House debates

Tuesday, 24 June 2008

  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Fuel Prices (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I draw the Prime Minister’s attention to the fact that petrol has increased on average by 28c a litre on his watch and I ask: what difference has the...
    • Climate Change (7 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline the critical importance of confronting the future challenge of climate change and the dangers of an approach that is stuck in...
    • Grocery Prices (8 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his recent announcement of ‘grocery watch’. In the first quarter of this year, the price of vegetables has...
    • Climate Change (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer outline for the House why it is in Australia’s long-term economic interest for us to tackle climate change and why an emissions-trading...
    • Child Care (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to ABC Learning’s 11 per cent increase in childcare costs following the recent establishment of ‘childcare...
    • Climate Change (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Will the minister update the House on how the government is helping farmers prepare for climate change?
    • Qantas (9 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his comment yesterday in the context of a strike by Qantas staff and a sixfold increase in strike action since the election of...
    • Climate Change (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Would the minister advise the House of the importance of efforts to reduce climate change...
    • Economy (16 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. Following recent state budgets, state and territory debts will increase from $35 billion in 2007-08 to $112 billion in 2011-12....
    • Zimbabwe (3 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Will the minister advise the House of Australia’s response and that of the international community to developments in Zimbabwe?
    • Fuel Prices (12 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Treasurer. I refer to the Treasurer’s top 10 tips for shoppers, which are listed on his personal website, and to the Prime Minister’s answer to the...
    • Budget (2 speeches)
      My question is also to the Treasurer. How will the benefits, which are to be delivered to households from 1 July to help with the rising cost of living, differ from those delivered in previous years?
    • Broadband (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister stand by his election commitment to deliver a minimum 12-megabit broadband service to 98 per cent of Australian households and...
    • Budget Surplus (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. Will the minister outline to the House the importance of maintaining a strong budget surplus and is the minister aware of any...
    • Member for Robertson (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday the Prime Minister said that neither he nor his office had anything to do with the statutory declarations relating to the Iguana affair made on 10...
    • Infrastructure (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Would the minister outline the need for a strong surplus in order to invest in local...
    • Member for Robertson (12 speeches)
      My question is to the Attorney-General. When did the Attorney first become aware of the concerns of Ms Melissa Batten, a former staffer of the member for Robertson, regarding the preparation of a...
    • Health (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Will the minister outline to the House any new research on health care in Australia?
    • Member for Robertson (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, one week ago the New South Wales Premier stood down John Della Bosca as a minister for his role in the Iguana nightclub affair. Will the...
    • Council of Australian Governments (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline the matters being considered by the Council of Australian Governments next week and what the traditional Commonwealth...
  • Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
    • (12 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
  • Member for Paterson (0 speeches)
    • (6 speeches)
      On indulgence and for the benefit of the House, I seek to respond to the rather serious matter raised by the member for Paterson after question time yesterday, when he invited me to retract and...
  • Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
    • (20 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
  • Questions to the Speaker (0 speeches)
    • Question Time (7 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, today in question time the Prime Minister said he did not support the ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’ advertisements. The member for Cook attempted a little while earlier...
  • Auditor-General’S Reports (0 speeches)
    • Report No. 43 of 2007-08 (1 speech)
      I present the Auditor-General’s Audit report No. 43 of 2007-08 entitled Third tranche sale of Telstra shares: Department of Finance and Deregulation. Ordered that the report be made a...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.
  • Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
    • Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (16 speeches)
      by leave—I have the pleasure to make a ministerial statement to update the House on developments with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) and particularly on an important...
    • Drought (4 speeches)
      by leave—Labor governments have a proud history of improving Australia’s agriculture policy to support our farmers and underpin economic growth. Under the Hawke and Keating Labor...
    • Small Business (2 speeches)
      by leave—In supporting small business and the enterprise economy, the Rudd government believes in reward for effort, risk-taking and entrepreneurship. We believe in restoring incentive for...
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Climate Change (14 speeches)
      The Speaker has received letters from the honourable member for New England and the honourable member for Dunkley proposing that definite matters of public importance be submitted to the House...
  • Indigenous Affairs Legislation Amendment Bill 2008; Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Amendment (Assessments and Advertising) Bill 2008; Judiciary Amendment Bill 2008; Crimes Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Matters) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
    • Returned from the Senate (0 speeches)
      Messages received from the Senate returning the bills without amendment or request.
  • Reserve Bank Amendment (Enhanced Independence) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
    • Consideration of Senate Message (0 speeches)
      Bill returned from the Senate with amendments. Ordered that the amendments be considered at the next sitting.
  • Parliamentary Zone (0 speeches)
    • Approval of Proposal (8 speeches, 1 comment)
      I move: That, in accordance with section 5 of the Parliament Act 1974, the House approves the following proposal for work in the Parliamentary Zone which was presented to the House on 23 June...
  • Standing Orders (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      I move: That, unless otherwise ordered, the following amendments to the standing orders be adopted to operate for the remainder of the 2008 sittings:1.Standing order 34, Figure 2, be amended as...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee; Access to Information (1 speech)
      I move: That:(1)the Honourable TRH Cole AO RFD QC, President of the HMAS Sydney II Commission of Inquiry, be authorized to access exhibits held for less than ten years and confidential...
    • Public Works Committee; Report (2 speeches)
      On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the fourth report for 2008 of the committee relating to the proposed referrals tabled March 2008. Ordered that the...
  • Business (0 speeches)
    • Rearrangement (1 speech)
      by leave—I move: That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent order of the day No. 4, committee and delegation reports, being called on immediately. Question agreed to.
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • Governance Review Implementation (Aasb and Auasb) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (5 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 18 June, on motion by Mr Burke: That this bill be now read a second time.
    • Third Reading (1 speech)
      by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
  • Protection of the Sea Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (2 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 18 June, on motion by Mr Albanese: That this bill be now read a second time.
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Order! It being 8.30 pm, I propose the question: That the House do now adjourn.
    • Mitchell Plastic Police (1 speech)
      I rise tonight to take this opportunity to talk about a very special police force in my electorate of Maranoa. This is no ordinary police force. These special police men and women want to...
    • Mr Geoff Burn (1 speech)
      I rise tonight to acknowledge the World War II service of a resident of my electorate, Mr Geoff Burn. Originally from Tasmania, Mr Burn enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force at the age of 18...
    • Paterson Electorate: Rural and Regional Health Services (1 speech)
      The Paterson electorate is in the grip of a health crisis. It is difficult, if not impossible, for patients to find a bulk-billing doctor in some areas. One of the larger doctors’ surgeries...
    • Military Memorials of National Significance Legislation; Hasluck Electorate: Midland Peace Memorial (1 speech)
      I would like to commend the Rudd Labor government and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, the Hon. Allan Griffin, in delivering on our election commitment made in June last year to formally...
    • Governance of Indigenous Bodies (1 speech)
      Over the years I have come to understand that one of the recurring issues that holds Indigenous Australians back and simultaneously attracts the anger of taxpayers is the continuing incidence of...
    • Mortgage Crisis Support (1 speech, 1 comment)
      In my first six months as a member of parliament I have felt the frustration of seeing a lot of people suffering and not knowing how to help in a real, practical way—not making speeches or...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      The following notices were given: