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Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Page: 10924

Mr HOCKEY (North Sydney) (22:41): by leave—I move opposition amendments (3), (4) and (5):

(3) Schedule 1, item 16, page 9 (line 22), omit "; and".

(4) Schedule 1, item 16, page 9 (lines 23 to 25), omit paragraph 64H(3)(d).

(5) Schedule 1, item 16, page 9 (lines 26 and 27), omit the note.

These amendments relate to the information-gathering powers and secrecy requirements of the Parliamentary Budget Office. Schedule 1, item 16, paragraph 64H(3)(d) provides that a request by a senator or an MP for the costing of policies outside the caretaker period may include a direction to treat the request as confidential. That is, it is required that the senator or MP notify the Parliamentary Budget Office that the information that they are providing to the PBO is confidential. This is the wrong way around. Senators and MPs need to be assured that their interactions with the PBO will be confidential at all times unless they specifically direct otherwise. That is our view. It should be entirely the prerogative of senators and MPs whether any aspect of their interaction with the PBO is made public. I move that paragraph 64H(3)(d) be omitted.

In schedule 1, item 16, subsection 64H, the note refers to subsection 64V(2) for confidentiality obligations relating to those requests. This note will be redundant following the omission of 64H(3)(d) and I am moving that this note be omitted. Obviously, in schedule 1, item 16, page 9, line 22, the word 'and' is redundant following the two prior omissions and I move it be omitted. These omissions will be replaced with stronger confidentiality provisions under a new schedule 2, which I will come to in a moment.

From our perspective, the question is whether MPs can, in fact, make submissions which are automatically treated as confidential by the PBO. Under the current bill before the House, which the Independents are strongly supporting, this is not going to be the case.

Question put.

The House divided. [22:48]

(The Speaker—Mr Harry Jenkins)

Question negatived.