Senate debates
Wednesday, 11 October 2006
- Business (0 speeches)
- Consideration of Legislation (1 speech)
I move:That, after the motion for the second reading of the Communications Legislation Amendment (Enforcement Powers) Bill 2006 and the Television Licence Fees Amendment Bill 2006 has been moved,...
- Communications Legislation Amendment (Enforcement Powers) Bill 2006; Television Licence Fees Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
- First Reading (1 speech)
Bills received from the House of Representatives.
- Second Reading (2 speeches)
I move: That these bills be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speeches incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speeches read as follows— COMMUNICATIONS...
- Broadcasting Services Amendment (Media Ownership) Bill 2006; Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Television) Bill 2006; Communications Legislation Amendment (Enforcement Powers) Bill 2006; Television Licence Fees Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (38 speeches)
Debate resumed, in respect of Communications Legislation Amendment (Enforcement Powers) Bill 2006 and Television Licence Fees Amendment Bill 2006; debate resumed from 10 October, in respect of...
- Matters of Public Interest (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Order! It being 12.45 pm, I call on matters of public interest.
- Workplace Relations (1 speech)
I would like to comment on the role of the unions and the Labor Party in the workplace relations debate and also canvass the scurrilous decision by the Labor government in my home state of...
- Australian Defence Force (1 speech)
In today’s matters of public interest discussion, I want to raise a range of matters that come under the generic heading of culture within the Australian Defence Force. But before going to...
- Judicial Appointments Process (1 speech)
Unusually for me, during the last parliamentary sitting I took leave from the Senate for an afternoon, to go to Sydney to attend the Magna Carta lecture. The invitation from the British High...
- Judicial Appointments Process; Rural and Regional Australia (8 speeches)
I listened with interest to Senator Murray’s very careful and erudite presentation, as most of his contributions are. But I have one comment in relation to his last comment: I wish. The...
- National Disability Advocacy Program (1 speech)
Today I raise the issue of the future of the National Disability Advocacy Program as a matter of public interest, because of the Howard government’s ineptitude and lack of action, which is...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Workplace Relations (6 speeches)
My question is to Senator Minchin, the Minister for Finance and Administration. I refer to the minister’s decision not to ensure that 1,800 Telstra employees receive the superannuation...
- Telstra (4 speeches)
My question is to Senator Minchin, the Minister for Finance and Administration. Does the minister agree with Senator Coonan’s statement in question time on Monday about the T3 prospectus,...
- Climate Change (4 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage. Will the minister inform the Senate of the important role of nuclear energy in reducing greenhouse gas emissions? Is the minister...
- Telstra (4 speeches)
My question is to Senator Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Is the minister aware of reports today about the closure of Telstra call centres in Cairns and...
- Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator Vanstone. Will the minister advise the Senate what the coalition government has been doing to assist the states...
- Judicial Appointments Process (4 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Attorney-General, Senator Ellison. Is the minister aware of a paper on an independent judicial appointments commission which was presented to last...
- Law Enforcement Cooperation (2 speeches)
My question is also to the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Ellison. Would the minister update the Senate on recent developments in law enforcement cooperation between the nations of...
- Western Australia: Land Use (7 speeches)
My question is to Senator Ian Campbell, the Minister representing the Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Is the minister aware of attempts by the Western Australian government dating...
- Human Rights: Sleep Deprivation (9 speeches)
My question is to Senator Ellison, the Minister for Justice and Customs and Minister representing the Attorney-General. Does the minister consider sleep deprivation to be torture? Does he agree...
- Defence Cleaning Contract (6 speeches)
My question is to Senator Campbell, the Minister representing the Minister for Defence. Can the minister confirm that Defence personnel have been asked to volunteer for extra duties at overtime...
- Ageing (6 speeches)
My question is for the Minister for Ageing, Senator Santoro. Will the minister advise the Senate what activities took place in Australia to mark International Day for Older People and what the...
- Solomon Islands (8 speeches)
My question is to Senator Ellison, Minister for Justice and Customs.
- Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
- Telstra (1 speech)
I would like to add to an answer I gave to Senator Sherry with respect to Telstra’s superannuation arrangements. As I explained to the Senate yesterday and today, the CSS is of course a...
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Answers to Questions (5 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked today. I particularly want to raise the issue today that Senator Minchin has already referred...
- Judicial Appointments Process (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 Murray today relating to the...
- Petitions (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
The Clerk: Petitions have been lodged for presentation as follows:
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Presentation (0 speeches)
Senator Payne to move on the next day of sitting:That the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Monday, 16 October...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Leave of Absence (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator Marshall for the period 10 October to 19 October 2006, on account of parliamentary business overseas. Question agreed to.
- King Island Council (0 speeches)
- (2 speeches)
I move:That the Senate—(a)congratulates the King Island Council on its success in banning plantation forestry from its farmland; and(b)commends the Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and...
- Reva Electric Car (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
by leave—I move the motion as amended: That the Senate—(a)notes that:(i)the Reva electric car has been approved for use in the European Union, Japan and Malta and is being test...
- Mental Health (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move:That the Senate—(a)notes that the week beginning 9 October 2006 is National Mental Health Week in Australia, incorporating World Mental Health Day which is celebrated on 10...
- Violence Against Women in Papua New Guinea (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move:That the Senate—(a)notes the report by Amnesty International, Papua New Guinea: Violence against women: Not inevitable, never acceptable, which reports that:(i)violence against women...
- High Seas Bottom Trawling (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
by leave—I move the motion as amended: That the Senate—(a)acknowledges and supports the Government’s position to adopt an immediate ban on all unmanaged high seas bottom...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Electoral Matters Committee; Meeting (1 speech)
At the request of Senator Mason, I move: That the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 19 October...
- Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee; Meeting (1 speech)
At the request of Senator Heffernan, I move: That the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee be authorised to hold public meetings during the sittings of the Senate to take evidence...
- Matters of Urgency (0 speeches)
- Nuclear Nonproliferation (38 speeches)
The President has received the following letter, dated 11 October 2006, from Senator Milne: Dear Mr President Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today I propose to move...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Scrutiny of Bills Committee; Report (1 speech)
I present the eighth report of 2006 of the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills. I also lay on the table Scrutiny of Bills Alert Digest No. 11 of 2006, dated 11 October 2006....
- Economics Committee; Additional Information (1 speech)
At the request of the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Economics, Senator Brandis, I present additional information received by the committee on its inquiry into the provisions of the...
- Delegation Reports (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Housing Loans Insurance Corporation (Transfer of Pre-Transfer Contracts) Bill 2006; Housing Loans Insurance Corporation (Transfer of Assets and Abolition) Repeal Bill 2006; Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (2006 Budget Measures) Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
- First Reading (1 speech)
Bills received from the House of Representatives.
- Second Reading (1 speech)
I move: That these bills be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speeches incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speeches read as follows— HOUSING LOANS...
- Customs Amendment (2007 Harmonized System Changes) Bill 2006; Customs Tariff Amendment (2007 Harmonized System Changes) Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
- Broadcasting Services Amendment (Media Ownership) Bill 2006; Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Television) Bill 2006; Communications Legislation Amendment (Enforcement Powers) Bill 2006; Television Licence Fees Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (1 speech)
Debate resumed.
- In Committee (27 speeches)
BROADCASTING SERVICES AMENDMENT (MEDIA OWNERSHIP) BILL 2006 Bill—by leave—taken as a whole.
- Documents (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Order! It being 6.50 pm, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of government documents.
- Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. This document, the annual report 2005-06 on consultants engaged under section 4 of the act, is required, deriving from the Members of Parliament...
- Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator (2 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. I rise tonight particularly to note that, although the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator is a statutory authority and supposedly has some...
- Superannuation (Government Co-contribution for Low Income Earners) Act 2003 (4 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. As part of the last budget, the government released a plan to streamline superannuation by sweeping away the current tax complexities faced by...
- Indigenous Education and Training (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. I will take the opportunity to say what I can in the short time available, because the annual report into Indigenous education and training is...
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Order! It being 7.20 pm, I propose the question: That the Senate do now adjourn.
- Secondary Education (3 speeches)
Labor have always held up year 12 retention rates as something to be proud of and as an indicator, in themselves, of the health of our school system. Last week, Labor ‘middle-bencher’...
- Biotechnology (1 speech)
This evening I want to speak briefly about the issue of biotechnology. There is no doubt that recent major breakthroughs in biotechnology have made a huge contribution to human life. We do not...
- Native Title (1 speech)
I would like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners and my respect for the fact that I am speaking on Ngunnawal land. On 19 September 2006 Justice Wilcox handed down his decision...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Tabling (0 speeches)
The following government documents were tabled: Australian Trade Commission (AUSTRADE)—Report for 2005-06. Bundanon Trust—Report for 2005-06. Crimes Act 1914Controlled...
