House debates

Thursday, 5 June 2014

  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Public Works Committee; Reference (1 speech)
      I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, the following proposed work be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works for...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Publications Committee; Report (1 speech)
      I present a report from the Publications Committee. Copies of the report are being placed on the table. Report—by leave—agreed to. Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Statements by Members (0 speeches)
    • Migration (1 speech)
      Bob Hawke said that the great influx of migrants after the Second World War is the most defining feature of Australia today. He is right. There is no doubt migrants have shaped our country for...
    • Cowan Electorate: Bosnian Community (1 speech)
      On Saturday night, I again visited the Bosnian club in Beechboro and I would like to thank the president Mr Muhamed Merdjanic for the kind invitation. There are many Bosnians in and around Cowan...
    • Blaxland Electorate: Budget (1 speech)
      My electorate in south-west Sydney is one of the hardest hit by this budget. We are going to be hit hard by the government's decision to $7 GP tax, because 98 per cent of the people who live in...
    • Forrest Electorate: Margaret River (1 speech)
      Margaret River is the iconic, internationally recognised wine and tourist region of Western Australia. It has the highest recognition of any region in our state, based on a remarkable branding...
    • Fowler Electorate: Migration (1 speech)
      The government's decision to permanently axe the non-contributory parent visa category from June this year will severely impact on my local community. I represent a vibrant, multicultural...
    • Robertson Electorate: Kincumber Men's Shed (1 speech)
      I was honoured to be a guest at the seventh birthday celebrations of the Kincumber Men's Shed recently. Men's sheds are important places where men in our community can come together to share and...
    • Rankin Electorate: Migration (1 speech)
      Not even those on low and middle incomes who want to be reunited with mums and dads overseas have been spared the cruelty of this budget. Without any consultation or warning, the government...
    • Barton Electorate: Transport (1 speech)
      I rise to commend the recent announcement by the New South Wales transport minister, Gladys Berejiklian, that the state government will install lifts at the Arncliffe railway station within my...
    • Lalor Electorate: Migration (1 speech)
      Many individuals in my electorate of Lalor have already raised their grave concerns regarding the abolition of various sub-classes of the non-contributory parent visa. After stating in Senate...
  • Petitions (0 speeches)
    • Braddon Electorate: Television Services (1 speech)
      In December of last year, analog television was permanently switched off across our nation. It marked the end of an era for some, but for the residents on the west coast of Tasmania in my...
    • Perth Electorate: Migration (1 speech)
      In all the noise of the election campaign I must have missed the Liberal Party 'stop the families' slogan. The government has quietly and stealthily stopped people in Australia from reuniting...
    • Solomon Electorate: Kayak4Youth (1 speech)
      Yesterday morning at Lake Alexander, one of the few croc-free bodies of water in the Territory, a wonderful program called Kayak4Youth was launched. Kayak4Youth was founded by Andy Warton to...
    • Kingsford Smith Electorate: Migration (11 speeches)
      On behalf of the migrant communities of Kingsford Smith, I implore the government to reverse this lousy decision to repeal a number of parent visas. In particular, the non-contributory parent...
    • Lindsay Electorate: National Black Spot Programme (1 speech)
      The Australian government, again, under the watchful eye of the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development and the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, are...
    • Werriwa Electorate: Migration (4 speeches)
      For decades, parliamentarians on both sides of this House prided themselves on Australian multiculturalism, contrasting ourselves with systems such as the German guest worker process, where...
    • Deakin Electorate: Aveo Cherrytree Grove Retirement Village (1 speech)
      I am fortunate to have a number of well-run retirement villages in my electorate of Deakin. One of these is the Aveo Cherrytree Grove Retirement Village in Croydon. Cherrytree's residents...
    • Greenway Electorate: Migration (1 speech)
      The mean and tricky decision by this government to axe the non-contributory parent visa and other family visa categories—including the aged dependent relative, remaining relative and carer...
    • Budget (1 speech)
      I rise today to clarify some aspects of the 2014 budget. The coalition's budget will continue to support Australian families and encourage them to participate both socially and economically in...
    • Parramatta Electorate: Migration (1 speech)
      The government has hit an all-time low with the changes to its immigration policy. Sneaking through the abolition of incredibly important visa categories to people in my community—the...
    • Regional Aviation Access Program (2 speeches)
      I stand here today very happy to support the $884,000 in funding that has been provided to the Flinders Island and Cape Barren Island communities by the government through the Regional Aviation...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Budget (24 speeches)
      My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer to reports of Liberals boasting about playing the Nationals like a banjo over their broken promise to increase the fuel tax. With his budget...
    • Taxation (11 speeches)
      My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Now that the National Party knows that the diesel fuel tax rebate was never on the table, will the Acting Prime Minister finally stand up for regional...
    • Budget (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer inform the House what the government is doing to fix the budget and why? What are the alternate approaches to sound budgetary management?
    • Fuel Rebates (7 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. I refer the minister to the importance of the diesel fuel tax rebate to primary producers. Liberal Party members are now telling journalists that...
    • Employment (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer update the House on how many jobs have been created so far in 2014 and how are the government's policies helping to create jobs?
    • Fuel Rebates (5 speeches)
      At the invitation of the Leader of the House, my question is to the Minister for Agriculture. I refer him to the importance of the diesel fuel rebate to primary producers and, indeed, to rural...
    • Indonesia (2 speeches)
      My question is to the foreign minister. Following the Prime Minister's meeting with Indonesian President Yudhoyono, will the minister inform the House of the government's efforts to deepen and...
    • Pentland Irrigation Baseload Power Station Study, Northern Australia: Development (8 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Minister, when does the government intend to release the Pentland irrigation baseload power station study promised for...
    • Budget (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Will the minister explain why there is not a single extra dollar for a single new Pacific Highway project in...
    • Higher Education (10 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Education. Will the minister explain how—
    • Budget (3 speeches)
      My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. The Prime Minister's budget has cut $80 billion from schools and hospitals. It has cut family benefits and cut pensions. It will make people pay more...
    • Medicare (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Health. I refer the minister to the case of young Madison Dewar, one of my constituents with type 1 diabetes. How will the government's reforms in health make...
    • Budget (11 speeches)
      My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. The Minister for Communications told Alan Jones this morning, in a truly outstanding interview: No-one wants to pay more money to go to the doctor....
    • Asylum Seekers (5 speeches)
      My question is to the very effective Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Minister, how important are both strong policies and a consistent resolve in achieving control of our borders?...
    • Budget (3 speeches)
      My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. At a press conference this morning the Minister for Communications said, 'We are totally united, totally cohesive, totally committed.' How can this be...
    • Budget: National Broadband Network (8 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Communications. Will the minister inform the House how putting the budget—
    • Budget: Minister for Communications (18 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Communications. The minister has been very busy communicating lately. He has been working overtime, and on this side of the House we concede in very difficult...
    • Drought Assistance (9 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. Following your visit to Charleville and extreme drought areas of my electorate last Friday, will you as minister inform the House how this...
    • Budget (5 speeches)
      I seek leave to move the following motion: That in light of reports that government members of parliament have been tricked into supporting the petrol tax increase, this House urges the...
  • Motions (0 speeches)
    • Abbott Government; Attempted Censure (15 speeches)
      I move: That so much of standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Melbourne from moving the following: That in light of reports that government members of...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • Presentation (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.
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Budget (50 speeches)
      I have received a letter from the honourable the Leader of the Opposition proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: The need for the...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
    • Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014; Second Reading (1 speech)
      In the time available to me I will continue. The reason for our legislation is probably supported by the previous industry minister, Martin Ferguson. I quote an article from the Australian...
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (1 speech)
      Tomorrow marks the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings, a massive and decisive military operation in a war that shaped the world as we know it today. Seventy years on, we find ourselves...
    • Bass Electorate (1 speech)
        I left my former profession of 31 years to enter politics for one important reason: to make a real difference for people in my community, and I have enjoyed some success in the nine...
    • Budget (1 speech)
      It has now been more than three weeks since the Abbott government handed down its budget of broken promises, but, in that time, the shock and outrage in the community has not subsided one bit. In...
    • Treasurer (1 speech)
      I rise to object to an offensive and disgraceful set of comments uttered by the Treasurer in this place yesterday and to demand an unreserved apology from him. I, the member for Moreton and the...
    • Mitchell Electorate: Infrastructure (3 speeches)
      I rise today to speak about the government's commitment to infrastructure in Sydney. This is perhaps one of the most important and significant infrastructure investments in Commonwealth history,...
    • Environment: Tasmanian World Heritage Area (1 speech)
      From the 15th to the 25th of this month in Doha, the World Heritage Committee are meeting to consider many issues. One of those issues is the recommendation by the federal government to rescind...
  • Constituency Statements (0 speeches)
    • Ageing (1 speech)
      In Australia the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to increase from 13.4 per cent of the total population in June 2007 to 25.3 per cent by 2047. That means there will be substantial...
    • Page Electorate: Constituent Concerns (1 speech)
      One of the great privileges that many of us in this room have as members of parliament is that we meet a lot of people in our community. We have lots of people come to see us and therefore we...
    • Fremantle Electorate: Live Sheep Exports (1 speech)
      I represent an electorate that has lived with the reality of live export for many years and which has direct and regular experience of the endemic shortcomings in this trade. The decision by the...
    • Macarthur Electorate: Eco-Schools Program (1 speech)
      It is my great pleasure to rise today to congratulate the students and teachers at Harrington Park Public School becoming the first registered eco-school in Australia. The Eco-Schools program is...
    • Budget (1 speech)
      I rise today to place on the record the outrage of the community that I present over the government's extreme, ill-considered and unfair attacks on our higher education sector. Since the surprise...
    • Budget, Fisher Electorate: Employment (1 speech)
      I cannot help but comment on the member for Adelaide, who said that this generation will pay and the next generation will pay. She is absolutely right, because we are going to be paying $667...
    • Budget (1 speech)
      Earlier this week I wrote to the gen Ys in my electorate of Perth to highlight some of the ways in which the Abbott government's first budget will affect their future. It is pretty clear from the...
    • Hughes Electorate (1 speech)
      Earlier this week I was privileged to attend the Champions of the West awards at Rooty Hill RSL. It was the culmination of the Fair Go for the West campaign. I would like to congratulate the...
    • Budget (1 speech)
      I wish to raise my concerns and the concerns of the constituents I represent within this parliament over the cuts to ABC and SBS funding. On election night Tony Abbott, the now Prime Minister,...
    • Durack Electorate: Education (2 speeches)
      I recently had the pleasure of officially opening the Broome cluster education conference at Broome Senior High School. It was there that I was able to witness firsthand what can be achieved when...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • Tiananmen Square (1 speech)
      Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, where thousands who protested for a freer China lost their lives. We cannot allow those who lost their lives that day and...
    • Budget (1 speech)
      I rise today to discuss the challenges that the government have inherited, the actions that we are taking to overcome these challenges and the vision that the government hold for Australia's...
    • Indi Electorate: Budget (1 speech)
      I rise today to reflect on this week in parliament. As MP for Indi, my focus has been on regional living—what communities in regional Australia need to have good and productive lives in the...
    • Bonner Electorate: Wynnum Family Day Care (1 speech)
      Today I would like to recognise a standout achiever in child care and education in my electorate of Bonner. In January this year, Wynnum Family Day Care, managed by Ms Cathy Babbage, earned an...
    • Urban Policy (1 speech)
      In December 1972 Tom Uren was appointed as Minister for Urban and Regional Development in the Whitlam government. This was a watershed moment in Australian politics as it recognised the role that...
    • Bennelong Electorate (1 speech)
      I rise to inform the House of several recent significant milestones in my electorate of Bennelong. Last month, Eastwood Fire Brigade celebrated 100 years of serving our community. I was honoured...