Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present report No. 21 of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members' business on Monday, 12 February 2018. 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, 6 February 2018.

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, 6 February 2018, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 12 February 2018, as follows:

Items for House of Representative s Chamber (10.10 am to 12 noon) PRIVATE MEMBERS ' BUSINESS

Notices

(Notice given 6 February 2018.)

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.

(Notice given 6 February 2018.)

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 MR BUCHHOLZ : To move:

That this House:

  (1) notes that:

  (a) approximately 16,000 Australians fought in the Boer War in contingents raised by the Australian colonies or the Commonwealth Government (after 1901), or joined British and South African colonial units;

  (b) Australians, Lieutenants Harry 'Breaker' Morant, Peter Handcock and George Witton served as volunteers in a South African irregular unit, the Bushveldt Carbineers, under British Military Command;

     (c) Lieutenants Morant, Handcock and Witton were found guilty at their courts martial for the death of 12 Boer prisoners even though they pleaded their actions were in accordance with orders of their British superiors; and

  (d) Lieutenants Morant and Handcock were executed on 27 February 1902, and Lieutenant Witton's sentence commuted to life imprisonment, but he was released from prison in 1904 after representations from the then Australian Government and British parliamentarians, including Winston Churchill;

  (2) acknowledges:

  (a) that Lieutenants Morant, Handcock and Witton were convicted of committing a serious crime;

  (b) the serious deficiencies in the handling of the legal case against the three men, including the right to appeal their sentences by their legal advocate, Major James Francis Thomas, the opportunity to seek intervention by the Australian Government and to contact their families to inform them of their plight;

  (c) the failure of British Military Command to implement the recommendations for mercy made by the courts martial to be applied equally to these men;

  (d) the findings of respected legal figures and community leaders who support this assessment; and

  (e) the ongoing emotional suffering this case has caused the descendants of Lieutenants Morant, Handcock and Witton; and

  (3) expresses:

  (a) sincere regret that Lieutenants Morant, Handcock and Witton were denied procedural fairness contrary to law and acknowledges that this had cruel and unjust consequences; and

  (b) sympathy to the descendants of these men as they were not tried and sentenced in accordance with the law of 1902.

(Notice given 5 February 2018.)

Time allotted 20 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Buchholz 10 minutes.

Next Member speaking 10 minutes.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 10 mins]

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

4 MR CHAMPION : To move:

That this House:

  (1) acknowledges that the $210 million funding cut to South Australian schools in 2018 and 2019 means that schools will face significant cuts, which the South Australian Government has estimated to include:

(a) $1,315,000 from Adelaide High School;

(b) $882,000 from Craigmore High School;

(c) $1,392,000 from Norwood Morialta High School;

(d) $1,114,000 from Gawler and District College B-12;

(e) $817,000 from Parafield Gardens High School;

(f) $1,226,000 from Paralowie School;

(g) $875,000 from Playford International College;

(h) $512,000 from Nailsworth Primary School;

(i) $731,000 from Glenelg Primary School;

(j) $24,000 from South Australian School for Vision Impaired;

(k) $1,165,000 from Roma Mitchell Secondary College;

(l) $426,000 from Port Noarlunga Primary School; and

(m) $863,000 from Thebarton Senior College; and

  (2) calls on the Australian Government to immediately reinstate the funding previously committed to South Australian schools.

(Notice given 6 February 2018.)

Time allotted 40 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Champion 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 MR CREWTHER : To move:

  That this House:

(1) notes that modem slavery continues to devastate the lives of millions of people, with latest estimates of over 40 million people impacted across the world, including over 4,000 people in Australia;

(2) acknowledges that the Government has one of the strongest responses to combat human trafficking and slavery around the world, delivered under the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking and Slavery 2015-19;

(3) notes that the Government:

  (a) remains committed to continuing to improve this response and recognises the importance of partnering with those on the frontline to combat this abhorrent crime;

  (b) initiated the inquiry into Australia establishing modern slavery legislation, led by the Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, which released its interim report in August 2017 making a number of recommendations and statements of in-principle support, and

  (c) following extensive consultation with business and civil society, and taking into account the Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee's recommendations in its December 2017 final report, will introduce targeted legislation requiring large businesses to report on the actions they are taking to address modern slavery in their supply chains; and

  (4) calls on the House to support the Government's modern slavery legislation when it is brought before the Parliament.

(Notice given 5 February 2018.)

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

Speech time limits

Mr Crewther 10 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 1 x 10 mins + 4 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 VAN MANEN: To move—

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the importance of open trade and investment policies in growing the Australian economy and creating local jobs;

(2) commends the Government for leading efforts to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership 11 nation (TPP-11) agreement;

(3) welcomes the recent conclusion of this landmark deal which will eliminate more than 98 per cent of tariffs in a trade zone with a combined GDP of AUD $13.7 trillion;

(4) notes the significant opportunities offered by new trade agreements with Canada and Mexico and greater market access to Japan, Chile, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei;

(5) recognises the importance of the agreement for Australia's farmers, manufacturers and service providers in increasing their competitiveness in overseas markets;

(6) notes indicative modelling by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, which found that the TPP-11 agreement would boost Australia's national income by 0.5 per cent and exports by 4 per cent; and

(7) encourages the Parliament to work co-operatively to ratify the TPP-11 agreement so that Australian exporters can take advantage of the many benefits it delivers.

(Notice given 6 February 2018.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

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.

2 MS MCGOWAN: To move—

That this House:

  (1) notes that:

(a) among 15 rural research and development corporations which receive statutory levies partly matched by the Commonwealth, the representation of women is no higher than 44 per cent, is as low as 11 per cent, and averages 26 per cent;

(b) the Australian Institute of Company Directors (Institute) says its quest for 30 per cent female representation across ASX 200 boards by 2018 has stalled;

(c) the Institute's latest gender diversity report shows that as of 31 August 2017 there were 25.4 per cent female directors, only marginally higher than the

25.3 per cent reached at the end of 2016;

(d) at the time of the publication of the Institute's latest gender diversity report, 11 ASX 200 companies had no women on their boards; and

(e) the Institute says that the Government may be forced to intervene with quotas to force companies to appoint more female directors;

  (2) acknowledges the Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program (Program) initiative launched by the National Farmers' Federation and AACo on 15 October 2017, which asks organisations to commit to auditing the gender diversity within their leadership teams and pledge to make 'meaningful change' towards achieving enhanced gender equality; and

  (3) calls on the:

(a) Government to support the Program and similar initiatives to ensure that companies appoint more female directors; and

(b) Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources to outline to the Parliament a plan to increase the representation of women to a minimum of 30 per cent on all agricultural boards over which the Government has some level of influence, including rural research and development corporations, agricultural committees, panels and councils.

(Notice given 24 October 2017.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Ms McGowan 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 WALLACE: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) 8 million Australians live outside our capital cities; and

(b) while some regions like the Sunshine Coast are experiencing strong economic growth, others are not enjoying the same levels of economic activity;

(2) further notes that:

(a) many regions, including the Sunshine Coast, can supply substantially lower office accommodation costs and lower operating costs;

(b) regions such as the Sunshine Coast can offer a highly educated workforce, high quality business facilities, first class health and transport infrastructure, as well as innovative start-up communities;

(c) regions, including the Sunshine Coast, can offer lifestyle benefits like lower cost housing, short commute times and a family-friendly environment; and

(d) research suggests that highly skilled people are taking increasing account of lifestyle factors when choosing their employer;

(3) welcomes the Government's pursuit of a policy of decentralisation of public sector agencies, and the recent relocation of some parts of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to Wodonga; and

(4) encourages the Government to continue to explore further options for the relocation of Commonwealth agencies to the regions.

(Notice given 16 August 2017.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Wallace 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 MS T. M. BUTLER: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) Government's short-sighted $2.2 billion in cuts to universities are equivalent to more than 9,500 Australians missing out on a university place in 2018, and again in 2019;

(b) across the country this month, students will be attending university, with orientation periods beginning, and that these students are faced with more uncertainty about how the cuts will affect their student experience; and

(c) the Government's short-sighted cuts will hurt regional and outer metropolitan universities and their students the most; and

(2) calls on the Government to reverse its short-sighted, unfair cuts to universities, which are closing the door of opportunity to thousands of Australians.

(Notice given 6 February 2018.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Ms T. M. Butler 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.

5 MR ZAPPIA: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Government has delayed release of the Productivity Commission's review of the GST distribution until after the South Australian state election on 17 March 2018;

(b) the Productivity Commission's draft report recommended changes to the distribution of GST revenue that would see South Australia lose up to $557 million in the first year alone;

(c) South Australia did not receive one new dollar of infrastructure funding in the 2017-18 budget;

(d) education funding to South Australia has been cut by $210 million by the Government; and

(e) the Government's failure to support Holden has resulted in thousands of job losses in South Australia; and

(2) calls on the Government to provide South Australia with its fair share of Commonwealth funding and to release the Productivity Commission's report prior to 17 March.

(Notice given 5 February 2018.)

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

Speech time limits

Mr Zappia 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 Federati on Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS ' BUSINESS

Notices — continued

6 MR LEESER: To move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the Order of Australia is the highest national honour award and the pre-eminent way Australians recognise the achievements and service of their fellow citizens;

(2) recognises that since being established by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1975, there have been more than 500 recipients of Companion of the Order of Australia, almost 3,000 awarded Officers of the Order of Australia, more than 10,000 inducted as Members of the Order of Australia and more than 23,000 honoured as recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia;

(3) notes the almost 900 recipients in the General Division of the Order of Australia on Australia Day in 2018, from an array of fields including education, arts, sport, science and social work; and

(4) encourages all Members to congratulate recipients from their electorates on this immense achievement.

(Notice given 5 February 2018.)

Time allotted 55 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Leeser 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 11 x 5 mins]

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

7 MR THISTLETHWAITE: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) in 1999, the 30th General Conference of UNESCO proclaimed annual observance of International Mother Language Day (IMLD) on 21 February; and

(b) about 200 different languages are spoken throughout Australia;

(2) acknowledges:

(a) the significance of preserving Indigenous languages as a link to Indigenous culture and histories and as an expression of identity;

(b) the social, cultural and economic benefits of multilingualism to the Australian community; and

(c) that encouraging Australians to learn a language other than English should be a priority for all levels of government; and

(3) calls on the Government to observe IMLD on 21 February across Australia and to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by the people around the world through:

(a) promoting the active participation, revitalisation and maintenance of local Indigenous languages;

(b) continuing the National Library of Australia's collection of oral history and available Alphabets of spoken languages as a means of preserving the multi-lingual inheritance of the people of Australia; and

(c) supporting second language instruction in Australian educational institutions.

(Notice given 5 February 2018.)

Time allotted 50 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Thistlethwaite 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 10 x 5 mins]

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

8 MR ZIMMERMAN: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes the release on 5 October 2017 of the Consular State of Play 2016-17 (State of Play), which provides an overview of the Government's provision of consular assistance to Australians in the last financial year;

(2) acknowledges the hard work and dedication of Australian consular officials who have provided high-quality assistance to Australians in distress in 12,454 cases during 2016-17;

(3) notes with concern that a significant number of Australian travellers are travelling overseas without insurance;

(4) reiterates the Minister for Foreign Affairs' remarks in launching the State of Play that if travellers cannot afford travel insurance, they cannot afford to travel;

(5) acknowledges that the Australian Government will provide consular assistance where possible, while noting there are limits to what it can do to assist Australians in trouble overseas; and

  (6) calls on Australians to:

(a) draw on resources such as Australian Government Smartraveller advice to inform themselves about their destination; and

(b) purchase insurance appropriate to their activities and circumstances.

(Notice given 17 October 2017.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Zimmerman 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 ALBANESE: To move:

That this House:

(1) observes:

(a) United Nations World Radio Day (WRD) on 13 February 2018;

(b) this year's WRD theme of 'Radio and Sports' which calls on us to:

(i) celebrate the role of radio in promoting Australian sports and the inspiring stories of our high achieving sportspeople and teams;

(ii) support and promote the grassroots sports that anchor us within our communities;

(iii) be inspired by the stories that challenge gender stereotypes; and

(iv) equally cover both men's and women's sports events;

(2) recognises the:

(a) unique ability of sport to unite and inspire Australians of all backgrounds, and the iconic nature of many Australian sporting events;

(b) power of radio to unite, inform, and entertain Australians throughout the nation and across commercial, public and community broadcasting;

(c) particular importance of publicly funded radio in regional and remote Australia, especially during natural disasters;

(d) critical importance of publicly funded radio for our culturally and linguistically diverse communities through the SBS; and

(e) role of community broadcasters in nurturing new Australian talent including sports broadcasters, journalists and producers;

(3) acknowledges:

(a) the significant disparity between the coverage of men's and women's sports in Australia in radio broadcasting, as well as television, print and online; and

(b) the need to address this disparity to encourage greater participation in women's sports and to recognise the achievements of our women athletes; and

(4) calls for:

(a) commercial, public and community radio broadcasters to cover more women's sports and to ensure there is a diversity of voices in sports commentary; and

(b) greater recognition of the extraordinary achievements of our women's sports teams in the media, including by ensuring equal public funding.

(Notice given 5 February 2018.)

Time allotted remaining private Members ' business time prior to 7.30 pm

Speech time limits

Mr Albanese 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.