Summary

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The majority voted in favour of disagreeing with amendments introduced by Clark MP Andrew Wilkie (Independent), which means they were rejected.

What were the amendments?

Mr Wilkie explained that:

The bill before the House obviously provides the Treasurer with enormous power and discretion. It allows the Treasurer to impose conditions, to vary existing conditions and, as a last resort, to force the divestment of any realised investment where national security concerns are identified. It also provides the Treasurer with greater enforcement, monitoring and investigative powers to respond to actual or likely noncompliance by investors, including call-in powers to review certain actions not otherwise captured under the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975. If the public is to have confidence that these powers are being wielded responsibly, we must know when and why the Treasurer uses this power and discretion. To that end, my amendments will ensure that the decisions and reasons for the decisions made by the Treasurer under this act will be on the public record.

Amendment text

(1) Schedule 1, page 34 (after line 1), after item 80, insert:

80A After section 63

Insert:

63A Requirement to publish reasons for exemption certificates

(1) If the Treasurer gives an exemption certificate under section 57, 58 or 59, the Treasurer must, as soon as practicable after giving the certificate, ensure that the following are published on a website maintained by the Department:

(a) the exemption certificate;

(b) the reasons for deciding to give the certificate, including the reasons for any conditions specified in the certificate.

(2) If the Treasurer varies or revokes an exemption certificate under section 62, the Treasurer must, as soon as practicable after giving the variation or revocation, ensure that the following are published on a website maintained by the Department:

(a) the exemption certificate as varied, or a statement that the exemption certificate has been revoked (as the case requires); and

(b) the reasons for deciding to vary or revoke the certificate, including the reasons for any conditions specified on the varied certificate.

(3) The Treasurer may redact from an exemption certificate or reasons required to be published under subsection (1) or (2), any information that would be contrary to the national interest to publicly disclose.

(2) Schedule 1, page 48 (after line 3), at the end of Subdivision B of Division 2 of Part 3, add:

76B Requirement to publish reasons for no objection notifications

(1) If the Treasurer gives a no objection notification under this Subdivision, the Treasurer must, as soon as practicable after giving the notification, ensure the following are published on a website maintained by the Department:

(a) the no objection notification;

(b) the reasons for deciding to give the no objection notification, including the reasons for any conditions specified in the notification.

(2) If the Treasurer varies a no objection notification under subsection 74(4), the Treasurer must, as soon as practicable after giving the variation, ensure that the following are published on website maintained by the Department:

(a) the no objection notification as varied;

(b) the reasons for deciding to vary the no objection notification, including the reasons for revoking or varying an existing condition specified in the no objection notification, or for imposing a new condition.

(3) The Treasurer may redact from a no objection notification or reasons required to be published under subsection (1) or (2), any information that would be contrary to the national interest to publicly disclose.

(3) Schedule 1, item 132, page 67 (after line 9), after subsection 79M(1), insert:

Requirement to include reasons for orders

(1A) The Treasurer must ensure that an order registered under subsection (1) includes the Treasurer's reasons for making the order.

(1B) The Treasurer may redact from the reasons required to be included in the order under subsection (1A), any information that would be contrary to the national interest to publicly disclose.

(4) Schedule 1, item 132, page 71 (after line 6), after subsection 79S(1), insert:

Requirement to include reasons for directions

(1A) The Treasurer must ensure that a direction that is published under subsection (1) includes the Treasurer's reasons for making the direction.

(1B) The Treasurer may redact from the reasons required to be included in the direction under subsection (1), any information that would be contrary to the national interest to publicly disclose.

(5) Schedule 1, item 132, page 72 (after line 6), after subsection 79U(3), insert:

(3A) The Treasurer must ensure that a variation or revocation hat is published under subsection (3) includes the Treasurer's reasons for making the variation or revocation.

(3B) The Treasurer may redact from the reasons required to be included in the variation or revocation under subsection (3A), any information that would be contrary to the national interest to publicly disclose.

Votes Passed by a large majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Adam Bandt Melbourne Australian Greens No
Australian Labor Party (9% turnout) 6 Yes 0 No
Mike Freelander Macarthur Yes
Julian Hill Bruce Yes
Andrew Leigh Fenner Yes
Brian Mitchell Lyons Yes
Anne Stanley Werriwa Yes
Meryl Swanson Paterson Yes
Anthony Albanese Grayndler Absent
Anne Aly Cowan Absent
Sharon Bird Cunningham Absent
Chris Bowen McMahon Absent
Tony Burke Watson Absent
Linda Burney Barton Absent
Josh Burns Macnamara Absent
Mark Butler Hindmarsh Absent
Terri Butler Griffith Absent
Anthony Byrne Holt Absent
Jim Chalmers Rankin Absent
Nick Champion Spence Absent
Lisa Chesters Bendigo Absent
Jason Clare Blaxland Absent
Sharon Claydon Newcastle Absent
Libby Coker Corangamite Absent
Julie Collins Franklin Absent
Pat Conroy Shortland Absent
Milton Dick Oxley Absent
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs Absent
Justine Elliot Richmond Absent
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter Absent
Steve Georganas Adelaide Absent
Andrew Giles Scullin Absent
Patrick Gorman Perth Absent
Luke Gosling Solomon Absent
Chris Hayes Fowler Absent
Ed Husic Chifley Absent
Stephen Jones Whitlam Absent
Ged Kearney Cooper Absent
Matt Keogh Burt Absent
Peter Khalil Wills Absent
Catherine King Ballarat Absent
Madeleine King Brand Absent
Richard Marles Corio Absent
Kristy McBain Eden-Monaro Absent
Emma McBride Dobell Absent
Rob Mitchell McEwen Absent
Daniel Mulino Fraser Absent
Peta Murphy Dunkley Absent
Shayne Neumann Blair Absent
Brendan O'Connor Gorton Absent
Clare O'Neil Hotham Absent
Julie Owens Parramatta Absent
Alicia Payne Canberra Absent
Graham Perrett Moreton Absent
Fiona Phillips Gilmore Absent
Tanya Plibersek Sydney Absent
Amanda Rishworth Kingston Absent
Michelle Rowland Greenway Absent
Joanne Ryan Lalor Absent
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong Absent
David Smith Bean Absent
Warren Snowdon Lingiari Absent
Susan Templeman Macquarie Absent
Matt Thistlethwaite Kingsford Smith Absent
Kate Thwaites Jagajaga Absent
Maria Vamvakinou Calwell Absent
Tim Watts Gellibrand Absent
Anika Wells Lilley Absent
Josh Wilson Fremantle Absent
Tony Zappia Makin Absent
Rebekha Sharkie Mayo Centre Alliance No
Mark Coulton Parkes Deputy Speaker Absent
Helen Haines Indi Independent No
Zali Steggall Warringah Independent No
Andrew Wilkie Clark Independent No
Bob Katter Kennedy Katter's Australian Party No
Liberal National Party (80% turnout) 4 Yes 0 No
Angie Bell Moncrieff Yes
Julian Simmonds Ryan Yes
Phillip Thompson Herbert Yes
Terry Young Longman Yes
Garth Hamilton Groom Absent
Liberal Party (51% turnout) 28 Yes 0 No
John Alexander Bennelong Yes
Katie Allen Higgins Yes
Karen Andrews McPherson Yes
Kevin Andrews Menzies Yes
Bridget Archer Bass Yes
Russell Broadbent Monash Yes
Vince Connelly Stirling Yes
Warren Entsch Leichhardt Yes
Celia Hammond Curtin Yes
Andrew Hastie Canning Yes
Andrew Laming Bowman Yes
Julian Leeser Berowra Yes
Gladys Liu Chisholm Yes
Fiona Martin Reid Yes
Melissa McIntosh Lindsay Yes
Ted O'Brien Fairfax Yes
Tony Pasin Barker Yes
Gavin Pearce Braddon Yes
Christian Porter Pearce Yes
Rowan Ramsey Grey Yes
Dave Sharma Wentworth Yes
James Stevens Sturt Yes
Bert Van Manen Forde Yes
Andrew Wallace Fisher Yes
Rick Wilson O'Connor Yes
Tim Wilson Goldstein Yes
Ken Wyatt Hasluck Yes
Trent Zimmerman North Sydney Yes
Scott Buchholz Wright Absent
David Coleman Banks Absent
Peter Dutton Dickson Absent
Trevor Evans Brisbane Absent
Jason Falinski Mackellar Absent
Paul Fletcher Bradfield Absent
Nicolle Flint Boothby Absent
Josh Frydenberg Kooyong Absent
Ian Goodenough Moore Absent
Alex Hawke Mitchell Absent
Luke Howarth Petrie Absent
Greg Hunt Flinders Absent
Steve Irons Swan Absent
Craig Kelly Hughes Absent
Sussan Ley Farrer Absent
Nola Marino Forrest Absent
Scott Morrison Cook Absent
Ben Morton Tangney Absent
Melissa Price Durack Absent
Stuart Robert Fadden Absent
Michael Sukkar Deakin Absent
Angus Taylor Hume Absent
Dan Tehan Wannon Absent
Alan Tudge Aston Absent
Ross Vasta Bonner Absent
Lucy Wicks Robertson Absent
Jason Wood La Trobe Absent
National Party (47% turnout) 7 Yes 0 No
Pat Conaghan Cowper Yes
Damian Drum Nicholls Yes
David Gillespie Lyne Yes
Barnaby Joyce New England Yes
Ken O'Dowd Flynn Yes
Keith Pitt Hinkler Yes
Anne Webster Mallee Yes
Darren Chester Gippsland Absent
George Christensen Dawson Absent
Andrew Gee Calare Absent
Kevin Hogan Page Absent
Michelle Landry Capricornia Absent
David Littleproud Maranoa Absent
Michael McCormack Riverina Absent
Llew O'Brien Wide Bay Absent
Tony Smith Casey Speaker Absent
Totals (34% turnout) 45 Yes – 6 No