Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes that:

(i)

overwork is a significant problem for many Australian workers,

(ii)

research by the Australia Institute has shown that the typical full-time employee works 70 minutes of unpaid overtime a day, which equates to six and a half standard working weeks a year, effectively meaning that Australian workers are ‘donating’ more than their annual leave entitlement back to their employers in the form of unpaid overtime,

(iii)

excessive working hours can have negative consequences for physical and mental health, for relationships with loved ones, and for the broader community, and

(iv)

to focus attention on the ongoing problem of work/life balance, Wednesday, 24 November is national Go Home on Time Day, an initiative of the Australia Institute that is supported by beyondblue, VicHealth, the Australian Health Promotion Association, the Public Health Association of Australia, and many other organisations; and

(b)

acknowledges the positive and simple message behind Go Home on Time Day, and encourages employees and employers to take part on 24 November.

Senator Cormann to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

the Government has refused to provide the information requested by the Senate in relation to advice to Government about the requirement for unanimous agreement from all parties to change the GST arrangements,

(ii)

the Government did not justify its refusal by pointing to a recognised public interest ground and by explaining any harm to the public interest from releasing that information,

(iii)

both the 1999 Intergovernmental Agreement on the Reform of Commonwealth-State Financial Relations (GST Agreement) as well as the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations in 2008 require unanimous agreement from all parties to make any changes to GST arrangements,

(iv)

there is no unanimous agreement to change the GST arrangements, and

(v)

in its Incoming Government Brief, Treasury advised the Government that ‘Western Australia has indicated that it is not prepared to agree to proposed amendments to the IGA notwithstanding that they preserve the current arrangements for Western Australia’ and that ‘as changes can only be made to the IGA by unanimous agreement of all parties, alternative approaches may need to be considered to give effect to the financing arrangements for other jurisdictions’;

(b)

orders again that there be laid on the table by 5 pm on Thursday, 25 November 2010, any advice (including legal advice and advice from the Solicitor-General or the Australian Government Solicitor) to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet or the Department of the Treasury, or advice from these departments to their respective Ministers, concerning the need for unanimous agreement to vary GST arrangements;

(c)

notes the agreements between the Government and other parties and independents to refer disputes about public interest disclosures to the Information Commissioner, who will arbitrate on the release of documents; and

(d)

orders that, if the Government does not produce the information required by this order within the specified timeframe, there be laid on the table by 15 December 2010, a report on the matter by the Information Commissioner, including a review of the adequacy of the grounds specified by the Government for its refusal to produce the information and, if applicable his arbitration on the release of the information.

Senator Bob Brown to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following matter be referred to the Economics References Committee for inquiry and report by the last sitting day in March 2011:

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s subsidiaries, Note Printing Australia and Securency, with particular reference to:

(a)

allegations of payments to overseas agents into offshore tax havens and corruption in securing note printing contracts and what the Reserve Bank of Australia, Austrade and the Australian Government knew about the alleged behaviour; and

(b)

action which may be taken to prevent improper dealings occurring again.

Senator Barnett to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following matter be referred to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 31 March 2011:

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC), with particular reference to:

(a)

its role, governance arrangements and statutory responsibilities;

(b)

the adequacy of its staffing and resources to meet its objectives;

(c)

best practice examples of like organisations interstate and overseas;

(d)

the appropriate allocation of functions between the ALRC and other statutory agencies, in particular the Australian Human Rights Commission; and

(e)

other related matters.

Senator Bob Brown to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 in relation to anti-siphoning provisions, and for related purposes. Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Anti-Siphoning) Bill 2010.

Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Prohibition of Support for Whaling) Bill 2010 be referred to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report by the end of the Autumn sittings 2011.

Senator Birmingham to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to require the preparation and publication of a business case and a cost benefit analysis of the proposed National Broadband Network, and for related purposes. National Broadband Network Financial Transparency Bill 2010.

Senators Fisher and Ludlam to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following matters be referred to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report:

(a)

the cost of establishing and operating the National Broadband Network (NBN) and the impacts of the project on Government finances, and the NBN business model;

(b)

the impact on competition in the telecommunications market;

(c)

alternate or emerging telecommunications technologies and the degree to which the NBN will be ‘future proof’;

(d)

any practical issues likely to arise during construction of the NBN, including workforce, property access and property connection issues and aerial versus underground construction;

(e)

experience gained at and principles/lessons extracted from current release sites, including costs, pricing, performance, take-up and timeframes;

(f)

documents, information and advice provided to the Government, but not made public;

(g)

the public cost and benefit of providing a free service to low income households;

(h)

estimated environmental impacts and benefits of the NBN, including expected increases in e-waste;

(i)

any Government role in supporting end-use applications of the NBN; and

(j)

other matters relevant to the rollout of the NBN, including relevant overseas experience.

Senator Crossin to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 25 November 2010, from 4 pm, to take evidence for the committee’s inquiry into the provisions of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Bill 2010 and a related bill.

Senator Ludlam to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

25 November is designated by the United Nations as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and that the white ribbon is the symbol for this day,

(ii)

around Australia on 25 November, thousands of men and women will be wearing a white ribbon to show their support for this cause and taking an oath never to commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women, and

(iii)

White Ribbon Day aims to build cultural change around the issue of violence against women through education and by promoting a culture of non-violence and respect, particularly among men and boys;

(b)

recognises that:

(i)

violence against women remains the most widespread human rights abuse in the world – one in three Australian women has experienced violence, and one in five Australian women will experience sexual assault,

(ii)

violence against women occurs in many forms, including domestic violence, general assault, homicide, femicide, rape and sexual assault, homophobic violence, genital mutilation, enforced prostitution, motherhood and abortion and elder abuse, and

(iii)

violence against women and their children was estimated to cost the Australian economy approximately $13.6 billion in 2008-09 and, without a reduction in current rates, will cost the economy an estimated $15.6 billion by 2021-22; and

(c)

commits itself to:

(i)

supporting the White Ribbon Day campaign,

(ii)

the elimination of violence against women, and

(iii)

a zero tolerance approach to all violence in our communities.