Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report of the recommendations of the whips relating to committee and delegation reports and private members’ business on Monday, 1 June 2009. Copies of the report have been placed on the table.

The report read as follows—

Pursuant to standing order 41A, the Whips recommend the following items of committee and delegation reports and private Members’ business for Monday, 1 June2009. The order of precedence and allotments of time for items in the Main Committee and Chamber are as follows:

Items recommended for Main Committee (6.55 to 8.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS

Notices

1 MS PARKE: To move—

That the House:

(1)

expresses its concern about the grave humanitarian situation of the Tamil peoples of Sri Lanka, many of whom are presently detained in camps following the recent conflict in Sri Lanka;

(2)

calls upon the Sri Lankan Government:

(a)

to allow full access to United Nations and other humanitarian agencies to the camps to provide all necessary aid; and

(b)

to agree to an independent international investigation into war crimes alleged to have been committed by both parties during the recent conflict in Sri Lanka; and

(3)

expresses its hope that Sri Lanka can move forward from this difficult period in peace and with full respect for the human rights of all its peoples.

Time allotted—45 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Ms Parke—5 minutes.

First Opposition Member speaking—5 minutes.

Other Member—5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 9 x 5 mins]

The Whips recommend that consideration of this should continue on a future day.

2 MRS MOYLAN: To move—

That the House:

(1)

notes:

(a)

that the Area Consultative Committees (ACCs) were first formed by the Hawke Labor Government as regional advisory bodies to Federal Parliament;

(b)

the Howard Government gave them real purpose by restructuring their activities to act as a ‘shop front’ to assist regional communities through the process of applying for Commonwealth government grants;

(c)

the ACCs had an advisory role in regards to community benefits and assessed the viability of proposed projects;

(d)

there were 54 ACCs Australia wide and they were not for profit incorporated bodies under the relevant State associations incorporation Acts, operating with around $300,000 per ACC of operational funding from the former Federal government;

(e)

the Boards are voluntary with a ministerially appointed Chairman and Deputy Chairman; and

(f)

that by contrast to Regional Australia’s loss of national resources and control over development, the Government has established a Better Cities unit in Sydney;

(2)

condemns the Government for:

(a)

its decision to eliminate ACCs;

(b)

its lack of commitment to locally generated initiatives through the ACCs;

(c)

the loss of about 150 jobs around the nation;

(d)

its failure to facilitate a seamless transition of staff to the new State based bodies despite an assurance from the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, earlier last year;

(e)

its failure to value and recognise the volunteer effort, including the unpaid skills and abilities of community members;

(f)

its lack of leadership and clarity of decision making in the handling of the transition process;

(g)

the disingenuous way the Minister has treated the chairmen and executive officers of ACCs over the past 18 months; and

(h)

being willing to pass to the Government of Western Australia the total operational funding for ACCs in that State without any process of transparent accountability;

(3)

recognises:

(a)

the tremendous work carried out by the ACCs and the important role they played in business development and job creation in regional and rural Australia;

(b)

the work carried out by the executive officers, staff and the Board chairmen and the voluntary contribution by members of the board;

(c)

the value of the decentralised nature of the ACCs and the capacity, therefore, to consider the needs and interests of local communities and local areas in rural and regional Australia; and

(d)

through community effort, the relatively small amount of funding of $300,000 granted to each of the ACCs was multiplied many times due to the voluntary effort by the committees, local governments and members of the community; and

(4)

calls on the Government to:

(a)

reconsider its decision to ignore staff of the ACCs and take steps to re locate them in the new arrangements; and

(b)

recognise and acknowledge the detrimental effect the current Government policy is likely to have on the development and job creation capacity and the fair dispersal of funding for projects across the regions.

Time allotted—remaining private Members’ business time prior to 8.30pm

Speech time limits—

Mrs Moylan—5 minutes.

First Government Member speaking—5 minutes.

Other Member—5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 10 x 5 mins]

The Whips recommend that consideration of this should continue on a future day.

Items recommended for House of Representatives Chamber (8.40 to 9.30 pm)

COMMITTEE AND DELEGATION REPORTS

Presentation and statements

1 Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government

Funding regional and local community infrastructure: Principles for the development of a regional and local community infrastructure funding program, Final Report

The Whips recommend that statements on the report may be made—all statements to conclude by 8.50 pm

Speech time limits—

Ms King (Chair)—5 minutes

Opposition Member—5 minutes

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking =2 x 5 mins]

2 Standing Committee on Health and Ageing

Weighing it up: Obesity in Australia

The Whips recommend that statements on the report may be made—all statements to conclude by 9 pm

Speech time limits—

Mr Georganas (Chair)—5 minutes

Opposition Member – 5 minutes

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking =2 x 5 mins]

3 Standing Committee on Education and Training

Review of the Department of Education Science and Technology Annual Report 2006-07.

The Whips recommend that statements on the report may be made—all statements to conclude by 9.10 pm

Speech time limits—

Ms Bird (Chair)—5 minutes

Opposition Member – 5 minutes

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking =2 x 5 mins]

4 Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories

Inquiry into the Immigration Bridge Proposal

The Whips recommend that statements on the report may be made—all statements to conclude by 9.20 pm

Speech time limits—

Mr Secker (Deputy Chair)—5 minutes

Government Member – 5 minutes

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking =2 x 5 mins]

5 Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity

Examination of the Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner 2007-08

The Whips recommend that statements on the report may be made—all statements to conclude by 9.30 pm

Speech time limits—

Ms Parke (Chair)—5 minutes

Opposition Member – 5 minutes

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking =2 x 5 mins]

The Hon L R S Price

Chief Government Whip

27 May 2009

Report adopted.