Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move general business notices of motion Nos 1013, 1019 and 1015 together.

Leave granted.

I move general business notices of motion No. 1013, stand anything my name; No. 1015, standing in the name of Senator Faruqi; and No. 1019, standing in the name of Senator Whish-Wilson:

GENERAL BUSINESS NOTICE OF MOTION NO. 1013

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the Prime Minister has appointed the Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to undertake an investigation into the mishandling of Brittany Higgins' rape allegation, and

  (ii) on current information, the inadequate response to Ms Higgins' allegations has involved two ministers, senior staff from the Prime Minister's office, the presiding officers, and the Department of Parliamentary Services;

(b) expresses concern that an investigation undertaken by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet lacks the independence and transparency that should be afforded to such a serious investigation; and

(c) calls on the Government to:

  (i) engage an independent person to undertake a comprehensive, armslength investigation of the mishandling of Brittany Higgins' rape allegations, and recommend ways to strengthen the complaints process available to all parliamentary staff, and

  (ii) cooperate fully with any such investigation.

GENERAL BUSINESS NOTICE OF MOTION NO. 1015

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) Australia's housing market is one of the most unaffordable in the world,

  (ii) negative gearing and property-related capital gains tax discounts encourage real estate speculation, drive up property prices and increase inequality, and

  (iii) negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts are skewed towards high income earners and overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Australians; and

(b) commits to winding back negative gearing and property-related capital gains tax discounts.

GENERAL BUSINESS NOTICE OF MOTION NO. 1019

That the Senate—

(a) notes that, under the carbon price legislation in place, Australian farmers were poised to be able to sell carbon stored on their land or emissions reduced through changed farming practices into the European Union carbon market, which would earn Australian farmers today a record high $54 a tonne;

(b) further notes that, when the carbon price was abolished by the Liberal government and Clive Palmer, this opportunity for new, lucrative income streams was stripped away, leaving Australian farmers less equipped to adapt to a changing climate and global markets;

(c) acknowledges that because of the Government's seven year sabotage of any meaningful climate policies, our major trading partners in the EU, UK, USA and Japan are all considering in the middle of this year adopting carbon border adjustment tariffs to prevent countries like Australia from free-riding off the work of other countries—our farmers now face tariffs of around $54 a tonne on their products; and

(d) urges the Government to negotiate with the EU so that Australian farmers can sell their abatement into their carbon markets and to apologise to Australian farmers for the financial damage their climate change policies are doing to them.