Senate debates
Tuesday, 2 February 2016
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Meeting (1 speech)
Does any senator wish to have the question put on any of those motions? There being none, we will proceed.
- Statement by the President (0 speeches)
- Australian Senate (1 speech)
I wish to make a statement to the Senate. As we begin our sittings for this year, I would like to remind all senators about standards that will be applied by the chair, particularly during...
- Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I present a revised ministry list and seek leave to have the list incorporated into Hansard. Leave granted. The document read as follows— TURNBULL MINISTRY 29 December...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Turnbull Government (8 speeches)
Mr President, welcome back to 2016.
- National Security (6 speeches)
My question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Brandis. Will the Attorney-General inform the Senate what recent actions the government has taken to further strengthen...
- Taxation (9 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Cormann. I refer to the minister's statement to the Senate on 21 October last year on the government's tax white paper process....
- Asylum Seekers (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. Senator, there are 90 children, including 37 babies born in Australia, whose families are anxiously awaiting the...
- Economy, Employment (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Cormann, representing the Treasurer. Can the minister please provide an update on the economy and jobs?
- Education Funding (17 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Education and Training, Senator Birmingham. When they went to vote at the last election, South Australians saw official Liberal Party signs that said, 'Liberals...
- Building and Construction Industry (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. Will the minister inform the Senate why the reintroduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission is so essential?
- Medicare (10 speeches)
My question without notice is to Senator Nash, the Minister representing the Minister for Health. I refer the National Party assistant health minister to the government's proposed $650 million...
- Education Funding (10 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Education and Training. Does the minister agree with the National Catholic Education Commission, which says that the government's school funding cuts...
- Innovation and Science (6 speeches)
My question is to the Cabinet Secretary, Senator Sinodinos, representing the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science. Will the Cabinet Secretary inform the Senate how the recently announced...
- Member for Fisher (7 speeches)
My question is to the minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. I refer to the Prime Minister, who said on 19 November last year that he had 'confidence' in Mr Brough and to his...
- Organ and Tissue Donation (7 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Rural Health, Senator Nash, representing the Minister for Health. Will the minister please advise the Senate what the government is doing to increase rates of...
- Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
- Special Minister of State (1 speech)
Mr President, I table a document in response to a question from Senator Wong which I took on notice on 3 December 2015.
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Education Funding (9 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Education and Training (Senator Birmingham) to questions without notice asked by Senators Gallacher and Dastyari today...
- Cancer Screening (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Rural Health (Senator Nash) to a question without notice asked by Senator Lambie today relating to proposed changes to...
- Condolences (0 speeches)
- Carlton, Hon. James (Jim) Joseph, AO (7 speeches)
Senators, it is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death on 24 December last year of the Hon. James (Jim) Joseph Carlton AO, a former minister and member of the House of...
- Deahm, Ms Margaret (Maggie) Joan (1 speech)
It is also with further deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death on 28 December 2015 of Margaret Joan Deahm, a member of the House of Representatives for the division of Macquarie in New...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Consideration of Legislation (1 speech)
I move: That general business order of the day no. 35 (Recognition of Foreign Marriages Bill 2014) be considered on Thursday, 4 February 2016 under consideration of private senators' bills....
- Leave of Absence (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senators Abetz and Ronaldson from 2 to 4 February 2016, for personal reasons. Question agreed to.
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Withdrawal (1 speech)
On behalf of Senators Lines and Dastyari, I withdraw business of the Senate notices of motion Nos 1 and 8 standing in their names for today, proposing references to the Education and Employment...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Economics References Committee, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee; Reporting Date (1 speech)
Does any senator wish to have any of those motions put? There being none, I shall now proceed to the discovery of formal business.
- Finance and Public Administration References Committee; Reference (1 speech)
At the request of Senators Carr, Muir, Madigan, Xenophon and Rice, I move: That the following matter be referred to the Finance and Public Administration References Committee for inquiry and...
- Environment and Communications References Committee; Reference (1 speech)
At the request of Senator Urquhart, I move: That the following matter be referred to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report by 22 June 2016: The risks and...
- Community Affairs References Committee; Reference (4 speeches)
Mr President, I ask that Senator Madigan's name be added as a co-sponsor of this motion. I, and also on behalf of Senator Madigan, move: That the following matter be referred to the Community...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Postponement (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That business of the Senate notice of motion no. 5 standing in the names of Senator Simms and Senator Xenophon for today, proposing a reference to the Environment and...
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Transport Industry (1 speech)
I, and also on behalf of Senator Sterle, move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) the trucking industry consists of approximately 49 000 businesses of which 25 000 are owner-drivers, (ii)...
- National Disability Insurance Scheme (4 speeches)
I, and also on behalf of Senators Urquhart and Brown, move: That, on International Day of People with Disability, the Senate calls on state, territory and Commonwealth governments to demonstrate...
- Housing Affordability (9 speeches)
I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 990 standing in my name for today, concerning the implementation of committee report recommendations in relation to housing affordability.
- Tambo Teddies (1 speech)
I ask that the name of Senator Macdonald be added to this motion, which could be a historical moment! I, and also on behalf of Senator Macdonald, move: That the Senate— (a) notes: (i) the...
- Family Law (4 speeches)
I, and also on the behalf of Senators Day, Muir, Wang, Lazarus, Leyonhjelm and Lambie, move: That the Senate— (a) notes the 2003 committee report by the House of Representatives Standing...
- International Day of People with Disability (1 speech)
I, and on behalf of Senators Moore and Lindgren, move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) 3 December is International Day of People with Disability, (ii) the theme for 2015 is 'Inclusion...
- Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (2 speeches)
I move: That the Senate— (a) congratulates the Right Honourable Patricia Scotland on her selection at the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) as the 6th Commonwealth...
- Telecommunications Data Retention (8 speeches)
Mr President, I am just wondering whether I win anything!
- A-League Football (4 speeches)
I, and also on behalf of Senator Dastyari, move: That the Senate— (a) notes: (i) complaints by Western Sydney Wanderers fans that a heavy-handed approach to crowd control has been adopted,...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Defence; Order for the Production of Documents (5 speeches)
I move: That there be laid on the table by the Minister for Defence (Senator Payne), no later than 3.30 pm on Monday, 22 February 2016, a copy of the Defence White Paper 2015.
- Defence Housing Australia (5 speeches)
I move: That there be laid on the table by the Minister for Defence (Senator Payne), no later than 3.30 pm on Monday, 22 February 2016, a copy of the Lazard Scoping Study completed on the future...
- Australian Domestic Shipping Industry (8 speeches)
I, and also on behalf of Senator Leyonhjelm move: That the Senate calls on the Government to engage the Productivity Commission to review the Australian domestic shipping industry, to report on:...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- Turnbull Government (17 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: "Despite the...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Consideration (1 speech)
We will now proceed to the consideration of documents under the new temporary order. The documents for consideration are listed on today's Order of Business.
- Community Affairs References Committee (1 speech)
The last batch of documents I called were government documents 29 to 42 on page 10; 43 to 49 on page 11. Reports of the Auditor-General, documents numbered 50 to 57 on page 11.
- Auditor-General's Reports (0 speeches)
- (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the document. This is report No. 57, the Performance Audit Qualifying for the Disability Support Pension, the Department of Social Services and the Department...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Delegation Reports (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- India: Republic Day, Small Business (2 speeches)
Order! It being 7.20 I propose the question: That the Senate do now adjourn.
- Swan Electorate: Infrastructure (1 speech)
I want to talk tonight about the electorate of Swan. It is the electorate I live in. I have lived there for many, many years; I know the electorate really well. I can say proudly that the Swan...
- Taxation (1 speech)
Our government extracts huge quantities of tax from the rich. It does this for no other reason than that that is where the money is, and it is addicted to huge spending. The imposition of heavy...
- Western Australian Bushfires (1 speech)
I rise this evening to acknowledge the losses and ongoing suffering being experienced by many in the south-west of Western Australia in the wake of the devastating bushfires last month that...
- Tasmanian Bushfires (1 speech)
I rise tonight to speak of the ravaging fires we have experienced in Tasmania over the past month and their threat to our floral natural heritage and biodiversity in some of my home state's most...
- United States Presidential Election (1 speech)
Iwatch the results of the US presidential primary elections and I shudder with fear. Let us not pussyfoot around this, a Donald Trump or a Ted Cruz presidency will undermine many of the...
- Housing Affordability (1 speech)
I rise to address Australia's rental crisis. 2.7 million Australian households rent. They are the forgotten face of Australia's housing affordability crisis. They are forgotten in our national...
- Domestic and Family Violence (1 speech)
I rise this evening to speak on the plague of domestic violence in Australia, a national disgrace and a black mark on this country. Last Saturday, I was invited to address a community rally...
- Western Australia: Bushfires (4 speeches)
Mr Acting Deputy President, happy new year.
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Heywire (1 speech)
This week, Parliament House will once again host the winners of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's excellent Heywire competition. Tonight I would like to acknowledge two South Australian...
- Flick, Mr Albert Jack (1 speech)
I am privileged tonight to rise to reflect upon the life of one of the most respected businessmen, of one of the most respected business families—in my view—in the history of...
- Nagorno-Karabakh (1 speech)
I have always adopted a parsimonious approach to spending other people's money. For over 20 years in the union I did not carry business cards, reasoning that anyone who wanted to see me knew who...
- Centrelink (1 speech)
I rise tonight to speak about what I could only describe as some of the most terrible experiences that people have been talking to me and my office about as they relate to Centrelink and the...
- Australia Day (1 speech)
This is the first sitting of parliament for the year and therefore the first sitting since we celebrated Australia Day. Australia Day is an occasion to celebrate the things that are great about...
- Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (1 speech)
Tasmania has so many beautiful places but one of its most breathtakingly spectacular places is the Walls of Jerusalem inside the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The clifftop walk in the...
- Fair Work Building and Construction (1 speech)
Fair Work Building and Construction, under the leadership of Mr Nigel Hadgkiss, is mired in administrative incompetence, cronyism, bias and partiality in the exercise of the agency's functions....
- Member for Warringah (1 speech)
Madam Acting Deputy President, a happy new parliamentary year to you. I rise tonight to talk about a matter that will be of importance to all Australians who value equality and diversity. I refer...
- Orange Sky Laundry (1 speech)
Last week two young men from Brisbane were honoured with the title Young Australians of the Year. Two young men, Nick Marchesi and Lucas Patchett, launched Orange Sky Laundry in 2015. It was a...
- Australian Defence Force (1 speech)
Seated in the Senate public gallery tonight are two young Australian Army veterans to witness my speech, which will address their issues. They are SAS Trooper Evan Donaldson and former Australian...
- Henry, Ms Margaret, New South Wales Rail Infrastructure, Donations to Political Parties (1 speech)
Margaret Henry, a wonderful community activist, sadly died in September last year. Margaret was a Newcastle transport and heritage advocate, a former Newcastle university history lecturer, a...
