Senate debates

Monday, 16 March 2009

  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Community Affairs Committee; Report (1 speech)
      Pursuant to standing order 38, I present the report of the Community Affairs Committee on the provisions of the Excise Tariff Amendment (2009 Measures No. 1) Bill 2009 and the Customs Tariff...
  • Business (0 speeches)
    • Rearrangement (9 speeches)
      I move: That intervening business be postponed till after consideration of government business order of the day no. 2, (Customs Tariff Amendment (2009 Measures No. 1) Bill 2009 and the Excise...
  • Customs Tariff Amendment (2009 Measures No. 1) Bill 2009; Excise Tariff Amendment (2009 Measures No. 1) Bill 2009 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (14 speeches)
      Debate resumed from 11 March, on motion by Senator McLucas: That these bills be now read a second time.
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Migration (9 speeches)
      My question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Minister Evans. The 2008 budget announced an extra 31,000 skilled migrants as part of the overall record high of 133,500 places in...
    • Economy (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Conroy. Can the minister update the Senate on international cooperation to address the global economic downturn? Will the...
    • Queensland Oil Spill (21 speeches)
      My question is also to Senator Conroy in his capacity representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. What involvement has the Australian...
    • Self-Funded Retirees (6 speeches)
      My question is addressed to the Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law, Senator Sherry. Is the minister aware of the issues being faced by self-funded retirees as a result of the global...
    • Water (11 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong.
    • Whaling (10 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. I refer to a request I made under freedom of information for documents relating to the Oceanic...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      Order! I draw the attention of honourable senators to the presence in the chamber of a parliamentary delegation led by Mr Sergey Mironov, Chairman of the Council of Federation of the Federal...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Workplace Relations (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister Ludwig. Will the minister guarantee that the Rudd Labor government’s award...
    • Scientific Research (10 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Carr. Given the Science Meets Parliament events taking place around Parliament House this week, can the...
    • Foot-and-Mouth Disease (11 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Sherry. Will the minister confirm that the agriculture minister, Mr Burke, has stated...
    • Digital Television (12 speeches)
      My question is to Senator Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
  • Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
    • Burma (1 speech)
      On Thursday of last week, I took on notice an element of a supplementary question that was asked of me by Senator Ludlam that related to relatives of Burmese regime officials currently in...
  • Answers to Questions on Notice (0 speeches)
  • Health Insurance (0 speeches)
    • Return to Order (4 speeches)
      In this vein, I wanted to table an interim government response to orders for production of documents No. 32 on the Notice Paper of 16 March 2009.
  • Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
    • Migration (12 speeches)
      I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Senator Evans) to a question without notice asked by Senator Fierravanti-Wells today...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Presentation (2 speeches)
      Senator Forshaw to move on the next day of sitting:That the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Electoral Matters Committee; Meeting (1 speech)
      by leave—On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, I move: That the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters be authorised to hold a public meeting during the...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Postponement (0 speeches)
      The following item of business was postponed: Business of the Senate notice of motion no. 1 standing in the name of the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown) for today, proposing a...
  • Food Safety (Trans Fats) Bill 2009 (0 speeches)
    • First Reading (1 speech)
      I move: That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to prohibit the addition of synthetic trans fatty acids to food, and for related purposes. Question agreed to. I present the bill...
    • Second Reading (1 speech)
      I table the explanatory memorandum relating to the bill and move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted....
  • Australian Broadcasting Corporation (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I move:That the Senate—(a)notes the vital role played by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in promoting high quality, innovative local content in broadcast media to the broad...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Queensland Oil Spill (43 speeches)
      The President has received a letter from Senator Bob Brown proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion, namely: The recent oil and chemical...
  • Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
    • ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (2 speeches)
      On behalf of the Minister for Trade, Mr Crean, I table a ministerial statement on the tabling of the agreement establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand free trade area, together with the...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • Tabling (1 speech)
      Pursuant to standing order 166, I present the Commonwealth Grants Commission report which was presented to a temporary chair of committees on 13 March 2009. In accordance with the terms of the...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • National Broadband Committee; Report: Corrigenda (1 speech)
      On behalf of the Chair of the Select Committee on the National Broadband Network, I present a correction to the interim report of the committee, which was tabled on 2 December 2008. Ordered that...
    • Treaties Committee; Reports (1 speech)
      On behalf of the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, I present two reports of the committee: Report No. 98—Treaties tabled on 26 November 2008 and 4 December 2008; and Report...
  • Delegation Reports (0 speeches)
    • Parliamentary Delegation to Egypt and Israel (2 speeches)
      by leave—I present the report of the Australian parliamentary delegation to Egypt and Israel, which took place from 31 October to 6 November 2008. I seek leave to move a motion in relation...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • Tabling (1 speech)
      The Clerk: Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to senators. Details of the documents appear at the end of today’s Hansard.
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Membership (2 speeches)
      The President has received a letter from a party leader seeking appointment of members to committees.
  • CUSTOMS TARIFF AMENDMENT (2009 MEASURES; No. 1) Bill 2009; EXCISE TARIFF AMENDMENT (2009 MEASURES; No. 1) Bill 2009 (0 speeches)
    • Second Reading (52 speeches, 1 comment)
      Debate resumed.
    • In Committee (14 speeches)
      Bills—by leave—taken together and as a whole.
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Order! It being 10.57 pm, I propose the question: That the Senate do now adjourn.
    • Intelligent Island Program (1 speech)
      I rise to speak tonight about CSIRO Tasmania’s Information and Communications Technologies Centre. Recently I visited the centre, which is based in Hobart. It is funded jointly by the...
    • Dr Frederick Charles Schwarz (1 speech)
      I rise today to pay tribute to the life of an outstanding Australian, one who had an enormous impact on the sociopolitical events of the 20th century—possibly more so than any other...
    • Racism: Durban (1 speech)
      Racism is one of the most vile and disgusting evils in our society. It represents the worst aspects of humanity. This baseless hatred has been responsible for so much bloodshed and suffering over...
    • Victorian Bushfires (1 speech)
      In the few minutes that remain to me this evening, I will pay tribute to and thank the courageous South Australian firefighters and volunteers who fought the disastrous and deadly bushfires in...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • 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...
    • Indexed Lists of Files (0 speeches)
      The following documents were 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...