Senate debates

Thursday, 21 March 2013

Motions

Organ Harvesting

3:29 pm

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

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 1212 standing in my name by omitting subparagraph (b)(ii).

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations (UN) on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment has issued two reports detailing allegations of organ harvesting in China,

(ii) the UN and the Council of Europe are planning to introduce a new binding international treaty to prevent trafficking in organs, tissues and cells and have already issued protocols containing appropriate measures to combat the trafficking of human beings for organ removal, and

(iii) since the publication of the UN reports, the United States of America (US), from June 2011, has included on its online non-immigrant visa application Form DS-160 the question, 'Have you ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissues?'; and

(b) calls on the Government to:

(i) support the UN and Council of Europe initiatives to oppose the practice of organ harvesting.

Question agreed to.