Bills Digest no. 60 2014–15
PDF version [531KB]
WARNING: This Digest was prepared for debate. It reflects the legislation as introduced and does not canvass subsequent amendments. This Digest does not have any official legal status. Other sources should be consulted to determine the subsequent official status of the Bill.
Diane Spooner
Law and Bills Digest Section
2 December 2014
Contents
Purpose of the Bill
Structure of the Bill
Background
Policy position of non-government parties/independents
Position of major interest groups
Financial implications
Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights
Key issues and provisions
Date introduced: 27 November 2014
House: House of Representatives
Portfolio: Finance
Commencement: The day after Royal Assent.
Links: The links to the Bill, its Explanatory Memorandum and second reading speech can be found on the Bill’s home page, or through the Australian Parliament website.
When Bills have been passed and have received Royal Assent, they become Acts, which can be found at the ComLaw website.
The purpose of the ACT Government Loan Bill 2014 (the Bill) is to facilitate a concessional loan to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government of up to $1 billion to undertake a loose-fill asbestos remediation programme in the ACT.
The Bill has four clauses.
From 1968 until 1978, loose-fill, fluffy asbestos was sold by one local firm (‘Mr Fluffy’) as ceiling insulation for residential and commercial premises in Canberra. The asbestos is very fine, which means it is easy to disturb. In 1988, the Commonwealth Government announced a program to remove loose-fill asbestos insulation in the interest of public health. The ongoing responsibility for the removal program was transferred to the ACT Government with self-government in 1989.[1]
The ACT Government’s Asbestos Fact Sheet notes a number of reasons why the removal program was unlikely to have removed all the loose-fill asbestos insulation in all ACT homes, including that the survey to identify houses involved only a visual inspection.[2]
Under the eradication scheme, the ACT Government will acquire, demolish and dispose of all affected homes, remediate affected blocks and then resell those blocks to lessen the overall costs of the scheme.[3]
Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills
At the time of writing the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills has not considered the Bill.
Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights
At the time of writing the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights has not considered the Bill.
It has been reported in The Canberra Times that the Bill is expected to pass without debate, which suggests that it has bipartisan support.[4]
According to The Canberra Times:
The founder of the Fluffy Owners and Residents’ Action Group said there was widespread disappointment among home owners with the Commonwealth’s response and its refusal to honour a memorandum of understanding with the ACT government over shared funding responsibility for Mr Fluffy.[5]
The Legislative Assembly for the ACT has also introduced the Appropriation (Loose-fill Asbestos Insulation Eradication) Bill 2014–2015, which provides for the appropriation of funds totalling $762.031 million in the
2014–15 fiscal year towards the cost of the loose-fill asbestos insulation eradication scheme.[6]
The Bill if enacted will appropriate $750 million. If the ACT and the Government agree to any further payments, which are not to exceed $250 million (or $1 billion in total), there will be a future appropriation.[7]
The Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights can be found at page three of the Explanatory Memorandum to the Bill. As required under Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 (Cth), the Government has assessed the Bill’s compatibility with the human rights and freedoms recognised or declared in the international instruments listed in section 3 of that Act. The Government considers that the Bill is compatible.
Clause 3 of the Bill provides that the Commonwealth may make a loan of money to the ACT, and the terms and conditions on which the loan is to be made will be set out in a written agreement between the two parties (subclauses 3(1) and (2)). Subclause 3(3) provides that the total amount of the loan is not to exceed $1 billion.
Clause 4 appropriates $750 million from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Members, Senators and Parliamentary staff can obtain further information from the Parliamentary Library on (02) 6277 2500.
For copyright reasons some linked items are only available to members of Parliament.
© Commonwealth of Australia
Creative Commons
With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, and to the extent that copyright subsists in a third party, this publication, its logo and front page design are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia licence.
In essence, you are free to copy and communicate this work in its current form for all non-commercial purposes, as long as you attribute the work to the author and abide by the other licence terms. The work cannot be adapted or modified in any way. Content from this publication should be attributed in the following way: Author(s), Title of publication, Series Name and No, Publisher, Date.
To the extent that copyright subsists in third party quotes it remains with the original owner and permission may be required to reuse the material.
Inquiries regarding the licence and any use of the publication are welcome to webmanager@aph.gov.au.
Disclaimer: Bills Digests are prepared to support the work of the Australian Parliament. They are produced under time and resource constraints and aim to be available in time for debate in the Chambers. The views expressed in Bills Digests do not reflect an official position of the Australian Parliamentary Library, nor do they constitute professional legal opinion. Bills Digests reflect the relevant legislation as introduced and do not canvass subsequent amendments or developments. Other sources should be consulted to determine the official status of the Bill.
Any concerns or complaints should be directed to the Parliamentary Librarian. Parliamentary Library staff are available to discuss the contents of publications with Senators and Members and their staff. To access this service, clients may contact the author or the Library‘s Central Entry Point for referral.