Senate debates
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
by leave—I inform the Senate that Senator Cormann, the Minister for Finance, will be absent from question time today. He is, as one might imagine, briefing representatives on the 2014...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Budget (42 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, Senator Nash. I refer to the Prime Minister's pre-election promise of 'no cuts to health' and 'no new taxes'. Will the...
- Medicare Locals (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, Senator Nash. I refer to the Prime Minister's pre-election promise: We are not shutting any Medicare Local. Will the minister...
- Asylum Seekers (10 speeches)
My question is to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Cash.
- Budget, Pensions and Benefits (6 speeches)
Mr President, my question is to the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Fifield, representing the Minister for Social Services. Over the last few months, Treasurer Joe Hockey has said...
- Ministerial Conduct (9 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion. I refer to the conflict of interest in the minister's office that caused the resignation of his adviser Mr William...
- Health Funding (6 speeches)
My question is to the Assistant Minister for Health, Senator Nash. Can the minister advise the Senate of the challenges that the government is currently facing in delivering a quality Australian...
- Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (9 speeches)
My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis. I refer to the Attorney-General's exposure draft on changes to the Racial Discrimination Act. Does the Attorney-General welcome the...
- National Security Legislation Monitor (13 speeches)
My question is also to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis. Can the Attorney-General update the Senate on how the government intends to respond to the work of the Independent National Security...
- Pensions and Benefits (14 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Social Services, Senator Fifield. I refer the minister to the Prime Minister's pre-election promise that there would be no change to...
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Budget (5 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Assistant Minister for Health (Senator Nash) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today relating to health...
- Budget, Pensions and Benefits (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Assistant Minister for Social Services (Senator Fifield) to a question without notice asked by Senator Siewert today relating to...
- Condolences (0 speeches)
- Harradine, Mr Richard William Brian (9 speeches)
It is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death on 14 April 2014 of Brian Harradine, a senator for the state of Tasmania from 1975 to 2005. I call the Leader of the Government in the...
- Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
- (3 speeches)
I seek leave to make a personal explanation. Leave granted. I want to refer to former Senator Bob Carr's weighty tome, Diary of a Foreign Minister. On page 364 of this book—
- Petitions (0 speeches)
- Violence Against Women (1 speech)
by leave—I present to the Senate a document, which is a submission by Rise Queensland under the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022. I believe this...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Leave of Absence (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That Senator Heffernan be granted leave of absence for the period 13 May to 15 May 2014 for personal reasons. Question agreed to.
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Business (0 speeches)
- Senate Temporary Orders (1 speech)
I move: That the following general business orders of the day be considered on Thursday, 15 May 2014 under the temporary order relating to the consideration of private senators' bills: No. 1...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- (20 speeches)
A letter has been received from Senator Moore: Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion: The Abbott...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Tabling (2 speeches)
I present documents listed on today's Order of Business at item 13 presented since the Senate last met. The list read as follows— Documents Presented Out of Sitting COMMITTEE REPORTS...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- House - Standing Committee; Report (1 speech)
On behalf of the Chair of the House Standing Committee, I present the House Standing Committee's report. Ordered that the report be printed.
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Responses to Senate Resolutions; Tabling (1 speech)
I present responses to Senate resolutions as listed at item 14 on today's Order of Business. The list read as follows— Minister for the Environment (Mr Hunt) to a resolution of the Senate...
- Abbot Point (2 speeches)
I seek leave to move a motion in relation to the response by Minister Hunt to the resolution of the Senate regarding the Abbot Point dredging proposal. Leave granted. I move: That the Senate take...
- Education (3 speeches)
I seek leave to move a motion in relation to the response by the Minister for Education to a Senate resolution. Leave granted. I move: That the Senate take note of the document. I had a look at...
- Student Wellbeing (2 speeches)
I seek leave to take note of Health Minister Dutton's response to Senate resolutions. Leave granted. I move: That the Senate take note of the document. On 20 March this year the Senate passed a...
- Closing the Gap (1 speech)
I seek leave to take note of the response from the Premier of Queensland, Mr Newman, to the National Close the Gap Day motion. Leave granted. I move: That the Senate take note of the document. In...
- Budget (0 speeches)
- Statement and Documents (1 speech)
I table the Budget statement for 2014-15 and other documents as indicated on the list circulated in the chamber. The list read as follows— Budget statement and documents 2014-15 Budget...
- Proposed Expenditure (3 speeches)
I table particulars of proposed and certain expenditure, and seek leave to move a motion to refer the documents to legislation committees. Leave granted. I move: That the documents be referred to...
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- Youth Connections (1 speech)
I rise tonight to talk about Youth Connections. Last Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting 17-year-old Tanika, who lives south of Hobart. I met with Tanika to talk about her experience of the...
- Budget (6 speeches)
So here we are tonight on budget day and we have just heard the disastrous budget that we all thought was going to be evident finally delivered tonight. Shame on those on the opposite side. It...
- Medicare Locals (4 speeches)
I do not know how one continues on after that, except that I rise tonight to share —
- Brain Cancer Action Week, National Palliative Care Week (1 speech)
National awareness weeks are powerful tools for raising public awareness of important issues and encouraging discussion in the community. I rise tonight to speak about two such campaigns: Brain...
- National Broadband Network Select Committee (4 speeches)
I rise to make some further remarks on the Interim report of the Senate Select Committee on the National Broadband Network. This report is an indictment of the NBN strategic review. When...
- Domestic Violence (1 speech)
I rise tonight to speak about a confronting issue, one that has been taboo because it is so awful and so unjust that Australians would prefer to pretend that it is not happening. But it is time...
- World War I (1 speech)
This is the fifth of six speeches I intend to give to the parliament regarding my grandfather's role on the Western Front during World War I. It is entitled 'France Again and the War Ends'. In my...
- Western Australia Senate Election (1 speech)
I rise tonight to pay my respects to the people who took on the 2014 election campaign in Western Australia in support of the Greens—took it on and won. Senator Milne was asked in an...
- Budget (2 speeches)
Today the budget reveals the truly twisted priorities of the Abbott government. They doubled the deficit. They forged a Commission of Audit report written exclusively for and by the top end of...
- Nigeria: Abductions (1 speech)
On 14 April, 200 schoolgirls, most of them between the ages of 16 and 18, were abducted in an overnight raid on the government girls secondary school in Chibok, north-eastern Nigeria. This...
- Jones, Mr Henry (1 speech)
I rise tonight to speak of a good man; a humble, hard-working man—a man who made a real difference for his community and in the management of water in Australia. I speak of Henry Jones, who...
- National Party Victoria (1 speech)
I rise to comment on a fabulous event held last weekend, the 98th Victorian National Party state conference, which was held at the Lakeside Centre at the Benalla showgrounds. These showgrounds I...
- Wran, Mr Neville Kenneth, AC, QC (1 speech)
Almost 2,000 years have passed since the Roman philosopher Seneca wrote, 'Life is like a play: it is not the length but the excellence of the acting that matters. Neville Wran's first love was...
- Mining and Hydro-electric Power Projects (1 speech)
Tonight I will speak on two projects. They are separated by thousands of kilometres, but both highlight the problems of a one-sided view of the economy—that is, that mining and power...
- Justice (1 speech)
Eighteen years is a long time to wait for some form of justice to be delivered. Eighteen years ago, on 9 March 1996, Corinna Horvath, who was 21 at the time, was assaulted in her own home. Her...
