Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move general business notices of motion Nos 988, 996, 1000, 1003 and 1004 together and that they be determined without amendment or debate.

Leave granted.

I move general business notices of motion Nos 988, 996, 1000, 1003 and 1004 together:

General Business Notice of Motion No. 988

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) in a report commissioned by Housing for the Aged Action Group, it observed that an increasing number of older Tasmanians (people aged 55 or over) are experiencing homelessness or at increasing risk of becoming homeless, and the problem is particularly bad for women, who are more likely to experience housing stress,

  (ii) Shelter Tas, Tasmania's peak body for housing and homelessness, deemed that renting was unaffordable for low-income families across Tasmania,

  (iii) prolonged low wage growth and penalty rate cuts prevent people from being able to save up for a mortgage and have resulted in a lack of affordability in the private rental market for older Australians,

  (iv) compounding this, stagnant growth in the development of social housing, particularly government funded public housing, has meant that need is an ongoing and critical issue,

  (v) the number of people on JobSeeker in Tasmania remains at 75% above pre-COVID-19 levels and, post March, they will return to living on $40 a day, perpetuating the housing crisis, and

  (vi) access to safe and secure housing is a basic human right; and

(b) urges the Government to fund the construction of social housing in not only Tasmania, but across Australia to curb the trend of rising homelessness.

General Business Notice of Motion No. 9 96

That the Senate—

(a) notes that the Australian steel industry employs over 110,000 hardworking Australians;

(b) recognises that:

  (i) in 2015, Ms Karen Andrews, while Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, weakened anti-dumping regulations against overseas steel,

  (ii) following the 2016 failure of major Arrium steel manufacturer, the Economic References Committee released a report into the future of the steel industry in December 2017, Australia's steel industry: Forging ahead which noted that foreign dumped steel, from overseas countries, contributed to Arrium's collapse,

  (iii) the report released 28 common sense recommendations, none of which have been taken up by Minister Andrews,

  (iv) in 2017, the AWU reported that cheap dumped foreign steel had cost local manufacturers $200 million in the previous 12-18 months,

  (v) since 2015-16, the Government has cut 13% of the Anti-Dumping Commission's budget,

  (vi) since Ms Andrews became Industry Minister over 128,400 manufacturing jobs have been lost, and

  (vii) Minister Andrews is forcing out the current Anti-Dumping Commissioner, expert Dale Seymour, at the end of his 2021 term; and

(c) calls on the Federal Government to:

  (i) ensure an appropriate and domestic industry-focused anti-dumping regime,

  (ii) support the sovereign capabilities of Australia by ensuring that our domestic steel industry is future proof, and

  (iii) stand up for the 110,000 jobs of Australian steelworkers.

General Business Notice of Motion No. 1000

That the Senate—

(a) notes the announcement of the closure of the ExxonMobil oil refinery at Altona;

(b) acknowledges this decision:

  (i) is devastating news for hundreds of local workers and for the future of Australia's fuel security,

  (ii) will cost hundreds of direct jobs and impact thousands of workers in downstream industry, and

  (iii) is further proof that the Morrison Government has no plan for workers affected by these decisions;

(c) recognises the Morrison Government:

  (i) has overseen the closure announcements of half of our domestic refineries in the last six months,

  (ii) announced a $211 million so-called fuel security package in September last year to keep refineries on line, yet six months later another refinery has announced it will close its doors, and

  (iii) said its fuel security plan would 'create 1,000 new jobs and protect workers in the fuel sector and in fuel-dependent industries', but instead its 'stewardship' has seen the loss of 600 jobs at Kwinana, and the imminent loss of 350 direct jobs at Altona, and many thousands more if it continues to sit on its hands; and

(d) condemns the Morrison Government's policy vacuum, which has left hundreds of workers without jobs and the nation without a sovereign supply of domestic fuel.

General Business Notice of Motion No. 1003

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) hunting injected $356 million into the Victorian economy in 2019, predominantly in regional areas,

  (ii) the Victorian Labor Government has:

     (A) reduced the state's duck hunting season to only 20 days,

     (B) lowered daily bag limits to only two birds, and

     (C) delayed start times to 8 am for the first five days,

  (iii) the restrictions are politically motivated and not based on science, and

  (iv) rural and regional Victoria will suffer significant economic losses with less revenue generated from law-abiding duck hunters visiting these communities;

(b) calls on the Victorian Labor Government to immediately reverse these changes to the duck hunting season; and

(c) supports sustainable game hunting by law-abiding citizens who benefit from the health, wellbeing, cultural and recreational aspects of the sport.

General Business Notice of Motion No. 1004

That the Senate—

(a) commends the annual Australian Broadcasting Corporation Heywire storytelling competition for empowering young regional, rural, and remote Australians to share their stories;

(b) notes:

  (i) that young Australians in our regions play a vital role for their communities both now and into the future, and

  (ii) the diversity in our regions reflected in these powerful stories, covering issues and themes such as overcoming adversity, aspiration, disability, mental health, drought, identity, community, courage and distance;

(c) congratulates the 35 winners of the 2021 competition for their unique and engaging storytelling ability; and

(d) encourages all to read these stories which provide an insight into the life of young regional Australians.

I ask that the question be put separately on each motion.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gallagher has moved the motion and has asked that the question be put separately on each one.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I table statements from the government on motions 988, 996, 999 and 1000.

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I table a statement from the Greens on motion No. 996.

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I table a statement on motion 1002.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that general business notice of motion No. 988, standing in the name of Senator Polley, be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

We'll now move to general business notice of motion No. 996, standing in the name of Senator O'Neill. The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

We'll now move to general business notice of motion No. 1000, standing in the names of Senators Carr, Kitching, Ciccone and Walsh. The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

We'll now move to general business notice of motion No. 1003, standing in the names of Senators McKenzie, Canavan, Davey and McDonald. The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I table a statement from the Greens on motion 1003.

Question agreed to.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We'll now move to general business notice of motion No. 1004. The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Question agreed to.