Senate debates

Tuesday, 10 September 2019

  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Meeting (1 speech)
      I remind senators that the question may be put on any proposal at the request of any senator.
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I advise the Senate that Senator McKenzie will be absent from question time today for personal reasons. In Senator McKenzie's absence, Senator Canavan will represent the Minister for Agriculture...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Economy (34 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Cormann. In dismissing questions about the record low wage growth Australians are experiencing, the minister could only refer to the Labor...
    • Mental Health: Suicide Prevention (9 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, Senator Cash. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Can the minister please update the Senate about how the government is...
    • Women's Economic Security (43 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Women, Senator Payne. Yesterday in question time the Treasurer said: 'The gender pay gap has closed.' Is the Treasurer correct?
    • Australian Bushfires (14 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia who today is representing the minister for natural disaster and emergency management. In April this year, 23 chiefs of...
    • Trade (8 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Birmingham. Can the minister please update the Senate on the importance of the stability and certainty in the...
    • Immigration Detention (12 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs. The Department of Home Affairs invited Paladin, a company registered to a beach shack on Kangaroo Island, to be the sole...
    • Resources Industry (8 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator Canavan. Can the minister please explain how important stability and certainty is in Australia's resources sector and...
    • Newstart Allowance (12 speeches)
      My question is for the Minister for Families and Social Services, Minister Ruston. There are a quarter of a million people on Newstart who have been stuck on the payment for a year and are...
    • Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction (10 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Senator Birmingham. I refer to his repeated assurances to the Senate that 'Minister Taylor has always declared his...
    • Papua New Guinea: Defence Cooperation Program (10 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Reynolds. Can the minister please update the Senate on Australia's cooperation with Papua New Guinea, our closest neighbour, and how it is...
  • Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
    • Economy, Women's Economic Security (5 speeches)
      I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Finance (Senator Cormann) and the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Senator Payne) to questions without notice asked by...
    • Australian Bushfires (1 speech)
      I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia (Senator Canavan) to a question without notice asked by the Leader of the Australian...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Withdrawal (1 speech)
      In relation to notice of motion No. 95, the Minister for Agriculture has publicly released the biosecurity imports levy report following the opposition giving notice of an order for the...
  • Condolences (0 speeches)
    • Forbes, Dr Alexander James (Jim), CMG, MC (6 speeches)
      It is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death, on 10 August 2019, of the Hon. Dr Alexander James 'Jim' Forbes, CMG, MC, a former minister and member of the House of Representatives...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Postponement (1 speech)
      I remind senators that the question may be put on any proposal at the request of any senator. There being none, we will proceed.
  • Business (0 speeches)
    • Leave of Absence (2 speeches)
      by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator Griff for 11 and 12 September for personal reasons. Question agreed to.
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • Motions (0 speeches)
    • Australian Bravery Decorations (1 speech)
      I, and also on behalf of Senator Lines and Senator Brockman, move: That the Senate— (a) acknowledges all recent recipients of Australian Bravery Decorations; (b) notes that the Bravery...
    • Early Learning Matters Week (4 speeches)
      I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that the first week of September was Early Learning Matters Week, which highlights how early childhood education supports the well-being of our children,...
    • MV Noongah (1 speech)
      At the request of Senator Brown, I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) 25 August marked 50 years since the sinking of the cargo ship MV Noongah, (ii) the MV Noongah sank in heavy...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Documents (0 speeches)
  • Motions (0 speeches)
    • World Suicide Prevention Day (4 speeches)
      Before moving this general business notice of motion 101, I inform the chamber that Senator O'Neill will co-sponsor the motion. I, and also on behalf of Senator O'Neill, move: That the...
    • Pensions and Benefits (1 speech)
      I wish to inform the chamber that Senator Dodson will also co-sponsor this motion. I, and also on behalf of Senators Steele-John and Dodson, move: That the Senate— (a) notes that new...
    • Queensland: Bushfires (8 speeches)
      Before moving this motion, I seek leave to amend the number of houses damaged from 47 to 80 in paragraph (a)(ii). Leave granted. I move the motion as amended: That the Senate— (a) notes:...
    • Climate Change (1 speech)
      I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) the Bureau of Meteorology has stated that the current drought in the Murray-Darling Basin is the most severe on record and that the climate...
    • Endangered Species (8 speeches)
      I move: That the Senate— (a) notes a study entitled Lotsoflosswithlittlescrutiny:Theattritionofhabitatcriticalfo rthreatenedspeciesinAustralia, which was published on 8 September 2019, and...
    • Kashmir (10 speeches)
      I ask that general business notice of motion No. 98 standing in my name and the name of Senator Faruqi for today relating to Kashmir be taken as a formal motion.
  • Matters of Urgency (0 speeches)
    • Climate Change (18 speeches)
      I inform the Senate that, at 8.30 this morning, 10 proposals were received in accordance with standing order 75. The question of which proposal would be submitted to the Senate was determined by...
  • First Speech (0 speeches)
    • (5 speeches)
      Pursuant to order, I now call Senator Scarr to make his first speech, and I ask that honourable senators observe the usual courtesies.
  • Matters of Urgency (0 speeches)
    • Climate Change (9 speeches, 1 comment)
      Tonight we are discussing the urgency motion put forward by the Greens and, indeed, I'm lending my voice to call on the government to act on the climate crisis that's clearly evident across the...
  • Petitions (0 speeches)
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Public Works Committee; Report (1 speech)
      I present the second report of 2019 of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, Referrals made July 2019.
  • Documents (0 speeches)
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • Tasmania (1 speech)
      I rise this evening to speak about my home state of Tasmania—the place I call home and the place I always love to return to after a sitting week here in Canberra. Tasmania is a small...
    • Marine Conservation (1 speech)
      This week, Threatened Species Week, I want to remind my colleagues in the chamber that ocean species are disappearing faster than those on land. Often when we talk about threatened species we...
    • Western Australia: Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2019 (1 speech)
      There's a very important debate going on right now in the Western Australian parliament, and that's the debate around the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill, VAD for short. It has enormous public...
    • North Queensland (1 speech)
      As a servant to the people of Queensland and Australia, I want to discuss tonight nine heroes and a marvellous team—a very large team—in North Queensland. But first I want to mention...
    • Coalition Government (1 speech)
      There's some commentary about this government having no agenda, but let me tell you that this is not true. The coalition has at least one thing on its agenda, and that is to punish, stigmatise...
    • North Queensland: Insurance (1 speech)
      I rise to speak about the insurance crisis in North Queensland which has been unfolding over the past six years of this government. For six years, this government has said that they will fix this...
    • Kashmir (1 speech)
      Imagine seven million people in a landlocked valley confined to their homes, their phones dead and their internet blocked. They're up against the nationalist government of a mighty power, its...
    • Pretorius, Lewis (1 speech)
      It is with great personal sadness that I rise tonight to note the passing of Launceston businessman and Rotary stalwart Lewis 'Lew' Pretorius on 10 August this year at the age of 77. Lew will be...
    • Palliative Care Tasmania (1 speech)
      Before I start my speech tonight, can I also, as a past Rotarian, add my condolences and thank Senator Askew for that lovely speech about Lew Pretorius. Two years ago I campaigned successfully to...
    • Religious Freedom, Blair, Dr David (1 speech)
      When Budi Sudarto came to Australia, he thought this to be a country that provided social and cultural protection for LGBTIQ people. Sadly, in recent times he's realised that this sense of safety...
    • Organ and Tissue Donation (1 speech)
      I would just like to share with the Senate an editorial that I wrote in the Sunday Territorian of 4 August 2019, and I take note of all the Australians who suffer from polycystic kidney disease,...
    • Queensland Government (1 speech)
      People would be aware that the Queensland sugar industry is on its knees, yet the Queensland government is doing little to assist. In fact, it is contributing to the problem. The cost of...
    • Aged Care (1 speech)
      Today is the Health Services Union's second annual Thank You for Working in Aged Care Day, a day to give thanks to and recognise the invaluable work of almost 200,000 people who work in the...
    • Subs in Schools (1 speech)
      I rise to speak on a national extracurricular education program called Subs in Schools. Last Friday, I had the pleasure of participating in the South Australian state finals of the Subs in...