House debates

Tuesday, 10 March 2009

  • Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I inform the House that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts will be absent from question time this week. He is attending meetings of the Coral Triangle Initiative in Papua New...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Economy (10 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. I refer to the December quarter national accounts, which recorded the highest household savings since 1992 and an economy going backwards. Given...
    • Workplace Relations (2 speeches, 1 comment)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Would the Prime Minister update the House on the government’s progress in delivering a new, fair and balanced workplace relations system for Australia?
    • Economy (2 speeches)
      My question is again addressed to the Prime Minister. Given higher Commonwealth debt means job-destroying higher taxes and job-destroying higher interest rates, isn’t the Prime Minister...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      I inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, His Excellency Mr Markos Kyprianou. He is accompanied by the...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Workplace Relations (13 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion. Would the minister inform the House of the benefits of the...
    • Economy (13 speeches)
      My question is to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to Westpac’s Australia & NZ Weekly, in which Mr Bill Evans, the Chief Economist at Westpac, says that despite the Christmas cash...
    • Nation Building and Jobs Plan (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Will the minister update the House on the government’s nation-building plans, and...
    • Economy (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his statement last week that he has a new seven-point plan to fix global debt. How does this fit in with the Prime...
    • Housing Affordability (10 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Housing and the Minister for the Status of Women. Minister, can you please update the House on the impact of the first home owner boost?
    • Employment (8 speeches)
      My question is to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to the fact that over the course of the previous government, 2.2 million new jobs were created in Australia. I ask the Treasurer if he could...
    • Economic Security Strategy: Veterans (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs. How have the government’s security strategy payments assisted the veterans community?
    • Employment (40 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Will the minister guarantee that her Fair Work Bill will not destroy one Australian job?
    • Alcopops (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Will the minister please outline to the House the government’s action on alcopops and any obstacles in its way?
    • Employment (5 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Prime Minister and I refer to the question that his deputy was unable to answer a few moments ago. Will the Prime Minister guarantee that his Fair Work Bill will...
    • Trade: Banana Imports (5 speeches)
      My question is directed to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Will the minister please update the House on the domestic and international response to the policy determination...
  • Auditor-General’S Reports (0 speeches)
    • Report No. 24 of 2008-09 (1 speech)
      I present the Auditor-General’s Audit report No. 24 of 2008-09 entitled The administration of contracting arrangements in relation to government advertising to November...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Documents are presented 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...
  • Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
    • Australia-Korea Free Trade Agreement (2 speeches)
      It is my pleasure to announce to the House that the government has decided to launch negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with the Republic of Korea. This announcement follows...
    • International Women’s Day (2 speeches)
      International Women’s Day is an opportunity for women to celebrate and reflect on how far we have come, and how far we still have to go. Around 100 years ago in this same House,...
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Economy (27 speeches)
      Mr Speaker has received a letter from the honourable Leader of the Opposition proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: The failure...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • Auditor-General Amendment Bill 2008 [2009]; Corporations Amendment (No. 1) Bill 2008 [2009]; Migration Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2008 (0 speeches)
    • Assent (0 speeches)
      Message from the Governor-General reported informing the House of assent to the bills.
  • Australian Energy Market Amendment (Aemo and Other Measures) Bill 2009 (0 speeches)
    • Referred to Main Committee (1 speech)
      I move: That the bill be referred to the Main Committee for further consideration. I indicate to all members that the Chief Opposition Whip, the honourable member for Fairfax, concurs with this...
  • Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2008-2009; Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2008-2009 (0 speeches)
    • Referred to Main Committee (1 speech)
      by leave—I move: That, unless otherwise ordered, at the adjournment of the House for this sitting, the bills be referred to the Main Committee for further consideration. I indicate to all...
    • Second Reading (12 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 26 February, on motion by Mr Bowen: 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.
    • Flinders Electorate: Coastal Villages (1 speech)
      I want to address a series of issues in relation to the coastal villages within my electorate of Flinders. The coastal villages are the magnificent towns of Blind Bight, Warneet, Cannons Creek...
    • Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (1 speech)
      I would like to talk about grandparents raising grandchildren. The issues grandparents raising grandchildren face are complex and continuous. Indeed, stress is a significant health issue for many...
    • Interest Rates (1 speech)
      The issue I want to bring to the attention of the House tonight is, sadly, those who are on fixed interest rates when the rate has been fixed at a high level. These people were actually expecting...
    • Brisbane 2 Ipswich Challenge (1 speech)
      Tonight I want to talk about a great community event in my electorate and much more broadly in the western corridor: the annual Brisbane 2 Ipswich Challenge. It was formerly known as the Mall 2...
    • Area Consultative Committees (1 speech)
      I rise this evening to talk about something that is very distressing to rural and regional Australia and, I know from direct experience, to my part of the world—north-east Victoria and the...
    • Economy (2 speeches)
      I rise to comment on the government’s approach to dealing with the global financial crisis, which of course is now moving into the next phase, which many commentators are calling ‘the...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • (4 speeches)
      The following notices were given: