I seek leave to incorporate a tabling statement in Hansard.
Leave granted.
The statement read as follows—
The 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference (CPC) was held in Accra, Ghana from 1 to 5 October 2023, and was hosted by the Parliament of Ghana and the CPA Ghana Branch. The conference was chaired by the Rt Hon. Alban Bagbin MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana and President of the CPA (2022-2023).
Over 600 delegates, observers and officials from member parliaments, representing 102 CPA Branches attended the 66th CPC. The Commonwealth of Australia Branch of the CPA was represented by a parliamentary delegation comprising of Ms Sharon Claydon MP, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Hon. Karen Andrews MP and myself as delegation lead.
The theme of the 2023 conference was 'The Commonwealth Charter 10 years on: Values and Principles for Parliaments to Uphold'. Delegates endorsed reports from the three CPA networks: the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) and the CPA Small Branches.
On behalf of the delegation, I would also like to thank Her Excellency Berenice Owen-Jones, Australian High Commissioner to Ghana and her staff for providing valuable support and briefing and for the additional visits to Australian funded projects. The High Commissioner provided opportunities for the delegation to meet with local NGOs, groups and individuals to gain an understanding of the culture in Ghana and the some of challenges that people face.
I look forward to the next Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference—the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) that will be hosted by the CPA New South Wales Branch and the Parliament of New South Wales in November this year.
Senator the Hon. Sue Lines
President of the Senate
]]>That the Senate take note of the reports.
I seek leave to continue my remarks.
Leave granted; debate adjourned.
]]>Repeatedly, we have heard Defence officials advise that Australia has not supplied weapons to the state of Israel, despite the Australian Greens continuing to ignore that advice. For the past five years, not a single weapon has been sent over there. Yet we hear the Greens continue to incorrectly conflate export permits with the sales of weapons.
Australia has a stringent control framework which ensures that military and dual-use items are used responsibly outside of Australia in ways that do not violate human rights. It has been a long-held practice of successive Australian governments to seek to be transparent on these matters, as well as balancing national security considerations and commercial sensitivities.
All Australians have a right to be safe and feel safe, but everyone should also engage in peaceful and respectful dialogue, not reproduce overseas conflict in Australia. I call on all senators to ensure that they are respectful in the debates in this place.
]]>Australia has a stringent export control framework, which is designed to ensure our military and dual-use items are used responsibly outside of the Commonwealth of Australia. This framework applies to a wide range of goods and technology, including items used for civilian and commercial purposes, and, as such, export permits should not be confused with weapons sales. Defence undertakes a rigorous assessment of each export application. This includes determining if there is an overriding risk that the export may be used in ways contrary to Australia's national interest or international obligations. If this risk is identified, Defence refuses the permit. As a matter of course, this framework accounts for changes in the strategic environment to ensure exports continue to align with our international obligations—noting that Australia is a party to and fully implements all major international arms control treaties, including the Arms Trade Treaty. I would also note the proactive steps that this government is taking to reform and strengthen Australia's export control framework. The committee I chair, the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee, is holding a hearing this Friday on the Defence Trade Controls Amendment Bill 2023, which will strengthen Australia's export controls framework.
The Hamas-Israel conflict is a deeply distressing issue for many in our community here in Australia, and one where people hold very different views—as is their right. It is only right that our language matters on such issues and matters before us and the truth underpinning them. It's important that we maintain that respect for each other. People come to Australia because they want to live in a country that is peaceful, tolerant and respectful. We must also work together to ensure that distress in our community does not turn into hatred. As community leaders, we need to be careful about how we say or articulate our points in this place. But sadly, time and time again, there are senators who peddle a false narrative on blatant misinformation.
]]>That the Senate take note of the documents.
And I seek leave to continue my remarks later.
Leave granted; debate adjourned.
]]>The mission of Operation Sovereign Borders remains the same today as it was when it was established in 2013: protect Australia's borders, combat people smuggling in our region, and importantly, prevent people from risking their lives at sea.
Any alternate narrative will be exploited by criminal people smugglers to deceive potential irregular immigrants and convince them to risk their lives and travel to Australia by boat.
I don't think that quote could be any clearer. At the end of the day, we must prevent vulnerable people—those who are trying to seek asylum—from being deceived and exploited by people smugglers and risking their lives by crossing borders illegally.
The coalition, on the other hand, is determined to unravel Operation Sovereign Borders. It is worth noting recent comments by Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram in which he also dismissed suggestions of a cut to the agency's funding and dispelled the opposition leader's claim:
Border Force funding is currently the highest it's been since its establishment in 2015 and in the last year the ABF has received additional funding totalling hundreds of millions of dollars to support maritime and land-based operations.
That is what the commissioner has said.
So my advice to those opposite, to the coalition, is quite simple: stop your destructive messaging to people smugglers and stop undermining our borders. The coalition are playing politics by using this Saturday's Dunkley by-election to spread false and misleading information for political purposes. The Albanese government remains committed to these policies that constitute Operation Sovereign Borders and will continue to facilitate the resettlement of refugees through the proper avenues.
The response of the government to unauthorised maritime arrivals is firm and robust, and we have been fairly clear about the message we are sending to people smugglers, including those who are seeking asylum. People who arrive by boat as unauthorised arrivals won't settle here. Any unlawful entrants into Australia will be taken offshore, and the government will provide humanitarian support to people who have been resettled or returned to their home country in line with our international human obligations. The government's policies in this space will continue to be guided by a commitment to protecting our borders and maintaining Operation Sovereign Borders.
]]>On this side of the chamber we take national security very seriously. Operation Sovereign Borders, for instance, is a very mature set of policies that the Labor Party supports and has been working with those opposite on for some time. In fact, Operation Sovereign Borders funding has increased under this government, by $470 million over the forward estimates, and we've invested more in his operation than any other government has previously. So we won't be providing a running commentary on operation matters, because we know that it will simply feed information for people smugglers, and that's the last thing we want to see happen yet again in this country.
But let me be very clear. Operation Sovereign Borders is better resourced and more supported by this government than it has ever been, and the government will continue its strong border protection measures.
]]>If my memory serves me correctly, Australia is the only country in the OECD that does not have some form of car industry. Every other country does. It is quite embarrassing that we do not have the ability in this country to make things here, particularly cars. It wasn't just about the motor vehicles that were made here. It was also about all the indirect jobs resulting from making motor vehicles. We had a bunch of engineering jobs that were connected through our TAFEs and universities. There were a number of boilermakers. I know this because my dad used to be a boilermaker; he worked for Ford for many years. My grandad worked for General Motors from when he first came to Australia up until the day he retired, 45 years later. And General Motors went overnight.
There were all of those other components in the supply chain that a number of small manufacturers contributed, not just to motor vehicle making here in Australia but to other sectors in the economy that they fed into. So we had this knock-on effect. As I said, there were around 200,000 jobs that simply went overnight as a result of the closure of the industry. They were worth around $29 billion to the Australian economy back then.
It is important to remind everyone—the people here in the gallery and those that are watching—about the Liberal Party's legacy when it comes to manufacturing, particularly in the automotive sector, because we also want to look at where we see ourselves in the future. It is important that there are greater investments, whether they be in hydrogen, electric or hybrid-style vehicles. All of these are part of the market that we now live in. The automotive industry is one that's very dynamic at the moment. It is interested in looking at new technologies and looking at ways of reducing the cost of new vehicles in this country to ensure that we do have better standards.
Who would object to having better standards in the future? It would be the same debate that we would have had several decades ago around seatbelts. There would have been people who said, 'It is my right not to wear a seatbelt,' but—guess what—we now have standards that say that you have to wear a seatbelt for safety reasons. In the same way, we're trying to adopt better fuel standards that are currently being met around the world. But, for some reason, there are people here in this country and in this parliament that still want to live back in the old ages. They need to get a reality check and understand that, to move forward as a nation, as an economy, we need to also adapt to what is actually happening around us outside of our own little bubble.
The rest of the world has already moved on. They are already using what we call premium petrol 95 as their standard. As a result, fuel efficiency is helping to make a contribution towards lowering our emissions here in Australia. I just wanted to make that point and place on the record that, when we look at how many jobs have been lost in the car industry, it is those opposite that should be blamed. They now have the audacity to come into this place and tell us that somehow we're getting it wrong by actually helping Australians access affordable, cleaner vehicles with greater standards in this country.
]]>We have senators who make contributions on this point where they keep forgetting the fact that, when Joe Hockey was Treasurer, he rejoiced in the fact that Ford, Holden and Toyota shut up shop in this country, and we saw close to 200,000 jobs connected to the car industry go out the door and offshore.
I'll tell you what it has to do, Senator Chandler. I don't normally take interjections from you—
]]>Hunting is a legitimate activity that thousands of Victorians enjoy. In fact, there are some 58,000 licensed hunters in the state—folks who are passionate about conservation and the great outdoors. In 2020, a state government report found that the annual gross economic contribution of hunting was estimated to be $356 million, with $65 million of this coming from duck hunting alone. That's that around 20 per cent. Unfortunately, there are some in my home state who lack an appreciation for policy beyond the tram tracks and some who are ignorant of the importance that this has to regional communities, particularly in the state's east in Gippsland. The hunters who travel to the region support many local businesses: shops, hotels, B&Bs—you name it.
Whilst being a strong supporter of the duck season, I also recognise the importance of it being conducted in a manner that is sustainable and responsible, and I welcome the Victorian government's changes to improve the knowledge and skill of hunters, compliance with game regulations and the recognition of traditional owners. I wish good and safe hunting to those who choose to participate this year.
]]>This motion shows, with the greatest respect, sheer ignorance to the reality of what is actually before us today. Australia respects the independence of the International Court of Justice. We respect the role that it plays in the international legal system and the maintenance of an international rules based order. It's with this respect that it also follows that we also expect every single state around the world will act in accordance with the rulings of the court. I note in particular that the court has already made a ruling on provisional matters in the matter, a ruling that constitutes merely an interim decision, not a final determination.
I stood here in October of last year to condemn without qualification the horrific terrorist attacks that were committed by Hamas against many people in the State of Israel on 7 October. What happened on that day will always be remembered in the hearts of many with great sorrow. Since that time, the Australian government's position has been unequivocal and consistent. There is no justification for terrorism. There can be no excuse for what happened on that day. Like any other state, the State of Israel has a right to defend itself, and, in doing so, like any state, it must have regard for international law.
Whilst not a party to the matter brought by South Africa to the ICJ, that does not mean that Australia isn't continuing to work for peace in the region. Indeed, although not a central player in the Middle East, we are a respected voice, and with that voice we are able to advocate, and have said so many times, for sustained peace. Throughout this conflict the Australian government has been consistent in calling for civilians to be protected. We have consistently called for more humanitarian aid into Gaza and unimpeded passage for relief for those in great need. We've also used our voice to advocate for the immediate release of hostages, the delivery of humanitarian assistance, respect for international humanitarian law, caution at the prospect of regional escalation, and a sustainable ceasefire—a ceasefire which cannot be one sided.
As Australians, we mourn the loss of innocent life in all conflict and pursue enduring peace in the region. That is our shared goal. Therefore it remains our view that such peace can only be achieved through a two-state solution where security and dignity for both parties is guaranteed.
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