COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SENATE Official Hansard No. 7, 2000 6 JUNE 2000 THIRTY-NINTH PARLIAMENT FIRST SESSION—SIXTH PERIOD BY AUTHORITY OF THE SENATE CONTENTS TUESDAY, 6 JUNE Questions Without Notice Goods and Services Tax: Exploitation......................................................... 14641 Industrial Relations: Level of Disputation................................................... 14641 Aboriginals: Living Conditions................................................................... 14642 Private Health Insurance: Government Initiatives....................................... 14644 Centrelink: Client Privacy ........................................................................... 14645 Cox Peninsula Transmitter: Sale ................................................................. 14646 Goods and Services Tax: Australian Business Number Records................. 14646 Timber Industry: Plantations ....................................................................... 14647 Goods and Services Tax: Australian Business Number Records................. 14648 Goods and Services Tax: Local Government .............................................. 14649 Goods and Services Tax: Advertising.......................................................... 14650 Heritage Protection Order: Boobera Lagoon............................................... 14652 Answers To Questions Without Notice Goods and Services Tax: Information ......................................................... 14653 Goods and Services Tax .............................................................................. 14654 Cox Peninsula Transmitter: Sale ................................................................. 14659 Petitions Medicare...................................................................................................... 14660 Uranium: World Heritage Areas.................................................................. 14660 Goods and Services Tax: Vitamin, Mineral and Herbal Remedies.............. 14660 Goods and Services Tax: Feminine Sanitary Products ................................ 14661 Notices Presentation ................................................................................................. 14661 Withdrawal .................................................................................................. 14661 Postponement .............................................................................................. 14661 Leave of Absence.............................................................................................. 14661 Committees Native Title and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund Committee—Extension of Time......................................................... 14661 Cox Peninsula Transmitter: Sale....................................................................... 13661 Congress of 3000 West Papuans ....................................................................... 13661 Cox Peninsula Transmitter: Sale....................................................................... 14663 Spencer Gulf Air Crash..................................................................................... 14663 Fiji and Solomon Islands: Political Crises ........................................................ 14663 Health Legislation Amendment (Gap Cover Schemes) Bill 2000 In Committee............................................................................................... 14664 Third Reading.............................................................................................. 14677 Customs Tariff Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2000 Excise Tariff Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2000 Second Reading........................................................................................... 14677 Telecommunications (Interception) Legislation Amendment Bill 2000 Second Reading........................................................................................... 14689 Documents Regional Forest Agreement: Gippsland....................................................... 14697 Regional Forest Agreement: West Victoria ................................................. 14702 Adjournment Global Conflicts........................................................................................... 14703 Australia Post: Workplace Health and Safety Practices .............................. 14704 CONTENTS—continued Biotechnology ............................................................................................. 14706 Child Disability Assessment Tool ............................................................... 14708 Documents Tabling......................................................................................................... 14709 Tabling......................................................................................................... 14709 Questions on Notice.......................................................................................... 14711 No. 1665—Aged Care Reforms: Report ..................................................... 14711 No. 1798—Goods and Services Tax: Second-hand Book Sellers ............... 14711 No. 1841—Attorney-General’s Department: SES Officers......................... 14712 No. 1961—Attorney-General’s Department: Provision of Income and Expenditure Statements ............................................................................... 14718 No. 1980—Goods and Services Tax: Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Research .......................................... 14720 No. 1998—Department of the Treasury: Contracts with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu......................................................................................... 14721 No. 2010—Attorney-General's Department: Contracts with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu......................................................................................... 14722 No. 2017—Department of the Treasury: Contracts with PricewaterhouseCoopers ............................................................................. 14723 No. 2029—Attorney-General’s Department: Contracts with PricewaterhouseCoopers ............................................................................. 14725 No. 2036—Department of the Treasury: Contracts with KPMG ................ 14726 No. 2048—Attorney-General’s Department: Contracts with KPMG.......... 14728 No. 2055—Department of the Treasury: Contracts with Arthur Andersen. 14729 No. 2067—Attorney-General’s Department: Contracts with Arthur Andersen.......................................................................................... 14730 No. 2074—Department of the Treasury: Contracts with Ernst and Young.................................................................................................... 14731 No. 2086—Attorney General’s Department: Contracts with Ernst and Young.................................................................................................... 14732 No. 2093—Australian Greenhouse Office: Green Power Program............. 14733 No. 2101—East Timor: Official Language ................................................. 14734 No. 2105—Western Sahara: Referendum.................................................... 14735 No. 2122—New South Wales Non-Government Schools: Funding............ 14736 No. 2126—Western Sahara: Referendum.................................................... 14764 Tuesday, 6 June 2000 SENATE 14641 Tuesday, 6 June 2000 that said that the government was afraid to ————— take on big business when it has to. I repeat: when it has to. I refer to the comments by The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. some elements in big business about the Margaret Reid) took the chair at 2.00 p.m., ACCC, so the overall premise of your ques- and read prayers. tion falls over. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Let me make it clear that the Labor Party Goods and Services Tax: Exploitation have a totally confused position in relation to Senator HUTCHINS (2.00 p.m.)—My the ACCC. Sometimes they think the ACCC question is to Senator Kemp, the Assistant has too much power, and sometimes they Treasurer. Why is it that the government has think the ACCC does not have enough been so quick to make public examples of power. Both these particular lines are run businesses such as Video Ezy and Gleebooks concurrently. Senator Hutchins, I invite you in relation to GST price exploitation, yet to read the Hansard. If you cannot find it, does not make such public claims of GST give my office a call and we will forward a price exploitation by big businesses such as copy to you. Woolworths and David Jones? Is it because Senator HUTCHINS—Madam Presi- the government does not want to upset its big dent, I ask a supplementary question. I find business mates, particularly when one of that answer quite inadequate. It would appear them is the chairman of the Business Coali- to me that the camouflaging that you have tion for Tax Reform? the business community do is continuing and Senator KEMP—I think it is a bit of a has continued for some time. My question to pity that Senator Hutchins was not at the you, clearly, was: why have public examples Senate estimates. I do not often say it is a been made of stores like Video Ezy and pity that someone was not there, because I Gleebooks, yet you let Woolies and DJs off think it was a pity that a number of people the hook? were there. Senator Hutchins, this was very Senator KEMP—As Professor Fels indi- extensively canvassed at the Senate estimates cated, there was action in relation to Woolies