Mr BRUCE SCOTT (Veterans' Affairs) (8:04 PM) —In summing up the Primary Industries and Energy Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 3) 1997 , I want to thank honourable members for their contributions. I want to cover briefly two issues that have been raised during the debate. The bill amends a number of acts to remove the legislative requirement for the portfolio minister to approve the terms and conditions of employment, including remuneration of the principal employee of statutory authorities within the primary industries and energy portfolio, placing the responsibility for this process entirely with the individual portfolio organisations.

In no other portfolio has the minister undertaken such a significant role in providing written approval to the terms and conditions of employment of a CEO. The proposed amendments are also consistent with recent developments in the government's approach to public sector workplace relations which indicate that it would be unrealistic to isolate statutory authorities within the primary industries and energy portfolio for ministerial approval of employment conditions—totally inappropriate. Ministerial involvement also necessitates administrative procedures which can be time consuming and which add to the risk of losing prominent appointees due to delays in finalising appointments.

I now turn to the $3.6 million reduction in the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation's special appropriation for 1997-98. We have to make these savings because of the Labor Party's incompetence whilst they were in government. The saving will contribute to our goal of winding back Labor's $10.3 billion budget deficit. The saving will also help pay for the South East Fishery's adjustment program, which we had to set up due to the Labor Party's hopelessly inept management of that fishery. The saving is possible because the FRDC has substantial financial reserves. FRDC will still be able to meet all of its obligations. The reduction will not affect its long-term research priorities. The federal government funds FRDC in a slightly different way to its other primary industries research and development corporations. We make a very large unmatched contribution to the corporation in addition to matching contributions from the fishing industry.

The amendments will only affect our unmatched contribution to FRDC. The government is continuing to match industry contributions on a dollar for dollar basis. The federal government remains committed to research for the fishing industry, and we are demonstrating that by matching the industry's contribution on the basis that for every dollar that they put in, the federal government will put one dollar in for research.

I agree that fisheries research is important, but it was more urgent and important to fix up the south-east fisheries which were so disastrously mismanaged by the previous government. I commend the bill to this House.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill read a second time.