Senate debates

Tuesday, 3 December 2019

• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Community Affairs Legislation Committee, Environment and Communications References Committee; Meeting (1 speech)
    I remind senators that the question may be put on any proposal at the request of any senator. There being none, we'll move on.
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Prime Minister; Order for the Production of Documents (13 speeches)
    Pursuant to order, I table a letter responding to the order for the production of documents agreed to by the Senate yesterday.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Migration Amendment (Repairing Medical Transfers) Bill 2019; Second Reading (4 speeches)
    During Senate estimates, Senator Chandler asked how many people had been brought into Australia as a direct result of the medevac laws and who were considered to be people about whom we held...
• Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
  • Dairy Industry (16 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Senator McKenzie. In the minister's letter to Senator Hanson committing to bringing forward the delivery of the dairy code of conduct, the minister...
• Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
  • (1 speech)
    Order! I draw to the attention of honourable senators the presence in the chamber of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the parliament of Queensland, the Hon. Curtis Pitt MP. On behalf of...
• Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
  • International Day of People with Disability (18 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Families and Social Services, Senator Ruston. Today is the International Day of People with Disability. Can the minister outline how the Morrison government's...
• Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
  • (1 speech)
    Can I draw to the attention of senators the presence in the gallery of a parliamentary delegation from Fiji led by the Hon. Alexander O'Connor, Chair of the Fijian Standing Committee on Foreign...
• Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
  • National Disability Insurance Scheme (8 speeches)
    My question is to Minister representing the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Senator Ruston. Today is International Day of People with Disability, a day we celebrate the...
  • Great Barrier Reef: Climate Change (16 speeches)
    My question is to Senator Birmingham, representing the Minister for the Environment. The World Heritage Committee gave Australia homework four years ago to show why the Great Barrier Reef...
  • CU-River Mining (8 speeches)
    My question is to Minister for Defence and concerns the operation of a Chinese owned mining company, CU-River Mining, in the Woomera Prohibited Area. Can the minister confirm that her department...
  • Murray-Darling Basin (12 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Senator McKenzie. Last night, Minister, Senator Davey told the Senate: … I facilitated a meeting today between members of the convoy and the...
  • Cybersecurity (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Payne. Can the minister update the Senate on how the Liberal-National government's sound budget and economic management is guaranteeing...
  • Veterans: Suicide (8 speeches, 2 comments)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator Reynolds. Julie-Ann Finney has collected nearly 270,000 signatures on a petition to the minister to call a...
  • Minister for Agriculture (15 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Senator McKenzie. I refer to an article published by The Guardian, entitled, 'Row between two National MPs—
  • Infrastructure (15 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Senator Canavan. Can the minister advise the Senate how...
  • Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction (22 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Senator Birmingham. The minister yesterday refused to confirm whether the Minister for Energy and...
• Answers to Questions on Notice (0 speeches)
  • Aged Care (8 speeches)
    I seek leave to ask the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians when the Senate can expect an answer to a question he took on notice in question time on Tuesday 26 November 2019. Leave...
• Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
  • Dairy Industry, Murray-Darling Basin, Minister for Agriculture (5 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Agriculture (Senator McKenzie) to questions without notice asked by Senators McCarthy, Sterle and Bilyk today. I rise to...
  • Great Barrier Reef: Climate Change (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment (Senator Birmingham) to a question without notice asked by Senator Waters today. I asked...
• Notices (0 speeches)
  • Withdrawal (1 speech)
    I withdraw General Business Notice of Motion No. 296 standing in my name relating to the establishment of a select committee.
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Rearrangement (1 speech)
    I move: That on Wednesday, 4 December 2019, consideration of the business before the Senate be interrupted at approximately 5 pm, but not so as to interrupt a senator speaking, to enable senators...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • International Day of People with Disability (1 speech)
    Before moving general business notice of motion No. 217, I ask that the names of Senators Bilyk and Ruston be added to the motion. I seek leave to amend General Business Notice of Motion No. 217...
  • Transport Industry (4 speeches)
    I, and also on behalf of Senators Gallacher, Bilyk and Sterle, move: That the Senate— (a) notes that:   (i) the road transport industry is Australia's deadliest industry,...
  • Watson, Mr Samuel William (1 speech)
    Before moving general business notice of motion No. 316, I wish to inform the chamber that Senator Waters will also sponsor the motion. At the request of Senators Watt, McCarthy, Green, Dodson,...
  • Pensions and Benefits (4 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that:   (i) the Federal Government continued with the draconian robodebt program long after the harrowing evidence of the Senate inquiry in 2017...
  • Department of Home Affairs (4 speeches)
    At the request of Senators Keneally, Gallagher, McAllister, O'Neill, Sheldon and Ayres, I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that:   (i) the Department of Home Affairs employs over...
  • Great Barrier Reef (8 speeches)
    I move: (a) notes that:   (i) on 1 December 2019, the Federal Government submitted the State Party Report on the state of conservation report of the Great Barrier Reef (the Reef) World...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Stromlo-1 Exploration Drilling Program; Order for the Production of Documents (2 speeches)
    I move: That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, by 9 am on 5 December 2019: (a) all correspondence between the National...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Australian Broadcasting Corporation (13 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that, for the first time since 1952, the ABC will not have a live radio broadcast of the Olympic Games; and (b) expresses disappointment that the ABC has...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Prime Minister; Order for the Production of Documents (1 speech)
    I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 321 standing in the name of Senator Pratt for today proposing an order for the production of documents concerning the City of Sydney...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Schools (5 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) the Federal Government has announced $10 million in Special Circumstances Funding to drought affected schools, but has specifically excluded...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Dairy Industry; Order for the Production of Documents (5 speeches)
    At the request of Senator Sterle, I move: (1) That the Senate notes the hardship and financial difficulty being faced by dairy farmers in many parts of the country. (2) That there be laid on the...
• Matters of Urgency (0 speeches)
  • Newstart Allowance and Youth Allowance (11 speeches)
    I inform the Senate that at 8.30 am today 12 proposals were received in accordance with standing order 75. The question of which proposal would be submitted to the Senate was determined by lot....
• Petitions (0 speeches)
  • Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Act 2019 (1 speech)
    by leave—I table a petition to save the medevac legislation, signed by 5,040 Australian doctors. For the benefit of the chamber, this has been agreed to by the whips.
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Procedure Committee; Report (1 speech)
    On behalf of Senator Lines, Chair of the Procedure Committee, I present the committee's third report of 2019 on routine of business, and I move: That the Senate adopt the recommendation of...
  • National Disability Insurance Scheme Committee; Report (3 speeches)
    I present the report of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme entitled NDIS planning interim report together with the Hansard record of proceedings and...
  • Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth; Government Response to Report (2 speeches)
    I present the government's response to the report of the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth inquiry into the trade system and the digital economy. I seek leave to have the...
  • Public Works Committee; Report (1 speech)
    On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the report of the committee on referrals made at September 2019 and move: That the Senate take note of that report....
  • Treaties Committee; Report (1 speech)
    On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, I present Report 188, entitled Investments Uruguay, ISDS UN Convention and Convention SKAO and move: That the Senate take note of the...
  • Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth; Government Response to Report (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the document. I seek leave to continue my remarks. Leave granted; debate adjourned.
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Religious Discrimination Bill 2019; Order for the Production of Documents (1 speech)
    I table a document relating to the order for production of documents concerning the Religious Discrimination Bill consultation.
• Answers to Questions on Notice (0 speeches)
  • Aged Care, Community Sport Infrastructure Program (1 speech)
    I table responses to questions taken on notice by the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians during question time on 14 November 2019 relating to aged-care home packages and the Community...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Environment and Communications References Committee, Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee; Membership (2 speeches)
    Order! The President has received letters requesting changes in the membership of various committees.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Social Services Legislation Amendment (Payment Integrity) Bill 2019; 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.
  • Social Services Legislation Amendment (Payment Integrity) Bill 2019; Second Reading (1 speech)
    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...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee; Reference (14 speeches)
    I, and also on behalf of Senators Lambie, Bernardi, Hanson, Griff and Roberts, move: That the following matter be referred to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee for...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Migration Amendment (Repairing Medical Transfers) Bill 2019; Second Reading (1 speech)
    As if we haven't had enough conversation about communists and socialists subverting Australia's democratic traditions, we're going to go back into a debate where the Left—the licorice...
• Adjournment (0 speeches)
  • Watson, Mr Samuel William (1 speech)
    I rise tonight to record the passing of Mr Sam Watson, an Aboriginal man from Brisbane of the Munnenjari and Biri Gubba Juru nations. He died in a Brisbane hospital last Wednesday after a short...
  • Small Business (1 speech, 1 comment)
    I rise to speak on small business, the backbone of the Australian economy. Unlike Labor, who govern only for the unions, we govern for all Australians. If you listened to the speeches last week...
  • Indigenous Australians (1 speech)
    I rise this evening to talk about the day known to many First Nations people as Invasion Day or Survival Day—that is, 26 January. As Greens, we acknowledge this land we call Australia was...
  • Environment Protection and Biosecurity Conversation Act (1 speech)
    I rise to speak on the review of the Environment Protection and Biosecurity Conversation Act 2009 which commenced a little over a month ago. The EPBC Act is the Commonwealth's key piece of...
  • Queensland Government (1 speech)
    Democracy in Queensland is once again under attack from state Labor as the sunshine state becomes the sunset state. Labor have run Queensland since they were first elected 30 years ago. They have...
  • Workplace Relations (1 speech)
    I'm trying to clear my throat from laughter after that contribution. I rise tonight to tell the story of Amita Gupta and her husband Santosh, who work as delivery drivers for Uber Eats. Amita and...
  • National Agriculture Day, Country Fire Authority (1 speech)
    I rise to acknowledge National Agriculture Day, which occurred a couple of weeks ago on Thursday 21 November. Ag day, as it's better known, serves as an opportunity for all Australians, country...
  • Student Financial Supplement Scheme (1 speech)
    I rise to speak this evening about the ongoing impact of student debt on the community. I call on the government to forgive outstanding debt from the grossly unjust Student Financial Supplement...
  • Morrison Government (1 speech)
    I rise this evening to talk about integrity. The government last week was so desperately trying to call into question the integrity of trade unions, and I'm glad they were unsuccessful, because...
  • Chile: Human Rights (1 speech)
    Two weeks ago I met with Yari, Marcela, Sara, Anais and Camilla of Chile Woke Up Brisbane to discuss the ongoing human rights abuses being perpetrated in Chile. In October 2019, Chileans staged...
  • Perth Inner City Youth Services (1 speech)
    We are in a time of government indifference to our young people in this nation. We have rising unemployment and a social services system that stigmatises our young people, leaving them in...
  • Watson, Mr Samuel William, Queensland: Liberal National Party (1 speech)
    I begin by endorsing the adjournment speech of Senator Dodson earlier where he paid tribute to the passing of one of Queensland's most significant Indigenous leaders of recent years, Mr Sam...
  • Xenophon, Mr Nick (1 speech)
    I know that all senators take an interest in the welfare of their former colleagues, so I thought I should update the chamber on the latest activities of former senator for South Australia Nick...
  • Murray-Darling Basin (1 speech)
    I rise in this adjournment debate to welcome the Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management's announcement today that there will be a full...
  • National Relay Service (1 speech)
    The National Relay Service allows deaf and hearing impaired Australians to make and receive telephone calls through the use of text relay services. The NRS can be accessed through different...
  • Women's Economic Security (1 speech)
    I rise to talk about something that I'm extremely passionate about, and that is equality for girls and women and how it relates to superannuation and homelessness. As a Labor senator for...
  • Palliative Care Tasmania (1 speech)
    Two and a half years ago I successfully campaigned to save Palliative Care Tasmania from closure. I'm bitterly disappointed to have to rise again in this place and plead for their continuing...
  • Media (1 speech)
    I rise tonight to pay tribute to our media industry. In an environment where our democratic rights are under attack, where we are governed increasingly by spin rather than substance, and under a...
  • Eyre Peninsula: Cape Hardy Port (1 speech)
    Last week I rose to give a speech on Whyalla as a city with a population of 80,000. The speech was about a city with a population of 22,000 that would be transformed by a proposal by GFG Alliance...
  • Wiesel, Professor Elie (1 speech)
    As this adjournment debate comes to a close this evening, I'd just like to reflect on one person as a way of paying tribute to a number of very, very important and inspirational Western...