Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present report No. 17 of the Selection Committee, relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members' business on Monday 11 September 2023. 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, 5 September 2023.

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, 5 September 2023, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 11 September 2023, as follows:

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

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices

1 DR HAINES: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Act 2018, and for related purposes. (National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment (Unlocking Regional Housing) Bill 2023)

(Notice given 4 September 2023.)

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 CHANDLER-MATHER: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes the Government's failure to reign in excessive profits from corporations which are hurting everyday people by driving inflation and worsening the cost of living crisis; and

(2) calls on the Government to tax super profits and make the big corporations pay their fair share of tax so that everyone can have a better life.

(Notice given 5 September 2023.)

Time allotted 20 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Chandler-Mather 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

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

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

3 MS J RYAN: To move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges that the Government's Fee-Free TAFE policy has been hugely successful, with more than 214,300 enrolments so far in the first six months, nearly 35,000 places more than the 2023 target of 180,000;

(2) notes that:

(a) the care sector will benefit significantly, with courses across health care, aged care and disability care attracting 23.8 per cent of total enrolments, with construction attracting 9.8 per cent, technology and digital attracting 7.8 per cent, and early childhood education and care attracting 5.5 per cent of enrolments;

(b) demographic data also shows Fee-Free TAFE is supporting priority groups including young people, job seekers, people with disability, first nations Australians and culturally and linguistically diverse communities; and

(c) women make up 60.2 per cent of enrolments, with nearly 130,000 women taking on a qualification under the program; and

(3) further notes that:

(a) Fee-Free TAFE is a policy delivered in partnership with state and territory governments;

(b) funding is available for a further 300,000 Fee-Free TAFE places over three years from 2024; and

(c) Fee-Free TAFE is another example of the Government working for Australians by delivering a better future.

(Notice given 5 September 2023.)

Time allotted 40 minutes.

Speech time limits

Ms J Ryan 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.

4 MR RAMSEY: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) the Government's rush towards 82 per cent renewable energy could expose Australia to unnecessary national security risks due to a dependence on imported solar panel components from China;

(b) that an analysis, led by the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security, Senator James Paterson, uncovered exploitable flaws and vulnerabilities in smart inverters which accompany many Australian solar photovoltaic systems;

(c) that almost 60 per cent of installed smart inverters are being supplied by Chinese manufacturers bound by China's national intelligence laws, which could require companies to be ordered by Beijing to sabotage, survey or disrupt power supplies to Australian homes, companies or Government;

(d) that energy security is national security, and the predominance of Chinese firms supplying inverters leaves Australia vulnerable to cyber-attacks;

(e) that the Government has been aware of the concerns raised by the Opposition but continues to do nothing to alleviate the risks;

(f) that providing affordable and reliable energy that is free from foreign interference should be a first order priority of Government, and that the Government is failing on all fronts;

(g) that the Opposition's concerns have been reinforced by the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) which has delivered a report revealing the threat posed by solar inverters; and

(h) that the CRC has warned of the potential for a 'black start event', which:

(i) refers to a scaled, targeted and simultaneous attack on the grid resulting in a power plant being rendered incapable of turning back on without reliance on a generator or battery; and

(ii) could shut down the entire power grid and take a week to recover; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) stop dithering and take action to ensure Australia's energy grid is free from foreign interference;

(b) immediately launch a review into the national security implications of its 82 per cent renewable target; and

(c) follow the CRC recommendation and ensure cyber security impact assessments be completed for all solar inverters being sold in Australia, and that mandatory cyber security ratings be introduced for solar inverters.

(Notice given 8 August 202 3.)

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

Speech time limits

Mr Ramsey 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.

Items for Federation Chamber (11 am to 1.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices

1 DR WEBSTER: To move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the urgent need to invest in medical research into Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a childhood brain cancer with a 100 per cent mortality rate;

(2) recognises that:

(a) DIPG causes more childhood deaths than any other disease;

(b) just ten per cent of patients survive two years, and less than one per cent survive five years;

(c) DIPG is one of the only cancers for which there are no effective systematic therapies;

(d) DIPG typically strikes in the middle of childhood, peaking around five to seven years of age;

(e) each year, 20 to 25 Australian children are diagnosed with DIPG and pass away within twelve months; and

(f) Australia is in a unique position to improve outcomes for DIPG patients, since we are regarded internationally as one of the world's leaders in DIPG research;

(3) further acknowledges that the Kids Cancer Centre at the Sydney Children's Hospital estimates that an injection of $25 million specific for DIPG research is needed; and

(4) calls on the Minister for Health and Aged Care to allocate funding from the $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund.

(Notice given 4 September 2023.)

Time allotted 30 minutes.

Speech time limits

Dr Webster 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 DR REID: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes the Government's commitment to restore dignity to aged care residents;

(2) recognises that the Government is:

(a) delivering on the commitment to put nurses back into nursing homes with 24 hours a day, seven days a week nursing care;

(b) delivering a record 15 per cent pay increase for aged care workers across Australia, the largest ever pay rise in the history of the aged care sector;

(c) delivering support for older Australians who live in aged care homes, so that they are receiving the safe, high-quality care they deserve; and

(d) working to ensure older Australians have tasty and nutritious food in aged care; and

(3) acknowledges this is just part of the Government's commitment to significant new investments to rebuild universal healthcare in Australia.

(Notice given 5 September 2023.)

Time allotted 50 minutes.

Speech time limits

Dr Reid 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.

3 MS TINK: To move:

That this House:

(1) recognises:

(a) that despite the Prime Minister declaring he wanted to 'change the way' we do politics in Australia, the Government is following the well-trodden path of the previous Government and failing to meet the transparency expectations of the Australian public; and

(b) this failure is particularly acute when it comes to the protection of whistleblowers;

(2) notes that:

(a) whistleblowers make our democracy stronger by valuing accountability and justice, and promoting good government and good governance;

(b) whistleblowing is one the most effective ways to detect and prevent corruption;

(c) the action of high-profile whistleblowers, such as Richard Boyle and David McBride, has resulted in changed policy and/or public good;

(d) the ongoing prosecutions of these individuals are having a chilling effect on anyone considering blowing the whistle to reveal unlawful and other wrongful conduct, and are not in the public interest;

(e) the Attorney-General has authority under section 71(b) of the Judiciary Act 1903 to decline to proceed further with a prosecution for an indictable offence; and

(f) this power was granted to the Attorney-General so that he may discharge his ultimate responsibility to Parliament and to the Australian people for the conduct of the prosecution process with due regard for public interest; and

(3) calls on the Attorney-General to act in the name of transparency and utilise his power to immediately cease the prosecutions of Richard Boyle and David McBride.

(Notice given 5 September 2023.)

Time allotted 20 minutes.

Speech time limits

Ms Tink 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

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

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

4 MS STANLEY: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month;

(b) Sunday, 15 October 2023 marks Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day; and

(c) this date acknowledges the shared loss experienced by parents, friends, and healthcare workers of those little ones lost too soon whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death or any other loss;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) there is a significant impact on families which have lost a baby;

(b) every year 110,000 Australians experience a miscarriage, more than 2,000 experience stillbirth, and almost 700 lost a baby within the first 28 days; and

(c) stillbirth occurrence is higher in Aboriginal and Culturally Diverse communities;

(3) further acknowledges all families that have experienced loss, either recently or over time; and

(4) commends the Government for providing $5.1 million to organisations to support women and families following stillbirth or miscarriage.

(Notice given 4 September 2 023.)

Time allotted 20 minutes.

Speech time limits

Ms Stanley 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

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

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

Orders of the day

1 BLACK SPOT ROAD SAFETY PROGRAM: Resumption of debate (from 4 September 2023) on the motion of Mr Pasin—That this House:

(1) acknowledges the importance of the Black Spot Road Safety Program, which has been delivering funding continuously since 1996 to reduce the risk of road crashes;

(2) notes that half of all road crashes are on local government roads, and these crashes account for 52 per cent of all casualties and 40 per cent of all road deaths;

(3) recognises that local government is responsible for around 77 per cent of the road network but only collects around 3.5 per cent of the total tax revenue raised by governments in Australia, and as such is heavily reliant on road funding from other levels of government;

(4) further notes that:

(a) two thirds of all road fatalities occur on regional roads; and

(b) the Black Spot Road Safety Program intention is to allocate funding on a half-half basis between urban and rural roads;

(5) further acknowledges that not all councils, in particular rural and regional councils with lower rate bases, have the resources necessary to make applications that meet criteria for the Black Spot Road Safety Program; and

(6) calls on the Government to amend the Black Spot Road Safety Program guidelines to make it easier for the local Government sector to access that fund.

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

All 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 Federation Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm)

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Notices — continued

5 DR ANANDA-RAJAH: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) safe and affordable housing is central to the security and dignity of all Australians;

(b) the Government has committed to an ambitious housing reform agenda, which will boost the supply of all housing, including more public and social housing, more affordable housing, more homes to rent and more homes to buy;

(c) Australia's housing challenges did not happen overnight and cannot be solved by one government alone; and

(d) the Government is working with state, territory and local governments to deliver better housing outcomes including the work being undertaken through the National Cabinet;

(2) acknowledges the measures agreed to at National Cabinet, including:

(a) federal funding of $3 billion through the New Homes Bonus to help incentivise states and territories to build more homes where people need them;

(b) a $500 million Housing Support Program for initiatives to help kickstart housing supply, including connecting essential services and amenities to support new housing development and building planning capability;

(c) federal funding of $2 billion through the Social Housing Accelerator to deliver thousands of social homes across Australia;

(d) the National Planning Reform Blueprint with planning, zoning, land release and other measures to improve housing supply and affordability;

(e) A Better Deal for Renters to harmonise and strengthen renters' rights across Australia; and

(f) the National Housing Accord that will support planning and zoning reforms to deliver 10,000 affordable rental homes over five years from 2024, to be matched by the states and territories; and

(3) further acknowledges that:

(a) after a decade of little action, the Government is delivering measures to turn around the housing challenges in Australia today; and

(b) there is more work to do and we need governments at all levels to work together.

(Notice given 5 September 2023.)

Time allotted 50 minutes.

Speech time limits

Dr Ananda-Rajah 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.

Orders of the day

2 MISINFORMATION LAWS: Resumption of debate (from 4 September 2023) on the motion of Mr Coleman—That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Government is seeking to impose new misinformation laws in Australia which are deeply flawed;

(b) even before submissions closed on 20 August, the Government's exposure draft bill had already been the subject of an avalanche of criticism;

(c) some of the most vocal criticisms have come from leading lawyers who have clinically taken the Government's bill apart, piece by piece; and

(d) the Minister appears to have had few defenders of her plan;

(2) acknowledges that, under the Government's exposure draft bill:

(a) the definition of 'misinformation' is so broad that it could capture many statements made by Australians in the context of political debate;

(b) authorised content by the Government cannot be misinformation, but criticisms of the Government by ordinary Australians can be misinformation;

(c) nothing an academic says can be misinformation, but statements by somebody disagreeing with an academic can be misinformation;

(d) good faith statements made by entertainers cannot be misinformation, but good faith statements made by ordinary Australians on political matters can be misinformation;

(e) journalists commenting on their personal digital platforms could have their content removed as misinformation; and

(f) if the Minister has a favoured digital platform, then that platform could be entirely removed from the application of the misinformation laws;

(3) condemns the Government for delivering this appalling exposure draft of the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2023; and

(4) calls on the Government to:

(a) admit that the Government's plan is deeply flawed; and

(b) bin the bill.

Time allotted 70 minutes.

Speech time limits

All Members 5 minutes.

[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 14 x 5 mins]

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

Notices — continued

6 MR SMITH: To move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) 11 September 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1973 coup in the Republic of Chile; and

(b) the coup and subsequent military dictatorship was supported and enabled by the interference of foreign powers; and

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) the coup was an abrogation of the democratic rights of the people of Chile;

(b) the subsequent military dictatorship was a period of intense suffering and repression for the Chilean people;

(c) the Government in 1973 initiated a program which brought thousands of refugees from Chile to Australia;

(d) the contribution of those Chileans to the life and society of Australia has been outstanding;

(e) the peoples of Australia have and continue to enjoy strong and happy relations; and

(f) today Chile is a strong and progressive democracy and a key partner of Australia.

(Notice given 4 S eptember 2023.)

Time allotted 25 minutes.

Speech time limits

Mr Smith 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

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

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

7 MS STANLEY: To move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the success of women's sport in Australia, particularly the:

(a) Australian women's cricket team which retained the Ashes in 2023 after winning the World Cup in 2022, and the T20 World Cup in Melbourne in 2022;

(b) Diamonds which recently won the Netball World Cup for the twelfth time, beating England 61-45; and

(c) Matildas' success in the FIFA Women's World Cup;

(2) notes:

(a) that many codes are moving to pay parity and are providing women opportunities previously only seen in men's sport; and

(b) the prestige of women's sport with increasing numbers of people watching sport at the ground, at 'live sites', or on television;

(3) encourages greater free-to-air availability for sports; and

(4) further notes the importance of supporting women's and men's sport to encourage health and fitness—'you can't be what you can't see'.

(Notice given 8 August 2023.)

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

Speech time limits

Ms Stanley 5 minutes.

Other Members 5 minutes each.

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

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

THE HON D. M. DICK MP

Speaker of the House of Representatives

6 September 2023