Senate debates

Thursday, 24 June 2021

• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 1) Bill 2021; Second Reading (6 speeches)
    Labor supports the passage of the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 1) Bill 2021, but I'd like to foreshadow that at the end of my remarks I'll be moving a...
  • Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 1) Bill 2021; Third Reading (2 speeches)
    No amendments have been circulated. Does any senator require a committee stage? If not, I shall call the minister to move the third reading.
  • COVID-19 Disaster Payment (Funding Arrangements) Bill 2021; Second Reading (12 speeches)
    I rise today to speak in support of the COVID-19 Disaster Payment (Funding Arrangements) Bill 2021. Labor will be supporting this bill, because we stand in support of workers across Australia who...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Selection of Bills Committee; Report (2 speeches)
    I present the seventh report of 2021 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)
  • Leave of Absence (2 speeches)
    by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator Henderson for today, for personal reasons. Question agreed to.
  • Rearrangement (1 speech)
    I move: That— (a) the following government business orders of the day be considered from 12.45 pm today: No. 6 Farm Household Support Amendment (Debt Waiver) Bill 2021 No. 5 Treasury Laws...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Reporting Date (1 speech)
    I remind senators the question may be put on any proposal at the request of any senator.
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Harriott, Mr Tony (7 speeches)
    I advise the Senate that Senators Kitching, McDonald and Dean Smith have added their names to general business notice of motion No. 1171, relating to the retirement of long-serving Comcar driver...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Bill 2021, Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Amendment Bill 2021; First Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That the following bills be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Fair Work Act 2009 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, and for other purposes. Sex Discrimination and Fair Work...
  • Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Bill 2021, Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Amendment Bill 2021; Second Reading (2 speeches)
    I table the explanatory memoranda relating to the bills and move: That these bills be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speeches incorporated in Hansard. Leave...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Consideration of Legislation (16 speeches)
    I move: That the provisions of paragraphs (5) to (8) of standing order 111 not apply to the following bills, allowing them to be considered during this period of sittings: Hazardous Waste...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Seafarers (8 speeches)
    It being Thursday, I will run through these in the order on the Notice Paper. I will commence with Senator Brown on No. 1160. Senator Urquhart?
  • Hemp Industry (4 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) hemp has had multiple uses over thousands of years, including food, construction, fuels and fibre, (ii) despite hemp containing less than 1%...
  • Ministerial Suitability Commission of Inquiry Bill 2021 (10 speeches)
    I ask that general business notice of motion No. 1167 be taken as a formal motion.
• Notices (0 speeches)
  • Postponement (1 speech)
    I seek leave to postpone general business notice of motion No. 1170 standing in my name until the next sitting day. Leave granted.
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • National Redress Scheme (4 speeches)
    At the request of Senator Dodson, I move: That the Senate— (a) notes the Government has failed to agree to a significant number of recommendations of the second year review of the National...
  • Employment, Western Australia: Resources Industry (8 speeches)
    At the request of Senator Lines, I ask that general business notice of motion No. 1176 be taken as a formal motion.
  • Northern Australia (6 speeches)
    I ask that general business notice of motion No. 1178 relating to affordable and accessible insurance in northern Australia be taken as formal.
  • Seasonal Worker Program (8 speeches)
    I ask that general business notice of motion No. 1181 be taken as a formal motion.
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Consideration of Legislation (3 speeches)
    I seek leave to introduce a bill and discharge another bill from the Notice Paper, in accordance with motion 1184.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced By Forced Labour) Bill 2021; First Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Customs Act 1901, and for related purposes. Question agreed to. I present the bill and move: That this bill may...
  • Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced By Forced Labour) Bill 2021; Second Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to table an explanatory memorandum relating to the bill. Leave granted. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated...
  • Farm Household Support Amendment (Debt Waiver) Bill 2021; Second Reading (4 speeches)
    Labor will be supporting this bill. As outlined in the EM, the purpose of the bill is to 'waive the repayment of certain classes of debt in relation to the Farm Household Allowance Program,...
  • Farm Household Support Amendment (Debt Waiver) Bill 2021; Third Reading (2 speeches)
    No amendments have been circulated. Does any senator require a committee stage? If not, I call the minister to move the third reading.
  • Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 4) Bill 2021; Second Reading (2 speeches)
    Labor supports the Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 4) Bill 2021. There are six Treasury measures in this bill, a number of schedules implementing budget measures from the last two...
  • Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 4) Bill 2021; 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.
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Management and Execution of the Murray Darling Basin Plan; Meeting (1 speech)
    by leave—I move: That the Select Committee on the Multi-Jurisdictional Management and Execution of the Murray Darling Basin Plan be authorised to hold a private meeting otherwise than in...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • COVID-19 Disaster Payment (Funding Arrangements) Bill 2021; Second Reading (5 speeches)
    I rise to speak about the COVID-19 Disaster Payment (Funding Arrangements) Bill 2021. The government had to be dragged kicking and screaming to support workers with these payments in the latest...
• Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
  • Covid-19 (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, Senator Colbeck. New South Wales is sadly facing another devastating COVID-19 outbreak as a result of an unvaccinated airport...
  • COVID-19: Economy (11 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Birmingham. Can the minister please advise the Senate on how the Morrison government is supporting jobs and investment by...
  • COVID-19: Vaccination (14 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Colbeck. I refer to the documents tabled by Senator Colbeck yesterday, entitled COVID vaccination...
  • Great Barrier Reef (17 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Senator Hume. The Great Barrier Reef suffered its first mass coral bleaching in 1998, the first in recorded history....
  • Deputy Prime Minister (10 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Deputy Prime Minister, Senator Reynolds. The Leader of the House advised the House at question time that Mr Joyce would be absent from question...
  • Australian Electoral Commission (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Special Minister of State, Senator Birmingham. At Senate estimates in May, I asked the Electoral Commissioner, Mr Tom Rogers, a simple question: 'Who conducted the audit on...
  • Business (11 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator Cash. Can the minister advise the Senate on how the Morrison...
  • Water (8 speeches)
    My question is to Senator Birmingham, representing the Prime Minister and the state of South Australia. Earlier today in the House of Representatives talking points in relation to the...
  • Deputy Prime Minister (8 speeches)
    My question is for the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Birmingham. The former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Michael McCormack, was a member of the cabinet task force created to...
  • National Redress Scheme (8 speeches)
    Speaking of women in the cabinet, my question is to the Minister for Families and Social Services, Senator Ruston. Can the minister inform the Senate how the Morrison government is supporting...
  • Shipping (14 speeches)
    My question is to Senator Reynolds, the Minister representing the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. Earlier this year, at a Senate Select...
  • Queensland Olympic and Paralympic Games (9 speeches)
    My question is for the Minister for Sport, Senator Colbeck. Can the minister please advise the Senate what the current status is of South-East Queensland's bid for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics?
• Statement by the President (0 speeches)
  • Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces (1 speech)
    Senators will be aware that the Australian Human Rights Commission is conducting an Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces, led by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate...
• Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
  • Deputy Prime Minister (1 speech)
    During question time today I took on notice a question from Senator Wong about the Deputy Prime Minister. I now have a statement that was delivered by the Deputy Prime Minister during question...
• Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
  • Covid-19 (7 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister representing the Minister for Health (Senator Colbeck) to questions without notice asked today by Senator Gallagher and...
  • Great Barrier Reef (1 speech)
    I rise to take note of the answers by Senator Hume, representing the environment minister, in response to questions asked by my colleague Senator Whish-Wilson in relation to the great threat the...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Economics References Committee, Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee; Government Response to Report (1 speech)
    I present government responses to committee reports as listed on the Dynamic Red. In accordance with the usual practice, I seek leave to have the documents incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted....
• Budget (0 speeches)
  • Consideration by Estimates Committees (1 speech)
    I present additional information received by committees relating to estimates. The document was unavailable at the time of publishing.
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Job Security Select Committee; Report (1 speech)
    I present the first interim report of the Select Committee on Job Security on on-demand platform work in Australia. I move: That the Senate take note of the report. This first interim report of...
  • Community Affairs Legislation Committee; Report (1 speech)
    On behalf of the Community Affairs Legislation Committee, I present the report of the committee on the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Financial Transparency) Bill 2020, together with the...
  • Intelligence and Security Joint Committee; Corrigenda to Report (1 speech)
    On behalf of the Chair of the Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present corrigenda to the Report on the review of the relisting of Hizballah's External Security Organisation as a...
  • Electoral Matters Committee; Report (1 speech)
    On behalf of the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, I present the Report of the inquiry on the futureconduct of elections operating during times of emergency situations.
  • Human Rights Committee; Report (1 speech)
    (—) (): On behalf of the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, I present Human rights scrutiny report 8 of 2021.
  • Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Joint Committee; Report (3 speeches)
    On behalf of the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, I present Australia's response to the coup in Myanmar: interim report for the inquiry into certain...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Rearrangement (3 speeches)
    by leave—I move: That today— (a) the hours of meeting be 9.30 am till adjournment; (b) the questions on all remaining stages of the following bills be put at 4.30 pm: COVID-19...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Environment and Communications References Committee; Report (1 speech)
    This is a report on the inquiry of impact of seismic testing on fisheries and the marine environment. The inquiry established by the Greens looked into the impact of seismic testing on fisheries...
• Auditor-General's Reports (0 speeches)
  • Report No. 45 of 2020-21; Consideration (1 speech)
    I'd like to take note of Auditor-General's Report No. 45 of 2020-21, Management of Commonwealth fisheries, Australian Fisheries Management Authority. Back in 2012-13, senators who were here would...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • COVID-19 Disaster Payment (Funding Arrangements) Bill 2021 (0 speeches)
  • COVID-19 Disaster Payment (Funding Arrangements) Bill 2021; Third Reading (1 speech)
    The question now is that the remaining stages of the bill be agreed to and the bill be now passed. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
  • Treasury Laws Amendment (COVID-19 Economic Response) Bill 2021; Second Reading (1 speech)
    I will now deal with the Treasury Laws Amendment (COVID-19 Economic Response) Bill 2021. The time allotted for the remaining stages of the bill has expired. The question is that this bill be now...
  • Treasury Laws Amendment (COVID-19 Economic Response) Bill 2021; Third Reading (1 speech)
    The question now is that the remaining stages of the bill be agreed to and the bill be now passed. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
  • Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (International Production Orders) Bill 2020; First Reading (1 speech)
    I table a revised explanatory memorandum relating to the bill, and I move: That this bill be now read a first time. Question agreed to. Bill read a first time.
  • Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (International Production Orders) Bill 2020; Second Reading (5 speeches)
    I move: That this bill be now read a second time.
  • Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (International Production Orders) Bill 2020; Third Reading (1 speech)
    The question now is that the remaining stages of the bill be agreed to and the bill be now passed.
  • Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Amendment 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.
  • Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Amendment Bill 2021; Third Reading (1 speech)
    The question is the remaining stages of the bill be agreed to. Bill read a third time.
  • Water Legislation Amendment (Inspector-General of Water Compliance and Other Measures) Bill 2021; Consideration of House of Representatives Message (25 speeches)
    The motion passed earlier today requires that the question be proposed from the chair and put immediately, so I propose the question: That the Senate does not insist on its amendments to which...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Senate Temporary Orders (18 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate agree to the following amendments to the temporary orders relating to formal business: (1) Amend standing order 57, as follows: At the end of paragraph (1)(a)(ia), add:...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Budget (4 speeches)
    I move general business notice of motion No. 1174: That the Senate notes that the Morrison Government's 2021-22 Budget left people on low incomes behind. Budgets are all about choices. The...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Environment and Communications References Committee, Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee; Membership (2 speeches)
    I have received letters requesting changes in the membership of various committees.
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Days and Hours of Meeting (1 speech)
    I move: That— (a) the Senate, at its rising, adjourn till Tuesday, 3 August 2021, at midday, or such other time as may be fixed by the President or, in the event of the President being...
• Adjournment (0 speeches)
  • Fall of Saigon: 46th Anniversary (1 speech)
    I rise this evening to pay tribute to members of the Australian Vietnamese community in my home state of Queensland. On 30 April 2021, I had the great honour of attending the 46th commemoration...
  • Crawford, Judge James Richard, AC (1 speech)
    I rise tonight to speak following the passing of an outstanding South Australian, James Richard Crawford AC, Judge of the International Court of Justice. Judge Crawford died on 31 May 2021 at the...
  • Beijing Olympic Games (1 speech)
    Yesterday I had the privilege of addressing a rally outside Parliament House. It was a rally organised by many members of the Chinese diaspora in Australia. They were rallying to call on the...
  • RSPCA Australia (1 speech)
    As a servant to the people of Queensland and Australia, and following on from some of my questions during the recent Senate estimates hearings, I ask again: when is a charity not a charity? I'm...