Government priorities pass the Parliament in a productive end to the year
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
Senator the Hon. Mathias Cormann
Minister for Finance and the Public Service
Leader of the Government in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
The Hon. Christopher Pyne MP
Minister for Defence
Leader of the House
Federal Member for Sturt
The Government has successfully passed 72 bills through Parliament since 1 September 2018, covering priority areas including national security, trade and tax reform for hard working Australians.
The Government lowered taxes for 3.3 million small and medium businesses to 25 per cent.
Every state and territory is now better off under new laws passed by the Parliament that will deliver a fairer and more sustainable distribution of the Goods and Services Tax. An additional $9 billion in extra untied funding will be delivered to the states and territories over 10 years and an additional $1 billion in perpetuity once fully implemented.
In the last two months, the Parliament passed bills to enact the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, providing access for Australian exporters to unprecedented access to new markets around the world.
The Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme will commence soon, meaning any person who undertakes certain activities, on behalf of a foreign principal for the purpose of influencing a political or government process will be required to register under the scheme.
Australian Secret Intelligence Service officers will have an increased ability to protect themselves and others through the passage of the Intelligence Services Act Amendment Bill 2018. Officers will be able to protect a broader range of people and use reasonable force if someone poses a risk to an operation.
Following Bill Shorten’s capitulation, the Parliament has tonight passed one of the most important pieces of legislation - the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018. Our law enforcement and security agencies will now have more of the tools they say they need to combat serious crime, including terrorism, murder and child sex offences.
What is clear is that every test that has been set for us we have passed. We are a Government that delivers for Australians and we will continue to deliver for Australians.
A full list of Government bills that have passed the Parliament since 1 September is attached.
LEGISLATION PASSED SINCE 1 SEPTEMBER 2018
A New Tax System (Medicare Levy Surcharge—Fringe Benefits) Amendment (Excess Levels for Private Health Insurance Policies) Bill 2018
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Amendment (Indigenous Land Corporation) Bill 2018
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land and Sea Future Fund (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2018
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land and Sea Future Fund Bill 2018
Aged Care (Single Quality Framework) Reform Bill 2018
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2018
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Bill 2018
Airports Amendment Bill 2018
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Amendment Bill 2018
Aviation Transport Security Amendment Bill 2018
Bankruptcy Amendment (Debt Agreement Reform) Bill 2018
Civil Law and Justice Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2018
Corporations Amendment (Crowd-sourced Funding for Proprietary Companies) Bill 2017
Criminal Code Amendment (Food Contamination) Bill 2018
Customs Amendment (Collecting Tobacco Duties at the Border) Bill 2018
Customs Amendment (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Implementation) Bill 2018
Customs Amendment (Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus Implementation) Bill 2018
Customs Amendment (Product Specific Rule Modernisation) Bill 2018
Customs Tariff Amendment (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Implementation) Bill 2018
Customs Tariff Amendment (Incorporation of Proposals) Bill 2018
Customs Tariff Amendment (Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus Implementation) Bill 2018
Defence Amendment (Call Out of the Australian Defence Force) Bill 2018
Education and Other Legislation Amendment (VET Student Loan Debt Separation) Bill 2018
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform) Bill 2018
Excise Levies Legislation Amendment (Honey) Bill 2016
Excise Tariff Amendment (Collecting Tobacco Duties at Manufacture) Bill 2018
Fair Work Amendment (Repeal of 4 Yearly Reviews and Other Measures) Bill 2017
Family Law Amendment (Family Violence and Cross-examination of Parties) Bill 2018
Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2018
Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
Government Procurement (Judicial Review) Bill 2017
Health Insurance (Approved Pathology Specimen Collection Centres) Tax Amendment Bill 2018
Higher Education Support Amendment (VET FEE-HELP Student Protection) Bill 2018
Imported Food Control Amendment Bill 2017
Intelligence Services Amendment Bill 2018
Maritime Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
Medicare Levy Amendment (Excess Levels for Private Health Insurance Policies) Bill 2018
Migration Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill 2016
Modern Slavery Bill 2018
My Health Records Amendment (Strengthening Privacy) Bill 2018
National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment Bill 2018
Office of National Intelligence (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2018
Office of National Intelligence Bill 2018
Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
Road Vehicle Standards (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2018
Road Vehicle Standards Bill 2018
Road Vehicle Standards Charges (Imposition—Customs) Bill 2018
Road Vehicle Standards Charges (Imposition—Excise) Bill 2018
Road Vehicle Standards Charges (Imposition—General) Bill 2018
Shipping Registration Amendment Bill 2018
Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Promoting Sustainable Welfare) Bill 2018
Social Services Legislation Amendment (Cashless Debit Card Trial Expansion) Bill 2018
Social Services Legislation Amendment (Student Reform) Bill 2018
Student Loans (Overseas Debtors Repayment Levy) Amendment Bill 2018
Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018
Therapeutic Goods Amendment (2018 Measures No. 1) Bill 2018
Tobacco Plain Packaging Amendment Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Accelerated Depreciation for Small Business Entities) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Australian Consumer Law Review) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Black Economy Taskforce Measures No. 1) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Black Economy Taskforce Measures No. 2) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing ASIC's Capabilities) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Sector Regulation) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Gift Cards) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Lower Taxes for Small and Medium Businesses) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Making Sure Every State and Territory Gets Their Fair Share of GST) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Supporting Australian Farmers) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2018
Treasury Laws Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Employer Register) Bill 2017
Unexplained Wealth Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Omnibus) Bill 2018
Veterans' Entitlements Amendment Bill 2018
For Minister Cormann: Karen Wu - 0428 350 139
For Minister Pyne: Scott Bolitho - 0439 764 809