Senate debates

Thursday, 16 November 2017

• Parliamentary Representation (0 speeches)
  • Commission to Administer the Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance (1 speech)
    I table the original commission to administer to senators the oath or affirmation of allegiance, given to me by the Governor-General.
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Meeting (1 speech)
    I remind senators that the question may be put on any proposal at the request of any senator.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017; Second Reading (11 speeches)
    Before I call Senator Smith, I remind senators of the procedural order under which this bill is being considered. We have two hours and 20 minutes of debate this morning, and the bill will be...
• Notices (0 speeches)
  • Presentation (1 speech)
    I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move: That the Senate— a) notes with deep concern the high number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out of home...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Selection of Bills Committee; Report (8 speeches)
    I present the 13th report of 2017 of the Selection of Bills Committee. I seek leave to have the report incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The report read as follows— SELECTION OF...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Rearrangement (1 speech)
    I move: That: (a) government business order of the day no. 3, Defence Legislation Amendment (Instrument-Making) Bill 2017, be considered from 12.45 pm today; and (b) government business be called...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • FIFA World Cup (1 speech)
    by leave—I, and also on behalf of Senator Di Natale, move: That the Senate— (a) congratulates the Socceroos on their historic 3-1 win over Honduras in Sydney last night, qualifying...
• Budget (0 speeches)
  • Consideration by Estimates Committees (1 speech)
    I move: That the order of the Senate of 15 November 2017, relating to the 2018 estimates hearings, be amended as follows: Paragraph (1), after "Tuesday, 29 May to Friday, 1 June", insert ", and,...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Rearrangement (1 speech)
    I move: That consideration of the business before the Senate on Monday, 4 December 2017, be interrupted at approximately 5 pm, but not so as to interrupt a senator speaking, to enable Senator...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • World Toilet Day (1 speech)
    I, and also on behalf of Senators Moore and Rice, move: That the Senate— (a) notes that:   (i) on 19 November 2017, the world will observe World Toilet Day, an opportunity to...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Murray-Darling Basin; Order for the Production of Documents (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that:   (i) the Murray-Darling river system is a national resource,   (ii) the aim of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, agreed to in...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • New South Wales Government: Employment (4 speeches)
    I, and also on behalf of Senator Cameron, move: That the Senate— (a) notes that:   (i) the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Finance, Services and Innovation has stated that it...
  • Government (4 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate notes— (a) that 24 November 2017 marks the 10 year anniversary of the death of good government in Australia; (b) that the standards of government and political...
  • Abortion (2 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that a number of senators support a minority view in the community that gender is merely a social construct, and that gender is not determined by...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee; Reference (4 speeches)
    At the request of Senators Sterle and O'Sullivan, I move: That the following matter be referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 30...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • New South Wales: Schools (5 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes:   (i) reports that the New South Wales Government has determined that it will abandon the 'Crossroads' program in school Years 11 and 12, due...
  • White Ribbon Australia (14 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate notes that— (a) a number of senators are White Ribbon Ambassadors, or have tabled motions supporting campaigns to stop violence against women and domestic violence;...
  • Communism (4 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes the Trump administration in the United States of America has declared 7 November to be the National Day for Victims of Communism; (b) further notes the...
• Budget (0 speeches)
  • Consideration by Estimates Committees (2 speeches)
    I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 580, standing in my name for today, relating to the 2017-18 supplementary budget estimates, in the terms circulated in the chamber....
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • GetUp! (24 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that political activist organisation GetUp!:   (i) was seed-funded by organisations closely connected with Mr George Soros, a renowned globalist...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Defence Legislation Amendment (Instrument Making) Bill 2017; Second Reading (3 speeches)
    I rise to speak in favour of the Defence Legislation Amendment (Instrument Making) Bill 2017. I indicate that Labor supports this bill. The purpose of the bill is to amend the primary...
  • Defence Legislation Amendment (Instrument Making) Bill 2017; 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.
  • Treasury Laws Amendment (Improving Accountability and Member Outcomes in Superannuation Measures No. 1) Bill 2017, Superannuation Laws Amendment (Strengthening Trustee Arrangements) Bill 2017; Second Reading (10 speeches)
    As I stated last night, it is obviously on the public record that Labor will be opposing the Treasury Laws Amendment (Improving Accountability and Member Outcomes in Superannuation Measures No....
• Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
  • Attorney-General, Qualifications of Senators (12 speeches)
    My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis. Earlier this month, when asked whether he had rendered Ms Hollie Hughes ineligible to be elected as a senator by appointing her to the...
  • Energy (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis, in his capacity representing the Prime Minister. Can the minister update the Senate on how the coalition government's National Energy...
  • Multiculturalism (9 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. I refer to the Prime Minister's commitment to a multicultural Australia in which racism and discrimination have no...
  • Adani Carmichael Coalmine (16 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Minister, as climate change talks commenced in Bonn, a report...
  • Hadgkiss, Mr Nigel (24 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. The former commissioner of the Australian Building and Construction Commission resigned on 13 September after admitting he had...
  • Adani Carmichael Coalmine (27 speeches, 1 comment)
    My question is to the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator Canavan. Minister, as you are aware, my stance on the yet to be constructed Adani rail line is that it should be built...
  • Employment (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Finance, representing the Treasurer. Senator Canavan will be pleased to note that my question, like those of Senator O'Sullivan and Senator Hanson, is about...
  • Yemen: Human Rights (16 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Payne. Yesterday the ABC reported that as part of Operation Manitou, the Royal Australian Navy on 16 August held training exercises with its...
  • Women in Sport (16 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Communications and the Minister representing the Minister for Sport, Senator Fifield. Over the weekend, Australia took on England in a historic day-night...
  • Central Queensland: Water (14 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator Canavan.
  • Ministerial Conduct (11 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. Can the minister confirm that the Prime Minister's own ministerial standards require ministers to uphold the law...
• Statements (0 speeches)
  • Meares, Mr Andrew (2 speeches)
    by leave—Mr Andrew Meares, who's taking photographs of us as we speak, is retiring this year after 27 years as a press photographer with The Sydney Morning Herald. Those 27 years have...
  • Coghlan, Mrs Mary (2 speeches)
    Mr President, I want, through you, to wish your grandmother all the best on her 100th birthday, which I believe is tomorrow.
• Condolences (0 speeches)
  • Simpson, Mr Julian (5 speeches)
    by leave—This morning we awoke to the news that an Australian diplomat by the name of Julian Simpson had tragically died in New York. He was a second secretary to the United Nations, and I...
• Statements (0 speeches)
  • Simpson, Mr Julian, Meares, Mr Andrew (3 speeches)
    by leave—In relation to Mr Julian Simpson: it was a tragic mishap in New York. They were actually celebrating the wonderful news from Australia and had been up on the roof to look at the...
• Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
  • Multiculturalism (11 speeches)
    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 Ketter today relating to Pauline Hanson’s One...
  • Yemen: Human Rights (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Defence (Senator Payne) to a question without notice asked by Senator Whish-Wilson today relating to a joint training...
• Notices (0 speeches)
  • Presentation (1 speech)
    by leave—I give notice that I shall move: Senator Polley to move on 29 November 2017: That— the Senate adopt the recommendation at paragraph 4.10 of Scrutiny digest 13 of...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Corporations and Financial Services Committee, Economics Legislation Committee, Economics References Committee, Select Committee into the Future of Work and Workers; Membership (2 speeches)
    The President has received letters requesting changes in the membership of various committees.
• Budget (0 speeches)
  • Consideration by Estimates Committees (1 speech)
    I present additional information received by committees relating to the following estimates:
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Publications Committee; Report (1 speech)
    On behalf of the Chair of the Standing Committee on Publications, I present the 11th report of the committee. Ordered that the report be adopted.
  • Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee; Report (1 speech)
    On behalf of the Chair of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, I present the report on the provisions of the Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Australian Workers Union, Master Facility Agreements; Order for the Production of Documents (1 speech)
    by leave—I table documents relating to the order for production of documents concerning the investigation of the Australian Workers Union and the Master Facility Agreements.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017; Second Reading (12 speeches)
    I rise to continue my contribution to the debate on this very important Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017. As I was referring to earlier, yesterday was a historic...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Australian Electoral Commission; Consideration (1 speech)
    This is not my first speech. Under the terms of the Electoral Act an Australian Electoral Commission election funding and disclosure report is required to be published by the Australian Electoral...
  • Department of Immigration and Border Protection; Consideration (1 speech)
    My colleague Senator McKim has already spoken on this document and moved a motion that the Senate take note of it. I'd like to also emphasise the very unfortunate decline in the performance of...
• Adjournment (0 speeches)
  • Jones, Mr Lindsay Gordon Bower (1 speech)
    I want to use this opportunity to pay tribute to an old friend of mine who sadly passed away. Lindsay Gordon Bower Jones passed away on 9 October. Lindsay was a former assistant secretary of the...
  • Australian War Memorial: Indigenous Artwork (1 speech)
    This is the first opportunity I've had to congratulate you on your overwhelming election to preside over this very important states house, Mr President. Tonight I'd like to speak about an...
  • Pine Gap (1 speech)
    I'd like to speak tonight about something that's happening right now in Alice Springs involving a number of people from my home state of Queensland. It is a trial that's occurring about some...