House debates

Thursday, 13 October 2011

  • Ministerial Statements (0 speeches)
    • Afghanistan (2 speeches)
      The government is committed to providing regular reports and updates on Afghanistan, including and in particular to the parliament. This year I have reported to the House on three prior...
  • Motions (0 speeches)
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Business (0 speeches)
    • Orders of the Day (1 speech)
      I move: That the following Main Committee orders of the day, private Members’ business, be returned to the House for further consideration and the resumption of each debate made an order of...
    • Rearrangement (1 speech)
      by leave—I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the following items of private Members’ business being called on, and considered...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Motions (0 speeches)
    • National Standard for Fertiliser Products (0 speeches)
      Debate resumed on the motion: That this House: (1) notes that consumers currently have little information made available to them in choosing which fertiliser product for private and domestic use...
    • Coptic Christians in Egypt (0 speeches)
      Debate resumed on the motion: That this House: (1) recognises that Coptic Christians in Egypt are suffering ongoing and increasing persecution; (2) condemns the recent attacks on Coptic...
    • AQIS Export Service Rebate (0 speeches)
      Debate resumed on the motion: That this House: (1) requires the responsible Minister to: (a) immediately commission an independent study on the legitimate costs to the Government of Australian...
    • Coptic Christians in Egypt (5 speeches)
      I seek leave to make a brief statement, following the passing of my motion, on the current situation in Egypt. Leave granted. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Publications Committee; Report (1 speech)
        I present the report from the Publications Committee sitting in conference with the Publications Committee of the Senate. Copies of the report are being placed on the table....
  • Motions (0 speeches)
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Public Works Committee; Approval of Work (1 speech)
      I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing...
    • Public Works Committee; Report (2 speeches)
      by leave—On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the committee's report entitled Public Works on Christmas Island. In accordance with standing order...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Business (0 speeches)
    • Quorums (4 speeches)
      Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a procedural matter rather than the bill before the House. This is the first opportunity I have had to do so and I seek your guidance. As you will be well aware, when...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Statements by Members (0 speeches)
    • Kooyong Electorate: CCTV Cameras (1 speech)
      Last night revellers were causing havoc in the Glenferrie Road shopping strip in my electorate. Acts of violence and widespread littering are all too common. The local traders' association, local...
    • Melbourne Electorate: Urban Policy (1 speech)
      Earlier this year I responded to the federal government's Our cities, our futurediscussion paper. The national urban policy that has followed is the first long-term national framework to guide...
    • Rugby World Cup 2011 (1 speech)
      I proudly stand here today as a supporter of Australia's pre-eminent football code in the days prior to the Rugby World Cup clash between Australia and New Zealand. The Rugby World Cup is well...
    • Steel Transformation Plan (1 speech)
      Yesterday, parliament approved the steel transformation plan, a $300 million package of assistance to the steel industry which runs from 2011 to 2017. It is funded from the budget and is not...
    • Petition: Carbon Pricing (1 speech)
      I rise to table a petition which has been endorsed by the Petitions Committee.    Notwithstanding the fact that the carbon bills were passed yesterday, I wish to record the protest...
    • Thornett, Mr Dick (1 speech)
      There are only five Australians who have ever represented their country at the highest level in three sports. One of them is Dick Thornett, a genuine local sporting hero who died yesterday at the...
    • Every Australian Counts Campaign (1 speech)
      This morning I attended the Every Australian Counts breakfast here at Parliament House. The Every Australian Counts campaign is in support of the concept of the National Disability Insurance...
    • Melba Men's Shed (2 speeches)
      On 23 September I visited the Melba Men's Shed. Members of men's sheds come from all walks of life. The bond that unites them is that they are men with time on their hands and would like...
  • Statements (0 speeches)
    • President of the United States of America (2 speeches)
      With the indulgence of the House, I take this opportunity to make an announcement about the forthcoming visit to Australia by President Obama. As members will be aware, President Obama will visit...
  • Ministerial Arrangements (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Mr Speaker, I inform the House that the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer, Mr Swan, will be absent from question time today as he is currently travelling to a meeting of the G20 finance...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Carbon Pricing (12 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, my question is to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister of the conduct of her ministers in the chamber yesterday and I ask: how can a tax that will increase power prices by...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Norman Lamont. On behalf of the House I extend to him a very warm welcome....
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Carbon Pricing (14 speeches)
      My question is to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation, representing the Treasurer. How will putting a price on carbon pollution reform Australia's...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I inform the House we have present in the gallery this afternoon Lyn Breuer, the South Australian Speaker of the House of Assembly, who is accompanied by a parliamentary delegation investigating...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Carbon Pricing (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Minister, you would be aware of concerns that have been expressed in the past in relation to the meat processing sector...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      Before calling the member for Kingston, and to show that I am sensitive to matters between parliaments and executive government, I inform the House that we have present in the gallery this...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Carbon Pricing (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Will the minister outline to the House the significance of the support for Australian families and...
    • Asylum Seekers (11 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the government's failure to bring the Malaysia people swap to a vote today—a matter the Prime Minister has said over and...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon members of a parliamentary delegation from the Parliament of Malta led by the Hon. Michael Frendo MP, Speaker of the Kamra...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Carbon Pricing (8 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Will the minister update the House on the Steel Transformation Plan Bill? Why is this legislation important to the...
    • Asylum Seekers (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister . I remind the Prime Minister that on at least six occasions she has declared that the Malaysian people swap legislation will be put to this parliament. On at...
  • Business (0 speeches)
    • Rearrangement (15 speeches)
      I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Warringah moving immediately—That so much of the standing and sessional orders be...
  • Statements on Indulgence (0 speeches)
    • Rugby World Cup 2011 (2 speeches)
      On indulgence, with a small friend, Wally the mascot, joining me; once every four years we reach a stage where Australians who do not normally follow rugby become instant experts and, of course,...
    • Farmer, Mr Patrick (4 speeches)
      On indulgence and in relation to sporting events, I notify the House that a former member of this House, Pat Farmer, is within 48 hours of reaching the equator on his run from the North Pole. He...
  • Questions to the Speaker (0 speeches)
    • Australia's Immigration Detention Network Committee (2 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, on indulgence, I seek to ask you a question. I rise in my capacity as Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Australia's Immigration Detention Network. The committee that was recently...
  • Statements on Indulgence (0 speeches)
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • Presentation (1 speech)
      Documents are presented as listed in the schedule circulated to honourable members. Details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings and I move: That the House take note of...
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Carbon Pricing (23 speeches)
      I have received letters from the honourable member for Menzies and the honourable member for Fraser proposing that definite matters of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion...
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • Asylum Seekers (1 speech)
      As the House adjourns today, and as members from the government file out to the caucus to determine where they may now go in terms of their failed border protection policy that they did not have...
    • Bell Bay Port (1 speech)
      I rise to speak this afternoon about the Bell Bay port, which is situated in my electorate of Bass, and the decision by TasPorts and the former Burnie Port to restrict shipping out of Bell Bay. A...
    • Bathurst 1000, Carbon Pricing (1 speech)
      The Bathurst 1000, one of the nation's biggest sporting events—in fact, one of the world's great car races—was held in Calare last week. The annual V8 supercar racing event this year...
    • Werriwa Electorate: Volunteers (1 speech)
      It was interesting to hear the member for Cook, who spoke earlier, trying with the most distorted logic possible to justify the coalition's adherence to Senator Hanson-Young and Senator Brown...
    • Longman Electorate: Health (1 speech)
      The state of health services in my region is woeful. The Caboolture Hospital is the only health service in the region providing 24-hour care and it is simply not keeping up with the demand. I...
    • Royal Lao Government in Exile (1 speech)
      Sometimes I worry a little bit about the levels of freedom and democracy that are taken for granted in this country. We are often caught up in the trappings of political debate and the...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      The following notice(s) were given:
  • Constituency Statements (0 speeches)
    • Nuclear Weapons (1 speech)
      This year the Australian Red Cross has launched its campaign to raise awareness of the horrific humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. It is a campaign of great consequence, as we all know of...
    • Isaacs Electorate: Carbon Pricing (1 speech)
      Recently I had the opportunity to talk with representatives of the councils of Kingston, Frankston, Dandenong and Bayside in Melbourne's south-east about the Gillard government's clean energy...
    • Gilad Shalit (1 speech)
      It has been 1,936 days since Israeli Army staff sergeant Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas raiders coming across the border from Gaza—1,936 days as a bargaining chip in the hands of...
    • Holt Electorate: Lyndhurst Secondary College (1 speech)
      I rise today to pay tribute to Lyndhurst Secondary College. Recently they were named Victorian secondary school winner in the Australian government's 2011 Anzac Day school awards. Lyndhurst...
    • Macquarie Electorate: Blue Mountains Veterans Groups (1 speech)
      Recently, I met with members of Blue Mountains veterans groups, who raised with me the challenge they face in finding and funding premises suitable for meetings, training, administration and...
    • McEwen Electorate: Clean Energy Future Legislation (1 speech)
      I rise today to speak in support of those people in McEwen who have contacted me in relation to the government's plan for pollution reduction. From Woodend to Warburton, from Epping to Eildon and...
    • Dunkley Electorate: Clean Energy Future Legislation (4 speeches)
      I was appalled to see this orgy of self-congratulation amongst the Gillard government and Labor members as the carbon tax package of bills passed through the House of Representatives. It was...
    • Franklin Electorate: Community Cabinet (1 speech)
      I want to talk about a very successful community cabinet that was held in my electorate last Monday evening. The community cabinet was held at the brand-new Kingston High School. Twelve...
    • Dawson Electorate: Water (2 speeches)
      I rise to highlight the kind of issue you would expect to find in the Third World. We have charitable and humanitarian Australian organisations working in various parts of the world to supply...
    • Paint Penrith REaD (2 speeches)
      On 2 September, the city of Penrith was 'painted REaD', with over 600 local children gathering to read, rhyme, sing and talk with the most famous kangaroo in Penrith, Rooby Roo. This occasion...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • Ngala (1 speech)
      In the last two years I have had the opportunity to see the excellent work of Ngala, the well-known Western Australian provider of early parenting and childhood services. Ngala is known for its...
    • Nobel Peace Prize, Iran (1 speech)
      On Saturday, 8 October the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Leymah Gbowee, a key organiser of a non-violent campaign in Liberia; President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, the first woman to be...
    • Hilt, Ms Sarah (2 speeches)
      This weekend I will take part in the 2011 Walk for Sarah, in Camden. Sarah Hilt is a courageous local from my electorate who was struck down by meningococcal septicaemia in October 2004....
    • Vietnam: Human Rights (1 speech)
      I have spoken on a number of occasions in this parliament about human rights and particularly human rights abuses as they occur in Vietnam. As you are aware, my constituency largely consists of...
    • Every Australian Counts Campaign (1 speech)
      If there is one thing that I think all of us in this place can agree on it is that we as a nation will be judged on how we care for those who cannot care for themselves. Today, of all days, being...
    • Regional Development Australia (1 speech)
      I would like to put on the record my agreement with the member for Higgins and her contribution. I agree it is important that we as a parliament deal with this issue and put in place a...
    • Leichhardt Electorate: Ellis Beach Surf Life Saving Club (1 speech)
      I recently received an email from a young constituent of mine. It read as follows: Dear Sir, My name is Sophie Alcorn and I am nine years old. I would like to inform you about the lack of safe...
    • Breast Cancer (1 speech)
      Yesterday I was pleased to launch the Women Die Waiting campaign, a campaign initiated and supported by AngliCORD and aimed at raising awareness about the lack of adequate breast cancer screening...
    • Dementia (1 speech)
      Today is Every Australian Counts day, but for the 269,000 people living with dementia it is not always the case. Dementia, which includes Alzheimer's Disease, is a disease that robs people of...
    • Welcome to Australia (1 speech)
      Last month, I had the pleasure of hosting a briefing in Parliament House for members and senators—and, if I may say, Madam Deputy Speaker Vamvakinou, you were among them—to introduce...
    • Superannuation (1 speech)
      We have heard a lot from the Labor government, and from the Assistant Treasurer in particular, about reforms to the superannuation system. Some of the reforms recently announced are clearly...
    • Coptic Christians in Egypt (1 speech)
      I rise to today to voice the concerns of the many Coptic Christians that live in my electorate of Greenway—and, indeed, of members of the community generally—and to condemn the...
    • Coptic Christians in Egypt, Health (1 speech)
      I begin by acknowledging the words of the member for Greenway about the treatment of the Coptic Christians in Egypt. In my view, she is utterly correct that there have been human rights abuses...
    • Steel Industry (5 speeches)
      I take this opportunity to update the House on circumstances surrounding the steel industry in my electorate of Throsby, in particular the circumstances surrounding BlueScope at Port Kembla. It...
    • Petition: Telecommunications (1 speech)
      by leave—I rise to table a petition of 400 signatures as a document. The petition calls for, firstly, an urgent review of the provisions of telecommunications in the Pyrenees shire, in...
    • Carbon Pricing (1 speech)
      I would like to take this opportunity to talk about an important and growing concern in my community: the ever-rising number of locals who have hit hard times, many finding themselves homeless. I...
  • Questions in Writing (0 speeches)