House debates
Monday, 2 June 2008
- Main Committee (0 speeches)
- Private Members’ Motions (1 speech)
In accordance with standing order 41(h) and the recommendations of the whips adopted by the House on 28 May 2008, I present copies of the terms of motions for which notice has been given by the...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (1 speech)
I move: That business intervening before order of the day No. 6, government business, be postponed until a later hour this day. Question agreed to.
- Excise Tariff Amendment (Condensate) Bill 2008; Excise Legislation Amendment (Condensate) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (11 speeches)
Debate resumed from 15 May, on motion by Mr Bowen: That this bill be now read a second time.
- Consideration in Detail (17 speeches)
Bill—by leave—taken as a whole.
- 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.
- Excise Legislation Amendment (Condensate) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (0 speeches)
Debate resumed from 15 May, on motion by Mr Bowen: 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.
- First Home Saver Accounts Bill 2008; Income Tax (First Home Saver Accounts Misuse Tax) Bill 2008; First Home Saver Accounts (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (37 speeches)
Debate resumed from 29 May, on motion by Mr Swan: That this bill be now read a second time.
- Condolences (0 speeches)
- Mr Leonard Thomas Devine (1 speech)
I inform the House of the death on Thursday, 29 May 2008 of Leonard Thomas Devine, a member of this House for the division of East Sydney from 1963 to 1969. As a mark of respect to the memory of...
- Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
- Iraq (3 speeches)
by leave—I rise to inform the House that Australian combat troops have lowered the flag at the conclusion of their mission in southern Iraq. The government, in bringing this about, is...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Fuel Prices (5 speeches)
My question is to the Attorney-General. Can the Attorney-General advise the House how the government’s Fuelwatch scheme will apply to unincorporated small fuel retailers?
- Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I inform the House that the Minister for Trade will be absent from question time this week as he is overseas attending APEC, the AUSFTA and OECD meetings. The Minister for Resources and Energy...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Iraq (7 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Defence. Will the minister please inform the House of the progress of the withdrawal of Australian combat forces from Iraq?
- Fuel Prices (2 speeches)
My question is to the Attorney-General. Has the Attorney-General sought legal advice on the constitutional validity of Fuelwatch and will he release that advice?
- Iraq (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister update the House on how the government will assist the Iraqi police service?
- Fuel Prices (10 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. Does the minister want petrol prices in Australia to go up or down?
- Iraq (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Will the minister inform the House of Australian government assistance to the development of a more prosperous and...
- Fuel Prices (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, diesel has now crashed through $1.90 a litre. Aside from the government’s new road user charge, which will tax trucks and put upward...
- Economy (4 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on recent developments in the Australian economy, and what is the government’s response?
- Fuel Prices (7 speeches)
My question is addressed to the Assistant Treasurer. Is the Assistant Treasurer aware that the ACCC’s modelling of FuelWatch covers the period before the 24-hour rule became fully...
- Economy (2 speeches)
My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer update the House on recent inflation data and the importance of responsible budgeting in the current inflationary environment?
- Fuel Prices (2 speeches)
My question is addressed to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to the recent paper by Professor Sinclair Davidson of RMIT which demonstrates major flaws in the methodology used by the ACCC in...
- Education Funding (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Education, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and the Minister for Social Inclusion. What is the Rudd Labor government doing to lay the...
- Infrastructure (11 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
- Fuel Prices (2 speeches)
On indulgence, to start with, I understood that the Deputy Prime Minister had not completed her answer before, and I was waiting for her to get the call. That is by way of explanation to the...
- Economy (14 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his government’s decision to set up ‘grocerywatch’. Prime Minister, will grocery stores be forced to lock in...
- Disability Services (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Will the minister update the House on outcomes from the meeting of disability ministers, and how...
- Prime Ministerial Staff (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to recent reports that the Prime Minister has employed at least six different diary secretaries within six months. Why has the Prime Minister had...
- War Graves (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel. Would the minister further update the House on excavation activities at the site of the Battle of Fromelles in France?
- Australian Public Service (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. I refer to the minister’s comments yesterday on the ABC Insiders program that some public servants think it normal to sit around...
- Wheat Exports (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Will the minister outline to the House what progress is being made to implement the government’s commitment to reform...
- Questions to the Speaker (0 speeches)
- Hansard (10 speeches)
Mr Speaker, I have a question for you. Is it in order for members to approach Hansard staff while the House is in session in order to hand them material?
- Condolences (0 speeches)
- Mr Leonard Thomas Devine (2 speeches)
Mr Speaker, I seek your indulgence to say a few words about the death of Len Devine last week. Leonard Thomas Devine was born on 14 October 1923 and was 84 when he died. In March this year, he...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Days and Hours of Meeting (2 speeches)
I move: That the House, at its rising, adjourn until 12 noon on Tuesday, 3 June 2008, unless the Speaker or, in the event of the Speaker being unavailable, the Deputy Speaker, fixes an...
- Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
- Financial Stability (2 speeches)
by leave—A year ago this month, shares in the Bear Stearns investment bank were still trading on the New York Stock Exchange at around $150; the US federal funds rate had reached 5.25 per...
- Petitions (0 speeches)
- (2 speeches)
I present petitions in accordance with standing order 207.
- Responses (1 speech)
The Clerk: Ministerial responses to petitions previously presented to the House have been received as follows:
- Cluster Munitions (0 speeches)
Dear Mrs Irwin Mrs Julia Irwin MP Member for Fowler Chair Standing Committee on Petitions Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Thank you for your letters dated 17 March 2008 about a petition on...
- Cross-Border Insolvency Bill 2008; Financial Sector Legislation Amendment (Review of Prudential Decisions) Bill 2008; Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (National Broadband Network) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Assent (0 speeches)
Messages from the Governor-General reported informing the House of assent to the bills.
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (1 speech)
I move: That, unless otherwise ordered, at the commencement of the Main Committee meeting tomorrow, the first item of business shall be Members’ statements, each for no longer than...
- First Home Saver Accounts Bill 2008; Income Tax (First Home Saver Accounts Misuse Tax) Bill 2008; First Home Saver Accounts (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (22 speeches)
Debate resumed.
- 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.
- First Home Saver Accounts (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (0 speeches)
Debate resumed from 29 May, on motion by Mr Swan: 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.
- Income Tax (First Home Saver Accounts Misuse Tax) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (0 speeches)
Debate resumed from 28 May, on motion by Mr Swan: 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.
- National Fuelwatch (Empowering Consumers) Bill 2008; National Fuelwatch (Empowering Consumers) (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (3 speeches)
Debate resumed from 29 May, on motion by Mr Bowen: That this bill be now read a second time.
- Delegation Reports (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Economics Committee; Report (4 speeches)
On behalf of the Standing Committee on Economics, I present the committee’s report entitled Review of the Reserve Bank of Australia Annual Report 2007 (first report), together with the...
- Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee; Report (4 speeches)
On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, I present the committee’s report entitled Review of the Defence annual report 2005. Ordered that the report...
- Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Private Members’ Business (0 speeches)
- Genetically Modified Crops (7 speeches, 1 comment)
I move: That the House:(1)urges the Australian Government to act to restrict any further planting of genetically modified crops in Australia, the use of genetically modified products in the...
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Order! It being almost 9.30 pm, I propose the question: That the House do now adjourn.
- Mr Phillip Manning Cadman (1 speech)
Tonight I want to draw to the attention of the House a tragedy that befell one of our former colleagues, Alan Cadman, when on Saturday, 10 May his son Phillip Manning Cadman passed away. This was...
- International Men’s Health Week (1 speech)
International Men’s Health Week, to be held from 9 to 15 June 2008, is a week of activities designed to raise awareness of men’s health and related issues. Men and boys face specific...
- Pollie Pedal (1 speech)
I am pleased to follow the member for Isaacs, who has been talking about the importance of research into cancer, because I rise to congratulate all my colleagues involved in the Pollie Pedal of...
- Epilepsy (1 speech)
I congratulate the member for Warringah for enlightening us on the Pollie Pedal ride for the cause of cancer. It is a great cause. I think that politicians at times are underestimated in what...
- Mrs Paula Ford (1 speech)
I rise tonight to advise the House at the passing of Paula Ford of Medowie. Paula was a devoted life partner and best friend of Tom; a loving mother to Andrew, Terry, Sandy and Tom Jr; a...
- Epilepsy (1 speech)
I would like to congratulate the member for Solomon on his fine contribution in relation to epilepsy. On Wednesday, 28 May, we launched the Friends of Epilepsy here in Parliament House. The...
- Mr Michael Francis Nolan (2 speeches)
We were going to get an early mark, but I thought it would be remiss of me not to mention that we buried an AFL legend in Brisbane this morning: Michael Francis Nolan—Mick Nolan—who...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
The following notice was given:
- Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2008-2009; Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2008-2009; Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2008-2009; Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2007-2008; Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2007-2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (35 speeches)
Debate resumed from 29 May, on motion by Mr Swan: That this bill be now read a second time.
- Statements by Members (0 speeches)
- Age Pension (1 speech)
Pensioners who are on the single age pension are being discouraged from working if they earn more than $3,400. When their income exceeds $17,600, they are penalised 40c for every extra dollar...
- Hasluck Electorate: Biggest Morning Tea (1 speech)
I rise today to congratulate the Woodlupine Seniors Committee in Forrestfield in my electorate for their magnificent Biggest Morning Tea that was held on Friday, 23 May. We had over 167...
- Mr Tom Dillon (1 speech)
I rise to acknowledge Tom Dillon, who has announced his retirement from the Bunbury City Council at the age of 65. Tom is truly a colourful character, larger than life, full of energy but with...
- Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal (1 speech)
I rise to speak in support of the Salvation Army and, in particular, their annual Red Shield doorknock appeal. Yesterday I spent several hours doorknocking for the local Salvation Army, helping...
- Parkes Electorate: Early Childhood Education (1 speech)
I rise tonight to speak about the importance of early childhood education in my electorate of Parkes. I was pleased to recently learn of the government’s desire to provide all...
- Moreton Electorate: Kyabra Community Association (1 speech)
I rise to speak about a community organisation based in the electorate of Moreton—the Kyabra Community Association. It is an organisation I was proud to be on the board of before the...
- Overwatch Battle Group (1 speech)
I acknowledge that the Overwatch Battle Group, together with the Australian Army’s training team in Iraq, ceased operations at their base at Talil in Dhi Qar province yesterday, and I rise...
- Shortland Electorate: Redhead Public School (1 speech)
Tonight I rise to pay tribute to Redhead Public School, which is celebrating its centenary this year. On Saturday night I attended a ball with a long-term resident of Redhead, and I must say that...
- La Trobe Electorate: Palliative Care (1 speech)
In 2004 I had an election commitment of $800,000 to Fernlea House palliative care in Emerald. This was a fantastic local project which had been pushed very hard by people like Jan Lancaster, who...
- Privacy Laws (2 speeches)
I rise to talk about a very serious issue that needs a lot more time, but I can expand on it at another time. It is about the offshoring of jobs from the financial sector to overseas countries....
- Private Members Business (0 speeches)
- Blood Donation (10 speeches)
Debate resumed, on motion by Mr Hayes: That the House:(1)recognises and celebrates the significant contribution which Australia’s voluntary donors make to the Australian community as we...
- Botany Bay and the Kurnell Peninsula (16 speeches)
Debate resumed, on motion by Mr Morrison: That the House:(1)recognises that:(a)the Kurnell Peninsula of southern Sydney is the traditional land of the Gweagal people of the Dharawal nation;(b)the...
- Recycling (5 speeches)
Debate resumed, on motion by Mr Bruce Scott: That the House:(1)calls on the Federal Government to commit to ban by the year 2012 the inclusion of all plastic and glass bottles in...
- Grievance Debate (0 speeches)
- (0 speeches)
Question proposed: That grievances be noted.
- Hume Electorate: Wingecarribee Community Services Centre Inc.; Regional Partnerships (1 speech)
I rise to talk in the grievance debate tonight on a number of issues that affect my constituency. I particularly wish to highlight the concerns of a community group in my electorate that has been...
- Drugs: Bali (1 speech)
Two weeks ago, a friend of mine introduced my wife, Bernadette, and me to a Queensland couple, Lee and Christine Rush. My friend is Colin McDonald. He is the lawyer representing their son, Scott,...
- Maranoa Electorate: Roads (1 speech)
I associate myself with the comments of the former speaker, because the Rush family are from Mitchell, in my electorate, in Queensland. I know many of the family. In fact, I grew up with the...
- Death Penalty; Australian Constitution (1 speech)
I want to speak tonight on constitutional change, but, before I do, I want to add my voice to that of the member for Werriwa in relation to capital punishment. I have a very sharp memory of...
- Siblings Australia (1 speech)
It is a great pleasure to rise in the Main Committee tonight to grieve for an issue which is becoming something of a trend under the new Labor government: the seemingly irrational defunding or...
- Fuel Prices (2 speeches)
The rising price of petrol has been at the centre of debate over the past parliamentary fortnight, but this is not a new debate. Indeed, it is something that reaches back to the oil shocks of the...
