The SPEAKER (Mr Harry Jenkins) took the chair at 12:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
Sex and Age Discrimination Legislation Amendment Bill 2011
Tax Laws Amendment (2010 Measures No. 5) Bill 2010
Corporations Amendment (Improving Accountability on Director and Executive Remuneration) Bill 2011
Taxation of Alternative Fuels Legislation Amendment Bill 2011
Excise Tariff Amendment (Taxation of Alternative Fuels) Bill 2011
Customs Tariff Amendment (Taxation of Alternative Fuels) Bill 2011
Energy Grants (Cleaner Fuels) Scheme Amendment Bill 2011
Higher Education Support Amendment (Demand Driven Funding System and Other Measures) Bill 2011
… appear to bear little relation to the actual cost of teaching or to any clear notion of public benefit and the range of maximum student contributions appears to have no solid empirical or policy foundation.
That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House:
(1) notes:
(a) the growing burden of red tape and regulation imposed on small businesses, not-for-profit organisations and industry by the Gillard Government; and
(b) that the increasing regulatory burden represents a broken election promise whereby the Labor Government said that it would only introduce a new regulation after repealing an earlier regulation: a "one in, one out" rule; and
(2) calls on the Gillard Government to immediately adopt the Coalition's red-tape reduction policy which will seek to reduce the cost of the Commonwealth's regulatory burden by at least $1 billion per year."
A higher education provider that is a *Table A provider or a *Table B provider must have a policy that upholds free intellectual inquiry in relation to learning, teaching and research.
Driving all this—
will be a spectacular boom in technologies ranging from clean technology to digital mapping to online collaboration. Traditional physical and geographical boundaries will mean nothing in a world where everything and everyone is online. Industry will increasingly realise value from services rather than resource-intensive products and new business leaders will emerge to challenge the status quo.
The way we organise the institutions which make up our society will also be transformed, none more so of course than our universities and institutions of higher education. The increasing competition for natural resources will pressure us to account for every tonne of carbon, joule of energy and litre of water. Things that until now have been valueless will acquire price tags, from carbon, to water, to biodiversity.
In this next wave of innovation resource scarcity and massive inefficiencies will be the big market opportunities. Waste will be the source of this opportunity and nature will be our source of inspiration and competitive advantage.
Some industries are cyclical. Civil engineers are in tight supply now, but during the early 1990s recession a construction downturn left 30% of recent graduates unemployed. In the late 1990s, the Australian IT industry argued that it faced severe shortages of workers. As it turned out, many IT professionals struggled to find work in the early 2000s.
Turning to the ubiquitous issue of government red tape—I am happy to listen to sensible suggestions as to how I can remove impediments to diversity and increase flexibility. As a result of the AVCC 's report on red tape, I have agreed to consider the abolition of the Student Learning Entitlement, which measures a student's consumption of Commonwealth supported education.
There is ... no policy objective being served by the SLE, and there are considerable savings that can be achieved from its removal. As the first students subject to the new arrangements will shortly be exhausting their SLE, it is particularly timely to solve this issue now to avoid problematic decisions having to be taken regarding upcoming enrolments.
… in any one year you could have 40 or 50 contentious issues and the only way that democracy can work in an orderly fashion is to have the sort of electoral process we have. … I don’t think you can run it any other way.
Disrupting the House is not a sign of a disciplined opposition; disrupting the House is a sign of a desperate opposition.
There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead.
Business models based around trapping consumers in uncompetitive deals through complex and costly fees have no place in a reformed banking sector.
This is about giving power back to the most important people in Australia's banking sector—consumers.
That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Warringah moving immediately—
That this House calls on the Prime Minister to explain to the Australian people why she arrogantly refuses to give them a vote on whether Australia should introduce a carbon tax, a vote that she denied them at the last election when she said "there will be no carbon tax under a Government I lead", and now rules out a plebiscite. If the Prime Minister thinks the Australian people want a carbon tax, why is she so scared to give the people their say?
Disrupting the House is not a sign of a disciplined opposition; disrupting the House is a sign of a desperate opposition.
What we have seen from members opposite consistently in the course of this year but particularly over the last few weeks is consistent, deliberate, planned and premeditated conduct to disrupt this House.
That the member be no longer heard.
That the motion (Mr Abbott's) be agreed to.
The Defence Department yesterday torpedoed Mr Slipper's claim that he had acted as a "conduit" between the Australian and Moroccan Governments over the possible sale of patrol boats to the North African country.
The DEU—
has had no interaction with Mr Slipper regarding the matter.
That the House take note of the following document:
Medical Indemnity Act 2002—Report by the Australian Government Actuary on the costs of the Australian Government’s run-off cover scheme for medical indemnity insurers for 2009-10.
The urgent need for consistency in Government policy to rebuild confidence in the Australian economy.
Trust is the key currency of politics …
… the Labor Party is the party of truth telling.
I asked my colleagues to make a leadership change, a change because I believed that a good government was losing its way.
… the sound profile of Australia's public finances, which remain among the strongest of our peer group.
One of these facilities is operated and owned by a large Australian pastoral house … The operation is run by a North Queensland man who, through his absolute dedication to excellence, has built a feedlot and slaughtering system that his company, the industry and himself can be very proud of. The system is closed, or the cattle are already killed through their own abattoir. They import 20,000 to 25,000 cattle a year. They have been doing this for the last five years. Why should they be shut down? For what reason could anyone justify closing this operation down, especially without even bothering to look at what goes on.
I am very disappointed to say the least that we now have another tax. I'd see regional Australia as certainly going to be the people that bear the brunt of this tax … because transportation and fuel costs will go up … It's just another grab, another tax … and I can't say we are going to get value for money.
I don't rule out the possibility of legislating a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, a market-based mechanism …
That Mr Morrison and Mr Keenan be appointed members of the Joint Select Committee on Australia's Immigration Detention Network.
National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Home Loans and Credit Cards) Bill 2011
… there is no doubt that credit cards are an enormous cause of pressure on families, and we have seen countless examples over the years of people on very low incomes who have accepted a series of credit limit increases.
That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent Mr Truss (Leader of The Nationals) speaking in reply to the ministerial statement for a period not exceeding six minutes.
Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre Supervisory Cost Recovery Levy Bill 2011
Trans-Tasman Proceedings Amendment and Other Measures Bill 2011
Governance of Australian Government Superannuation Schemes Bill 2011
ComSuper Bill 2011
Superannuation Legislation (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2011
Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre Supervisory Cost Recovery Levy (Collection) Bill 2011
Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre Supervisory Cost Recovery Levy (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011
National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Home Loans and Credit Cards) Bill 2011
There is no doubt that credit cards are an enormous cause of pressure on families. We have seen countless examples over the years of people on very low incomes who have accepted a series of credit limit increases.
I announce new reforms to promote a competitive and sustainable banking system to give every Australian a fair go.
Not a single distinctively new electric home appliance has ever been created by one of the giant concerns—not the first washing machine, electric range, dryer … razor, lawn mower, freezer, air conditioner, vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, or grill.
A lack of competition in Australia meant local banks were collecting $5 billion in fees from consumers, making them the most expensive in the western world.
The average household is, in our view, paying up to $200 more each year than they should thanks to the wide range of fees and charges levied in Australia, and to the lower levels of competition in the market.
Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2011-2012
That this bill be now read a third time.
Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2011-2012
That this bill be now read a third time.
Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2011-2012
National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Home Loans and Credit Cards) Bill 2011
1. Investigate anti-competitive banking practices
2. Investigate unnecessary banking risks
3. Ensure regular reporting of bank interest margins
4. Ensure more Government support for small lenders
5. Improve the liquidity of mortgage-backed securities markets
6. Simplify the Financial Services Reform Act
7. Commission an investigation of banking loan practices for small business
8. Commission a resolution to the debate about whether banks should be able to issue covered bonds, and
9. Conduct a full review of the financial system.
Climate change is an unprecedented moral and spiritual challenge, which can only be met with determined, immediate action.
Those who deny anthropogenic climate change are not accepting the connection established by nearly every reputable scientific organisation around the world between the emission of greenhouse gases and the heating of our global atmosphere.
To deny the science of this is to deny physics. We recognise that people find this difficult to hear. Political leaders, in particular, fear that the costs of change will be unpopular with the community and with powerful vested interests.
In this context we, as religious leaders, have a commitment to truth-telling. Human beings have no future on this planet if our moral sensibility remains too limited, if we continue to act in our short-term, narrow national self-interest, and fail to develop a broader awareness that our well-being is intimately connected with the health of our environment.
We urge society to have a grandchild mentality, that is to say, a way of thinking that weighs choices in the present against their potential cost to future generations.
We call upon the Australian community to also have concern for biodiversity and the integrity of all of the created order.
We urge Members of Parliament to provide bipartisan leadership, to inform and inspire the community, and not to be swayed by members of society who appear dedicated to their own short term advantage.
In the meantime, as religious people, we especially are concerned that those who have contributed least to climate change, people in the developing world, are being hit first and will be hit the hardest.
Given that Australia as a nation is relatively wealthy and our per capita emissions are among the highest on earth, we urge our leaders to respond fully to the call of developing nations for adaptation financing. This should be over and above existing overseas development assistance.
Regarding mitigation, ARRCC proposes a range of policies aimed at reducing Australia's emissions as rapidly as possible. Included in these are:
We support a carbon price as a necessary mechanism if Australia is to move forward towards an ecologically sustainable future.
There should be insistence that emissions reductions happen at home and not via off-set credits overseas and there should be no exemptions for polluters.
Further, we support the climate commission's proposal that the monitoring and development of a pricing mechanism should become the responsibility of independently created umpires.
We are aware of the costs this imposes on large sections of Australian society, however not paying those costs now will lead to far greater costs later.
We urge politicians of all persuasions to provide the Australian public with bold leadership. This is the critical decade for climate action, and not the time for political point-scoring.
The ecological limits of the Earth are not negotiable, and we treat responsible action in relation to these limits as "unrealistic" at our own peril.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms AE Burke) took the chair at 16:00.
For distinguished service to media and communications, and to the community through advisory and governance roles with a range of social justice and educational bodies.
Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2011-2012
Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2011-2012
Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2011-2012
To say Brett was humble is an understatement. He did not want to be defined by his achievements and introduced himself as just an ordinary guy. His most frequent expression was 'no big deal'.
He epitomised everything it means to be a special operations engineer … everything that one could be, he personified: bravery, mateship and a willingness to risk one's life so that others may live on. ...
These were his qualities.
We will be there every Remembrance Day and Anzac Day to honour you and your fallen mates, 'til the day we die.
Real courage is when you look at your family that you love, which is central to your being, and the girl you have fallen in love with and know that what you do is dangerous and there's a chance you won't come home. That is real courage.
That further proceedings be conducted in the House.
That order of the day No. 5, government business, be postponed until the next sitting.
Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Amendment Bill 2011
The internet helps al-Qaeda in its task. It is both a propaganda and a recruitment tool. It provides terrorists with both a platform to support operational activity and the means through which to project their ideology onto the international stage. The dissemination of violent extremist ideology through the internet poses the very real danger of drawing individuals down the path of radicalisation.
How many departmental officials were reassigned to other duties to assist with managing the emergency in (a) Egypt, (b) Libya, (c) Christchurch, and (d) Japan, and what is the usual position of each of these officials.
(a) A total of 298 officers were reassigned duties at various times during the period of the crisis to assist with the department’s response to the events in Egypt. Officers in Canberra who assisted with managing the emergency response to the events in Egypt were re-assigned from geographic, multilateral, trade and corporate divisions in the department. Officers who undertook short-term missions to Egypt deployed from Canberra or from posts in the Middle East, Africa or Europe.
(b) and (c) The emergencies in New Zealand and Libya occurred at approximately the same time. A total of 323 officers were reassigned duties at various times during the period of the crises to assist with managing these emergencies. Officers in Canberra who assisted with managing the emergency responses to the events in Libya and New Zealand were re-assigned from geographic, multilateral, trade and corporate divisions in the department. Officers who undertook short-term missions to New Zealand deployed from Canberra, and the officers who deployed to Libya deployed from regional posts in the Middle East.
(d) A total of 410 departmental officers were reassigned duties at various times during the period of the crisis to assist with the department’s response to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Officers in Canberra who assisted with managing the emergency response to the events in Japan were re-assigned from geographic, multilateral, trade and corporate divisions in the department. Officers who undertook short-term missions to Japan deployed from Canberra or from posts in the Asia-Pacific region.
Why are agricultural and horticultural apprenticeships excluded from the government’s commitment to increase support for trade apprentices in critical trades, despite the severe skills shortage in agriculture caused by the drain of skills workers to the mining sector.
The Gillard Government is committed to building Australia’s future workforce. As part of this commitment, the tax exempt Tools for Your Trade payments available to eligible apprentices were increased from 1 January 2011 to provide up to $5,500 per apprentice over the duration of their apprenticeship.
The Tools for Your Trade payments are available to eligible Australian Apprentices in critical or skills shortage occupations, including shearing, tree surgery and landscape gardening. These payments have also been extended to other Certificate II, III and IV Australian Apprenticeships in an agricultural occupation, and if in rural and regional Australia, a horticultural occupation.
In addition to commencement and completion incentives totalling up to $4,000, employers of agricultural and horticultural Australian Apprentices in skills shortage occupations may be eligible to receive a special rural and regional commencement incentive of $1,000.
Employers of eligible Certificate II Australian Apprentices in declared drought areas may also receive special drought area incentives totalling up to $3,000.