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20 <strong>SENATE</strong> Thursday, 13 October 2016 that there is something not quite right and not yet quite good enough about how our parliamentary oversight of these matters is conducted and managed, I take that very seriously. I know that these amendments are just adjustments in the way we currently operate; but they are important adjustments and they were put forward by no less than former Senator John Faulkner, who himself has reflected very carefully on these issues. What is proposed is the removal of the current constraints on the membership of the committee to provide that except for a minimum representation of one government member and senator and one opposition member and senator the balance of the 11 members of the committee can be drawn from either chamber. The current rules on who is eligible to be a member are fairly arbitrary in terms of saying we have this many from this chamber and that many from that chamber. That does not give the Labor Party, which takes this matter very seriously—or, for that matter, other parties—the capacity to appoint the people who are best placed to scrutinise these issues. When you have six members and five senators, that is a very arbitrary thing to do. So it is important that this parliament has more flexibility in determining the membership of this joint committee. It will allow for the joint committee to be made up of members who are more expert in this field, without the constraint of whether they are a member or a senator. For example, I remember discussing with my new colleague Anne Aly MP, the member for Cowan, the fact that, while she has considerable expertise in this area, it is very difficult for her to get a position on the committee—because, by the time you put the shadow defence minister on the committee, or the Leader of the Opposition or others who are also a priority, there is no room left for her to be on the committee. So perhaps someone in the Labor Party might like to make a decision that a Labor senator might be able to give up their place for someone like Anne Aly. These constraints also mean that our shadow Attorney-General, the Honourable Mark Dreyfus, has been unable to serve on the committee because of the limited number of positions available to opposition members of the House of Representatives. So having more flexible membership provisions, without affecting the political balance of the committee, would enable the committee to benefit from this experience and expertise. As previous senators have noted, this bill does not amend the requirement for the government to hold a majority on the committee. As a senator who has been a member of a number of committees and a chair of a committee, I think I am in a good position to reflect on the operation of committees. We are constantly faced with leading to deliberate on and renew our sense of how we balance our decision-making and deal with important national issues. We need to ensure that we connect in this place good decision-making to proper processes that scrutinise all avenues and outcomes of legislation. The bill provides the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security capacity to conduct its own motions and inquiries after consultation with the responsible minister. I certainly think this is an important provision. When there is public debate about issues such as arbitrary intention or the quality of the intelligence that the parliament and the committee are receiving, there may not always be alignment between the views of the committee and the views of the minister. That means if a committee wants to interrogate those issues further they really need to be able to say to the minister: 'There is an important national security issue at stake here. It is time for us to be able to look more deeply into these issues.' This is an important extension but an essential one to enhance the oversight role of this committee. This would bring the parliamentary joint committee in line with equivalent parliamentary committees in the US and the UK, which already have this power. But here in the Australian parliament our legislatures have, comparatively speaking, handed more power to government and more power to the agencies, while our parliamentary committees have been relatively more constrained in their capacity for scrutiny. In 2013 the UK's Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament was reformed by the passage of the Justice and Security Act 2013. So we now need to be able to keep up with these international movements. The PRESIDENT: The time for the debate has expired, so we will now move on to other items on the agenda. Are there any notices of motion to be given for another day? Senator Kakoschke-Moore. NOTICES Carly Ryan Foundation Withdrawal Senator KAKOSCHKE-MOORE (South Australia) (12:07): I wish to withdraw general business notice of motion No. 89 standing in my name and Senator Xenophon's name. Senator Siewert to move: That the Senate— Presentation CHAMBER
Thursday, 13 October 2016 <strong>SENATE</strong> 21 (a) notes that the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples (National Congress) was formed in 2010 by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders after the abolition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission in 2005; (b) acknowledges that the National Congress has a board of elected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; (c) recognises that the National Congress is in a dire financial position; and (d) calls on the Minister for Indigenous Affairs to fund the National Congress for three years at a cost of $15 million, and establish an interest-bearing sinking fund of $100 million to ensure that the National Congress is able to continue its vital work beyond the three year electoral cycle. Senator Farrell to move: That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to improve donation transparency and accountability, and for related purposes. Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Donation Reform and Transparency) Bill 2016. Senator Siewert to move: That the Classification Amendment (CHC Domain Scores) Principles 2016, made under the Aged Care Act 1997, be disallowed. Senator Di Natale to move: That there be laid on the table, by no later than 1 December 2016, by the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the modelling referred to by New Zealand in the United Nations Framework on the Convention of Climate Change session SB145(2016) that details the Government's emission and removals projections for 2030. Senator Williams to move: That the Class of Persons Defined as Fast Track Applicants 2016/010, made under paragraph 5(1AA) (b) of the Migration Act 1958, be disallowed. Senator Williams to move: That the Class of Persons Defined as Fast Track Applicants 2016/007, made under paragraph 5(1AA) (b) of the Migration Act 1958, be disallowed. Senator Williams to move: That the Class of Persons Defined as Fast Track Applicants 2016/008, made under paragraph 5(1AA) (b) of the Migration Act 1958, be disallowed. Senator Williams to move: That the Commonwealth Electoral (Logo Requirements) Determination 2016, made under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, be disallowed. Senator Hinch to move: That the order of the Senate agreed to on 13 October 2016, relating to photography in the chamber, be amended by omitting "28 November 2016", and substituting "8 November 2016". COMMITTEES Selection of Bills Committee Report Senator BUSHBY (Tasmania—Chief Government Whip in the Senate) (12:07): I present the seventh report of 2016 of the Selection of Bills Committee and seek leave to have the report incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The report read as follows— SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 7 OF 2016 13 October 2016 MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE Senator David Bushby (Government Whip, Chair) Senator Anne Urquhart (Opposition Whip) Senator Brian Burston (Pauline Hanson's One Nation Whip) Senator Derryn Hinch (Derryn Hinch's Justice Party Whip) Senator Skye Kakoschke-Moore (Nick Xenophon Team Whip) Senator Rachel Siewert (Australian Greens Whip) Senator John Williams (The Nationals Whip) CHAMBER
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