Senate debates
Tuesday, 17 October 2017
- Freedom of Speech (1 speech)
Free speech is one of the great virtues that underpin our society. Failure to celebrate free speech, especially for one's political or ideological opponents, is to seriously undermine this... - Burma (1 speech)
by leave—I table a nonconforming petition in relation to the current humanitarian crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Last week in Adelaide I met with members of Bangladeshi community and I... - Victoria: Courts (5 speeches)
Boy, it's tempting to say, 'I told you so'. Recent events in the High Court—I'm not talking about the munificent 7 and their dual-citizenship imbroglio—make it look like somebody has... - India Australia Business & Community Awards, McHappy Day (1 speech)
It's hard to disagree with anything that Senator Hinch just said. It's a great privilege to be the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs. In that role I've had the... - Streets Ice Cream (1 speech)
Today in Canberra we enjoyed a beautiful sunny day. Indeed, many Australian towns enjoyed unseasonably warm weather today, up in the high 20s and 30s. Around the country, Australians were taking... - Cape York (1 speech)
As a servant of the people of Queensland and Australia, I love being out with the people and listening. I want to continue a summary of my recent trip to Cape York and to name some of the other... - Aged Care (1 speech)
There is a statistic and a fact that should be damning to all of us. It is this: when we go, on a weekend, to a Bunnings and are greeted by a worker—often a young male or female, often a... - Scott, Dr Evelyn, AO (1 speech)
I'd like to pay tribute to an amazing woman whose life we celebrated recently in Townsville, Dr Evelyn Scott. A state funeral was held for Dr Scott, and I was able to attend the service along... - Anti-Poverty Week (2 speeches)
This is Anti-Poverty Week, when we pay attention to issues of poverty in this country. The aims of Anti-Poverty Week this year are to strengthen public understanding of the causes and... - Timor-Leste (1 speech)
I rise to speak in the Senate on the recent landmark agreement between Timor-Leste and Australia. This agreement, regarding the legal status of maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea, was reached... - Regional Queensland (1 speech)
I rise tonight to make a contribution, as I often do, about the future of regional Queensland. I'm the duty senator for Labor for the electorate of Capricornia in Central Queensland, and it's an... - Billson, Mr Bruce, Tasmania: Law Enforcement (1 speech)
You'd think it would be a simple statement of truth that if you're paid to lobby you're a lobbyist. But for some reason we have laws in this country that say night is day, black is white, east is... - Workplace Relations, Aged Care, Horse Racing (1 speech)
I congratulate the New South Wales Teachers Federation on a significant outcome in a recent New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission settlement. This settlement secures continuity of... - Whaling (1 speech)
Every summer, Japan sends its fishing fleet and harpoon boats to the Southern Ocean to kill our whales. And in every Christmas break, I've pressured governments to act. I've done what I can as a...
