The ALP-Green Deal

The Australian Greens & The Australian Labor Party (ʹThe Partiesʹ) – Agreement
Between:
The Hon Julia Gillard MP Prime Minister, MP Lalor, Leader of the Australian Labor Party
The Hon Wayne Swan MP
Deputy Prime Minister, MP Lilley, Deputy Leader of the Australian
Labor Party
And
Senator Bob Brown
Senator Christine Milne
Senator for Tasmania, Leader of the Australian Greens
Senator for Tasmania, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens
Adam Bandt MP ‐elect MP Melbourne, Australian Greens representative in the House
1. Purpose
1.1 This agreement establishes a basis for stable and effective government.
1.2 The Greens will vote with the ALP government to ensure supply.
1.3 The Greens will oppose any motion of no confidence in the government from any non‐Greens
member.
2. Principles
The Parties agree to work together to pursue the following principles:
a) transparent and accountable government;
b) improved process and integrity of parliament;
c) policies which promote the national interest; and
d) policies which address climate change.
3. Goals
The Parties will work together and with other parliamentarians to:
a) Establish a Leaders’ Debate Commission
b) Seek immediate reform of funding of political parties and election campaigns by
legislating to lower the donation disclosure threshold from an indexed $11,500 to $1,000;
to prevent donation splitting between different branches of political parties; to ban
foreign donations; to ban anonymous donations over $50; to increase timeliness and
frequency of donation disclosure; to tie public funding to genuine campaign expenditure
and to create a ‘truth in advertising’ offence in the Commonwealth Electoral Act.
c) Seek further reform of funding of political parties and election campaigns by having a
truly representative committee of the Parliament conduct a national inquiry into a range
of options with the final report to be received no later than 1 October 2011, enabling any
legislative reform to be dealt with in 2012.
i. The Parties note that the Greens are predisposed to a system of full public
funding for elections as in Canada.
d) The Parties note that Senator Bob Brown will reintroduce as a Private Members Bill the
Commonwealth Electoral (Above‐the‐Line Voting) Amendment Bill 2008. The ALP will
consider the Bill and work with the Greens to reach reforms satisfactory to the Parties.
e) Refer issues of public interest disclosure, where the Senate or House votes on the floor
against the decision of a Minister, to the Information Commissioner, who will arbitrate on
the release of relevant documents and report to both Houses.
f) Hold referenda during the 43rd Parliament or at the next election on Indigenous
constitutional recognition and recognition of local government in the Constitution.
g) Agree that this Parliament should serve its full term and further agree to investigate
legislative proposals, which are within the terms of the Constitution and give greater
certainty to the Australian people about the Parliament serving full three year terms.
4. Improved processes and integrity of parliament
4.1 The Parties agree to work together and with other parliamentarians to implement
parliamentary reforms.
4.2 The immediate reforms include:
a) Improving Question Time in the House of Representatives by setting fixed time limits
for questions and answers with supplementary questions given at the discretion of
the Speaker.
b) A fixed and fair allocation of questions for independent and minor party members
with the first question no later than the 6th question in each Question Time.
c) At least 2.5 hours dedicated for debating and voting on private membersʹ bills
including a fixed and fair allocation of time for independents and minor party
members in every full sitting week in both houses.
d) In addition to clause 4.2(c), dedicated time for voting on motions from independents
and minor party members in every full sitting week in the House of Representatives.
e) The House of Representatives will debate and vote, during Government Business
time, private senatorsʹ bills as passed by the Senate within 6 sitting days of the
message being received by the House.
f) Amending the Standing Orders of both Houses so that there can be a recommittal of
any vote within one sitting day where a member was absent from that vote due to
inadvertence.
g) Agreeing that in the House of Representatives, ʹpairsʹ may be made by private
arrangement during votes, similar to the arrangements which currently occur
between Whips in the Senate or that another arrangement to facilitate Members who
cannot attend due to ill health, family circumstances or performing Government or
electorate business be agreed.
4.3 Further reforms include:
a) Establishing within 12 months a Parliamentary Budget Office within the
Parliamentary Library with the structure, resourcing and protocols being the subject
of decision by a special committee of the Parliament which is truly representative of
the Parliament.
b) Establishing within 12 months a Parliamentary Integrity Commissioner, supervised
by the Privileges Committees from both houses to:
i. provide advice, administration and reporting on parliamentary entitlements
to report to the Parliament;
ii. to investigate and make recommendations to the Privileges Committees on
individual investigations, to provide advice to parliamentarians on ethical
issues; and
iii. to uphold the Parliamentary Code of Conduct and to control and maintain
the Government’s lobbyists register.
5. Working relationships
5.1 The following arrangements will govern the working relationship between the Greens
and the ALP for the duration of the 43rd Parliament. These arrangements may be altered
by mutual agreement.
a) When Parliament is in session, the Prime Minister will meet with Senator Brown and
Mr Bandt each sitting week, principally to discuss and negotiate any planned
legislation.
b) When Parliament is not in session, the Prime Minister, or her delegate, will meet with
Senator Brown and Mr Bandt, or their delegate, at least once each fortnight,
principally to discuss the upcoming legislative agenda.
c) The Government will endeavour to give at least six working days notice of the
introduction of legislation to the House.
d) If the Greens Party Room has not considered legislation, the vote of Mr Bandt on
legislation to facilitate its promulgation should not be interpreted as reflecting or
determining the final position of the Greens in the Senate.
e) The Parties will ensure that the ALP’s budget is subject to an exchange of information
and views between the Parties as follows:
i. The Greens Treasury spokesperson and Mr Bandt receiving economic and
financial briefings from the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance and the
Secretaries of the Departments of Treasury and Finance and Deregulation at
regularly agreed times.
ii. The Greens Treasury spokesperson and Mr Bandt having regular discussions
with the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance on economic circumstances, fiscal
strategy and budget preparation.
f) Should Senator Brown, Mr Bandt and other Greens Senators with portfolios, wish to
propose new policies, these proposals may be formally submitted to the Office of the
Prime Minister and forwarded to the appropriate Department and Minister for
analysis. Where the proposal is likely to involve costs, it may also be sent to the
Department of Treasury, and the Treasurer, and the Department of Finance and
Deregulation, and the Minister for Finance, for costing.
i. The number of proposals that may be considered in this way is not limited in
number but the Parties will ensure that the workload arising is reasonable
ii. Every endeavour will be made to provide required advice within ten business
days
iii. The Parties acknowledge that during the six week period leading up to the
Federal Budget, the turnaround time may be greater than ten business days.
g) The Parties acknowledge that the above mechanism can be used to have any of the
Greensʹ policies for the 2010 election considered.
h) The ALP notes the Senate resolution on appropriations bills which contain matters
which should have been the subject of separate legislation. To prevent this occurring,
the ALP agrees to work with Greens to resolve the matter prior to the introduction of
the bill.
i) Senior staff members of the Prime Minister’s Office and Senator Brownʹs Office will
liaise to ensure that Senator Brown, Mr Bandt and other Greens Senators with
portfolios have access to Ministers, key public servants and the Prime Minister, as
outlined above.
j) The Greens will ensure best possible access for Ministers to be informed about
Greens‘ legislation and will endeavour to give at least six working days notice before
bills are introduced.
6. Policy
6.1 The Parties agree on the following policy issues:
a) That Australia must tackle climate change and that reducing carbon pollution by 2020
will require a price on carbon. Therefore the Parties agree to form a well resourced
Climate Change Committee which encompasses experts and representative ALP, Greens,
independent and Coalition parliamentarians who are committed to tackling climate
change and who acknowledge that reducing carbon pollution by 2020 will require a
carbon price. The Committee will be resourced like a Cabinet Committee. The Parties
will, by the end of September 2010, finalise the structure, membership and work plan of
the Committee.
b) That Australia needs urgent further action on dental care and that proposals for
improving the nation’s investments in dental care should be considered in the context of
the 2011 Budget.
c) That an implementation study for High Speed Rail should be completed by July 2011.
d) That there is a full parliamentary debate on the war in the Afghanistan.
7. Administration
7.1 This agreement will come into effect on the day Government is established.
Signed on this 1st day of September 2010.
The Hon Julia Gillard MP The Hon Wayne Swan MP
Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister
Leader of the ALP Deputy Leader of the ALP
Senator Bob Brown Adam Bandt MP ‐ elect
Leader of the Australian Greens Australian Greens Representative in the House
Senator Christine Milne
Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens