Senator Xenophon to move on the next day of sitting:

That, on Thursday, 13 August 2009:

(a)

the hours of meeting shall be 9.30 am to 6.30 pm and 7 pm to adjournment;

(b)

the routine of business from 12.45 pm till not later than 2 pm, and from 3.45 pm shall be government business only;

(c)

consideration of general business and consideration of committee reports, government responses and Auditor-General’s reports under standing order 62(1) and (2) shall not be proceeded with;

(d)

divisions may take place after 4.30 pm; and

(e)

the question for the adjournment of the Senate shall be proposed after the Senate has finally considered the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 and related bills.

Senator Xenophon to move on 11 August 2009:

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to provide for accurate labelling of food, and for related purposes. Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling Laws) Bill 2009.

Senator Bob Brown to move on the next day of sitting:

That standing order 18 establishing the Committee of Privileges be amended by omitting paragraph (3), and substituting:

(3)

The committee shall consist of 7 senators, 3 nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate, 3 nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and 1 nominated by other parties and independent senators.

Senator Chris Evans to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Australian Citizenship Act 2007, and for related purposes. Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Test Review and Other Measures) Bill 2009.

Senator Chris Evans to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Migration Act 1958, and for related purposes. Migration Amendment (Immigration Detention Reform) Bill 2009.

Senator Conroy to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend legislation relating to telecommunications, and for related purposes. Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (National Broadband Network Measures No. 1) Bill 2009.

Senator Ryan to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate notes:

(a)

that 21 July 2009 is the 40th anniversary of the first successful moonwalk, as part of the Apollo 11 mission;

(b)

the critical role played by Australian scientists and the Parkes Observatory in supporting this mission; and

(c)

in particular, the fact that the majority of the broadcast of the first moonwalk was beamed around the globe to more than 600 million people courtesy of the pictures provided by the Parkes Observatory and its staff.

Senator Cormann to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes:

(i)

with concern, that the Government has refused, without good reason, as indicated by the Senate’s resolution of 17 June 2009, to provide to the Select Committee on Fuel and Energy information essential to the proper consideration of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) legislation, and

(ii)

that the Government has refused to provide information in response to successive orders of the Senate concerning modelling done for the Government’s CPRS, without raising a valid claim of public interest immunity, thus preventing the Senate from making a properly informed judgement about the impact of the proposed CPRS on the economy, jobs and regional Australia; and

(b)

concludes that the Treasurer (Mr Swan) has been contemptuous of the Senate and of proper parliamentary processes.

Senator Hanson-Young and Senator Xenophon to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

condemns the recent violent attacks on Indian students in Australia; and

(b)

calls on the Government to continue working with the Indian High Commission, to ensure the safety and welfare of Indian students while studying in Australia.

Senator Abetz to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Directions in Relation to Coercive Powers, made on 17 June 2009 under section 11 of the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act 2005, be disallowed. [F2009L02483]

Fifteen sitting days remain, including today, to resolve the motion or the instrument will be deemed to have been disallowed.

Senator Mason and Senator Williams to move on the next day of sitting:

(1)

That the Senate requests the Auditor-General to undertake an urgent investigation of waste and mismanagement of the Building the Education Revolution (BER) program, with regard to:

(a)

whether value for money is being achieved in both the program’s job creation and education aspirations, particularly as demonstrated by examples of:

(i)

schools being prevented from using local builders, in favour of government-preferred contractors who are charging significantly more for comparable projects,

(ii)

tenderers being offered the opportunity to bid for projects outside of their local area, but prevented from bidding for projects in their local area,

(iii)

construction costs incurred under the tender program being substantially higher than current construction industry rates,

(iv)

significant consultancy fees being levied by project managers over and above the 1.5 per cent limit that state and territory departments may take for administration costs,

(v)

schools receiving funds for maintenance and infrastructure in 2009 when the school will cease to exist in 2010,

(vi)

schools being forced by state education departments to accept pre-fabricated demountable halls that do not meet the needs of the local school community, and

(vii)

schools being forced to duplicate existing facilities rather than provide new infrastructure that the school community needs;

(b)

whether the Commonwealth Government is exercising sufficient supervision over state and territory governments and block grant authorities in the administration and implementation of the BER in order to prevent mismanagement and minimise waste;

(c)

whether the Commonwealth’s guidelines for the program are appropriate where:

(i)

certain categories of school (for example, distance education schools and secondary campuses of multi-campus schools) are ineligible for funding irrespective of their comparative level of need or ability to deliver projects,

(ii)

schools wishing to spend School Pride maintenance funds on energy-efficient air-conditioning or heating are explicitly prevented from doing so, and

(iii)

principals and governing council members feel they are prevented from raising concerns about BER projects for fear of losing funding for their school; and

(d)

any other examples of waste and mismanagement by either Commonwealth, state or territory governments in relation to this program that the Auditor-General deems relevant.

(2)

That the Auditor-General is requested to respond in a timely manner in order for the public to be fully informed of the program in advance of further parliamentary scrutiny of the issue.

Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate notes that:

(a)

the cruel slaughter of Namibian cape fur seals is due to commence on 1 July 2009, with a quota of 91 000 seals set to be killed;

(b)

the market for Namibian cape fur seal skins has collapsed over recent years due to lack of demand and import bans in the European Union, the United States, Mexico and South Africa because of the cruelty involved in the sealing methods; and

(c)

the continued involvement of Australian-based fur and skins company, Hatem Yavuz, as the last remaining buyer of the skins.