Senate debates

Monday, 29 February 2016

• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Corporations and Financial Services Committee, Electoral Matters Committee, Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, Finance and Public Administration References Committee; Meeting (43 speeches)
    Does any senator wish to have the question put on any of those meetings?
• Parliamentary Representation (0 speeches)
  • Victoria (1 speech)
    I inform the Senate that I have received a letter from Senator Ronaldson resigning his place as a senator for the state of Victoria. Pursuant to the provisions of section 21 of the Constitution I...
• Statement by the President (0 speeches)
  • Parliamentary Language (12 speeches)
    Last Wednesday during question time I undertook to consider further an issue about the use of inappropriate language by way of quotation. In answering a question from Senator Lindgren about...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Tax Laws Amendment (Small Business Restructure Roll-over) Bill 2016; Second Reading (13 speeches)
    I rise to continue my remarks in relation to the Tax Laws Amendment (Small Business Restructure Roll-over) Bill 2016. Labor recognises that some of the sure-fire ways of helping small businesses,...
  • Tax Laws Amendment (Small Business Restructure Roll-over) Bill 2016; Third Reading (2 speeches)
    As no amendments to the bill have been circulated, I shall call the minister to move the third reading unless any senator requires that the bill be considered in Committee of the Whole.
  • Parliamentary Entitlements Amendment (Injury Compensation Scheme) Bill 2016; Second Reading (2 speeches)
    I rise to speak in support of the Parliamentary Entitlements Amendment (Injury Compensation Scheme) Bill 2016. This bill implements a longstanding Labor commitment to provide members and senators...
  • Parliamentary Entitlements Amendment (Injury Compensation Scheme) Bill 2016; Third Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
  • Dairy Produce Amendment (Dairy Service Levy Poll) Bill 2016; Second Reading (6 speeches)
    I rise to support Dairy Produce Amendment (Dairy Service Levy Poll) Bill 2016. The dairy industry has asked the government to remove the statutory requirement to hold a levy related poll of...
• Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
  • Turnbull Government: Fiscal Policy (8 speeches)
    My question is to Senator Brandis, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. Is former Prime Minister Abbott right to say that Mr Turnbull has failed to produce his own credible economic...
  • Building and Construction Industry (20 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. Is the minister aware of any recent examples of behaviour in the ACT which highlight the importance of the Heydon royal commission in...
  • Broadband (23 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Communications, Senator Fifield. In this place on 22 February this year the minister said that the rollout of the Prime Minister's copper NBN was...
  • Building and Construction Industry (11 speeches)
    Mr President, I, like Senator Seselja, have a question for the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. Is the minister aware of any examples of behaviour in my home state of New South Wales that...
  • Climate Change (11 speeches)
    My question is to the minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. At the Paris climate conference, the Prime Minister paraded Australia's climate pollution reduction targets,...
  • Building and Construction Industry (18 speeches)
    I also have a question for the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. Is the minister aware of any examples of behaviour in my home state of Victoria which highlight a culture of intimidation in...
  • Environment (10 speeches)
    My question is to the minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Senator Birmingham. In the 2013, the coalition promised to continue action to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean by...
  • Building and Construction Industry (6 speeches)
    Is the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash, aware of any examples of behaviour in my home state of South Australia which highlighted a culture of contempt for the law among certain individuals...
  • Clean Energy Finance Corporation (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Cormann. Does abolishing the Clean Energy Finance Corporation remain government policy, and will the savings continue to be reflected in the budget?
  • Building and Construction Industry (11 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. Is the minister aware of any examples of bullying and intimidation on building sites in my home state of Western Australia? Do these...
  • Taxation (6 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis, and relates to negative gearing. Are retrospective changes to negative gearing on the table?
  • Building and Construction Industry (7 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Employment. Is the minister aware of any examples of behaviour in my home state of Queensland which highlight a culture of intimidation in the construction...
• Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
  • Broadband (16 speeches)
    (): I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Communications (Senator Fifield) to a question without notice asked by Senator McLucas today relating to the National...
  • Environment (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Education and Training (Senator Birmingham) to a question without notice asked by Senator Whish-Wilson today relating to...
• Notices (0 speeches)
  • Presentation (3 speeches)
    I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move: That the provisions of paragraph 5 to 8 of standing order 111 not apply to the following bills, allowing them to be considered during...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee; Reporting Date (1 speech)
    by leave—I move: That the time for the presentation of the report of the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee on the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Community...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Rearrangement (1 speech)
    I move: That the following general business orders of the day be considered on Thursday 3 March 2016 under consideration of private senators' bills: No. 80 Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted...
  • Leave of Absence (1 speech)
    By leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to the following senators on 3 March 2016: (a) Senator Birmingham for personal reasons; and (b) Senator Ruston on account of parliamentary...
• Notices (0 speeches)
  • Withdrawal (2 speeches)
    I withdraw business of the Senate notice of motion No. 1 referring a matter to the Education and Employment References Committee standing in my name for today.
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee; Reference (2 speeches)
    I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 2 standing in my name for today proposing a reference to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee relating to the...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation; Order for the Production of Documents (1 speech)
    I move: That there be laid on the table, no later than 9.30 am on 3 March 2016, the following documents held by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), or the...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Breastfeeding (2 speeches)
    I, and also on behalf of Senator Siewert, move: That the Senate— (a)   acknowledges Australia's National Breastfeeding Hotline which: (i)   provides invaluable...
  • Agriculture Exports (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate notes that: (a)   the 162 members of the World Trade Organization have agreed to end agricultural export subsidies; (b)   over time, these...
  • Child Poverty (4 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a)   notes that: (i)   after in-depth discussions with over a thousand young people and a national survey of 5,400 young people, the...
  • Coolcalalaya Station (4 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a)   notes that: (i)   the Lane family has transformed Coolcalalaya Station into:   (A)   a holiday...
  • Taxation (8 speeches)
    Just choose one, colleagues. I move: That the Senate— (a)   notes that the assertions by: (i)   the Assistant Treasurer (Ms O'Dwyer) that reforming negative...
  • Immunisation (4 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate notes that: (a) in the past 20 years, Australia has an excellent record of achievement in the prevention of disease through immunisation; (b) in the most recent annual...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Infrastructure Investment Program; Order for the Production of Documents (5 speeches)
    At the request of Senator Conroy, I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 1026 standing in his name for today, concerning an order for the production of documents relating to...
• Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
  • Taxation (20 speeches)
    The President has received the following letter from Senator Moore: Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Sex Discrimination Commissioner (1 speech)
    I seek leave to move a motion in relation to the response by Senator Cash to a resolution of the Senate of 3 February concerning the Sex Discrimination Commissioner. Leave granted. I move: That...
  • Australian Taxation Office — Low Income Superannuation Contributions Quarterly Report (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the document. The low-income superannuation contribution program makes sure that people earning less than $37,000 a year do not have to pay more tax on their...
  • Innovation Australia — Annual Report 2014-15 (5 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the document. It is with pleasure that I rise to speak on this document. I acknowledge that, since the ascension of Prime Minister Turnbull to that position,...
• Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
  • Communications Legislation Amendment (Deregulation and Other Measures) Bill 2015 (1 speech)
    I table an addendum to the explanatory memorandum relating to the Communications Legislation Amendment (Deregulation and Other Measures) Bill 2015. The addendum responds to concerns raised by the...
  • Outsourcing of Work to Foreign Business (1 speech)
    I table documents relating to the order for the production of documents concerning the outsourcing of work to foreign business. Question agreed to.
  • Defence White Paper (10 speeches)
    On behalf of the Minister for Defence, Senator Payne, I table the ministerial statement on the Defence white paper and seek leave to have the statement incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted....
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Membership (2 speeches)
    Order! The President has received letters requesting changes in the membership of committees.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Commonwealth Electoral Amendment Bill 2016; First Reading (66 speeches)
    I move: That this bill may proceed without formalities and be now read a first time.
• Adjournment (0 speeches)
  • Genetically Modified Crops (1 speech)
    I rise this evening to reflect on the need to further diversify the economy of my home state of Western Australia and to highlight my concerns over some of the threats certain policy proposals...
  • Education Funding (1 speech)
    The Abbott-Turnbull government are failing Australia's schools and schoolchildren. Since coming to government in 2013, they have tried every trick in the book, all the weasel words they can think...
  • Centrelink, Department of Human Services (1 speech, 1 comment)
    I rise tonight to again speak about people's lived experiences when dealing with Centrelink and the Department of Human Services. This is something I have spoken about previously in this place,...
  • Shipping (1 speech)
    A foundation stone of a healthy society is the number of people in a job. People in gainful employment exhibit better scores on their physical health, their mental health, their self-esteem and...