to move:

That this House:

(1)

notes:

(a)

the pledge, first made by Australia in the year 2000, to spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanising conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion are currently subjected;

(b)

that with only five years until the international goals to address extreme poverty are due, there is now an urgent need to recommit ourselves to this task; and

(c)

that our actions of the past 20 years have already succeeded in halving rates of extreme poverty, and within a generation we can and will make poverty history; and

(2)

welcomes the ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign to ensure that we do our fair share achieve all the Millennium Development Goals.

to move:

That this House:

(1)

supports the Government’s action to boost national savings by gradually increasing the Superannuation Guarantee from 9 per cent now, to reach 12 per cent by 2019-20; and

(2)

notes that the:

(a)

Government’s approach to superannuation will achieve two main outcomes—greater adequacy and greater equity;

(b)

removal of the tax penalties for superannuation contributions of low income earners;

(c)

reforms to superannuation will benefit around 8.4 million Australians; and

(d)

reforms will increase national savings and economic growth.

to move:

That this House:

(1)

recognises the:

(a)

demographic challenges that Australia faces—the ageing of our population; and

(b)

impact of Australia’s declining workforce—by 2050, the number of working age people supporting people aged 65 and over is projected to decline from 6 people to 2.7 people;

(2)

acknowledges:

(a)

that mature workers have a great deal to contribute as they age and are as productive as younger workers;

(b)

the benefits of recruiting and training mature age workers include not only the economic benefits, but also high quality performance and considerable experience; and

(c)

that while many Australians are looking forward to their retirement, many mature age workers are keen to remain in the workforce for longer;

(3)

calls on the Australian Government to spearhead a campaign to change perceptions of mature age workers and ensure their valuable skills and experience are utilised in the workforce for as long as possible; and

(4)

encourage, on a bipartisan level, employers to recruit and re-train mature workers.

to move:

That this House:

(1)

strongly objects to the recent decision by Woolworths Limited to stop debit card holders choosing the credit option at its supermarkets, retail stores and petrol stations;

(2)

notes that the changes to Woolworths’ payment policy:

(a)

removes choice from those people paying for goods and services; and

(b)   may disadvantage people who may be charged an EFTPOS transaction fee for using the savings and cheque options on their debit card; and

(3)

calls on the:

(a)

Australian Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate the impact this payment policy will have on consumers who use their debit cards; and

(b)

Reserve Bank of Australia to review the decision by Woolworths to see if further changes are required to policy to stop large market-share organisations from limiting customer choice.

to move:

That this House:

(1)

notes that the Bernie Banton Foundation estimates that by 2020, some 40,000 Australians will have contracted asbestos related cancer;

(2)

recognises the role governments, the trade union movement and individuals, such as Bernie Banton, have played in raising awareness about the dangers of asbestos and in banning the sale and use of asbestos and asbestos products in Australia;

(3)

expresses concern that:

(a)

countries, such as Canada, continue to export asbestos to India and many other countries in South Asia; and

(b)

international efforts to list chrysotile asbestos under the Rotterdam Treaty, which requires importing countries to be warned of the risks associated with hazardous substances and products, have been blocked by countries, such as Canada; and

(4)

leads international efforts to ban the sale, mining and use of all forms of asbestos, such as chrysotile asbestos, throughout the world.