Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present a report No. 1 of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members' business on Monday 5 September 2022. The report will be printed in the Hansard for today and the committee's determinations 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, 2 August 2022.

2. The Committee deliberated on items of committee and delegation business that had been notified, private Members' business items listed on the Notice Paper and notices lodged on Tuesday, 2 August 2022, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 5 September 2022, as follows:

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

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BU SINESS

Notices

1 MR WILKIE: To present a Bill for an Act to regulate suspicious gambling activities, and for related purposes. (Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment (Making Gambling Businesses Accountable) Bill 2022)

(Notice give n 2 August 2022.)

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 MR BANDT: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and for related purposes. (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Climate Trigger) Bill 2022)

(Notice given 2 August 2022.)

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

3 MS WARE: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) cost of living and inflationary pressures are having a significant impact on Australian households and small businesses;

(b) current and predicted interest rate rises will have severe implications for working families and the housing market, and will create immense uncertainty in the lives of many hardworking Australians; and

(c) whilst global pressures are having an impact, the Government can implement measures to ease these burdens on everyday Australians;

(2) acknowledges that the previous Government's economic plan carried the Australian economy through the COVID-19 pandemic and was inextricably linked to the subsequent successful recovery, which was the envy of the world; and

(3) calls on the Government to adopt a plan to ease pressures on cost of living for Australian families and small businesses now, and not wait for the budget in October.

(Notice given 2 August 2022.)

Time allotted 50 minutes.

Speech time limits

Ms Ware 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.

4 MS THWAITES: To move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges Australia's important role as a member of the Pacific family;

(2) recognises the renewed engagement of the Government in the Pacific, and the importance of Government ministers demonstrating this through recent visits across the region to reaffirm shared priorities;

(3) commends the many Pacific island countries that continue to be world-leading in their commitment to addressing climate change;

(4) notes that climate change poses an existential threat in the Pacific, including the likelihood of:

(a) more frequent and extreme weather events;

(b) impacts on access to fresh water;

(c) changes to industries such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry and tourism;

(d) coastal erosion and inundation; and

(e) impacts to biodiversity; and

(5) welcomes the Government prioritising the need to take action on climate change for the sake of future generations in Australia, elsewhere in the Pacific, and around the world.

(Notice given 2 August 2022.)

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

Speech time limits

Ms Thwaites 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

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

The Committee determi ned that consideration of this matter should continue at a later hour.

Items for Federation Chamber (11 am to 1.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Orders of the day

1 FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE: Resumption of debate (from 1 August 2022) on the motion of Mr McCormack—That this House:

(1) recognises that Australia faces a foot and mouth disease (FMD) biosecurity crisis on its borders;

(2) notes that:

(a) to date, Indonesia has recorded hundreds of thousands of FMD cases during the uncontrolled outbreak of this disease;

(b) an outbreak of FMD in Australia would inflict catastrophic damage on Australia's $80 billion livestock industry, decimate the agriculture sector, significantly hurt the Australian economy, and increase the everyday cost of food;

(c) since FMD was detected in Bali on 5 July 2022, it took more than three weeks of indecision and delay for the Government to introduce disinfectant footbaths at international Australian airports; and

(d) the Government has failed to respond quickly and decisively to this biosecurity threat, and has failed in its responsibility to introduce critical biosecurity protections to keep Australia safe from FMD; and

(3) calls on the Government to:

(a) immediately offer a 3D X-ray screening program with Indonesia, so that organic and plant matter in luggage can be effectively identified;

(b) immediately enforce a ban on all passengers from Indonesia bringing any food products into Australia; and

(c) immediately confirm the current biosecurity risk level and at what point, predicated on scientific data, the international border with Indonesia would need to be temporarily closed, in order to protect Australia from the threat of FMD.

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

1 MS CHESTERS: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Fair Work Commission has delivered a 5.2 per cent rise in the minimum wage, slightly above headline inflation;

(b) its decision means an extra $40 a week for full-time workers on the minimum wage or low-paid awards; and

(c) many low-paid workers are young, female, in casual employment, and are far more likely to find themselves experiencing financial hardship, and many of them are on the frontline delivering essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) the Government put forward its own submission to the Fair Work Commission advocating for an immediate wage increase for Australia's low-paid workers;

(b) for nearly a decade, low wages were a deliberate design feature of the former Government; and

(c) high and rising inflation, and weak wages growth are reducing real wages across the economy and creating cost-of-living pressures for Australia's low-paid workers; and

(3) congratulates the:

(a) Government's action as Australia's low-paid workers will be better off because the Government fought to get them a pay rise; and

(b) Government on its position that it does not want to see Australian workers go backwards.

(Notice given 26 July 2022.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Ms 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.

2 DR HAINES: To move:

That this House calls on the Government to:

(1) act urgently to address housing affordability and availability in regional Australia; and

(2) establish a dedicated fund to build critical infrastructure to unlock more housing supply in regional Australia.

(Notice given 27 July 2022.)

Time allotted 20 minutes.

Speech time limits

Dr Haines 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.

Orders of the day — continued

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE PACIFIC ISLANDS: Resumption of debate on the motion of Ms Thwaites—That this House:

(1) acknowledges Australia's important role as a member of the Pacific family;

(2) recognises the renewed engagement of the Government in the Pacific, and the importance of Government ministers demonstrating this through recent visits across the region to reaffirm shared priorities;

(3) commends the many Pacific island countries that continue to be world-leading in their commitment to addressing climate change;

(4) notes that climate change poses an existential threat in the Pacific, including the likelihood of:

(a) more frequent and extreme weather events;

(b) impacts on access to fresh water;

(c) changes to industries such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry and tourism;

(d) coastal erosion and inundation; and

(e) impacts to biodiversity; and

(5) welcomes the Government prioritising the need to take action on climate change for the sake of future generations in Australia, elsewhere in the Pacific, and around the world.

(Notice given 2 Augus t 2022.)

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.

Notices — continued

3 MR WOOD: To move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that Sri Lanka is undergoing a significant economic crisis and unrest;

(2) acknowledges the anxiety and mental distress that the Sri Lankan Australian community is experiencing as a result of these events; and

(3) reaffirms the strong bond of friendship between Sri Lanka and Australia.

(Notice given 1 August 2022; amended 2 August 2021)

Time allotted 20 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Wood 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.

4 MR HOGAN: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) under the previous Government, Australia finalised 11 trade agreements; and

(b) the previous Government's ambitious trade agenda lifted the share of Australia's trade covered by free trade agreements from 27 per cent under Labor in 2013 to almost 80 per cent by 2022;

(2) acknowledges that expanding and diversifying market access has delivered significant benefits to our nation's economy, particularly businesses, industries and communities in regional and rural Australia; and

(3) calls on the Government to:

(a) ensure that the benefits from trade can continue by immediately acting to ensure that the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement and the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement are entered into force this year; and

(b) prioritise the negotiation, and economically successful delivery of, the Australia-European Free Trade Agreement.

(Notice given 2 August 2022.)

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

Speech time limits

Mr Hogan 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.

Items for Federation Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices — continued

5 MS PRICE: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's July 2022 gas inquiry interim report, which forecasts that demand for gas for electricity generation will grow by 70 per cent next year and that gas supplies will remain tight;

(b) the implication of this forecast is that gas prices will remain elevated for at least another 12 to 18 months and, by extension, electricity wholesale prices will remain two to three hundred per cent higher than their average under the previous Government for the foreseeable future;

(c) that there is now no prospect of the Government delivering on its promise, made in December 2021 and repeated throughout the 2022 federal election campaign, that it would reduce household power bills by $275 by 2025; and

(d) the silence from the Prime Minister and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy on these issues, and the Minister for Resources' refusal to call on southern state governments to develop new gas resources; and

(2) condemns the Government's abandonment of its election commitment to cut power prices and its failure to come up with any concrete actions or plan to respond to the east coast energy crisis after nine weeks of dithering and delay.

(Notice given 2 August 2022.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Ms Pr ice 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 J WILSON: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the State of the Environment Report 2021 is an alarming story of environmental neglect and decline in Australia;

(b) the report found that:

(i) since 2016, more than 200 species of flora and fauna have been listed as threatened matters of national environmental significance;

(ii) Australia has seen the extinction of more species of mammal than any other continent, and has one of the highest rates of species decline in the developed world;

(iii) marine heatwaves have caused mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in 2016, 2017, and 2020;

(iv) the 2019-2020 summer bush fires burnt 80 per cent of the Greater Blue Mountains area, almost 60 per cent of our Gondwana rainforests, and more than 40 per cent of the Stirling Range National Park;

(v) at least 19 Australian ecosystems are showing signs of collapse or near collapse; and

(vi) waterways, beaches, and shorelines are in generally poor condition in areas near urban centres; and

(c) over the last decade, the former governments of Prime Minsters Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison presided over Australia's escalating environmental crisis by:

(i) failing to respond to Professor Graeme Samuel's independent review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act);

(ii) refusing to acknowledge and respond to the failure of their own threatened species strategy to meet its targets with respect to the most at-risk species;

(iii) delivering 95 per cent of environmental approval decisions late and outside statutory timeframes in 2018-2019;

(iv) issuing environmental decisions that contained errors or were non-compliant in 79 per cent of approvals; and

(v) refusing to release the State of the Environment report prior to the 2022 federal election despite formally receiving the report six months prior; and

(2) welcomes the Government's commitment to:

(a) making the nation's environment laws work better for everyone by providing a full response to Professor Samuel's review of the EPBC Act by the end of 2022; and

(b) establishing an environment protection agency to ensure compliance with environmental laws, improve processes for proponents, and centralise data collection and analysis—so there is consistent and reliable information on the state of the environment across the country.

( Notice given 26 July 2022.)

Time allotted 40 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr J Wilson 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 cont inue on a future day.

7 MR HASTIE: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the 2020 Defence Strategic Update makes clear that Australia's strategic environment has deteriorated rapidly;

(b) as a result of decisions taken by the former Government, substantial progress has been made in transforming the Australian Defence Force into a more capable, agile, and potent force able to shape, deter, and respond; and

(c) the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) security pact:

(i) is the biggest development to our national security since the signing of the Australia-New Zealand-United States (ANZUS) treaty 70 years ago;

(ii) will maintain stability across the region and keep Australians secure through the acquisition of capabilities, including nuclear submarines, which will be crucial to Australian naval and defence power in the 21st century; and

(iii) goes beyond submarines and critical defence capabilities, it is about nation-building; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) ensure that spending on defence remains at two per cent of gross domestic product, or higher;

(b) guarantee that there will be no cuts to spending on defence, or defence projects as a result of the Government's promised 'Force Posture review'; and

(c) commit to implementing AUKUS rapidly at all levels to ensure Australia's security and regional peace are strengthened.

(Notice given 2 August 2022.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Hastie 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.

8 MR BURNS: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) 27 January 2022 marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 77 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, a day where we remember the atrocities committed by Hitler's Nazi regime, their six million Jewish victims and millions of other victims including LGBTIQ, Roma, Sinti, people with disabilities, political dissidents and more;

(b) Australia has been enriched by the presence of one of the world's largest populations of Holocaust survivors per capita, and their descendants, in contributing to our vibrant multicultural society; and

(c) a landmark study released this year by the Gandel Foundation and Deakin University showed that nearly one quarter of Australians have little or no knowledge of the Holocaust;

(2) acknowledges the importance of Holocaust remembrance in honouring the memory of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, and promoting tolerance, inclusivity and combating antisemitism and other forms of bigotry and prejudice;

(3) endorses the work of:

(a) the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in its work promoting Holocaust remembrance, combating antisemitism and combating Holocaust denial and distortion, and endorses their definitions; and

(b) federal and state governments in helping to fund and support Holocaust remembrance and education;

(4) calls on all states and territories to follow the lead of Victoria and New South Wales and make Holocaust education a mandatory aspect of their school curriculum; and

(5) condemns:

(a) antisemitism in all its forms, in line with the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, and resolves to combat it; and

(b) Holocaust denial and distortion, including those who appallingly and inaccurately seek to compare the Holocaust to modem-day pandemic health restrictions and measures.

(Notice given 27 July 2022.)

Time allotted 40 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Burns 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.

9 DR SCAMPS: To move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that climate change is a health emergency as it will impact the core determinants of health, such as food, housing, employment, and water security;

(2) notes further impacts of climate change on human health including, increasing:

(a) transmission of infectious diseases;

(b) mental health disorders; and

(c) mortality and morbidity due to heat stress;

(3) commends the Government's commitment to developing a 'national climate change, health, and wellbeing strategy'; and

(4) calls on the Government to outline, the:

(a) timeline for the development of the strategy;

(b) scope, contents and objectives of the strategy;

(c) funding arrangements for the strategy; and

(d) consultation process for the strategy.

(Notice given 2 August 2022.)

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

Speech time limits

Dr Scamps 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 c ontinue on a future day.

THE HON D. M. DICK MP

Speaker of the House of Representatives

3 August 2022