Senate debates
Tuesday, 2 September 2014
- Statement by the President (0 speeches)
- Standing Orders (1 speech)
Honourable senators, yesterday during debate on the second reading of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Bilateral Agreement Implementation) Bill 2014, Senator...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Consideration of Legislation (15 speeches)
I seek leave to move a motion relating to the consideration of the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2014. Leave not granted. Pursuant to contingent notice standing in the...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
by leave—I inform the Senate that Senator Johnston, the Minister for Defence, will be absent from the Senate until Thursday, 4 September 2014 in order to attend the 2014 NATO conference in...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Economy (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Abetz. I refer to recent comments by junior minister Jamie Briggs, who said: We cannot accept that on New Year’s Eve you can’t...
- Mining (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Cormann, representing the Treasurer. Can the minister advise the Senate how the repeal of the mining tax will help build a stronger economy and...
- Employment (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Abetz. Has the government established new rules that will enable employers to hire foreign workers on salaries of up to 10 per cent below...
- Russia (10 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. I refer to increasing tensions and armed aggression by the government of Russia in Eastern Ukraine and particularly...
- National Security (6 speeches)
My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis, representing the Minister for Defence. Will the Attorney-General outline to the Senate the government's commitment to maintaining our...
- Budget (12 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Social Services, Senator Fifield. There were reports today that the government is considering reducing the waiting time for the young...
- Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (8 speeches)
My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis. Can the Attorney-General inform the Senate of the decision of the government in relation to the future of the Royal Commission into...
- Sharia Law (8 speeches)
My question is for the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis. I refer the Attorney-General to section 44(i) of the Constitution, as shown on page 6 of the Senate procedures pocket guide, which...
- Deregulation (12 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Senator Abetz. I refer to the upcoming expiry on 30 September of the two-year agreement governing port access for bulk...
- Education (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Payne, representing the Minister for Education. Can the minister advise the Senate of recent commentary on the need to pass the...
- Superannuation (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Cormann. I refer to the Prime Minister's pre-election promise last year that, 'There'll be no unexpected adverse changes to...
- Australian Public Service (7 speeches)
My question is to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service, Senator Abetz. Can the minister provide the Senate with an update on enterprise bargaining in the Australian...
- Employment (13 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Abetz. I refer to the minister's statement in July: 'What we're asking most of the job seekers to do is to seek a job of a morning and of an...
- Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
- Russia (1 speech)
I have further information for Senator Ludlam. Senator Ludlam asked me some questions today relating to Australia's exports of uranium to the Russian Federation. I can inform the Senate that...
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Economy, Employment, Deregulation (17 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Employment (Senator Abetz) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today. Here we are, one third of the...
- Budget (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...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Withdrawal (1 speech)
I withdraw general business notice of motion No. 405 standing in my name for today relating to Captain Paul Watson.
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee; Reference (1 speech)
God bless you, Mr President. What a rare occasion it is when I say something in the chamber. I, and also on behalf of Senators Leyonhjelm and Reynolds, move: That the following matter be referred...
- Select Committee on Health; Meeting (1 speech)
At the request of Senator O'Neill, I move: That the Select Committee on Health be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 4 September 2014, from 3.15 pm...
- Economics References Committee; Reporting Date (1 speech)
At the request of Senator Dastyari, I move: That the time for the presentation of the report of the Economics References Committee on its inquiry into forestry managed investment schemes be...
- Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit; Meeting (1 speech)
At the request of Senator Smith, I move: That the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit be authorised to hold private meetings otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1),...
- Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee; Reporting Date (1 speech)
I move: That the time for the presentation of reports of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee be extended, as follows: (a) Manus Island Detention Centre—to 27 October...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Carnaby's Cockatoo (4 speeches)
I, and also on behalf of Senator Ludlam, move: That the Senate— (a) notes: (i) That the '2014 Great Cocky Count' report by Birdlife Australia and Western Australia's Department of Parks and...
- Child Labour (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate— (a) notes: (i) the 168 million children worldwide working as child labourers face detrimental impacts to their physical, mental and economic development, and (ii)...
- Renewable Energy Target (4 speeches)
I move: That the Senate— (a) acknowledges the positive role that South Australian wind, solar and other clean renewable energy projects have had in creating jobs, supporting local economies...
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- Budget (22 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 impact of the...
- First Speech (0 speeches)
- (2 speeches)
Order! Before I call Senator Lazarus, I remind honourable senators that this is his first speech; therefore, I ask that the usual courtesies be extended to him.
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Public Works Committee; Report (1 speech)
At the request of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present report No. 5 of 2014—referrals made June 2014.
- Human Rights Committee; Report (2 speeches)
On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, I present the 11th report of the 44th Parliament of the committee on the examination of legislation in accordance with the Human...
- Select Committee on Health; Membership (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That Senator Rhiannon replace Senator Di Natale on the Select Committee on Health for 15 September and 16 September 2014, and Senator Di Natale be appointed as a...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- Dupagne, Ms Tanya, Lefroy, Mr Timothy (1 speech)
I would like to use this evening's adjournment debate to reflect positively on two fantastic young Western Australians who are living and working out in regional Western Australia. The first is...
- Tobacco (1 speech)
Yesterday tobacco excise increased by 12.5 per cent. This is a good thing. This is a tax increase that will literally save lives. It is yet another reason for people to kick this dangerous,...
- Taiji Dolphin Hunt (1 speech)
Sadly, just yesterday, the annual slaughter of dolphins and small whales began in a small cove in Japan called Taiji. It is also occurring right up and down the coast of Japan. I rise today to...
- Falls, Miss Claire, Steel, Mr Kurt (1 speech)
Last week my colleagues Tanya Plibersek, Bernie Ripoll and I met a local constituent with a difference. Claire Falls is a 12-year-old Canberra girl with a love for playing soccer who is fighting...
- Montara Oil Spill (1 speech)
Tonight, I would like to talk about an issue that I have raised on a number of occasions in this chamber. I would particularly like to raise this issue at this time, because 21 August was the...
- Iraq and Syria (1 speech)
I rise this evening to lend my support to the decision of the government led by Mr Abbott to involve this country along with others in supporting the government of Iraq in the terrible...
- Bell, Associate Professor Erica (1 speech)
I rise tonight to pay tribute to, and acknowledge the outstanding achievements of, Associate Professor Erica Bell. Sadly, Associate Professor Bell suffered a critical brain haemorrhage on 21 July...
- Nuclear Energy (1 speech, 1 comment)
Sometime in the next 48 hours the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, will, we understand, sign a uranium export deal with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I have very high regard for the...
- Overseas Aid (1 speech)
One of the issues I am very passionate about is Australia's part in the global effort to tackle extreme poverty. Right now 1.3 billion of our world's population live in extreme poverty, which is...
- Renewable Energy (1 speech)
I rise today to talk about the review of the Renewable Energy Target and in particular the impact that that review will have on my home state of Victoria. You have got to hand it to this...
- Pharmacies (3 speeches)
I rise tonight to speak about a very vital business sector, especially in many small regional towns. I talk about the local chemist shop—the pharmacy—and what a vital service they are.
- Gorgon Gas Project (1 speech)
I rise tonight to speak about Chevron's Gorgon Project, on Barrow Island in Western Australia. At the time of approval in 2009, the Gorgon joint-venture estimated that the net benefit to Western...
- Speech Pathology (1 speech)
This afternoon, our Community Affairs References Committee brought down a report on speech pathology in Australia. During that process many people gave us detailed submissions and talked about...
- Renewable Energy Target (4 speeches)
I speak tonight on the Renewable Energy Target. I commence my contribution with a quote: We will be keeping the renewable energy target. We have made that commitment. We have no plans or...
- Higher Education (1 speech)
I rise to put on the record the threat posed to regional communities by the legislation that was put before the House of Representatives this day. This morning in that other place, the green...
- Steel, Mr Kurt (1 speech)
Tonight I want to pay tribute to a friend that I lost this week. Kurt Steel died tragically in a bus accident while travelling on a much-deserved holiday in Bolivia. He was only 25 years old....
- Education Funding (1 speech)
This is about political donations and political influence. It is also about how the Abbott government proposes to divert money from public education to private colleges with little oversight of...
