Senate debates
Wednesday, 28 February 2024
- Statement by the President (0 speeches)
- Parliamentary Standards (1 speech)
Senators, I advise you that I will be making a statement later today about matters from adjournment last night.
- 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)
- Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
- Closing the Gap (15 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the documents.
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Statements by Senators (0 speeches)
- Taxation (1 speech)
After legislation passing this Senate unanimously—and after a protracted period of whingeing and confusion—1 July is now the date on which every Australian will receive a tax cut....
- Albanese Government (1 speech)
Not long ago, the Prime Minister completed another whirlwind PR tour of Western Australia—or, more accurately, Perth, given that's where he spends most of his time when he travels west. It...
- Queensland: Local Government Elections (1 speech)
Saturday 16 March is the date of local council elections across my home state of Queensland. Ordinary people are struggling with the cost of living, rising rents and interest rates and a shortage...
- Wages (1 speech)
The Albanese Labor government understands Australian workers are doing it tough right now. That's why it was encouraging to see the latest wage figures come through last week. The 0.9 per cent...
- Veterans (1 speech)
I rise to speak in relation to the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and that cohort of former national servicemen who served in the Vietnam War, who were conscripted by law, did their duty and...
- Gender Equality (1 speech)
It's ironic the Labor government are seeking to rush laws on doxxing through this parliament when they've just committed one of Australia's largest doxxings. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency...
- Renewable Energy (6 speeches)
That's a new one for me. I didn't realise that it was One Nation's policy to scrap childcare subsidies. I'm sure there are lots of women in Queensland who'd be pretty keen to hear about...
- Tasmania: Just Like Jack (1 speech)
I rise today to tell you about a very special young man from Tasmania called Jack. Jack has spent his entire childhood blazing a new trail for others like himself to follow. You see, Jack has...
- Kerr, Mr Joshua (1 speech)
Last week the coronial inquest into the death in custody of my first cousin Josh Kerr finished. On the weekend, Donnis Kerr, Josh's mum, published a powerful and heartbreaking piece about Josh in...
- COVID-19: Vaccination (2 speeches)
This week is great week for common sense. Why is that? Because the Queensland Supreme Court has ruled that vaccine mandates imposed on police officers and health workers were, indeed, unlawful....
- Parliament House (1 speech)
Walking around this building, one could be excused for wondering what sort of alternative Australia they'd walked into. The Australian parliament is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of...
- Taxation (5 speeches)
I will just take a moment to compose myself after that contribution.
- Middle East: Occupied Palestinian Territories (1 speech)
Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians. Michael Fakhri, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, said the denial of food is a war crime and constitutes a situation of...
- Tasmania: Salmon Industry (1 speech)
The salmon industry in Tasmania is a very important contributor to the Tasmanian economy and a great source of protein for a range of people across the globe. Unfortunately, this industry is...
- Kerrigan, Mr David, OAM (1 speech)
Today I want to take a moment to speak about a great Queenslander, David Kerrigan, who was recently awarded the OAM for his service to volunteering, his work in social welfare organisations and...
- ASEAN-Australia Summit (1 speech)
Next week the 11 leaders of countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will arrive in Melbourne for the biannual ASEAN Summit. Hundreds of delegates will be shuttled around Melbourne...
- Lismore: Floods (1 speech)
Today marks the two-year anniversary of Lismore's worst flood on record. Five people unfortunately lost their lives, over 4,000 people lost their homes and numerous businesses in the CBD were...
- Dunkley By-Election (1 speech)
This weekend is the Dunkley by-election. The loss of Peta Murphy has been felt deeply in this place. Peta left a great legacy behind. She was a champion of her local community, and I'm so glad...
- Northern Territory: Water (1 speech)
The following statement is from the Ali Curung community regarding the Singleton Station water licence: We are saying no to the removal of our water. The Northern Territory government is using...
- Vandalism (1 speech)
Yet another Captain Cook statue has been vandalised in my home state of Victoria. Masked idiots, claiming that Cook the explorer was responsible for colonisation, used an angle grinder to cut...
- Antisemitism (1 speech)
I rise today to speak about the troubling increase in antisemitism in our nation. Antisemitic behaviour is on the rise around the world, sadly, and Australia is no exception. We are a country of...
- Universities: Student Placements (1 speech)
The Australian universities accord: final report has backed in what I said six months ago: university students should be paid to do a mandatory placement. If people have to put themselves into...
- Camp Sovereignty (1 speech)
Today I want to talk about Camp Sovereignty, whom I spoke to this morning. Camp Sovereignty is a place of resistance on what is known by the colonisers as Kings Domain. It has been a place of...
- Taxation (1 speech)
One of the many consequences of having elected this government is that there are more taxes—more taxes than were promised at the last election. We have seen a litany of broken promises in...
- Natural Disasters (3 speeches)
Today is the second anniversary of the devastating floods that hit the Northern Rivers of New South Wales after hitting South-East Queensland in the days before. Having been to the Northern...
- Statement by the President (0 speeches)
- Parliamentary Standards (1 speech)
Earlier this morning I indicated to the Senate I would come back at a later time and make a statement about adjournment last night. I intend to do that now. Some of the conduct in the Senate...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Dunkley By-Election (24 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Gallagher. Andrew Clennell at Sky News has today reported that he is in possession of leaked government focus group images...
- Taxation (21 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. Last night the Albanese Labor government delivered on its commitment to give all Australian taxpayers a tax cut from...
- Immigration Detention (17 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Gallagher: News reports today show that earlier this month immigration minister Andrew Giles personally intervened in an...
- Economy (16 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer and the Prime Minister, Senator Gallagher. Minister, you have repeatedly refused to acknowledge that some corporations in Australia are...
- Taxation (10 speeches)
My question is to Minister Watt, representing the Minister for Youth. We know that the cost of living is one of the biggest concerns for young Australians. Last night the Senate...
- COVID-19: Vaccination (13 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Gallagher. This week the Queensland Supreme Court found that measures relating to COVID were mandated on a number of...
- Migration (8 speeches)
My question is to Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Watt. At Senate estimates earlier this month the Department of Home Affairs confirmed that between 7 October and 31...
- National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People (19 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Minister Gallagher. Two weeks ago your government announced it will establish a National Commissioner for...
- Taxation (26 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Women, Senator Gallagher. Since Labor was elected to government, we have seen significant steps forward in government policies that support economic prosperity...
- New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (14 speeches)
My question is for the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator Gallagher. Labor's family car tax could increase the cost of SUVs and utes by up to $25,000,...
- Statements (0 speeches)
- Personal Explanation (1 speech)
I seek leave to make a personal explanation under standing order 190. Leave granted. I draw the Senate's attention to the deliberate use of derogatory words designed to damage me personally and...
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Answers To Questions (22 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of answers given by ministers to all coalition questions without notice asked today. I'm going to talk about Senator Henderson's questions about the fact that...
- Covid-19: Vaccination (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Finance (Senator Gallagher) to a question without notice I asked today relating to COVID-19 vaccinations. I take note of...
- Economy (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Finance (Senator Gallagher) to a question without notice I asked today relating to the economy. Nowhere is the...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
( On behalf of the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation, I give notice of my intention at the giving of notices on the next sitting day to withdraw business of the Senate...
- Postponement (1 speech)
( I remind senators that the question may be put on any proposal at the request of any senator.
- Business (0 speeches)
- Leave of Absence (1 speech)
( by leave—At the request of Senator Van, I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator Van for today, for personal reasons. Question agreed to.
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Community Affairs Legislation Committee; Reference (6 speeches)
I remind senators that yesterday evening after 6.30 pm a division was called on the closure motion moved by Senator McKim relating to a proposed reference to the Community Affairs Legislation...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
- Dunkley By-Election (15 speeches)
Senator Hume has submitted a proposal: Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion: The broken promise to the...
- Matters of Urgency (0 speeches)
- Israel (16 speeches)
The Senate will now consider the proposal from Senator McKim: Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today the Australian Greens propose to move "That, in the opinion of the Senate,...
- Petitions (0 speeches)
- Middle East (1 speech)
by leave—I present to the Senate a petition relating to the visas of a local doctor's family who are trapped in Gaza, which is not in conformity with the standing orders as it is not in the...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Community Affairs References Committee; Report (2 speeches)
I present the report of the Community Affairs References Committee on the extent and nature of poverty in Australia, together with accompanying documents, and I move: That the Senate take note of...
- Law Enforcement Joint Committee; Report (2 speeches)
I rise as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement to speak about the committee's report Examination of the Australian Federal Police annual report 2022-23. One of the...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- President of the Republic of the Philippines (0 speeches)
- Address to Parliament (1 speech)
The President has received a message from the House of Representatives inviting senators to attend a meeting of the House on Thursday 29 February 2024 for an address by His Excellency Ferdinand...
- Regulations and Determinations (0 speeches)
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- PFLAG+ Perth, Heller, Mrs Elfie (1 speech)
As senators, one of the great privileges we get is to bring to the Senate chamber the great work that many Australians do. In December 2019 I took the opportunity to honour one particular...
- Gender and Sexual Orientation, Australian Human Rights Commission (1 speech)
The extremist idea that males should be able to identify into what were previously single-sex women's sports or spaces has never been able to stand up on its own merits. The idea that a male sex...
