WHEAT EXPORT MARKETING AMENDMENT BILL 2012

Order of the day read for the adjourned debate on the motion of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Senator McLucas)—That this bill be now read a second time.

Limitation of debate: The time allotted for the second reading of the bill expired.

Question—That this bill be now read a second time—put and passed.

Bill read a second time.

The Senate resolved itself into committee for the consideration of the bill.

In the committee

Bill taken as a whole by leave.

On the motion of Senator Siewert the following amendments, taken together by leave, were debated and agreed to:

 Clause 2, page 2 (table item 1, column 1), omit "3", substitute "4".

 Page 2 (after line 11), after clause 3, insert:

4 National wheat industry advisory taskforce to be established

   The Minister must cause to be established a wheat industry advisory taskforce by no later than 5 February 2013.

Senator Xenophon moved the following amendments together by leave:

 Clause 2, page 2 (table item 1), omit "3", substitute "4".

 Page 2 (after line 11), after clause 3, insert:

4 National wheat industry advisory body to be established

  (1) The Minister must cause to be established a wheat industry advisory body by no later than 31 January 2013.

  (2) The wheat industry advisory body must consist of the following members, appointed by the Minister:

 (a) an independent Chair;

 (b) at least 9 skills-based members appointed from the production, bulk handling and non-handling export sectors of the industry;

 (c) 2 non-voting observer members.

  (3) The wheat industry advisory body is to administer the Wheat Industry Special Account.

Debate ensued.

Question—That the amendments be agreed to—put and negatived.

On the motion of Senator Siewert the following amendment was debated and agreed to:

 Clause 2, page 2 (table item 4), omit the table item, substitute:

4. Schedule 31 October 2014.

However, the provision(s) do not commence at all unless, before that day:

(a) the Minister has published a notice in the Gazette under subsection 12(1) of the Wheat Export Marketing Act 2008 in respect of a code of conduct; and

(b) the code has been declared by regulations under section 51AE of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to be a mandatory industry code.

Senator Xenophon moved the following amendment:

 Schedule 1, item 29, page 13 (line 19), at the end of subsection 12(2), add:

 ; and (e) requires the code to be reviewed no later than 2 years after it commences.

Question—That the amendment be agreed to—put and negatived.

Limitation of debate: The time allotted for the consideration of this bill expired.

The following amendment circulated by the Australian Greens was agreed to:

 Schedule 1, item 29, page 13 (line 19), omit "voluntary".

The following amendments circulated by Senator Xenophon were considered:

 Schedule 1, item 2, page 4 (lines 2 and 3), omit "to wheat exporters of access to port terminal services by the providers of port terminal services", substitute "of an efficient and profitable wheat export marketing industry that supports the competitiveness of all sectors of the wheat export supply chain".

 Schedule 1, item 29, page 13 (after line 14), after paragraph 12(2)(b), insert:

 (ba) requires major providers of receival, storage and handling services to publish timely, aggregated grain stocks information describing tonnes of stacked grades on a port zone basis; and

 (bb) requires wheat export cargoes to comply with a nominated Australian wheat varietal classification grade; and

 Schedule 2, item 15, page 23 (line 6), omit paragraph 60(b), substitute:

 (b) the wheat industry advisory body established under section 4 of the Wheat Export Marketing Amendment Act 2012 has approved the funding.

Question—That the amendments be agreed to—put and negatived.

Question—That the bill, as amended, be agreed to—put and passed.

Bill to be reported with amendments.

The Acting Deputy President (Senator Ludlam) resumed the chair and the Temporary Chair of Committees reported accordingly.

Question—That the remaining stages of this bill be agreed to and this bill be now passed—put and passed.

Bill read a third time.