House debates

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Business (0 speeches)
    • Rearrangement (4 speeches)
      by leave—I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent proceedings on the Migration Legislation Amendment (Offshore Processing and Other Measures)...
    • 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.
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Economics Committee (1 speech)
      On behalf of the Standing Committee on Economics, I present the committee's report, incorporating a dissenting report, on the exposure draft of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits...
  • Statements by Members (0 speeches)
    • Cerebral Palsy Awareness Week (1 speech)
      I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Centre for Cerebral Palsy WA for all the work they do for the 1,700 people living in WA with cerebral palsy and their families. They do great...
    • Surf Life Saving (1 speech)
      I rise today to briefly mention the recent success of Australia's surf lifesavers at the 30th Olympiad. Twenty current surf lifesavers and six former lifesavers competed in the London games. This...
    • World Under-19 Cricket Championships (1 speech)
      It used to be said that all roads lead to Rome. Well, in 2012, if you are a cricket tragic, all roads lead to Townsville in North Queensland. Townsville is hosting the World Under-19 Cricket...
    • Mount Kembla Mine Explosion of 1902 (1 speech)
      On 31 July hundreds of people across my region of the Illawarra gathered to honour the 96 men and boys who perished in the Mount Kembla Mine explosion in 1902 and give thanks to the survivors who...
    • Flynn Electorate: Postal Services (1 speech)
      Postal services in my electorate of Flynn have been deteriorating now for some time. The part-closure of the Chapple Street post office in Gladstone was the start. Services in areas such as...
    • Greenway Electorate: Sikh Community (1 speech)
      I rise today to offer my condolences to those affected by the recent shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, in which six worshippers were killed, and to acknowledge the grief felt by the large...
    • Bradfield Electorate: Schools (1 speech)
      In recent days I have had the opportunity to visit two fine schools in my electorate which cater for children with intellectual or physical disabilities or, in many cases, a difficult combination...
    • Canberra Electorate: Ms Cheryl Keeley and Mr John Keeley (1 speech)
      I rise today to pay tribute to two outstanding Canberra residents, two Canberra legends, Cheryl and John Keeley. Cheryl and John work together, and they run the Narrabundah Newsagency, in the...
    • Parkes Electorate: Ms Eliza Vail (1 speech)
      I rise to acknowledge a letter that I received from one of my constituents, Eliza Vail. Eliza is in fifth class at Dubbo South Public School and has written to me about her concerns regarding...
    • Zentai, Mr Charles (2 speeches)
      I rise to express my regret that the High Court has made the decision not to extradite alleged Hungarian war criminal Charles Zentai on the legal basis that he is—(Time expired)
  • Statements on Indulgence (0 speeches)
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Carbon Pricing (7 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to her comments on 22 February last year, when she said: I … want to be very clear with Australians about what pricing...
    • People Trafficking (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on actions to tackle people smuggling?
    • Carbon Pricing (14 speeches)
      My question is to the Treasurer. I remind the Treasurer that this is the second anniversary of his statement, 'We reject this hysterical allegation that somehow we are moving towards a carbon...
    • Economy (10 speeches)
      My question is also to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer update the House about data released overnight in Europe? How does this contrast with the strong performance of the Australian economy and...
    • Tobacco Plain Packaging (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney-General update the House about Australia's world-leading plain-packaging legislation?
    • Carbon Pricing (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister and does not mention Sunday's game. I refer the Prime Minister to her statement on 20 August 2010: I want to help families with the cost of living … If...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I would like to inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon members of a parliamentary delegation from Ireland. I know many of us have Irish heritage and so it is a very...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Carbon Pricing (8 speeches)
      Madam Deputy Speaker, I have a further supplementary question. Can the Prime Minister inform the House how many households will be worse off even on the government's own figures? Can the Prime...
    • Tobacco Plain Packaging (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister explain to the House what today's High Court decision means for public health and in particular what it means for young Australians?
    • Carbon Pricing (11 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the Belair Hotel in my electorate, which has just been hit with its first electricity bill under the carbon tax. The bill...
    • Rural Australia (12 speeches)
      My question is to the Treasurer. The Treasurer would be aware that much of rural Australia is struggling under an insurmountable debt burden. Reliable sources continue to quote that between seven...
    • Carbon Pricing (8 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and Minister for Industry and Innovation. Will the minister update the House on the government's efforts to address...
    • National Disability Insurance Scheme (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Minister for Disability Reform. Will the minister update the House on the progress towards a National...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • Carbon Pricing (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister of the statement by Victorian Police Commissioner Ken Lay, who last week told Melbourne radio: … We budgeted … about...
    • Education (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth. Will the minister please inform the House of the government's commitment to make sure that every child has access...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Selection Committee; Report (1 speech)
      I present report No. 60 of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation reports and private members' business on Monday, 20 August 2012. The report will be...
    • Public Accounts and Audit Committee; Government Response (1 speech)
      I table the government's response to the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit report No. 427, Inquiry into national funding agreements. I move: That the House take note of the document....
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Supermarket Competition (19 speeches)
      I have received letters from the honourable member for Kennedy and the honourable Leader of the Opposition proposing that definite matters of public importance be submitted to the House for...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Economics Committee; Report (2 speeches)
      On behalf of the Standing Committee on Economics I present the committee's Advisory Report, incorporating supplementary remarks, on the Tax Laws Amendment (2012 Measures No. 4) Bill 2012,...
    • Treaties Committee; Report (1 speech)
      On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, I present the committee's Report 127, incorporating a dissenting report and treaties tabled on 20 March and 8 May 2012. In accordance with...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Selection Committee; Report (1 speech)
      I present report No. 61 of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members' business on Monday, 20 August 2012. This report revises...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • Forgacs, Mr Stephen (1 speech)
      It is with great sadness that I advise the House of the death of Stephen Forgacs, managing director of Forgacs, from a melanoma related cancer on Tuesday, 24 July 2012. Stephen's life is an...
    • Moreton Electorate: Disability Forum (1 speech)
      Last month I was fortunate enough to be joined by Queensland senator Jan McLucas, the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, to hold a National Disability Insurance Scheme forum in my...
    • Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program (1 speech)
      I have just returned from being a participant in the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program to the Middle East, and I would like to share with the House some of the experiences that we...
    • Tasmania: Local Businesses (1 speech)
      I rise today to make mention of some fantastic local, innovative industries in my electorate of Bass; I rise also to talk about the Australian Labor government's commitment to supporting...
    • Cape York Peninsula: Indigenous Communities (1 speech)
      Every remote Indigenous community in South Australia is within the bounds of my electorate of Grey. In my time as a member I have taken a great interest in these communities and been very...
    • National Disability Insurance Scheme (1 speech)
      Tonight I rise to raise an issue that is very dear to my heart. I believe it is one of the most important initiatives that any government has introduced—that is, the National Disability...
    • Operation Food for Life (1 speech)
      I want to take the opportunity tonight to speak about a rather unique organisation in my electorate. It is known as Operation Food for Life and it is based in Cherrybrook. I was privileged...
    • Father Augustin Nguyen Duc Thu (1 speech)
      On 26 June 2012, Father Augustin Nguyen Duc Thu died in Melbourne's St Vincent Hospital, aged 74 years. For most Australians his passing went unnoticed but for Adelaide's Vietnamese Christian...
    • Leichhardt Electorate: Tropical Sports Centre (1 speech)
      It has been an exciting fortnight with the Olympics underway in London. I am sure I am not the only person here who has had a few late nights over that time, caught up in the drama of seeing...
    • Holocaust (1 speech)
      On Thursday 5 July, the Polish and Israeli embassies co-hosted in marvellous Melbourne's new recital hall, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, an event to honour Irena Sendler. The packed recital hall heard...
    • Aluminium Industry (1 speech)
      Yesterday morning in Gladstone employees of the Boyne smelter arrived at work to be greeted by the news of the company's restructure. Of the nearly 1,200 workers at the smelter, 90 had been told...
    • Fisheries (1 speech)
      I rise tonight to express again the opposition of a great many Australians to the imminent operation in Australian waters of the supertrawler Margiris. Just today, a petition with some 35,000...
  • Statements (0 speeches)
    • Captioning in the Federation Chamber (1 speech)
      Order! As the Deputy Speaker announced yesterday in the House, it is proposed to commence a trial of captioning in the Federation Chamber. Two screens located on the advisers desks on each side...
  • Constituency Statements (0 speeches)
    • Carbon Pricing (1 speech)
      I rise to draw attention to an opportunity for tourism and hospitality businesses to finally get a straight answer on the carbon tax. After wasting $50 million on propaganda to sell its deeply...
    • Kingston Electorate: Maslin Beach (1 speech)
      Today I want to raise the concerns of residents that live in Maslin Beach. I think Maslin Beach is a beautiful part of the southern suburbs with one of the most stunning coastlines in Australia...
    • Parkes Electorate: Telecommunications (1 speech)
      I thank the member for Kingston for the segue into my statement, which is about the telecommunications survey that I have just undertaken in the Parkes electorate. In May I sent out a survey to...
  • Statements on Indulgence (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Before I call the parliamentary secretary, I would like to say that I understand this is the last occasion on which Mr Barry Gwyther will perform duty as the Serjeant-At-Arms in the Federation...
  • Constituency Statements (0 speeches)
    • Vocational Education and Training (5 speeches)
      ) ( ): I rise today to express my disappointment at the savage cuts to TAFE and technical education currently being implemented in Victoria. The Baillieu Liberal government is cutting $300...
    • Casey Electorate: Badger Creek Primary School (1 speech)
      On Friday, 30 July, I had the pleasure of visiting Badger Creek Primary School in my electorate of Casey to present an Australian flag, to present some certificates and to participate in the...
    • Braddon Electorate: Tourism Projects (1 speech)
      There have been some really good news stories in my electorate this year and I would like to share some of those with you if I may. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate all the...
    • McMillan Electorate: Carbon Pricing (1 speech)
      I was moved yesterday when, during a delegation to my office, a woman said—and this is why I am a bit testy today when I hear statements coming from members of the government who took $4.2...
    • Melbourne Employment Forum (1 speech)
      If you get in a cab in Melbourne there is every chance that you will be driven around by a Somali taxi driver who is, in fact, a qualified jumbo jet pilot. There are qualified doctors driving...
    • Brain Injury Awareness Week (1 speech)
      Today I am asking colleagues to help raise awareness of acquired brain injury by banging on a beanie, like me. That is the extent of my beanie in the chamber, as I know it is a prop and I should...
    • Solomon Electorate: Local Sporting Champions Grants (2 speeches)
      I rise today to acknowledge some of the Territory's young local sporting champions. It gives me great pleasure to announce the following recipients of round 1 of the Solomon Local Sporting...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Condolences (0 speeches)
    • Sergeant Blaine Flower Diddams (13 speeches)
      Sadly, on Monday 2 July 2012, Australia lost one of it finest young men when Sergeant Blaine Flower Diddams was killed in action in Afghanistan. Sergeant Diddams was doing what he was trained to...
  • Statements on Indulgence (0 speeches)
    • Hughes, Mr Robert Studley Forrest, AO (2 speeches)
      From the very first page of his mighty work The Fatal Shore, the late Robert Hughes gets the reader in with his superb use of words: In 1770 Captain James Cook had made landfall on the unexplored...
    • 70th Anniversary of the Operations of Bomber Command (6 speeches)
      I come to the chamber today to participate in this parliament's tribute to the Australian veterans who served in Bomber Command in World War II. As has already been well testified, Bomber Command...
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I move: That the Federation Chamber do now adjourn. Question agreed to. House adjourned at 13:01