Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To present a Bill for an Act to amend legislation relating to telecommunications, and for related purposes.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000, and for related purposes.

Robert McClelland (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Foreign States Immunities Act 1985, and for related purposes.

Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To move:

That the House:

(1)

notes that:

(a)

over 2,000 nuclear weapons tests have been conducted between 1945 and 2009;

(b)

the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear test explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes;

(c)

the sixth Article XIV (Entry Into Force) Conference of the CTBT will be held 24-25 September 2009;

(d)

for more than half a century, countless scientific experts, political leaders and community organisations have pursued the goal of a more secure world free of the dangers of nuclear weapons test explosions;

(e)

the CTBT is important to all states because it stigmatizes nuclear testing, halts the qualitative and quantitative nuclear arms race and the development of increasingly more destructive weapons, and protects human health and the global environment from the devastating effects of nuclear weapons production and testing; and

(f)

nine states required for the entry into force of the treaty have not yet ratified the treaty; and

(2)

calls on the Government to:

(a)

renew and sustain dialogue with those nine states that have not ratified the CTBT, urging them to do so without delay, most notably those states possessing nuclear weapons, the United States, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the Democratic People’s Republic on Korea;

(b)

call on all states possessing nuclear weapons to refrain from research and development efforts that could lead to new warheads and the possibility of the resumption of nuclear testing;

(c)

participate in the Article XIV Conference at the highest level; and

(d)

continue to participate and support the development of the CTBT verification regime, including the international monitoring system.

Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To move:

That the House:

(1)

is highly critical of Telstra for introducing a $2.20 fee for over-the-counter and mail payments of Telstra bills;

(2)

notwithstanding concessions for pensioners and some Health Care Card holders, notes such a charge is an unfair penalty on low income families and individuals and considers it to be a penalty which is unfair and unjust;

(3)

regards the $2.20 fee and accompanying increases in processing charges for payment by credit card as an attempt to herd people onto the Internet or force them into direct debit arrangements, often against their wishes or capacity;

(4)

acknowledges these increases will negatively affect thousands of low income customers and fly in the face of Telstra Chief Mr David Thodey’s corporate instruction to Telstra staff and agencies to become ‘customer ambassadors’; and

(5)

on behalf of the many thousands of loyal Telstra customers who will be negatively affected by these charges, asks Telstra to rescind the fee and demonstrate in a practical way that Telstra is, once again, truly ‘an agent of the customer’.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To move:

That the House:

(1)

strongly objects to recent announcements by corporations, such as Telstra, that they will charge an administrative fee for payment of accounts by cash in person;

(2)

notes this fee for payment of accounts impacts adversely on those people that can least afford it; and

(3)

calls on the:

(a)

Australian Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate the impact on consumers of these type of charges; and

(b)

Treasurer to review whether it is necessary to amend the Currency Act 1965 or the Reserve Bank Act 1959 to ensure that all Australians are able to make payments in legal tender in person if they choose.