Senate debates

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Notices

Presentation

Photo of Sue BoyceSue Boyce (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Photo of Ian MacdonaldIan Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   acknowledges the scale of the tuberculosis threat to Papua New Guinea and the mortality, morbidity and economic and social costs and the risk to Australia if this threat is not managed;

  (b)   notes that since 1991, the Torres Strait Islands Treaty has included Commonwealth compensation for the impacts of the care of Papua New Guinea nationals on the Queensland health system;

  (c)   condemns both the Federal and Queensland Governments for indicating they will terminate the tuberculosis clinics on Saibai and Boigu Islands which currently provide vital tuberculosis surveillance and clinical care for Papua New Guinea nationals and reduce the risk of the emergence of drug resistant strains of tuberculosis;

  (d)   calls on the Federal Government, through the Australian Agency for International Development [AusAID], to immediately provide long-term funding to clinics to protect Torres Strait Islander Australians; and

  (e)   calls on the Minister for Health and Ageing (Ms Roxon) to consult with frontline public health experts to formulate a long-term strategy which ensures that Papua New Guinea programs and Torres Strait Islands clinics deliver a combination of disease surveillance and tuberculosis care for Papua New Guineans and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

Photo of Cory BernardiCory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

Photo of John MadiganJohn Madigan (Victoria, Democratic Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Senate notes that:

  (a)   24 October 2011 was the 55th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Hungary, during which 20 000 Hungarians were killed, while 200 000 fled as refugees; and

  (b)   the installed Hungarian communist leader, Mr Janos Kadar, oversaw the imprisonment of 21 600, internment of 13 000 and execution of 400 democrats, liberals and reformist communists, and the misguided support of the Soviet occupation of Hungary by the Communist Party of Australia, and the successor, Socialist Party of Australia which, through its journal Survey, hailed comments by Mr Kadar that 'in the building of socialism Hungary relies, in the first place, on the many-faceted cooperation with the Soviet Union'.

to move:

That in light of the possible passage of the Clean Energy bills through the Senate and the acknowledgement of the fact that the Latrobe Valley region will be hit hardest by the introduction of a carbon tax, the Senate calls on the Government to acknowledge these concerns and place the Latrobe Valley on the priority list to receive access to the Government's national broadband network services as a matter of urgency.

to move:

That, in light of the possible passage of the Clean Energy bills through the Senate and the acknowledgement of the fact that the Latrobe Valley region will be the hardest hit by the introduction of a carbon tax, the Senate:

  (a)   recognises that privatisation of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) by the Kennett Government has been a failure with little or no investment in new technologies by the private sector which is now threatening Victoria's power supply; and

  (b)   calls on the Federal Government:

     (i)   to lead the way to a new clean energy industry in the Latrobe Valley by working with the Victorian Government in the recommissioning of the SECV, and

     (ii)   to work with the State Government of Victoria to help build a new Coal-Gasified power station at Driffield as the first step in the creation of a clean power industry in Victoria and help build a future for the district and secure under public ownership a reliable clean power industry in that state.

Photo of Bob BrownBob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   notes the recent survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics which showed that the gap between rich and poor is widening in Australia;

  (b)   understands why growing inequality along with corporate greed are motivating the 'Occupy' protest movements;

  (c)   notes that, in the United States of America, billionaire Warren Buffett has observed that he pays a smaller proportion of his income in tax than do the other people in his office; and

  (d)   calls for a 50 per cent marginal tax rate on incomes of more than $1 million per annum.

Photo of Catryna BilykCatryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Joint Select Committee on Cyber Safety be authorised to hold a private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1) during the sitting of the Senate on Wednesday, 23 November 2011, from 4 pm to 6 pm.

Photo of Mary FisherMary Fisher (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the time for the presentation of the report of the Environment and Communications References Committee on communication networks' and emergency warning systems' capacities in emergencies and natural disasters be extended to 23 November 2011.

Photo of Lisa SinghLisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Joint Standing Committee on Migration be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Wednesday, 23 November 2011, from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm.

Photo of Trish CrossinTrish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Joint Select Committee on Gambling Reform be authorised to hold a private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1) during the sitting of the Senate on Tuesday, 29 November 2011, from 4 pm.

Photo of Rachel SiewertRachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Community Affairs References Committee be authorised to hold a private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1) during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 3 November 2011, from 5 pm.

Photo of Lee RhiannonLee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

Photo of Michaelia CashMichaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | | Hansard source

Photo of Claire MooreClaire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   congratulates Anglicord – Anglican Overseas Aid on the launch of the Women Die Waiting campaign to highlight that breast cancer is one of the major causes of death for women in the Gaza Strip; and

  (b)   calls on all members of the Senate to support the Women Die Waiting campaign in their efforts to promote their cause and raise enough funds to provide 2 000 women in the Gaza Strip access to breast cancer screening every year.

Photo of Scott LudlamScott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   notes that the High Court in London will bring down its decision on Wednesday, 2 November 2011 regarding Sweden's request to extradite Mr Julian Assange; and

  (b)   calls on the Government to ensure that:

     (i)   the consular and legal rights of all Australian citizens overseas are fully protected, and

     (ii)   if extradited to Sweden for questioning, Mr Assange not be subject to further extradition from Sweden to the United States of America under a bilateral agreement to which Australia is not party.

Photo of Rachel SiewertRachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   acknowledges the concern of many members of the Australian public who have signed the National Sorry Day Committee petition calling for improvements to the new national history curriculum;

  (b)   affirms the importance of properly acknowledging the past treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our school curriculum; and

  (c)   supports the inclusion:

     (i)   of National Sorry Day and the history of forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children as a mandated and distinct component of the new national curriculum, to be covered at different stages throughout primary and secondary school, and

     (ii)   of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives throughout the history component of the new national curriculum for Australian schools, starting in early primary school.

to move:

Photo of Claire MooreClaire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Photo of Lee RhiannonLee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

Photo of Larissa WatersLarissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   notes that:

     (i)   2011 is the 40th anniversary of the appointment of Australia's first Aboriginal senator, Mr Neville Bonner, who served as a senator for the state of Queensland from 1971 to 1983, and

     (ii)   it is also the 50th anniversary of the establishment of South Tweed Heads reserve, which is both the site of Senator Bonner's birth and a sacred site to the Minjungbal people; and

  (b)   acknowledges:

     (i)   the vital role of Senator Bonner, as the first Aboriginal member of Federal Parliament, in providing a voice to Aboriginal people and bridging the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, and

     (ii)   the important work of Ms Margaret Kay, who in 1961 led the efforts to preserve the historic site of South Tweed Heads at a time when the conservation of places of Aboriginal cultural heritage was rare.

Photo of Lee RhiannonLee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That there be laid on the table by 21 November 2011 by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation all documents relating to the implementation of the Australian and New Zealand Government Sustainable Procurement Framework from January 2007 until present.

Photo of Joe LudwigJoe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

(1)   That estimates hearings by legislation committees for 2012 be scheduled as follows:

2011-12 additional estimates:

Monday, 13 February and Tuesday, 14 February (Group A)

Wednesday, 15 February and Thursday, 16 February (Group B).

2012-13 Budget estimates:

Monday, 21 May to Thursday, 24 May, and, if required, Friday, 25 May (GroupA)

Monday, 28 May to Thursday, 31 May, and, if required, Friday, 1 June (GroupB)

Monday, 15 October and Tuesday, 16 October (supplementary hearings—Group A)

Wednesday, 17 October and Thursday, 18 October (supplementary hearings—GroupB).

(2)   That the committees consider the proposed expenditure in accordance with the allocation of departments and agencies to committees agreed to by the Senate.

(3)   That committees meet in the following groups:

Group A:

Environment and Communications

Finance and Public Administration

Legal and Constitutional Affairs

Rural Affairs and Transport

Group B:

Community Affairs

Economics

Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.

(4)   That the committees report to the Senate on the following dates:

  (a)   Tuesday, 20 March 2012 in respect of the 2011-12 additional estimates; and

  (b)   Tuesday, 26 June 2012 in respect of the 2012-13 Budget estimates.

Photo of Christine MilneChristine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

Photo of Bob BrownBob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

to move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   notes:

     (i)   clauses 25 and 27 of the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Tasmania (IGA), signed by Prime Minister Gillard, and

     (ii)   that current logging and proposed logging in the 430 000 hectares of high conservation forests proposed for protection breaches these clauses of the IGA; and

  (b)   calls on the Government to immediately honour the IGA.