Senate debates
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
- Family Law Amendment (De Facto Financial Matters and Other Measures) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (1 speech)
Debate resumed from 14 October, on motion by Senator Conroy: That this bill be now read a second time.
- Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws — Superannuation) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (5 speeches)
Debate resumed from 14 October, on motion by Senator Faulkner: That this bill be now read a second time.
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (1 speech)
I move: That intervening business be postponed till after consideration of government business order of the day no. 6 (Tax Laws Amendment (Medicare Levy Surcharge Thresholds) Bill...
- Tax Laws Amendment (Medicare Levy Surcharge Thresholds) Bill (No. 2) 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (37 speeches)
Debate resumed from 14 October, on motion by Senator Carr: That this bill be now read a second time.
- In Committee (39 speeches)
Bill—by leave—taken as a whole.
- Matters of Public Interest (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Order! It being 12.45 pm, I call on matters of public interest.
- Workplace Relations (1 speech)
I rise today to inform the Senate of a matter of public interest that graphically exposes the deficiencies of the collective-bargaining regime that arose under the former government’s Work...
- Murray-Darling Basin (1 speech)
Unfortunately, I feel compelled to rise on this occasion to explore the matter of very much public interest in the crisis facing the Murray-Darling Basin and in particular the concerns in that...
- Paid Parental Leave (1 speech)
I rise today to discuss the Productivity Commission’s draft report entitled Paid parental leave: support for parents with newborn children, which was released a week ago. From the outset I...
- Australian Defence Force: Mental Health Care (1 speech)
I rise today to speak on a topic that has been floating around in my mind for some years and which I have not had the opportunity to do the hard thinking on and bring to a conclusion. I have...
- Northern Australia (3 speeches)
I want to use today’s debate on matters of public interest to again highlight the opportunities that abound in Northern Australia and to remind the Senate that, even now, Northern...
- Basslink (5 speeches)
I stand today in this matter of public interest debate to speak on the dilatory, negligent and potentially reckless behaviour of the Tasmanian Labor government with respect to the optic fibre...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Economy (24 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. I refer to the Prime Minister’s address last night where he said that he would ‘level’ with the...
- Western Sahara (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Faulkner. Would the minister outline the government’s position on the question of Western Sahara,...
- Economy (11 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Conroy. I also refer to the Prime Minister’s commitment to level with the Austrian people. Will the minister level with...
- Housing Affordability (24 speeches)
My question is the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Conroy. Can the minister tell the Senate whether any modelling has been undertaken on the impact on house prices of the increase in...
- Ms Britt Lapthorne (4 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing Minister for Foreign Affairs. I draw the Senate’s attention to the Lapthorne family and the distressing circumstances surrounding the...
- Broadband (14 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. I refer the minister to recent comments by Telstra CFO John Stanhope that building the...
- Veterans (3 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Senator Faulkner. Can the minister inform the Senate which veterans affairs pensioners will benefit from the...
- Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
- Kunoth Town Camp (1 speech)
I have some further information in response to the question from Senator Siewert yesterday to me regarding recent police raids in the Northern Territory. I am advised by Mr Debus that the...
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Economy (9 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Senator Evans) and the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
Senator Heffernan to move on the next day of sitting:That the time for the presentation of the report of the Select Committee on Agricultural and Related Industries into pricing and supply...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Selection of Bills Committee; Report (1 speech)
I present the 13th report of 2008 of the Selection of Bills Committee. Ordered that the report be adopted. I seek leave to have the report incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The report read...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Postponement (0 speeches)
The following items of business were postponed: General business notice of motion no. 233 standing in the name of Senator Xenophon for today, proposing an order for the production of a...
- Fair Go for Pensioners Coalition (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move:That the Senate—(a)notes the following statement of claims from the Fair Go for Pensioners Coalition:‘1. That the Federal Government increases the pension rate from...
- 7TH Anniversary of the Sievx Incident (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move:That the Senate—(a)notes that:(i)19 October 2008 marks the 7th anniversary of a boat known as the Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel X (SIEV X), bound for Australia and carrying 421...
- Termination Payouts for Executives (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 227 standing in my name, relating to termination payouts for executives. I wish to amend the motion to make it contemporary by...
- Peel Health Campus (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move:That the Senate—(a)notes:(i)that in September 2007, the Howard Government provided $502 700 in funding towards the establishment of a much-needed paediatric ward at the Peel...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Community Affairs Committee; Meeting (1 speech)
I move:That the Community Affairs Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 16 October 2008, from 3.30 pm, to take evidence for the...
- Violence Against Women (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move:That the Senate—(a)notes that:(i)Friday, 31 October 2008 marks the 30th anniversary of the annual ‘Reclaim the Night’ day of action in Australia,(ii)this day of action...
- 1999 Montreal Convention (0 speeches)
- (4 speeches)
I ask that general business notice of motion No. 234, standing in my name for today relating to the 1999 Montreal Convention, ensuring just compensation for passengers injured on international...
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- Economy (18 speeches)
The President has received a letter from Senator Abetz proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion, namely: The resilience of the Australian...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Scrutiny of Bills Committee; Report (1 speech)
On behalf of the Chair, Senator Coonan, I present the 11th report of 2008 of the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills. I also lay on the table Scrutiny of Bills Alert Digest No. 11...
- Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
- Iran (3 speeches)
On behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Smith, I table a ministerial statement on Iran. I seek leave to move a motion relating to the statement. Leave granted. I move: That the Senate...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- (2 speeches)
45 MembershipMembership
- Procedure Committee; Report (1 speech)
I move: That the amendments to standing order 72, contained in the attachment of the second report, be adopted immediately as a temporary order for the remainder of 2008. Question agreed to.
- Tax Laws Amendment (Medicare Levy Surcharge Thresholds) Bill (No. 2) 2008 (0 speeches)
- Offshore Petroleum Amendment (Greenhouse Gas Storage) Bill 2008; Offshore Petroleum (Annual Fees) Amendment (Greenhouse Gas Storage) Bill 2008; Offshore Petroleum (Registration Fees) Amendment (Greenhouse Gas Storage) Bill 2008; Offshore Petroleum (Safety Levies) Amendment (Greenhouse Gas Storage) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (3 speeches)
Debate resumed from 24 September, on motion by Senator Ludwig: That these bills be now read a second time.
- Documents (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Order! It being 6.50 pm the Senate will proceed to the consideration of government documents.
- Consideration (0 speeches)
The following government document tabled earlier today was considered: Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee—Regional telecommunications review: Framework for the...
- Tabling (0 speeches)
The following government documents were tabled: Aboriginal Land Commissioner—Report for 2007-08. Australian Federal Police (AFP)—Report for 2007-08. Australian Film, Television and...
- Departmental and Agency Appointments (0 speeches)
The following documents were tabled pursuant to the order of the Senate of 24 June 2008: Departmental and agency appointments—Supplementary budget estimates—Statements of...
- Departmental and Agency Grants (0 speeches)
The following documents were tabled pursuant to the order of the Senate of 24 June 2008: Departmental and agency grants—Supplementary budget estimates—Statements of compliance—...
