Senate debates

Wednesday, 14 June 2006

  • Absence of the President (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      The Clerk: Pursuant to standing order 13, I advise the Senate that the President is temporarily absent today and the Deputy President will take the chair. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT (Senator Hogg)...
  • Tax Laws Amendment (Personal Tax Reduction and Improved Depreciation Arrangements) Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (4 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 13 June, on motion by Senator Kemp: That this bill be now read a second time.
    • In Committee (25 speeches)
      Bill—by leave—taken as a whole.
    • Third Reading (1 speech)
      I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question put.
  • Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Welfare to Work and Other Measures) (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (5 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 13 June, on motion by Senator Kemp: That this bill be now read a second time.
  • Matters of Public Interest (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Order! It being nearly 1.15 pm, I call on matters of public interest.
    • Western Australia: Police (1 speech)
      When rugby legend Phil Kearns accidentally reversed his car over his 19-month-old toddler in the driveway of his Mosman home in Sydney, did any right-minded person suggest or demand that he be...
    • Defence: Budget (1 speech)
      I have spoken a number of times about the record of the current government in the area of defence procurement activities. Through the work of the ANAO, we have a detailed record of a large number...
    • Ethics and Integrity in Public Life (1 speech)
      During April this year I attended the World Ethics Conference in Oxford, England, which was an invigorating experience. The conference addressed the challenge of leadership ethics and integrity...
    • Mr Robert Fisher (1 speech)
      I rise to pay tribute to Rob Fisher, a much loved member of the screen production industry who passed away last month. I knew Rob through his work with Film Australia. Rob was on the board of...
    • World Blood Donor Day; Books in The Sky Initiative (1 speech)
      I am sure that everyone in the chamber knows that today is World Blood Donor Day. All of us have been invited to something quite extraordinary called the Prick-a-Pollie challenge, which is about...
    • Asylum Seekers: Abuse (1 speech)
      I rise this afternoon to speak on reports in the media alleging rape and sexual assault of detainees held in Australian immigration detention centres. I was outraged when I heard these reports...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Migration (26 speeches)
      My question is to Senator Vanstone, the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. I refer the minister to the Senate committee report tabled yesterday into the provisions of the...
    • Australian Workplace Agreements (17 speeches)
      My question is to Senator Abetz, representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Will the minister advise the Senate of the value of the Howard government’s Australian...
    • Migration (4 speeches)
      My question is to Senator Vanstone, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. I again refer the minister to the Senate committee report on the Migration Amendment (Designated...
    • Visas (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator Vanstone. Will the minister update the Senate on the government’s reforms to the working holiday maker visa...
    • Skilled Migration (7 speeches)
      My question is to Senator Vanstone, the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Does the minister recall her media statement on 1 May 2006 where she announced an increase in the...
    • Coal Industry (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell. Will the minister inform the Senate of recent claims about the coalmining industry? Further, will the...
    • Guantanamo Bay (13 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Ellison. American historian Professor Alfred McCoy says that Guantanamo Bay is a place specifically designed to psychologically...
    • Sexual Servitude and Sex Trafficking (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Ellison. Will the minister update the Senate on the Howard government’s efforts to combat the abhorrent crimes of sexual...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      Order! I draw the attention of honourable senators to the presence in the President’s gallery of Mr Sam Abal, Parliamentary Secretary for Intergovernment Relations from the parliament of...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Temporary Skilled Migration Visas (26 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator Vanstone. Can the minister confirm that employers have to make a specific case before they can engage a worker on...
    • Perth Airport: Proposed Brickworks (17 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell. I refer to the proposed BGC brickworks under consideration on Commonwealth land at Perth Airport. I note...
    • Petrol Prices (7 speeches)
      My question today is to Senator Minchin, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. Can the minister indicate exactly when the Prime Minister directed the ACCC to monitor petrol prices over...
  • Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
    • Workplace Relations (1 speech)
      On 9 May 2006 I took on notice a question from Senator Hogg. I have provided Senator Hogg with a copy of the answer. I seek leave to incorporate the answer in Hansard. Leave granted. The answer...
    • Indigenous Communities (1 speech)
      Yesterday Senator Bartlett asked in a supplementary question whether I could ascertain whether Minister Brough would table in the Senate any letter of invitation that has been sent to...
  • Answers to Questions on Notice (0 speeches)
    • Question Nos 1708 and 1709 (11 speeches)
      Pursuant to standing order 74(5), I ask the Minister for the Environment and Heritage for an explanation as to why answers have not been provided to questions on notice Nos 1708 and 1709, asked...
  • Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
    • Migration (9 speeches)
      I move: That the Senate take note of answers given by the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (Senator Vanstone) to questions without notice asked by opposition senators today...
    • Guantanamo Bay (1 speech)
      I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Justice and Customs (Senator Ellison) to a question without notice asked by Senator Allison today relating to Guantanamo...
  • Petitions (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      The Clerk: Petitions have been lodged for presentation as follows:
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Presentation (1 speech)
      On behalf of the Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances, I give notice that 15 sitting days after today Senator Watson shall move that the following legislative instruments, a list of...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • Leave of Absence (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator Ronaldson on 13 June 2006 on account of family matters and to Senator Santoro for the period 13 June to 16 June 2006, on...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Postponement (0 speeches)
      The following items of business were postponed: Business of the Senate notice of motion no. 3 standing in the name of Senator Milne for today, proposing the reference of a matter to the...
  • Guantanamo Bay (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      by leave—I move the motion as amended: That the Senate—(a)notes the suicide of three prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, none of whom, despite years in captivity, had been charged or brought...
  • Nuclear Waste (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I move:That the Senate—(a)notes that:(i)in 2001, the United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established radiation standards for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste...
  • Health: Tobacco (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I move:That the Senate—(a)recognises that according to the recently released report, Counting the costs of tobacco and the benefits of reducing smoking prevalence in Victoria:(i)the total...
  • Whaling (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      by leave—I move the motion as amended: That the Senate—(a)notes the recent release of the Report of the International Panel of Independent Legal Experts on: Special Permit...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Australian Crime Commission Committee; Meeting (1 speech)
      I move:That the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Crime Commission be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Monday, 19 June 2006, from 5.45 pm, to...
  • Islamic Republic of Iran (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      At the request of Senator Humphries, I move:That the Senate—(a)notes the reference by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief to a confidential document...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Public Works Committee; Reports (1 speech)
      On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the ninth report of 2006 entitled HMAS Cairns Redevelopment, Cairns, Queensland and the 10th report of 2006 entitled...
    • Scrutiny of Bills; Report (1 speech)
      On behalf of the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills, Senator Ray, I present the report and the Alert Digest. Ordered that the report be printed.
  • Auditor-General’S Reports (0 speeches)
    • Report No. 46 of 2005-06 (3 speeches)
      In accordance with the provisions of the Auditor-General Act 1997, I present the following report of the Auditor-General: Report No. 46 of 2005-06 entitled Performance Audit—Commonwealth...
  • Delegation Reports (0 speeches)
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Presentation (1 speech)
      by leave—I, and also on behalf of Senators Nettle and Stott Despoja, give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:That the instrument made by the Governor-General on 13 June...
  • Fuel Tax Bill 2006; Fuel Tax (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • First Reading (1 speech)
      Bills received from the House of Representatives.
    • Second Reading (1 speech)
      I table a revised explanatory memorandum relating to the bills and move: That these bills be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speeches incorporated in Hansard....
  • Tax Laws Amendment (Medicare Levy and Medicare Levy Surcharge) Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • First Reading (1 speech)
      Bill received from the House of Representatives.
    • Second Reading (1 speech)
      I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speech read as follows— TAX LAWS AMENDMENT...
  • Social Security and Veterans’ Entitlements Legislation Amendment (One-Off Payments to Increase Assistance for Older Australians and Carers and Other Measures) Bill 2006; General Insurance Supervisory Levy Imposition Amendment Bill 2006; Health and Other Services (Compensation) Amendment Bill 2006; Protection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Amendment Bill 2006; Defence Housing Authority Amendment Bill 2006; Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Bill 2006; Student Assistance Legislation Amendment Bill 2006; Superannuation Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2006; Australian Broadcasting Corporation Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Assent (0 speeches)
      Messages from His Excellency the Governor-General were reported informing the Senate that he had assented to the bills.
  • Workplace Relations Regulations 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Motion for Disallowance (12 speeches)
      I move:That the Workplace Relations Regulations 2006, as contained in Select Legislative Instrument 2006 No. 52 and made under the Workplace Relations Act 1996 and the Workplace Relations...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Order! It being 6.50 pm, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of government documents.
    • Refugee Review Tribunal (1 speech)
      I move: That the Senate take note of the document. This is the report for the period from 1 November last year to the end of February this year of the conduct of the Refugee Review Tribunal and...
    • Consideration (0 speeches)
      The following government document was considered: Northern Territory Fisheries Joint Authority—Report for 2004-05. Motion to take note of document moved by Senator Siewert. Debate adjourned...
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Order! There being no further consideration of government documents, I propose the question: That the Senate do now adjourn.
    • Mineral Exploration (1 speech)
      I rise tonight to draw attention to the alarming downturn in mineral exploration in Australia and particularly in Queensland. It has often been said that Australia’s wealth grew from the...
    • Defence: FFG Upgrade Project (1 speech)
      I rise this evening to address the problems surrounding the current refit of four FFGs, down from six. These Adelaide class frigates are the backbone of our Navy. Their refit should have been...
    • Indigenous Communities (1 speech)
      I would like to talk about an issue that has been in the headlines recently, unfortunately very negatively, and that is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage. Now that the latest...
    • Iraq (1 speech)
      I have spoken many times in this parliament on the issue of Iraq and on each occasion my conviction grows stronger that Australia is doing the right thing having a presence in Iraq. Australia is...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • Tabling (0 speeches)
      The following government documents were tabled: Australian Research Council—Strategic plan 2006-08. Dairy Produce Act 1986Funding contract with Dairy Australia Limited—Report for...