Visit to New Zealand A delegation led by Hon Tony Smith Speaker of the Commonwealth of Australia PARLIAMENTARY PROGRAMME Tuesday, 5 April to Thursday 7 April Programme and briefing documents for use by NZ Parliamentarians and officials Prepared by the Parliamentary Relations Secretariat Office of the Clerk New Zealand House of Representatives
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Contents Delegation list 4 Biographical information on the delegation 5-7 Programme 8-11 Guide to the visiting Parliament 12-16 Contact list 17 Notes 18 3
DELEGATION LIST The Hon Tony Smith MP, Speaker of the House of Representatives and delegation leader Liberal Party Federal Member for Casey (Victoria) The Hon Luke Hartsuyker MP, The Nationals Federal Member for Cowper (New South Wales) Senator Catryna Bilyk, Labor Party Senator for Tasmania Mr Graham Perrett MP, Labor Party Member for Moreton (Queensland) Ms Julia Agostino (Delegation Secretary) Mr Peter Banson (Adviser to the Speaker) Embassy of Australia Peter Woolcott High Commissioner to New Zealand 72-76 Hobson St, Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand PO Box 4036, Wellington, New Zealand Phone: (64 4) 473 6411 Fax: (64 4) 498 7135 Email: nzinbox@dfat.gov.au 4
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Australian House of Representatives Speaker Tony Smith The Hon. Tony Smith MP was elected as the 30th Speaker of the House of Representatives on 10 August 2015. Prior to his election as Speaker, Mr Smith was Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, a position he held from December 2013 to August 2015. He has also been a member of numerous House of Representatives committees and other joint committees. In addition, Mr Smith served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister from January to December 2007. Mr Smith was elected as the Federal Member for Casey at the 2001 election. He was re-elected at the 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013 elections. Mr Smith holds an Honours Degree in Commerce and Arts from the University of Melbourne. Hon Luke Hartsuyker MP Luke Hartsuyker is the Federal Member for Cowper, previously serving as the Assistant Minister for Employment, Minister for Vocational Education and Skills and Deputy Leader of the House. Luke has represented the electorate of Cowper, on the NSW mid-north coast, since the 2001 election. He has recently been appointed Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, which is currently considering the Transpacific Partnership and other important international treaties. From 2004 to 2007 he was Chair of the Education and Vocational Training committee, producing the Top of the Class report into teacher education. He has also been a member of the Ageing committee, Economics committee, Employment and Workplace Relations committee, and the Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband Network. 5
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION On his re-election to the Parliament in 2007, Luke was appointed to the Shadow Ministry with responsibility for Consumer Affairs, Financial Services, Superannuation and Corporate Law. In 2010, he took on the role of Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, Youth and Sport and the Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives. Luke was born and educated in Muswellbrook, NSW and gained a Bachelor of Commerce at Newcastle University. Following his graduation, he pursued a professional career in real estate and institutional property investment and development. He is a Fellow of CPA Australia. Prior to becoming the Federal Member for Cowper, Luke managed his family s tourism business in Coffs Harbour. Luke is married to Irene and they have two sons, Ben and Paul. He is a keen surfer and motorcyclist, and holds an annual charity bicycle ride through his electorate to raise funds for local charities and community organisations. Senator Catryna Bilyk biography Senator Catryna Bilyk was elected as a Labor Senator for Tasmania in November 2007, taking her seat in the Senate on 1 July 2008. She was re-elected in September 2013 for a second six-year term. Senator Bilyk is currently Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate. She has served on numerous Parliamentary committees, including as Chair of the Joint and Senate Select Committees on Cyber- Safety, and is currently Chair of the Senators Interests Committee. Prior to being elected to the Senate, Senator Bilyk worked in a variety of positions and roles including administration, research and early childhood education. Joining the Australian Services Union Tasmanian Branch in 1991, she represented workers in early childhood education, local government, airlines, community services and clerical and administrative work. She was responsible for setting up the first Union Jobskills Program, as well as representing the Union on many Industry Training Advisory Boards. 6
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION After working for the ASU, Senator Bilyk was employed by the Tasmanian Government as an Advisor/Electorate Officer with Tasmanian Government Ministers David Crean MLC, David Llewellyn MHA and Ken Bacon MHA. Graham Perrett MP Graham was born in St George in Queensland in 1966 and is the seventh of ten children. He received a Diploma of Teaching in 1985 and taught for three years with Education Queensland on the Darling Downs and far north Queensland, and for eight years in Catholic schools in Brisbane. Graham was awarded a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in 1993 by the University of Queensland. He received his Bachelor of Laws from the Queensland University of Technology and was admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1999 and worked in commercial and estate law. Graham then worked in industrial law with the Queensland Independent Education Union, before becoming a Senior Policy Advisor with the Queensland Government and the Queensland Resources Council. Graham has been the Federal Member for Moreton since 2007. Graham is the Deputy Chair of the Public Works Committee, and a member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Committee; Social Policy and Legal Affairs Committee, and Privileges and Members Interests. Graham is a passionate advocate for education and for local schools to receive extra funding and assistance, especially disadvantaged schools. He believes it is vital this nation invests in our children s future so they all receive the best possible start in life irrespective of where they live or where they come from. Graham is a keen reader/writer and in 2008 published his first novel, the Twelfth Fish and The Big Fig in 2013. He lives in Moorooka with his wife Lea and his two young sons. 7
1755 PARLIAMENTARY PROGRAMME Tuesday 5 April Leave the Bolton Hotel for Parliament Buildings (Executive Wing Entrance). Met by the Right Honourable David Carter, Speaker of the House, and Oliver Whitehead escorted to the Speaker s Lounge. 1800 The Honourable Tony Smith and delegation are guests of honour at a cocktail function hosted by the Right Honourable David Carter, Speaker of the House of Representatives 1945 approx Leave Parliament Buildings (Executive Wing Entrance) for Shed 5 Restaurant, Queens Wharf 2000 The Honourable Tony Smith and delegation are guests of honour at dinner hosted by the Right Honourable David Carter, Speaker of the House of Representatives 2200 Dinner concludes. Return to the Bolton Hotel 8
PARLIAMENTARY PROGRAMME Wednesday 6 April 0830 Meeting at the Bolton Hotel with H E Peter Woolcott, Australian High Commissioner 0915 Leave the Bolton Hotel for Parliament Buildings (Executive Wing Entrance). Met by Oliver Whitehead and escorted to Level 3. 0930 Meeting with Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little and Assistant Speaker Hon Trevor Mallard 0955 Meeting concludes. Escorted to the Speaker s Lounge, 1000 Meeting with Right Honourable David Carter, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker Hon Chester Borrows, Assistant Speaker Lindsay Tisch, Assistant Speaker Hon Trevor Mallard and David Wilson, Clerk of the House 1030 Meeting concludes. Escorted to select committee room 1045 Attend a meeting of the Social Services Select Committee. Briefing: Visit from Australian parliamentary delegation (15 mins) Briefing: Review of the Social Workers Registration Act 2003 (30 mins) 1130 Private Tour of Parliament Buildings Opportunity to refresh before being escorted to Bellamys (Executive Wing L3) 1230 Lunch with members of the New Zealand Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group 1330 Lunch concludes The Speaker and delegation are escorted to the office of Hon Chester Borrows, L1 Parliament House 1345 Members of the delegation are escorted to the Speaker s Gallery Electronic devices and personal belongings cannot be brought into the House. Secure storage provided. 1358 Hon Chester Borrows escorts the Speaker to the rear of the Chamber.
1400 PARLIAMENTARY PROGRAMME Wednesday 6 April The Speaker is introduced to the House, and accorded a seat to the left of Mr Speaker Observe Question Time 1500 approx At the conclusion of Question Time leave the Chamber and Speaker s Gallery. The Speaker and delegation are escorted to the office of the Prime Minister, L9 Executive Wing 1515 Meeting with Prime Minister Right Honourable John Key Hon Gerry Brownlee, Leader of the House, and Tim Macindoe, Senior Whip, will also be in attendance. 1545 Meeting concludes. Opportunity to refresh 1555 Leave Parliament Buildings for Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, Buckle Street 1615 Wreath Laying Ceremony 1645 Leave Pukeahu National War Memorial Park for Bolton Hotel 1705 approx Arrive Bolton Hotel. Opportunity to refresh 10
PARLIAMENTARY PROGRAMME Thursday 7 April 0850 Leave the Bolton Hotel for Parliament Buildings (Executive Wing Entrance). Met by Oliver Whitehead and escorted to Executive Wing L5R. 0900 Meeting with Hon Anne Tolley, Minister for Social Development 0930 Meeting concludes. Speaker and delegation are escorted to the David Lange room, L3 Parliament Buildings. 0945 Meeting with Labour Party Representatives 1025 Meeting concludes. Speaker and delegation are escorted to Bowen House, L7 1045 Meeting with Marama Fox, Co-leader of the Māori Party 1130 Meeting concludes. Speaker and delegation are escorted to Education Suite, Ground Floor, Executive Wing 1130 Meeting with Miranda Thompson, Lead Parliamentary Educator 1200 Leave Parliament Buildings for Whitebait Restaurant, Clyde Quay Wharf 1215 Lunch hosted by H E Peter Woolcott, Australian High Commissioner 1345 Lunch concludes. Leave for the Electoral Commission, L10 Sovereign House, 34-42 Manners St 1400 Meeting with the Electoral Commission 1500 approx Meeting concludes Speaker and Advisor leave for Wellington International Airport (Transport to Bolton Hotel available for Delegation members, accompanied by Oliver Whitehead) 11
GUIDE TO THE VISITING PARLIAMENT PARLIAMENT OF AUSTRALIA Parliament has two houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The House of Representatives has 150 members, elected for a term of 3 years. The most recent election was held in September 2013. Electoral system Members are elected from single-member constituencies by preferential vote. Each state must have at least 5 seats. The two territories each have 2 seats. Voters must be aged 18 years or over and be citizens, or British subjects who meet certain conditions. Voting is compulsory. Candidates must be citizens aged 18 years or over. Leadership The Speaker is elected by and from among the members. The present Speaker is Tony Smith. Legislative process Bills may be introduced in either house, except for money bills which must be introduced in the House of Representatives. The legislative process is similar in both houses. The first reading, with some exceptions in the Senate, takes place without debate. After the opening speech of the second reading a bill may be referred to a committee. Following completion of the second reading, the bill is considered in detail. In the House of Representatives a non-contentious bill may be referred to the Federation Chamber for the continuation of its second reading and the consideration in detail. Debate at the third reading is relatively rare. After passage in one house, the bill is sent to the other house. Both houses must agree on the final text of a bill. Committees Nine general purpose standing committees inquire into matters referred to them by the House or a minister, including pre-legislation proposals, bills, motions, and votes or expenditure, in their respective subject areas. They may also inquire on their own 12
GUIDE TO THE VISITING PARLIAMENT initiative into government agency annual reports and Auditor-General s reports to the House. Select committees may be appointed for a particular purpose. Joint committees of the House and Senate may be established by resolution of both houses or by statute. House composition The current state of the parties is: Liberal Party of Australia 74 Australian Labor Party 55 Nationals 15 Australian Greens 1 Country Liberal Party 1 Katter s Australian Party 1 Palmer United Party 1 Independents 2 The Liberals, Nationals and Country Liberal Party form a coalition government. The number of women members is 40 (27%). SENATE The Senate has 76 members. Senators from the states serve 6-year terms, with half their membership being renewed every three years. Senators from the territories serve 3-year terms. The most recent election was held in September 2013. Electoral system 12 senators are elected from each state, and 2 from each territory. Each state or territory comprises a single multi-member constituency. Senators are elected by proportional representation; voters may indicate their preferences for candidates individually or they may cast a bloc vote for one party s candidates. Candidates must be citizens aged 18 years or over. Leadership The President of the Senate is elected by and from among the senators. The current President is Stephen Parry. 13
GUIDE TO THE VISITING PARLIAMENT Committees Eight pairs of standing committees a legislation committee and a references committee consider matters in their respective subject areas. Legislation committees consider estimates of expenditure, bills, annual reports and departmental and agency performance, while references committees inquire into matters referred to them by the Senate. Select committees may be appointed for a particular purpose. Senate composition The current state of the parties is: Liberal Party of Australia 27 Australian Labor Party 25 Australian Greens 10 Nationals 5 Palmer United Party 1 Country Liberal Party 1 Liberal Democratic Party 1 Family First 1 Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party 1 Glenn Lazarus Team 1 Independents 3 The number of women senators is 29 (38%). Parliamentary news Recommendation for a principles-based entitlements system The report of the committee appointed last August by Prime Minister Tony Abbott to develop and propose models for an independent parliamentary entitlements system was released on 23 March. The committee believes that the best way to achieve a system that ensures mutual respect between the public and their representatives, is simple to use and administer and ensures expenses are appropriate, sufficient and fair is to have one that is principles-based. Such a system would allow members flexibility to apply judgement, choice and personal responsibility, but oblige them to report publicly and be subject to reasonable standards of auditing so as to provide transparency and public accountability. To provide clarity, the rules should, as much as possible, be consolidated into a single statute. The committee also considers the term entitlements to be misleading, anachronistic and inappropriate and that work expenses would be more accurate and easily understood. 14
GUIDE TO THE VISITING PARLIAMENT The committee recommends the adoption of eleven core elements in designing the work expenses system: differentiation between remuneration and work expenses streams of support; an inclusive definition of parliamentary business for determining activities eligible to be funded as work expenses; guiding principles to aid members decision-making about their eligibility for, and use of, work expenses; a single legislative framework for work expenses setting out a clear, cohesive and readily accessible regulatory framework in primary and subordinate legislation; varying levels of work expenses to accommodate additional responsibilities and electorate diversity; streamlined and simplified categories of work expenses; transparent rules and reporting, through publication of all rules, policies and principles and effective public reporting on expenditure; client service ethos focused on helping members to make sensible, defensible expenditure decisions; technology investment and innovation to streamline procedures; modern, risk-based compliance oversight; periodic review of the work expenses framework, involving a targeted review of its operation and effectiveness once during the life of each Parliament. Recall of Parliament and potential double-dissolution election Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced on 21 March that the Governor- General had acted on his advice to prorogue Parliament, and summon it for a new sitting beginning 18 April. Parliament had been due to sit again in May. The reason for the recall of Parliament is to enable it to give full and timely consideration to three industrial relations bills. The government will also present the Budget. Prorogation causes bills before either house to lapse, but a bill may be restored in the next session at the stage it had reached prior to prorogation. One of the three industrial relations bills has already been rejected by the Senate twice. The other two were rejected by the Senate last year, have been passed again in identical terms by the House of Representatives this year and are now back before the Senate. Labor, the Greens and some Senate crossbenchers are opposed to the bills, while some other crossbenchers are seeking to amend them. Senators have been using delaying tactics rather than consider the bills. The Prime Minister also announced that if the Senate did not pass the three bills within the three weeks the government was offering it to debate and vote on them, he would call a double-dissolution election for 2 July. A double dissolution dissolves 15
GUIDE TO THE VISITING PARLIAMENT the Senate as well as the House of Representatives, so that all 76 Senate seats become vacant instead of the usual 40. A double dissolution may be triggered if the Senate and the House twice fail to reach agreement on a bill, with an interval of three months between the two occasions. In response to the Prime Minister s announcement, Labor said it was up to the Senate to decide what work it did and neither the Governor-General nor the Prime Minister could unilaterally determine how the Senate dealt with its business. The Attorney General said that in a sense every delaying tactic that Labor and the Greens embarked on would be yet further evidence of the Senate using unusual measures so as to constitute a failure to pass the bills within the meaning of the Constitution. Prepared by Pleasance Purser Research Analyst Parliamentary Library 31 March 2016 16
CONTACT LIST Key Contacts Oliver Whitehead Speaker s Office 817 9321 027 805 5620 Peter Guinness Visits and Ceremonial Office Andie Lindsay Clerk/Deputy Clerk Office 817 9445 Lisa Kinloch Speaker s Office 817 9323 Parliament Tour Desk 817 9503 Maureen Breen Gallery 817 6787 Speakers Dinner Jacinda Ardern Simon O Connor Select Committees Social Services Pia Kelly Clerk of Committee Alfred Ngaro Chair of Committee PFG Lunch Denise Roche EA Clare - Louise EA Dr Sean Palmer EA Lynda Blair EA Francisco Hernandez 817 9388 817 8388 817 9046 817 8396 817 6764 17
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