Senate debates

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Child Care (17 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion. I refer to the government's decision not to renew the National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood...
    • Carbon Pricing (15 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Cormann, the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and the Treasurer. Can the minister advise the Senate of the impact of...
    • Budget (9 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion. I refer to this year's budget papers, which confirm: … net savings of $534.4 million over five years through...
    • Climate Change (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Senator Cormann. The head of the UN climate convention, Christiana Figueres, has warned this morning that coal has no...
    • Asylum Seekers (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Cash. Can the minister inform the Senate of the progress of Operation Sovereign Borders and how it compares...
    • Indigenous Affairs (6 speeches)
      My question is to Senator Fifield, the Minister representing the Minister for Social Services. I refer to a recommendation in the Forrest report for a 'cashless healthy welfare card', and to...
    • Higher Education (30 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Payne, representing the Minister for Education. Can the minister provide the Senate with any facts about the level of higher education...
    • Ginger Industry (6 speeches)
      My question is to Senator Abetz, representing the Minister for Agriculture. Australian farmers are the lifeblood of our land. They feed our country, employ many people and contribute to our...
    • Health (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, Senator Nash. I refer to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, which has found that health expenditure in 2012-13...
    • Dementia (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Assistant Minister for Health, Senator Nash. Can the minister advise the Senate on current government funding for dementia research and how this funding can potentially...
    • Indigenous Affairs (10 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion. I refer to the minister's decision to cut over half a billion dollars from Indigenous programs and merge over 150...
  • Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
    • Family Violence Prevention Legal Services Program (1 speech)
      I rise to provide further information to my answer given to Senator Peris on 27 August concerning the Family Violence Prevention Legal Services Program. This program, which now falls within...
  • Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
    • Indigenous Affairs (10 speeches)
      I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs (Senator Scullion) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today relating to funding...
    • Income Management Proposals (1 speech)
      I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Assistant Minister for Social Services (Senator Fifield) to a question without notice asked by Senator Siewert today relating to...
  • Notices (0 speeches)
    • Presentation (1 speech)
      Pursuant to standing order 78(1), I give notice that, at the giving of notices on the next day of sitting, I shall withdraw business of the Senate notices of motion Nos 1 to 3 standing in my name...
    • Withdrawal (1 speech)
      I seek to withdraw general business notice of motion No. 414 in the name of Senator Conroy.
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • Business (0 speeches)
    • Leave of Absence (2 speeches)
      ():by leave—I move: That leave of absence for personal reasons be granted to Senator Urquhart and Senator Polley for today, 23 September 2014. Question agreed to.
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • Motions (0 speeches)
    • Dementia (1 speech)
      I move: That the Senate— (a) notes: (i) the arrival of Ms Libby Day at Parliament House on 22 September 2014, after cycling more than 800 kilometres from Melbourne in eight and a half days...
    • Mining (1 speech)
      I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) at four minutes to midnight, at 11.56 pm on Tuesday, 9 September 2014, the Queensland Government moved a last minute amendment to the Mineral...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • First Speech (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      Order! Pursuant to order, we are moving to a first speech—and it is probably a much-needed reprieve. I remind honourable senators that this is Senator Wang's first speech and I ask that the...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Budget (6 speeches)
      A letter has been received from Senator Moore: Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter or public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion: "The impact of...
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • ALP Cost of Living Committee (1 speech)
      I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the recent launch in Hobart of the ALP caucus Cost of Living Committee. The committee is chaired by Ms Terri Butler and the secretary of the...
    • Penalty Rates (1 speech)
      I rise tonight to talk about the issue of penalty rates and also briefly talk about an issue which the government sometimes claims is on the backburner but which is surely waiting in the wings...
    • Point Peron (1 speech)
      I want to speak to note about an issue that has captured the imagination and attention of an increasing number of Western Australians, and that is the impending debacle of a new 500-berth marina...
    • Bullying (1 speech, 1 comment)
      Bullying is a scourge and we all have a role to play. Firstly, we can ensure that we ourselves do not engage in it personally. Secondly, we need to express our disapproval in no uncertain terms...
    • Evans, Mr Harry (1 speech)
      Tonight I want to recognise the public service of a very private man, Harry Evans. Harry was the longest serving Clerk of the Australian Senate ever, but it is the quality, not the quantum, of...
    • National Security (1 speech)
      It is the primary responsibility of governments to keep its citizens safe and that is something I have been reflecting on in recent days, as we here in parliament are operating under increased...
    • Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Student Unions (3 speeches)
      I was really interested in what happened here earlier this afternoon. I am very new to this place and some of the old hands who are here have said they have never seen anything like it—like...
    • Women's Suffrage Petition Database (1 speech)
      On 9 September this year, the Speaker of the Queensland Parliament, Fiona Simpson, welcomed us to celebrate the launch of the Women's Suffrage Petition database. This is a particularly exciting...
    • Peacekeeping Operations (1 speech)
      (): I think we should keep having peace in Australia because of many reasons. Firstly, we are lucky to be able to go to school safely. I am allowed to go to school and learn. It does not matter...
    • Financial Rural Debt Roundtable, Australian Labor Party (3 speeches)
      I would like to speak on two issues this evening. The first is the Financial Rural Debt Roundtable, which concluded this afternoon and which the Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce hosted. It...
    • White Balloon Day (1 speech)
      There are a few months before the next Queensland state election, but if I have to sit here every night and hear about it in adjournment from the government side of the Senate, I will probably...
    • Other People's Money (1 speech)
      My name is David and I am an OPM addict. Actually, that is not true; I am not addicted. I might be one of the very few people in this house who is not, because addiction to OPM is a national...
    • Senate Procedures (3 speeches)
      Today I felt a little bit cheated, as we had quite energetic exchanges and debates here this afternoon on a motion I refer to as the Labor/PUP motion to investigate Queensland's government,...
    • Chevron Australia (3 speeches)
      On 2 and 3 September in this place, two Labor senators, both Western Australian senators, made speeches—or, should I say, the same speech, because each replicated the other and followed the...
    • Health Care (1 speech)
      Tonight I rise to both celebrate and lament on behalf of the primary health care of this country. Globally Australia delivers some of the best primary health care in the world. Our Medicare Local...
    • Tasmania: Indigenous Affairs (1 speech)
      I rise in this adjournment debate to alert the people of Tasmania to a crisis which has developed in the management of Indigenous affairs in Tasmania. I have written today to the Prime Minster...
    • Manufacturing (1 speech)
      Tonight I wish to confirm what I see are some of the challenges of the parliament and the country. These are issues that underpin the Australian way of life and present us as the parliament with...
    • Independent Commission Against Corruption (5 speeches)
      The ICAC report into New South Wales politics is due to be handed down in December, possibly close to Christmas. The work of ICAC holds significance for our own work as federal MPs and all...