Kirsten Livermore (Capricornia, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move—

That the House:

(1)

acknowledges that the Federal Government formally recognised Australian South Sea Islanders as a distinct cultural group in 1994 and that this was followed by the Queensland Government in 2000;

(2)

recognises that Australian South Sea Islanders, as a group, experience disadvantage compared to the general Australian population;

(3)

notes with disappointment that many of the practical measures to overcome this disadvantage recommended by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in its report The Call for Recognition: A Report on the Situation of Australian South Sea Islanders have not been implemented despite their endorsement by the Federal Government in 1994; and

(4)

calls on the Federal Government to go beyond the symbolism of formal recognition of Australian South Sea Islanders and expand current policies to enact appropriate measures designed to deliver real assistance to this group.

Harry Quick (Franklin, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

notes that:

(a)

microcredit is a proven means of eradicating poverty and that research by the World Bank in 1998 found that 40 per cent of loan borrowers had moved out of poverty after four years;

(b)

at the Microcredit Summit in Halifax, Canada in 2006, Australia endorsed the goal of having 175 million families receiving microcredit by 2015;

(c)

if the Microcredit Summit goal was achieved, then about half the first goal of the Millennium Development Goals, which is to halve the number of people who live on less than a dollar a day, would be met;

(d)

Australia spent $14.5 million on microcredit in its overseas aid program in the 2005-2006 financial year, which was less than one per cent of the overseas aid budget; and

(e)

the USA, which has funded microcredit longer than most countries, has established a current benchmark level of 1.25 per cent of the aid budget for microcredit spending; and

(2)

urges the Australian Government to follow through with its endorsement of the 2006 Microcredit Summit Goal with an increase in funding of microcredit to $40 million per year, or a level of 1.25 per cent of the aid budget, starting with the forthcoming Budget.

Graham Edwards (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary (Defence and Veterans' Affairs)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House calls on the Minister for Defence to recognise the offence and hurt caused by his remarks likening the Iraq War to the Kokoda campaign and urges him to unreservedly apologise to all veterans of the Kokoda Track and their families.

Margaret May (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

recognises that:

(a)

high blood pressure is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease and renal failure;

(b)

cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in Australia, claiming the lives of 50,294 people in 2002, or 38 per cent of all deaths;

(c)

around 3.67 million Australians are affected by heart, stroke and vascular diseases;

(d)

1.10 million Australians are disabled long-term by heart, stroke and vascular diseases;

(e)

the prevalence of heart, stroke and vascular conditions increased by 18.2 per cent over the last decade; and

(f)

the total burden of heart, stroke and vascular diseases is expected to increase over the coming decades;

(2)

also recognises that:

(a)

salt appears to be the necessary cause of high blood pressure; and

(b)

controlling one’s salt intake plays a big role in controlling one’s blood pressure, which in turn reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease;

(3)

calls on the Australian Government to:

(a)

educate the Australian people on the dangers of a high salt diet; and

(b)

follow the United Kingdom’s example and label food with green lights, which identify at a glance the best foods on the market for salt content; and

(4)

on a bipartisan level, encourage Australians to reduce their salt intake and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Gary Hardgrave (Moreton, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

acknowledges that South East Queensland has the highest growth in traffic congestion of any region in Australia;

(2)

also acknowledges that the Australian Government has allocated to Queensland authorities over $3 billion in funding under AusLink Round 1 and $18 billion through other road related programs since 1996;

(3)

expresses its concern for the lack of commitment by Queensland authorities in progressing the work financed by the Australian Government and the redirection of funds away from the authorised projects;

(4)

further expresses its concern at the unreliable project costing provided by the Queensland Government for infrastructure projects and the failure of the Queensland Government to follow the example of other State governments to value-add to the Commonwealth contribution to national highway projects with state contributions; and

(5)

notes the Australian Labor Party plan to only widen the existing Ipswich Motorway to six lanes and keep trucks on the Brisbane Urban Corridor while the Liberals want a solution to interstate transport needs, which will take trucks off the Brisbane Urban Corridor and provide ten lanes of traffic between Brisbane and Ipswich.