Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I present a report from the Petitions Committee together with petitions and ministerial responses.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

PETITIONS COMMITTEE

REPORT No. 25

Petitions and Ministerial Responses

12 May 2021

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Chair Mr Ken O'Dowd MP

Deputy Chair Hon Justine Elliot MP

Mrs Bridget Archer MP

Ms Lisa Chesters MP

Ms Gladys Liu MP

Mr Julian Simmonds MP

Mr James Stevens MP

Ms Susan Templeman MP

Report summarising the petitions and Ministerial responses being presented.

The committee met in private session on 17 March, 24 March, and 21 April 2021

1. The committee resolved to present the following petitions in accordance with standing order 207:

Petitions certified on 21 April 2021

From 920 petitioners - regarding veterans' exposure to carcinogenic dioxins during the Vietnam War (PN0504)

From 551 petitioners - regarding the persecution and organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners (PN0505)

Petitions certified on 24 March 2021

From 13 petitioners - requesting restriction of home loans to a single applicant (EN2486)

From 81 petitioners - requesting voting rights be extended to 16 and 17 year- olds (EN2487)

From 22 petitioners - regarding reform of the child support system (EN2489)

From 49 petitioners - requesting a ban of all child circumcision (EN2490)

From 9 petitioners - regarding the Medicare levy (EN2497)

From 19 petitioners - regarding the Extradition Act (EN2499)

From 5 petitioners - requesting the establishment of a national COVID-19 remembrance day on 26 October (EN2502)

From 1566 petitioners - regarding Australian Consumer Law refund provisions (EN2504)

From 6 petitioners - regarding phone call campaigns (EN2506)

From 25 petitioners - regarding violence in the Tigray region of Ethiopia (EN2510)

Petitions certified on 17 March 2021

From 2917 petitioners - requesting an extension of working holiday visas for people over 30 (EN2434)

From 10 petitioners - requesting Australia provide the Covid-19 vaccine to all Pacific island countries (EN2436)

From 34 petitioners - requesting that the tobacco tax be substantially decreased (EN2437)

From 83 petitioners - requesting the House refer the Hon. Peter Dutton MP to the High Court regarding pecuniary interests (EN2439)

From 2014 petitioners - requesting the House to condemn racist rhetoric in Australia (EN2441)

From 120 petitioners - requesting the Department of Veterans' Affairs increase its number of delegates (EN2442)

From 44 petitioners - requesting a compulsory COVID-19 vaccination for all residents and visitors to Australia (EN2444)

From 956 petitioners - requesting the use of m-RNA COVID-19 vaccines be suspended (EN2445)

From 1442 petitioners - requesting the NAPLAN dates be changed due to a clash with Ramadan (EN2448)

From 3 petitioners - regarding the safety of Indian Australians (EN2449)

From 137 petitioners - requesting the House support an international criminal tribunal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (EN2451)

From 1 petitioner - regarding school education on evolution (EN2452)

From 109 petitioners - regarding the freedom of international travel

(EN2453)

From 2 petitioners - requesting the removal of news from social media platforms (EN2454)

From 31 petitioners - regarding renewable energy (EN2457)

From 163 petitioners - requesting a Royal Commission into pesticides (EN2458)

From 7 petitioners - regarding communication between Members of Parliament and the public (EN2459)

From 16 petitioners - requesting the legalisation of cryptocurrency (EN2461)

From 63339 petitioners - regarding a vaccine passport (EN2463)

From 173 petitioners - requesting an increase of pension payments (EN2464)

From 68 petitioners - regarding the lease of Keswick Island (EN2468)

From 57 petitioners - requesting an independent investigation into rape allegations regarding the Hon. Christian Porter MP (EN2470)

From 2340 petitioners - requesting an independent investigation into rape allegations regarding the Hon. Christian Porter MP (EN2472)

From 11 petitioners - regarding free access to digital news media (EN2473)

From 28 petitioners - requesting the federal Government condemn violence in Afghanistan (EN2474)

From 47 petitioners - requesting Australia endorses the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary Treaty (EN2481)

From 2501 petitioners - requesting an early federal election (EN2485)

Petitions certified on 24 February 2021

From 11 petitioners - requesting Jubilee Medals for Australian Defence Force members and veterans (EN2401)

From 89 petitioners - requesting amendments to child support legislation (EN2402)

From 321 petitioners - regarding JobKeeper and the aviation industry (EN2404)

From 9 petitioners - requesting offshore COVID-19 quarantining for international arrivals into Australia (EN2407)

From 18 petitioners - requesting a federal government quarantining facility for international arrivals into Australia (EN2408)

From 101 petitioners - regarding informed consent and the COVID-19 vaccine

(EN2409)

From 399 petitioners - requesting a Royal Commission into the number of truck driver fatalities in Australia (EN2410)

From 1269 petitioners - requesting improved mobile network coverage in Clyde and Clyde North, Victoria. (EN2412)

From 75 petitioners - regarding the Subclass 115 Remaining Relative visa (EN2414)

From 5 petitioners - regarding religious organisations and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 (EN2415)

From 381 petitioners - regarding flight cancellation refunds (EN2418)

From 80 petitioners - regarding digital platforms and freedom of expression (EN2419)

From 21 petitioners - regarding digital platforms and freedom of expression (EN2421)

From 41 petitioners - regarding the National Minimum Wage (EN2427)

From 230 petitioners - regarding JobKeeper and English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students sector employees (EN2428)

The following ministerial responses to petitions were received:

Ministerial responses received by the Committee on 24 March 2021

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition regarding JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments (EN1732)

From the Minister for Health and Aged Care - to a petition regarding strategies to mitigate vitamin D deficiencies (EN2048)

From the Minister for Education and Youth - to a petition regarding removing compulsory English units from the National Curriculum (EN2055)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition regarding non-Australian ownership of land or property (EN2149)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition requesting the tax on tobacco products be reduced (EN2166)

From the Minister for Health and Aged Care - to a petition requesting an extension of eligibility criteria for the Continuous Glucose Monitoring Initiative (EN2168)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition regarding the Boosting Cash Flow for Employers measure (EN2184)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition regarding fuel price fluctuations in Australia (EN2193)

From the Minister for Finance - to a petition regarding parliamentarians' superannuation contribution rate (EN2195)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition regarding the Medicare levy (EN2200)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition regarding petrol and diesel excise rates (EN2208)

Ministerial responses received by the Committee on 21 April 2021

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition requesting a COVID-19 financial stimulus package for the Australian events industry (EN1414)

From the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment - to a petition regarding trade with China (EN1523)

From the Deputy Prime Minister - to a petition requesting a repeal of flight restrictions and paid quarantine for returning Australians (EN1710)

From the Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy - to a petition requesting a review of the Australian Stock Exchange (EN1758)

From the Deputy Prime Minister - to a petition requesting to lift the cap on citizens returning to Australia (EN1852)

From the Assistant Minister for Electoral Matters - to a petition regarding the movement of elected Members to other parties or as an independent (EN2011)

From the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services - to a petition regarding Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and companion animals (EN2026)

From the Speaker - to a petition regarding swivel chairs in the House of Representatives Chamber (EN2030)

From the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet - to a petition requesting a referendum for Australia to become a republic (EN2031)

From the Minister for Foreign Affairs - to a petition requesting a referendum regarding the Paris Agreement (EN2033)

From the Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries - to a petition requesting an end to Regional Forest Agreements and the logging of old growth forests (EN2059)

From the Minister for Home Affairs - to a petition requesting parents of pregnant women and women in postpartum period be exempt from Australia's current travel restrictions (EN2074)

From the Deputy Prime Minister - to a petition regarding the cap on returning citizens to Australia and COVID-19 quarantine options (EN2075)

From the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme - to a petition requesting reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme access criteria (EN2079)

From the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure and the Arts - to a petition requesting a mandate for social media websites to provide an option for users to delete all historical data (EN2080)

From the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure and the Arts - to a petition requesting a royal commission into social media and to introduce new laws related to freedom of speech in Australia (EN2084)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition regarding the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Schedule 2: Australian Consumer Law) (EN2101)

From the Speaker - to a petition regarding the House e-petitions system (EN2102)

From the Minister for Home Affairs - to a petition regarding alternative COVID-19 quarantine methods (EN2115)

From the Speaker - to a petition regarding religious observance at the start of parliamentary proceedings (EN2141)

From the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs - to a petition regarding the extension of Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visas (EN2165)

From the Minister for Foreign Affairs - to a petition requesting Australia to act against China placing trade tariffs on Australian goods in retaliation for Australia protecting its sovereignty (EN2170)

From the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs - to a petition regarding allegations of worker exploitation (EN2190)

From the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs - to a petition regarding eligibility for Australian permanent residence for migrants over 40 years of age (EN2196)

From the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs - to a petition regarding Partner visa applicants and illegal maritime arrivals (EN2197)

From the Minister for Sport - to a petition regarding gender transitioning and sport (EN2202)

From the Speaker - to a petition regarding a list of Pentecostal Christian Members of Parliament (EN2215)

From the Minister for Home Affairs - to a petition requesting international students be exempt from Australia's inbound travel restrictions (EN2217)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition regarding income statements and myGov (EN2223)

From the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme - to a petition regarding National Disability Insurance Scheme participants and workers (EN2268)

From the Minister for Health and Aged Care - to a petition regarding outbound international travel and the COVID-19 vaccine (EN2280)

From the Minister for Health and Aged Care - to a petition regarding the prevention of future health pandemics (EN2316)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition requesting an extension of JobKeeper Payment support for the travel and tourism industry (EN2320)

From the Minister for Foreign Affairs - to a petition requesting an Australian Government flight and quarantine program for returning Australians (EN2323)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition regarding public liability insurance and Australian small businesses (EN2326)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition regarding the cost and availability of insurance in Northern Australia (EN2368)

From the Assistant Treasurer - to a petition requesting an extension of the JobKeeper Payment beyond March 2021 (EN2395)

Mr Ken O ' Dowd

Chair - Petitions Committee