Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, I present the second report of 2013 of the committee on the examination of legislation in accordance with the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011.

Ordered that the report be printed.

I seek leave to incorporate a statement in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statement read as follows—

PARLIAMENTARY JOINT COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS

SECOND REPORT OF 2013

TABLING STATEMENT (SENATE)

MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2013

In this second report of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights for 2013 the committee sets outs its comments on the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment Bill 2013.

In the normal course of events, the committee would not table its comments on this bill until Wednesday 13 March 2013, when it will publish its comments on bills introduced during the period 5 to 28 February. I would therefore like to take a few moments to outline to the Senate the committee's reason for expediting publication of its comments in this instance.

This bill has been referred to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 12 March 2013.

The PJCHR has identified a number of human rights matters in relation to this bill and has decided to seek further clarification from the Minister in relation to some of them. These include matters relating to civil penalty orders, the right to privacy and the right to family life.

The committee has raised similar concerns in relation to a number of bills considered in previous reports.

I would like to stress that the committee's sole intention in publishing its comments on this bill at this early opportunity is to ensure that the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee has the benefit of these comments early in its own consideration of the bill. The committee hopes that this will result in the Minister's response to the committee's comments on the bill being available to the Senate committee before it concludes its inquiry.

From its earliest days, the committee has recognised the desirability of placing information regarding the human rights implications of bills and instruments before the Parliament at an early opportunity. The volume of bills and instruments, together with the realities of the sitting pattern and the committee's preference for tabling reports in a predictable cycle when both houses are sitting, can present challenges to achieving this.

In the Chair's statement to the House at the end of last year, he said that in 2013 the committee would focus on working more effectively with other parliamentary committees, particularly where they have been charged with examining particular bills and instruments. He said that it was the committee's aim to draw the attention of these committees to its reports where such comments are relevant to particular inquiries.

He noted two important reasons for the committee approaching its work in this way:

Since the resumption of Parliament in 2013, the committee has been focussed on establishing clear and regular communication with other parliamentary committees to assist in the examination of human rights issues.

It has addressed this in three ways:

The committee has noted before that consideration of the human rights implications of legislation is not solely the responsibility of the PJCHR. The committee hopes that by striving to complete its own work in a manner that is sensitive to the nature and timing of the work of other parliamentary committees, it can contribute more effectively to the consideration of human rights throughout the legislative process.

I commend the report to the Senate.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

Question agreed to.