For the sitting periods
11-14 May 1999 and 24-27 May 1999
Legislation
The first week of the period was occupied with lengthy
consideration of the government’s taxation package, and
several major amendments to the principal bill were dealt with.
Consideration of the legislation was effectively suspended after
Senator Harradine’s statement on 14 May that he would not
support it beyond the committee stage. Attention then moved to
other legislation, the government securing the co-operation of the
Senate to alter the order in which government legislation was
considered.
The focus was then on the Broadcasting Services Amendment
(Online Services) Bill, the government’s controversial
legislation to control material on the Internet. This bill was also
considered and amended, including by non-government amendments, and
finally passed on 26 May.
The legislation to privatise Wool International was passed with
an amendment moved by a government backbencher on 27 May. The
Financial Sector Reform package of bills was also passed with
extensive amendments on the same day. These bills were considered
during the period for non-controversial legislation on Thursday,
again indicating that "non-controversial" does not mean "free of
amendment".
Consideration was resumed of the telecommunications package of
bills, including the bill to fully privatise Telstra. The bills
were given a second reading on 27 May and extensively amended but
consideration of them was not concluded.
Parliamentary privilege
The Privileges Committee received on 27 May a complex reference
arising from the tabling by the Community Affairs References
Committee of the responses by witnesses before the committee to the
Allars report (see Bulletin No. 131, p. 1). The committee raised
with the President a matter of privilege based on the
committee’s assessment that, in the compilation and
subsequent treatment of the Allars report, the following contempts
of the Senate may have been committed:
- witnesses who gave evidence before the committee may have been
punished for their evidence by the inclusion of certain material in
the report and its subsequent publication by the department
- the proceedings of the committee may have been misused in order
to make damaging statements about, and to inflict harm upon,
witnesses before the committee
- the proceedings of the committee may have been
misrepresented
- there may have been an unauthorised publication of a document
compiled for submission to the committee and submitted to the
committee.
The President gave the matter precedence and a motion to refer
it to the Privileges Committee was immediately moved under the
provision in standing order 81 relating to matters determined by
the President on the last day of a sitting period when the Senate
is to rise for a week or more.
Delegated legislation
The Regulations and Ordinances Committee presented a special
report on 27 May relating to its scrutiny of orders made under the
Financial Management and Accountability Act. The committee
undertook a very lengthy and thorough examination of these orders
to determine whether they contained matters more appropriate for
parliamentary enactment, a criterion of the committee not often
invoked. The committee eventually came to the conclusion that the
orders should be allowed to stand, but received undertakings from
the government to amend them.
Committees
The Legal and Constitutional References Committee received from
the Senate on 13 May a very detailed reference on Australia’s
refugee and humanitarian program, covering many specific matters
including some specific cases of alleged deprivation of human
rights. The reference was influenced by recent controversy about
allegations of maltreatment of refugees.
The government’s legislation for the referendum on
establishing a republic was referred to a joint select committee on
the motion of the government on 25 May. The legislation has been
issued in draft form but has not yet been introduced into either
House.
The following committee reports were presented during the
period:
Date tabled |
Committee |
Title |
11.5 |
Environment, Communications,
Information Technology and the Arts Legislation |
Report—Radiocommunications
Legislation Amendment Bills |
" |
Information Technologies |
Report—Broadcasting Services
Amendment (Online Services) Bill 1999 |
12.5 |
Scrutiny of Bills |
8th Report of 1999 |
" |
Legal and Constitutional
Legislation |
Additional Information—Estimates
1998-99 and Additional Estimates 1998-99 |
" |
Corporations and Securities |
Report—Corporate Law Economic
Reform Program Bill 1998 |
13.5 |
Economics Legislation |
Report—Financial Sector Reform
Bills |
25.5 |
Employment, Workplace Relations, Small
Business and Education Legislation |
Report—Higher Education
Legislation Amendment Bill 1999 |
" |
Community Affairs Legislation |
Report—A New Tax System (Family
Assistance) Bills |
" |
Community Affairs Legislation |
Report—Compensation for
Non-economic Loss (Social Security and Veterans’ Entitlements
Legislation Amendment) Bill 1999 |
" |
Rural and Regional Affairs and
Transport Legislation |
Report—Wool International
Privatisation Bill 1999 |
26.5 |
Scrutiny of Bills |
9th Report of 1999 and Alert Digest
No. 8 of 1999 |
27.5 |
Community Affairs Legislation |
Additional
Information—Additional Estimates 1998-99 |
" |
Economics Legislation |
Report—Taxation Laws Amendment
Bill (No. 2) 1999 |
" |
Regulations and Ordinances |
107th Report |
" |
Environment, Communications,
Information Technology and the Arts References |
Report—Commonwealth Environment
Powers |
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