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

That the Senate—

(a)

recognises the damage to our marine species cause by discarded non-biodegradable plastic bags;

(b)

congratulates the Tasmanian Parliament on its decision to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags throughout the State; and

(c)

urges states that are yet to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags to adopt this sensible waste management practice.

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

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, has announced he will table a constitutional amendment in the week beginning 14 November 2010 that will reserve 22 seats for women in the nation’s parliament; and

(b)

congratulates the Papua New Guinean Parliament for seeking to redress the poor representation of women in the parliament, the current parliament having only one female member of 109 members.

Senator Siewert to move on 17 November 2010:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes the passing of activist, writer and poet Dr Roberta ‘Bobbi’ Sykes on Sunday, 14 November 2010;

(b)

acknowledges the huge contribution Dr Sykes made to Aboriginal politics and Aboriginal rights in Australia, from the early days as the Secretary of the Aboriginal [tent] Embassy in Canberra in 1972 to the way in which she paved the way for Aboriginal women in writing and in higher education, obtaining Masters and Doctorate degrees in Education at Harvard in 1981 and 1984; and

(c)

expresses its condolences to the members of Dr Sykes’ extended family and community on the passing of this dedicated, compassionate and outspoken black woman.

Senator Cormann to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

the Government, as part of its changes to the health system, is proposing to fundamentally alter the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Reform of Commonwealth-State Financial Relations (1999 GST Agreement) with the clear opposition of at least one state – Western Australia, and

(ii)

clause 44 of  the 1999 GST Agreement states: ‘All questions arising in the Ministerial Council will be determined by unanimous agreement unless otherwise specified in this Agreement’; and

(b)

orders that there be laid on the table by 5 pm on Thursday 18 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 the GST Agreement.

Senator Trood to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of the report of the Select Committee on the Reform of the Australian Federation be extended to the last sitting day in May 2011.

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, 18 November 2010, from 3.45 pm, to take evidence for the committee’s inquiry into the Evidence Amendment (Journalists’ Privilege) Bill 2010 and the Evidence Amendment (Journalists’ Privilege) Bill 2010 (No. 2).

Senator Crossin to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of the report of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee on the provisions of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Bill 2010 and a related bill be extended to 7 December 2010.

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)

review of government compensation schemes—to 6 December 2010; and

(b)

donor conception practices in Australia—to the Wednesday of the first sitting week in February 2011.

Senator Heffernan to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of the report of the Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee on pilot safety, including consideration of the Transport Safety Investigation Amendment (Incident Reports) Bill 2010 be extended to the second sitting day of March 2011.

Senator Siewert to move on 18 November 2010:

That the Senate—

(a)

recognises that 19 November 2010, is World Toilet Day – a day to acknowledge the importance of sanitation and raise awareness of the 2.6 billion people, two-fifths of humanity, who lack access to basic sanitation,

(b)

notes that on 24 August 2010 the United Nations General Assembly formally recognised the right to water and sanitation as a basic human right (resolution 64/292);

(c)

expresses concern that more than 1.4 million children die each year as a result of unclean water and poor sanitation and that diarrhoea is the leading cause of death in Africa and the second leading cause of child death globally;

(d)

notes that access to clean water and sanitation are the foundation for progress on other development outcomes, especially child health and education;

(e)

acknowledges the positive step taken by the Australian Government in 2007 with the implementation of a 3 year water and sanitation initiative; and

(f)

calls on the Government to:

(i)

continue and increase aid funding for water, sanitation and hygiene in the 2011-12 budget and beyond, and

(ii)

report annually on the proportion of development aid spent on sanitation and the success of its water and sanitation program, as it already does for its health and education programs.

Senator Ludlam to move on the next day of sitting:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (Senator Conroy), by 17 November 2010, the following documents relating to the National Broadband Network:

(a)

the National Broadband Network Business plan; and

(b)

the Government’s response to the McKinsey and Company and KPMG Implementation Study.

Senator Milne to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes the report by CHOICE, Credit card surcharging in Australia, commissioned by the New South Wales Office of Fair Trading, and its findings that:

(i)

there has been a significant increase in the rate of merchants charging credit card transaction fees with 20 per cent of small merchants and 40 per cent of very large merchants now imposing surcharges on their customers,

(ii)

88 per cent of the respondents to the CHOICE survey reported paying a credit card surcharge in the previous year, and

(iii)

there is evidence that there are retailers who charge far in excess of the merchant service fees they are required to pay to the credit card companies; and

(b)

calls on the Government to ensure there can be no profiteering from credit card surcharges, including as a first step requiring disclosure of merchant service fees.

Senator Ludlam to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

welcomes the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest on behalf of the Australian people;

(b)

congratulates the Burmese pro-democracy movement for its steadfast resistance to military rule and ongoing campaign for democracy;

(c)

calls for the immediate and unconditional release of more than 2 000 political prisoners still detained in Burma;

(d)

calls on Burmese authorities to embark on a genuine process of national reconciliation and engage in dialogue with all of Burma’s ethnic groups; and

(e)

calls on the Australian Government to:

(i)

make the most of this opportunity to bring about lasting reform for Burma and its people,

(ii)

investigate all options for progressing a United Nations commission of inquiry into human rights abuses and war crimes in Burma,

(iii)

reinforce the campaign for political reform in Burma with increased engagement through government and diplomatic channels,

(iv)

maintain efforts to enforce a universal arms embargo against Burma, and

(v)

support at the highest levels of government the efforts of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her colleagues to restore democracy and peace in Burma.

Senator Ludwig to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Social Security Amendment (Income Support for Regional Students) Bill 2010 be referred to the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by the second sitting day in February 2011.