House debates
Monday, 21 May 2012
- Private Members' Business (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Petitions (0 speeches)
- Responses (1 speech)
The following ministerial responses to petitions have been received:
- Statements (1 speech)
Madam Deputy Speaker, today I would like to reflect on the origins of the House's current petitioning framework. In 2007, the House Procedure Committee examined the practices and procedures of...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Private Members' Business (0 speeches)
- Economy (20 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) Australia's economy is strong, resilient and outperforming any comparable nation; (b) Australia's unemployment rate of 4.9 per cent is historically...
- Statements (0 speeches)
- Member for Dobell (8 speeches)
Madam Deputy Speaker. I seek leave to make a statement. Leave granted. 'Go cut your wrists or, better still, hang yourself.' 'Go out the back, cut your throat—that's the only way.' 'Have...
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Member for Dobell (18 speeches)
I seek leave to move the motion that the House take note of the statement just made by the member for Dobell.
- Privilege (0 speeches)
- (20 speeches)
Madam Deputy Speaker, I raise a matter of privilege. I understand under the standing orders that it is my duty, should I seek to raise a matter of privilege in relation to the breaching of the...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Statements by Members (0 speeches)
- Ryan Electorate: Return Serve Program (1 speech)
I rise today to speak about a not-for-profit organisation doing amazing things for the community in the Ryan electorate. Return Serve is a not-for-profit tennis organisation, which facilitates...
- Bass Electorate: St Giles Society (1 speech)
I rise to congratulate a local disability provider in my electorate of Bass, St Giles. I recently had the great pleasure of making the pre-budget announcement of $6.8 million for paediatric...
- Practice Incentives Program (1 speech)
I have recently been contacted by the directors of the Biloela Medical Centre regarding their concerns over the lengthy delay in payments under the Practice Incentives Program. Biloela is a key...
- Cheedy, Mr Ned (1 speech)
I rise today in tribute to Yindjibarndi elder and custodian, Mr Cheedy, who died on 1 April 2012 at the great age of 105. With his long life, Mr Cheedy beat all the odds that have been stacked...
- Mental Health (1 speech)
I would like to raise a very serious issue about mental health in my home state of South Australia. We would all have heard the grand statements about national health reform that were made by the...
- Wheatley, Ms Joyce (1 speech)
I want to draw the attention of the House to the sad passing of Joyce Elise Wheatley. Joyce died on Tuesday last week at age 74 after a long illness. Joyce was a Labor legend, a lifetime member...
- National Youth Week (1 speech)
I rise today to speak about the National Youth Week celebrations in my electorate. National Youth Week is celebrated each year in Macarthur to recognise the positive contributions made by young...
- Lymphoma (1 speech)
On 27 April a group of intrepid cyclists set off from the Sydney Opera House and rode to Parliament House to raise awareness about lymphoma, Australia's No. 1 blood cancer. The gruelling...
- Boothby Electorate: Flinders Centre of Innovation in Cancer (1 speech)
I was very pleased on 26 April to attend the opening of the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer. This has been part of the long-term vision of the Flinders Medical Centre, and I want to pay...
- St Hilliers (3 speeches)
A very competitive German once said that history repeats itself—first time as tragedy, second time as farce. Karl Marx was wrong about very many things but, if he was looking at the recent...
- Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I inform the House that the Prime Minister will be absent from question time today until Wednesday, as she is representing Australia at the NATO summit in Chicago. The Minister for Defence will...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Carbon Pricing (7 speeches)
My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Why does the government's $36 million carbon tax advertising campaign not actually mention the carbon tax?
- Economy (2 speeches)
My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Will the Acting Prime Minister update the House on the global economic situation and the implications for our economy?
- Carbon Pricing (5 speeches)
My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer to an article in today's Courier Mail stating that Queenslanders will be hit with multimillion dollar bills from rubbish created from Cyclone...
- Mining (4 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and for Disability Reform. What policies is the government putting in place to spread the benefits of the...
- Economy (7 speeches)
My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer the Acting Prime Minister to the downgrades last week of numerous Spanish banks; concerns about escalating withdrawals from the Greek banking...
- Goods and Services Tax (2 speeches)
My question is to the Treasurer. In light of the Leader of the Opposition's inconsistent and ambiguous comments regarding Tasmania and GST, do you agree that Tasmania currently receives its fair...
- Budget (7 speeches)
My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. How is the government's budget helping to spread the benefits of the mining boom to small business and Australian families?
- Economy (2 speeches)
My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I refer the Acting Prime Minister to his comments only a fortnight ago on Fran Kelly's program that the increase in the debt limit was 'no big deal'....
- Budget (11 speeches)
My question is to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister Assisting for Deregulation. What is the government doing in the budget to ensure hardworking Australian families and businesses share in the...
- Asylum Seekers (8 speeches)
My question is to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to the fact that more than 1,000 people have arrived on illegal boats this month, including three boats in the past 24 hours—with one...
- Carbon Pricing (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Minister, how is the government assisting households with the modest impact of...
- Member for Dobell (8 speeches)
My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Does the Acting Prime Minister agree with the Prime Minister that it is not appropriate for the member for Dobell to participate in the Labor caucus...
- Budget (6 speeches)
My question is to the How is the government helping working people and their families through the budget? Why is it important that all working families benefit from the proceeds of the mining boom?
- Member for Dobell (6 speeches)
My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. If the Acting Prime Minister believes in the presumption of innocence, will he explain why the member for Dobell was excluded from the Labor caucus?
- Budget (2 speeches)
My question is to the . How has the budget delivered on the government's commitment to regional Australia and what are the practical outcomes of this budget for communities in regional areas?
- Member for Dobell (4 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. I ask the minister in his capacity as minister responsible for registered organisations, in particular for the operation of...
- Budget (4 speeches)
Thank you for the protection!
- Member for Dobell (8 speeches)
My question is to the Special Minister of State. I ask the minister in his capacity as minister responsible for registered organisations, in particular as minister responsible for the operation...
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Member for Dobell (7 speeches)
I seek leave to move a motion. The motion that I am seeking leave to move is that the House considers the statement made this day by the member for Dobell, especially in light of the clear...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders (25 speeches)
I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Sturt moving immediately—That the House considers the statement made this day by the...
- Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
- (5 speeches)
Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
Documents are presented as listed in the schedule circulated to honourable members. Details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings and I move: That the House take note of...
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Member for Dobell (8 speeches)
Madam Deputy Speaker, given that the vote on that suspension motion was 70 votes to 68 and therefore it was carried in a moral sense, I now seek leave to move the following motion: That the House...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Parliamentary Office Holders (0 speeches)
- Speaker's Panel (1 speech)
Pursuant to standing order 17, I lay on the table the Speaker's warrant revoking the nomination of the honourable member for O'Connor to be a member of the Speaker’s panel to assist the...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Privilege (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I seek leave to clarify my statement to the House earlier today relating to a matter of privilege regarding the member for Hughes. Leave granted. In my statement I raised the question of whether...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Private Members' Business (0 speeches)
- Stillbirths (3 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) under current State and Territory legislation, a coroner does not have the statutory and judicial authority to investigate stillbirths, nor does the...
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- Carbon Pricing (1 speech)
A few months back I raised the issue of the impact that the impending carbon tax would have on businesses in terms of the rise in electricity costs. That was pooh-poohed in this House by the...
- Coral Sea Marine Reserve (1 speech)
I take this opportunity to urge environment minister Burke to include the Osprey Reef and the Shark Reef as protected areas in the proposed Coral Sea marine park. A fortnight ago a number of us...
- Hasluck Electorate: Hasluck Leadership Awards (1 speech)
I rise today to talk about the Hasluck Leadership Awards, which are in their second year. The Hasluck Leadership Awards, named in honour of two renowned Western Australians, Sir Paul Hasluck and...
- Fraser Electorate: Volunteering (1 speech)
Over recent decades, Australians have lost social capital. We are less likely to be civically engaged in our communities; we are more disconnected than we once were. But this does not change the...
- State of Origin Rugby League (1 speech)
I rise in this chamber in the most important week we will see here in a long time. It is the week where we will see the first of three State of Origin games, which will surely result in...
- La Trobe Electorate: Education Week (1 speech)
How to follow that? I am pleased this evening to mention to the House that it is Education Week in Victoria this week. It was great to be out at St Mark's in Emerald on the weekend with a group...
- Child Care (1 speech)
It was a delight to be in the chamber to hear of the member for La Trobe's great interest in education issues. As a former resident of La Trobe, in the town of Emerald, I would commend to her the...
- Human Rights in Vietnam (1 speech)
On 28 April this year I was invited by the Vietnamese community in Australia to speak at the Australian War Memorial on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. It was an...
- Independent Local Butchers (1 speech)
Tonight here in parliament I was proud to host the inaugural Independent Butchers BBQ together with my good friend Senator John Williams. I would like to thank the many members of parliament from...
- Building the Education Revolution Program (1 speech)
This evening I will relate to the House yet another good news story about the Building the Education Revolution, in particular the Primary Schools of the 21st Century, the P21, component. As all...
- Australian Natural Disasters (1 speech)
I rise to speak on a very important area of policy—that is, natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements. It should be at times that are outside the urgent time of emergency when...
- Neilly, Mrs Lola (1 speech)
George Neilly was born in 1917 in Kurri. He was educated at Maitland Boys High and became a coalminer at the age of 17. He rose through the trade union ranks to become secretary of the northern...
- Constituency Statements (0 speeches)
- Queensland Brain Institute (1 speech)
I was delighted to visit the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland this month for a guided tour of their state-of-the-art Centre for Ageing Dementia Research. I must thank...
- ACT Volunteer of the Year Awards (1 speech)
Last week was National Volunteering Week and on Tuesday the ACT Volunteer of the Year Awards were held here in Canberra. These awards, which are organised by Volunteering ACT, are a wonderful...
- Swan Electorate: Traffic (1 speech)
Towards the end of last year, I was visited by an action group of the Hubert Street residents concerned about the traffic debacle on their street. The situation has been caused by changes to the...
- Victoria's TAFE Sector (1 speech)
I would like to talk today about the decision by the Baillieu Liberal government to cut $300 million from Victoria's TAFE sector. This decision, announced this month in the Victorian state...
- Road Infrastructure (1 speech)
I rise to continue my strong advocacy for local infrastructure projects. I invited Warren Truss MP, Leader of the Nationals and shadow infrastructure and transport minister, to Hasluck to view...
- Calwell Electorate: Music Education (1 speech)
I am pleased to speak in the chamber today about a fabulous development with a program in my electorate that has created a new world of music for students at Meadows Primary School. Recently I...
- Durack Electorate: Australia Post (1 speech)
I rise today to bring the attention of the chamber to the postal situation in north-western Western Australia. To explain the circumstances, I will give you the background. For $20 an hour you...
- Asylum Seekers (1 speech)
It is not often that the geopolitical situation meets the local in such a cruel and devastating way as we have seen over the last couple of weeks. Yesterday in Sri Lanka they noted the third...
- Duke of Edinburgh Awards (1 speech)
It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge six incredible Territorians who volunteer their time to the Duke of Edinburgh Awards or, as it is affectionately known, the 'Dukes Mob' program. I have...
- Education Funding (1 speech)
Not just content with slashing $500 million from Victoria's education sector last year, on Tuesday, 1 May 2012 the Victorian state budget delivered another series of cuts to the education sector....
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Private Members' Business (0 speeches)
- Australian Public Service (12 speeches)
I rise to speak today about the dire plans the coalition has in store for the Australian Public Service and to contrast them with Labor's optimistic plan for a strong Public Service. For the 11th...
- Family Law and Child Support System (2 speeches)
I rise to call on the parliament to agree to the need for a comprehensive review of family law and of the child support system. In the 21 months or so that I have been a member of parliament, a...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That business intervening before order of the day No. 6, committee and delegation reports, be postponed until a later hour this day. Question agreed to.
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Health and Ageing Committee; Report (17 speeches)
This is the third time I have stood to speak on the report on the registration processes and support for overseas trained doctors and it is a pleasure to continue. The committee received many...
- Australia's Immigration Detention Network Committee; Report (2 speeches)
Thank you, Deputy Speaker and thank you for stepping in where I had a clash with the role of Deputy Speaker and in speaking; I appreciate it a lot. This is an important report and an important...
- Private Members' Business (0 speeches)
- Education Funding (8 speeches)
Of the many issues and topics we debate in this chamber, there are few more important than education. It is, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, the first defence of the nation. As I said to the...
- Aged Care Reform (24 speeches)
The first part of the motion congratulates the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing on the fantastic aged-care package that he has announced—Living Longer, Living Better Aged Care Reform....
- Food Allergies (5 speeches)
I am pleased to have the opportunity to rise and discuss an issue that affects so many Australians and an issue that I have raised in the parliament on numerous occasions. It is something that...
- Grievance Debate (0 speeches)
- Child Care (1 speech)
Unfortunately, in politics we have become used to the disjuncture between rhetoric and reality, but under this government it has been turned into an art form. Big spending budgets from so-called...
- Gene Patents (1 speech)
I wish to speak tonight about a matter that has grieved me for three years, ever since I became aware that companies were taking out patents over human genes and of the consequences of this in...
- Northern Territory (1 speech)
I rise tonight to raise serious issues affecting the Northern Territory. I have previously said in this place that most Territorians are a 3½-hour flight from the nearest capital city. We...
- Ballard v Multiplex [2012] NSWSC 426 (1 speech)
I want to bring to the attention of the parliament the case of Ballard v Multiplex, where judgment was delivered on 13 May 2012 in the Supreme Court of New South Wales's equity division. At the...
- Kimberley Toad Busters (5 speeches)
I rise this evening to bring the attention of the House to an organisation called the Kimberley Toad Busters. The Kimberley Toad Busters have been working very hard for some seven years from a...
- Werriwa Electorate: Not-For-Profit Organisations (3 speeches)
I know that the member for Goldstein would not associate himself with this sentiment, but sometimes you have got to feel sorry for the member for North Sydney. He is out there trying to find $70...
