Senate Question No.315

Senator Ludlam asked the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, in writing, on 6 December 2010:

Estimates Transcript - Economics Committee - Wednesday 20th October
Department of the Treasury

CHAIR-I now welcome the Markets Group of Treasury to the table.

Senator LUDLAM-I think it is Mr Murphy who I want to put some questions to. I was just going back through the transcript from last year and it was a nearly a year ago today that we spoke about the OECD national contact point. Are you still the right person to put some questions to about that?

Mr Murphy-Yes, if you want to. Frank Di Giorgio is here as well.

Senator LUDLAM-I have questions on ACTA, the ACTA treaty negotiations. I thought that might be now.

CHAIR-That is, yes.

Senator LUDLAM-Great. I have raised a couple of these issues before. Do we have the right expertise at the table for ACTA?

Mr Gosper-Yes.

Senator LUDLAM-I am just wondering whether we could start with a quick overview of why we need this treaty at all given that part II of the TRIPS agreement covers almost all of the enforcement issues that are contained in what we understand to be the ACTA text?

Senator Ludlam asked:
A. Can the Department provide a brief run down on the kinds of stakeholders who you consulted with and who consulted with you prior to the decision taken to join negotiations on the ACTA?
B. What are the types of counterfeiting that the treaty is seeking to deal with?

Answer
A. On 1 February 2008, Minister Crean announced that Australia would participate in negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

Senator LUDLAM-You can talk about freeways, too? I am just wondering whether you are aware that UGL Rail, which is Australia's largest provider of rolling stock, is in the process of closing the Broadmeadow facility near Newcastle, which is going to shed about 200 jobs and more indirect jobs. What action, if any, has the government taken? Can you point us to initiatives that you have taken to retain rail manufacturing in Australia, particularly in regional areas, and either reflect directly on Broadmeadow or in general?

Senator LUDLAM-Yes, Chair. I put a couple of these questions to the representatives from Attorney- General's and they said that Foreign Affairs and Trade were the lead agencies in negotiating the anticounterfeiting trade agreement, ACTA.

Mr Yeend-That is correct.

Senator LUDLAM-I have some questions I would like to ask about government business and ICT. I am looking at software procurement. I am following up on issues that got a bit of an airing in the Canberra Times, I think last week, on open-source software and government. Rather than focusing on a specific department, I am interested in the whole-of-government approach. The article left some real ambiguities in terms of what it costs government annually to run IT in a building but across the whole range of Commonwealth departments.

Senator LUDLAM-First of all, I am seeking some information, not for this session but probably for the next, as far as the structure of the department is concerned. What is the name of the office or the section within the Attorney-General's Department that supports the coordination of information sharing between state and territory police departments? Is there such an office of coordination?

Senate Standing Committee on Economics
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ON NOTICE
Treasury Portfolio
Supplementary Budget Estimates
21 - 22 October 2009

Question: sbt 62
Hansard Page: E75 (22/10/09)

Senator LUDLAM asked:

AGENCY/DEPARTMENT: AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL

TOPIC: Regional Universities

REFERENCE: Question on Notice (Hansard, 21 October 2009, E28-30)

QUESTION No.: SI-25