Senator Cormann to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

the Rudd Government has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the amount of money left in the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Assurance Fund secret,

(ii)

the Government refused to answer relevant questions during debate on the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Re-registration of Providers and Other Measures) Bill 2009 and during Senate estimates,

(iii)

Minister Carr intervened directly to prevent a Commonwealth official from answering the question about how much money was left in the ESOS Assurance Fund during Senate estimates,

(iv)

Minister Carr eventually took the question on notice even though the official from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations had clearly stated that ‘We can answer that’,

(v)

no information about the financial position of the ESOS Assurance Fund after 31 December 2008 has been made publicly available,

(vi)

in 2008 the ESOS Assurance Fund lost $1.3 million and was left with only about $1.8 million in cash and cash equivalents,

(vii)

successive closures of private training colleges throughout 2009 and early 2010 would have put the ESOS Assurance Fund under further financial pressure;

(b)

considers the immediate release of the current financial position and the performance of the fund throughout 2009 in the public interest; and

(c)

orders that there be laid on the table, by 12pm on Wednesday, 24 February 2010:

(i)

an up-to-date statement of accounts of the ESOS Assurance Fund, including the current balance of the fund as at 10 February 2010, and

(ii)

all information and documents about all levies imposed on providers required to pay a contribution to the ESOS Assurance Fund during 2009 and 2010.

Senator Lundy to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit be authorised to hold public meetings during the sittings of the Senate, to take evidence for the committee’s inquiry into the review of Auditor-General’s reports, as follows:

(a)

Wednesday, 10 March and 17 March 2010, from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm; and

(b)

Thursday, 11 March 2010, from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm.

Senator Hurley to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of the report of the Economics Legislation Committee on the provisions of the Tax Laws Amendment (Confidentiality of Taxpayer Information) Bill 2009 be extended to 11 March 2010.

Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of reports of the Community Affairs References Committee be extended as follows:

(a)

impact of gene patents on the provision of healthcare in Australia—to 17 June 2010;

(b)

hearing health in Australia—to 13 May 2010; and

(c)

suicide in Australia—to 24 June 2010.

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

That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to social security, veterans’ affairs and higher education in relation to scholarship payments, and for related purposes. Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Scholarship Payments) Bill 2010.

Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes the 170th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the Crown and Maori leaders in New Zealand;

(b)

congratulates the first peoples of Aotearoa on the progress they have made in the recognition of their human rights and in closing the gap on health disadvantage;

(c)

recalls that directions from the Crown to negotiate a similar treaty with Australia’s first peoples were never enacted by our colonial governors; and

(d)

calls on the Australian Government to recognise the human rights of Indigenous Australians, to test via a referendum the inclusion of recognition of former occupation and sovereignty in the Australian Constitution, and to commence formally negotiating a treaty once a national representative body is elected.

Senator Ludwig to move on the next day of sitting:

That, for the purposes of paragraph 48(1)(a) of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, the Senate rescinds its resolution of 10 September 2009 disallowing the Aviation Transport Security Amendment Regulations 2009 (No. 1), as contained in Select Legislative Instrument 2009 No. 24, and made under the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004.

Senator Bob Brown to move on 24 February 2010:

That the Senate—

(a)

expresses its disappointment at the Chinese Government’s decision to uphold Liu Xiaobo’s sentence of 11 years in prison on the charge of ‘inciting subversion of state power’;

(b)

notes that Mr Liu has peacefully worked for the establishment of political openness and accountability in China; and

(c)

joins calls by the European Parliament and the Governments of the United States of America and Canada that Liu Xiaobo should not have been sentenced in the first place and should be released immediately.

Senator Wortley to move 15 sitting days after today:

That the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) (Release of Protected Information) (DEEWR) Determination 2009 (No. 1), made under subsection 162(3) of the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999, be disallowed.