House debates

Wednesday, 9 August 2006

  • Business (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent notice No. 56, private members’ business, being called on immediately. Question agreed to.
  • Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) (Consequential Amendments) Amendment Regulations 2006 (No 1) (0 speeches)
    • Motion (21 speeches)
      I move: That the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) (Consequential Amendments) Amendment Regulations 2006 (No 1), as contained in Select Legislative Instrument 2006 No. 50 and...
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Bill 2005 (0 speeches)
    • First Reading (0 speeches)
      Bill received from the Senate, and read a first time. Ordered that the second reading be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
  • Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (15 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 11 May, on motion by Mr Robb: That this bill be now read a second time.
  • Questions to the Speaker (0 speeches)
    • Parliamentary Behaviour (1 speech)
      Yesterday the member for Melbourne asked me about the withdrawal of unparliamentary expressions. I repeat that it is for the chair to determine whether words used are disorderly or offensive, and...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Interest Rates (8 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his assertion yesterday in question time that the record proportion of a household’s income consumed by interest payments...
    • Superannuation (14 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Treasurer. Would the Treasurer update the House on progress in the reform of superannuation law? How will the implementation of these laws help secure the...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      Order! I inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon members of a parliamentary delegation from the Federated States of Micronesia. On behalf of the House, I extend a very...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Interest Rates (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware that official Reserve Bank figures show that an average of seven per cent of household income was consumed by interest repayments...
    • East Timor (2 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Would the minister update the House on recent developments in East Timor? What is the government doing to help the country following...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      I inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon the Hon. Dr John Herron, a former minister and ambassador. On behalf of all members I wish him a very warm welcome.
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Interest Rates (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his assertion that the record proportion of household incomes consumed by interest repayments today is irrelevant because the...
    • Building and Construction Industry (7 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Would the minister inform the House of the settlement of a longstanding dispute between a union and a major...
    • Interest Rates (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware that the Sydney Morning Herald has reported Debbie Bridgman’s response to his attempt yesterday to explain why he had...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      I inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon members of the 11th delegation from Japan who are visiting under the auspices of the Australian Political Exchange Council....
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Wine Industry Exports (2 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade. Would the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House of the recent export performance of the wine industry and what the...
    • Fuel Prices (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his response to my question yesterday about the basis of his comment that petrol prices would fall to $1.15 a litre, to which...
    • Uranium (5 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. As a uranium exporter, what steps does the government take to contribute to the international non-proliferation regime? Is the...
    • Fuel Prices (9 speeches)
      My question is to the Treasurer. Given predictions that petrol prices will rise to $1.80 per litre some time soon, does he agree with the Prime Minister that there are no quick fixes which offer...
    • Aged Care (7 speeches)
      My question without notice is addressed to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Would the minister advise the House what the government has done to improve facilities for older Australians moving...
    • Workplace Relations (21 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to an AWA offered by Lufthansa airline’s Australian subsidiary Global Tele Sales to its call centre employees, and to...
    • Air Warfare Destroyers (2 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Defence. Would the minister update the House on the progress of Australia’s air warfare destroyers and, particularly, outline the benefits of...
    • Workplace Relations (6 speeches)
      My question is directed to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, I again refer to the AWA of Lufthansa subsidiary Global and to confidential internal documents associated with the AWA. Isn’t...
    • Working Together to Manage Emergencies Initiative (11 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Attorney-General. Would the Attorney-General inform the House how the government is fulfilling—
    • Mr Gregory Andrews (6 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Family and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. I refer the minister to the appearance on Lateline of Gregory Andrews, an assistant secretary in...
  • Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
    • (18 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
  • Questions to the Speaker (0 speeches)
    • Questions in Writing (2 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, I seek your assistance under standing order 105(b) to secure answers from the Treasurer, the Assistant Treasurer and the Minister for Family and Community Services to the following...
  • Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
    • Afghanistan (11 speeches)
      by leave—The purpose of this statement is to inform the House of the government’s decision to send to Afghanistan an additional 150 troops of the ADF to reinforce the reconstruction...
  • Main Committee (0 speeches)
    • Ministerial Statement; Reference (1 speech)
      by leave—I move: That the following order of the day be referred to the Main Committee for debate:Australian Defence Force commitment to Afghanistan—Ministerial statement—Motion...
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Petrol Prices (20 speeches)
      I have received letters from the honourable member for New England and the honourable member for Hunter proposing that definite matters of public importance be submitted to the House for...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Selection Committee; Report (1 speech)
      I present the report of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation reports and private members’ business on Monday, 14 August 2006. The report will be...
  • Australia-Japan Foundation (Repeal and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Report from Main Committee (0 speeches)
      Bill returned from Main Committee without amendment, appropriation message having been reported; certified copy of the bill presented. Ordered that this bill be considered immediately. Bill agreed to.
    • 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.
  • Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Order! It being 7.30 pm, I propose the question: That the House do now adjourn.
    • Interest Rates (8 speeches)
      Tonight I wish to raise a vital issue of importance in my electorate and across the country: interest rates, of course. This week we have seen some extraordinary outbursts from members opposite....
    • Queensland Department of Child Safety (1 speech)
      Queensland’s Department of Child Safety has again hit the headlines this week, with more disturbing reports that the service is in crisis. I felt so strongly about the issue, I too spoke...
    • Liberal Party: New South Wales Division (1 speech)
      Like my colleague the member for Ballarat in last night’s adjournment, I have noted the Prime Minister’s comments about behaviour on Channel 10’s Big Brother program. I too...
    • Queensland Health (1 speech)
      Dr Khalifallah became a staff specialist at Mackay Base Hospital in 2004. Dr Raad Almehdi is the Director of Surgery. In July 2005 the credentials committee of the hospital determined that Dr...
    • Government Policies (1 speech)
      It is now official that this government has abandoned Western Sydney. The residents of Western Sydney, who once may have thought that they had a special place in the heart of this government,...
    • Mental Health (1 speech)
      I would like to share with the House a very sad incident that happened to me and my family and no doubt to many others in my electorate of Makin around lunchtime last Saturday. I happened to be...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      The following notice was given:
  • Statements by Members (0 speeches)
    • Defence Property (1 speech)
      I take the opportunity this morning to indicate my wholehearted support for the local community campaign in opposition to the sale of land at Hill 60 in Port Kembla and urge the government to...
    • Bonner Electorate: Community Morning Tea (1 speech)
      On 2 August I had the great honour of hosting a community morning tea with the Prime Minister, the Hon. John Howard. The event was a great success, and over 400 local community members gathered...
    • Cranbourne Exchange (1 speech)
      One area that might not receive the Prime Minister so enthusiastically is the area of Cranbourne, which I represent. The residents of Cranbourne have three issues that cause them great concern...
    • Greenway Electorate: Riverstone (1 speech)
      I rise today to talk about a very valuable project that I am working on in my electorate. It is in a suburb called Riverstone. There is a Girl Guide hall that has not been used in recent years...
    • Centrelink (1 speech)
      I wish to put on record the contents of a letter I have sent to the Hon. Sharman Stone, the Minister for Workforce Participation, concerning the plight of one of my constituents regarding...
    • Investing in Our Schools Program (1 speech)
      I would like to draw the House’s attention to the hectic media schedule yesterday of the Premier of New South Wales, during which he visited a school in my electorate, Grays Point Public...
    • Workplace Relations (1 speech)
      Last Thursday, 3 August, I visited the remaining workers of Tristar Steering and Suspension during a stop-work meeting in my electorate. Due to the Howard government’s extreme Work Choices...
    • Chancellor State College (1 speech)
      I was particularly pleased recently to be able to announce Australian government grants worth over $5 million for capital works at the Chancellor State College in my electorate of Fisher on the...
    • RAAF Base Williams (1 speech)
      I rise to speak on an issue of great concern to my electorate, and that is the future of the Point Cook RAAF base, RAAF Base Williams. The future of this air base has been unresolved for more...
    • Values in Schools (2 speeches)
      I recently had the pleasure of attending and speaking at a values forum at the Mirrabooka Primary School in my electorate of Stirling. I want to spend a couple of minutes talking about this...
  • Australia-Japan Foundation (Repeal and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (14 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 10 May, on motion by Mr Downer: That this bill be now read a second time.
  • Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
    • Iraq (4 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 22 June, on motion by Mr Abbott: That the House take note of the document.