1st Sep 2014, 12:55 PM – Representatives Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2014 — Second Reading — Suspend standing order 43

The majority voted in favour of a motion that "so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent that standing order 43 be suspended for this sitting", which was introduced by Liberal MP Steven Ciobo.

(Standing order 43 was the following: "At 1.45pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the Speaker shall interrupt business and call on statements by Members. The Speaker may call a Member, but not a Minister (or Parliamentary Secretary), to make a statement for no longer than 90 seconds. The period allowed for these statements shall extend until 2pm." )

This motion means that standing order 43 will be suspended so that the discussion of the bill will not be interrupted by Members' statements, as usually occurs from 1:45pm to up until 2pm. Instead, the debate on the bill will continue without interruption.

Background to the bill

This bill was introduced following the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2013 (No. 2) being laid aside because it could not "be progressed in its current form".(Read more about this bill being set aside here. The division which resulted in that bill being laid aside is available here. )

This bill repeals the Minerals Resource Rent Tax as well as related measures such as the low income superannuation contribution, the income support bonus and the schoolkids bonus. The bill also revises the capital allowances for small business entities and the superannuation guarantee charge percentage increase.(Read more about the changes made in the bill in the explanatory memorandum. ) Under the previous Labor government, the superannuation was set to increase to 12 per cent by 2019 (as of 1 July 2014, it is at 9.5 per cent).(Read more about superannuation in Australia here.) However, this bill will push that rise up until 1 July 2025.