Chapter 1

Introduction

Referral of inquiry

1.1        The Passenger Movement Charge Amendment Bill 2012 (Bill) was introduced into the House of Representatives by the Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon. Jason Clare MP (Minister) on 23 May 2012.[1] The provisions of the Bill were immediately referred to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee (committee) for inquiry and report by 18 June 2012, in accordance with a motion moved by the Senate on 9 May 2012.[2] The reporting date was subsequently extended until 19 June 2012.[3]

1.2        The Bill was also referred to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics on 24 May 2012 for inquiry.[4] The Bill was referred on the recommendation of the House of Representatives Selection Committee which indicated that the industry did not have an adequate consultation period prior to the legislation being introduced, and the inquiry would allow stakeholders input into the legislation.[5] That committee tabled its report on 18 June 2012.[6]

Purpose of the Bill

1.3        The Bill proposes to amend the Passenger Movement Charge Act 1978 (PMC Act) to increase the rate of the passenger movement charge (PMC), from $47 to $55 with effect from 1 July 2012, and to introduce annual indexation of the PMC in accordance with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from 1 July 2013.

Conduct of the inquiry

1.4        Details of the inquiry, the Bill and associated documents were placed on the committee's website.  The committee also wrote to a number of organisations, inviting submissions by 1 June 2012.

1.5        The committee received 15 submissions, which are listed at Appendix 1.  All submissions were published on the committee's website at https://www.aph.gov.au/senate_legalcon.

1.6        The committee held a public hearing in Canberra on 8 June 2012. A list of witnesses who appeared at the hearing is at Appendix 2. The Hansard transcript is available through the committee's website.

Acknowledgement

1.7        The committee notes the short period of time between referral of the Bill to the committee and lodgement of submissions. The committee appreciates the effort required to meet this timeframe, and thanks those organisations and individuals who made contributions to the inquiry.

References

1.8        References to the committee Hansard are to the proof Hansard. Page numbers may vary between the proof and the official Hansard transcripts.

Navigation: Previous Page | Contents | Next Page