What to look out for this Parliamentary sitting week #auspol

?

Both the Senate and the House will return on the 7th of February for the first week of sittings in 2022.?

Under decisions made by the presiding officers, Parliament House remains accessible only to elected representatives, essential staff and the media.?

Key issues listed for debate this week include the Religious Discrimination legislative package as well as the establishment of the Corporate Collective Investment Vehicle (CCIV) regime.?

The two parliamentary inquiries into the Religious Discrimination Bill tabled their reports on Friday. Both inquiries recommend that parliament pass the package with amendments to clauses 11 (interaction with state anti-discrimination laws)?and 12 (‘statements of belief’), and an expanded explanatory memorandum. The government has dedicated the first sitting day in the House of Representatives to debating the Religious Discrimination package. The government has scheduled the package first up for debate in the Senate on Wednesday.?

?

House of Representatives?

Tuesday?

• The first day of the sitting week will be dominated by the religious discrimination package (Religious Discrimination Bill 2021, Religious Discrimination (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021 and the Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2021). These Bills as a collective package make any discrimination which occurs on the ground of religious beliefs or activities unlawful in multiple areas of public life including employment. ?

Wednesday?

• Wednesday commences with discussions surrounding the Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Superannuation Outcomes For Australians and Helping Australian Businesses Invest) which aims to both provide support for first-home buyers as well as those who are nearing retirement. ?
• Talks surrounding the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Participant Service Guarantee and Other Measures) will mostly outline minor changes in the Bill that attempt to tackle the concerns regarding the rule-making powers and procedures.?
• Corporate Collective Investment Vehicle Framework and Other Measures seeks to expand the competitive market of Australia’s managed superfund industry by introducing an investment structure which is recognised internationally.?
• The Data Availability and Transparency, Data Availability and Transparency (Consequential Amendments),?will?consist of discussions regarding the proposed amendments to the bill which has been introduced to establish a new data-sharing scheme. ?
• The changes outlined in the Courts and Tribunals Legislation Amendment (2021 Measures No. 1) aim to provide clarification for and improvements to multiple processes in both the AAT and the federal courts.?
• Wednesday will conclude with the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Candidate Eligibility). This seeks to revise the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, discussing adjustments to be made to the candidate eligibility questionnaire.?

Thursday?

• Thursday will begin with Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia Funding Legislation Amendment aiming to improve the administrative processes and ensure consistency between?the AHA Act and the PHA Act. ?
• The Australian Research Council Amendment places great emphasis on the independence of Australian research by revising the approval processes of research expenditure. ?
• Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Pension Loans Scheme Enhancements) makes amendments to include the ‘Increasing the Flexibility of the Pension Loans Scheme’ as was outlined in the 2021-22 budget. These changes particularly affect the Pension Loans Scheme by allowing participants under the scheme to access capped lump sum advance payments.?
• There will be discussions regarding the Offshore Petroleum (Laminaria and Corallina Decommissioning Cost Recovery Levy)?which seeks to impose a temporary levy on offshore petroleum production to recover the Commonwealth's costs of decommissioning the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields and associated infrastructure.?
• Treasury Laws Amendment (Laminaria and Corallina Decommissioning Cost Recovery Levy) amends taxation legislation to supplement the Offshore Petroleum Bill, specifying administrative features of the Laminaria and Corallina decommissioning levy. ?

A full list of legislation scheduled in the House can be found here.? ?

?Senate?

Tuesday??

• The sitting week will commence with Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve’s Law) Bill 2021 which aims to allow the use of permitted mitochondrial donation techniques for certain research and training.?
• Following this will be a discussion surrounding the Corporations Amendment (Meetings and Documents) Bill 2021 which seeks to establish a permanent mechanism which would allow companies and registered schemes to conduct hybrid (in person and remote) meetings; and use technology to execute, sign and share company and meeting related documents.?
• The Investment Funds Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 aims to establish a new employment framework for the Future Fund Management Agency.??
• Finally, the Corporate Collective Investment Vehicle Framework and Other Measures Bill 2021 will be introduced into the Senate. The Bill seeks to amend corporations, taxation and financial services laws to establish the Corporate Collective Investment Vehicle (CCIV) regime.??

Wednesday?

• The second sitting day will open with discussion surrounding the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 This will then be followed by a review of the Religious Discrimination (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021 and the Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2021. These Bills as a collective package make any discrimination which occurs on the ground of religious beliefs or activities unlawful in multiple areas of public life including employment. ?
• From here, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Superannuation Outcomes For Australians and Helping Australian Businesses Invest) Bill 2021 will be examined which amends the law relating to taxation and superannuation, and for related purposes. ??
• Wednesday will conclude with discussions about the Biosecurity Amendment (Enhanced Risk Management) Bill 2021 which aims to aid the risk management of diseases and pests spreading across Australia which poses a threat to human health, local flora and fauna as well as the economy and the environment.??

Thursday?

• ?The final day of the sitting week will open with talks about the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Participant Service Guarantee and Other Measures) Bill 2021 which seeks to clarify amendments to eligibility criteria, engagement principles, the risk assessment process as well as other contentious factors outlined in the original bill.?
• The Family Law Amendment (Federal Family Violence Orders) Bill 2021 is expected to be introduced into the Senate on Thursday. The Bill aims to make changes to the Family Law Act 1975 to establish new federal family violence orders which, if breached, can be criminally enforced.?
• The Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021 will go through its second reading. The Bill makes a series of legislative amendments deliver the second stage of aged care reform developed to respond to the Royal Commission’s Final Report: Care, Dignity and Respect.?
• The next point of discussion surrounds the Data Availability and Transparency Bill 2020 and the Data Availability and Transparency (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020. These will outline the proposal to enable Australian Government agencies to share public sector data under certain settings. ?
• To conclude the sitting week, the senate will discuss the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Candidate Eligibility) Bill 2021 which aims to ensure that registered political parties are founded on strong community support and engagement by raising the minimum membership requirements of non-parliamentary parties.?

?

A full list of legislation scheduled in the Senate can be found here.? ?

?