The SPEAKER ( Hon. Bronwyn Bishop ) took the chair at 9:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2013
That this bill be now read a third time.
Migration Amendment Bill 2013
Migration Amendment Bill 2013
That this bill be now read a third time.
Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Bill 2013
That all the 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 note that the bill does not adequately demonstrate what additional competition will be achieved that is in the interests of Australian consumers”
That this bill be now read a third time.
A further corollary is that laws passed to appease a particular group, whether voters or a particular industry, will have at least three unintended consequences, most of which will eventually have the opposite effect than the intended outcomes and transfer costs to innocent bystanders.
What we've said is we want to look at boosting Commonwealth presence in regional areas, not reducing the Commonwealth presence in regional areas, not reducing the Commonwealth presence in regional areas.
All I hear from politicians from both parties is rhetoric. I want work!
Why shouldn't I, if you will permit me, spent my first week as Prime Minister, should that happen, on your country?
They have gone to their employees—
and said, 'We need to have this deal go through to help to manage—just to manage—the cost of employment in Australia so that we can go back to Tokyo and say to them in good faith that the workers of Australia really do want a manufacturing business.' So the best thing the Labor Party can do is put aside the politics and ring up its mates at the AMWU and tell them to accept the deal being offered by Toyota, which will give them job security.
The proposed changes—
were designed to remove outdated and uncompetitive terms and conditions that make it difficult to compete with other Toyota plants throughout the world.
That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Maribyrnong moving immediately:
That the House censure the Prime Minister and the Treasurer for leading a job destroying Government which is intent on blaming employees and their negotiated employment conditions for the loss of their jobs, in particular:
(1) censure the Prime Minister for:
(a) failing to lead a Government united in supporting Australian jobs;
(b) having no plan for Australian jobs;
(c) failing to fight for Australian jobs; and
(2) censure the Treasurer for:
(a) goading Holden out of Australia;
(b) giving false accounts of private meetings with Toyota; and
(c) blaming workers for his failure to fight for Australian jobs.
That the member be no longer heard.
The House divided. [14:53]
(The Speaker—Hon. Bronwyn Bishop)
That the member be no longer heard.
The House divided. [15:04]
(The Speaker—Hon. Bronwyn Bishop)
That the question be now put.
Report relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and of private Members' business
1. The committee met in private session on Tuesday 11 February 2014.
2. The committee determined the order of precedence and times to be allotted for consideration of committee and delegation business and private Members' business on Monday, 24 February 2014, as follows:
Items for House of Representatives Chamber (10.10 am to 12 noon)
COMMITTEE AND DELEGATION BUSINESS
Presentation and statements
1 Committee statement:
Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters — Statement relating to inquiry into the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Above the Line Voting) Bill 2013.
The Committee determined that a statement may be made—all statements to conclude by 10.15 am.
Speech time limits—
Mr Smith — 5 minutes.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 1 x 5 mins]
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices
1 MR BANDT: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Public Service Act 1999 , and for related purposes. (Public Service Amendment (Employment for all of us) Bill 2013 ). (Notice given 10 December 2013. )
Time allotted—10 minutes .
Speech time limits—
Mr Bandt — 10 minutes.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 1 x 10 mins]
Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes—pursuant to standing order 41.
2 MR WILKIE: To present a Bill for an Act to restrict the export of live animals for slaughter pending its prohibition, and for related purposes. ( Live Animal Export Prohibition (Ending Cruelty) Bill 2013 ). (Notice given 12 December 2013. )
Time allotted—10 minutes .
Speech time limits—
Mr Wilkie — 10 minutes.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 1 x 10 mins]
Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes—pursuant to standing order 41.
3 MR S. P. JONES: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes:
(a) that funds were allocated for Regional Development Australia Funding (RDAF) Round 5 in the 2013-14 budget;
(b) that RDAF Round 5 provided assistance to local government projects to fund the construction of important pieces of small scale infrastructure to support local communities and regional development;
(c) that the Government has:
(i) committed to delivering some, but not all, of the RDAF Round 5 projects; and
(ii) not yet made clear which RDAF Round 5 projects will and will not proceed;
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) report to the Parliament on:
(i) what, if any, consultation it had with local governments and Regional Development Australia in choosing the RDAF Round 5 projects it has decided to fund; and
(ii) which, if any, of these projects will be funded under the National Stronger Regions Fund; and
(b) provide certainty to regional communities by committing to fund each RDAF Round 5 project.
Time allotted—40 minutes .
Speech time limits—
Mr S. P. Jones — 10 minutes.
Next Member speaking—10 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 10 + 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
4 MS HENDERSON: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) the Government is delivering on its $25 million election commitment to upgrade the Great Ocean Road;
(b) this commitment has been matched by another $25 million from the Victorian Government; and
(c) $15 million of federal funding for the Great Ocean Road upgrade was brought forward to this financial year; and
(2) recognises that:
(a) this iconic road is the centrepiece of the south-west Victorian tourism industry which supports thousands of local jobs;
(b) the Great Ocean Road is a key Victorian tourist route which is used by high volumes of local and tourist traffic all year round;
(c) approximately 1.7 million tourists drive on this road every year, and this number is expected to climb as the road continues to attract tourists from all over the world; and
(d) the Great Ocean Road is also an important route for local industry. ( Notice given 11 December 2013. )
Time allotted—remaining private Members' business time prior to 12 noon.
Speech time limits—
Ms Henderson—10 minutes.
Next Member speaking—10 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 10 + 5 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
Items for Federation Chamber (11 am to 1.30 pm)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices
1 MR WYATT: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that diabetes is a serious health concern with an estimated 382 million people worldwide living with diabetes;
(2) recognises that:
(a) 8 per cent of Australians are living with diabetes;
(b) by 2035, 14 per cent of Australians will be living with diabetes; and
(c) incidences of diabetes are three to four times higher in Indigenous communities;
(3) acknowledges that the World Diabetes Congress was:
(a) held in Melbourne, from 2 to 6 December 2013;
(b) attended by 50 international parliamentarians; and
(c) successful in passing the Melbourne Declaration and appointing International Parliamentary Champions for Diabetes;
(4) recognises that the International Parliamentary Champions for Diabetes will:
(a) exchange policy views and practical ideas for prevention and management of diabetes;
(b) encourage all governments to acknowledge that diabetes is a national health priority that requires a comprehensive action plan leading to action; and
(c) aim to improve health outcomes for people with diabetes, stop discrimination towards people with diabetes and prevent development of Type 2 diabetes;
(5) calls on the Government, individuals, families, communities, health care services and industry, to take urgent action to:
(a) ensure prevention of diabetes;
(b) improve early diagnosis of diabetes;
(c) support ongoing research into treatment and medications for diabetes; and
(d) effectively manage and treat diabetes; and
(6) acknowledges the Government's contribution:
(a) with an expert Advisory Group to consider available evidence and consult with a wide range of stakeholders to inform the development of the National Diabetes Strategy;
(b) to ongoing research into a cure for Type 1 diabetes with a $35 million contribution into the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Clinical Research Network; and
(c) in providing an additional $1.4 million for the Diabetes Insulin Pump Programme. ( Notice given 5 December 2013. )
Time allotted—40 minutes .
Mr Wyatt — 10 minutes.
Next Member speaking—10 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 10 mins + 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
2 MS PLIBERSEK: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes the:
(a) ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon;
(b) former Labor Government's contribution of $100.8 million to humanitarian assistance; and
(c) Government's contribution of $12 million; and
(2) calls on the Government to immediately increase its humanitarian aid commitment to people affected by the Syrian conflict.
Time allotted—30 minutes .
Ms Plibersek — 10 minutes.
Next Member speaking—10 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 10 mins + 2 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
3 Mr Coleman: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that Defence is a critical responsibility of the Australian Government, which:
(a) requires substantial investment in order to ensure Australia's military preparedness; and
(b) suffered from material budget cuts under the former Government in recent years;
(2) recognises the plans of the Government to make no further cuts to Defence expenditure, and to increase Defence expenditure to 2 per cent of GDP within a decade; and
(3) commends the Government on this approach to Defence expenditure planning. ( Notice given 11 December 2013. )
Time allotted—40 minutes .
Mr Coleman — 10 minutes.
Next Member speaking—10 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 10 mins + 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
4 Ms Ryan: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes:
(a) the importance of investing in education and ensuring that Australia remains competitive by providing quality education to all Australian children regardless of their postcode; and
(b) with concern that the gap between the most well off and disadvantaged students in Australia is on average 2.5 years, which is a much wider gap than the OECD average;
(2) acknowledges that the:
(a) well respected and qualified 'Gonski panel' identified six loadings and the importance of school reform as the key to improvement; and
(b) New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian, Tasmanian and Australian Capital Territory governments along with the national Catholic and independent school authorities signed up to this funding model;
(3) recognises that under the new four year funding arrangements for education, that it is impossible for the Government to guarantee that no school across Australia will be worse off; and
(4) calls on the Government not to return to the inequitable Socioeconomic Status scheme funding model of the past, but to commit to its promise of honouring the education funding agreements already entered into and provide equity by making it a truly national system. ( Notice given 11 December 2013. )
{DPS, "PFStart", "n"}
Time allotted—30 minutes .
Ms Ryan — 5 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
5 Mr Ferguson: To move:
That this House notes that:
(1) March 2013 marked the 25th anniversary of the genocidal chemical attack by the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on Halabja in the Kurdish region of Iraq that took at least 4,000 lives within a few minutes and displaced many thousands more, and was part of Saddam's brutal Anfal Campaign of the 1980s, targeting Kurdish and other minorities in Iraq;
(2) some 4,000 villages, 2,000 schools and 300 hospitals were destroyed, including through the use of chemical weapons across dozens of Kurdish villages;
(3) the Saddam regime was also responsible for the:
(a) deportation or forced relocation of tens of thousands of Faili Kurds on the basis that they were not considered Iraqi;
(b) abduction and execution of an estimated 8,000 Barzani Kurds who were subsequently buried in mass graves in southern Iraq; and
(c) arrest, execution and subsequent burial of up to 100,000 Iraqi Kurds in 1988, including women and children; and
(4) the former dictator Saddam Hussein and Ali Hassan al‑Majid, known as Chemical Ali, were subsequently prosecuted and convicted for these and other crimes. ( Notice given 13 November 2013. )
Time allotted—remaining private Members' business time prior to 1.30 pm.
Mr Ferguson—5 minutes .
Next Member speaking—5 minutes.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this s hould continue on a future day.
That Dr Leigh be appointed a supplementary member of the Standing Committee on Economics for the purpose of the committee's inquiry into the Reserve Bank annual report 2013.
The recent failure of the government to take action to prevent imminent job losses across Australia, including at the Gove alumina refinery.
That the business of the day be called on.
The House divided. [15:33]
(The Speaker—Hon. Bronwyn Bishop)
That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Watson moving immediately—
That this House condemns the Leader of the House for shutting down debate on the MPI submitted today about jobs at Gove, and that the House notes that there is no government legislation before the House.
That the member be no longer heard.
The House divided. [15:45]
(The Speaker—Hon. Bronwyn Bishop)
That the member be no longer heard.
The House divided. [15:55]
(The Speaker—Hon. Bronwyn Bishop)
That the question be now put.
The House divided. [16:04]
(The Speaker—Hon. Bronwyn Bishop)
Why shouldn't I—if you will permit me—spend my first week as prime minister—should that happen—on your Country?'
That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Lingiari moving immediately—That this House condemn the Abbott Government for its failure to take any action to protect jobs at Gove and note the callous disregard for the local community has been reinforced by the Prime Minister’s broken promise to visit in his first week as Prime Minister.
That the member be no longer heard.
The House divided. [17:01]
(The Deputy Speaker—Mr Craig Kelly)
That the member no longer be heard.
The House divided. [17:10]
(The Deputy Speaker—Mr Kelly)
The House divided. [17:18]
(The Deputy Speaker—Mr Craig Kelly)
In 10 or 20 years our children will look back on the current debate about the NBN and will be shocked by the short-sightedness of some of the views expressed about the NBN today, particularly the commentary that is fixated on the download path: the false assumption that the NBN is merely a matter of faster emails or web-surfing. The reality is the NBN is not about the download. It is all about the upload.
That the member be no longer heard.
That Mr Tehan be granted an extension of time of 10 minutes.
House divided. [18:16]
(The Deputy Speaker—Mr Vasta)
That the member be no longer heard.
The House divided. [19:00]
(The Deputy Speaker—Mr Craig Kelly)
That Mrs Griggs be granted an extension of time not exceeding seven and a half minutes.
The House divided. [19:08]
(The Deputy Speaker—Hon. Bruce Scott)
That the debate be adjourned.
The House divided. [19:23]
(The Deputy Speaker—Hon. Bruce Scott)
Ask an Old Boy from any generation, and they will invariably tell you that what they valued most about their school days is that they were given a realistic introduction to life.
Bringing knowledge to life in Greater Western Sydney through community and business engagement with our learning and our research.
UWS has for many years enjoyed the leadership of one of Australia's great Vice Chancellors, Janice Reid, one of incredible commitment to providing the most engaging university experiences to students.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Porter ) took the chair at 10:45.
Remember those who have gone,
and who have left us a great heritage
of remembered joy.
They still live in our hearts,
in the happiness we knew,
in the dreams we shared.
Their memory is warm in our hearts,
a comfort in our sorrow.
They are not apart from us,
they are a part of us.
We can shed tears
because they have gone,
or we can smile
because they have lived.
For love is eternal
and those we love are with us
Always.
The important thing to remember is, while some businesses close, other businesses open; while some jobs end, other jobs start.
A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
Every country aims at greater production, greater development, greater profitability—and in so many cases human values are forgotten. We have to recognise that the world is in the midst of its second major ecological upheaval. The whole of humanity, in one way or another, is switching from an agrarian to a highly urbanised society.
… … …
Urbanisation is the new phenomenon.
My opponents try to paint me as a sinister backroom boy, just a numbers man rather than someone with beliefs.
In fact my beliefs are what make me want to muster the numbers.
That further proceedings be conducted in the House.
… like all historic leaders, all real leaders, he had a north star that guided him … His north star was the survival of the state of Israel and the Jewish people wherever they resided.
He had the toughness of mind to despise all illusions about the threats facing Israel.
But he had the imagination to know that genuine peace, if attainable with honour and dignity both for Arabs and Israelis, is the anchor ultimately for Israel's security.
He was a controversial figure but undeniably a leader of conviction.