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Inquiry into provisions of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Emergency Response Consolidation) Bill 2008

Information relating to reference of the Bill

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On 19 March 2008 the Senate, on the recommendation of the Selection of Bills Committee, referred the provisions of the Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Emergency Response Consolidation) Bill 2008 to the Community Affairs Committee for inquiry and report by 7 May 2008.

The Bill amends some of the special measures to protect Aboriginal children as part of the emergency response. The Bill:

• repeals the permit system that gave public access to certain Aboriginal land and clarifies the power of the Minister to authorise people to enter communities covered by the emergency response;
• requires pay television licensees not to provide television channels that contain a large amount of R 18+ programming into certain prescribed areas;
• permits prohibited pornographic material to be transported through a prescribed area to a place outside the prescribed area; and
• ensures that if a roadhouse effectively takes the place of a community store in a remote area, it can be treated as a community store in having to meet new licensing standards.

The Bill, second reading speech, and Bills Digest may be accessed via the link: Legislation and documentation relating to the Bill

The Committee invites you to provide a written submission addressing issues that may be of relevance to you. The submission should be lodged by 14 April 2008. The Committee prefers to receive submissions electronically as an attached document – email: community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au – otherwise by fax (02 6277 5829).

Submissions become Committee documents and are made public only after a decision by the Committee. Publication of submissions includes loading them onto the internet and their being available to other interested parties including the media. Persons making submissions must not release them without the approval of the Committee. Submissions are covered by parliamentary privilege but the unauthorised release of them is not protected.

Information relating to Senate Committee inquiries, including notes to assist in the preparation of submissions for a Committee, can be located on the Internet at http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/wit_sub/index.htm

Should you require further information please contact the Committee Secretariat on (02) 6277 3515.

For further information, contact:

Committee Secretary
Community Affairs Committee
Department of the Senate
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia

Phone:	+61 2 6277 3515
Fax:	+61 2 6277 5829
Email:	community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au

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