Senate debates
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Budget (28 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. Does the Prime Minister stand by his promise made on the eve of last year's election of no cuts to education, no...
- Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
Order! I draw the attention of honourable senators to the presence in the gallery today of the Rt Hon. Sir Alan Haselhurst, MP, from the United Kingdom. On behalf of all senators, I wish you a...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Ukraine: Air Disaster (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Johnston. Can the minister update the Senate on the support that Defence has provided to Operation Bring Them Home, the whole-of-government...
- Education Funding (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. I refer to the Prime Minister's pre-election promise that there would be no cuts to education. Can the minister...
- Renewable Energy (11 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. Minister, before the 2013 federal election Prime Minister Abbott said: … we have no plans to change the...
- Budget (6 speeches)
My question also is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Abetz. Is the minister aware of any independent warnings about the need to repair the budget and can he detail to the...
- Health (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health. I refer the minister to comments from the Prime Minister on 20 August that our health system is 'becoming unsustainable'. Just...
- Mental Health (6 speeches)
In the past 12 months nine fly-in-fly-out workers have committed suicide in the Pilbara while living away from home. The parliament of Western Australia has launched an inquiry to examine issues...
- National Security (11 speeches)
My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis.
- Budget (11 speeches)
My question is to the minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. I refer to the Prime Minister's pre-election promise that there would be no cuts to health. How can the minister...
- Refugees (6 speeches)
My question is to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Cash. Can the minister update the Senate on the government's recent commitment to refugees in Syria and...
- Paid Parental Leave (11 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. I refer to the Prime Minister's signature policy, the Paid Parental Leave scheme. What will the scheme cost?
- Higher Education (9 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Human Services, representing the Minister for Education, Senator Payne. Will the minister explain to the Senate how the government's higher education reforms...
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Answers to Questions (18 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today. People who invoke absolute principles should take great care to...
- Renewable Energy (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 Milne today relating to the Renewable Energy...
- Condolences (0 speeches)
- Flight MH17 (6 speeches)
by leave—I move: That the Senate records its deep regret at the deaths on 18 July 2014 AEST of 298 passengers and crew on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, and tenders its profound sympathy to...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
I give notice of my intention to amend business of the Senate Notices of Motion Nos 1 and 2, standing in my name for today, proposing that certain primary industry regulations be disallowed, as...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That consideration of the business before the Senate on the following days be interrupted at approximately 5 pm, but not so as to interrupt a senator speaking, to enable...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Motions (0 speeches)
- (5 speeches)
I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 366 standing in the name and the name of Senator Back, as follows: That the Senate— (a) notes: (i) with concern the activities of...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Economics References Committee; Meeting (1 speech)
by leave—At the request of the chair of Economics References Committee, Senator Dastyari, I move: That the Economics References Committee be authorised to hold a private meeting otherwise...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Withdrawal (1 speech)
Pursuant to notice given at the last day of sitting on behalf of the Regulations and Ordinances Committee, I now withdraw general business notice of motion No. 320, standing in the name of...
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- Budget (9 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...
- First Speech (0 speeches)
- (4 speeches)
Order! Before I call Senator Ketter, I remind honourable senators that this is his first speech; therefore, I ask that the usual courtesies be extended to him.
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- Budget (7 speeches)
I look forward to making my contribution to this matter of public importance: the Abbott government's unfair budget based on broken promises and twisted priorities. It should come as absolutely...
- Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I seek leave to make a personal explanation. Leave granted. I rise to give a personal explanation relating to comments attributed to me by Kate McClymont and Linton Besser on page 273 of their...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Tabling (4 speeches)
I present documents listed on today's Order of Business at item 15 presented since the Senate last met. In accordance with the usual practice and with the concurrence of the Senate, government...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Business of the Senate, Work of Committees; Tabling (1 speech)
I table the Business of the Senate and the Work of Committees for the period 1 January to 30 June 2014. Ordered that the documents be printed.
- Responses to Senate Resolutions; Tabling (1 speech)
I present the following responses to resolutions of the Senate: Minister for Education (Mr Pyne) to a resolution of the Senate of 27 March 2014 concerning research funding Minister for Education...
- Marrakesh Treaty (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That the Senate take note of the ministerial response from Ms Bishop, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, to the Senate resolution relating to the Marrakesh Treaty. I...
- Department of Health (3 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. This document represents the reporting requirements under section 34A of the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act 1992. It is clear that tobacco...
- Productivity Commission (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. This document is the Productivity Commission Inquiry Report No. 70 into Australia's automotive manufacturing industry. I heard my colleague...
- Australian Research Council (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. I rise to take note of the Australian Research Council strategic plan under section 43 of the Australian Research Council Act 2001. I think it...
- Moorebank Intermodal Company (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. Under the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, the Moorebank Intermodal Company Statement of Corporate Intent was tabled in...
- Commonwealth Ombudsman (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. I would like to speak on the Commonwealth Ombudsman's report for 2013-14 relating to the Fair Work (Building Industry) Act 2012. If there is one...
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- Ryder, Mr Arjen (1 speech)
It is with a degree of grief that I rise to honour the memory of Mr Arjen Ryder and his wife, Yvonne, who were so tragically taken when flight MH17 was shot out of the sky on 18 July. Arjen was a...
- Youth Employment (3 speeches)
I rise in this place tonight because my home state of Tasmania is under attack from a government which is undertaking its legislative agenda on the run and with blatant disregard for the...
- Building and Construction Industry (1 speech)
I rise to tonight in the adjournment to talk briefly about the Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry. It is quite clear to me that this is a political attack on the trade...
- Budget (1 speech)
I rise in the adjournment debate to add my voice to the continued opposition to this government's cruel and unnecessary budget. It is a budget that stands in delusional denial of the reality of...
- Davidson, Mr Francis Michael, OBE (1 speech)
I rise tonight to pay tribute to a remarkable and wonderful Australian, Francis Michael Davidson OBE of Little Yarran in Young. Michael, as he was better known, passed away on 7 August. He was a...
- Indigenous Health (1 speech)
For several years now I have spoken in this chamber on the state of Indigenous eye health in this country. My motivation for doing so is simple—it is absolutely unacceptable that any...
- Health (1 speech)
I rise today to talk about the battle that is going on around the future of Australia's health system. We are currently involved in a debate about whether our health system is affordable, whether...
- Queensland: Agriculture (1 speech)
I rise tonight to talk about debt, in particular rural debt, and drought—the two D's, if you like. When you have debt plus drought, you often end up with desperation, so you end up with...
- Asthma (1 speech)
Asthma is a serious problem in our society. This is particularly so in my home state of Tasmania, which has the highest rate of asthma sufferers per capita in Australia, with around 13 percent of...
- Racial Discrimination Act (1 speech)
Tonight I am rising to thank the community for a job well done. Through resolute and strong community action, we have seen off a threat to fundamental decency in Australia and won the battle, at...
- Federation Reform (1 speech)
I rise to speak on the coalition government's white paper on the reform of our Federation. Firstly, I would like to congratulate the Prime Minister and the government for providing all...
- Forced Adoption (1 speech)
In our February 2012 Community Affairs References Committee report, Former forced adoption policies and practices, we made, as is our wont, 20 recommendations. Some of those are moving through...
- Economy (1 speech)
Tonight Opera Australia performed in the Great Hall of Parliament House. Many may be surprised that I appreciate opera, but then again many are surprised about many things I say. Tonight's...
- Tasmanian Forestry (1 speech)
I rise tonight to highlight the importance of what is currently being debated in the upper house of the Tasmanian parliament and of understanding what is under threat of being locked up in...
- Mental Health (1 speech)
Tonight I would like to discuss an issue that is most serious, and has not been discussed enough. In fact, many would say that, through neglect or indifference, it has been swept under the...
- Agriculture (1 speech)
I intend to continue a theme that has been present in many of my speeches since I came to this place in February—that is, matters that are of significant importance to people in agriculture...
- Broadband (1 speech)
Another sitting of parliament and there are yet more politically motivated coalition reviews of the NBN that need to be repudiated. As the Senate is already aware, the coalition has, since the...
- Middle East (1 speech)
The war against Palestine continues. Along with the deaths of more than 2,000 and the destruction of essential infrastructure, many aid funded projects of vital importance to the health and...
- Veterans (1 speech)
Tonight is my first speech for the Australian Greens on the portfolio responsibility for veterans' affairs, which I have recently taken over from my party room colleague Penny Wright. I would...
