Selection of Bills Committee

Report No. 1 of 2023

The Senate agreed to the recommendations of the report on 9 February 2023.

  1. The committee met in private session on Wednesday, 8 February 2023 at 7.15 pm.
  2. The committee recommends that—
    1. the COVID-19 Vaccination Status (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill 2022, and the Fair Work Amendment (Prohibiting COVID-19 Vaccine Discrimination) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 21 June 2023;
    2. the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022 be referred immediately to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 1 July 2023;
    3. contingent upon introduction in the House of Representatives, the provisions of the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill 2023, the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council Bill 2023, and the Treasury Laws Amendment (Housing Measures No. 1) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 22 March 2023 (see appendix 1 for a statement of reasons for referral);
    4. the Migration Amendment (Evacuation to Safety) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 7 March 2023 (see appendix 2 for a statement of reasons for referral);
    5. the provisions of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Consumer Data Right) Bill 2022 be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 23 March 2023 (see appendix 3 for a statement of reasons for referral); and
    6. the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023 be referred immediately to the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 16 March 2023 (see appendix 4 for a statement of reasons for referral).
  3. The committee recommends that the following bills not be referred to committees:
    • Aboriginal Land Grant (Jervis Bay Territory) Amendment (Strengthening Land and Governance Provisions) Bill 2022
    • Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Banning Dirty Donations) Bill 2022
    • Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Lowering Voting Age and Increasing Voter Participation) Bill 2018
    • Customs Legislation Amendment (Controlled Trials and Other Measures) Bill 2022
    • Export Control Amendment (Streamlining Administrative Processes) Bill 2022
    • Higher Education Support Amendment (Australia's Economic Accelerator) Bill 2022
    • Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Modernisation) Bill 2022
    • Migration Amendment (Aggregate Sentences) Bill 2023
    • Ministers of State Amendment Bill 2022
    • Northern Territory Safe Measures Bill 2023
    • Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (Medical Device and Human Tissue Product List and Cost Recovery) Bill 2022
    • Private Health Insurance (Prostheses Application and Listing Fees) Amendment (Cost Recovery) Bill 2022
      Private Health Insurance (National Joint Replacement Register Levy) Amendment (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022
    • Therapeutic Goods Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Bill 2022
    • Work Health and Safety Amendment Bill 2022.
  4. The committee deferred consideration of the following bills to its next meeting:
    • Broadcasting Services Amendment (Audio Description) Bill 2019
    • Criminal Code Amendment (Inciting Illegal Disruptive Activities) Bill 2023
    • Customs Legislation Amendment (Commercial Greyhound Export and Import Prohibition) Bill 2021
    • Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Approval of Overseas Service) Bill 2020
    • Electoral Legislation Amendment (Lowering the Voting Age) Bill 2023
    • Electric Vehicles Accountability Bill 2021
    • Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Regional Forest Agreements) Bill 2020
    • Federal Environment Watchdog Bill 2021
    • Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Amendment (No New Fossil Fuels) Bill 2021 [No. 2]
    • United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Bill 2022.

(Anne Urquhart)
Chair
9 February 2023

  • Senator Anne Urquhart (Government Whip, Chair)
  • Senator Wendy Askew (Opposition Whip)
  • Senator Ross Cadell (The Nationals Whip)
  • Senator Pauline Hanson (Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Whip)
  • Senator Nick McKim (Australian Greens Whip)
  • Senator Ralph Babet
  • Senator the Hon. Anthony Chisholm
  • Senator the Hon. Katy Gallagher
  • Senator Matt O’Sullivan
  • Senator David Pocock
  • Senator Lidia Thorpe
  • Senator Paul Scarr
  • Senator Tammy Tyrrell

Secretary: Tim Bryant
02 6277 3020