Senator O'BRIEN (6:21 PM) —This is a bill which proposes to amend the Customs Act 1901 to provide that customs duty is not payable on goods imported on a temporary basis for use in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, certain events in the Sydney Cultural Olympics and a number of events leading up to these Olympics. No duty will be payable on these goods on the proviso that such goods are exported by the end of the year 2000. A regulation to this extent has already been made. The bill essentially gives legislative support to this regulation.

The goods which will be covered by the provision are the vast amounts of infrastructure items such as desks, tents, chairs, et cetera, which will be—and in some cases already have been—brought in by SOCOG. Also covered will be motor vehicles, telecast technology and any other goods which will be imported specifically for use in relation to the Olympics and related events and which will be exported again once these events are completed. Duty will become payable if the goods are used in contravention of the regulations—for example, for a purpose other than one related to the Olympics or associated events, or if the goods are not exported before 31 December 2000 without the grant of an extension of time.

In order to ensure that there is a clear audit trail for all temporarily imported goods, the bill provides Customs with the power to demand information regarding the goods on importation. Owners of the goods must also notify Customs of their intention to export the goods without entry documentation so that Customs has a complete record of the movement of the goods. The bill will reduce the administrative complexity involved with the large numbers of the goods temporarily imported into Australia for the Olympics and related events and will ensure that Customs is able to track these goods to prevent them from illegally entering the domestic market.

The opposition supports the passage of this bill through the parliament, although it is a matter of concern that SOCOG has a need to import so much of the infrastructure for the conduct of the Olympics. It is a concern to the opposition that Australian companies were not able to win tenders to supply these goods. There is also a concern on the part of the opposition about the technology which will be coming in with broadcasters. It highlights the fact that Australia appears to be behind other nations in that regard. The question must be asked: why are our major television stations behind in digital technology? One wonders whether the government is looking at the initiatives in this bill to reduce administrative problems to see how they could be applied across the board. Having said that, the opposition will be supporting this bill.