The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. John Hog g) took the chair at 12:30, read prayers and made an acknowledgement of country.
That the provisions of paragraphs (5) to (8) of standing order 111 not apply to the following bills, allowing them to be considered during this period of sittings:
Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Amendment Bill 2013
Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Finance) Bill 2013
Export Market Development Grants Amendment Bill 2013
Higher Education Support Amendment (Further Streamlining and Other Measures) Bill 2013
Royal Commissions Amendment Bill 2013.
That intervening business be postponed till after consideration of the government business order of the day relating to the Royal Commissions Amendment Bill 2013.
Royal Commissions Amendment Bill 2013
(1) Schedule 1, page 3 (before line 3), before item 1 (before the heading relating to the Royal Commissions Act 1902), insert:
Freedom of Information Act 1982
1A After subsection 7(2D)
Insert:
(2E) A Minister and an agency are exempt from the operation of this Act in relation to the following documents:
(a) a document that has originated with, or has been received from, the Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission (within the meaning of Part 4 of the Royal Commissions Act 1902 ) and:
(i) that contains information obtained at a private session (within the meaning of that Part); or
(ii) that relates to a private session and identifies a natural person who appeared at a private session;
(b) a document that contains a summary of, or an extract or information from, a private session.
(2) Schedule 1, item 30, page 7 (after line 24), after the heading to Part 4, insert:
Division 1—Definitions
(3) Schedule 1, item 30, page 8 (after line 3), after section 6OA, insert:
Division 2—Private sessions
(4) Schedule 1, item 30, page 8 (line 15), omit "section 6OD", substitute "Division 3".
(6) Schedule 1, item 30, page 11 (after line 10), at the end of Part 4, add:
Division 3—Privacy of private sessions
6OG Privacy of private sessions
A private session must be held in private, and only persons who are authorised by a member of the Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission holding the private session may be present during the private session.
6OH Offence for unauthorised use or disclosure of information given at a private session
A person commits an offence if:
(a) the person obtains information:
(i) at a private session; or
(ii) that was given at a private session; and
(b) the person makes a record of, uses or discloses the information; and
(c) none of the following applies:
(i) the record, use or disclosure is for the purposes of performing functions or duties or exercising powers in relation to the Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission;
(ii) the person is authorised to make the record of, or use, disclose or publish, the information in accordance with section 6OJ (inclusion of information in reports and recommendations), 6P (Commission may communicate information) or 9 (custody and use of records of Commission);
(iii) the person gave the information at the private session;
(iv) the person makes the record of, uses or discloses the information with the consent of the person who gave the information at the private session.
Penalty: 20 penalty units or imprisonment for 12 months or both.
Note: For a defence to this offence, see section 6OK.
6OJ Inclusion of information in reports and recommendations
Information that relates to a natural person that has been obtained at a private session may be included in a report or recommendation of the Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission only if:
(a) the information is also given as evidence to the Commission or under a summons, requirement or notice under section 2; or
(b) the information is de‑identified.
6OK Defence for disclosure to person who provided the information
Section 6OH does not apply to a disclosure of information to the person who gave the information at a private session.
Note: A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matter in this section (see subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code ).
6OL No other exceptions under other laws
(1) A provision of a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory has no effect to the extent that it would otherwise require or authorise a person to make a record of, use or disclose information obtained at a private session if the record, use or disclosure:
(a) would contravene a provision of this Division; or
(b) would not be permitted by a provision of this Division.
(2) Subsection (1) has effect whether the provision concerned is made before or after the commencement of this section.
6OM Relationship with the Archives Act 1983
(1) For the purposes of the Archives Act 1983 , a record:
(a) that contains information obtained at a private session; or
(b) that relates to a private session and identifies a natural person who appeared at a private session;
is in the open access period on and after 1 January in the year that is 99 years after the calendar year that the record came into existence.
(2) To avoid doubt, subsection (1) applies in relation to a record even if the record came into existence after the private session.
(3) Subsection 3(7) and section 56 of the Archives Act 1983 do not apply to a record referred to in subsection (1).
(7) Schedule 1, page 11 (after line 14), after item 31, insert:
31A After subsection 6P(2B)
Insert:
(2C) A person who obtains information, evidence, a document or a thing in accordance with this section may (subject to sections 6DD and 6OE) make a record of, use or disclosethe information, evidence, document or thing for the purposes of performing his or her functions or exercising his or her powers.
(5) Schedule 1, item 30, page 9 (line 27) to page 10 (line 23), section 6OD.
That this bill be now read a third time.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2013
Equality is the public recognition, effectively expressed in institutions and manners, of the principle that an equal degree of attention is due to the human needs of all human beings.
… people with disability want, and expect, the resources they need to participate as fully functioning members of their communities to be available and accessible, as and when they are needed. People with disability want to work with governments to deliver a support system that achieves this—a support system that values their contribution and encourages their independence.
… for this scheme to successfully come to fruition for the mighty benefit of people with disabilities throughout our country, it cannot simply reflect Labor values; it cannot simply reflect Liberal values. It must reflect national values. It must reflect the values that are held deep by members on both sides of this chamber, values that are common to members of all parliaments right around our country.
… rural and remote areas face poorer provisions of support than would be available to cities and metropolitan areas.
… one area that requires especially careful monitoring is the adequacy of news services in regional areas. There is some evidence that both regional radio and television stations and newspapers have cut back substantially on their news gathering, leaving some communities poorly served for local news. This may require particular support in the immediate future, and I recommend that this issue be investigated by the government as a matter of some urgency.
The circumstances of the Iraq war have been gone through by any number of parliamentary inquiries, particularly in the Senate. You always learn lessons from a former or a previous conflict.
My political party, the Labor Party, opposed going to Iraq and when we came to office we withdrew our combat troops. So our longstanding view of Iraq is well known.
You always learn lessons from a former or a previous conflict.
That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (Senator Conroy) to questions without notice asked by Senators Brandis, McKenzie, Smith and Birmingham today relating to proposed media legislation and to the National Broadband Network.
Billionaire media mogul Kerry Stokes has accused the federal government of planning more oversight of the press than the Chinese government does as media moguls descended on Canberra to attack the media package.
The Prime Minister's in more trouble than Indiana Jones.
That the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services be authorised to hold a private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1) during the sitting of the Senate today.
That leave of absence be granted to Senator Boyce for 19 March 2013 for personal reasons.
That:
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement be authorised to hold a private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1) during the sitting of the Senate on Wednesday, 20 March 2013, from 1 pm.
That:
Tthe Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 21 March 2013, from 5 pm, followed by an in camera hearing, to take evidence for the committee's inquiry into the Sydney Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices.
That the Senate—
(a) congratulates Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio SJ on his election as the 266th Roman Catholic pontiff;
(b) notes that Pope Francis is the first Jesuit Pope, and not only is the first Pope from South America but the first Pope from outside Europe in over 1 000 years; and
(c) acknowledges Pope Francis' very strong commitment to social justice, as exemplified by his decision to choose his papal name in honour of St. Francis of Assisi.
That the findings of the Auditor-General’s audit report No. 26 of 2007-08, Performance Audit Tasmanian forest industry development and assistance programs , and the Auditor-General’s audit report No. 22 of 2012-13,Administration of the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement Contractors Voluntary Exit Grants Program , be referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 6 May 2013.
Health Insurance Amendment (Medicare Funding for Certain Types of Abortion) Bill 2013
That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Health Insurance Act 1973, and for related purposes. Health Insurance Amendment (Medicare Funding for Certain Types of Abortion) Bill 2013.
That this bill may proceed without formalities and be now read a first time.
That this bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this Bill is to remove Medicare funding from the abhorrent practice of abortion for sex selection. This practice has, for many years, attracted the attention of the international community to the tendency in many cultures to prefer a boy child over a girl child. Such a practice is prevalent in some cultures in particular where there is a cost burden associated with female children and where family size is forcibly restricted by a one-child policy. The enormity of this concern had been the subject of many discussions at the United Nations where five key agencies have joined in condemning the practice: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
To suggest that this situation is confined to Asian or South East Asian countries is either naïve or deliberately ignores the fact that this practice occurs in Australia and not only within migrant communities. There are documented cases of sex selection abortion in Australia not only for a preferred male child but for 'family-balancing'.
In the weeks since I announced by intention to move this Bill I have had contact from surprising people. I have had doctors offer evidence of this situation from within their own practice. Some of these doctors are pursuing the issue within their professional association, others lament that there is no recourse under present State laws to prevent abortion for sex selection. It is not illegal to have an abortion on the basis of the sex of the foetus. The law does not require women to give a reason for abortion.
Interestingly, it is illegal for couples to select the sex of the child when undergoing IVF—except for some medical circumstances. It is, however, common for sex-selection for 'family-balancing' to be requested by IVF patients. So far this has not received ethical approval anywhere in Australia, but there are many documented cases of Australian couples travelling overseas for IVF so that they may select the sex of their child. Again, I have evidence that requests for sex-selection to IVF ethics boards are growing, and many are concerned that these same couples may be resorting to sex selection abortion when their requests are denied.
It is obscene and offensive to suggest that the gender of a child can be its death sentence; that we select our own children on the basis of gender. As Australian families have shrunk, the pressure to have one of each has increased. Children are no longer a unique gift in themselves but are increasingly expected to conform to designer standards. Accessories to complete our chosen lifestyle—just check out the latest pregnancy magazines on your newsstand.
The problem of sex-selection abortion has been the subject of serious and on-going discussion amongst doctors in Canada, the United States and in the United Kingdom. The American Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists takes the issue seriously. The Canadian Medical Journal has carried numerous articles over the last twelve months discussing the best methods for controlling the problem.
To suggest that it does not happen in Australia, as some of my colleagues in this place have done, is an exercise in deliberate avoidance of the issue or to have some bizarre view that Australians are morally superior to the rest of humanity.
Sex-selection abortions do happen in this country. That they happen is of deep moral abhorrence. It is something we should not tolerate under any circumstances. That a child will be destroyed if it is not of the desired gender is obscene. In an era when we claim equality for women and men, it is even more scandalous. Human beings are valued for their dignity as human persons. If having a boy to 'carry on the family name' is out-moded then so too should we shun the pressure for our children to be complementary book-ends. Sex-selection abortion is a further means of entrenching sexual prejudice and devaluing the human person.
This Bill aims to remove any government sanction to these abhorrent practices of abortion for sex selection.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) it is 10 years since the United States of America (US) led the invasion of Iraq,
(ii) the British non-government organisation, Iraq Body Count, estimates about 162 000 people, almost 80 per cent of them civilians, were killed in Iraq from the start of the 2003 US-led invasion, up to the withdrawal of American forces in 2012, and
(iii) in sending Australian troops to Iraq in 2003, the Howard Government was the first government in Australia's history to go to war without the support of both Houses of Parliament; and
(b) calls on the Government and the Opposition to:
(i) support the Australian Greens' Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Approval of Overseas Service) Bill 2010 [No. 2] which would require parliamentary approval of overseas service by members of the Australian Defence Force, and
(ii) support an independent inquiry into the reasons behind Australia's participation in the invasion.
The Senate divided. [15:42]
(The Deputy President—Senator Parry)
That the Senate—
(a) notes:
(i) the resolution of the Senate of 22 November 2012, That the Government was to fulfil its 2007 election commitment and introduce a public interest disclosure bill into the Parliament in the first sitting week of 2013, and
(ii) that this resolution has not been complied with and, to date, there is still no listing of the public interest disclosure bill; and
(b) calls on the Government to:
(i) provide an explanation as to whether it will deliver on its 2007 election commitment, and
(ii) introduce legislation within the current Parliament that would comprehensively protect whistle-blowers across the entire government sector.
The Senate divided. [15:47]
(The Deputy President—Senator Parry)
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) Cape York's Quinkan region is home to rock art galleries and cultural sites of great cultural significance, with some sites dated to 30 000 years old,
(ii) much of this art and cultural heritage is not adequately protected and is open to mining exploration activities, and
(iii) the traditional owners of the Quinkan region want the Quinkan rock art galleries and surrounding cultural landscapes fully protected from mining exploration and other destructive activities, and support its inclusion in a World Heritage nomination for Cape York Peninsula; and
(b) calls on:
(i) the Queensland Government to refuse any mining exploration in the Quinkan rock art galleries until the area is declared a World Heritage Area, and
(ii) the Federal Government to step in to protect the Quinkan rock art galleries and surrounding cultural landscapes from all mining activities, until the area is declared a World Heritage Area in accordance with the wishes of the traditional owners.
The Senate divided. [15:50]
(The Deputy President—Senator Parry)
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) a recently released community survey of humpback whales recorded a minimum of 2 669 individual whales, including cow-calf pairs, passed within 8 km of the James Price Point shoreline, which exceeds the 1 000 whales That the Western Australian environmental assessment process estimated would pass, and
(ii) the research recorded That the whales engaged in resting, milling, playing and slow swimming behaviour close to shore, and that some humpback whales are born in the area and use it for vital first interactions; and
(b) calls for the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (Mr Burke) to:
(i) commission more extensive and thorough research into the use of the James Price Point area by humpback whales so that the potential impact of the proposed gas hub development can be adequately assessed, and
(ii) examine the Browse gas hub proposal in light of its impact on humpback whales.
Politics is sometimes tough but this should be a huge celebration for the Federal Labor Government to have come to your community and essentially rebuilt it.
And thank you, Simon. Please pass that on to Prime Minister Gillard. Please acknowledge former Prime Minister Rudd when you next see him. This is a spectacular achievement of a partnership between the Federal government and the State government and local traditional owners and the local community.
We—
closely engaged the traditional owners and working with them closely to understand their needs, celebrated their culture, made them part of the process and listened to the local community about the sorts of needs and aspirations they have for the future so, Simon, I'm almost speechless.
That the Senate take note of the document.
The recognition that custom, tradition or religious consideration should play no part in denying women equal rights or justifying violence against them is a major step forward.
As Sex Discrimination Commissioner I am often asked what is the greatest challenge for women's human rights in Australia - the answer has to be violence against women. If women cannot expect to be safe in their own homes and communities, how can they expect equality in society?
The declaration, if ratified, would lead to complete disintegration of society…
That the Senate take note of the report.
That the Senate take note of the report.
This non-discriminatory migration program has brought people from across the globe and with them their diverse cultural heritages. About six million migrants have settled in Australia since the Second World War. They have made an enormous contribution to Australia, along with the unique contribution of Australia’s Indigenous people, earlier migrants and their descendants. Together, we have built a country that is vibrant, successful and outward looking, a country that provided safe haven for the dispossessed, and a bright future for us all.
Australia today is a culturally and linguistically diverse society and will remain so. Like our sophisticated migration program, our multicultural policy continues our tradition of successful nation building. It will help us to ensure that we meet the challenge of drawing the best from the many histories and cultures of the Australian people, within a framework of a uniting set of Australian values.
Tax Laws Amendment (2012 Measures No. 6) Bill 2012
That this bill may proceed without formalities and be now read a first time.
That this bill be now read a second time.
This Bill implements a range of improvements to Australia's taxation laws.
Schedule 1 confirms that income tax is not payable on certain native title benefits or on certain capital gains tax (CGT) events involving native title rights.
At present, when applying the ordinary rules of the income tax system based on traditional common law concepts, it is unclear what the tax implications are for Indigenous communities when a native title benefit is received and with respect to certain CGT events involving native title rights, due to the unique nature of a native title right.
By confirming that there are no tax implications for these acts, this amendment provides Indigenous communities with much needed certainty and clarity which is important when they are negotiating native title agreements.
Schedule 2 amends the list of deductible gift recipients (DGRs) identified by name in Division 30 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. Donations made to organisations with DGR status are income tax deductible to the donor and therefore DGR status will assist the listed organisations in attracting public support for their activities.
The Schedule adds two new organisations to the Act, namely, AE1 Incorporated and Teach for Australia, and extends the time period for listing of Australia for UNHCR, One Laptop per Child Australia, and the Yachad Accelerated Learning Project.
Schedule 3 amends the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to extend the immediate deductibility of 'exploration and prospecting expenditure' to geothermal energy explorers.
Geothermal energy is an emerging clean and renewable energy source with the potential to be used for the generation of electrical power in a largely emissions-free manner. These amendments will assist the Government's objective of encouraging exploration for geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy explorers will be entitled to equivalent treatment for their exploration or prospecting expenditure incurred on or after 1 July 2012 as that afforded to mining and petroleum explorers. This includes an immediate tax deduction for the cost of depreciating assets first used for exploration or prospecting on or after 1 July 2012, provided certain criteria are met.
The amendments in this Schedule will include geothermal exploration rights and geothermal exploration information in the list of intangible assets included in the definition of 'depreciating assets'.
The changes will also extend the definition of 'exploration or prospecting' to include exploration or prospecting for geothermal energy resources. This will allow geothermal energy explorers to immediately deduct the cost of the tangible and intangible depreciating assets they acquire if they first use the assets for exploration or prospecting, provided certain criteria are met.
In addition, these amendments will allow geothermal energy explorers to deduct expenditure incurred on exploration or prospecting for geothermal energy resources in an equivalent manner to mining and petroleum explorers.
Finally, the changes will prevent geothermal energy explorers from incurring an unintended liability in circumstances where they stop holding an exploration right because they merely acquire an energy extraction right relating to the same area or an area that is not significantly different. This will provide for an outcome equivalent to that for mining and petroleum explorers.
These amendments will encourage exploration for geothermal energy resources, and ensure that geothermal energy is an important part of the renewable energy mix.
Schedule 4 to this Bill amends Schedule 2 of the Tax Laws Amendment (2011 Measures No. 5) Act 2011 to extend the exemption for managed investment trusts (MITs) from the interim streaming rules introduced by that Schedule until the 2013-14 income year.
The Government provided an optional exemption from the application of the interim streaming rules for MITs and certain trusts treated like MITs. This was in recognition that these trusts generally do not 'stream' income; instead, they distribute all of their trust income proportionally. Extending this exemption ensures that MITs can continue to use the current arrangements until the commencement of the new tax system for MITs on 1 July 2014.
Schedule 5 to this Bill implements the Government's 2012-13 Budget measure to better target the net medical expenses tax offset by means testing the threshold above which a taxpayer may claim the offset and the rate of reimbursement from 1 July 2012.
Australian Government annual health expenditure is expected to reach around $100 billion by 2022. Means testing ensures this tax offset is appropriately targeted and is one of a number of measures the Government has identified to ensure a strong and sustainable health care system.
For taxpayers with adjusted taxable income above the Medicare Levy Surcharge thresholds ($84,000 for singles or $168,000 for couples or families in 2012-13), the threshold above which they may claim the net medical expenses tax offset will increase to $5,000 and the rate of reimbursement will be reduced to 10 per cent. The claim threshold will be indexed annually to the CPI.
People with adjusted taxable income below the surcharge thresholds will not be affected by this means test.
These changes will provide an ongoing gain to revenue which is estimated to be $370 million over the forward estimates period.
Introducing a means test will protect low and middle income earners, while helping to reduce the long term cost to the budget and ensure the ongoing sustainability of the net medical expenses tax offset.
The Government continues to provide substantial support for health expenses, including around $27 billion in 2012-13 through the Medicare Benefits Schedule, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and related safety nets.
Schedule 6 amends the definition of limited recourse debt. The amendment is necessary to ensure that the limited recourse debt tax provisions achieve their policy objective.
The objective of these provisions is to reverse a taxpayer's deductions for unpaid capital expenditure, where the taxpayer has not been fully at risk in relation to the expenditure.
The amendments will achieve this objective by looking at the substance or effect of a loan arrangement to determine whether a debt is a limited recourse debt, not just the legal form. This will ensure that taxpayers cannot structure their arrangements to avoid the limited recourse debt provisions.
The amendments will apply to debt arrangements that are terminated at or after the announcement of this measure at 7.30 pm (AEST) on 8 May 2012.
Schedule 7 amends the Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986 to implement the 2012-13 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook measure to remove the concessional treatment of 'in house' fringe benefits that are purchased through salary sacrificing.
The current fringe benefits arrangements allow employees to receive concessional treatment for goods and services that an employer or an associate produces or sells in the ordinary course of its business.
The Government recognises that it is not appropriate for the tax system to subsidise 'in-house benefits' for employees accessing them though salary sacrificing arrangements. This is why the Government is amending the Fringe Benefits Assessment Act 1986 to restore the concessional treatment of fringe benefits to its original policy intent.
Employers will still be able to provide staff discounts that will continue to receive the concessional treatments as long as the employee purchases the goods and services out of after-tax income.
The amendments in Schedule 7 mean that the concessional tax treatment is available for employers to reflect the true cost of providing the benefits and minimise the compliance costs, rather than as a means of employees reducing their income tax.
The amendments in Schedule 7 apply from 22 October 2012 (the date of announcement) for all new arrangements and from 1 April 2014 for all existing arrangements.
And finally, Schedule 8 includes several miscellaneous amendments to the taxation laws.
These include making sure that the promoter penalty provisions in the tax laws are effective against conduct that takes place outside Australia.
Such amendments are regularly made to correct minor technical or drafting defects in the taxation laws, and to address unintended outcomes. The Government has a long-standing commitment to uphold the integrity of the taxation system, and advancing such amendments gives effect to this very important commitment.
Full details of the measure are contained in the explanatory memorandum.
Financial Framework Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 4) 2012
Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Amendment Bill 2013
Migration Amendment (Reform of Employer Sanctions) Bill 2012
Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Compliance Measures) Bill 2012
Protection of Cultural Objects on Loan Bill 2012
Federal Circuit Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2013
National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2013
The committee heard overwhelming support for the introduction of an NDIS. The committee did not hear from a single submitter, be that an organisation or an individual, that did not support the introduction of some form of structural and funding overhaul of the provision of disability services and support. … none thought the status quo provided adequate and equitable access to services.
The significance of the NDIS cannot be overstated. It has the potential to be the most important change to the provision of support for people with disability to occur in any nation, at any time.
The bill will implement a nationwide, demand driven system of care tailored to the needs of each individual and established on a durable, long-term basis.
The NDIS will stand alongside the minimum wage, the age pension, Medicare and universal superannuation as one of the great Labor pillars of social justice and opportunity for all Australians. It will change our society in profound and lasting ways, enabling those who live with disability to fulfil their potential as valued and valuable members of our society.
The Coalition is so committed to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, for instance, that we’ve offered to co-chair a bi-partisan parliamentary committee so that support for it doesn’t flag across the three terms of parliament and among the nine different governments needed to make it work.
… support the independence and social and economic participation of people with disability; and
… … …
raise community awareness of the issues that affect the social and economic participation of people with disability, and facilitate greater community inclusion of people with disability.
… the person to whom the information will be disclosed has sufficient interest in the information.
… a genuine and legitimate interest in the information …
Given the amount of personal information that will be collected and used under the Scheme, it will be important to ensure appropriate and consistent coverage of all participating entities under privacy law.
Department officials are scheduled to meet with the Australian Information Commissioner to discuss the concerns outlined in his submission. The Committee anticipates that if any amendment to the provisions that ensure consistency across jurisdictions was required, this would be considered by the Department.
The current disability support system is underfunded, unfair, fragmented, and inefficient, which gives people with a disability little choice and no certainty of access to appropriate supports. The stresses on the system are growing with little costs.
I am a 20 per cent-er - one of the approximately 20 per cent of Australians who have a disability. The majority of us are underfunded (or not funded at all) for the supports we need to participate fully as Australian citizens. Australians with disabilities cross all demographics. We come from all socio economic sectors, we live in the city and we live in rural locations. We come from CALD backgrounds and we are Indigenous and refugees. We are married, we are single, we are parents and carers. We are LGBTI and we are straight.
We do not have the same impairments, but we share the same social disadvantage.
So, we've had enough … - we need the NDIS and we need it now.
I grant that the water may fall in Queensland, or in New South Wales, or by the mere veering of the wind, in Victoria; but after all, its' origin seems to me to indicate that we should regard it as a gift for Australia, and the object of our legislation should be to make the greatest use of it, not for NSW, or Victoria or South Australia, but for Australia as a whole.
There has not been, as there should have been, a general appreciation of the fact that the waters belong as much to others to whom they are conveyed by the river as to the people on whose land the rain from heaven has fallen.
Brian Baldwin is the parish. One of the greatest citizens of this country. He shares his time with people without personal motive. If you want to know what an Australian is, look at Brian Baldwin.
There is absolutely no doubt from a West Australian point of view you would say, you would plead with Julia Gillard to stand down. That the people just do not accept her as the Prime Minister—
… for the first time in Australian history, a state's share has fallen below 50 cents in the dollar.
That means we've got to cut back on expenditure and education and health, those services.
That's grossly unfair for a growing state where over 1,000 people a week are coming to live in WA.
This cultural policy is also an economic policy. Culture creates wealth … Culture employs … Culture adds value, it makes an essential contribution to innovation, marketing and design … It attracts tourists and students. It is essential to our economic success.
… the project has invigorated the town centre and made it a place where they want to be. In turn, this makes Hobart more productive and competitive.
New arts funding through the National Cultural Policy will not only fuel creativity, but also jobs, future industries, health, education, exports and pride.
ABC Radio produces a lot of content that competes for airtime on its existing analog stations, content such as news and sport, specialist information, cultural and music programming. Digital radio provides the potential to offer new services, to meet the needs of audiences that are currently not consistently served—either by the ABC or by the commercial or community stations.