Senate debates

Monday, 18 April 2016

• Parliamentary Representation (0 speeches)
  • Western Australia (1 speech)
    I inform the Senate that I have received a letter from Senator Bullock resigning his place as a senator for the state of Western Australia. Pursuant to the provisions of section 21 of the...
• Governor-General's Speech (0 speeches)
  • (1 speech)
    Order! The sitting of the Senate will be suspended for approximately one half of an hour and will resume at the ringing of the bells. Proceedings suspended from 09:45 to 10:15 The PRESIDENT...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Corporations and Financial Services Committee, Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee; Meeting (1 speech)
    Does any senator wish to have the question put on those two motions? There being none, we will proceed to business.
• Governor-General's Speech (0 speeches)
  • Address-in-Reply (30 speeches)
    I move: That the following address in reply be agreed to. To His Excellency the Governor-General MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY— We, the Senate of the Commonwealth of Australia in...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Consideration of Legislation (1 speech)
    by leave—I move: That upon receipt of a message or messages from the House of Representatives requesting that the Senate resume consideration of the Building and Construction Industry...
• Governor-General's Speech (0 speeches)
  • Address-in-Reply (1 speech)
    In addressing the question before the chair, I would like to respond to a number of the claims that were made by Senator Conroy in his address-in-reply speech. The first is in relation to the...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013 [No. 2], Building and Construction Industry (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2013 [No. 2]; Consideration of House of Representatives Message (1 speech)
    Pursuant to order agreed to earlier today, I move: That the Senate resume consideration of the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013 [No. 2] and the Building and...
  • Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013 [No. 2], Building and Construction Industry (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2013 [No. 2]; Second Reading (12 speeches)
    The bills that the Senate is currently debating are the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013 [No. 2] and the Building and Construction Industry (Consequential and...
• Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
  • Financial Services (10 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. I refer to the Prime Minister's recent statement on the banking industry that 'there have been too many troubling...
  • Transport Industry (9 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. Can the minister advise the Senate on the importance of supporting small business operators in the heavy vehicle industry?
  • Australian Securities and Investments Commission (6 speeches)
    My question is to the minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Cormann. I refer to Mr Medcraft, chair of ASIC, who warned in 2014 that the Abbott-Turnbull government's $120 million cuts meant...
  • Workplace Relations (7 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. Will the minister tell the Senate why it is important that workplaces be free from bullying and intimidation?
  • Multinational Tax Avoidance (19 speeches)
    My question is to the minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. Australians are getting sick of hearing about tax dodgers setting up elaborate schemes to avoid paying their fair...
  • Defence Procurement (18 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Payne. Will the minister update the Senate on the Turnbull government's plans to secure a long-term and sustainable naval shipbuilding industry...
  • Climate Change (16 speeches)
    My question is to the minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. It has been five months since the Prime Minister promised the world at the Paris climate conference that Australia...
  • Defence Procurement (12 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Payne. Will the minister advise how the Turnbull government's announcement on naval shipbuilding will provide certainty and security for...
  • Donations to Political Parties (14 speeches)
    My question is to the Cabinet Secretary, Senator Sinodinos. I refer to the New South Wales Electoral Commission statement on the New South Wales Liberal Party regarding the use of the Free...
  • Building and Construction Industry (21 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. It is the minister aware of any dishonest claims currently circulating about reforms in the building and construction sector?
  • Taxation (6 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. I refer to the Prime Minister's announcement at Penrith oval on 30 March that 'the federal government will reduce...
  • Building and Construction Industry (9 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. Is the minister aware of any incidents from my home state of Victoria which highlight the necessity to restore law and order to the...
• Budget (0 speeches)
  • Consideration by Estimates Committees (5 speeches)
    Under standing order 74(5), I seek an explanation from the Minister representing the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Senator Sinodinos, as to why the following 29 questions on...
• Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
  • Australian Securities and Investments Commission (5 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Attorney-General (Senator Brandis) and the Minister for Finance (Senator Cormann) to questions without notice asked by Senators...
  • Multinational Tax Avoidance (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Attorney-General (Senator Brandis) to a question without notice asked by Senator Whish-Wilson today relating to corporate tax...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Days and Hours of Meeting (3 speeches)
    by leave—I move the motion standing in my name, the terms of which have been circulated in the chamber: (1) That the days of meeting of the Senate for the remainder of 2016 be as follows:...
  • Leave of Absence (2 speeches)
    by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator Heffernan for today for personal reasons. Question agreed to.
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Economics References Committee; Reporting Date (1 speech)
    by leave—I move: That the Senate adopt the recommendation contained in the report and that the second report of the committee on its inquiry into the foreign investment review framework be...
  • Economics References Committee, Environment and Communications References Committee; Reporting Date (1 speech)
    I remind senators that the question may be put on any of those proposals at the request of any senator. There being none, we will move on.
• Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
  • (12 speeches)
    I inform the Senate that at 8.30 am today Senators Leyonhjelm and Moore each submitted a letter in accordance with standing order 75 proposing a matter of public importance. The question of which...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation; Order for the Production of Documents (1 speech)
    by leave—I move: That the Senate take note of the document. The documents that have been received out of sitting are the final documents that we have received in response to our order for...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Membership (2 speeches)
    The President has received letters requesting changes in the membership of committees.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013 [No. 2], Building and Construction Industry (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2013 [No. 2]; Second Reading (10 speeches)
    As I was saying, this is a government whose Cabinet Secretary, Arthur Sinodinos, remains under investigation in the New South Wales ICAC over corruption allegations. Senator Sinodinos was also...
• Governor-General's Speech (0 speeches)
  • Address-in-Reply (6 speeches)
    Perhaps the first thing I might mention in relation to the address-in-reply—
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Road Safety Remuneration Repeal Bill 2016; First Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That this bill may proceed without formalities and be now read a first time. Question agreed to. Bill read a first time. by leave—I move: That: (a)   consideration of...
  • Road Safety Remuneration Repeal Bill 2016; Second Reading (47 speeches)
    I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speech read as follows— The Government is...
  • Road Safety Remuneration Repeal Bill 2016; Third Reading (1 speech)
    The question now is that the remaining stages of the bill be agreed to and the bill be now passed.
• Governor-General's Speech (0 speeches)
  • Address-in-Reply (4 speeches)
    I rise to respond to the address-in-reply to the Governor-General's speech, and I want to continue talking about the importance of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, which the government has...
• Adjournment (0 speeches)
  • Transport Industry (1 speech)
    I rise with pleasure to reflect on the decision of the Senate in the last few moments, voting 36 to 32, to abolish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal. What is this tribunal about? Well, the...
  • Innovation (9 speeches)
    I rise to speak this evening about the Turnbull government's hollow words and inaction on innovation. The Turnbull government is all talk and no action on innovation. When it comes to innovation,...
  • Australian Greens: South Australia (1 speech)
    I rise to speak about the Greens positive vision for South Australia, something I know is going to be of significant importance to the people of my home state in coming weeks and months. One of...