Senate debates
Tuesday, 20 August 2024
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Meeting (1 speech)
If there are no objections, the meetings are authorised.
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Statements by Senators (0 speeches)
- Labor Government (1 speech)
Under this weak Labor Prime Minister, Australians are hurting more than ever, yet our weak Prime Minister refuses to acknowledge how tough things really are. We've got a prime minister with the...
- South Australia (1 speech)
I rise today to speak about the great state of South Australia, and I'll give you my top 3 for the week in SA. We are kicking goals all across the field right now. On Saturday, the mighty Port...
- Housing (1 speech)
I'm from Queensland, which last week earned the title of the homelessness capital of Australia. Two in three Queenslanders are struggling to pay their rent or meet their mortgage repayments,...
- E-Cigarettes and Vaping Products (1 speech)
In just under six weeks the legislation that we passed in here that will mean vapes will be sold by pharmacies and pharmacies alone comes into effect. Before we get to that six weeks, there will...
- Road Safety (1 speech)
In June last year I spoke about the enforcement anomalies that face our hardworking truck drivers every day in Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria and South Australia—but not in my...
- Tasmania: Economy (1 speech)
Saul Eslake has delivered his report on the state of Tasmania's books, and it's not pretty. We are broke. According to Mr Eslake, Tasmania's financial position will become worse than that of any...
- Western Australia: Health Care (1 speech)
In July this year, paramedics across Western Australia spent more than 6½ thousand hours waiting outside our hospitals in a queue—waiting to ensure that their patients got the hospital...
- Ukraine (1 speech)
This Saturday marks Ukraine's Independence Day, which celebrates the country's declaration of independence on 24 August 1991. Although this war appears to no longer be newsworthy in light of...
- Albanese Government (1 speech)
If Prime Minister Albanese isn't careful, he is going to sleepwalk Australia into a government led by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Dutton. Mr Albanese, acting like a diet version of Mr...
- Donations to Political Parties (1 speech)
Yesterday, we heard a lot about political donations and the CFMEU—the coalition bashing the government, the government bashing the Greens, the Greens then trying to bash the government, and...
- Vietnam Veterans' Day (1 speech)
I rise today to commemorate and to add to the many remarks that have been made over the weekend just past to honour Vietnam Veterans' Day. It was 1962 when the first Australian servicemen arrived...
- Rinehart, Mrs Georgina, AO (1 speech)
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games will go down in history as Australia's most successful in terms of gold medals—all 18 of them! Olympic success at such an unprecedented scale requires...
- Environment (1 speech)
I speak today on WA's Scott Reef. The Environmental Protection Authority of WA has recently ruled that Woodside's plan to drill for oil and gas in the Scott Reef would cause unacceptable impacts...
- Low-Carbon Liquid Fuels (1 speech)
Australia's overreliance on imported liquid fuels threatens our energy security and therefore is a great threat to our national security. The aviation industry, one of the hardest to decarbonise,...
- Australian Greens (2 speeches)
Yesterday, here in the Senate, a lot happened. But I'm not sure if everyone noticed that a Queensland Greens senator stood up and said that the only way to get real change is to vote for the...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Energy (24 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator McAllister. In dollar terms, how much has the average electricity bill gone up since Labor was...
- Economy (8 speeches)
My question this afternoon is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. Minister, you report regularly to the Senate on the Albanese Labor government's work to put downward...
- Health Care: Intravenous Fluid Products (12 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Gallagher. Minister, Australia is facing a dangerous shortage of saline IV fluids, which is forcing...
- Environment (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator McAllister. Firstly, as it's my first question to the new minister, congratulations. I look forward...
- Health Care (15 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. On 7 August 1974, the Whitlam Labor government passed laws to establish universal health care in Australia. Fifty...
- Banking and Financial Services (10 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Assistant Treasurer, Minster Gallagher. ASIC today released a new report examining the scam prevention, detection and responses of 15 banks outside...
- Future Made in Australia (8 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. My question goes to the definition and application of 'comparative advantage' within the Future Made in Australia...
- Health Care (8 speeches)
My question is for the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Minister Gallagher. We have had more than 265 cases of mpox, or monkeypox, since the start of the year....
- Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (19 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Watt. I note recent concerning reports of corruption, criminality, violence and bikies in Australia's construction...
- Economy (9 speeches)
My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. We've seen the price of iron ore drop to US$81.80 per tonne, the lowest since November 2022. This is said to have...
- Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
- Answers to Questions (7 speeches)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to all questions without notice asked today. In particular, I'd like to talk about electricity prices. As we just heard Senator...
- Environment (1 speech)
I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Emergency Management (Senator McAllister) to a question without notice I asked today relating to water management in the...
- Notices (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
I give notice in general terms of my intention on the next day of sitting to move a motion relating to the routine of business: That on Thursday, 22 August 2024: (a) the questions on all...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (1 speech)
I move: That general business order of the day no. 74 (COVID-19 Response Commission of Inquiry Bill 2024) be considered on Thursday, 22 August 2024 at the time for private senators' bills....
- Leave of Absence (1 speech)
by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to the following senators: (a) Senator Farrell from 19 to 22 August 2024, on account of ministerial business; and...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Public Works Joint Committee; Reference (1 speech)
At the request of Senator Gallagher, I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, the following proposed works be referred to the Parliamentary Standing...
- Business (0 speeches)
- Rearrangement (1 speech)
At the request of Senator Gallagher, I move: That consideration of the business before the Senate on Wednesday, 21 August 2024 be interrupted at approximately 5 pm, but not so as to interrupt a...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Matters of Urgency (0 speeches)
- Termination of Pregnancy (10 speeches)
I inform the Senate that I have received the following letter, dated 20 August, from Senator Babet: Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today I propose to move "That, in the opinion...
- Goldmining Industry: McPhillamys Gold Project (9 speeches)
I inform the Senate that I have received the following letter, dated 20 August 2024, from Senator Duniam: Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today I propose to move "That, in the...
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Economics References Committee; Additional Information (1 speech)
At the request of the Chair of the Economics References Committee, Senator Bragg, I present additional information received by the committee on its inquiry into the Australian Securities and...
- Legislation Committees; Report (1 speech)
Pursuant to order and at the request of the chairs of the respective committees, I present reports on the examination of annual reports tabled by 30 April 2024.
- Public Works Joint Committee; Report (3 speeches)
On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the committee's sixth report of 2024.
- Public Works Joint Committee; Government Response to Report (1 speech)
I present the government response to the 87th annual report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, and I seek leave to have the document incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted....
- Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) Select Committee, Community Affairs Legislation Committee, Community Affairs References Committee, Cost of Living Select Committee, Economics Legislation Committee, Economics References Committee, Education and Employment Legislation Committee, Education and Employment References Committee, Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, Environment and Communications References Committee, Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, Finance and Public Administration References Committee, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee, Impact of Climate Risk on Insurance Select Committee, Implementation of the National Redress Scheme — Joint Committee, Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee; Membership (2 speeches)
The President has received letters requesting changes in the membership of various committees.
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- Spirit of Tasmania (3 speeches)
The Spirit of Tasmaniaferries are a necessary evil. I have nothing against these ferries; we have to get across Bass Strait. But the Spirit ferries are one of the few options Tasmanians have if...
- Queensland: St George Willawong Football Club (3 speeches)
I rise to make this adjournment contribution on my birthday.
- Tasmania: Gunns Plains (1 speech)
On the north-west coast of Tasmania, located 20 kilometres inland of Ulverstone and nestled in a beautiful valley, is the small town of Gunns Plains. The town was named after Ronald Campbell...
- World Health Organization (1 speech)
The UN's World Health Organization, the WHO, has declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. This triggers WHO emergency powers to drive vaccine sales to financially...
- Australian Defence Force (1 speech)
From October 1942 to October 1943, the Japanese army forced around 60,000 prisoners of war, including 13,000 Australians and roughly 200,000 civilians, mostly Burmese and Malayan, to build a...
- Central Land Council, Northern Territory Election (1 speech)
I rise to speak about some deeply troubling issues that have come to light with regard to the Northern Territory's land councils. Very possibly these troubling issues may well extend across the...
- Middle East, Albanese Government (1 speech)
Twice previously in this chamber I have read out the names of hostages held by the terrorist organisation Hamas. Still, Hamas continues to hold 116 hostages after they began an unprovoked and...
