Senate debates

Tuesday, 27 March 2007

  • Business (0 speeches)
    • Consideration of Legislation (1 speech)
      I move:That the government business orders of the day relating to the Tax Laws Amendment (2006 Measures No. 7) Bill 2006 and the Tax Laws Amendment (2007 Measures No. 1) Bill 2007 may be taken...
  • Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (6 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 6 February, on motion by Senator Colbeck: That this bill be now read a second time.
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Workplace Relations (28 speeches)
      My question is to Senator Abetz, representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Is the minister aware of reports that the new Nationals MP for Tweed, Mr Geoff Provest, has...
    • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (15 speeches)
      My question is to Senator Brandis, the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Science and Training. I refer to the Productivity Commission’s damning report on the Howard...
    • Broadband (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Coonan. Will the minister update the Senate on proposals to provide—
    • Mr David Hicks (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Attorney-General, Senator Johnston. I refer to quotes from a discussion last night about torture with the commandant of the Guantanamo Bay gulag...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (4 speeches)
      Order! I draw the attention of honourable senators to the presence in the President’s Gallery of a parliamentary delegation from Pakistan led by Mr Hamid Nasir Chatta. On behalf of all...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Drugs in Sport (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Brandis. Will the minister update the Senate on the latest developments in the fight against the use of drugs in sport, particularly...
    • Iraq (4 speeches)
      My question is directed to Senator Minchin, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. I refer the minister to the 2006 survey which was published in the Lancet and which concluded that over...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      Order! I draw the attention of honourable senators to the presence in the President’s gallery of Ms Winnie Kiap from the National Executive Council of Papua New Guinea. On behalf of all...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Housing Affordability (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer. Does the minister acknowledge that the crisis in housing affordability in Australia is now more serious than ever for both home buyers...
    • Aged Care (5 speeches)
      My question is to Senator Ellison, the Minister representing the Minister for Ageing. I refer to the report that the Prime Minister has directed be produced into the 94 aged care bed licences...
  • Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
    • Water (1 speech)
      Mr President, on 21 March 2007, Senator Siewert asked me a question and also a supplementary question, and I undertook to get back to the honourable senator. I now have answers and I seek leave...
  • Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
    • Answers to Questions (11 speeches)
      I move: That the Senate take note of answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today. In commencing this debate it is very interesting to note that...
  • Petitions (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      The Clerk: A petition has been lodged for presentation as follows:
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Presentation (0 speeches)
      Senator Troeth to move on the next day of sitting:That the time for the presentation of the report of the Employment, Workplace Relations and Education Committee on workforce challenges in the...
  • Leave of Absence (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator Lightfoot from 26 March to 29 March 2007, for personal reasons. Question agreed to.
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Postponement (0 speeches)
      The following items of business were postponed: Business of the Senate notice of motion no. 1 standing in the name of Senator Siewert for today, proposing the disallowance of the Southern and...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee; Meeting (1 speech)
      At the request of Senator Barnett, I move:That the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 29 March 2007,...
  • Tasmanian Tigers Cricket Team (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      by leave—I, and also on behalf of Senators Abetz, Barnett, Bob Brown, Calvert, Colbeck, Milne, O’Brien, Parry, Polley, Sherry and Watson, move the motion as amended:That the...
  • Slavery (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I move:That the Senate:(a)notes:(i)the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act, passed by the British Parliament on 25 March 1807, abolishing slavery in the United Kingdom,(ii)the efforts...
  • Senator Heffernan (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I move:That the Senate:(a)regrets the actions of Senator Heffernan in gatecrashing the press conference of a Labor front-bencher;(b)notes that this is the second time Senator Heffernan has...
  • Nuclear Weapons (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I move:That the Senate:(a)notes the resolution of the European Parliament on 14 March 2007 regarding the third session of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee for the...
  • MR David Hicks (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I move:That the Senate:(a)notes the start of preliminary hearings of the United States of America military commission established to try Mr David Hicks; and(b)calls on the Government to return Mr...
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Workplace Relations (42 speeches)
      The President has received a letter from Senator Wong proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion, namely: That after just one year of the...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Membership (2 speeches)
      Order! The President has received letters requesting changes in the membership of committees.
  • Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
  • MR David Hicks (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I seek leave to make a short statement. Leave granted. I would like to address today’s news that Mr David Hicks has pleaded guilty to the charge of providing material support for terrorism....
  • Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • In Committee (2 speeches)
      Debate resumed.
    • Third Reading (5 speeches)
      I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question put.
  • Auscheck Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (5 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 26 March, on motion by Senator Scullion: That this bill be now read a second time.
  • Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Third Reading; Recommittal (5 speeches)
      by leave—I would like to make a statement to the Senate indicating the complication the government had in relation to the division on the third reading of the Safety, Rehabilitation and...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Presentation (0 speeches)
      Senator Bartlett to move on two sitting days hence: That the following matter be referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee for inquiry and report by 10 May 2007:...
  • Auscheck Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • In Committee (15 speeches)
      Bill—by leave—taken as a whole.
    • Third Reading (1 speech)
      I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
  • Airports Amendment Bill 2006 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (5 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 21 March, on motion by Senator Johnston: That this bill be now read a second time.
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Order! It being 10.00 pm, I propose the question: That the Senate do now adjourn.
    • Workplace Relations (7 speeches)
      Tonight I would like to acknowledge the introduction of the government’s Work Choices legislation 12 months ago. We know that this week it has been a source of debate in this chamber and we...
    • Defence Equipment (1 speech)
      I rise to speak tonight on the continuing failure of this government to effectively support the equipment on which the men and women of the ADF rely. The government’s record on major...
    • Workplace Relations (1 speech)
      I rise to speak tonight on the first anniversary of the Work Choices legislation and to comment partly on the legislation itself and partly on what we have observed since it was introduced and...
    • Diabetes (1 speech)
      I rise tonight to speak about a very important issue—certainly not a scare campaign but an epidemic nevertheless—and that is diabetes in this country, and the importance of providing...
    • Workplace Relations (1 speech)
      I would like to speak tonight about Work Choices. I think it is important that, when you vote for a piece of legislation, you believe in it. I certainly voted for Work Choices and I certainly...
    • Workplace Relations; Senate Committee Staff: Mr Alistair Sands (6 speeches)
      I had intended to be generous of spirit tonight, which I will be in two or three minutes when I get onto what I really wanted to speak about in the adjournment debate. But I cannot let some of...
    • New South Wales State Election (15 speeches)
      I would like to take this opportunity to make some comments about the recent New South Wales election. First of all I would like to congratulate many of the people for their dedicated commitment...
    • Tasmania: Ten Days on the Island (1 speech)
      Before I start on the subject that I wish to talk about, I would like to congratulate the Labor Party on winning the New South Wales state election last Saturday because, from what we have heard,...
    • Workplace Relations (10 speeches)
      The first thing I would like to say is to any of my children who are still awake: would you please go to bed; it is way past your bedtime. As to the other matter, I think this has been a...
    • Relay for Life (1 speech)
      This evening I want to make some comments about last Saturday’s Relay for Life, which the Pine Rivers Shire Council sponsored with their committee in that wonderful part of Queensland...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • Indexed List of Files (0 speeches)
      The following document was tabled pursuant to the order of the Senate of 30 May 1996, as amended: Indexed lists of departmental and agency files for the period 1 July to 31 December...
    • Tabling (0 speeches)
      The following documents were tabled by the Clerk: [Legislative instruments are identified by a Federal Register of Legislative Instruments (FRLI) number] Civil Aviation Act—Civil Aviation...