Senate debates
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Tabling (1 speech)
For the information of senators I present a letter from the Prime Minister, Mr Abbott, in respect of the proposed arrangements for the Western Australian half-Senate election.
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Qantas (11 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Senator Johnston. Given part 3 of the Qantas Sale Act requires maintenance, catering and head...
- Asylum Seekers (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. On the night of Monday, 17 February, a young man, Reza Berati, from Iran, was beaten to death on...
- Qantas (33 speeches)
My question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate and the Minister for Employment, Senator Eric Abetz. I refer to the government's decision last night to agree to Qantas' request to...
- Hazelwood Coalmine (6 speeches)
My question is to the minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. My question is related to the ongoing disaster at the Hazelwood coalmine in Morwell, Victoria. The potential threat...
- Assistant Minister for Health (32 speeches)
Can the minister confirm that, late on the afternoon of 5 February 2014, her office made no fewer than four telephone calls to her department demanding that the health star-rating system website...
- Budget (7 speeches)
My question is to the Assistant Treasurer, Senator Sinodinos. Will the Assistant Treasurer outline to the Senate the unsustainable budgetary position left by the former government?
- Water (11 speeches)
My question is to the Assistant Treasurer, Senator Sinodinos. I refer the Assistant Treasurer to his answer to a question yesterday concerning his dealings with Australian Water Holdings. Noting...
- Broadband (15 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Senator Fifield. Can the minister outline to the Senate the key barriers holding back access to the internet in Australia?
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Qantas (11 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Defence (Senator Johnston) and the Assistant Treasurer (Senator Sinodinos) to questions without notice asked today. The...
- Hazelwood Coalmine (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Employment (Senator Abetz) to a question without notice asked by Senator Di Natale today relating to a fire at the...
- Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I seek leave to make a brief personal explanation as I claim to have been misrepresented. Leave granted. This morning two Fairfax newspapers, The Age and The Canberra Times, carried on page 1 a...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Leave of Absence (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted for Senator Ludlam from 4 March to 6 March 2014 for electorate business. Question agreed to.
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Ukraine (1 speech)
I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 139 standing in my name for today relating to Ukraine. Leave granted. I move the motion as amended: That the Senate— (a) notes,...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Privileges Committee; Report (1 speech)
At the request of Senator Collins, I move: That the Senate: (a) endorse the conclusion at paragraph 1.57 of the 152nd report of the Committee of Privileges on a possible unauthorised disclosure...
- Condolences (0 speeches)
- Welsh, Mr Michael (1 speech)
I, and also on behalf of Senators Bilyk, Brown, Thorp, Singh and Polley, move: That the Senate expresses its sincere condolences to the family, friends and work colleagues of Mr Michael Welsh,...
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Fair Work Australia (13 speeches)
I move: That the Senate authorises the publication of the unpublished documents provided to the former Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee by Fair Work Australia...
- Biennale of Sydney (2 speeches)
I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 136 standing in my name for today relating to the Biennale of Sydney and events surrounding Transfield's sponsorship of that with...
- Mako Sharks (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) the shark cull and the deployment of drum lines continues in Western Australia, (ii) at least two mako sharks have died after they were caught...
- Asylum Seekers (6 speeches)
I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' position is that Australia should provide asylum seekers who enter Australia by whatever...
- Abbot Point (4 speeches)
I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) meeting notes and draft decision documents released under Freedom of Information in regard to the Abbot Point Coal Terminal Capital Dredging...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Motions (0 speeches)
- National Perinatal Depression Initiative (1 speech)
I, and also on behalf of Senator McLucas, move: That the Senate— (a) notes That the National Perinatal Depression Initiative, since 2008: (i) has improved the prevention and detection of...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- Asylum Seekers (31 speeches)
A letter has been received from Senator Siewert: Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion: "The failure of...
- Auditor-General's Reports (0 speeches)
- Report No. 21 of 2013-14 (1 speech)
In accordance with the provisions of the Auditor-General Act 1997, I present the following report of the Auditor-General: Report No. 21 of 2013-14: Pilot project to audit key performance indicators.
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Responses to Senate Resolutions; Tabling (1 speech)
I present a response from the Premier of New South Wales, Mr O'Farrell, to a resolution of the Senate of 12 February 2014 concerning the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (1 speech)
I seek leave to make a statement in relation to the government's tabling of the modelling outlining the economic costs and benefits of the Korean free trade deal. Leave granted. I start by...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013, Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013, Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2013, Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013, True-up Shortfall Levy (General) (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013, True-up Shortfall Levy (Excise) (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013, Customs Tariff Amendment (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013, Excise Tariff Amendment (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013, Clean Energy (Income Tax Rates and Other Amendments) Bill 2013; Second Reading (10 speeches)
Earlier today, I was about two minutes into my speech when it was interrupted for question time. As I was saying, the Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill has been blocked, there has...
- Petitions (0 speeches)
- Protection of Dingoes on Fraser Island (1 speech)
by leave—I present to the Senate the following e-petition, from over 8,000 people, which is not in conformity with the standing orders as it is not in the correct form: Federal Parliament...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (1 speech)
I am delighted to rise to comment on the report to the parliament titled Livestock mortalities for exports by sea: 1 January - 30 June 2013. I move: That the Senate take note of the report. In so...
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- Canberra Burns Club's 90th Anniversary (1 speech)
I am pleased to rise tonight to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Canberra's oldest social club, the Canberra Burns Club. The Burns Club began in 1924, when only 3,000 people called Canberra...
- Broadband (1 speech)
I rise to decry the abysmal state of communications policy under the people's choice for Liberal Party leader. When you have polls like the recent ReachTEL one that puts the Minister for...
- Sharks (1 speech)
People will hardly find it surprising that I rise tonight to talk about the ongoing shark slaughter in Western Australia. This is reckless, it is cruel, and it is needlessly destructive of sharks...
- World Plumbing Day (1 speech)
In my brief contribution this evening, I would like to note an important date that will occur next week but is, perhaps, not at the forefront of public awareness. On Tuesday, 11 March, those...
- Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (1 speech)
I rise today to address the house on a rare medical condition that has recently affected Isabelle Ruiz, the granddaughter of Mary Meldrum, one of my central Australian constituents. The disease...
- Western Australian Goldfields Miners Monument (1 speech)
It was my privilege last Saturday to join my colleague Rick Wilson, the member for O'Connor, in Kalgoorlie, along with some 350 eastern goldfields residents and guests for the unveiling of a...
- Seeger, Mr Pete (1 speech)
He was a peace activist and environmentalist, a civil rights campaigner and union man. He collected the songs of America's poor and poorly treated. He made their melodies popular, conserving...
- National Broadband Network (1 speech)
Not many people would have heard of the Danish scientist Jakob Nielsen nor realise his relevance to one of Australia's current political debates. Dr Nielsen has a PhD in human-computer...
- Aviation Transport Safety Bureau (1 speech)
I would like to speak tonight on an incredibly seriously issue that goes to the heart of aviation safety in Australia. In May last year, the Senate Rural And Regional Affairs and Transport...
- Forced Adoption (1 speech)
About four years ago, I had a meeting in my office with three amazing women: Marg Hamilton, Jan Kashin and Therese Hawken. They came to see me because they were part of an organisation in...
- Kangaroos (1 speech)
I speak today in response to a speech in this place on February 11 by Senator Rhiannon, from the Greens. Senator Rhiannon's speech was about kangaroos and, in particular, about kangaroo...
- Abbott Government (1 speech)
Since the election of the new Abbott government in September last year, I have met with a number of concerned individuals and groups in civil society, each with very important issues that are...
- Thebarton Senior College, Time for Kids, Youth Connections (1 speech)
One of the best things about my job is the people I get to meet and the places I get to visit. Today I have the very pleasant task of talking about three South Australian organisations I have had...
- Manufacturing (1 speech)
I think we have all heard, over and over again, the catchcry that manufacturing in Australia is in crisis. I would like to suggest to everyone here that in fact it is not in crisis at all; it is...
- International Women's Day, Overseas Aid (1 speech)
International Women's Day will be marked with inspiring celebrations around the world. One of the creative actions will be the women's peace camp held in Shannon, Ireland. The camp has been...
- Sri Lanka (1 speech)
I speak today of a young man and of the cruelty to which he has been subjected; I speak today of genocide and of how this government is complicit; and I speak today of how Australia is now lining...
