House debates
Thursday, 5 December 2013
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Governor-General's Speech (0 speeches)
- Address-in-Reply (10 speeches)
Thank you, Deputy Speaker Mitchell, and congratulations on your role in this august place. While this is in no way my first speech after 15 years and six elections, it does feel like a long time...
- Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I acknowledge the presence in the chamber of the Hon. Natasha Maclaren Jones, member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales. Honourable members: Hear, hear!
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Appointment (1 speech)
Madam Speaker has received two messages from the Senate informing the House of the appointment of senators to certain joint committees. As the list of appointments is a lengthy one, I do not...
- Electoral Matters Committee; Appointment (2 speeches)
Madam Speaker has received a message from the Senate informing the House that the Senate has agreed to the following resolution: That the resolution of appointment of the Joint Standing Committee...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Statements by Members (0 speeches)
- Lalor Electorate: Housing (1 speech)
I am extremely concerned about the Australian tax office's draft ruling to increase the GST on mobile home parks. I am advised that my electorate of Lalor has approximately 620 mobile or...
- Hinkler Electorate: Health (1 speech)
Last week I toured the site of Australia's first fully-integrated digital hospital. On track for completion in August next year, St Stephen's Hospital will attract new medical specialists to the...
- Parramatta Electorate: Human Rights (1 speech)
Last Saturday, I joined the young men and women from Amnesty International Parramatta outside Parramatta Town Hall for the Write for Rights event. They were collecting signatures to raise the...
- McPherson Electorate: Gold Coast Dyslexia Support Group (1 speech)
I wish to speak to a petition signed by more than 8,300 parents and teachers, from 14 dyslexia support groups around Australia who are affiliated with the Australian Dyslexia Association. They...
- Kingsford Smith Electorate: State Emergency Service (1 speech)
On 29 November, I had the wonderful honour of attending the Randwick Botany state emergency service annual awards night, at which wonderful volunteers in our community were awarded for their...
- Corangamite Electorate: Avalon Airport (1 speech)
I rise to express my extreme concern about reports that Jetstar is on the verge of closing down its operations at Avalon Airport, north of Geelong. Just last month, Qantas announced that 299...
- Gellibrand Electorate: Sikh Community (1 speech)
I rise today to acknowledge the excellent volunteer work done by Jaswinder Sidhu and the Sikh community in and around my electorate. I visited the Tarneit Sikh temple on Sunday, 24 November of...
- La Paglia, Mr Egidio (1 speech)
I would like to take this opportunity to pay respects to Egidio 'Eddy' La Paglia from Paddington in my electorate of Brisbane, who passed away peacefully on 30 November 2013. Mr La Paglia was the...
- 'The Philippines, We Care' Day (1 speech)
Last Sunday I saw a prime example of why I am so honoured to represent the seat of Chifley. Last Sunday, some of Western Sydney's community turned out en masse to dig deep for people most of them...
- National Broadband Network (2 speeches)
Once upon a time there was a fairy godfather named Steve. Steve had a magic wand, and supposed to make broadband services the envy of the world at a very reasonable price. The Western Weekender...
- Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I inform the House that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Trade and Investment will be absent from question time today. The Treasurer will answer questions on behalf of the...
- Statements on Indulgence (0 speeches)
- Australia-Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement (2 speeches)
I am pleased to inform the House that the Minister for Trade and Investment has successfully concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement between Australia and the Republic of Korea. The...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Goods and Services Tax (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Given that the Prime Minister said, 'There will be no change to the GST, full stop, end of story', why is the government now considering applying the GST to...
- Abbott Government (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Firstly, I welcome the exciting announcement on the free trade agreement with Korea. Prime Minister, why it is important for the government to keep its...
- Education (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Before the election the Prime Minister promised an adult government that would follow due process with a 10-day cabinet rule. Why has the government...
- Budget (6 speeches)
My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer outline how he is implementing the plan the government took to the election to fix the budget and the economy?
- Pentland Irrigation Scheme (6 speeches)
My question is to the Treasurer. It has been officially announced that the Treasurer has been accorded the highest of appellations, the title of honorary North Queenslander. In light of this...
- Carbon Pricing (7 speeches, 1 comment)
My question is to the Minister for the Environment. I remind the minister that Qantas paid $106 million and Virgin Australia $47.9 million in carbon tax last year. Will the minister inform the...
- Commonwealth Debt Limit (5 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Given that the Prime Minister said before the election that we can never build a better future by doing cheap and tawdry deals with the Greens, why was one...
- Small Business (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Small Business. I refer the minister to an article published on 7 August in The Daily Telegraph which says that, with the impact of the cost of electricity...
- National Commission of Audit (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Given that the Prime Minister said, 'It's got to be a government for everyone; it's got to be a government for all Australians,' why has the government left...
- Asylum Seekers (7 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. What steps has the government taken to honour its commitment to my constituents in Durack to stop the illegal arrival of...
- Employment (6 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's promise to create one million new jobs over the next five years. Given that the jobs of tens of thousands of workers at...
- Infrastructure and Regional Development (7 speeches)
My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. I remind the minister of his recent announcement that a long-promised grant to relocate the...
- Workplace Relations (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's promise that 'the pay and conditions of workers will be protected'. Prime Minister, how long will it be before that promise...
- Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (13 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister tell the House how many of my constituents who have registered their details on the personally controlled electronic health records...
- Health Funding (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Given that the Prime Minister said there will be no cuts to health, why is the government cutting $100 million of funding from the Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital?
- Infrastructure and Transport (5 speeches)
My question is to the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure. I remind him of the government's commitment to upgrade Tasmania's major road and freight transport route, the Midland Highway that...
- Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Before I call the member for Adelaide I would like to acknowledge that we have in the chamber with us today the Hon. Alan Cadman, the former member for Mitchell. Honourable members: Hear! Hear!
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Childcare Funding (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Given that the coalition's policy very clearly stated 'we will honour funds contracted from the Early Years Quality Fund', why has his government not paid a...
- Child Care (5 speeches)
My question is to the Assistant Minister for Education. I remind the minister that childcare groups and parents in my electorate of Robertson have told me of the burden that the previous...
- Goods and Services Tax (8 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Given that the Prime Minister said, 'There will be no change to the GST, full stop, end of story,' why is the government considering doing the opposite and...
- Broadband (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Communications. Will the minister update the House on the steps the government is taking to ensure the NBN can deliver faster broadband to all households and...
- Asylum Seekers (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Given that the coalition said it would introduce a boat buyback scheme in Indonesia, why hasn't the government bought a single Indonesian boat, completely...
- Education (4 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Education. Will the minister inform the House how freeing local schools from bureaucratic and centralised education systems, through independent public schools...
- Foreign Investment (13 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister, although he may ask the Minister for Agriculture to answer given today's precedent. I refer to the Treasurer's weak decision to reject a major foreign...
- Crime (10 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Justice. I refer to the coalition's Safer Street fund and thank the minister for a funding commitment of $300,000 for CCTV cameras in my electorate. Will the...
- Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
- Budget (6 speeches)
Madam Speaker, I seek the indulgence of the chair to add to an answer.
- Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
- (13 speeches)
I wish to make a personal explanation.
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Full details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- (27 speeches, 1 comment)
I have received a letter from the honourable the Leader of the Opposition proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: The undermining...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- Pacific Highway (1 speech)
I rise to give the House an update on the duplication of the Pacific Highway in my electorate of Page. Once completed, it will transform the region, benefit businesses, create much-needed jobs...
- Population (1 speech)
In my speech on the address-in-reply, I told the House I was going to establish a non-government organisation to campaign against rapid population growth and its attendant environmental and...
- Rural and Regional Health Services (1 speech)
I come from Kimba—the district population is about 1,200. I was born in the local hospital, something that cannot happen anymore—obstetric services have been discontinued. I had my...
- Michael John Maher OAM (3 speeches)
If there were ever a former member of this place whom I would seek to emulate, it is the late Michael Maher, who died on 29 September, the former member for the electorate of Lowe. I thank...
- Labor Government (1 speech)
The Labor Party seem to think that their loss during the election was a result of disunity. I have got something to clue the Labor Party in on: the real reason that the Labor Party lost was...
- Type 1 Diabetes (2 speeches)
Thank you, member for Tangney. I wish to speak for the time remaining about an insidious condition which affects many Australians—about 1.5 million—and a number of our young. That...
- Constituency Statements (0 speeches)
- National Disability Awards (1 speech)
Last week in Canberra the National Disability Awards were held to recognise the contributions that people have made to improve the lives of people with disability. There were more than 200...
- Deakin Electorate: East West Link (1 speech)
Today on behalf of the constituents of Deakin, I am very pleased to be able to speak about one of the largest infrastructure projects ever proposed in Melbourne, that being the East West Link....
- Holt Electorate: Hampton Park Shopping Centre (1 speech)
This Sunday I have the honour to join Luke DeLutis, who is the director of Centre One, and members of the Hampton Park Networking Group to officially open the $3.2 million second stage of the...
- Small Business (1 speech)
I rise to speak on an issue of great concern to many businesses in my electorate of Page. As many in this chamber may remember, the previous government decided to change the definition of a small...
- Bendigo Electorate: Ulumbarra Theatre (1 speech)
I am excited today to speak on behalf of the constituents in my electorate about our new theatre. On Friday 15 November, the City of Greater Bendigo announced the name of the new Theatre which...
- Small Business (3 speeches)
I rise to speak about small business in Australia. I would like to endorse the member for Page's comments on this subject. We made an election promise that we are open for business. We must...
- Social Inclusion Week (1 speech)
On 26 November 2013 it was my pleasure with team-Leigh volunteers to put on a barbecue at the Canberra Early Morning Centre, as part of Social Inclusion Week. Social Inclusion Week, created by...
- Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (1 speech)
I have been following with interest the media coverage on the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meeting that is being held currently in Cairns. Five hundred international delegates...
- Oxley Electorate: Community Volunteers (1 speech)
I have the great pleasure today to inform the House that Evie Wolfe turned 90 on Tuesday. Evie is one of those fabulous characters. Not only is she a fantastic supporter of mine, a community...
- Aston Electorate (2 speeches)
I want to take this opportunity today to outline some of my priorities for my electorate for this term. I would like to briefly cover six in the time I have available. My first priority is to...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- Calwell Electorate: Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School (1 speech)
I had the pleasure of attending a restoring hope mass at the Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School at Roxburgh Park in my electorate on 20 September. It was part of commemorations for Refugee...
- GP Superclinics (1 speech)
I want to talk about is one of the misguided programs of the previous government, and that is the GP superclinic program. Like a lot of things the previous government did, this sounded great when...
- Member for Gellibrand (1 speech)
As all members of parliament know, not one of us got here on our own. Most of us have the honour of serving in this place because we stood on the shoulders of people who believe in our cause and...
- McGann, Ms Colleen (1 speech)
I rise to acknowledge the wonderful contribution that Colleen McGann has made to my home state of Tasmania, particularly northern Tasmania. Colleen is one of Tasmania's leading businesswomen and...
- Manea, Dr Ern (1 speech)
Today I wish to pay tribute to an extraordinary man, Dr Ern Manea, who sadly passed away in Bunbury on 16 October this year at the age of 86. Last year, I was privileged to speak at the book...
- Drummoyne Swimming Centre (1 speech)
Because I grew up in Reid, my weekends in summer were spent at swimming club. Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings were spent at the St Patrick's College swimming pool—on Saturday for...
- Scullin Electorate: Community Hub (1 speech)
A few weeks ago I attended the launch of the Community Hub, Thomastown West Primary School, and was privileged to be able to say a few words to mark the occasion. The Community Hub was created...
- Devondale Murray Goulburn (1 speech)
In The Financial Review today Boral chief executive Mike Kane said running a profitable manufacturing business in Australia is extremely difficult because of high costs. He said: 'Unaffordable...
- Baha'i Faith (1 speech)
On 15 November I attended the official opening of the Baha'i centre of learning in Adelaide. For Adelaide's Baha'i community the opening was the culmination of a vision which began many years...
- Alpine Grazing, Wild Dogs (1 speech)
I would like to take this opportunity to update the House on two natural resource management issues which are of great significance to the people of Gippsland, and also to people in the...
- Bruce Electorate: 40th Anniversary of Emerson School (1 speech)
I rise today to speak about a school in my electorate, the Emerson School, and to congratulate the school and the school community on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, which was celebrated in...
