Senate debates

Tuesday, 11 May 2021

• Condolences (0 speeches)
  • His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh (5 speeches)
    It is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death on 9 April 2021 of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Meeting (1 speech)
    I remind senators that the question may be put on any proposal at the request of any senator.
• Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
  • (1 speech)
    I table, for the information of the Senate, a revised ministry list. I seek leave to have the document incorporated into Hansard. Leave granted. The document read as follows— Each box...
• Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
  • COVID-19: International Travel (24 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Cash. Coalition senator Matt Canavan has said that the Morrison government's decision to threaten stranded Australians in...
  • COVID-19: Economy (8 speeches)
    My question is also to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Cash. The Morrison government's economic plan has helped Australia lead the world in recovering from the COVID-19...
  • Danher, Mr Liam (12 speeches)
    My question is for the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Senator Reynolds. I refer to reports of the tragic death of 23-year-old Liam Danher, who died waiting for a seizure...
  • COVID-19: World Trade Organization (12 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Cash. Globally, thousands are dying from COVID-19 each day because they don't have treatment or...
  • Housing Affordability (10 speeches)
    ( My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Housing, Senator Ruston. Could the minister please advise the Senate how the Morrison government is securing Australia's recovery by...
  • Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations (17 speeches)
    My question is to the Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, Senator Cash. Within weeks of being appointed to the new portfolios of Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial...
  • Rural and Regional Health Services (10 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government, Senator Colbeck. Can the minister update the Senate on how the Liberal...
  • Defence (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Defence. My question is asked in the context of the call on Saturday by the editor-in-chief of the Chinese state controlled news...
  • Members of Parliament: Staff (12 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services, Senator Reynolds. The minister has said she is assisting the AFP with their...
  • National Disability Insurance Scheme (16 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Senator Reynolds. How is the Morrison government securing Australia's recovery, which means we can guarantee the NDIS...
  • Climate Change (13 speeches)
    I can't wait. My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, whom I believe is Minister Ruston. We are in a climate emergency, yet this...
• Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
  • Danher, Mr Liam (15 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Senator Reynolds) to a question without notice asked by Senator Kitching today...
  • Climate Change (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Families and Social Services (Senator Ruston) to a question without notice asked by Senator Waters today relating to the...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Leave of Absence (2 speeches)
    I move: That leave of absence be granted to the following senators from 11 to 13 May 2021: (a) Senators Griff and Scarr, for personal reasons; (b) Senator Molan, for medical reasons; and (c)...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Banking and Financial Services (2 speeches)
    At the request of Senator Bilyk and also Senator Griff, I ask that general business notice of motion No. 1082 be taken as a formal motion.
  • Women's Economic Security (4 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) on International Women's Day 2021, more than 30 prominent women wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for the upcoming Federal...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade; Order for the Production of Documents (1 speech)
    I, and also on behalf of Senator Kitching, move: (1) That the Senate— (a) notes that on 8 December 2020 the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade tabled its report...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Economy (8 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that, during 2020: (i) gross domestic product fell by 1.1%, (ii) household spending fell by 2.7%, (iii) business investment fell by 5.0%, and (iv)...
  • Banking and Financial Services (5 speeches)
    At the request of Senator Bilyk, I seek leave to move general business notice of motion No. 1082 and that it be determined without amendment or debate. Leave not granted. I move: That so much of...
• Matters of Urgency (0 speeches)
  • COVID-19: Quarantine (19 speeches)
    I inform the Senate that, at 8.30 today, 23 proposals were received in accordance with standing order 75. The question of which proposal would be submitted to the Senate was determined by lot. As...
• Documents (0 speeches)
  • Electric Vehicles; Consideration (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the document. I wish to take note of document 18 on page 6, which was the response from the Premier of South Australia to a resolution of the Senate about not...
  • Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability; Consideration (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the document. In contributing to the consideration of this document, I am taken back vividly to those very frightening times not so long ago when the pandemic...
  • Northern Territory: Juvenile Crime; Consideration (1 speech)
    I seek leave to move a motion in relation to document No. 17, a letter received from the Northern Territory Attorney-General. Leave granted. I move: That the Senate take note of the document. I'm...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Community Affairs Legislation Committee; Additional Information (1 speech)
    On behalf of the chair of the Community Affairs Legislation Committee, Senator Askew, I present additional information received by the committee on its inquiry into provisions of the Social...
  • Joint Standing Committee on Migration; Report (1 speech)
    On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration, I present an interim report of the committee on Australia's skilled migration program, and I move: That the Senate take note of the report....
  • Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (2 speeches)
    On behalf of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, I make a report by way of a statement relating to the draft budget estimates for the Australian National Audit Office and the...
  • Joint Standing Committee on Migration; Report (2 speeches)
    Anyone who has read this report would be amazed to find that there are so many weaknesses in what this government is proposing. It is not about the skilled migration program; it's about how to...
  • Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee; Report (4 speeches)
    I rise to take note of the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee's report on the Data Availability and Transparency Bill 2020. I want to associate myself with the remarks of...
  • Finance and Public Administration References Committee; Government Response to Report (3 speeches)
    In respect of the government's response to the Finance and Public Administration References Committee's interim report Lessons to be learned in relation to the Australian bushfire season 2019-20,...
  • Job Security Select Committee; Membership (2 speeches)
    The President has received a letter nominating senators to be members of the Senate Select Committee on Job Security.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Mutual Recognition Amendment Bill 2021, Treasury Laws Amendment (2020 Measures No. 4) Bill 2021; First Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That these bills may proceed without formalities, may be taken together and be now read a first time. Question agreed to. Bills read a first time.
  • Mutual Recognition Amendment Bill 2021, Treasury Laws Amendment (2020 Measures No. 4) Bill 2021; Second Reading (1 speech)
    I table a revised explanatory memorandum relating to the Treasury Laws Amendment (2020 Measures No. 4) Bill 2021 and I move: That these bills be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the...
  • Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Amendment (Extension and Other Measures) Bill 2021; 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.
  • Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Amendment (Extension and Other Measures) Bill 2021; Second Reading (1 speech)
    I table an addendum to the explanatory memorandum relating to the bill and move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard....
  • Archives and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021; Consideration of House of Representatives Message (3 speeches)
    I move: That the committee agree to the amendment made by the House of Representatives.
  • Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2020-2021, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2020-2021; First Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That these bills may proceed without formalities, may be taken together and be now read a first time. Question agreed to. Bills read a first time.
  • Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2020-2021, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2020-2021; Second Reading (2 speeches)
    I move: That these bills be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speeches incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speeches read as follows— APPROPRIATION...
• Budget (0 speeches)
  • Statement and Documents (1 speech)
    I table the budget statements for 2021-22 and other documents as listed on the Dynamic Red. I seek leave to move a motion in relation to the documents. Leave granted. I move: That the Senate take...
  • Proposed Expenditure (1 speech)
    I table particulars of proposed and certain expenditure for 2021-22 and seek leave to move a motion to refer the documents to legislation committees. Leave granted. I move: That the documents be...
  • Portfolio Budget Statements (2 speeches)
    I table portfolio budget statements for 2021-22 for the Department of the Senate, the Parliamentary Budget Office and the Department of Parliamentary Services.
• Adjournment (0 speeches)
  • Tasmanian State Election (1 speech)
    Just over a week ago Tasmania went to the polls and, for the first time in our history, a Liberal government has won three successive terms. I would like to congratulate Premier Peter Gutwein on...
  • Catherine House (1 speech)
    I rise tonight to speak about a South Australian organisation that has changed many lives for the better. Catherine House provides services to women from right across the state. It is the only...
  • Welfare Reform (1 speech)
    I rise tonight to share an account of a mother who is trying to survive on the cashless debit card. To protect her privacy, I'm going to call this mother Emma. In 2020, Emma was living in a...
  • South Australia: Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2020 (1 speech)
    I rise this evening to speak regarding the lamentable South Australian Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill and the equally lamentable social and moral trajectory of state parliaments all across this...
  • Middle East (1 speech)
    I rise to speak on Al Nakba, and Senator Urquhart puts her name to these remarks. May 15 marks the day in 1948 which the Palestinians call 'Al Nakba', meaning 'the catastrophe', after which the...
  • Queensland: Water Infrastructure (1 speech)
    As a servant to the people of Queensland and Australia, I want to relate my travels through the Flinders catchment area, which is the fourth-biggest river flow in Queensland. There is rich soil,...
  • Budget (1 speech)
    After eight long years of this tired Liberal government, after eight long years of flat wages, after eight long years of rising job insecurity, Scott Morrison needed to deliver more than a budget...
  • Mining Industry (1 speech)
    Last week I travelled to Gamilaraay land to hear from community members in Coonabarabran and Gunnedah living on the front line of coal seam gas expansion in the central west of New South Wales....
  • Budget, Member for Dawson (1 speech)
    We've been treated to the government's budget and I can't help but reflect upon last year's budget. The centrepiece of last year's budget was JobMaker. It was the first measure and it was the...
  • Regional Development Australia Illawarra (1 speech)
    Regional Development Australia is an Australian government initiative that brings together all levels of government to support the development of regional Australia. Funded by the federal...
  • Tasmanian State Election, City Park Radio: 35th Anniversary (1 speech)
    I rise to speak about the 2021 Tasmanian state election. Although the final result is yet to be determined, I believe that Tasmania has re-elected a Gutwein Liberal government. Unfortunately,...
  • Human Rights (1 speech)
    I rise tonight to speak about human rights, both here in Australia and around the world, as has been my habit every Tuesday night on sitting weeks for a while now. The Australian Greens believe...
  • Women: Workplace Safety, Brain Cancer (1 speech)
    All women deserve to be safe at work. That's something that shouldn't have to be said again and again, but it does need to be said. I'd like to share with the Senate information about an...
  • Cybersecurity (1 speech)
    Last month the Australian government made a significant announcement in relation to cybersecurity threats to Australia. In a joint statement, issued by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister...
  • Budget, Costa, Mr Frank Aloysius, AO (1 speech)
    I rise tonight to speak about the 2021-22 Morrison government budget. This is a budget which leaves no Australian behind. This is the next stage of the Morrison government's economic recovery...
  • Australian Football League Women's, Israeli Declaration of Independence: 73rd Anniversary, Victoria: South-West Coast, Keely, Mr John (1 speech)
    I rise tonight to speak about, amongst other matters, this year's highly successful AFL Women's season, the AFLW. After its cancellation last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year the AFLW...
  • His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Mercy Community (1 speech)
    With the passing of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, we say farewell to a great man. For more than 80 years, Prince Philip served his country, our Commonwealth and the Crown. He was an...