I present report No. 20 of the...: 15 Nov 2023: House debates (OpenAustralia.org)

House debates

Wednesday, 15 November 2023

Committees

Selection Committee; Report

9:01 am

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

I present report No. 20 of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members' business on Monday 27 November 2023. The report will be printed in the Hansard for today, and the committee's determinations will appear on tomorrow's Notice Paper. Copies of the report have been placed on the table.

The report read as follows—

Report relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and of private Members' business

1. The Committee met in private session on Tuesday, 14 November 2023.

2. The Committee deliberated on items of committee and delegation business that had been notified, private Members' business items listed on the Notice Paper and notices lodged on Tuesday, 14 November 2023, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 27 November 2023, as follows:

Items for House of Representatives Chamber (10.10 am to 12 noon)

COMMITTEE AND DELEGATION BUSINESS

Presentation and statements

1 AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION

Australian Parliamentary Delegation United States of America

The Committee determined that statements on the report may be made all statements to conclude by 10.20 am.

Speech time limits

Mr J Wilson 5 minutes.

Next Member speaking 5 minutes.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 5 mins]

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices

1 MS TINK: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Migration Act 1958, and for related purposes. (Migration Amendment (Limits on Immigration Detention) Bill 2023)

(Notice given 14 November 2023.)

Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.

2 MR COLEMAN: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Online Safety Act 2021, and for related purposes. (Online Safety Amendment (Protecting Australian Children from Online Harm) Bill 2023)

(Notice given 14 November 2023.)

Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.

3 MS CLAYDON: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) 25 November 2023 marks the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, beginning 16 days of activism against gender-based violence;

(b) in Australia, it has been publicly reported that approximately 47 women have been killed by acts of violence as of 9 November this year;

(d) violence affects women of every age, from every cultural background, with different jobs and levels of education or income, living in different areas and leading different lives;

(2) commends the work of the family, domestic and sexual violence sector, which is delivering vital services to women, children and men;

(3) further notes that the Government is taking immediate and practical steps to prevent violence against women by:

(a) investing a record $2.3 billion in this area;

(b) launching the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032;

(d) establishing six ambitious targets to hold all governments to account for progress under the national plan;

(e) reducing the time it takes victim-survivors to access the Escaping Violence Payment;

(f) securing funding for states and territories to deliver frontline services;

(g) increasing support for temporary visa holders experiencing violence from $3,000 to $5,000;

(h) legislating ten paid days of family and domestic violence leave for all employees, including casuals; and

(i) making the family law system simpler and safer for people fleeing family violence; and

(4) acknowledges that there is still more work to done to end violence against women and children, but the Government is committed to ending this scourge within a generation.

(Notice given 14 November 2023.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Ms Claydon 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue at a later hour.

4 MS DANIEL: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) violence against women is a national emergency;

(b) in October 2023, six women in Australia were killed within a fortnight, five allegedly by men known to them;

(d) Aboriginal women are 11 times more likely to die from family violence than non-Aboriginal women;

(e) intimate partner violence is the biggest preventable threat to the health, wellbeing and safety of Australian women; and

(f) eliminating family violence requires national leadership, coordination and investment to build the evidence base needed to identify definitive points of intervention to prevent violence and change perpetrator behaviour;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) Australia currently has no national toll recording fatal violence against women and children;

(b) Australia currently has no funded national reporting mechanism dedicated to the detailed reporting of femicide, and the killing of children; and

(3) calls on the Government to establish The Australian Family Homicide Index to generate the evidence required to inform new and improved responses to family violence and help save lives.

(Notice given 13 November 2023.)

Time allotted 20 minutes.

Speech time limits

Ms Daniel 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

5 MR VAN MANEN: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that the cost of living keeps going up under the Prime Minister and Treasurer, and since this Government took office:

(a) food and grocery prices are up by 8.2 per cent;

(b) housing prices are up by 10.4 per cent;

(d) electricity is up by 18.2 per cent;

(e) gas is up by 28 per cent; and

(f) interest rates have increased 12 times;

(2) recognises it has not been easy under the Government since their election in May 2022;

(3) acknowledges that the Government has no plan to address spiralling costs and bring down inflation; and

(4) calls on the Government to deliver real cost of living relief to the Australian people.

(Notice given 14 November 2023.)

Time allotted remaining private Members' business time prior to 12 noon.

Speech time limits

Mr van Manen 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Items for Federation Chamber (11 am to 1.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices

1 MR THOMPSON: To move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges:

(a) Australia's 370,000 first responders are the brave individuals on the frontline tackling compounding and cascading disasters, risking their lives to safeguard communities and property;

(b) the work of first responders is a service to our nation and we honour it, and that some experiences can be distressing, traumatic and dangerous;

(c) it is crucial to provide ongoing, comprehensive national support and enhance the resilience and capability of first responders, especially during and immediately after the current severe bushfire season; and

(d) Fortem Australia is the leading provider of this support for first responders nationwide, providing effective care to 15,000 unique first responders and their families across the nation, including 37,000 wellbeing activity registrations and delivery of over 6,100 clinical psychology sessions;

(2) notes the Government's delay in confirming additional continued funding for this important work to continue beyond March 2024, resulting in significant uncertainty and a risk that Fortem Australia will need to begin to scale down its operations from November 2023; and

(3) urgently calls upon the Government to announce continued funding for Fortem Australia prior to the commencement of the upcoming summer bushfire period, ensuring that first responders know where to tum in their time of need, and ensuring the seamless delivery of nation-leading support to these dedicated individuals.

(Notice given 14 November 2023.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Thompson 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

2 DR FREELANDER: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes the:

(a) increasing importance of research in the field of genetics in advancing our understanding of better treatments and healthcare policy for the betterment of patients; and

(b) opportunities provided by genetic research and that the findings from life-changing treatments should be regarded as ways and means to provide targeted treatments for patients suffering from disorders such as epilepsy, auto-immune diseases, cancers, heart disease and many others;

(2) acknowledges:

(a) with the rush of new information and understanding of genetic treatments, comes the responsibility to protect the privacy of individuals from being exploited by third parties;

(b) the are imperative in protecting the field of genetics from exploitation and limiting the risk of patient records and disorders being used in discriminatory manners by third parties, such as the life insurance industry, whose current ability to use genetic test results in assessing applications and claims has led to great frustration and should be stopped; and

(c) this concern with privacy must not damage research in the genetics field and the benefits that advances in treatments provide, however, it is in the interest of this field that individuals are not discouraged from sharing information of their disorders; and

(3) calls on Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work towards legislation that will restrict third party access to genetic information and ensure that the only party able to choose when and how to disclose genetic information is the individual themselves.

(Notice given 17 October 2023.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Dr Freelander 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

3 MR FLETCHER: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) the release of Services Australia's 2022-23 annual report, which confirmed that customer satisfaction and other key performance measures went backwards;

(b) that Services Australia has become a basket case under the current Government, with sky-rocketing call and claims processing wait times; and

(c) that the under performing Minister for Government Services reduced Services Australia's average staffing levels in the 2023-24 budget and decreased funding for technology and transformation;

(2) acknowledges the work of the former Government in ensuring service delivery was seamless, simple and safe, with a strong emphasis on digital uplift; and

(3) calls on the Government to help get Services Australia back on track by launching a root and branch review into the embattled agency.

(Notice given 14 November 2023.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Fletcher 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

4 MR GEORGANAS: To move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that the Government's commitment to a Future Made in Australia includes pathways and access to the jobs of the future;

(2) acknowledges the Government's commitment to reach 1.2 million tech-related jobs by 2030 and ensure Australians are equipped with the skills needed for these jobs through;

(a) the delivery of over 180,000 Fee-Free TAFE places in 2023, including in the priority areas of technology and digital, and an additional 300,000 Fee-Free TAFE places to be made available from next year;

(b) its implementation of a Digital and Tech Skills Compact to help workers earn while they learn in entry leave tech roles;

(c) a diversity in STEM review to deliver a more diverse and representative STEM workforce for Australians from all walks of life;

(d) delivering Australia's first National Quantum Strategy;

(e) supporting the safe, inclusive uptake of technologies like artificial intelligence that reflect community interests; and

(3) notes the Government is committed to transforming Australian industry through:

(a) the $1.5 billion National Reconstruction Fund that will help Australia capture new, high value market opportunities; and

(b) the $392 million Industry Growth Program to support Australian small and medium enterprises to commercialise their ideas and grow their businesses.

(Notice given 14 November 2023.)

Time allotted 40 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Georganas 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

5 MS STEGGALL: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) small businesses are the backbone of our economy, making up 97.5 per cent of all businesses in Australia;

(b) these 2.5 million small businesses include cafes, newsagencies, hairdressers, builders and start-ups, all improving the way we live and work and contributing to Australia's low unemployment rate;

(c) many small businesses are facing the perfect storm of increased debt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing interest rates, ongoing inflation and resulting decrease in consumer spending, labour shortages, reducing consumer confidence as well as the critical challenges of substantial industrial relations reform, cybersecurity, technological advancements and changes in the workforce;

(d) small businesses were significantly impacted by the recent Optus outage, costing some small businesses up to $10,000;

(e) that we must proactively support small businesses in adapting, innovating and maintaining productivity to survive these pressures; and

(2) calls on Government to:

(a) deliver immediate relief for energy costs;

(b) amend the Treasury Laws Amendment (Support for Small Business and Charities and Other Measures) Bill 2023 to:

(i) increase the amount and extend the period for the small business instant asset write off; and

(ii) increase the amount and extend the period for the small business energy initiative;

(c) ensure that any legislative changes to PayDay superannuation do not disproportionately impact small business and that measures are taken to improve cash flow for businesses to offset the impact of PayDay reform from 2023;

(d) take necessary steps to allow the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman to compel Optus to compensate small businesses for the November 2023 Optus mobile and broadband outage;

(e) implement a comprehensive tax system review over the longer term that specifically focuses on:

(i) simplifying small business and taxation reporting requirements;

(ii) investigating the potential to reduce tax for small businesses or afford them the same advantages as those offered to all corporations in the economy (for example, the concessions to fossil fuel companies under the Petroleum Rent Resource Tax); and

(iii) considers the potential for tax credits for small business including for the payment of Domestic Violence leave; and

(f) deliver a small business strategy, agreed by National Cabinet, to ensure all levels of government are working to reduce the burden on small business and acting to cut regulation to ensure the sustainability of small businesses around Australia.

(Notice given 14 November 2023.)

Time allotted remaining private Members' business time prior to 1.30 pm.

Speech time limits

Ms Steggall 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Items for Federation Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices — continued

6 MR R MITCHELL: To move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges 2023 as the centenary of the Republic of Turkiye and congratulates the people of Turkiye on this significant milestone for their nation;

(2) remembers with respect the founder of the Republic and commander of Turkish forces at Gallipoli, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and his unprecedented efforts to heal the wounds of ANZAC mothers, paving the way for our two nations to become friends from foes in less than a decade; and

(3) recognises the sons and daughters of Turkiye who have since made their home in Australia and the contribution they have made to building our nation.

(Notice given 13 November 2023.)

Time allotted 20 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr R Mitchell 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

7 MR HAMILTON: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes the increase in youth crime across Queensland;

(2) acknowledges the increase in digital material featuring criminal activity by young offenders for the purpose of gaining notoriety;

(3) further notes the impact on victims of crime, as a result of such material being posted online and elsewhere, which demeans victims and flaunts a blatant disregard for the law and policing agencies;

(4) further acknowledges that digital platforms and online content depicting criminal activity material are being used as a tool to attract young people into criminal behaviour;

(5) notes the important role of the eSafety Commissioner as an independent regulator helping to safeguard young Australians at risk from online harms; and

(6) calls on the Government to:

(a) enhance protections of children and young people online, from digital content that depicts criminal activity material and prevent them from a life of crime; and

(b) protect victims of crime by empowering the eSafety Commissioner to explicitly handle online content of criminal activity material in a similar way to how cyber-bullying and cyber-abuse material is treated.

(Notice given 13 November 2023.)

Time allotted 40 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Hamilton 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

8 MR PERRETT: To move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the recent United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decision not to list the Great Barrier Reef as in danger;

(2) notes that the Government is tackling climate change and protection of the Great Barrier Reef to make a real difference, including action that has:

(a) invested a record $1.2 billion in the reef;

(b) legislated to reach net zero, with a 43 per cent emissions reduction target in 2035, and committed to reaching 82 per cent renewable energy supply by 2030;

(c) invested $150 million to improve water quality through projects such as revegetation, grazing management and engineering work like gully stabilisation;

(d) with the Queensland Government, announced the phase-out of gillnets in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park with a $160 million package;

(e) rejected a coal mine that could have direct impacts on the reef;

(f) engaged more Indigenous rangers to manage sea country, including combatting crown of thorns starfish outbreaks, marine plastics and ghost nets;

(g) withdrawn federal funding for dams that would have had a detrimental impact on reef water quality;

(h) invested an extra $163.4 million in the May 2023 budget to guarantee the future of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, doubling funding for reef science; and

(i) committed to rewriting Australia's broken environmental laws; and

(3) confirms that UNESCO's decision makes clear that Australia's environmental policies have fundamentally changed under this Government and changed for the better.

(Notice given 1 August 2023.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Perrett 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

9 MR L O'BRIEN: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that industrial scale reckless renewable energy proposals, and their associated transmission lines are economically, socially and environmentally untenable for the following reasons:

(a) they involve significant land clearing and invasive construction, destroying prime agricultural land, native bushland and wildlife habitats;

(b) the location and proximity of transmission lines lead to the devaluation of land and the interruption of agricultural businesses;

(d) the costs of these proposals are prone to blow out; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) impose a moratorium on industrial scale renewable energy projects until the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is amended to require the automatic referral of such projects for assessment under the Act;

(b) support a Senate inquiry into the economic, social and environmental impacts of industrial scale reckless renewable energy projects, and their associated transmission lines;

(c) conduct a thorough and transparent feasibility study into the alternative development of next generation zero-emission nuclear technology as a future sustainable energy source;

(d) require state and territory governments to avoid the use of private land for projects and transmission lines where such projects attract Commonwealth funding; and

(e) work with state and territory governments to review energy and transmission line project evaluation processes to ensure that environmental, social and economic impacts are given full consideration as part of the assessment process.

(Notice given 14 September 2023.)

Time allotted 45 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr L O'Brien 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 9 x 5 mins]

The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Orders of the day

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: Resumption of debate on the motion of Ms Claydon—That this House: