Senator Siewert and Senator Bartlett to move on the next day of sitting:

That the provisions of the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Payment Reform) Bill 2007 be referred to the Community Affairs Committee for inquiry and report by 10 September 2007, with particular reference to:

(a)

the likely effects of the new income management regime on the health and well-being of children in affected communities;

(b)

the demonstrable need to restrict the appeal rights of those on the new income management regime in affected communities;

(c)

the interaction of the bill with the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and the extent to which the provisions can be characterised as ‘special measures’; and

(d)

the effects of these measures on community governance and the development of remote communities.

Senator Bartlett and Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the provisions of the Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill 2007 and the Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Northern Territory National Emergency Response and Other Measures) Bill 2007 be referred to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee for inquiry and report by 10 September 2007, with particular reference to:

(a)

the relevance of the acquisition of Aboriginal land and changes to the permit system to address the problems of child protection, health and development;

(b)

the possible impacts of the prohibition of alcohol on child safety;

(c)

the interaction of the bills with the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and the extent to which the provisions can be characterised as ‘special measures’; and

(d)

the effects of these measures on community governance and the development of remote communities.

Senator Allison to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes that, on 6 December 2006, 125 nations voted in favour of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/83, which, inter alia, called on all nations immediately to commence multilateral negotiations leading to an early conclusion of a nuclear weapons convention prohibiting the development, production, testing, deployment, stockpiling, transfer, threat or use of nuclear weapons, and providing for their elimination;

(b)

supports the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons in its endeavour to persuade nations to commence negotiations leading to such a convention; and

(c)

urges the Government to promote, at international forums such as the Conference on Disarmament and the United Nations General Assembly, multilateral negotiations leading to such a convention.

Senator Allison to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes the growing body of evidence for the harmful effect of sexualisation in the media of children, especially young girls, including the:

(i)

negative impact on development, self-image and emotional development including shame, anxiety and even self disgust,

(ii)

increased incidence of eating disorders, depression and low self-esteem,

(iii)

negative consequences in terms of the ability of girls to develop health sexuality, as well as unrealistic and/or negative expectations of their sexuality, and

(iv)

the promotion of negative stereotypes of women as sex objects; and

(b)

urges the Government to establish an expert advisory group including representatives of major mental health professional, marketing and media organisations, as well as young women themselves, to:

(i)

support research into the effects of the sexualisation of children by the media in Australia, including the:

(a)

sources and beneficiaries of sexualisation,

(b)

short- and long-term effects of viewing or buying sexualising and objectifying images, and their influence on cognitive functioning, physical and mental health, sexuality, attitudes and beliefs, and

(c)

effectiveness of different approaches to reducing the amount of sexualisation that occurs and to ameliorating its effects, and

(ii)

report and make recommendations on effective programs and interventions that promote positive alternatives and approaches and reduce the use of sexualised images of children in all forms of media and products.

Senator Murray to move on the next day of sitting:

(1)

That the Senate, noting concern in the community at the abuse of alcohol, asks that the Government refer the following matter to an appropriate body or a specially-established task force for inquiry and report:

The need to significantly reduce alcohol abuse in Australia, especially in geographic or demographic hot spots, and what the Commonwealth, states and territories should separately and jointly do with respect to:

(a)

the pricing of alcohol, including taxation;

(b)

the marketing of alcohol; and

(c)

regulating the distribution, availability and consumption of alcohol.

(2)

In undertaking the inquiry regard is to be had to:

(a)

economic as well as social issues;

(b)

alcohol rehabilitation and education;

(c)

the need for a flexible responsive and adaptable regulatory regime; and

(d)

the need for a consistent harmonised Australian approach.

Senator Bartlett to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Migration Act 1958 to restore rights and procedural fairness to persons affected by decisions taken under that Act, and for related purposes. Migration Legislation Amendment (Restoration of Rights and Procedural Fairness) Bill 2007.

Senator Bartlett to move on 9 August 2007:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes that:

(i)

9 August 2007 is International Day of the World’s Indigenous People,

(ii)

it marks a day that we honour and pay respect to Australia’s First Peoples as well as Indigenous peoples across the world for their traditions and knowledge, as well as to the valuable contribution they have made to the cultures of the world and to environmental conservation, and

(iii)

it is appropriate to reflect on the positive advancements that have been made internationally to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples and to guarantee them equal treatment, as well as to provide a reminder of how much more needs to be done; and

(b)

calls on the Government to support the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples when it is considered later in 2007.

Senator Bartlett to move three days hence:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes the report by Voiceless, the fund for animals, From Label to Liable: Scams, Scandals and Secrecy—Lifting the veil on animal-derived food product labelling in Australia which reports that:

(i)

most jurisdictions in Australia do not require animal-derived food products to identify the farm production system from which they have been sourced,

(ii)

the majority of Australia’s animal-derived food products such as pork, chicken and eggs are sourced from factory farms where animals live their lives in conditions that most people would find unacceptable if they were fully aware of them,

(iii)

a number of terms are currently used to differentiate animal products such as barn laid eggs, free range, open range or range eggs, grain-fed beef, free-range, bred free-range, organic and biodynamic but most of these terms are not defined in legislation, which means there is broad scope for consumer uncertainty as to their meaning, and

(iv)

Australia has no standard for labelling of vegetarian or vegan products; and

(b)

calls on the Government to explore the need for clear and enforceable national standards, identifying the farm production system from which food is sourced.

Senator Payne to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of reports of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee be extended as follows:

(a)

Australia’s public diplomacy—to 16 August 2007; and

(b)

Australia’s involvement in international peacekeeping operations—to 25 October 2007.

Senator Stott Despoja to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes that:

(i)

8 August 2007 is the 19th anniversary of the pro-democracy uprising in Burma, an uprising brutally suppressed by the Burmese military regime,

(ii)

the Burmese military junta refused to recognise the results of democratic elections in 1990 that saw the National League for Democracy (NLD) emerge with a clear majority,

(iii)

the National Convention in Burma, whose role is to recommend changes to Burma’s constitution aimed at legitimising military rule, includes delegates hand-picked by the military regime and excludes representatives of the NLD and ethnic minority groups, and

(iv)

the convention is expected to report in the near future;

(b)

condemns the ongoing persecution of pro-democracy groups in Burma and the detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners; and

(c)

urges the Government to maintain international pressure on the Burmese military regime to:

(i)

end state-sponsored human rights abuses in Burma,

(ii)

release political prisoners,

(iii)

hold a dialogue with the NLD and ethnic minority groups to pursue national reconciliation and democratisation, and

(iv)

include pro-democracy and ethnic minority groups in the National Convention process.

Senator Milne to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes:

(i)

that 2007 marks the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol), arguably the most successful multilateral environmental agreement and that since 1987, the Montreal Protocol has resulted in a 95 per cent reduction in global emissions of ozone depleting substances through the use of binding controls with strict compliance measures, financing mechanisms and trade restrictions,

(ii)

the Montreal Protocol has already postponed the impacts of climate change by approximately 10 years, because the ozone depleting substances also have extremely high global warming potentials,

(iii)

a number of parties to the Montreal Protocol have proposed amendments to the Montreal Protocol to accelerate the phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in order to further delay these impacts by preventing the emission of approximately 2.5 gigatonnes of CO equivalent, and

(iv)

that an accelerated HCFC phase-out gives environmentally-friendly alternatives a fairer chance to compete on the market, particularly as alternatives exist for HCFCs in all applications, and that additional measures are needed to ensure natural refrigerants are used in preference to hydrofluorocarbons which are themselves potent industrial greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol; and

(b)

calls on the Government to support the recommendations of the Stockholm Group, the Environmental Investigation Agency and the parties proposing amendments to the Montreal Protocol to accelerate the phase-out of HCFCs at the 19th meeting of the parties in Montreal, Canada, to be held in September 2007.

Senator Abetz to move on the next day of sitting:

That consideration of the business before the Senate on Wednesday, 8 August 2007 and on Wednesday, 15 August 2007 be interrupted at approximately 5 pm, but not so as to interrupt a senator speaking, to enable Senators Fisher and Cormann, respectively, to make their first speeches without any question before the chair.

Senator Forshaw to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes that:

(i)

2007 is the Year of the Lifesaver,

(ii)

that the Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club, one of the seven foundation clubs of the Australian Surf Life Saving Association, is currently celebrating its centenary year and held its 100th annual general meeting on Sunday, 5 August 2007, and

(iii)

that during the past 100 years members of the club have performed more than 9 000 rescues with no lives lost;

(b)

recognises that the Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club has been one of the most successful clubs in the history of surf life saving championships, including being the only club to win three consecutive World, Australian, State and Branch Championships Pointscores; and

(c)

congratulates the Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club for its 100 years of ‘vigilance and service’ to the community.