Senate debates
Monday, 9 October 2006
Ministerial Arrangements
2:00 pm
Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
by leave—I wish to inform the Senate that the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Minchin, will be absent from question time today, Monday, 9 October, 2006. Senator Minchin, in his capacity as Minister for Finance and Administration, is involved with the T3 share offer launch in Sydney. During Senator Minchin’s absence I will take questions on behalf of the Prime Minister, the Treasurer, and the portfolios of Finance and Administration and Industry, Tourism and Resources.
Further, I also wish to inform honourable senators that on 24 and 27 September the Prime Minister announced a number of changes to the ministry. The swearing-in took place on 29 September, 2006. I table for the information of senators a revised ministry list reflecting these changes. I seek leave to have this document incorporated in Hansard.
Leave granted.
The document read as follows—
FOURTH HOWARD MINISTRY
Title | Minister | Other Chamber |
Prime Minister | The Hon John Howard MP | Senator the Hon Nick Minchin |
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister | The Hon Gary Hardgrave MP | |
Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister | The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP | |
Minister for Transport and Regional Services (Deputy Prime Minister) | The Hon Mark Vaile MP | Senator the Hon Ian Campbell |
Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads | The Hon Jim Lloyd MP | Senator the Hon Ian Campbell |
Parliamentary Secretary | The Hon De-Anne Kelly MP | |
Treasurer | The Hon Peter Costello MP | Senator the Hon Nick Minchin |
Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer | The Hon Peter Dutton MP | Senator the Hon Helen Coonan |
Parliamentary Secretary | The Hon Chris Pearce MP | |
Minister for Foreign Affairs | The Hon Alexander Downer MP | Senator the Hon Helen Coonan |
Parliamentary Secretary (Foreign Affairs) | The Hon Teresa Gambaro MP | |
Minister for Trade | The Hon Warren Truss MP | Senator the Hon Helen Coonan |
Minister for Finance and Administration (Vice President of the Executive Council) (Leader of the Government in the Senate) | Senator the Hon Nick Minchin | The Hon Peter Costello MP |
Minister for Human Services Minister Assisting the Minister for Workplace Relations | The Hon Joe Hockey MP | Senator the Hon Rod Kemp |
The Hon Gary Nairn MP | Senator the Hon Eric Abetz | |
Parliamentary Secretary | Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck | |
Minister for Health and Ageing (Leader of the House) | The Hon Tony Abbott MP | Senator the Hon Santo Santoro |
Minister for Ageing | Senator the Hon Santo Santoro | The Hon Tony Abbott MP |
Parliamentary Secretary | The Hon Christopher Pyne MP | |
Attorney-General | The Hon Philip Ruddock MP | Senator the Hon Chris Ellison |
Minister for Justice and Customs ( Manager of Government Business in the Senate) | Senator the Hon Chris Ellison | The Hon Philip Ruddock MP |
Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) | Senator the Hon Helen Coonan | The Hon Peter McGauran MP |
Minister for the Arts and Sport | Senator the Hon Rod Kemp | The Hon Peter McGauran MP |
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone | The Hon Philip Ruddock MP |
Parliamentary Secretary | The Hon Andrew Robb AO MP | |
Minister for Defence | The Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP | Senator the Hon Ian Campbell |
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence | The Hon Bruce Billson MP | Senator the Hon Ian Campbell |
Parliamentary Secretary | Senator the Hon Sandy Macdonald | |
Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources | The Hon Ian Macfarlane MP | Senator the Hon Nick Minchin |
Minister for Small Business and Tourism | The Hon Fran Bailey MP | Senator the Hon Nick Minchin |
Parliamentary Secretary | The Hon Bob Baldwin MP | |
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service | The Hon Kevin Andrews MP | Senator the Hon Eric Abetz |
Minister for Workforce Participation | The Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP | Senator the Hon Eric Abetz |
Minister for the Environment and Heritage | Senator the Hon Ian Campbell | The Hon Warren Truss MP |
Parliamentary Secretary | The Hon Greg Hunt MP | |
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Deputy Leader of the House) | The Hon Peter McGauran MP | Senator the Hon Eric Abetz |
Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation | Senator the Hon Eric Abetz | The Hon Peter McGauran MP |
Parliamentary Secretary | The Hon Sussan Ley MP | |
Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs | The Hon Mal Brough MP | Senator the Hon Rod Kemp |
Minister for Community Services | The Hon John Cobb MP | Senator the Hon Rod Kemp |
Minister for Education, Science and Training Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women’s Issues | The Hon Julie Bishop MP | Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone |
Minister for Vocational and Technical Education | The Hon Gary Hardgrave MP | Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone |
Parliamentary Secretary | The Hon Pat Farmer MP |
Each box represents a portfolio. Cabinet Ministers are shown in bold type. As a general rule, there is one department in each portfolio. Except for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the title of each department reflects that of the portfolio minister. There is also a Department of Veterans’ Affairs in the Defence portfolio and a Department of Human Services in the Finance and Administration portfolio.
2:01 pm
Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I seek leave to make a short statement, Mr President.
Leave granted.
Until a minute ago, the opposition had not been informed that Senator Minchin would not be attending today’s question time. I have just spoken to the acting leader, who says that apparently we were to be told. But we were not informed. We have no record of that. I do not know whether it was because Senator Minchin was not able—
Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
What’s your point?
Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
It is about courtesy, Senator. It is about the courtesy of informing people whether the Leader of the Government in the Senate is going to turn up for question time. While the T3 launch may well be a shambles, normal courtesies require people to be informed. Neither the Manager of Opposition Business nor I knew. It seems to me to be appropriate, and it has always been past practice, that we are informed prior to question time if ministers are not to be in the parliament and be accountable. I express my disquiet at the fact that that was not done and indicate that today a number of questions were to be directed to Senator Minchin, given the fiasco that is the T3 launch.
2:02 pm
Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
by leave—I note what Senator Evans has said, but I can inform the Senate that notification to Senators Evans, Boswell, Allison and Brown was faxed this morning—a notice. We have confirmation that the fax was received. I regret that the office of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate apparently did not pick up the letter, but there was no discourtesy in this case. The opposition were notified.