Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

That the provisions in paragraphs 5 to 8 of standing order 111 not apply to the Statute Update (Regulations References) Bill 2020 and the Treasury Laws Amendment (Reuniting More Superannuation) Bill 2020, as set out in the list circulated in the chamber, allowing them to be considered during this period of sittings.

I also table statements of reasons justifying the need for these bills to be considered during these sittings and seek leave to have the statements incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statements read as follows—

STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR INTRODUCTION AND PASSAGE IN THE 2020 AUTUMN SITTINGS

STATUTE UPDATE (REGULATIONS REFERENCES) BILL 2020

Purpose of the Bill

The Bill removes references to specific Regulations in Acts, replacing them with references to the enabling powers for those Regulations. Passing the Bill will contribute to the ongoing maintenance and integrity of the Commonwealth statute book, and improve the quality and accuracy of Commonwealth legislation. This is important as it will promote consistency and useability of the Commonwealth statute book. The Bill contributes to the Government's regulatory reform agenda by improving the accuracy of Commonwealth legislation.

Reasons for Urgency

Statute Update Bills make minor, but important, technical amendments. The Bill is uncontroversial and will contribute to the ongoing maintenance of legislation to ensure its accuracy, usability and currency.

STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR INTRODUCTION AND PASSAGE IN THE 2020 AUTUMN SITTINGS

TREASURY LAWS AMENDMENT (REUNITING MORE SUPERANNUATION) BILL 2020

Purpose of the Bill

To enable eligible rollover funds to voluntarily transfer amounts to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) so that the Commissioner of Taxation can proactively reunify amounts to a person's active superannuation account. There will be a final deadline by which an eligible rollover fund must transfer amounts which it still holds to the ATO.

Reasons for Urgency

The first deadline by which an eligible rollover fund must transfer amounts to the ATO is 30 June 2020. Quick passage in the 2020 Autumn sittings will give industry certainty as to obligations and as much time as possible to implement the reforms.

Senator Fierravanti-Wells to move 15 sitting days after today—

That the Jervis Bay Territory Rural Fires Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Rules 2019, made under the Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915, be disallowed.

Senators Watt, Green and Chisholm to move on the next day of sitting—

That the Senate—

(a) notes that the Leader of the Liberal National Party in the Queensland Parliament, Mrs Deb Frecklington, has promised to require government-owned energy companies to invest in renewable energy generation;

(b) supports increased investment in renewable power as the cheapest and cleanest means of supplying our future energy needs; and

(c) calls on the Federal Liberal National Party to support further investment in renewables.

Senator O'Neill to move on the next day of sitting—

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT) are teams of experienced, qualified and highly trained medical, clinical and allied health professionals who are responsible for assessing the level of government-funded care that ageing Australians should receive,

  (ii) the Morrison Government sees ageing as a problem and the market as the solution,

  (iii) the Morrison Government has announced that it intends to privatise ACAT from April 2021,

  (iv) the New South Wales (NSW) Minister for Health and Medical Research, Mr Brad Hazzard, has been highly critical of the Morrison Government's decision to privatise ACAT,

  (v) Minister Hazzard has said that "NSW has major concerns" about the Government's plan to privatise ACAT,

  (vi) Minister Hazzard has said that "It would worry me if a private company had accountability that went beyond the pure interest of the elderly person",

  (vii) Minister Hazzard has said that "It seems pre-emptive and unreasonable to be effectively privatising health aged-care services while the royal commission into aged care is still under way", and

  (viii) Minister Hazzard concluded that the Government's decision to privatise ACAT demonstrated that there was "Not a lot of logic there"; and

(b) calls on the Morrison Government to:

  (i) listen to the concerns of their colleague Minister Hazzard in the NSW State Government, and

  (ii) stop the privatisation of ACAT services.

Senators Gallagher and Watt to move on the next day of sitting—

That the Senate acknowledges the important work of federal public servants, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) staff and Australian Defence Force personnel in the recent bushfire crisis, including:

(a) the work of scientists and other staff at the Bureau of Meteorology who helped to forecast extreme weather patterns and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, who took part in the scientific roundtable on the bushfires;

(b) the ABC's efforts to provide comprehensive coverage of the bushfires and accurate emergency information to people in bushfire affected areas;

(c) Australian Defence Force personnel, reservists and other staff involved in Operation Bushfire Assist;

(d) those involved in the response effort, from staff at Emergency Management Australia to those in the Department of the Environment in their efforts to support the protection of native wildlife;

(e) those involved in the recovery effort, from staff working to address the mental health impact of the bushfires to those at Services Australia helping to deliver emergency relief payments to people in need; and

(f) staff at the newly-created National Bushfire Recovery Agency.

Senator Gallagher to move on the next day of sitting—

That the Senate acknowledges the important work of federal public servants to address the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, including:

(a) consular staff and other public servants who have gone into high-risk areas like Wuhan to evacuate Australians;

(b) officials from agencies in Health and Home Affairs who have managed stringent quarantine procedures, including in the facilities on Christmas Island and near Darwin;

(c) the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, and the Department of Health, which have led the public health response to the outbreak; and

(d) scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, whose research is forming an integral part of the rapid global response to the outbreak.

Senators Faruqi and Di Natale to move on the next day of sitting—

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

  (i) that 15 March 2020 will mark one year since the Christchurch massacre, when a racist, hate-filled and violent white supremacist man from Australia killed 51 Muslims during Friday prayers at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand,

  (ii) that the anniversary of Christchurch is a painful reminder to Muslims in Australia, New Zealand and across the world that anti-Muslim racism and white supremacy has fatal consequences,

  (iii) the recent concerns of ASIO Director-General, Mr Mike Burgess, regarding far-right extremism in Australia, that:

     (A) the extreme right-wing threat is real and growing,

     (B) Neo-Nazi groups regularly meet to salute Nazi flags, inspect weapons, train in combat and share their hateful ideology, and

     (C) extremists are seeking to connect with like-minded individuals in other parts of the world; and

(b) expresses solidarity with the families, friends and communities of the victims of the Christchurch terrorist attack at this difficult time;

(c) expresses a deep commitment to calling out and stamping out extreme right­-wing ideologies, white supremacy and anti-Muslim racism; and

(d) urgently calls on the Federal Government to:

  (i) dedicate adequate resources to targeting right-wing extremism, and

  (ii) work to stop the spread of hate speech and far-right movements.

Senator Keneally to move on the next day of sitting—

That—

(1) The Senate notes that:

(a) the Morrison Government has announced that it intends to privatise Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT) from April 2021;

(b) the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians said claimed he is implementing a recommendation from the Tune Review;

(c) the Tune Review made no such recommendation;

(d) the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians also claimed he is implementing a recommendation from the Royal Commission into the Aged Care Quality and Safety; and

(e) the Royal Commission made no such recommendation.

(2) The Senate condemns the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians for failing to adequately explain his decision to privatise the ACAT, despite neither the Tune Review nor Royal Commission making any such recommendation.

(3) At 9:30 am on 27 February 2020, before government business is called on, the Senate requires the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians to:

(a) provide an explanation as to why the Morrison Government is continuing with its tender of ACAT services despite the fact the Royal Commission has stated that it has yet to make recommendations about which sector or mechanism should deliver ACAT-type services; and

(b) that a senator may, at the conclusion of the explanation, move without notice, that the Senate take note of the explanation.

Senator Griff to move on the next day of sitting—

That the Senate—

(a) condemns child exploitation material of any kind and through any medium;

(b) acknowledges that Japanese anime (animation) and manga (graphic novels) are visual mediums which share a unique style in which some media depict children in explicit sexual activities, poses and even being sexually abused;

(c) notes that:

  (i) Japanese anime and manga depicting scenes and images of child abuse is readily available for sale at retail outlets, online and for consumption on streaming services in Australia,

  (ii) certain anime containing child abuse material has received classification by the Classification Board, allowing it to be imported and sold in Australia, and

  (iii) explicit manga is currently not vetted by the Classification Board;

(d) recognises that the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act1995 prohibits the sale, production, possession and distribution of offensive and abusive material "that depicts a person or a representation of a person who is or appears to be under 18"; and

(e) calls on the Federal Government to:

  (i) ensure the current Review of Australian Classification Regulation considers how the Classification Board deals with child abuse depictions in animation and considers extending its oversight to printed materials, and

  (ii) facilitate the removal of all such child abuse material in animation and print, as a matter of urgency.

Senator Patrick to move on the next day of sitting—

(1) That the Senate notes the inquiries relating to domestic violence in Australia undertaken by the Finance and Public Administration References Committee in 2014-2015 and 2015-2017, and the 2019 Auditor­ General's report on implementation of the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010-2022.

(2) That the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, informed by the reports named at (1), inquire into and report, by not later than 13 August 2020, on domestic violence with particular regard to violence against women and their children, including:

(a) the status of, and any barriers in implementing, the recommendations of the reports;

(b) the adequacy, effectiveness and resourcing of policies, programs, services and responses to domestic violence across the Australian Government, state and territory governments, local governments, non­government and community organisations, business and the media;

(c) immediate and long-term measures that need to be taken to prevent violence against women and their children;

(d) the effects of policy decisions regarding housing, legal services, and women's economic independence limiting the ability of women and children to escape domestic violence;

(e) how the Australian Government and state and territory governments can best support, contribute to and drive the social, cultural and behavioural shifts required to eliminate violence against women and their children; and

(f) any other related matters.

Senator Siewert to move on the next day of sitting—

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) First Nations children are over-represented in the youth justice system and the failure of state and territory governments to address the underlying causes of disadvantage is entrenching children in the criminal justice system,

  (ii) the age of criminal responsibility is currently 10 years of age around Australia meaning children as young as 10 are being charged, brought before courts, sentenced and imprisoned, and

  (iii) the United Nations has recommended that the age of criminal responsibility for all nations be increased to 14 and the minimum age at which a child could be placed in detention be raised to 16;

(b) welcomes Dujuan Hoosan and his family to Parliament House this week, who will be meeting with Parliamentarians and screening the documentary In my Blood it Runs that features his struggles to integrate his Indigenous culture with the western education system and his experiences in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) with the justice system;

(c) acknowledges Dujuan's courage, leadership and advocacy on behalf of First Nations children and his community; and

(d) calls on the Federal Government to urgently address the underlying causes of youth incarceration including systemic racism, intergenerational trauma and poverty, and to work with state and territory governments to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years, as a minimum.

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

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) Norwegian oil company Equinor, has announced it is discontinuing its exploration drilling plans in the Great Australian Bight,

  (ii) this is an opportunity to celebrate the pristine and precious Great Australian Bight and to protect it for future generations and the rest of the world to come and experience,

  (iii) the Bight is ecologically and environmentally significant and home to some of the most unique wildlife in the world with 85% of marine life found in the Bight found nowhere else,

  (iv) Australia Institute Research has shown that more than 4 in 5 South Australians (84%) and 7 in 10 Australians want to see the Bight given World Heritage protection, and

  (v) in July 2018, the South Australian Parliament called on the state government to work with the federal government to seek listing under the World Heritage Convention of the waters, seabed and coastline of the Great Australian Bight as a matter of urgency; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to submit the Great Australian Bight for consideration as a World Heritage Site.

Senator Waters to move on the next day of sitting—

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) in his statement to Parliament regarding the murders of Ms Hannah Clarke and her children on 24 February 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said "We must reflect on how and where the system failed Hannah and her children, as it has failed so many others. It's so frustrating. It's so devastating", and

  (ii) women's services have consistently identified the need for more funding for the Family Court, prevention and early intervention programs, specialist legal and support services, crisis accommodation and housing support to improve the family law system; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to adequately fund domestic, family and sexual violence and crisis housing services to ensure that all women and children seeking safety can access these services when and where they need them.

Senator Waters to move on 27 February 2020—

That—

(1) The Senate notes that:

(a) since the last sitting of the Senate, two more women have been killed by violence in Australia taking the national toll since the start of 2020 to 9, as reported by Counting Dead Women Australia from Destroy The Joint;

(b) there is no national government reporting program to record the ongoing toll of women killed by violence in real time and ensure that these horrifying statistics receive ongoing public attention;

(c) on average, one woman is murdered every week by her current or former partner;

(d) according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey 2016:

  (i) more than 370,000 Australian women are subjected to violence from men each year,

  (ii) 1 in 3 Australian women has experienced physical violence,

  (iii) 1 in 5 Australian women has experienced sexual violence,

  (iv) 1 in 6 Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner,

  (v) 1 in 4 Australian women has experienced emotional abuse by a current or former partner,

  (vi) Australian women are nearly three times more likely than men to experience violence from an intimate partner, and

  (vii) Australian women are 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalised for assault injuries arising from family and domestic violence than men, with hospitalisation rates rising by 23% since 2014-2015;

(e) in 2017, young women aged 15-34 accounted for more than half of reported sexual assaults;

(f) there is growing evidence that women with disabilities are more likely to experience violence;

(g) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women report experiencing violence at 3.1 times the rate of non-Indigenous women;

(h) in 2016-2017, Indigenous women were 32 times as likely to be hospitalised due to family violence as non-Indigenous women;

(i) the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 states that the overall prevalence of violence against women will only start to decrease in the very long term as gender roles change; and

(j) the Fourth Action Plan recognises that demand for domestic and family violence services has increased, and will continue to increase.

(2) The Senate calls on the government to:

(a) recognise domestic violence against women as a national security crisis;

(b) adequately fund frontline domestic, family and sexual violence and crisis housing services to ensure that all women seeking safety can access these services when and where they need them;

(c) legislate for 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave so that women don't have to choose between paying the bills and seeking safety;

(d) ensure that all government funded counselling services for domestic and family violence are delivered by expert family violence service providers in accordance with the National Outcome Standards for Perpetrator Interventions;

(e) implement all 25 recommendations of the 2015 Senate inquiry into domestic violence in Australia; and

(f) maintain and publish an official real-time national toll of women killed by violence Australia.

Senator Waters to move on the next day of sitting—

(1) That there be laid on the table by the Minister for Finance, by no later than 2 pm on 23 March 2020, all reports and correspondence received by the Minister for Finance from other Ministers under paragraph 4.12 of the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines 2017 or 4.13 of the previous Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines between 1 August 2016 and 31 April 2019.

(2) In the event the Minister fails to table the reports and correspondence, the Senate requires the Minister representing the Prime Minister to attend the Senate on 25 March 2020, by no later than 10:15 am, to provide an explanation, of no more than 10 minutes, of the Government's failure to table the documents.

(3) Any Senator may move to take note of the explanation required by paragraph (2).

(4) Any motion under paragraph (3) may be debated for no longer than 60 minutes, shall have precedence over all government business until determined, and senators may speak to the motion for not more than 10 minutes each.

Senator Waters to move on the next day of sitting—

(1) That there be laid on the table by the Minister for Finance, by no later than 30 April of each calendar year:

(a) all reports and correspondence received by the Minister for Finance under paragraph 4 .12 of the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines 2017 during the preceding calendar year; and

(b) a summary of the decisions reported under paragraph 4.12 of the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Guidelines 2017, including the the Central Budget Management System program title, sub-program, grant activity, grantee, total grant value, grant funding location, postcode, and a brief statement of reason for the decision.

(2) If the Senate is not sitting when the documents are ready for presentation, the documents are to be presented to the President under standing order 166.

(3) This order is of continuing effect.

Senator Gallagher to move on the next day of sitting—

That the Senate—

(a) requires that, at its examination of the 2019-20 additional estimates, on 4 March 2020, the Community Affairs Legislation Committee examine the Department of Health Outcome 3: Sport and Recreation, Program 3.1: Sport and Recreation, and Sport Australia, prior to commencing the examination of any other outcomes, programs, or portfolio agencies; and

(b) this requirement may be altered by unanimous agreement of members of the committee.