The SPEAKER ( Hon. Tony Smith ) took the chair at 9:30, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
Report relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and of private Members' business
1. The committee met in private session on Tuesday, 23 October 2018.
2. The Committee deliberated on items of committee and delegation business that had been notified, private Members' business items listed on the Notice Paper and notices lodged on Tuesday, 23 October 2018, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 26 November 2018, as follows:
Items for House of Representatives Chamber (10.10 am to 12 noon)
COMMITTEE AND DELEGATION BUSINESS
Presentation and statements
1 Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs:
Breaking barriers: a national adoption framework for Australian children
The Committee determined that statements on the report may be made—all statements to conclude by 10.20 am
Speech time limits—
Ms Banks—5 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 5 mins]
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices
1 Mr Wilkie: To present a Bill for an Act to require certain employers to obtain certification of compliance with an equal pay standard, and for related purposes. ( Equal Pay Standard Bill 2018 )
( Notice given 23 October 2018. )
Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes—pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.
2 Ms McGowan: To present a Bill for an Act to establish the National Integrity Commission, and for related purposes. ( National Integrity Commission Bill 2018 )
( Notice given 23 October 2018. )
Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes—pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.
3 Ms Husar: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that 23 November 2018 is White Ribbon Day (WRD) followed by the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November;
(2) recognises that WRD aims to prevent violence against women by increasing public awareness and challenging attitudes and behaviours that allow gendered violence to continue;
(3) supports the United Nations UNiTE to End Violence against Women and the 16 days of activism campaigns which are held internationally from 25 November to 10 December each year;
(4) understands that:
(a) this year, as of 15 October 2018, 55 women have been killed by violence in Australia;
(b) one in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by someone known to them;
(c) each week on average one woman is killed by a current or former partner; and
(d) domestic and family violence is the principle cause of homelessness for women and their children;
(5) acknowledges the high economic cost of violence against women, which is estimated to cost the Australian economy $21.7 billion a year; and
(6) asks all Members to show their support for the principles of WRD.
( Notice given 15 October 2018.)
Time allotted—40 minutes.
Speech time limits—
Ms Husar—5 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes. each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
4 Mrs Marino: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) on Remembrance Day on 11 November 2018, we commemorated the Centenary of the First World War Armistice;
(b) from a population of less than five million, more than 400,000 Australians enlisted to serve, and of these, more than 150,000 were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner and more than 60,000 made the ultimate sacrifice giving their lives for their country; and
(c) this was an enormous toll for a young nation like Australia with nearly every family and community across the country having experienced a loss of some kind; and
(2) acknowledges:
(a) the service and sacrifice of Australia's current and former serving men and women;
(b) the unwavering commitment of the families who support our veterans on the home front; and
(c) and thanks all current and former defence personnel for their service.
( Notice given 23 October 2018. )
Time allotted—remaining private Members' business time prior to 12 noon
Speech time limits—
Mrs Marino—5 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes. each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 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 Dick: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) Brisbane's southside hosts a vibrant Vietnamese-Australian community; and
(b) Vietnamese migration is a successful case of multiculturalism at its finest and has strengthened the social fabric of Australian society;
(2) recognises that:
(a) Australia must continue to advocate for freedom and the respect of human rights for the people of Vietnam and for all people around the world;
(b) international human rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch, have become increasingly concerned about abuses to human rights in Vietnam;
(c) Vietnam's prisons currently hold at least 140 political prisoners; and
(d) during the first five months of 2018 alone, at least 26 rights activists and bloggers were put on trial, convicted and sentenced to long prison terms; and
(3) calls on the Australian Government to:
(a) exert pressure on the Vietnamese Government to allow thorough examination of claims of human rights abuses;
(b) seek the holding of those responsible for these abuses to account; and
(c) help protect vulnerable citizens from human rights abuses in Vietnam.
( Notice given 27 June 2018; amended 13 August 2018. )
Time allotted—30 minutes.
Speech time limits—
Mr Dick—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.
2 Mr Evans: To move:
That this House:
(1) recognises that the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS):
(a) is a cultural institution of international renown; and
(b) has been central to the development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies;
(2) notes that on Monday, 15 October 2018 AIATSIS unveiled its Strategic Plan 2018-2023 in Parliament House;
(3) congratulates the dedicated team at AIATSIS for its ambitious strategic plan;
(4) commends the work of AIATSIS in helping to forge a national identity that embraces, celebrates and preserves the unique cultures of Australia's First Peoples; and
(5) encourages honourable Members to raise public awareness of the institute's collections and the great work being done by AIATSIS to assist and promote the study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and culture.
( Notice given 23 October 2018. )
Time allotted—30 minutes.
Speech time limits—
Mr Evans—5 minutes.
Other Members—6 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.
3 Ms Kearney: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) a recent report into CEO remuneration found that the average total pay of ASX 100 CEOs rose by 9 per cent last year—4 times the pace of average wage growth;
(b) the median ASX 100 CEO earned more than $4 million, and the average pay for ASX 100 CEOs was 75 times the average pay of full time workers, meaning a CEO takes home in a single year what it would take the average worker nearly two careers to accrue;
(c) excessive remuneration was not always the norm, given in the late 1970s, the BHP CEO was earning only around 6 or 7 times what an average Australian worker took home; and
(d) there is widespread public concern about inequality, and in particular that CEO salaries are growing at an unfair rate and leaving workers behind;
(2) recognises that:
(a) large firms in the United States and the United Kingdom are required to report ratios between CEO pay and workers in their firms;
(b) excessive CEO pay makes firms less profitable than they should be, with experts noting that an excessive gap can hurt employee morale and reduce productivity;
(c) remuneration ratio transparency is not an affront, but rather a complement, to a market economy; and
(d) extending current market reporting requirements for public companies helps inform investors as they calculate risks and decide where to invest their money; and
(3) calls on the Government to support Labor's plan to implement reporting rules requiring large listed firms to publicly release the ratio of total CEO remuneration and median worker pay.
( Notice given 23 October 2018. )
Time allotted—30 minutes.
Speech time limits—
Ms Kearney—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.
Orders of the day
1 Local governments: Resumption of debate (from 25 June 2018) on the motion of Mr Falinski—That this House:
(1) recognises the important role that local government plays in Australia;
(2) notes the continuing support that the Australian Government provides to local governments around Australia including:
(a) Black Spot Program funding;
(b) the Bridges Renewal Program; and
(c) the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative; and
(3) recognises that strong local government is important for strong and healthy communities.
Time allotted—30 minutes.
Speech time limits—
All 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.
WHITE RIBBON DAY: Resumption of debate on the motion of Ms Husar—That this House:
(1) notes that 23 November 2018 is White Ribbon Day (WRD) followed by the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November;
(2) recognises that WRD aims to prevent violence against women by increasing public awareness and challenging attitudes and behaviours that allow gendered violence to continue;
(3) supports the United Nations UNiTE to End Violence against Women and the 16 days of activism campaigns which are held internationally from 25 November to 10 December each year;
(4) understands that:
(a) this year, as of 15 October 2018, 55 women have been killed by violence in Australia;
(b) one in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by someone known to them;
(c) each week on average one woman is killed by a current or former partner; and
(d) domestic and family violence is the principle cause of homelessness for women and their children;
(5) acknowledges the high economic cost of violence against women, which is estimated to cost the Australian economy $21.7 billion a year; and
(6) asks all Members to show their support for the principles of WRD.
Time allotted—remaining private Members' business time prior to 1.30 pm
Speech time limits—
All 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.
Items for Federation Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices—continued
4 Mr Christensen: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service was renamed as Open Arms: Veterans and Families Counselling Service, by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 19 October 2018 to coincide with the Invictus Games;
(b) veterans of the Vietnam War were the first to recognise the need for specialist counselling services for Australia's returned service personnel—their lobbying resulted in the establishment of the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service, or VVCS, in 1982;
(c) since its establishment, VVCS has assisted thousands of veterans and their families with mental health and relationship issues, as well as building resilience and wellbeing; and
(d) over the years, the focus of this service has expanded to include veterans of all conflicts, their families and other members of the veteran community and the new name recognises this broader focus; and
(2) acknowledges the significant legacy of Australia's Vietnam veterans who have ensured that future generations of serving men and women will have access to specialised mental health and wellbeing support.
( Notice given 23 October 2018. )
Time allotted—30 minutes.
Speech time limits—
Mr Christensen—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 Dick: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) there are approximately 1,500 new car dealers in Australia that operate 3,500 new vehicle outlets;
(b) 85 per cent of new car dealers are private or family owned businesses; and
(c) the Australian Automotive Dealer Association is the peak industry body exclusively representing franchised new car dealers in Australia;
(2) recognises that:
(a) the economic impact of the new vehicle retailing sector to Australia is significant, contributing $14.91 billion dollars to the national economy and employing almost 70,000 Australians;
(b) vehicle manufacturers in Australia are increasingly behaving in a way that makes it very challenging for new car dealers to run a viable business;
(c) relations between manufacturers and dealers is currently governed by the Franchising Code of Conduct; and
(d) this code has failed to protect dealers as it does not account for the highly technical nature of the automotive industry and the scale of both dealers and manufacturers relative to regular franchisees and franchisors; and
(3) calls on the Government to support Labor's plan to implement an industry-specific auto dealership code that will deliver clear ground rules for manufacturers and dealerships, including obligations under the Australian Consumer Law and consumer complaints, warranty and repair processes, dealership agreements and the ability to make variations to them, and termination notices.
( Notice given 15 October 2018.)
Time allotted—40 minutes.
Speech time limits—
Mr Dick—5 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes. each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
Orders of the day - continued
2 Volunteering: Resumption of debate (from 13 August 2018) on the motion of Mr Vasta—That this House:
(1) recognises the fantastic contribution that volunteers make to the community of Bonner, and to Australia in general;
(2) notes there are 8.7 million volunteers around Australia in organisations like sports clubs, charities and schools;
(3) congratulates the Government for allocating $20 million in funding to support volunteering; and
(4) notes that volunteering efforts make an estimated annual economic and social contribution of $290 billion.
Time allotted—30 minutes.
Speech time limits—
All 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.
Notices - continued
6 Ms Sharkie: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) the scientific evidence for both the existence of climate change and the anthropogenic factors that cause it is overwhelming and compelling and should no longer be held in doubt;
(b) climate change is projected to create serious risks to health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security and economic growth and that action on climate change is of critical importance to future generations of Australians;
(c) the Australian Institute's report entitled Climate of the Nation 2018 found that 73 per cent of Australians are concerned about climate change, up from 66 per cent in 2017, and that only 11 per cent of Australians do not think that climate change is occurring;
(d) in March 2007, the then Opposition Leader, the Hon Kevin Rudd, stated that 'Climate change is the great moral challenge of our generation.';
(e) in February 2010, the then Member for Wentworth, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull, stated that 'Climate change policy..is an exercise in risk management and no reasonable person could regard the risk as being so low that no action was warranted.';
(f) the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2018 special report entitled Global Warming of 1.5°C concluded that human activities are estimated to have caused approximately 1°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels;
(g) that same report concludes with high confidence that global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate;
(h) climate related risks are projected to substantially increase with global warming of 1.5°C and seriously increase with global warming of 2°C or higher; and
(i) serious Government action on climate change in Australia has badly stalled; and
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) maintain its commitment to the Paris Agreement and its targets; and
(b) take:
(i) genuine and meaningful action to meet those targets; and
(ii) significantly greater action to reduce Australia's greenhouse emissions, and as soon as possible.
( Notice given 16 October 2018.)
Time allotted—45 minutes.
Speech time limits—
Ms Sharkie—5 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes. each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 9 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
Orders of the day - continued
REMEMBRANCE DAY: Resumption of debate on the motion of Mrs Marino—That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) on Remembrance Day on 11 November 2018, we commemorated the Centenary of the First World War Armistice;
(b) from a population of less than five million, more than 400,000 Australians enlisted to serve, and of these, more than 150,000 were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner and more than 60,000 made the ultimate sacrifice giving their lives for their country; and
(c) this was an enormous toll for a young nation like Australia with nearly every family and community across the country having experienced a loss of some kind; and
(2) acknowledges:
(a) the service and sacrifice of Australia's current and former serving men and women;
(b) the unwavering commitment of the families who support our veterans on the home front; and
(c) and thanks all current and former defence personnel for their service.
Time allotted—remaining private Members' business time prior to 7.30 pm
Speech time limits—
All Members—5 minutes. each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Corporate and Financial Sector Penalties) Bill 2018
That this bill be now read a second time.
That the order of the day be referred to the Federation Chamber for debate.
… would be headed by a Director-General who would be the Prime Minister’s principal adviser on matters relating to the national intelligence community. The Director-General would not be empowered to direct the specific activities of agencies, but should be able to direct the co-ordination of the national intelligence community to ensure there are appropriately integrated strategies across the suite of agency capabilities.
Aviation Transport Security Amendment Bill 2018
The committee considers security in aviation to be critically important in ensuring the safety of all Australians. However, security requirements should be commensurate with the level of risk, as should the administrative burden imposed by such requirements.
The committee considers that the bill provides this kind of risk-based approach to security requirements in the aviation industry. The measures in the bill would benefit government and industry, as well as the general public, by reducing the regulatory burden on certain industry participants while maintaining security outcomes.
That this bill be now read a third time.
Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2018
The legal framework of copyright is necessary to ensure the income generated by arts, culture and heritage is fairly distributed between the creators and the institutions and entrepreneurs who make it available. A successful copyright framework will support the education, arts, culture, and heritage of Australia by:
In any civilised community the arts and associated amenities must occupy a central place. Their enjoyment should not be seen as something remote from everyday life. Of all the objectives of my Government none had a higher priority than the encouragement of the arts, the preservation and enrichment of our cultural and intellectual heritage. Indeed I would argue that all the other objectives of a Labor Government - social reform, justice and equity in the provision of welfare services and educational opportunities - have as their goal the creation of a society in which the arts and the appreciation of spiritual and intellectual values can flourish. Our other objectives are all means to an end; the enjoyment of the arts is an end in itself.
(a) the flagrancy of the infringement, or the flagrancy of the facilitation of the infringement …
… … …
(c) whether the owner or operator of the online location demonstrates a disregard for copyright generally;
(d) whether access to the online location has been disabled by orders from any court of another country or territory on the ground of or related to copyright infringement;
(e) whether disabling access to the online location is a proportionate response in the circumstances;
(f) the impact on any person, or class of persons, likely to be affected by the grant of the injunction;
(g) whether it is in the public interest to disable access to the online location;
… … …
(k) any other relevant matter.
… the total economic contribution of the Australian screen sector for Broad Australian content is an estimated $2.6 billion in value add and almost 20,160 in FTE jobs.
Intellectual property (IP) arrangements offer opportunities to creators of new and valuable knowledge to secure sufficient returns to motivate their initial endeavour or investment. In this respect, they are akin to the property rights that apply to ownership of physical goods.
As a teacher of Internet Law, I often see debates in class divide between those who fear too much control, and those who are confident that law is futile here. The dichotomy makes for an easy debate, but one that is ultimately cynical and unsatisfying. Not only does the discussion degenerate to technical issues that are a matter of conjecture, but, convenient as such dichotomies may be, they conflict with our intuitive sense of the way things actually work. We know that both the early cyber-libertarians and cyber-cynics were wrong, and we know that the future is neither one of perfect control, nor of powerlessness.
Ever since the earliest writings in Internet Law Scholarship, commentators have tended towards one of two opposing views. One the one hand, we have what you might call the Orwellian vision: that formal Law, in partnership with Technology will tend towards the ‘perfect control’ of the citizenry, whether by public or private entities.
This basic ‘Code is Law’ idea has been discussed, refined, developed and critiqued, but it remains influential in current debates. In copyright law, for example, the fear of ‘digital lock-up’ through a combination of technology and law continues to surface in current discussion of anti-circumvention law. It can also be seen in debates about privacy law, reflected in fears regarding the digital potential for omnipresent surveillance and data collection, facilitated by privacy laws that are insufficiently protective of individual rights.
That this bill be now read a third time.
That orders of the day Nos 3, 4 and 5, government business, be postponed until a later hour this day.
Corporations Amendment (Strengthening Protections for Employee Entitlements) Bill 2018
… told an economic forum in Sydney, in the context of Australia's workers enduring their longest period of declining living standards in more than 25 years—
that rising wages would be necessary to return inflation to normal levels, and to lift the economy out of its ultra-low interest-rate funk. He said households were worse off now than they were six years ago, and with large businesses enjoying record profits, workers would benefit from a lift in real wages.
… that the average weekly hours worked by Australians is falling, down to 30.7 hours in the June quarter which was the lowest figure for eight years.
It also showed that more than 1.1 million Aussies were underemployed and the number of overtime hours we worked grew to hit 135,553 hours, the highest for four years.
Furious PM to stop Mal's duties on the international stage.
Consumers do not want a situation in which drugs are listed on the PBS to win votes or boost opinion polls.
The decision to defer the recommendation of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Council … to list medications jeopardises the integrity of the PBS process.
I know why you're here. It's for the cash. For the Pacific, it's always about the cash. I have my cheque book here. How much do you want?
The Government's failure to invest in nation-building infrastructure.
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you
This year’s Federal budget is all smoke and mirrors and delivers none of the promise of the pre-budget announcements.
South Australia cannot afford to have delays and gaps in the infrastructure pipeline. We require clear detail from the Government as to how these projects will come to fruition.
Corporations Amendment (Strengthening Protections for Employee Entitlements) Bill 2018
That all words after "the House" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
"calls on the Government to consider amending the Fair Entitlements Guarantee to include up to 13 weeks of superannuation guarantee contributions, to align it with claimable unpaid wages".
National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment Bill 2018
… we would suggest that it benefits the objective of the NHFIC to have a Director or Directors with experience and expertise related directly to social and affordable housing and the economics and social benefits of related projects …
CHIA agrees that while the bond aggregator will reduce the cost of financing social and affordable housing, it will not be sufficient to address the funding gap between the operating costs and the rental income. This is because, by design, community housing providers ... charge rents below market rates to make housing more affordable for tenants.
AHURI research has argued that there is a need to address a funding gap in the context of new finance:
Whether involving new finance or the redirection of existing housing subsidies, government financial support is essential to complement private financing of additional affordable housing supply. Inadequate government co-funding is the primary capacity constraint that providers currently face in their efforts to expand affordable housing ...
The proportion of household income taken to meet mortgage repayments widened nationally to 32.2 per cent in the second quarter from 31.5 per cent a year earlier as the average loan burden to first home buyers - whose numbers increased in most states - rose from a year earlier.
NSW remained the worst state for housing affordability in the June quarter, with the proportion of household income needed to meet mortgage payments rising to 38.1 per cent from 36.5 per cent in March and 38 per cent a year earlier.
In Victoria, the figure rose to 34.3 per cent from 33.4 per cent a year earlier.
I do not believe that the real life of this nation is to be found either in great luxury hotels and the petty gossip of so-called fashionable suburbs, or in the officialdom of organized masses. It is to be found in the homes of people who are nameless and unadvertised, and who, whatever their individual religious conviction or dogma, see in their children their greatest contribution to the immortality of their race. The home is the foundation of sanity and sobriety; it is the indispensable condition of continuity; its health determines the health of society as a whole.
I have mentioned homes material, homes human, and homes spiritual. Let me take them in their order.
The material home represents the concrete expression of the habits of frugality and saving "for a home of our own". Your advanced socialist may rage against private property even while he acquires it; but one of the best instincts in us is that which induces us to have one little piece of earth with a house and a garden which is ours: to which we can withdraw, in which we can be among our friends, into which no stranger may come against our will.
If you consider it, you will see that if, as in the old saying, "the Englishman's home is his castle", it is this very fact that leads on to the conclusion that he who seeks to violate that law by violating the soil of England must be repelled and defeated.
That this bill be now read a third time.
Corporations Amendment (Strengthening Protections for Employee Entitlements) Bill 2018
The House divided. [18:25]
(The Speaker—Hon. Tony Smith)
That this bill be now read a third time.
Treasury Laws Amendment (Design and Distribution Obligations and Product Intervention Powers) Bill 2018
… we consider that the responsible lending obligations and other consumer protections are not equivalent to, or an adequate substitute for, the proposed design and distribution obligations. We think the new obligations would provide a foundational framework for ensuring that credit providers have appropriate product governance processes and controls in place to ensure products are well designed and distributed with a view to consumers' objectives, financial situations and needs. This outcome is quite separate and distinct from the purpose of the responsible lending obligations, which is to reduce the potential for individual consumers to suffer hardship as a result of inappropriate lending.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Hogan) took the chair at 10:00.
This trade is still on my mind, although the vision revealing its true horrors was introduced so long ago.
I'm devastated that the government ignored the legislation to end the hideous live sheep exports trade. Refusing to vote on this legislation will do nothing to improve the reputation of MPs.
The valley of death is over and we are now seeing a upturn of employment in naval shipbuilding in our state that will only continue to increase as these new projects gain momentum.
Defence has not determined industry workforce requirements for the naval construction programs.
The assumptions of Defence's current workforce planning activities are not based on a cost-benefit analysis. In particular, whether maintaining the shipbuilding workforce between the Hobart Class Destroyer and follow-on surface-ship builds is the most cost-effective way of establishing the naval shipbuilding enterprise.
The Australian Government has committed $15 million for planning for the Toowoomba to Brisbane Passenger Rail … through the Major Project Business Case Fund.
… all of Australia should be worried about South Australia.
As you will appreciate, any project proposed will be the subject of a prioritisation process to ensure available funding is allocated to the projects where the greatest benefit can be provided to the community as a whole.
Providing high quality residential care to older Australians is an obligation we have as a society and a parliament.
… older Australians deserve better, and they do deserve better. They deserve better from governments, from agencies, from aged-care facilities and from all who are involved with our older Australians. They deserve better from all of us.
I have the right to be listened to and understood. I have the right to complain. I have the right to be informed about my care in the way that meets my needs.
We are never going to get a better set of opinions than this royal commission. We are never going to be presented with a more comprehensive set of solutions than this royal commission.
I am happy we are now talking about this. Evil happens in the darkness when we turn our backs. Hopefully by talking about this, by raising awareness and really focusing on the abuse of children we can stop it happening in the future …
When people think of child sexual abuse, they think of something that's happened in a 1970s boarding school. It's hard for people to wrap their minds around the fact that this is still happening today. This happens. It happened. Society failed us by letting this happen and it should never happen again.
Welcome to Hay. We will either make you or break you. Your choice.
We strongly encourage the Turnbull Government to increase the maximum compensation amount to survivors to $200,000, as was recommended by the Royal Commission.
Dear Joanne
I am sending you this letter in the very final moments of my last evening as Prime Minister. I do so with enormous pride.
Joanne, you are a truly remarkable person.
Thanks in very large measure to your persistence and courage, the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry and the federal Royal Commission will bring truth and healing to the victims of horrendous abuse and betrayal.
Please know that in your remarkable struggle to tell the story about this shameful chapter in our nation's history, you are not alone. Thousands of Australians share your passion for justice – I'm one of them.
Often the church knows but does nothing other than protect the paedophile and its own reputation.
… … …
I can testify from my own experience that the church covers up, silences victims, hinders police investigations, alerts offenders, destroys evidence and moves priests to protect the good name of the church.
The sexual abuse of a child is a terrible crime. It is the greatest of personal violations. It is perpetrated against the most vulnerable in our community. It is a fundamental breach of the trust that children are entitled to place in adults.
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
What I'm trying to balance there is the tradition or the value of confidentiality, which in regard to the confessional for the church's history has been treated as absolute.
… would steal pins and needles from the sewing room to self-harm because their treatment at the home was so harsh.
We had numbers, not names. I was 127.
HELL HOLE—Inside this sandstone dungeon, hundreds of children suffered the ultimate betrayal.
About 20 boys crammed into the small hotel room in Wellington and the mood was sombre. Marist College Canberra's First XV had gathered to hold court.
The 1978 rugby tour of New Zealand was going well, but they weren't there to talk about football. The night before an incident had profoundly shaken the group.
One of the players had been called to a Marist brother's room on the pretence of treating an injury from that day's game. The coach tried to sexually assault the boy. He fled, told his closest friend, and word had spread quickly through the touring party.
The boys, aged between 16 and18, called a meeting. At its end they passed a resolution: the coach was to be banned from the change room, when the team returned to Canberra, the brother was to leave the school and the Marists were called on to guarantee that he would never teach again.
The shocking incident caused one 17-year-old to question a commitment. At school's end he had resolved to leave for Sydney, to train as a priest.
So he sought the counsel of another brother travelling with the group, a popular man who ran a movie club at the school.
When the boy confided his fears about the act of a man who professed to be a model of faith he got an unexpected response.
The brother's face darkened with fury: why would your vocation be affected by the actions of one man? The boy felt ashamed of his doubts.
Other reports emerged about sexual assaults at Marist Brothers in Canberra in the 1970s and 80s. Among the accused one name stood out—
In 1978, Brother Kostka had reacted with fury when confronted with the sins of his confrere because the questions of a child shone a light into his black conscience.
These shards of memory have been revived by the evidence given to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The breadth of the abuse is astounding, the damage to the standing of the Church permanent and the failure of its bishops unforgivable.
And one thing is clear. In 1978 a group of Catholic schoolboys was confronted with evil and called to make a moral decision.
They did so in the light of the best teachings of their faith. The vote had been unanimous. They demanded justice for their friend and that the threat to other boys be removed, forever.
In that room, on that day, those boys showed more moral courage and were better disciples than the princes of their Church. That is a triumph, and a tragedy—
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child and had him stand among them. "Truly I tell you," he said, "unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me.
"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.
… he had the ability to make me feel good. In today's language, he made me feel valued. And that was terribly important to me.
It's like a nightmare for the last 45 years … and you never wake up. I can just sit at home and then just all of a sudden I'll start thinking of why they did this. For the love of God I'll never work out why humans do this. I just can't.
Today we offer you our nation's apology, with humility, with honesty, with hope for healing now, and with a fire in our belly to ensure that our children will grow up safe in the future. We do this because it is right, because it is overdue, because Australians must know and face up to the truth about our past. But, above all, we do this because of you.
Although no amount of money can return a lost childhood, it's important that we acknowledge what these victims have been through.
There were many people yesterday who I know felt they weren’t recognised, and I particularly also want to recognise, if I can have indulgence on this one point, to recognise those in our defence forces who also suffered sexual abuse. I want to acknowledge them here today…
The Prime Minister said the commission would look at all religious organisations, state care providers, not-for-profit bodies as well as the responses of child service agencies and the police.
"The allegations that have come to light recently about child sexual abuse have been heartbreaking," Ms Gillard told reporters in Canberra.
"These are insidious, evil acts to which no child should be subject.
"Australians know … that too many children have suffered child abuse, but have also seen other adults let them down—they've not only had their trust betrayed by the abuser but other adults who could have acted to assist them have failed to do so.
"There have been too many revelations of adults who have averted their eyes from this evil.
"I believe in these circumstances that it's appropriate for there to be a national response through a royal commission."
… … …
"I commend the victims involved for having the courage to speak out.
"I believe we must do everything we can to make sure that what has happened in the past is never allowed to happen again."
The submissions that have been received so far highlight a couple of important things: the importance of designing the hearing process appropriately so that victims feel supported through the process of preparing and giving evidence; and the need to appoint multiple commissioners with broad expertise. Legal expertise and child protection expertise are those that were most commonly mentioned in the submissions. Also the view of many who have put in comments to the government is that the commission should take whatever time is needed to get it right but also include timely reporting, with suggestions of every one or two years, with the recognition that the commission will need sufficient time to investigate thoroughly.
Thanks in very large measure to your persistence and courage, the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry and the federal Royal Commission will bring truth and healing to the victims of horrendous abuse and betrayal.
I am a regional person, and I think only a regional paper could have done this. The truth is the truth. It doesn't matter where it appears. You just have to keep banging away.
In 1995, police in the Hunter region of New South Wales investigated Vincent Gerard Ryan, a Catholic priest, for sex crimes against boys spanning 20 years. Brought to trial in 1996 and 1997, he pleaded guilty to multiple offences … He ultimately served 14 years.
The Maitland-Newcastle diocesan office had become aware of his sexual predations in 1975 but continued to protect and promote him over those 20 years.
The sentencing proceedings took place in the District Court at Gosford … The Newcastle Morning Herald assigned its Central Coast reporter, Joanne McCarthy, to cover the sentencing. She filed a brief routine report and returned to other duties.
However, towards the end of 2007, McCarthy was asked by the Herald' s features editor to look into why enrolments at Catholic primary schools in the Hunter were dropping … she made a couple of phone calls, and in the second one the person on the other end said, "It might have something to do with the child sexual abuse stuff".
Still pursuing the falling-enrolments story and the possible link with sexual abuse, McCarthy visited the website of Broken Rites, an advocacy group established in Melbourne to support victims.
… it was at this point that McCarthy cast off the school-enrolments story like an abandoned chrysalis: she was now in full pursuit of the allegation that Monsignor Cotter had covered up for Ryan. Cotter had gone to his grave seven or eight weeks earlier, hailed as a holy man.
This story was a watershed. "Suddenly I was just being inundated with calls that went beyond just Ryan. That was when I got a call from somebody I didn't know and this person said to me, 'You want to look at a priest by the name of McAlinden. You won't need a first name'.
The momentum for a royal commission was starting to build, and it was now that the Newcastle Morning Herald began to use the campaigning banner "Shine the Light", the introduction of which was accompanied by an editorial calling for a royal commission.
… when an ABC Lateline producer texted her to get to a television set immediately.
"We turned the TV on, ABC, and all of a sudden the TV crosses to Julia Gillard, and then with the first words she said, she was announcing a royal commission. Well I just fell apart. Just lost it. Absolutely lost it. I didn't hear one word that she said.
At the end of this film, the director makes a point of printing a long list of all the places worldwide where the problem has been exposed, leaving the audience in no doubt as to the continuing pervasiveness of the scandal.
It is now the moral duty of this parliament and future parliaments not to second-guess the royal commission but just to implement the recommendations of the royal commission.