House debates

Tuesday, 10 October 2006

  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • North Korea (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to yesterday’s nuclear test by North Korea. I refer also to the foreign minister’s reference to the risk of a nuclear arms race in our...
    • Privacy (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to recent media reports of Australian businesses sending customer information offshore for processing and to media reports in the last week about a...
    • Drought (2 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware of the serious impact the continuing long-term drought is having on farmers? Is the Prime Minister also aware how badly...
    • Media Ownership (4 speeches)
      A correction there, Mr Speaker; it was Simon.
    • Drought (2 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Would the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services outline to...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      I inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon delegates attending the Political Party Development Course at the Centre for Democratic Institutions. The delegates are from...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Skilled Migration (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware of reports in the media today of 457 visa holders signing unfair contracts to obtain the visa? Isn’t it the case that under...
    • Future Fund (8 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Treasurer. Would the Treasurer inform the House of the latest allocation into the government’s Future Fund? How will this help address Australia’s...
    • Skilled Migration (10 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister and follows the previous answer that he gave to this side of the House. Prime Minister, who decided that Mr Fu would come to this country and the...
    • Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (15 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How is the government expanding the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to provide a wider range of affordable medicines for those in...
    • Skilled Migration (8 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware that, despite the government’s own conditions of the 457 visa, Mr Fu’s contract, this contract I am holding, with...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      I inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon members of a parliamentary delegation from the Netherlands led by Mrs Yvonne Timmerman, President of the Senate of the States...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Workplace Relations (2 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Has the minister seen reports of a $32 million payment to a major construction company as settlement for delays...
    • Skilled Migration (10 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Is the minister aware of an authoritative report by Adrian Rollins in the Australian Financial...
    • Solomon Islands (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Would the minister update the House on the implications of reports that the fugitive Julian Moti may have travelled from Papua New Guinea to...
    • Workplace Relations (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his October 2005 WorkChoices booklet. I quote from page 37: Transmission of business occurs when an existing business is sold...
    • Trade (2 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Trade. Would the minister advise the House how the government’s ongoing commitment to pursue wider trade markets is benefiting Australia’s...
    • Workplace Relations (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, irrespective of the OWS action over duress concerning two of the 65 Hilton IGA employees, does the government’s guarantee that employee...
    • Abrams Tanks (2 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Defence. Minister, would you update the House on Australia’s acquisition of the Abrams tanks? How will these tanks strengthen the capability of...
    • Telstra (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to today’s Telstra share price of $3.73. I also refer the Prime Minister to the plight of the thousands of small...
    • Bushfires (3 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads. How has the Australian government assisted local communities to properly prepare for the bushfire season?
  • Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
    • Workplace Relations (3 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, I seek the indulgence of the chair to add to an answer I gave yesterday and an answer I gave today.
  • Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
    • (54 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
  • Questions to the Speaker (0 speeches)
    • Superannuation (2 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, on 9 May this year the government released a discussion paper entitled A plan to simplify and streamline superannuation. Given that it is now 147 days since this discussion paper was...
    • Questions on Notice (2 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, I also seek some advice from you. You may recall that it was some eight weeks ago that I first began asking the Prime Minister a series of questions about Billy Schultze, the...
  • Workplace Relations (0 speeches)
    • (18 speeches)
      I move: That so much of standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Perth having the opportunity of outlining to the House the detailed comparison between the...
  • Auditor-General’S Reports (0 speeches)
    • Report No. 5 of 2006-07 (1 speech)
      I present the Auditor-General’s Audit report No. 5 of 2006-07 entitled The Senate order of the departmental and agency contracts (calendar year 2005 compliance). Ordered that the report be...
  • Member for Perth (0 speeches)
    • (51 speeches)
      I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the House from condemning forthwith the Member for Perth. This afternoon the member for Perth has been...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Documents are tabled as listed in the schedule circulated to honourable members. Details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings and I move: That the House take note of the...
  • Business (0 speeches)
    • Rearrangement (1 speech)
      by leave—I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent questions without notice being called on at 2.15 p.m. on Wednesday, 11 October 2006....
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Human Rights (30 speeches)
      I have received a letter from the honourable member for Gellibrand proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: The importance, on the...
  • 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, 16 October 2006. The report will...
  • Medical Indemnity Legislation Amendment Bill 2006; Australian Participants in British Nuclear Tests (Treatment) Bill 2006; Australian Participants in British Nuclear Tests (Treatment) (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2006; Broadcasting Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Referred to Main Committee (1 speech)
      by leave—I move: That the bills be referred to the Main Committee for further consideration. Question agreed to.
  • Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Amendment Bill 2005 (0 speeches)
    • Returned from the Senate (0 speeches)
      Message received from the Senate returning the bill without amendment or request.
  • Communications Legislation Amendment (Enforcement Powers) Bill 2006; Television Licence Fees Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (9 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 14 September, on motion by Mrs De-Anne Kelly: 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.
  • Television Licence Fees Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (0 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 14 September, on motion by Mrs De-Anne Kelly: That this bill be now read a second time. Question agreed to. Bill 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.
  • Housing Loans Insurance Corporation (Transfer of Pre-Transfer Contracts) Bill 2006; Housing Loans Insurance Corporation (Transfer of Assets and Abolition) Repeal Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (7 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 13 September, on motion by Mr Pearce: 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.
  • Housing Loans Insurance Corporation (Transfer of Assets and Abolition) Repeal Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (0 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 13 September, on motion by Mr Pearce: That this bill be now read a second time. Question agreed to. Bill read a second time. Message from the Governor-General recommending...
    • 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.
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Bill 2005 (0 speeches)
    • (0 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 9 August.
    • Second Reading (34 speeches)
      I move: That this bill be now read a second time. The purpose of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Bill 2005 is to make amendments to the Aboriginal and...
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Order! It being 9 pm, I propose the question: That the House do now adjourn.
    • Parliamentary Standards (1 speech)
      On a day on which the Minister for Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the government and in a very patronising and neocolonial way, lectured some of the countries in the Pacific Islands about their...
    • Mrs Madeline Halpin (1 speech)
      I rise to make the House aware of the sad passing of a remarkable member of the community in the town of Bellingen in my electorate. Mrs Madeline Halpin passed away recently at the age of 96...
    • Mr RW ‘Johnny’ Apple (1 speech)
      I rise tonight to honour the memory of a citizen of the United States of America: Johnny Apple. He was a senior journalist of the New York Times, a legend of American journalism, a legend in...
    • Jack Young Centre (1 speech)
      I rise tonight to draw the attention of this House to the very good work done by the Jack Young Centre supporting members of our retired community in Wakefield. There has been a lot of talk...
    • Food Allergies (1 speech)
      Last week a coronial inquest into the death of four-year-old Alex Baptist commenced. Alex died at kinder from an anaphylactic attack—an issue that could have easily been resolved had the...
    • North Korea (2 speeches)
      As chairman of the Australia-Korea Parliamentary Group I want to join the Prime Minister, the foreign minister and other members of this parliament in expressing my outrage at yesterday’s...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • (4 speeches)
      The following notices were given: