Senate debates
Thursday, 13 February 2025
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (15 speeches)
I seek leave to move a motion relating to the consideration of legislation, as circulated. Leave not granted. Pursuant to the contingent notice standing in my name, I move: That so much of the...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Withdrawal (1 speech)
Pursuant to the notice given yesterday on behalf of the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation, I withdraw business of the Senate notice of motion No. 1 for 12 sitting days...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Selection of Bills Committee; Report (10 speeches)
I present the second report of 2025 of the Selection of Bills Committee. I seek leave to have the report incorporated into Hansard. Leave granted. The report read as follows— SELECTION OF...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (1 speech)
GALLAGHER (—) (): I move: That— (a) the Customs Amendment (Expedited Seizure and Disposal of Engineered Stone) Bill 2024 be considered from 12.15 pm today; (b) government business...
- Leave of Absence (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator McCarthy for today, for personal reasons. Question agreed to.
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Right to Protest Bill 2025; First Reading (1 speech)
I move: That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to recognise the right to protest, and for related purposes. Question agreed to. I present the bill and move: That this bill may...
- Right to Protest Bill 2025; Second Reading (1 speech)
I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to table an explanatory memorandum relating to the bill. Leave granted. I table an explanatory memorandum, and I seek leave to have...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Business (0 speeches)
- Consideration of Legislation (7 speeches)
I move: That— (a) immediately after a message from the House of Representatives is reported in relation to the Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025, the...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights (2 speeches)
I move: That— (1) If the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights has: (a) sought a response from a minister in relation to a bill and a response has not been received; or (b)...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Withdrawal (45 speeches)
I seek leave to move a motion relating to the discharge of Labor's super tax bills from the Notice Paper, as circulated. Leave not granted. Pursuant to contingent notice of motion standing in my...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Statements by Senators (0 speeches)
- Ukraine (1 speech)
Winston Churchill said in 1938 that an appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile, hoping against hope it will eat him last. These words were quite prophetic five days after the disastrous Munich...
- Liberal Party of Australia (1 speech)
This morning, in Senator Duniam's contribution to a debate, he was talking about regional Australia. I'd just like to point out to Senator Duniam and to others on that side that just because you...
- Right to Protest Bill 2025 (1 speech)
Today I presented to parliament the Right to Protest Bill 2025. The bill seeks to protect one of the most fundamental democratic rights: the right to peacefully assemble and protest. It does it...
- South Australia: Economy (1 speech)
Labor government policies, inaction and missteps have kept inflation higher for longer for everyone. In the Upper Spencer Gulf, uncertainty associated with the operations and finances of the...
- Aviation Industry (1 speech)
Here we go again. The Nationals have dropped the regional Aussies they were supposed to represent, faster than a rat up a drainpipe. Labor announced this week that we're saving the future of...
- Ukraine (1 speech)
I'd like to commend President Donald Trump for last night picking up the phone and having discussions with Vladimir Putin. In my maiden speech, I talked about and honoured Ronald Reagan for...
- Tasmania: Salmon Industry (1 speech)
Tasmanian salmon workers are continuing to live with the threat hanging over their heads of the Albanese Labor government killing off the very industry that employs them. This is a threat to the...
- Women's Health (1 speech)
I am so proud to serve in the first-ever majority-women government in Australia's history. Never before have the concerns of Australian women been as heard, understood and taken seriously as...
- Aukus (1 speech)
Trump is a tariff tyrant. He is showing all too much evidence of being an unreliable ally to Australia and he is a bully. Just as you would not kowtow to a bully in a schoolyard, we should not be...
- Senate: Parliamentary Debate (1 speech)
In potentially my last speech in this place, I wanted to talk briefly about priorities and take a moment to recap. Last night the major parties prioritised reform to give themselves $80 million...
- Victoria: By-Elections (2 speeches)
My home state of Victoria had two by-elections on the weekend and they certainly sounded the alarm, loud and clear. Labor's wrong priorities, broken promises, bad policies and waste and...
- Alcohol Excise (1 speech)
Last week, the alcohol excise increased again. Taxes on alcohol raise over $6 billion a year from all Australians, rich and poor alike. As I listen to people across my home state of Queensland,...
- Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025 (1 speech)
Politics is about choices, and I'm pretty happy about one of the choices that has been made in this place today. This chamber today will pass the government's legislation to remove the punitive...
- Arthritis Australia (1 speech)
I'm delighted this afternoon to give my thanks to Arthritis Australia for the privilege of being one of their co-conveners for the Parliamentary Friends of Arthritis group. It's most apt that...
- Future Made in Australia (2 speeches)
The Albanese government's Future Made in Australia plan is all about Australian workers and companies making things right here. It's about tapping into our natural resources and strengthening our...
- Ministry (0 speeches)
- Temporary Arrangements (1 speech)
I advise that Senator Farrell will be absent from question time on account of ministerial business interstate and that Senator McCarthy will be absent for personal reasons today, 13 February...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Health Care (23 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. Yesterday Australians were shocked and disgusted by the antisemitic threats made by nurses at Bankstown hospital. The...
- Medicare (8 speeches)
My question is to Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. New Medicare bulk-billing data out this week shows there were an additional six million bulk-billed GP visits between...
- Cost of Living (29 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. Prior to the last election the Prime Minister promised Australians on 97 occasions that he would reduce their power...
- Tasmania: Bushfires (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Emergency Management, Senator McAllister. Fires have been burning in the Takayna/Tarkine wilderness for 10 days now. Fire boundary maps published by the...
- Women's Health (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Women and Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Gallagher. This week, the Albanese Labor government responded to two Senate...
- Universities (14 speeches)
My question is for the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Senator Watt. Yesterday the government announced changes to the HELP debts so they won't stop people from getting home...
- Creative Australia (12 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. The Australian government funded organisation Creative Australia has announced that Khaled Sabsabi will be...
- Climate Change (9 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator McAllister. Minister, at the last election the government campaigned on an emissions target of 43...
- Trade with the United States of America (13 speeches)
My question is to the minister representing the Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator Wong. President Trump has announced a 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium exports. If this tariff...
- Cost of Living (29 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister.
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Answers to Questions (14 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Senator Wong) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today. Today was a demonstration...
- Tasmania: Bushfires (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Emergency Management (Senator McAllister) to a question without notice I asked today relating to bushfires in Tasmania....
- Condolences (0 speeches)
- Moore, Hon. John Colinton, AO (10 speeches)
It is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death, on 22 January 2025, of the Hon. John Colinton Moore AO, a former minister and member of the House of Representatives for the division...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation Committee; Delegated Legislation Monitor (1 speech)
On behalf of the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation, I present Delegated legislation monitor 2 of 2025, together with ministerial correspondence. I...
- Corporations and Financial Services Joint Committee; Report (2 speeches)
On behalf of the Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, I present the report Wholesale investor and wholesale client tests, together with the minutes...
- Human Rights Joint Committee; Report (1 speech)
On behalf of the Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, I present the report Inquiry into antisemitism at Australian universities, together with the minutes of proceedings of...
- Treaties Joint Committee; Report (1 speech)
On behalf of the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, I present the 225th report, together with the minutes of proceedings of the committee and the transcript of evidence.
- Privileges Committee; Report (1 speech)
On behalf of Senator Brockman, I present the 185th report of the Standing Committee of Privileges, entitled Persons referred to in the Senate: Ms Baylee Neha. I move: That the report be adopted....
- Scrutiny of Bills Committee; Scrutiny Digest (1 speech)
On behalf of Senator Dean Smith, I present Scrutiny digest No. 2 of 2025, dated 11 February 2025, together with the committee's annual report for 2024, dated February 2025, of the Standing...
- Economics References Committee; Report (1 speech)
On behalf of Senator Bragg, I present the third interim report of the Economics References Committee, titled Improving consumer experiences, choice, and outcomes in Australia's retirement...
- Job Security Select Committee; Government Response to Report (1 speech)
I present the government's response to the Select Committee on Job Security's first to fourth interim reports and final report. In accordance with the usual practice, I seek leave to have the...
- Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee; Report (1 speech)
I know I'm jumping a little bit ahead in consideration of committee reports, but I had discussions with the Opposition Whip earlier about tabling Senator Ciccone's statement on the Foreign...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Days and Hours of Meeting (1 speech)
I move: That— (a) the Senate, at its rising, adjourn till Tuesday, 25 March 2025 at midday, or such other time as may be fixed by the President or, in the event of the President being...
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- Liberal-National Coalition (1 speech)
Later this year, at a date still to be determined, Australians will be faced with a choice. It's a very clear choice of a Labor government with a very clear, strong, sustainable agenda with no...
- Renewable Energy (5 speeches)
I thank the Senate for giving me a 10-minute contribution during this afternoon's adjournment debate. This morning I missed out on speaking on the Electricity Infrastructure Legislation Amendment...
- White, Ms Rebecca, Labor Government (2 speeches)
I have the opportunity to correct the public record on the contribution that Senator Chandler made in this place earlier today. The record is very clear. We now have Rebecca White as the federal...
- Renewable Energy, Brisbane Valley Highway (4 speeches)
Good try, Senator Polley. There was lots of good TikTok material in that contribution, I'm sure. I would like to address some comments which Senator Whish-Wilson made. He did invite me to make...
