Senator Milne to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following matters be referred to the Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 8 April 2011:

(a)

the science underpinning the technical assumption that Apis cerana, the Asian honey bee, cannot be eradicated in Australia;

(b)

the science underpinning the assumption that the Asian honey bee will not spread throughout Australia;

(c)

the science relating to the impacts of the spread of the Asian honey bee on biodiversity, pollination and the European honey bee; and

(d)

the cost benefit of eradication of the Asian honey bee.

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

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

women make up only 25 per cent of board appointments in Australia, and

(ii)

of that figure, only 10 per cent of the Australian Stock Exchange 200 companies have female directors, and only 8 per cent have female executives;

(b)

recognises that:

(i)

women in the workforce face many issues, including pay equity, the impact of unpaid work and family responsibilities on their careers and the disparity in retirement savings, and

(ii)

improving the levels of female leadership in corporate Australia will help to drive change in all of these areas; and

(c)

calls on cross-party support to take the lead and phase in meaningful quotas in boardrooms around Australia.

Senator Cormann to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes the Government’s failure to keep its promise to hold a tax summit by 30 June 2011;

(b)

considers that any genuine tax summit will properly review and report on Labor’s proposals to introduce a national mining tax and a carbon tax; and

(c)

decides that no legislation to impose a national mining tax or a carbon tax be considered by the Senate until after the October tax summit has reported.

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

That the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Wednesday, 23 March 2011, from 9.30 am to 10.45 am, to take evidence for the committee’s inquiry into the conduct of the 2010 Federal Election and matters related thereto.

Senator Cormann to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Select Committee on the Scrutiny of New Taxes be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 24 March 2011, from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm.

Senator Eggleston to move on the next day of sitting:

That the time for the presentation of the report of the Economics References Committee on the impacts of supermarket price decisions on the dairy industry be extended to 20 April 2011.

Senator Wortley to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Joint Select Committee on Cyber Safety be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 24 March 2011, from 9.30 am to 10.30 am.

Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes:

(i)

deep sea bottom trawling can be a highly destructive fishing practice causing enormous damage to deep sea corals, rare and unique species, fish populations and sensitive bottom habitats,

(ii)

the Senate on 11 October 2006 unanimously endorsed the Australian Government position to put in place measures on protecting high seas biodiversity through proposing a series of bans on high seas bottom trawling,

(iii)

in December 2006 the United Nations (UN) called on all fishing nations to ban bottom trawling in vulnerable marine ecosystems, including seamounts, hydrothermal vents and cold water corals until it had been assessed that there will be no significant adverse impacts and that in 2009 the UN General Assembly reinforced the need for environmental impact assessments of bottom fisheries on the high seas and to ensure that vessels do not engage in bottom fishing until such assessments have been carried out,

(iv)

Australia has not yet completed scientific environmental assessments for the South Pacific Ocean or the Southern Indian Ocean yet it allows Australian flagged vessels to undertake high seas bottom trawl fishing in these areas, which is in clear contravention of UN resolutions which have been supported by the Australian Government, and

(v)

that in 2011 the UN General Assembly will review actions taken by states, including Australia, to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems of the high seas from destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling;

(b)

expresses concern that the Australian Government is failing to implement the bipartisan policy of protecting the biodiversity of the high seas from destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling; and

(c)

urges the Government, as a matter of priority, to:

(i)

complete and make public the required scientific assessments for the South Pacific and Southern Indian oceans as a matter of priority,

(ii)

put in place a ban on all Australian bottom trawl fishing on seamounts and other vulnerable marine ecosystems until it can be shown scientifically that such fishing will not damage fragile marine ecosystems, and

(iii)

advocate and support a complete UN ban on all high seas bottom trawling until thorough scientific and publicly available assessments have been undertaken and appropriate, effective conservation and management objectives are in place.

Senator Ludwig to move on the next day of sitting:

That the government business orders of the day relating to the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Bill 2010 [2011] and a related bill, and the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011 may be taken together for their remaining stages.

Senator Ludwig to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Wild Rivers (Environmental Management) Bill 2011 be referred to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 10 May 2011.

Senator Xenophon 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 2011:

The proposed acquisition of the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) by Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX), with particular reference to:

(a)

whether such an acquisition would be in the national interest;

(b)

whether the 15 per cent foreign ownership cap on the ASX is appropriate;

(c)

whether the revised proposed composition of the merged board and governance arrangements (as announced on 15 February 2011) are appropriate;

(d)

the Government of Singapore’s interest in the SGX and it’s role in the proposed merged entity;

(e)

what impact such an acquisition might have on Australia’s ability to attract investment; and

(f)

any other related matters.

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

That the Senate—

(a)

notes the reported Chinese crackdown on democracy advocates in East Turkistan and Tibet following democratic protests in the Middle East; and

(b)

asks the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr Rudd) to confirm with Chinese authorities:

(i)

the substance of the charges leading to the 2007 arrest of Mr Ablikim Abdiriyim, the son of Uighur advocate Ms Rebiya Kadeer,

(ii)

whether Mr Abdiriyim has suffered prolonged solitary confinement and torture as reported by Amnesty International late in 2010,

(iii)

whether Mr Abdiriyim has recently received medical treatment, and

(iv)

when Mr Abdiriyim is due to be released.