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

I present report No. 1 of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members' business on Monday, 29 July 2019. 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, 23 July 2019.

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, 23 July 2019, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 29 July 2019, as follows:

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

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices

1   Ms Sharkie: To present a Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution to expressly protect freedom of expression, including freedom of the press. (Constitution Alteration (Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Press) 2019 [No. 2])

  (Notice given 23 July 2019.)

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   Ms Sharkie: To present a Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution to make laws for the use and management of water resources that extend beyond the limits of a State, and to require laws relating to water resources to not have an overall detrimental effect on the environment. (Constitution Alteration (Water Resources) 2019 [No. 2])

  (Notice given 23 July 2019.)

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 Ramsey: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that this week 50 years ago the human imagination was captivated by the first man to walk on the moon;

(2) recognises the commitment by the Government to space by the establishment of the Australian Space Agency, which will have the goal of tripling the space industry and creating 20,000 jobs;

(3) acknowledges the vital role the Woomera range and facilities have played, and will continue to play in Australia's space industry; and

(4) congratulates the Government for investing $19.5 million in a Space Infrastructure Fund that will support projects to accelerate growth of Australia's space industry.

  (Notice given 23 July 2019.)

Time allotted—45 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Mr Ramsey—5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

4   Ms Ryan: To move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the incredible performances of Australia's top athletes in recent times including:

(a) the Matildas reaching the final 16 in the FIFA World Cup;

(b) Ash Barty winning the French Open and acing her way to the top of the world tennis rankings;

(c) Sally Fitzgibbons making waves by winning the 2019 Oi Rio Pro - World Surf League event and surfing her way to the top of the world rankings;

(d) Hannah Green winning the Women's PGA Championship and in doing so taking home Australia's first major win in a women's golf tournament in over a decade; and

(e) the Hockeyroos reaching the final of the inaugural Women's International Hockey Federation Pro League;

(2) acknowledges the teams that support our athletes including their coaches, managers, physiotherapists, dieticians and their families; and

(3) encourages Australian athletes in upcoming competitions including:

(a) the Australian Diamonds who will be competing in the Netball World Cup in Liverpool, England between 12 and 21 July 2019; and

(b) the Australian Women's Cricket Team who will be competing in the ICC Women's T20 Cricket World Cup in 2020.

  (Notice given 2 July 2019.)

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

Speech time limits—

Ms Ryan—5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

Items for Federation Chamber (11 am to 1.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices

1   Mr Hastie: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes the valuable contribution the Australian Defence Force (ADF) cadets make to youth development in our communities;

(2) recognises cadet leaders and staff who give up their time to mentor and shape Australia's youth; and

(3) acknowledges that ADF cadets, in cooperation with the community, benefit the nation by developing an individual's capacity to contribute to society.

  (Notice given 4 July 2019.)

Time allotted—40 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Mr Hastie—5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

2   Ms Owens: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the latest Government report indicates more than 129,000 older Australians are waiting for their approved home care package;

(b) more than 75,000 older Australians on the waiting list have no home care package at all; and

(c) since 2017 the wait list for home care has grown from 88,000 to more than 129,000 older Australians;

(2) recognises:

(a) the majority of older Australians are waiting for level three and level four packages, who have high care needs;

(b) some older Australians have been waiting more than two years for their approved package; and

(c) older Australians are entering residential aged care or even emergency departments instead of receiving their approved home care package;

(3) condemns the Government for failing to stop the wait list growing; and

(4) calls on the Government to immediately fix the home care packages waiting list and properly address this growing crisis.

  (Notice given 22 July 2019.)

Time allotted—40 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Ms Owens—5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

3   Ms Flint: To move:

That this House:

(1) congratulates the Government on:

(a) the extensive urban and regional infrastructure investment of $100 billion announced in the 2019 Budget; and

(b) its focus on national freight challenges, congestion busting and road safety;

(2) recognises that every state of the Commonwealth is benefitting from the Government's infrastructure program; and

(3) commends the Government on providing the infrastructure that will build our future and generate growth for our economy.

  (Notice given 23 July 2019.)

Time allotted—30 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Ms Flint—10 minutes.

Next Member speaking—5 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 should continue at a later hour.

4   Ms Collins: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) after being neglected by successive State and Federal Liberal Governments, Tasmania is now in the depths of a housing crisis;

(b) under the Liberals, the Tasmanian housing market is failing renters, first-home buyers and people at risk of homelessness;

(c) the average middle-income Tasmanian household is in rental stress, paying about 30 per cent of their income just to put a roof over their head, and 20 per cent more Tasmanians are accessing homelessness and crisis housing services than two years ago;

(d) sadly, behind these statistics, Tasmanians are hurting;

(e) the new Federal Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services wants to put a 'positive spin' on the housing crisis, which is disgraceful and shows an arrogant contempt for ordinary Tasmanians; and

(f) these unacceptable comments illustrate the failure and incompetence of the Liberals in Tasmania; and

(2) calls on the Federal Government to outline a plan to address this crisis—if there is a deal with Senator Lambie, the Government should release the details; and

(3) recognises that:

(a) this continuing record of neglect of is yet another example of the State and Federal Liberals failing to stand up for Tasmania; and

(b) only Labor can be trusted to take the housing crisis seriously.

  (Notice given 22July 2019.)

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

Speech time limits—

Ms Collins—5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

Items for Federation Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices—continued

5   Mr C. Kelly: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) approach is an evidence-based, best practice approach to early childhood intervention for children aged zero to six years with developmental delay or disability, and there have been some challenges with rolling out the ECEI approach;

(2) welcomes the Government's announcement to reduce delays and backlogs in delivering early childhood early intervention supports through the NDIS; and

(3) notes that:

(a) a six-month recovery plan to be implemented by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will include working with ECEI partners to secure additional resources to ensure children are able to receive early childhood supports in a more timely manner;

(b) the NDIA will provide a standardised interim six-month plan for children who have been found eligible for the NDIS, but who are experiencing significant waiting periods for a plan (that is, where the period between an access decision and getting a plan is greater than 50 days) and that these interim plans will be replaced by a full NDIS plan no later than six months after being issued;

(c) new participants who are not categorised as complex and who are not transferring from an existing Commonwealth, state or territory disability program will be given a standardised interim plan for $10,000;

(d) participants who are transferring from an existing Commonwealth, state or territory disability program, their interim NDIS plan and funding package will reflect their existing support levels, however, if that amount is lower than $10,000 they will also receive the $10,000 standardised interim plan for up to six months; and

(e) participants with complex support needs, will immediately be streamed to an NDIA early childhood specialist to develop their plan and appropriate funding package.

  (Notice given 4 July 2019.)

Time allotted—30 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Mr C. Kelly—5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

6   Ms L. M. Chesters: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that Vision Australia's radio broadcast is at risk of ending at the end of 2019 due to a lack of funding;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) this organisation is receiving some Government funding, but more is needed to cover running costs; and

(b) 700,000 listeners tune into Vision Australia Radio each year and that there are around 800 volunteers across 10 stations in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Regional Victoria;

(3) recognises that due to changes in the funding received by disability support organisations following the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Vision Australia needs to secure an extra $700,000 per year to ensure the future of the service;

(4) believes the Government can play a vital role in ensuring people with a print disability can remain informed and connected to their local community; and

(5) calls on the Government to provide greater funding support to Vision Australia to continue their radio service.

  (Notice given 23 July 2019.)

Time allotted—30 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Ms Chesters—5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

7   Mr Wallace: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) according to IDCARE, in 2019 they will provide support to over 50,000 Australians and New Zealanders who have experienced identity takeover, cybercrimes, scams and cyber bullying;

(b) in 2018-19, IDCARE's call centre provided approximately 53,400 hours of specialist identity and cyber security counselling support to Australian residents; and

(c) Australia is being targeted by international organised crime and we need a strong approach to educating people on how they can protect themselves;

(2) recognises the commitment by the Government to prioritise cyber security initiatives as part of the Cyber Security Strategy 2016 and the Action Plan that outlines the steps the Government will take to achieve Australia's cybersecurity goals by 2020; and

(3) acknowledges the need for continued investment, support and education to protect Australians from being victims of international organised crime.

  (Notice given 23 July 2019.)

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 should continue on a future day.

8   Ms Sharkie: To move:

That this House:

(1) congratulates the Government on its commitment to establish a Commonwealth Integrity Commission to investigate and prevent corruption in the public sector;

(2) congratulates the Opposition on its commitment to establish a National Integrity Commission to investigate and prevent corruption in the public sector;

(3) notes the major and significant contribution that a robust and well-functioning integrity commission can make to sustain and reinforce public confidence in the integrity of Australia's democratic government, parliament, and public service; and to help control corruption generally in Australia, in line with our international obligations;

(4) notes that to achieve these objectives, the design and implementation of a robust integrity commission should include:

(a) a broad jurisdiction to investigate and help prevent any serious or systematic abuse of entrusted power for private or political gain ('corruption') at the Commonwealth level, including but not limited to criminal offences;

(b) the ability to self-initiate investigations;

(c) the ability to receive, investigate or refer information about corruption from any person, including directly from Commonwealth staff or other whistleblowers;

(d) improved measures for the protection of whistleblowers in the Commonwealth public sector and more generally;

(e) the ability to hold public hearings for investigative purposes, for any corruption concerns within jurisdiction, where in the public interest to do so;

(f) the other powers needed for effective investigation, including to question people, compel the production of documents, seek warrants to enter and search premises, make public reports including findings of fact and recommendations, and refer matters to relevant prosecutors;

(g) the power and responsibility to properly coordinate the Commonwealth's role in a national anti-corruption plan, working with state and territory agencies, other regulatory agencies for the private sector, and civil society;

(h) the power and responsibility to lead comprehensive corruption prevention policies and procedures across the Commonwealth public sector, procurement and service delivery;

(i) full jurisdiction over Commonwealth parliamentarians and their staff;

(j) the creation of the commissioner(s) as an independent officer of the Commonwealth Parliament, appointed by and reporting to a bipartisan joint standing committee of the parliament, and only terminable on address from the parliament for proven misbehaviour or incapacity; and

(k) sufficiently well-resourced in funds and personnel; and

(5) calls on the Government to work towards implementing an integrity commission that adheres to these key principles.

  (Notice given 2 July 2019.)

Time allotted—30 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Ms Sharkie—5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

Orders of the day—continued

1 Education: Resumption of debate (from 22 July 2019) on the motion of Mr Perrett—That this House:

(1) recognises that:

(a) Australian school students who commenced preparatory school when the Coalition formed government are now entering their final semester of primary school;

(b) Australian school students who commenced high school when the Coalition formed government have transitioned to earning or learning through tertiary or vocational education; and

(c) the future opportunities of these young Australians have been curtailed by the inability of the Government to address the educational needs of Australian students;

(2) notes that since the Coalition formed government:

(a) one of their first acts in government was to cut $30 billion over the decade from projected school funding;

(b) they failed to restore cuts to public schools;

(c) the literacy and numeracy of Australian school students has fallen;

(d) there has been no action by the Government to improve school standards;

(e) there has been no action by the Government to provide support to students, parents, teachers and principals;

(f) Australian Vocational education and training (VET) students are paying more for their courses;

(g) Australian apprenticeships and on-the-job training opportunities have declined;

(h) the threshold for student loan repayments has been reduced, so that VET and university students are now commencing to repay their student loans when they are earning barely more than the minimum wage;

(i) university places have been capped;

(j) penalty rates, relied on by many students trying to earn money while studying, have been cut, resulting in more time away from their studies; and

(k) nothing has been done to address the disconnect between higher education courses and industry demand for skills; and

(3) calls on the Government to urgently implement measures to:

(a) support public education in Australia through fair funding and reversing the cuts;

(b) address the falling standard of literacy and numeracy of Australian students;

(c) make sure university and TAFE is affordable for all Australians; and

(d) ensure that young Australians have the skills required for our future workforce needs.

Time allotted—20 minutes.

Speech time limits—

All Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

  INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT: Resumption of debate on the motion of Ms Flint—That this House:

(1) congratulates the Government on:

(a) the extensive urban and regional infrastructure investment of $100 billion announced in the 2019 Budget; and

(b) its focus on national freight challenges, congestion busting and road safety;

(2) recognises that every state of the Commonwealth is benefitting from the Government's infrastructure program; and

(3) commends the Government on providing the infrastructure that will build our future and generate growth for our economy.

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

Speech time limits—

All Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

THE HON A. D. H. SMITH MP

Speaker of the House of Representatives

24 July 2019