The SPEAKER ( Hon. Tony Smith ) took the chair at 12:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
Fair Work Amendment (Corrupting Benefits) Bill 2017
An economy works best where the population at large is disgusted by corrupt practices and refuses to accept dishonesty at any level. Those who act in a dishonest way need to be culled from the normal activities of economic life.
… … …
Where dishonest practices become the norm, especially where dishonest and corrupt government practices are common, no economy can expect to succeed. Corruption regularly drains away the potential profits of a successful business. It bleeds business dry and vastly reduces the incentives for productive economic behaviour while limiting the ability of business to finance innovation and internal growth.
An ethical honest population is a necessary part of any successful economy. Whether it is in employer-employee relations, in the dealings between one business and another, or where it is governments involved with business, honest and fair dealing is essential. Acceptance of corrupt practice as just one of those things that no one can do anything about may be facing the inevitable, but it will condemn a society to economic stagnation.
That all the words after 'whilst' be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
'the bill contains some improvements to the existing law, they are not enough and the House declines to give the bill a second reading and calls on the Government to establish a National Independent Commission Against Corruption'.
The bill contains some improvements to the existing law, they are not enough and the House declines to give the bill a second reading and calls on the government to establish a national independent commission against corruption.
The construction union could be fined as little as $40,000 for holding 'coercive' twice-daily two-hour stop work meetings that halted construction at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games site and cost the head contractor $700,000.
For 19 days last year, Queensland's Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union held two meetings every day at the $126 million Carrara Sports and Recreation project in an attempt to force contractor Hansen Yuncken into an enterprise agreement.
Federal Court judge John Reeves has already ruled the action was unlawful, but construction watchdog the Australian Building and Construction Commission—
yesterday asked for the union to be fined up to $162,000.
We are stuck with Canberra, whether we like it or not, so we might as well do it properly.
Why are we taking this retrograde step, scattering our government? Why are we spending millions to become less efficient? All right, I confess.
The Catholic principals stand in solidarity with the Catholic education systems and they support system funding and the co-responsibility that goes with it. Hence, Catholic school principals stand united with the broader Catholic school community in the face of a deliberate strategy by the Government to undermine the system by pitting principal against principal, school against school (evidenced by the misleading letters to each school and the funding estimator website).
CaSPA and ACPPA want to make it clear that the tactic will not work.
I feel quite confident that Hitler has no desire for a first class war. Nobody really cares a damn about Poland as such.
Some very quick thinking will have to be done when the German offer arrives to provide for a resettlement of the whole map of Europe.
Labor did not just create the NDIS; we fully funded it, we budgeted it …
The amount raised from the additional Medicare levy will not fund the full cost of disability care when it's in full operation.
…we all contribute and we all share. That is what Medicare is about. That's what the Medicare levy is about.
… it's not an easy choice. I know I'm asking Australians in their millions to step up to paying an increase in the Medicare levy.
The increase in the Medicare levy will help fund DisabilityCare Australia, which I believe is the most profound piece of social justice and civil rights policy since Medicare.
LEIGH SALES: So can I ask just a very simple question: will the budget … show where the money will be coming from …?
WAYNE SWAN: Absolutely. …
LEIGH SALES: So when I look at the budget in a few weeks, I will be able to say, "… here's exactly where the money's coming from"?
WAYNE SWAN: No, well, what you'll see is the forward estimates, but what you'll see is a general profile on what the Government has done over a period of time and may have done in this coming budget to make more headroom—
… you want to have surpluses on average over the cycle … and that's the discipline that the Government is applying.
It will also provide assurance for all Australians – if they or someone they love acquires a disability, the NDIS will be there for them.
Now, here is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lock in a school-funding system that can give every disadvantaged child a chance of a good education, and Labor has pledged to block it.
It's heartbreaking.
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the following from occurring in order to facilitate the work of the Federation Chamber in considering the appropriation bills:
(1) on Wednesday, 24 May the Federation Chamber to meet from 9.45 am to 1.30 pm and from 4 pm to 7.30 pm;
(2) on Thursday, 25 May the Federation Chamber to meet from 9.45 am to 1.30 pm and adjourn without debate;
(3) on Monday, 29 May the time scheduled for private members' business in the Federation Chamber to be allocated to government business;
(4) on Tuesday, 30 May the Federation Chamber to meet from 12.15 pm to 1.30 pm for government business in addition to its scheduled hours of meeting, and the period from 4 pm to 4.30 pm also to be allocated to government business;
(5) on Wednesday, 31 May the meeting of the Federation Chamber to continue until 1.15 pm and then suspend until 4 pm;
(6) on Thursday, 1 June government business in the Federation Chamber to continue until 1 pm and an adjournment debate to take place from 1 pm to 1.30 pm;
(7) on Tuesday, 13 June the period from 4 pm to 4.30 pm to be allocated to government business and there to be no Grievance Debate;
(8) on Wednesday, 14 June the Federation Chamber to meet from 1 pm to 1.30 pm, in addition to its scheduled hours of meeting, with an adjournment debate to take place from 7 pm to 7.30 pm;
(9) on Thursday, 15 June the meeting of the Federation Chamber to continue until 1.15 pm and to be adjourned without debate;
(10) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 20-22 June, Members' constituency statements to continue for 60 minutes, irrespective of divisions in the House;
(11) on Wednesday, 21 June the Federation Chamber to continue until 1.30 pm before suspending, and the time scheduled for government business from 11 am to be allocated to private members business until 6.30 pm, as determined by the Selection Committee, to be followed by a Grievance Debate until 7.30 pm; and
(12) any variation to this arrangement to be made only by a motion moved by a Minister.
The Government failing to protect consumers from the economic power of the banks.
My most important job as the Minister responsible for Consumer Affairs is to ensure Australians are protected from being ripped off or misled, so people can make purchases with confidence.
Fair Work Amendment (Corrupting Benefits) Bill 2017
That this bill be now read a third time.
Mr Speaker:
Thank you for your address-in-reply.
It will be my pleasure and my duty to convey to Her Majesty the Queen the Message of Loyalty from the House of Representatives, to which the address gives expression.
Australian Education Amendment Bill 2017
That all the words after ''That'' be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
''the House declines to give the bill a second reading because the bill:
(1) would result in a $22.3 billion cut to Australian schools, compared with the existing arrangements;
(2) would see an average cut to each school of around $2.4 million;
(3) removes extra funding agreed with states and territories for 2018 and 2019, which would have brought all under resourced schools to their fair funding level;
(4) would particularly hurt public schools, which receive less than 50 per cent of funding under the Government's $22.3 billion cut to schools, compared to 80 per cent of extra funding under Labor's school funding plan; and
(5) results in fewer teachers, less one-on-one attention for our students and less help with the basics''.
What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children.
Not all states and systems have the same capacity to fund their school systems adequately.
What's already apparent is that the government's new 'capacity to pay formula' will force fee rises of over $1000 for a very significant number—at least 78—of the Catholic primary schools in Sydney alone. For some areas of Sydney fees could more than double. Modelling in other states has found the same.
The Coalition Government's record has been to undermine Australian shipping and to actively weaken the position of Australian seafarers and their representatives. Until there is a serious and meaningful change to that approach it is likely that Australia's self-sufficiency … will be further weakened, and that jobs and skills in those areas will be further reduced.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Irons ) took the chair at 15:59.
… he realised three of his top recruiters, an Englishman, a Dutchman and an Irishman, would soon be forced out of the country.
I have top people who miss the March 18 cut-off by a matter of months …
They have moved their families, sold their houses, paying taxes but will be left high and dry. Some of them have been here 22 months but under the rules had to be here 24 months.
That the Federation Chamber do now adjourn.