Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Community Affairs References Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 20 August 2009, from 3.30 pm, to take evidence for the committee’s inquiry into the impact of gene patents on the provision of healthcare in Australia.

Senator Birmingham to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of the report of the Environment, Communications and the Arts References Committee on forestry and mining operations on the Tiwi Islands be extended to 26 October 2009.

Senator Mason to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services be authorised to meet during the sitting of the Senate on Wednesday, 19 August 2009, from 5.30 pm, for a private briefing.

Senator Barnett to move on the next day of sitting:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, no later than 12 pm on Thursday, 20 August 2009, the report of the Government’s National Preventative Health Taskforce as received by the Government on 30 June 2009.

Senator Cormann to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

the Department of Health and Ageing has been collecting audited General Purpose Accounts from aged care providers since the 2004-05 financial year,

(ii)

this information has to be submitted by aged care providers as a condition of receiving Conditional Adjustment Payments (CAP),

(iii)

national de-identified comparative data from those accounts was expected to be made available every financial year to assist in performance benchmarking and in industry planning and investment decisions,

(iv)

only the 2004-05 data was made available to the aged care industry (Bentleys MRI report), and

(v)

subsequently, even though the information has been collected and analysed (in 2005-06 by Grant Thornton, in 2006-07 by Access Economics and KPMG) these reports, and any subsequent analysis, do not appear to have been made publicly available;

(b)

considers publication of the national de-identified data from the audited General Purpose Accounts to be in the public interest; and

(c)

orders that there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, by no later than 12 pm on 20 August 2009, the following documents:

National de-identified data from the audited General Purpose Accounts of aged care providers for:

●   2005-06, including report/analysis by Grant Thornton,

●   2006-07, including report/analysis by Access Economics and KPMG,

●   2007-08, including any report/analysis by the department and/or any third party consultant, and

●   2008-09, including any report/analysis by the department and/or any third party consultant.

Senator Colbeck to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following matter be referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 14 September 2009:

The Australian Government’s management of the removal of the 40 per cent fee rebate for the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) export certification functions, having regard to:

(a)

the level of industry support for the removal of the 40 per cent rebate prior to the implementation of comprehensive reform of AQIS’s export inspection and certification services;

(b)

the adequacy of consultation by the Government in the development of industry work plans;

(c)

the capacity of the Government, including AQIS, to implement efficiency proposals;

(d)

the adequacy of government funding to implement industry work plans;

(e)

any progress on meeting targets in industry work plans;

(f)

the financial or other impact on industry sectors of the failure to meet reform targets; and

(g)

any other relevant matter.