Senate debates
Monday, 26 March 2007
Notices
Presentation
Senator Allison to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the Senate:
- (a)
- notes the resolution of the European Parliament on 14 March 2007 regarding the third session of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons from 30 April to 11 May 2007 in Vienna, Austria, in:
- (i)
- committing the European Union (EU), by consensus, to reviving and strengthening the NPT resolution of the European Parliament on 14 March 2007,
- (ii)
- emphasising the importance of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, describing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery as one of the most important threats to international peace and security,
- (iii)
- recalling the statement in the report of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, A more secure world: our shared responsibility, that ‘we are approaching a point at which the erosion of the non-proliferation regime could become irreversible and result in a cascade of proliferation’,
- (iv)
- taking into account the growing international consensus on the urgency of nuclear disarmament, promoted by the New Agenda Coalition and in the Rome Declaration of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Winners (convened by Mikhail Gorbachev and the Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni) of 30 November 2006,
- (v)
- highlighting the role of parliaments and parliamentarians in promoting nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and in this perspective welcoming the efforts of the global Parliamentary Network on Nuclear Disarmament, and
- (vi)
- re-affirming its position that the NPT is the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, the essential foundation for promoting cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and an important element in furthering the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general disarmament in accordance with Article VI of the Treaty;
- (b)
- notes that the resolution:
- (i)
- calls upon all states whose activities violate the non-proliferation regime to stop their unwise and irresponsible behaviour and to comply fully with their obligations under the NPT, and reiterates its call on all states not part of the NPT to accede to the Treaty,
- (ii)
- urges both the Council and the Commission to actively participate in the discussions being held at the Vienna NPT Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting and to make a coordinated, substantial and visible contribution towards a positive outcome of the 2010 NPT Review Conference,
- (iii)
- invites both the Council and the Commission to clarify which steps they envisage undertaking to strengthen the Non-Proliferation Treaty and to pursue effective multilateralism as stated in the December 2003 EU Strategy against the Proliferation of Materials and Weapons of Mass Destruction,
- (iv)
- affirms that, for multilateral efforts to be effective, they must be set within a well-developed vision of achieving a nuclear-weapon-free world at the earliest possible date,
- (v)
- urges the [EU] Presidency to produce regularly, before the Review Conference of 2010, a progress report on the implementation of each of the 43 measures adopted in the 2005 EU Common Position of 25 April 2005 relating to the 2005 NPT Review Conference, as well as a list of new commitments the Council hopes to achieve at the 2010 NPT Review Conference,
- (vi)
- urges the [EU] Presidency to promote at PrepCom a number of disarmament initiatives, based on the ‘Statement of Principles and Objectives’ agreed upon at the end of the 1995 NPT Review Conference and on the ‘13 Practical steps’ agreed to unanimously at the Year 2000 NPT Review Conference, which should be improved and implemented in order to make progress (to avoid regress or standstill),
- (vii)
- urges, in particular, the [EU] Presidency to break the deadlock on establishing a verifiable Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, to speed up the signature and ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) by all countries, especially those required for it to enter into force and a full stop of all nuclear weapon testing awaiting the CTBT to enter into force, and to prioritise the importance of lowering the risk of nuclear terrorism by developing and enforcing effective export and border controls on sensitive WMD-related materials, equipment and/or technologies,
- (viii)
- calls on the international community to promote initiatives towards an international multilateral process of uranium enrichment under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
- (ix)
- recommends that the European Parliament send a delegation to Vienna to participate in the NPT PrepCom events and requests the [EU] Presidency to include representatives of the European Parliament in the EU delegation (in accordance with the precedent set by the delegation to the UN Program of Action Review Conference in New York in 2006), and
- (x)
- invites its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN Secretary-General, and the governments and parliaments of the member states of the UN, the Director General of the IAEA, the Parliamentary Network on Nuclear Disarmament, Mayors for Peace, as well as to the other organisers of the international conference on nuclear disarmament at the European Parliament, scheduled on 19 April 2007; and
- (c)
- calls on the Australian Government to:
- (i)
- endorse the EU motion in all respects,
- (ii)
- send a cross-party delegation of Australian federal parliamentarians to Vienna to participate in the NPT PrepCom events,
- (iii)
- encourage federal parliamentarians to form an Australian Parliamentary Network on Nuclear Disarmament, and
- (iv)
- encourage mayors to form an Australian Mayors for Peace organisation.
Senator Barnett to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 29 March 2007, from 5.30 pm, to take evidence for the committee’s inquiry into the provisions of the Migration Amendment (Maritime Crew) Bill 2007.
3:36 pm
Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I, and also on behalf of Senators O’Brien, Polley and Sherry, give notice that on the next day of sitting I shall move:
- That the Senate:
- (a)
- congratulates the Tasmanian Tigers cricket team on winning their first ever Pura Cup final at Bellerive Oval on Friday, 23 March 2007;
- (b)
- conveys, on behalf of all Tasmanians, the state’s pride and congratulations for the performances of all the team members who have played in the team over the course of the season; and
- (c)
- expresses its thanks to all the team’s support staff and others who have contributed to the success of the team.
Senator Hutchins to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the Senate:
- (a)
- notes:
- (i)
- the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act, passed by the British Parliament on 25 March 1807, abolishing slavery in the United Kingdom,
- (ii)
- the efforts of abolitionist, House of Commons MP, Mr William Wilberforce in leading the campaign against slavery, and
- (iii)
- that slavery still occurs in some parts of the world, particularly in the trafficking of children and women in the sex trade; and
- (b)
- records its condemnation of slavery in all its forms.
Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery Overcatch and Undercatch (2007 Fishing Year) Determination (cited as 2007 SESSF D3), made under section 24 of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery Management Plan 2003, be disallowed. [F2006L03898]
Senator Nettle to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the Senate—
- (a)
- notes the start of preliminary hearings of the United States of America military commission established to try Mr David Hicks; and
- (b)
- calls on the Government to return Mr Hicks to Australia.
Senator Robert Ray to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the Senate:
- (a)
- regrets the actions of Senator Heffernan in gatecrashing the press conference of a Labor front-bencher;
- (b)
- notes that this is the second time Senator Heffernan has committed such an offence;
- (c)
- calls on the Prime Minister (Mr Howard) to counsel his close friend, Senator Heffernan, as to the courtesies extended to fellow parliamentarians; and
- (d)
- believes that retaliation for Senator Heffernan’s actions will not add to the dignity of the parliamentary process.
Senator Abetz to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the government business orders of the day relating to the Tax Laws Amendment (2006 Measures No. 7) Bill 2006 and the Tax Laws Amendment (2007 Measures No. 1) Bill 2007 may be taken together for their remaining stages.
Senator Stott Despoja to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the Senate:
- (a)
- notes that Monday, 26 March 2007 marks the arraignment of Mr David Hicks before a military commission on a single charge of providing material support for terrorism; and
- (b)
- recognises that the trial process at Guantanamo Bay allows for conviction on evidence obtained by coercion and evidence that detainees will never be allowed to see, removal of the right to a speedy trial, and removal of the right of habeas corpus.
Senator Fielding to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to give back Australian workers their public holidays, meal breaks, penalty rates and overtime and to protect their redundancy, and for related purposes. Workplace Relations (Restoring Family Work Balance) Amendment Bill 2007.
Senator Milne to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the Senate calls on the Government to ensure that both the Stockholm Convention and the Biodiversity Convention will be upheld in assessing Gunns Limited proposed pulp mill in Tasmania.
Senator Bob Brown to move on the next day of sitting:
- That the Senate calls on the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources to ensure that federal guidelines for assessing Gunns Limited proposed pulp mill in Tasmania include the impact, direct and indirect, on rare and endangered species.
3:37 pm
Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:
That the provisions of paragraphs (5) to (8) of standing order 111 not apply to the Migration Amendment (Border Integrity) Bill 2006, allowing it to be considered during this period of sittings.
I also table a statement of reasons justifying the need for this bill to be considered during these sittings and seek leave to have the statement incorporated in Hansard.
Leave granted.
The statement read as follows—
Purpose of the Bill
The bill amends the Migration Act 1958 to strengthen the integrity of Australia’s borders by improving measures to combat fraud and expediting passenger processing.
Reasons for Urgency
It is important that these amendments are made as a matter of urgency.
In October 2006 a joint media release issued by the then Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and the Minister for Justice and Customs announced the introduction of the bill to strengthen arrangements at Australia’s borders and to prepare the way for enhanced security processing using biometric identifiers.
The Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs said that the amendments will allow for the introduction of an automated border process known as SmartGate that will begin operating in selected Australian international airports from early 2007. The media release also announced that SmartGate will be rolled out from early 2007 and will allow passengers with certain biometric e Passports to be processed using a specially designed kiosk.
In addition to allowing self-processing of large volumes of travellers at the border via SmartGate, the bill will also enable New Zealand citizens who hold an e-passport to apply for and be granted a special category visa using the automated system without the need for a clearance officer to be present. These initiatives will free Customs and Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) resources at international airports to deal with high-risk groups of arrivals. The initiatives will also lead to savings for both agencies and will strengthen inwards border security measures by enabling the use of biometric identification technologies. These technologies will not be able to be extended to enhance Australia’s border security measures until the legislation proceeds. Customs and DIAC will also be unable to deliver what is a key government strategy designed to facilitate passenger processing via SmartGate to the proposed target audience.