Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present report No. 26 of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members' business on Monday 22 February 2021. The report will be printed in the Hansard for today, and the committee's deliberations will appear on tomorrow's Notice Paper. Copies of the report have been placed on the table.

The report read as follows—

Report relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and of private Members' business

1. The committee met in private session on Tuesday, 16 February 2021.

2. The Committee deliberated on items of private Members' business items listed on the Notice Paper and notices lodged on Tuesday, 16 February 2021, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 22 February 2021, as follows:

Items for House of Representatives Chamber (10.10 am to 12 noon)

PRIVATE MEMBERS ' BUSINESS

Notices

1     DR HAINES: To present a Bill for an Act to establish the Australian Local Power Agency, and for related purposes. (Australian Local Power Agency Bill 2021)

(Notice given 15 February 2021.)

Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes—pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.

2     DR HAINES: To present a Bill for an Act to deal with consequential matters in connection with the Australian Local Power Agency Act 2021, and for related purposes. (Australian Local Power Agency (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021)

(Notice given 16 February 2021.)

Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes—pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.

3     MR WILKIE: To present a Bill for an Act to end the indefinite and arbitrary detention of people seeking asylum in Australia, and for related purposes. (Ending Indefinite and Arbitrary Immigration Detention Bill 2021)

(Notice given 16 February 2021.)

Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes—pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.

4     MR LEESER: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that 27 January 2021 marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day where we remember the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime and its collaborators, and reaffirm our promise to 'never forget' the 6 million Jews and 11 million others including Roma, homosexuals, people with intellectual disabilities, political prisoners, Poles, Serbs and Soviet citizens who were exterminated during the Holocaust;

(2) acknowledges the importance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day in honouring the memory of all Holocaust victims, and the ongoing efforts of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance to advance and promote Holocaust education to ensure the history and stories of its victims are passed on to successive generations; and

(3) further notes that:

(a) during the 1940s, tens of thousands of European Jews emigrated to Australia, and Australia has the largest per-capita Holocaust survivor population outside Israel; and

(b) the Government is committed to supporting Holocaust Museums in each state and territory in Australia, with the most recent museum announced in the ACT on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 January 2021.

(Notice given 2 February 2021.)

Time allotted—40 minutes . Speech time limits—

Mr Leeser 5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

5     MS PLIBERSEK: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that 8 March 2021 is International Women's Day and acknowledges the immense contribution Australian women have made during the COVID-19 pandemic, as frontline workers, as parents, and as community members;

(2) expresses concern that the decisions the Government has taken are making things worse for hardworking Australian women and have set too many women on a path to poverty by:

(a) using the pandemic as cover to give businesses more power to cut the pay of Australian workers;

(b) abandoning women in insecure and casual work; and

(c) robbing women of a comfortable retirement by making people eat into their superannuation savings to get by;

(3) further notes that this is no way to thank the women whose commitment at home, in the community, and at work has got us through the pandemic; and

(4) calls on the Government to deliver a COVID-19 response and economic plan that benefits all Australians.

(Notice given 2 February 2021.)

Time allotted—remaining private Members' business time prior to 12 noon

Speech time limits—

Ms Plibersek—5 minutes .

Other Members—5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Items for Federation Chamber (11 am to 1.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS ' BUSINESS

Notices

1     MR J. H. WILSON: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Perth Freight Link, announced by then Treasurer the Hon Joe Hockey in 2014, was comprehensively rejected by the people of Western Australia at the state election in March 2017, when it was the most prominent point of difference in terms of transport infrastructure policy between Liberal and Labor;

(b) in addition to a lack of any credible evidence to suggest it would improve road connectivity, the project which included the road reserves for Roe Highway Stage 8 and 9, did not actually reach the port of Fremantle, had no detailed planning or cost benefit analysis, was to be operated as a private toll road, and was designed to facilitate the privatisation of Fremantle Port;

(c) encouraged by federal Liberals, the Western Australian Government of the then Premier Barnett, ignored the advice of Main Roads Western Australia and in the shadow of an election wasted $20 million of taxpayers' funds in the pointless and bloody-minded smashing down of more than 100 hectares of fragile habitat, including hundred year-old heritage trees, in the Beeliar Wetlands;

(d) after the election, at the behest of the current Western Australian Government of Premier McGowan, $1.2 billion in federal funding that had been put aside for the so-called Perth Freight Link was redirected to a number of sensible and well-designed road, rail, and public transport projects in the south-metro region, including the widening of the Kwinana Freeway and other freeway works, the new Armadale Road-North Lake Road bridge, the High Street Upgrade, and the Thomlie-Cockburn Metronet rail link; and

(e) the Commonwealth Government has since 2017 allocated a further $1.2 billion to fund what it describes as Roe 8/9, a project that no longer exists, while denying the people of Western Australia the much-needed funds to deliver properly planned transport infrastructure; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) respect the wishes of the Western Australian public and the mandate of the Western Australian Government as clearly expressed at the election in March 2017; and

(b) stop holding the people of Western Australia to ransom for a dead and discredited project, and work with the Western Australian Government to support jobs, business activity, transport infrastructure, and economic recovery as Western Australia seeks to emerge from the pandemic.

(Notice given 15 February 2021.)

Time allotted—25 minutes . Speech time limits—

Mr J. H. Wilson 5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes each.

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

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

2     DR ALLEN: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) lead's the world's efforts to end polio, bringing together Rotary International, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and many others including in the private sector with a common objective to eradicate polio once and for all;

(b) when GPEI commenced, more than 350,000 cases of polio paralysed and killed children in 125 countries annually;

(c) in 2020 polio was 99 per cent eradicated and wild polio remains in only two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the entire African continent certified as polio-free on 25 August 2020;

(d) since the onset of COVID-19, the GPEl's extensive resources and infrastructure used to fight polio has been adapted to ensure that COVID-19 does not spread out of control in the developing world;

(e) the work of the Australian Polio Advocacy and Communications Team group provides important support for eradication efforts by bringing together Australian advocates including Rotary International Australia, UNICEF Australia, Global Citizen and RESULTS Australia; and

(f) polio eradication efforts have slowed, and the progress made so far is now at risk; and

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) investment in completing polio eradication will benefit future generations of children who will be free of this devastating disease, and other health programs and initiatives will benefit from the knowledge and experience gained through polio eradication;

(b) efforts to eradicate polio have been extremely successful and demonstrate the effectiveness of widely available vaccination programs;

(c) the GPEl's COVID-19 response has been instrumental in ensuring that COVID-19 does not spread out of control in much of the developing world, including in the Pacific;

(d) Australia is a long-term champion of polio eradication along with many other Commonwealth nations including the United Kingdom and Canada; and

(e) the current parliaments of Australia and other countries have the opportunity to be recognised as the elected representatives who ensured that polio was completely eradicated.

(Notice given 16 February 2021.)

Time allotted—40 minutes . Speech time limits—

Dr Allen 5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Orders of the day

1 TOURISM INDUSTRY: Resumption of debate (from 15 February 2021) on the motion of Mr Georganas—That this House:

(1) acknowledges the dire financial situation facing travel agents and the tourism industry in general as a result of Australia's current health and economic crisis;

(2) notes that:

(a) travel agents play a significant role in our tourism industry, sustaining businesses and employing thousands of people across Australia;

(b) tourism was one of the first industries to be hit and will likely be one of the last to recover;

(c) for many of our approximately 40,000 travel agents, the cost of staying open in order to reimburse customers who were forced to cancel holidays is contributing to significant losses; and

(d) with international travel restrictions likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future, travel agents need urgent assistance; and

(3) calls on the Government to:

(a) develop a comprehensive industry-specific support package for the tourism industry, which acknowledges the important contribution this sector makes to the economy; and

(b) provide an urgent lifeline for travel agents on the brink of collapse, instead of the inadequate loss carry-back scheme, for which the vast majority of travel agents appear to be ineligible.

Time allotted—25 minutes . Speech time limits—

All Members—5 minutes each.

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

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Notices — continued

3     MR LAMING: To move:

That this House:

(1) extends its condolences to the Field and Leadbetter families for their tragic loss in Alexandra Hills on 26 January 2021;

(2) supports the trial of earlier detection, drug-testing and intervention in crystal methamphetamine addiction for new recipients of Youth Allowance and Jobseeker who are not meeting their activity requirements by identifying those with substance abuse issues and supporting them to gain employment;

(3) places on record its support for Income Management for Youth Allowance (Other) recipients who fail to adhere to activity requirements or face court for drug and related offences, and supports ear-marked and fully funded rehabilitation for anyone who fails a drug test;

(4) supports deferral of payments where drug tests are refused, to ensure service providers are engaged; and

(5) explores enhanced information sharing between Services Australia, employment services providers and authorised officers in respective police, corrections, social services and child protection agencies, in dealing with these high addiction-risk cohorts who evade mandatory activity requirements.

(Notice given 16 February 2021.)

Time allotted—40 minutes . Speech time limits—

Mr Laming 5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

4     MR KATTER: To move:

That this House:

(1) calls on the Government to:

(a) immediately terminate all contracts with foreign owned external data storage centres, in particular, the Chinese owned facility, Global Switch; and

(b) immediately and securely transfer all externally stored government data to Australian owned data centres;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) the recent contract extension between the Department of Defence and the Chinese-owned data centre, Global Switch, threatens our national security; and

(b) this continued relationship was formed without due process or public tender;

(3) condemns the Government and the Department of Defence for seemingly placing cost savings above national security; and

(4) further acknowledges that having any government data stored by Global Switch is a national security risk.

(Notice given 15 February 2021.)

Time allotted—remaining private Members' business time prior to 1.30 pm

Speech time limits—

Mr Katter—5 minutes .

Other Members—5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Items for Federation Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS ' BUSINESS

Notices — continued

5     MS L. M. CHESTERS: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) the actions of the Myanmar military is a direct assault on Myanmar's transition to democracy and the rule of law; and

(b) Australia is a great friend of Myanmar and is deeply concerned for the welfare and wellbeing of the people of Myanmar;

(2) condemns the Myanmar military for:

(a) seizing control of Myanmar; and

(b) the detention of numerous political and civil society leaders in Myanmar; and

(3) calls on the:

(a) Myanmar military to immediately relinquish the power they have seized and release the activists and officials they have detained; and

(b) Government to review Australia's defence cooperation program with Myanmar in light of the Myanmar military's seizure of power and consider additional targeted sanctions as appropriate.

(Notice given 4 February 2021.)

Time allotted—30 minutes . Speech time limits—

Ms L. M. Chesters 5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

6     MR LAMING: To move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the economic and personal impact of state government international arrival caps, including;

(a) economic costs of skilled visa workers and international students; and

(b) personal and mental health costs for stranded Australian citizens: and

(2) urges state governments to review their caps on a weekly basis and initiate training of quarantine staff, so that industry-led, large-scale quarantine arrangements can be in place before the next calendar year.

(Notice given 1 December 2020.)

Time allotted—50 minutes . Speech time limits—

Mr Laming 5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes each.

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

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Orders of the day — continued

2 CLOSING THE GAP: Resumption of debate (from 15 February 2021) on the motion of Mr Albanese—That this House:

(1) acknowledges:

(a) that on 13 February 2008 the then Prime Minister made a national apology to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Parliament and the nation; and

(b) the importance of Closing the Gap; and

(2) reaffirms its commitment to Closing the Gap.

Time allotted—20 minutes . Speech time limits—

All Members—5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

3 AUSTRALIAN MADE PRODUCTS: Resumption of debate (from 26 October 2020) on the motion of Ms Hammond—That this House:

(1) notes the longevity of the 'Australian Made, Australian Grown' logo since its creation more than 30 years ago as Australia's most trusted, recognised and widely used country of origin symbol to promote authentic Australian brands all around the world;

(2) commends the Government for providing the Australian Made Campaign Ltd, the not-for-profit public company which administers the logo, with $5 million to promote the logo in key export markets as well as establishing trademark registration in the United Kingdom, the European Union and Canada;

(3) further commends the Government for its $5 million investment in the 'Go Local First' campaign, which is run by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia and is encouraging all Australians to promote and support our local small and family businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic; and

(4) encourages all Australians to recognise the importance of local industry, manufacturers, producers, and businesses to our economy, and the quality of Australian made products and Australian grown produce.

Time allotted—30 minutes . Speech time limits—

All Members—5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Notices — continued

7 MR NEUMANN: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) it is now more than a year since the Prime Minister announced a National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention;

(b) many veterans and families believe the Prime Minister's national commissioner will not be 'better than a Royal Commission' and risks making things worse; and

(c) the Government was forced to withdraw the enabling legislation for the national commissioner at the end of 2020 after failing to get the necessary support in the Senate;

(2) recognises that suicide by current and former defence personnel continues to claim at least one life a week, and nothing less than an independent, open and transparent investigation is required to address this crisis; and

(3) calls on the Government to establish a Royal Commission into defence and veteran suicides as a matter of urgency.

(Notice given 16 February 2021.)

Time allotted—25 minutes . Speech time limits—

Mr Neumann 5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes each.

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

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Orders of the day — continued

4 FAMILY LAW AMENDMENT (A STEP TOWARDS A SAFER FAMILY LAW SYSTEM) BILL 2020 (Mr Perrett): Second reading—Resumption of debate (from 30 November 2020).

Time allotted—remaining private Members' business time prior to 7.30 pm

Speech time limits—

All Members—5 minutes. each.

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

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.