28th Feb 2024, 5:54 PM – Representatives Help to Buy Bill 2023, Help to Buy (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2023 - Consideration in Detail - Directions are to be disallowable

The majority voted against amendments introduced by Wentworth MP Allegra Spender (Independent), which means it failed.

What do the amendments do?

Ms Spender explained that:

My amendment would simply make the minister's directions a disallowable instrument. It will give the parliament the opportunity to scrutinise the minister's decisions about eligibility and reporting. Where the minister has tried to make directions that fall short of the community's expectations, parliament will have the power to veto those decisions. The minister's office have said that they do not support this amendment because the scheme needs certainty and because it would delay the commencement of the scheme. I appreciate the need for certainty with a scheme that involves our state and territory governments and a number of private lenders, but a disallowance only needs to stand for 15 sitting days before the directions become permanent and participants have complete certainty.

Amendment text

(1) Clause 24, page 16 (line 14), omit "Note 1", substitute "Note".

(2) Clause 24, page 16 (lines 17 to 19), omit the note.

(3) Clause 24, page 16 (after line 27), at the end of the clause, add:

(5) Despite regulations made for the purposes of paragraph 44(2)(b) of the Legislation Act 2003, section 42 of that Act (about disallowance) applies in relation to a direction given under subsection (1) of this section.