Senator Joyce to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate notes:

(a)

that on 28 September 2006 the United States Congress passed the Military Commission Act 2006;

(b)

that on 17 October 2006 President George W Bush signed the Act into law;

(c)

that the Act provides a congressional basis for trial by military commission;

(d)

that the Act incorporates a number of procedural safeguards including:

(i)

the presumption of innocence,

(ii)

a right to be present throughout the trial,

(iii)

a right to cross-examine prosecution witnesses,

(iv)

a ban on evidence obtained by torture,

(v)

access to evidence the prosecution intends to adduce at trial,

(vi)

the provision of military defence counsel,

(vii)

the ability to retain civilian defence counsel,

(viii)

the option to remain silent or testify at trial,

(ix)

standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt, and

(x)

an extensive appeals process;

(e)

that Mr David Hicks is yet to be charged under the Act; and

(f)

that the Government continues to press the United States for Mr Hicks’ case to be dealt with expeditiously and fairly.

Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

there have been calls by land owners in the Gwydir Ramsar-listed wetland for it to be de-listed as a Ramsar site because the federal and New South Wales governments have let it die,

(ii)

the World Wide Fund for Nature intends to raise this issue at the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention when it meets in February 2007,

(iii)

the Gwydir wetlands have received little water in 10 years despite promises from state and federal governments to provide water to retain the site’s value, and

(iv)

water to the Gwydir wetland has been reduced by up to 75 per cent; and

(b)

calls on state and federal governments to protect this important wetland site.