Senate debates
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (1 speech)
I move: That government business order of the day no.2, Migration Amendment (Protection and Other Measures) Bill 2014, be postponed till a later hour. Question agreed to.
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Statements by Senators (0 speeches)
- Queensland: Higher Education (3 speeches)
Today I want to speak about what I believe is my home state of Queensland's most significant achievement over the last 25 years. I am not here to talk about rugby or cricket, and it is not about...
- National Produce Monitoring Program (1 speech)
I want to talk today about the issue that we have seen happen in imported berries. Australians are quite rightly concerned about the recent contamination outbreak of hepatitis A in imported...
- Discrimination (1 speech)
I rise today to talk about a very important issue affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Unfortunately, there continues to be discrimination, ill-treatment and, in fact, often...
- Australian Capital Territory: Schools, Defence Community Organisation (1 speech)
On 5 March, I was very pleased to visit Canberra Grammar School for the official opening of the Snow Centre for Education in the Asian Century. The Snow centre comprises a new facility which has...
- Abbott Government (16 speeches)
I rise today to draw attention to the lies and backflips perpetrated by this Abbott Liberal government and the effect it is having on my home state of Tasmania. Their agenda is built on lies and...
- Australian Native Animals (1 speech)
Australians are good at many things, but conserving native fauna is not one of them. In the last 200 years, 11 per cent of our native mammals have become extinct. This is one of the worst...
- Sugar Industry (3 speeches)
Without making light of the contribution of the previous speaker, I too want to speak about a group of mammals—or mammalia, to use a scientific term—that are under threat of...
- Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (1 speech)
During the last sitting week, the Senate received the latest annual report of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission the ACNC. Although charity registers exist in most developed...
- Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
by leave—I advise the Senate that Senator Abetz, Leader of the Government in the Senate, will be absent from question time today as he is attending a funeral in Tasmania. In his absence,...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Economy (9 speeches)
Mr President, my question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Cormann. Can the minister confirm reports that 'Treasury is behind schedule in preparing the budget because of the...
- Migration (10 speeches, 1 comment)
Mr President, my question is to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Cash. I refer to the government's response to the independent review of the 457 visa scheme...
- Budget (10 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Social Services, Senator Fifield. I refer to the minister's statement to the chamber that 'The government remains committed to all of...
- Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (13 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Trade and Investment, Senator Payne. This morning, former Australian trade negotiator, Dr Ruth Lopert,—now one of Minister...
- Economy (9 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Finance and Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Cormann. Can the minister advise the Senate what the government is doing to reverse the former Labor...
- Senate (25 speeches)
My question is to the Senator representing the Senator representing the Prime Minister, the Hon. George Brandis. Yesterday the Prime Minister reportedly stated during a party room meeting that...
- Workplace Relations (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women, Senator Cash. Can the minister inform the Senate of any incidents which evidence a subculture of abuse or violence against...
- Sydney Harbour: Cruise Industry (6 speeches)
My question is to the Acting Leader of the Government in the Senate and the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, Senator Brandis. The cruise industry is the fastest-growing sector of...
- Medical Workforce (12 speeches)
My question is to the Assistant Minister for Health, Senator Nash. I refer to the Specialist Training Program which provides training for Australia's future medical specialists, particularly in...
- Live Animal Exports (12 speeches)
My question is to the best Minister for Indigenous Affairs in decades, Senator Scullion, representing the best Minister for Agriculture in decades. I refer the minister to recent data released by...
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Pensions and Benefits (11 speeches)
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 Moore today relating to the...
- Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Human Services (Senator Payne) to a question without notice asked by Senator Whish-Wilson today relating to the...
- Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
- (3 speeches)
I seek leave to make a brief personal explanation. Leave granted. During question time yesterday, in an answer to a question from Senator McKenzie, Senator Abetz misrepresented me and my conduct...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
I give notice that on the next day of sitting I shall move: That the provisions of paragraphs (5) to (8) of standing order 111 not apply to the Public Governance and Resources Legislation...
- Withdrawal (1 speech)
I withdraw business of the Senate notice of motion No. 2 standing in my name for today, proposing a reference to the Economics Legislation Committee.
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Melanoma March (3 speeches)
I, and also on behalf of Senators Di Natale, Xenophon and Seselja, move: That the Senate notes that: (a) 12 500 Australians are diagnosed with melanoma each year, and 1 650 of those are diagnosed...
- Cyclones (4 speeches)
I move: That the Senate— (a) notes: (i) the tragic loss of life and devastating impacts of Tropical Cyclone Pam on schools, hospitals, homes, water supplies, crops, fertile lands and...
- Same-Sex Relationships (7 speeches)
This is a motion relating to a free conscience vote on marriage equality by all members in this place and the other. I move: That the Senate agrees that all members of Parliament and senators...
- Mental Health (4 speeches)
I, and also on behalf of Senator McLucas, move: That the Senate— (a) notes the effects of Commonwealth funding uncertainty on the mental health sector, including staff loss, a reduction in...
- WestConnex (4 speeches)
I move: That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, no later than 4 pm on Wednesday, 25 March 2015, the following...
- Nuclear Energy (8 speeches, 5 comments)
I move: That the Senate— (a) welcomes the South Australian Government's Royal Commission into the Nuclear Fuel Cycle; (b) notes That the Prime Minister (Mr Abbott) said recently 'it's...
- Live Animal Exports (8 speeches)
I, and also on behalf of Senator Back, move: That the Senate recognises: (a) recent comments to the media by Australian Cattle Veterinarians Association president, Dr Enoch Bergman, in support of...
- Housing Affordability (5 speeches)
I, and also on behalf of Senator Leyonhjelm and Senator Lambie, move: That the Senate— (a) condemns the deliberate restriction of land for new housing and subsequent price gouging by state...
- Cruise Ship Terminals (8 speeches)
I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 659 standing in my name, relating to cruise ship terminals. Leave granted. I move the motion as amended: That the Senate— (a)...
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- Superannuation Inequality and Housing Affordability (17 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 Abbott...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Consideration (1 speech)
We move to the consideration of documents. The documents are listed on page 5 of today's Order of Business.
- Department of Agriculture (2 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. I rise to speak to the report to the parliament on livestock mortalities during exports by sea for the period of July 2014 to December 2014. I...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Economics References Committee; Report (1 speech)
On behalf of Senator Dastyari, the Chair of the Economics References Committee, I present the report of the Economics Reference Committee on retail leasing, together with the Hansard record of...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Regulations and Determinations (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- School Chaplains (1 speech)
I would like to draw to the attention of the Senate some developments in the area of the National School Chaplaincy Programme. This has had its ups and downs over the years, particularly in...
- South Australia (1 speech)
I rise to make a contribution in the adjournment debate tonight in respect of a number of very important issues to the great state of South Australia. A lot of the rhetoric that has gone on since...
- Child Abuse (1 speech)
Tonight I rise to speak on a topic which has all too often been avoided, denied or hidden from public view. It is child abuse—a difficult and emotional subject that continues to affect so...
- Housing Affordability (10 speeches)
I rise this evening to continue the dialogue about home ownership and the possibility of accessing superannuation funds. As I listened to the discussion this afternoon around the table, it...
