Senate debates

Monday, 15 February 2021

• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Meeting (1 speech)
    I remind senators that the question may be put on any proposal at the request of any senator.
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • COVID-19: Parliamentary Procedure (1 speech)
    by leave—I move: That the rules for remote participation of Senate proceedings recommended by the Procedure Committee in its first report of 2020 have effect during the sittings of the...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Rearrangement (1 speech)
    by leave—I move: That today— (1) The sitting of the Senate be suspended from 11.50 am till the ringing of the bells to enable senators to attend the House of Representatives for a...
  • Consideration of Legislation (1 speech)
    I move: That the following general business orders of the day be considered today at the time for private senators' bills: (a) no. 40 Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Transparency...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Transparency Measures — Lowering the Disclosure Threshold) Bill 2019; Second Reading (4 speeches)
    I first introduced this bill more than a year ago—in fact, on 27 November 2019—and it's sat on the Notice Paper since then because, of course, this government, the Morrison...
  • Royal Commissions Amendment (Confidentiality Protections) Bill 2020; Second Reading (6 speeches)
    The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is a historic opportunity for truth and justice. It was created as the result of a vast community...
  • Royal Commissions Amendment (Confidentiality Protections) Bill 2020; Third Reading (3 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.
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Crown Resorts: Donations to Political Parties (5 speeches)
    I seek leave to move a motion relating to political donations received from Crown, as circulated in the chamber. Leave not granted. Pursuant to contingent notice standing in my name, I move: That...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Serious Incident Response Scheme and Other Measures) Bill 2020; In Committee (1 speech)
    The committee is considering the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Serious Incident Response Scheme and Other Measures) Bill 2020. Bill agreed to. Bill reported without amendments; report adopted.
  • Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Serious Incident Response Scheme and Other Measures) Bill 2020; Third Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
  • National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (Technical Amendments) Bill 2020; Second Reading (6 speeches)
    This afternoon we are here to debate the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (Technical Amendments) Bill 2020. In referring to this bill, whilst the government...
• Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
  • Members of Parliament: Staff (10 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Reynolds. I refer to the deeply distressing story published today in which a former staff member of Minister Reynolds has made public her...
  • COVID-19: Vaccine (8 speeches)
    My question is to Senator Colbeck, the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Can the minister confirm to the Senate that the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is on track?
  • Workplace Relations (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Industrial Relations, Senator Payne. The year 2020 saw the largest expansion of casual employment ever in the history of Australia....
  • COVID-19: Small Business (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, and my fellow Western Australian, Senator Cash. Could the minister please outline to the Senate how Australia's...
  • Members of Parliament: Staff (20 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Minister Birmingham. I refer to today's reports of an alleged rape of a young Liberal staffer that happened in this building. The...
  • Workplace Relations (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Industrial Relations, Senator Payne. The government's proposed industrial relations bill, in its current construct, is overly complex...
  • COVID-19: World Health Organization (8 speeches)
    My question is also to Senator Payne, as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Will the minister update the Senate on the World Health Organization's recent mission to Wuhan and the Australian...
  • Minister for Home Affairs (10 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Reynolds. Documents released under freedom of information have revealed that Minister Dutton announced two...
  • HomeBuilder Scheme (11 speeches)
    My question is to the minister representing the Minister for Housing, Senator Ruston. Can the minister update the Senate on how the Morrison government's HomeBuilder grants—
  • Members of Parliament: Staff (9 speeches)
    My question is again to the Minister for Defence, Senator Reynolds. The minister has today referred to a meeting in her office between the minister and, amongst others, Ms Higgins. Can the...
  • COVID-19: Pacific Islands and South-East Asia (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator Seselja. Given the importance of health security and economic recovery in the Indo-Pacific, will the minister...
• Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
  • Workplace Relations (5 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Senator Payne) to questions without notice asked by Senator Farrell today relating to insecure work....
  • Members of Parliament: Staff (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister representing the Prime Minister (Senator Birmingham) to a question without notice asked by Senator Waters today relating to...
• Notices (0 speeches)
  • Withdrawal (1 speech)
    Pursuant to notice given on 4 February 2021, on behalf of the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation, I withdraw notices of motion proposing the disallowance of three...
• Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
  • Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples: 13th Anniversary (21 speeches)
    On behalf of the Prime Minister, I table a ministerial statement on the anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations. I move: That the Senate take note of the statement. Today we...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Leave of Absence (3 speeches)
    by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator Thorpe for today, for personal reasons. Question agreed to.
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Forestry (20 speeches)
    I ask that Senators Ciccone, Urquhart, Bilyk, Brown, Polley and Lambie have their names added to the motion. I, and also on behalf of Senators Abetz, Askew, Bilyk, Brown, Chandler, Ciccone,...
  • COVID-19: Repatriation (5 speeches)
    I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 984 relating to Australians stranded overseas. Leave granted. I move the motion as amended: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i)...
  • JobSeeker Payment (7 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) on 1 April 2021 the Morrison Government will force people looking for work, students, and single parents back to payments of $40 a day,...
  • South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) congratulates the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), the state's flagship independent medical research institute which recently...
• Matters of Urgency (0 speeches)
  • Climate Change (9 speeches)
    I inform the Senate that, at 8.30 am today, 25 proposals were received in accordance with standing order 75. The question of which proposal would be submitted to the Senate was determined by lot....
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Northern Australia Committee; Membership (2 speeches)
    The President has received a letter requesting a change in the membership of a committee.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2020; 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.
  • Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2020; 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 Financial Sector...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Rearrangement (1 speech)
    I move: That the intervening business be postponed until after consideration of the Export Control Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2020. Question agreed to.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Export Control Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2020; Second Reading (4 speeches)
    The Export Control Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2020 amends the Export Control Act and is designed to support the implementation of the new export control framework. The amendment...
  • Export Control Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2020; In Committee (5 speeches)
    I move Greens amendment (1) on sheet 1202: (1) Schedule 1, items 9 to 13, page 4 (line 27) to page 5 (line 6), omit the items, substitute: 9 Subsection 383(4) (note) Repeal the note. 10...
  • Export Control Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2020; Third Reading (2 speeches)
    I move: That this bill be now read a third time.
  • National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (Technical Amendments) Bill 2020; Second Reading (0 speeches)
  • National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (Technical Amendments) Bill 2020; In Committee (69 speeches)
    Labor have some 10 amendments to this bill. We had sought to move them together, but I understand from negotiations that we need to split them up. The reason Labor will be moving these amendments...
  • National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (Technical Amendments) Bill 2020; Third Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
• Adjournment (0 speeches)
  • Lyons, Mr Joseph Aloysius (Joe), CH, Lyons, Dame Enid Muriel, AD, GBE (1 speech)
    It is often said that the past teaches us about the present, in that history gives us the tools to analyse what has gone before. Tonight I rise to highlight two significant Tasmanians. Both of...
  • Stokes, Mr Chad, Bushfire Recovery: Funding (3 speeches)
    I would like to speak about a couple of issues this evening. The first issue is about a bloke I've got to know really well who lives just outside Rockhampton, Chad Stokes. Chad is married with...
  • COVID-19: Income Support Payments (1 speech)
    Tonight I rise to speak on the future of the JobSeeker payment, which is due to go back to $40 a day in the very near future. In fact, in just 44 days the JobSeeker COVID supplement will end,...
  • Liberal Party of South Australia (6 speeches)
    Mr Acting Deputy President Fawcett, I acknowledge that you were at the same event I was at last Friday night, when the members of the South Australian Liberal Party state council selected the...