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

I present report No. 7 of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members' business on Monday, 21 October 2019. The report will be printed in today's Hansard 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, 15 October 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, 15 October 2019, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 21 October 2019, as follows:

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

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices

  1   Mr Wilkie: To present a Bill for an Act to provide a legislative response to all people seeking asylum in Australia, and for related purposes. (Refugee Protection Bill 2019)

  (Notice given 15 October 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   Mr Bandt: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to elections and referendums, and for related purposes. (Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Lowering Voting Age and Increasing Voter Participation) Bill 2019)

  (Notice given 15 October 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 M. C. Butler: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) climate change is a significant threat to our economy, natural environment, farming communities and national security;

(b) Australia's annual emissions have been rising in recent years;

(c) as a global problem, the solution to climate change requires concerted international cooperation to limit the production of greenhouse gasses;

(d) as the only global agreement designed to address climate change, the Paris Accords must play a central role in addressing climate change;

(e) the Paris Accords require signatory countries to deliver actions consistent with keeping the global temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius;

(f) based on the latest scientific advice, the world is currently on track for warming of above 3 degrees, and efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions need to be strengthened to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts; and

(g) as a result of the threat posed by climate change, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Portugal, Argentina and the Republic of Ireland have declared a climate emergency; and

(2) therefore, affirms that:

(a) Australia remains committed to delivering on its obligations under the Paris Accords;

(b) failing to meet the goals of the Paris Accords would have unprecedented and devastating environmental, economic, societal and health impacts for Australia; and

(c) the threat posed by climate change on the future prosperity and security of Australia and the globe constitutes a climate change emergency.

  (Notice given 15 October 2019.)

Time allotted—45 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Mr M. C. Butler—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 Hammond: To move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that after more than twelve years at school, year 12 students will soon complete their final examinations and transition to the next phase of their lives—this may include pursuing higher education, engaging with vocational education and training (VET) or entering the workforce;

(2) acknowledges the valuable contribution hard working teachers have made in our communities in educating, nurturing, encouraging and motivating our 2019 school leavers;

(3) notes the Government's record investment in education funding including:

(a) a record $21.3 billion for state schools, catholic schools and independent schools for the 2020 school year, an increase in funding of $8.5 billion since 2013;

(b) a record $8.6 billion for child care and $17. 7 billion for the university sector in the 2019-20 budget;

(c) $30.2 million in 2019-20 to establish the Local School Community Fund to support priority projects in local schools that benefit students and their communities;

(d) $71.6 million to improve outcomes for very remote students by encouraging teachers to teach and stay longer in their schools through remitting the HELP debt; and

(e) a commitment to support the VET sector through a $525.3 million Skills Package; and

(4) congratulates the Government on its continued commitment and investment in education from early learning through to higher education and VET to ensure our young people have the opportunity to succeed, gain employment and live their best lives.

  (Notice given 15 October 2019.)

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

Speech time limits—

Ms Hammond—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 Perrett: To move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that:

(a) social harmony is vital to the continuation of a successful Australian democracy;

(b) all Australians should be able to go about their lives free from discrimination; and

(c) there is no legislative protection against vilification and incitement to hatred and/or violence based on a person's religion or religious belief;

(2) notes that:

(a) incitement of hatred and violence is a threat to religious minorities;

(b) vilification of minority groups through online social media is prolific;

(c) fifty-three per cent of Australian youth have witnessed anti-Muslim harmful content online;

(d) online vilification normalises negative attitudes against minority groups;

(e) vilification or inciting hatred is often the initial stage of a hate crime;

(f) personal attacks are also occurring against religious minorities, including verbal insults, graffiti, targeting religious dress and physical attacks on buildings and individuals;

(g) women are the main targets of personal attacks based on their religion; and

(h) almost half of all personal attacks occur in crowded community spaces where women should feel safe; and

(3) calls on the Government to protect:

(a) religious communities at risk of endangerment; and

(b) all Australians from incitement of hatred and violence.

  (Notice given 14 October 2019.)

Time allotted—40 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Mr Perrett—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   Mr Entsch: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) 14 September 2019 marks National Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Day; and

(b) 20 September 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of the deployment of the International Force East Timor (INTERFET), the peacemaking taskforce that came to Timor-Leste to address the humanitarian and security crisis from 1999-2000;

(2) recognises:

(a) the vital role of Australians in peace operations and their more than 70 years of dedicated service to the international community; and

(b) the more than 5,500 personnel who contributed to INTERFET—including that of former Governor-General, General Sir Peter Cosgrove, AK, CVO, MC (Retd)—and the important contribution they made at a critical time in the history of Timor-Leste; and

(3) acknowledges:

(a) the service and sacrifice of all those who served in peacekeeping operations and the families who supported them; and

(b) those currently serving in the UN Truce Supervision Organisation, the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, and the UN Disengagement Observer Force.

  (Notice given 14 October 2019.)

Time allotted—30 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Mr Entsch—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.

  3   Ms Owens: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the latest Government report indicates around 120,000 older Australians are waiting for their approved home care package; and

(b) more than 72,000 older Australians on the waiting list have no home care package at all;

(2) recognises:

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

(b) some older Australians have been waiting more than two years for their approved package, many of whom are in their 90s and others who have terminal illnesses; 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 listen to the growing chorus of voices for urgent action to fix the home care packages wait list now and properly address this national crisis.

  (Notice given 14 October 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.

Orders of the day

  1   World Suicide Prevention Day: Resumption of debate (from 14 October 2019) on the motion of Dr Martin—That this House:

(1) notes that Tuesday, 10 September 2019 was World Suicide Prevention Day;

(2) confirms the Government's commitment to work with local communities to reduce the number of deaths by suicide in Australia;

(3) further notes the record level of funding of $736 million provided in the 2019-20 budget for mental health including $503.1 million for the Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan to support coordination of Government activities and services including:

(a) the largest single expansion of the national Headspace network through the establishment of 36 new sites; and

(b) provision of support to farmers and communities that have been affected by drought to deal with the anxiety, stress and uncertainty of drought conditions; and

(4) welcomes the establishment of the Office of the National Suicide Prevention Adviser in 2019 to support a whole-of-government approach to suicide prevention, to ensure coordination of delivery of suicide prevention activities that reach Australians in the right way at the right time.

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

Speech time limits—

All 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

  4   Mr Thistlethwaite: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that 29 October 2019 is the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organization (ILO);

(2) acknowledges that the ILO:

(a) was established following the first world war in an effort to bridge the gap between governments, employers and working people;

(b) was originally an agency of the League of Nations and has continued as a specialised agency to this day where 187 member states work together on improving labour standards and living standards throughout the world; and

(c) is a tripartite organisation that seeks co-operation between governments, employers and workers through the development of policies, standards and programmes that reflect the views of all the representative groups;

(3) recognises:

(a) the historical, cultural and social significance of the ILO over the past 100 years in an Australian context and throughout the world;

(b) that the work of the ILO has played an important role in:

(i) improving incomes, working conditions, safety, equality and protections at work as well as improving productivity and living standards; and

(ii) ending oppressive work practices, removing discrimination and ending child labour; and

(c) that the ILO has passed some of the most important international agreements that reduce exploitation, discrimination and inequality and promote collective bargaining, including the:

(i) Forced Labour Convention of 1930, banning forced or compulsory labour;

(ii) Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention of 1948, providing the right to union organising for collective bargaining;

(iii) Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention of 1949, protection against discrimination for joining a trade union, and taking collective action;

(iv) Equal Remuneration Convention of 1951, providing the right to equal pay removal of gender discrimination;

(v) Discrimination Convention of 1958, providing the right not to be discriminated against on grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin; and

(vi) Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention of 1999, prohibiting the worst forms of child labour (slavery, prostitution, drug trafficking and other dangerous jobs); and

(4) calls on the Government to adopt a more cooperative approach to workplace relations in the ILO tradition to work with unions and employers to improve Australian's incomes and living standards.

  (Notice given 14 October 2019.)

Time allotted—30 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Mr Thistlethwaite—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.

  5   Mr L. S. O'Brien: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes the important, practical contribution the Black Spot Program makes in addressing the nation's road toll under the National Road Safety Action Plan 2018-2020;

(2) recognises the need for the Government to continue to invest in the Black Spot Program to improve road safety and reduce the death toll;

(3) commends the Government for putting road safety at the forefront of infrastructure investment, with further commitments to providing an additional $50 million per year from 2019-20 to 2022-2023 to the Black Spot Program; and

(4) acknowledges the Government's Black Spot Program reduces on average at the treated sites, death and serious injury from crashes by 30 per cent according to data from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics.

  (Notice given 14 October 2019.)

Time allotted—50 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Mr L. S. O'Brien—5 minutes.

Other Members—5 minutes. each.

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

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

  6   Ms McBride: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that the:

(a) Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) has assisted generations of Australians to access affordable medicines since its inception by the Chifley Government in 1948; and

(b) longstanding practice of successive governments has been to accept and act on the advice of the independent experts—the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC)—when listing medicines on the PBS;

(2) acknowledges that the Department of Health revealed at Senate estimates hearings that there are more than 20 drugs that this Government will never list on the PBS because pricing negotiations with their manufacturers have broken down;

(3) recognises that there are increasing barriers to Australians accessing affordable medicines, including:

(a) the failure to act on a number of PBAC recommendations;

(b) the affordability of PBS co-payments; and

(c) increasing out of pocket costs to access primary and specialist health care; and

(4) condemns the Government for failing to recognise and address these barriers and calls on the Government to do so as a matter of urgency.

  (Notice given 9 September 2019.)

Time allotted—30 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Ms McBride—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   Ms Flint: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) after six years of the previous Labor Government, just 51,000 users were connected to the National Broadband Network (NBN);

(b) under the Liberal National Coalition Government, over 60,000 premises are being connected to the NBN every two weeks; and

(c) the network roll out is scheduled to be completed in 2020;

(2) welcomes NBN Co's announcement that the NBN is now available to more than 10 million homes and businesses; and

(3) congratulates the Government for adopting a broadband roll out plan which will see the NBN completed four years early and for $30 billion less than had Labor's approach been continued—meaning that Australians will get access to fast broadband services more quickly, and at lower prices, than what would have occurred under Labor's plan.

  (Notice given 14 October 2019.)

Time allotted—30 minutes.

Speech time limits—

Ms Flint—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   Mr Katter: To move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that the Australian dairy industry is facing decimation as a result of the failure of government deregulation;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) successive governments have contributed to failure in the dairy industry and that the dairy industry will continue its decline if policy is driven by ideology;

(b) the time is up for our Australian dairy industry with national herds being sold for slaughter, farm foreclosures and employees now trapped in destitution in rural towns;

(c) in Queensland, the number of dairy farms has dropped from 1305 in 2000-01 to 393 in 2017-18;

(d) Australia had 12,896 dairy farms in the year 2000 and as of 2018 there were just 5699, a reduction of 57 per cent;

(e) farmers are, in general, not receiving the full 10 cent levy promised by the supermarkets; and

(f) in 2001-02 our national herd produced 11.3 billion litres of whole milk, and in 2017-18 Australia produced 8.8 billion litres, a 22 per cent reduction of 2.5 billion litres; and

(3) calls on the Government to:

(a) reintroduce the minimum price scheme, which delivered orderly marketing and fairness for nearly a century to Australia's farmers, contractors and employees; or

(b) secure from supermarket chains a 25 cent price rise (since they are able to set a 10 cent price rise), and oversee the mechanics of ensuring that this 25 cents goes back to the farm gate.

  (Notice given 15 October 2019.)

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

Speech time limits—

Mr Katter—5 minutes.

Other 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

16 October 2019