Senator Joyce to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following matter be referred to the Economics References Committee for inquiry and report by 30 April 2010:

The impact of native vegetation laws and legislated greenhouse gas abatement measures on landholders, including:

(a)

any diminution of land asset value and productivity as a result of such laws;

(b)

compensation arrangements to landholders resulting from the imposition of such laws;

(c)

the appropriateness of the method of calculation of asset value in the determination of compensation arrangements; and

(d)

any other related matter.

Senator Joyce to move on the next day of sitting:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Treasurer, no later than 9.30 am on Thursday, 4 February 2010, the final report from Australia’s Future Tax System Review Panel (the Henry Review).

Senators Bob Brown and Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

recognises 2010 as the United Nations’ International Year of Biodiversity;

(b)

supports the Boobook Declaration, which has been written by an alliance of 40 environment groups to highlight Australia’s worsening biodiversity crisis; and

(c)

notes the Boobook Declaration’s call on the Australian Government to:

‘(1)   Acknowledge the critical importance of safeguarding biodiversity as part of Australia’s climate change response and commit to correspondingly urgent action to address the systemic drivers of biodiversity loss…

(2)   …increase investment in biodiversity and ecosystem protection, restoration and management to at least $9 billion over the three years to 2012 and establish an independent … consultative process into future funding and stewardship of Australia’s, [sic] terrestrial, aquatic and marine biodiversity;

(3)   Restore and increase … publicly funded research [capacity, especially in biodiversity conservation] …; and

(4)   Develop … education and training programs .. [for] all sectors of the … community [including on the importance and protection of biodiversity]’.

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

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, no later than 22 February 2010, the information referred to in the answer to question on notice no. 2366 (notice given 25 September 2009) regarding landholder agreements with Australian Solomons Gold Limited (ASG) for the Gold Ridge Mine project in the Solomon Islands and, specifically, the information the Government and the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation are relying on to assess ‘the impact on communities of the Gold Ridge Mine’ and the ‘negotiation process that culminated in ASG and landowners signing agreements’.

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

That the Senate, noting the similar resolution of the European Parliament on 25 November 2009:

(a)

reiterates its longstanding opposition to the death penalty in all cases and under all circumstances;

(b)

recalls Australia’s strong commitment to working towards abolition of the death penalty everywhere and emphasises once again that the abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights;

(c)

recognises the positive move by China’s Supreme People’s Court, in January 2007, to review death sentences but deplores the fact that it has not led to a significant decrease in the number of executions in China and remains concerned that China still carries out the greatest number of executions worldwide;

(d)

urges the Chinese Government to adopt a moratorium on the death penalty immediately and unconditionally, this being seen as a crucial step towards abolition of the death penalty;

(e)

strongly condemns the executions of the two Tibetans, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak, and of the nine persons of Uighur ethnicity following, respectively, the events in March 2008 in Lhasa and the riots of 5 July to 7 July 2009 in Urumqi; and

(f)

calls on the Chinese authorities to suspend all the other death sentences passed by the Intermediate People’s Courts of Lhasa and Urumqi and to commute those sentences, in the case of persons duly found guilty of acts of violence, to terms of imprisonment.

Senator Ronaldson to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following matter be referred to the Economics References Committee for inquiry and report by 30 June 2010:

The access of small businesses to finance, including:

(a)

the costs, terms and conditions of finance and changes to lending policies and practices affecting small businesses;

(b)

the importance of reasonable access to funding to support small business expansion and the sector’s contribution to employment growth and economic recovery;

(c)

the state of competition in small business lending and the impact of the Government’s banking guarantees;

(d)

opportunities and obstacles to other forms of financing, for example, equity to support small business ‘start ups’, liquidity, growth and expansion;

(e)

policies, practices and strategies to enhance access to small business finance that exist in other countries; and

(f)

any other related matters.

Senators Hanson-Young and Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

Tuesday, 2 February 2010 was World Wetlands Day,

(ii)

the day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran on 2 February 1971, and

(iii)

in 2010, the focus of World Wetlands Day is on ‘caring for our wetlands – an answer to climate change’, highlighting the continuing threat our wetlands face from unsustainable human practices and the likely impact that climate change will have on our wetland ecosystems;

(b)

recognises that:

(i)

fair water sharing across the basin is the only way the environment and those relying on the river system will be protected and sustainable,

(ii)

South Australia’s Lower Lakes are at crisis point and need the full attention of the Federal Government, and

(iii)

implementation of the Basin Plan urgently needs to be fast-tracked as the Lower Lakes and Coorong can not wait until 2019 for all states to participate in a cap on sustainable diversions and basin-wide water sharing arrangements; and

(c)

calls on the Government to:

(i)

establish an independent national authority with the powers to make decisions in the best interests of our rivers and wetlands, that cannot be vetoed by individual states,

(ii)

provide greater resources for the understanding and management of the resilience of our wetlands to the impacts of climate change, and

(iii)

ensure that South Australia’s iconic wetlands do not lose their Ramsar Convention listing.

Senator Eggleston to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Economics References Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 4 February 2010, from 5 pm, to take evidence for the committee’s inquiry into the Australian dairy industry.

Senator Scullion to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of the fourth report of the Select Committee on Regional and Remote Indigenous Communities be extended to 13 May 2010.

Senator McEwen to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of the report of the Environment, Communications and the Arts References Committee on sustainable management by the Commonwealth of water resources be extended to 6 May 2010.

Senator Scullion to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to protect the interests of Aboriginal traditional owners in the management, development and use of native title land situated in wild river areas, and for related purposes. Wild Rivers (Environmental Management) Bill 2010.

Senator Xenophon to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Criminal Code Act 1995 to protect minors by introducing offences about misrepresentation of age online. Criminal Code Amendment (Misrepresentation of Age to a Minor) Bill 2010.

Senator Milne to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

achieving deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in the medium term requires the rapid expansion of renewable energy,

(ii)

the price of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) has collapsed because the supply of RECs exceeds demand,

(iii)

the price of RECs is forecast to remain too low to support large-scale renewable energy projects for some years, stalling wind industry investment and threatening the Solar Flagships program for large-scale solar,

(iv)

the large number of RECs being created by a surge in solar and heat pump hot water and photovoltaic system installations is a major contributor to the problem, and

(v)

these industries have been stimulated by:

(a)

the rebate for solar hot water systems ($1 600) and heat pumps ($1 000),

(b)

the introduction of the Solar Credits Scheme multiplier which provides four ‘phantom’ deemed RECs for systems up to 1.5 kilowatt in size, and

(c)

dubious methodologies for calculating the number of deemed RECs, particularly for some heat pump systems; and

(b)

calls on the Government to immediately address the flaws in the design of its Renewable Energy Target so that a genuine 20 per cent of renewable energy by 2020 can be achieved.

Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to prohibit the provisions of services, support and resources to whaling ventures. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Prohibition of Support for Whaling) Bill 2010.

Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following matters be referred to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 30 September 2010:

(a)

the large variation in compensation payments and reparations across state and federal jurisdictions provided to those adversely affected by government policies or unlawful actions;

(b)

the need for clarity, proportionality and justice in ensuring that compensation and reparations are appropriate to the amount of harm suffered and opportunities foregone; and

(c)

the possibility of the Commonwealth providing national leadership and coordination to ensure consistent and equitable compensation is provided by states on issues of national significance, such as the forced removal or institutional abuse of children, or the misappropriation of wages.

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

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

more than 240 Tamil asylum seekers remain on their boat in the Indonesian port of Merak, in increasingly squalid conditions after more than 3 months, and

(ii)

this boat was intercepted by Indonesia at Australia’s request in October 2009;

(b)

recognises:

(i)

of the 240 on board, 100 have been found to be genuine refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, yet they are afraid to leave the boat under the threat of removal to Indonesian detention centres, and

(ii)

Australia’s obligations as a signatory to the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees; and

(c)

calls on the Government to immediately step in and end the standoff over the Tamil asylum-seekers who have been left in squalid conditions on a boat at Merak, Indonesia for 115 days.

Senator Milne to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes, with grave concern that:

(i)

several thousand Home Sustainability Assessors under the Government’s Green Loan Program (the program) have been denied any work for more than 1 month since Christmas 2009 due to the mismanaged shutdown of the program’s phone booking service, leaving many in severe financial hardship, and

(ii)

the company Fieldforce has consistently received preferential treatment through the program including being allowed to book as much work as it wanted during the shutdown period, despite thousands of other assessors being forced to go without work; and

(b)

calls on the Government to:

(i)

immediately provide clear and accurate information to the thousands of assessors regarding their ongoing work prospects,

(ii)

reveal immediately the special conditions and treatment being offered to Fieldforce, and

(iii)

review the program so that it provides a credible program, ensuring ongoing work for those Australians who have invested to become Home Sustainability Assessors on the back of the Government’s assurances.