Senate debates
Monday, 24 November 2008
- National Rental Affordability Scheme Bill 2008; National Rental Affordability Scheme (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (11 speeches)
Debate resumed from 13 November, on motion by Senator Sherry: That these bills be now read a second time.
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Before proceeding to questions without notice, I have a brief statement to make. Senators will be aware that on 13 November 2008 the Senate adopted the third report of the 2008 Senate Standing...
- Budget (11 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Conroy. Will the minister guarantee that the budget will not go into deficit, as promised prior to the election?
- Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
- (2 speeches)
Order! I draw to the attention of honourable senators the presence in the President’s Gallery of a parliamentary delegation of members from the National Council Constitutional and Legal...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Rudd Government (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. Could the minister please outline to the Senate the key achievements of the Rudd Labor government in the last 12...
- National Broadband Network (15 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. Now that it is clear that the government will break its promise to commence construction of...
- Queensland Storms (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Ludwig. Can the minister inform the Senate of the extent of the damage caused by the extraordinary series of storms recently in Queensland?
- Schools: Computers (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Senator Carr. Will the minister confirm that Labor has broken its promise that every student in years 9 to 12 will have,...
- Australian National Academy of Music (9 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Senator Wong, and relates to the closure of the Australian National Academy of Music....
- Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
- (2 speeches)
Order! I draw to the attention of honourable senators the presence in the President’s Gallery of members of the Judicial Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of Vietnam, led by Mr...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Rudd Government (8 speeches)
My question is addressed to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. Senator Evans, I refer you to a document entitled First 100 days: achievements of the Rudd government,...
- Automotive Industry (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Carr. Can the minister inform the Senate what role the government’s New Car Plan for a Greener Future...
- Biotechnology (33 speeches)
My question is also to Senator Carr, both in his own right as Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research and also representing the Minister for Trade, Mr Crean. I wonder if the...
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Answers to Questions (14 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today. Today marks the anniversary of the election of the Rudd Labor...
- Australian National Academy of Music (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Climate Change and Water (Senator Wong) to a question without notice asked by Senator Milne today relating to the...
- Petitions (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
The Clerk: A petition has been lodged for presentation as follows:
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
Senator McEwen to move on the next day of sitting: That the Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings be authorised to hold a private meeting otherwise than in accordance...
- Leave of Absence (0 speeches)
- (2 speeches)
by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator Adams for the period 24 November until the conclusion of our parliamentary sittings this calendar year on account of personal...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Economics Committee; Meeting (1 speech)
by leave—At the request of the Chair of the Economics Committee, Senator Hurley, I move: That the Economics Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Postponement (0 speeches)
The following items of business were postponed: Business of the Senate notice of motion no. 1 standing in the name of Senator Milne for today, proposing the disallowance of the Environmental...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Economics Committee; Reference (1 speech)
I seek leave to amend business of the Senate notice of motion No. 2 standing in my name for today. Leave granted. I amend the motion by omitting the reporting date of 4 December 2008 and...
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- Rudd Government (30 speeches)
The President has received a letter from Senator Mason proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion, namely: The Rudd Government’s annus...
- Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
- Citizenship Test (2 speeches)
On behalf of the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, I table a ministerial statement relating to the review of the citizenship test, together with a report by the...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Tabling (1 speech)
Pursuant to standing orders 38 and 166, I present the following documents which were presented to the President and temporary chairs of committees since the Senate last sat. In accordance with...
- Responses to Senate Resolutions (1 speech)
I present the following responses to various Senate resolutions:(a)from the Premier of Queensland (Ms Bligh) to a resolution of the Senate of 16 September 2008 concerning Murray-Darling Basin...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Economics Committee; Additional Information (1 speech)
On behalf of the Economics Committee, I present an addenda to the reports of the committee on the provisions of the Tax Laws Amendment (2008 Measures No. 5) Bill 2008 and the provisions of the...
- Treaties Committee; Report (1 speech)
On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, I present report no. 96 of the committee, Treaties tabled on 16 September 2008. I seek leave to move a motion in relation to the report....
- Membership (2 speeches)
I have received a letter from a party leader seeking variations to the membership of committees.
- Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Economic Security Strategy) Bill 2008; Appropriation (Economic Security Strategy) Bill (No. 1) 2008-2009; Appropriation (Economic Security Strategy) Bill (No. 2) 2008-2009 (0 speeches)
- First Reading (1 speech)
Bills received from the House of Representatives.
- Second Reading (1 speech)
I move: That these bills be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speeches incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speeches read as follows— SOCIAL SECURITY...
- National Measurement Amendment Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- First Reading (1 speech)
Bill received from the House of Representatives.
- Second Reading (1 speech)
I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speech read as follows— NATIONAL MEASUREMENT...
- Social Security Legislation Amendment (Employment Services Reform) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- National Rental Affordability Scheme Bill 2008; National Rental Affordability Scheme (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (7 speeches)
Debate resumed.
- In Committee (4 speeches)
Bills—by leave—taken together and as a whole.
- Third Reading (1 speech)
I move: That these bills be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bills read a third 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. 3, the Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth...
- Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws — General Law Reform) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- In Committee (26 speeches)
Consideration resumed from 12 November.
- Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws — Superannuation) Bill 2008 (0 speeches)
- Consideration of House of Representatives Message (0 speeches)
Message received from the House of Representatives returning the Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws-Superannuation) Bill 2008 and informing the Senate that the House had...
- Third Reading (6 speeches)
I move: That this bill be now read a third time.
- Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Economic Security Strategy) Bill 2008; Appropriation (Economic Security Strategy) Bill (No. 1) 2008-2009; Appropriation (Economic Security Strategy) Bill (No. 2) 2008-2009 (0 speeches)
- Second Reading (63 speeches)
Debate resumed.
- Third Reading (0 speeches)
Bills passed through their remaining stages without amendment or debate.
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Order! It being almost 9.50 pm, I propose the question: That the Senate do now adjourn.
- Rudd Government; Migration (1 speech)
Today is the first anniversary of the election of the Rudd Labor government. The past year has seen an extraordinary transformation from the divisiveness and negativity of the last years of the...
- Ngukurr (1 speech)
This evening I rise to draw the attention of the Senate to a community in the Northern Territory known as Ngukurr and their story over the past 100 years. The Ngukurr community is an Aboriginal...
- Pensions and Benefits (1 speech)
I want to correct the record as to when I believe the Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law, Senator Sherry, seriously misrepresented me when we were discussing the Social Security and...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Tabling (0 speeches)
The following documents were tabled by the Clerk: [Legislative instruments are identified by a Federal Register of Legislative Instruments (FRLI) number] Acts Interpretation Act—Statement...
