Senate debates
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
- Apology to Australia’S Indigenous Peoples (0 speeches)
- (6 speeches)
I take great pleasure in moving this motion. I first want to acknowledge all the traditional owners of the land upon which we meet today. I want to acknowledge the presence of many Indigenous...
- Governor-General’S Speech (0 speeches)
- Address-in-Reply (2 speeches)
I move: That the following address-in-reply be agreed to: To His Excellency the Governor-General may it please your excellency— We, the Senate of the Commonwealth of Australia in...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Membership (2 speeches)
Order! The President has received letters from party leaders nominating senators to be members of committees.
- Business (0 speeches)
- Days and Hours of Meeting (3 speeches)
I move:That the days of meeting of the Senate for 2008 be as follows:Autumn sittings:Tuesday, 12 February to Thursday, 14 FebruaryAutumn sittings (2):Tuesday, 11 March to Thursday,...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Budget (0 speeches)
- Consideration by Estimates Committees; Meeting (1 speech)
I move:(1)That estimates hearings by standing committees for 2008 be scheduled as follows:2007-08 additional estimates:Monday, 18 February and Tuesday, 19 February and, if required, Friday,...
- Senate Temporary Orders (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move:That the following operate as temporary orders until the conclusion of the 2008 sittings:(1)Adjournment debate on TuesdayOn the question for the adjournment of the Senate on Tuesday, a...
- Apology to Australia’S Indigenous Peoples (0 speeches)
- (17 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations.
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- East Timor (4 speeches)
My question is to Senator Evans, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. Australia has a very strong record of working to ensure stability and security in East Timor. As such, events this...
- Economy (7 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister in this chamber, the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Evans. In light of the Reserve Bank’s latest warning...
- Automotive Industry (4 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Carr. I refer to the minister’s proposal to set up an inquiry into Australia’s automotive...
- Broadband (4 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. Can the minister update the Senate on any recent improvements to broadband services in...
- Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples (4 speeches)
My question is to Senator Evans, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. Does the minister recall that, in his speech on the occasion of the opening of the parliament yesterday, the...
- Indigenous Communities (13 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education. I refer to the Prime Minister’s promise today to ensure that every Indigenous four-year-old in remote Aboriginal...
- Smartcard (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Ludwig. Can the minister confirm that the government is implementing its savings for Labor’s better priorities policy as it...
- Tasmania: Centrelink (8 speeches)
My question is also to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Ludwig. I refer to the failure of the Rudd Labor government and in particular the federal member for Bass, Jodie Campbell, to...
- Climate Change (9 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong. Given that the European Union policy responses to climate change are underpinned by their agreement that a global...
- Economy (20 speeches)
My question is also to the Minister for Climate Change and Water. Did the minister have any input into the so-called razor gang cuts announced by Mr Tanner last week?
- Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
- Tasmania: Centrelink (1 speech)
During question time I indicated that the ICT project blew out by $400 million. It was actually a blow-out of $200 million. I also said that the savings for the access card project had increased...
- East Timor (3 speeches)
I want to add to my response to the question asked by Senator Minchin, which I undertook to do. We are aware of the media reports referred to by Senator Minchin in relation to the situation in...
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Answers to Questions (9 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked today. It is very hard to believe that Prime Minister Rudd promised the Australian people...
- Petitions (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
The Clerk: Petitions have been lodged for presentation as follows:
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
Senator Bartlett to move on the next day of sitting:That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to provide for ex gratia payments to be made to the stolen generation of Aboriginal...
- Postponement (0 speeches)
The following items of business were postponed: General business notice of motion no. 5 standing in the name of the Leader of the Family First Party (Senator Fielding) for today, proposing the...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (1 speech)
I move:That, on Thursday, 14 February 2008:(a)the hours of meeting shall be 9.30 am to adjournment;(b)consideration of general business shall not be proceeded with;(c)the routine of business from...
- Cross-Border Insolvency Bill 2008; Financial Sector Legislation Amendment (Review of Prudential Decisions) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- First Reading (1 speech)
I move: That the following bills be introduced:A Bill for an Act to give effect to the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, and for...
- Second Reading (1 speech)
I table the explanatory memoranda relating to the bills and move: That these bills be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speeches incorporated in Hansard. Leave...
- Trooper David Pearce (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate—(a)records its deep regret and sadness at the death of Trooper David Pearce, who died as part of a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan on 8 October 2007;(b)commends...
- Sergeant Matthew Locke (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate—(a)records its sadness and regret at the death of Sergeant Matthew Locke, who died while on operations in Afghanistan on 25 October 2007;(b)notes and commends his...
- Private Luke Worsley (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate—(a)records its deep regret at the tragic death of Private Luke Worsley, who was killed while serving with the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan on 23...
- Restoration of Bills to Notice Paper (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move:(1)That so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent this resolution having effect.(2)That the following bills be restored to the Notice Paper and that consideration of each...
- Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Approval of Overseas Service) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- First Reading (1 speech)
I move: That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Defence Act 1903 to provide for parliamentary approval of overseas service by members of the Defence Force. Question...
- Second Reading (1 speech)
I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I table the explanatory memorandum and seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speech read as...
- United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre, Southern Lebanon (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move:That the Senate—(a)notes that:(i)Israel has not yet provided the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre, Southern Lebanon (MACC SL) with maps indicating the locations in...
- Budget (0 speeches)
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Joint Committees; Establishment (1 speech)
Messages have been received from the House of Representatives transmitting for concurrence resolutions relating to the formation of joint committees. The House of Representatives messages read as...
- Apology to Australia’S Indigenous Peoples (0 speeches)
- (23 speeches)
Debate resumed.
- Documents (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Order! It being almost 6.50 pm, the Senate will now proceed to the consideration of government documents.
- Government Response to Commonwealth Ombudsman’s Reports (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. This report is the latest in a long line of reports from the Immigration Ombudsman and responses from the immigration minister. It is the first...
- Reports by the Commonwealth Ombudsman (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. This document is rather weightier. I am not able to transmit the size of it through Hansard, but it contains about 130 or so cases investigated...
- Consideration (0 speeches)
The following government documents tabled earlier today were considered: Australian Government Solicitor (AGS)—Statement of corporate intent 2007-08. Motion to take note of document moved...
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Order! There being no further consideration of government documents, I propose the question: That the Senate do now adjourn.
- Mr Jack Watkins (1 speech)
In June 2007 I rose in this place to record the extent to which many South Australian workers and, in particular, former employees of James Hardie had become victims of the debilitating and often...
- Ms Lorna Lane (2 speeches)
I would like to draw the attention of senators to the fact that this will be the last sitting week for one of our longest-serving attendants, Lorna Lane. There are not many of us here today who...
- Australian Women’s Land Army (1 speech)
Tonight I rise to pay special tribute to the Australian Women’s Land Army, whose members served the nation with such grit and determination and to whom our nation really owes so much. The...
- Organ Donation (3 speeches)
I rise to speak tonight on the vital but often delicate issue of organ donation in Australia. The issue is set to attract renewed attention and debate in the coming months, beginning with...
- Drought (7 speeches)
I rise tonight to talk about drought. That may seem a little incongruous, given that all we seem to be hearing on the radio and seeing on television at the moment is the plenitude of rainfall...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Tabling (0 speeches)
The following government documents were tabled: Audio-Visual Copyright Society Limited (Screenrights)—Report for 2006-07. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)—Equity and...
