Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Leader of the Government in the Senate (Senator Birmingham) today to a question without notice to asked by Senator Hanson-Young relating to the environment.

I asked the government today when they will respond in full to the recommendations in the alarming report of the review of Australia's environment laws conducted by Professor Graeme Samuel. This was a review that was done under law. It was required because, every 10 years, we review the adequacy of our environment laws. This report shows that the adequacy of our environment laws is woeful. They are not protecting our forests. They are not protecting our animals. They not protecting our precious places, our beaches and our coastlines. They are not protecting them, and, instead, they are allowing precious parts of this country, our wilderness, our bushland and many of our native animals to be trashed and endangered by mining, by forestry, by big developers. It's time that we had laws in this country that actually protect our environment and don't offer an incentive for those who do the wrong thing to keep getting away with it.

One of the key recommendations in this report, recommendation 15, is that the regional forest agreements that are currently in place that allow logging in Australia's native forests should not be exempt from our environment laws. That is a fundamental point being made here in this report that has been handed to the government and is waiting for a response. Just today the Federal Court has handed down a decision in relation to logging in native forests and the validity of these regional forest agreements. It has said that, under the law as it is, this logging is able to continue. Many, many Australians will be shocked to hear that it is perfectly legal in this country to log in our native forests, to endanger our native animals in these native forests, and that there is no environmental law in this country that protects these forests and these animals from these logging companies and logging projects. Isn't it unthinkable that, despite how precious our environment is, despite what little native forest we have left in this country, it is perfectly legal under current law to trash and burn? It is quite clear in the review and the report put forward— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Hanson-Young. The time for contribution has expired. The question is that the motion moved by Senator Hanson-Young be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

Senators Dean Smith, McGrath, Chandler, McLachlan, Abetz, Davey, O'Sullivan, Scarr, Askew and McDonald to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that 6 February 2021 marks the 69th anniversary of the accession of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia and Head of the Commonwealth;

(b) extends to Her Majesty its appreciation for the sense of duty and extraordinary grace in which she fulfils her duties as Queen of Australia and Head of the Commonwealth; and

(c) recognises the enduring role that Her Majesty has played as a symbol of peace and stability across the Commonwealth.

Senator Griff to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) acknowledges 27 January 2021 marked the 76th anniversary since the liberation of Auschwitz and is recognised as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust;

(b) pays its respects to the 11 million people killed during the Holocaust, including six million people of Jewish faith;

(c) further acknowledges the Holocaust serves as a reminder not to be indifferent to hate and hate speech, and to show compassion for others;

(d) notes that:

(i) the Director-General of ASIO warned Australians that the extreme right wing threat is growing in Australia with small cells regularly meeting to salute Nazi flags, inspect weapons, train in combat and share their hateful ideology, and

(ii) Australia is the only country inside the Five Eyes Intelligence Network not to proscribe any right-wing extremist group as a terrorist organisation;

(e) further notes that attacks on democracy, such as the insurrection on the United States Capitol Building which featured the presence of anti-Semitic symbols and sentiment, represents an existential threat to our collective safety;

(f) recognises the right to free speech comes with responsibilities; it does not give anyone entitlement to sow division and hate; and

(g) condemns the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Australia and around the globe.

Senator Polley to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) acknowledges and congratulates the 2021 Australian of the year, Grace Tame, a proud Tasmanian who showed unbelievable strength and courage to overcome her own trauma and fight for survivors of child sexual abuse; and

(b) further acknowledges and congratulates the worthy Tasmanians who were recipients of the 2021 Australia Day Honours on 26 January 2021 for their outstanding achievement and services to Tasmania and Australia more broadly, including:

(i) Member of the Order of Australia (AM) recipients: Gregory Raymond Hall, Bernadette Black, Gerald Loughran, Sarah Briana Parry, Christopher Paul Webster and Ross James Burridge,

(ii) Order of Australia Medal (OAM) recipients: the late Margaret Annette Bartkevicius-James, Rosemary Joan Bennett, Terrence Michael Bennett, Maxwell Arthur Burr, John Thomas Burton, Peter Aubrey Cosier, Bruce Englefield, Katherine Cameron Macarthur, John Robert McDonald and Sally-Anne Wise,

(iii) Australian Fire Service Medal Recipients: Shane Ian Batt, Robert Bruce Dawes and David Thomas Oakley ESM,

(iv) Ambulance Service Medal Recipient: Matthew James Eastham and Pamela Anne Heiermann, and

(v) Emergency Services Medal Recipients: Cheryl Louise Ames, Jason Alec Lawrence and Jason Kenneth Robins.

Senator Keneally to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) there has been a significant increase in far-right extremism in Australia,

(ii) far-right extremism is often cultivated through its overlap with various conspiracy theories, which have become a common tool to radicalise individuals through misinformation on social media, and

(iii) far-right extremism tears apart the social fabric of Australia's multicultural community;

(b) condemns:

(i) the Members for Hughes and Dawson for promoting a range of conspiracy theories and misinformation campaigns relating to COVID-19, climate change, voter fraud and 'false flag' operations in the United States,

(ii) the National Socialist Network, an Australian neo-Nazi organisation which caused fear amongst communities in the Grampians on both Australia Day and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and

(iii) other far-right extremist groups which seek to promote fascism and bigotry in our community;

(c) expresses its support for the many multicultural and First Nations Australians who are vilified by far-right extremists; and

(d) calls on the Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs to take action to combat the spread of far-right extremism within their party and in the broader community.

Senator Roberts to move on the next day of sitting—

(1) That a select committee to be known as the Select Committee on the Use of Commonwealth Grant Money in Queensland Local Government be established to inquire into and report on the alleged misuse of Commonwealth Disaster Recovery Funding and associated conduct in Queensland local government, with reference to:

(a) the alleged fraudulent misuse of Commonwealth and state disaster recovery funds and other grants;

(b) the role of the Local Government Association of Queensland in enabling corruption and misuse of Commonwealth grant monies;

(c) the stripping of reportedly up to 50% out of Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements and Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements project funding as private profits; and

(d) any other related matter as determined by the committee.

(2) That the committee present its final report on or before 14 October 2021.

(3) That the committee consist of six senators, three nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate, two nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, and one to be nominated by the Leader of Pauline Hanson's One Nation.

(4) That the committee may appoint a sub-committee for the purpose of taking evidence. A sub-committee will consist of any 3 members, chaired by a government or Pauline Hanson's One Nation member, with 1 member nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.

(5) That:

(a) participating members may be appointed to the committee on the nomination of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate or any minor party or independent senator;

(b) participating members may participate in hearings of evidence and deliberations of the committee, and have all the rights of members of the committee, but may not vote on any questions before the committee; and

(c) that the presence of a quorum for the committee be determined in accordance with the provisions of standing order 29.

(6) That the committee may proceed to the dispatch of business notwithstanding that all members have not been duly nominated and appointed and notwithstanding any vacancy.

(7) That the committee elect as chair the member nominated by the Leader of Pauline Hanson's One Nation and as deputy chair a member nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

(8) That the deputy chair act as chair when the chair is absent from a meeting of the committee or the position of chair is temporarily vacant.

(9) That the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, may appoint another member of the committee to act as chair during the temporary absence of both the chair and deputy chair at a meeting of the committee.

(10) That, in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, have a casting vote.

(11) That the committee have power to send for and examine persons and documents, to move from place to place, to sit in public or in private, notwithstanding any prorogation of the Parliament or dissolution of the House of Representatives, and have leave to report from time to time its proceedings, the evidence taken and such interim recommendations as it may deem fit.

(12) That the committee be provided with all necessary staff, facilities and resources and be empowered to appoint persons with specialist knowledge for the purposes of the committee with the approval of the President.

(13) That the committee be empowered to print from day to day such documents and evidence as may be ordered by it, and a daily Hansard be published of such proceedings as take place in public.

Senator Gallagher to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) under the Morrison Government the Australian economy entered the coronavirus pandemic from a position of weakness not strength,

(ii) Australia has experienced the deepest recession in almost a century and the decisions the Morrison Government is taking are making things worse for hardworking Australians,

(iii) the Morrison Government intends to terminate JobKeeper at the end of March despite having no jobs plan to replace it and with 1.6 million Australians continuing to rely on the payment,

(iv) 2 million more Australians remain out of work or are working less hours than they need to support their families,

(v) unemployment is forecast to remain above pre-pandemic levels over the next three years,

(vi) wages growth, already at records lows under the Morrison Government, is expected to remain stagnant, and

(vii) Prime Minister Morrison deliberately excluded 928,000 people aged 35 and over from hiring subsidies; and

(b) expresses its disappointment that after racking up more than $1 trillion in debt and with no plan for jobs, the Morrison Government plans to cut wages, cut super and wind back consumer protections in the banking system that risks weakening the recovery and will leave too many Australians behind.

Senators McKenzie, Canavan, Davey, McDonald and McMahon to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) notes The Nationals' Manufacturing 2035 plan to generate 800,000 jobs by:

(i) leveraging the regions' comparative advantage across strategic industries and their access to natural resources,

(ii) adding further value to regional exports by turning primary products into manufactured goods and complex products,

(iii) ensuring fibre processing is explicitly included as a manufacturing priority,

(iv) increasing trade efforts and growing exports,

(v) providing access to low-cost, long-term finance and tax incentives,

(vi) strengthening Australian Government procurement policies,

(vii) facilitating early exposure to trades and harmonisation of trade qualifications and employment conditions,

(viii) supporting Anti-Dumping Commission investigations and taking countervailing action against overseas subsidies,

(ix) investing in reliable, affordable energy and strategic infrastructure that supports manufacturing, and

(x) investing in oil and gas development including finding new sources of oil supplies; and

(b) supports:

(i) the generation of manufacturing jobs in regional Australia,

(ii) regional development, including decentralisation,

(iii) strategic regionalisation through partnerships with our state, territory, and local government counterparts,

(iv) securing our national sovereignty by reversing the trend of the decline of Australian manufacturing,

(v) development of regional hubs to connect manufacturers with local businesses, education providers, research and development organisations, and governments, and

(vi) investment in reliable and affordable energy and in strategic infrastructure that can support manufacturing.

Senator Gallagher to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that on:

(i) 7 September 2020 Minister Hunt said 'Australians would be among the first in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine', and

(ii) 5 November 2020 Prime Minister Morrison assured Australians they would be 'at the front of the queue';

(b) further notes that contrary to these assurances by the Prime Minister and Minister for Health to the Australian people:

(i) more than 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have already been administered across at least 60 countries, and

(ii) the Department of Health provided evidence to the Select Committee on COVID-19 that Prime Minister Morrison's public target of 4 million doses by the end of March 'seems impossible now', and

(iii) the Morrison Government only secured access to 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine after 34 other countries had secured 1 billion doses;

(c) calls on Prime Minister Morrison to abandon his spin and be honest and transparent with the Australian people with respect to the COVID-19 vaccination programme; and

(d) expresses its disappointment in Prime Minister Morrison's refusal to condemn Mr Craig Kelly MP's ongoing misinformation and fearmongering, including in relation to the work of the Therapeutic Goods Administration and its oversight of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Senators Rice and Steele-John to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) studies suggest that at least one in ten LGBTQA+ Australians are vulnerable to religion-based pressures and attempts to change or suppress their sexuality and/or gender identity,

(ii) many people who experience attempts to change or suppress the LGBTQA + elements of their selves are severely harmed by those attempts,

(iii) today the Victorian Parliament is voting on the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Prohibition Bill, a world class bill that would outlaw sexuality and gender identity conversion practices across the state, and

(iv) a national approach to banning conversion practices is required to ensure the rights, wellbeing and protection of every LGBTQA+ Australian; and

(b) calls on the Government to establish a national inquiry into the prevalence and impact of formal and informal conversion practices in Australia, inclusive of educational, pastoral care and community settings.

Senator Wong to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that Friday, 12 February 2021 is the Lunar New Year and that 2021 is the year of the Ox, which represents hard work, honesty and positivity;

(b) wishes Happy Lunar New Year and a positive and prosperous year ahead to all Australians and in particular those celebrating Lunar New Year; and

(c) celebrates Australia's diversity, one of our nation's great strengths.

Senator Waters to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that the total amount of money donated to political parties, as disclosed to the Australian Electoral Commission, tripled between the 2016 election and the 2019 election; and

(b) supports:

(i) lowering the disclosure threshold for donations to political parties,

(ii) requiring more timely disclosure of donations to political parties, and

(iii) imposing caps on the amount that donors can donate to political parties.

Senators Duniam, Abetz, Askew, Chandler and Colbeck to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that yesterday's decision of the Full Federal Court of Australia has now provided a clear determination on the validity of the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA);

(b) further notes the judgement was a big win for Australia's forest industry and supports the long-held position of this Government, the state of Tasmania and industry that RFAs remain the best way of balancing environmental, economic and social demands for our native forests;

(c) acknowledges that the Australian forest industry uses world-class sustainable forest management practices and supports the employment of more than 52,000 hardworking Australians making it an industry that deserves to be celebrated;

(d) condemns the Bob Brown Foundation for their consistent use of the Australian courts as a form of lawfare to try to decimate the livelihoods of working Australians; and

(e) calls on the Bob Brown Foundation and the Australian Greens to accept the decision of the court in what they branded 'the Great Forest Case' and heed Mr Brown's own advice: 'It is time we moved on'.

Senators O'Sullivan, Brockman, Cash, Dodson, Lines, Pratt, Reynolds, Siewert, Small, Dean Smith, Steele-John and Sterle to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a) acknowledges:

(i) the ongoing bushfire emergency in Western Australia, which continues to destroy homes and businesses in the Shires of Northam, Chittering, Mundaring and the City of Swan,

(ii) the work of hundreds of Western Australian volunteer and career firefighters who are continuing to work in extremely challenging conditions to save lives and property,

(iii) the support provided to Western Australia by other states, including a New South Wales Rural Fire Service Aerial Tanker,

(iv) the efforts of communities in the region who are coming together to support each other, particularly in the operation of evacuation centres, helping the most vulnerable in their community and those who have lost homes and property,

(v) the huge community effort to relocate and find new homes for animals, particularly horses, for the duration of this emergency, and

(vi) that this bushfire emergency is not over, with challenging conditions and heavy winds forecast to continue impacting the bushfire area; and

(b) extends its support to these communities, residents, and emergency services personnel as they continue to confront this bushfire.

Senator Wong to move (contingent on any senator being refused leave to move a motion related to the suspension or adjournment of the Senate):

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the senator moving a motion related to the suspension or adjournment of the Senate.