVIL AVIATION AMENDMENT BILL Ordered that further consideration of the 1996 second reading of this bill be adjourned until the first day of sitting in the spring sittings, First Reading in accordance with the order agreed to on 29 Bill received from the House of Representa- November 1994. tives. COMMITTEES Motion (by Senator Kemp) agreed to: Native Title Committee That this bill may proceed without formalities and be now read a first time. Consideration of House of Representatives Message Bill read a first time. Message received from House of Represen- Second Reading tatives acquainting the Senate of a resolution Senator KEMP (Victoria—Parliamentary referring a matter to the Parliamentary Joint Secretary to the Minister for Social Security) Committee on Native Title and the Aboriginal (9.02 a.m.)—I move: and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund. That this bill be now read a second time. DEVELOPMENT ALLOWANCE I seek leave to have the second reading AUTHORITY AMENDMENT BILL speech incorporated in Hansard 1996 Leave granted. Consideration of House of The speech read as follows— Representatives Message The purpose of this bill is to increase the number Consideration resumed from 27 June of of members that can be appointed to the board of House of Representatives message. the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). It also provides for the appointment of a deputy chairper- House of Representatives amendments— son. 1. Schedule 1, item 28, page 18 (lines 3 to 6), These amendments will enable the government to omit the item. fulfil its election commitment to appoint to the 2. Schedule 1, item 31, page 18 (lines 11 to 15), board of CASA, members who are competent and omit the item. who have practical aviation industry experience. Motion (by Senator Short) proposed: It is unfortunate that this objective could not be achieved through negotiation with the present board That the committee agree to the amendments members. However, I am confident that the new made by the House of Representatives to the bill. board structure will enable me to appoint members Senator CARR (Victoria) (9.04 a.m.)—I who will bring an appropriate mix of technical oppose the proposition regarding the Develop- skills and hands on aviation experience. ment Allowance Authority Amendment Bill. The government remains committed to ensuring This issue has arisen essentially as a result of that Australia has a world class aviation safety the Treasurer (Mr Costello) indicating that he system. The proposed strengthening of the CASA wishes to reintroduce the concept of private board, together with a range of other initiatives as to the way aviation safety regulation is conducted roads attracting eligibility for infrastructure in Australia, will enhance the effectiveness of our bonds. This is despite the fact that, on 15 safety regulatory system. December, the former Treasurer (Mr Willis) The addition to the board of two extra members and the former Minister for Transport (Mr with aviation experience will increase aviation Brereton) indicated that such roads should be safety in Australia. exempt from future consideration. 2524 SENATE Friday, 28 June 1996 That action was taken after considerable such a way as to produce results whereby the public debate and discussion. As a result of average motorist using those facilities would that debate and discussion, attempts were be paying, in today’s terms, $1,500 per year. made to address what is a quite significant The state government undertook to provide policy imbalance in so far as it was discov- direct and indirect assistance to the project to ered that the use of infrastructure bonds for the extent that the effective risks would be private road development had in fact led to transferred to Victorian taxpayers which, in significant uneconomic actions being taken. my judgment, is quite contrary to the spirit Distortions were occurring in the use of these and guidelines of the development allowance bonds in such a way as to render the public arrangements. purse much lighter. In a most inefficient way they were producing a result which was of The state government provided City Link enormous benefit to a limited number of with a risk premium and effectively guaran- developers but of great cost to the public who teed Transurban a massive profit at taxpayers’ had to use these facilities. expense to be enjoyed over the 34-year life of this project. The state government strategy in The City Link project in Melbourne is the this regard minimises Transurban’s risk most obvious example. There is also the case exposure. That should also be measured with of the M2 freeway in Sydney where similar such things as their so-called agreed ‘traffic sets of arrangements occurred under conserva- measures’ which the former Minister for tive state governments. These infrastructure Transport, Laurie Brereton, described as a bonds were used to feather the nests of their ‘state scandal’ and a ‘policy obscenity’ for friends in the private sector, and legislation corralling Melbourne motorists onto toll-roads was introduced—in the case of Fahey and to be fleeced like sheep by the private sector. Kennett—using these infrastructure bonds to This strategy involved: providing $300 basically fleece the public of New South million directly for associated infrastructure Wales and Victoria in such a way as to works; various exemptions from state meas- produce quite extraordinary outcomes for their ures; the legal enforcement of tolls; indemnifi- friends but very limited benefits for the public cation against interest rate rises; and protec- of Sydney and Melbourne. tion and immunity from prosecution on a In the case of City Link, with which I am range of civil laws such as environmental most familiar, an analysis of the City Link laws in such a way as to undermine the rights contract and state legislation detailed at
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