Senator Barnett to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of reports of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee be extended as follows:

(a)

Australia’s judicial system and the role of judges—to 17 September 2009; and

(b)

access to justice—to 30 October 2009.

Senator Crossin to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of the final reports of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee be extended to 20 August 2009:

(a)

Migration Amendment (Immigration Detention Reform) Bill 2009; and

(b)

provisions of the Personal Property Securities Bill 2009.

Senator Hanson-Young to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

15 August 2009 was the 64th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II, and

(ii)

during the war up to 200 000 women and girls were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military and kept in ‘comfort stations’;

(b)

recognises that:

(i)

the Japanese ‘comfort women’ have yet to receive an apology or any official acknowledgement of the grave human rights abuses that were suffered at the hands of the Japanese military, and

(ii)

since 2007, the United States of America, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union (with 27 member countries), South Korea, Taiwan and three city councils in Japan have all passed similar motions calling on the Japanese Government to accept full responsibility and apologise for the abuses of comfort women; and

(c)

calls on the Australian Government to urge the Japanese Government to:

(i)

accept full responsibility for the abuses of comfort women,

(ii)

officially apologise for the crimes committed against the women,

(iii)

provide adequate compensation to comfort women or their immediate families, and

(iv)

accurately teach the history of comfort women in schools.

Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts (Senator Wong) by 20 August 2009, the Australian Terrestrial Biodiversity Assessment 2008 and all documents used in its preparation, including drafts.

Senator Humphries to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes the June 2009 report of the Community Affairs References Committee, Lost innocents and forgotten Australians revisited: Report on the progress with the implementation of the recommendations of the lost innocents and forgotten Australians reports;

(b)

notes, in particular, recommendation 1 of the report, which recommends ‘that the Commonwealth government issue a formal acknowledgement and expression of regret to former child migrants in accordance with recommendation 30 of the Lost Innocents report; and that this statement be issued in conjunction with, or as a part of, a broader Commonwealth apology to people who experienced abuse and/or neglect in institutional or out-of-home care as children’ and recommendation 2 which recommends ‘that the Commonwealth government issue a formal statement of acknowledgement and apology to children who suffered hurt and distress, or abuse and assault, in institutional care, in accordance with recommendation 1 of the Forgotten Australians report’; and

(c)

calls on the Prime Minister (Mr Rudd) to personally make the expression of regret and apology called for by the Community Affairs Committee.

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

That the Senate aware:

(a)

of reports that 200 000 people are held in hard labour concentration camps in North Korea;

(b)

that prisoners include people caught listening to foreign radio broadcasts, families of accused persons and those who have failed to show ‘proper respect’ to the President; and

(c)

that after 12 to 15 hours work daily, a poor diet, no medical care or proper sanitary conditions, thousands of prisoners have died or are dying,

calls on the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs to report to the Senate within one month, with a full account of all knowledge available on this issue.

Senator Ludlam to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to a further 18 months of house arrest in Burma on 11 August 2009,

(ii)

this sentence will prevent her from participating in the proposed 2010 elections, and

(iii)

the constitution establishing election procedures is fundamentally flawed and fails to achieve basic democratic standards; and

(b)

calls on the Australian Government to investigate all possible options for progressing a United Nations Commission of Inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma.

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

That the Senate—

(a)

condemns the murder of Russian human rights campaigner, Ms Natalya Estemirova; and

(b)

supports transparent debate on human rights abuses in Chechnya that is free from intimidation or violence.

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

That the Senate calls on the Australian Government to promote with Beijing an act of self-determination for the Uighur people of East Turkistan (Xinjiang Province, China).