The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. Scott Ryan) took the chair at 09:30, read prayers and made an acknowledgement of country.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Streamlined Governance) Bill 2019
… the NDIS Board, its advisory structures and its relationships with all participating governments must have a direct line of sight to the variety of communities and cohorts the NDIS must interact with. The States and Territories knowledge of their communities and services is critical to the eventual national success of the NDIS and must be retained in the selection process of these bodies.
QDN notes that the proposed model of governance appears to be moving from a consensus model, where agreement among the States and Territories is sought before action is taken to a consultative model, where State and Territory governments (referred to in the legislation as Host Jurisdictions) are consulted.
Regarding the proposed changes around appointment of Board Members, QDN believes a reasonable argument can be made that there should be more constraint around the appointment of Board members due to the need to ensure the Board and Independent Advisory Committee's (IAC) composition reflects contemporary NDIS governance issues as well as the different compositions of each State and Territory. Importantly, given the national nature of the Scheme, governance arrangements should allow for strategic feedback and direction that reflects the diversity of jurisdictions' geographical spread and topography and the particular NDIS key issues impacting each. In Queensland, for instance, getting 30,000 new participants into the Scheme is a key priority which has seen the bi-lateral agreement with the Commonwealth extended by 12 months. This has not been reflected in other jurisdictions.
QDN agrees that the NDIS needs significant reforms in its governance structure to address interface issues between the Commonwealth and States and Territories. Now that the NDIS has achieved full roll out and interface issues with State service systems is such a critical issue with our members and all people with disability, QDN believes the role of the States and Territories needs to be more central to the scheme. This requires an overall strategic approach that sees the States/ Territories as partners with the Commonwealth and ensures the Scheme has improved integration with other service systems. QDN believes a thorough review of governance arrangements could achieve this.
QDN believes the IAC composition should reflect the broad skill set required to achieve effective Scheme governance, including representation of people with lived experience of disability and their families.
… we believe this Streamlined Governance Bill is premature and should be deferred until the review of the NDIS Act is complete, at which time the legislative provisions for efficient implementation become relevant.
The ABC has reported examples of how people with disabilities have applied for funding for one type of assistance, only to be granted a different, less useful type or no assistance at all.
Including deaf man Lawrie Dobson who asked for $10,000 for hearing aids but received $15,000 for coffee and social outings instead.
"Certainly in the advocacy sector, we see that there is a hole in the current system," chief executive of Disability Advocacy Network Australia, Mary Mallett said.
"It's a complex system for people to understand and navigate and there aren't enough people independent—
… there aren't enough people independent from the system to help people to work their way through it."
Out of more than 277,000 people currently on the NDIS, Ms Mallett said around 60 per cent have a cognitive impairment.
"These people are mainly dependant on family, friends and other people — like their support workers and service providers — to speak up for them," she said.
Ms Mallett argued that access to independent advocacy was "crucial" to the success of the NDIS.
The NDIS board, its advisory structures and its relationships with all participating governments must have direct line of sight to the variety of communities and cohorts the NDIS must interact with. The States and Territories knowledge of their communities and their services is critical to the eventual national success of the NDIS and must be retained in the selection process for these bodies.
The NDIS board, its advisory structures and its relationships with all participating governments must have direct line of sight to the variety of communities and cohorts the NDIS must interact with. The States and Territories knowledge of their communities and their services is critical to the eventual national success of the NDIS and must be retained in the selection process for these bodies.
We know this is a reform that's time has come.
A reform that will deliver significant benefits to people with disability, their carers and families and to the wider Australian community.
To the extent Russia promotes ideology, it is that same combination of intolerant nationalism, xenophobia, and illiberalism that is on the rise in Hungary, Poland, Turkey and elsewhere in Europe ... Unlike during the Cold War, NATO's illiberal weak links now align with the Kremlin's tactics. They are the alliance's Achilles heel.
A senator shall not digress from the subject matter of any question under discussion, or anticipate the discussion of any subject which appears on the Notice Paper.
A key concern with the bill is the significant ambiguity in the definitions around which prohibited conduct is established and the remedies are constructed. As a consequence, some submissions argued the bill will create complexity and uncertainty, result in legal challenges whose costs will be passed to consumers, and will discourage investment in required new and replacement electricity generation.
Do you support the proposed National Radioactive Waste Management Facility being located at one of the nominated sites in the community of Kimba?
In times of drought, you just get reminded again of how reliant we are on agriculture. An alternative industry would be good for the town.
Approximately 5 years ago, when she was under 20-years old, Charlie started a business traineeship earning a little over $450 per week. Around this time, Charlie was also going through a really hard time. Charlie's father had passed away shortly before Charlie had tragically given birth to a baby that was stillborn. Charlie needed money to pay for the cremation services for her baby. Charlie therefore took out a payday loan for a little under $650.
With all of this anguish and stress, however, Charlie became mentally unwell and was no longer able to work, sending Charlie into significant financial difficulty. Charlie's only source of income became the Centrelink pension which she was using to pay rent, groceries and things for her young child. Charlie fell behind on her payday loan repayments.
The payday loan contract was originally for a principal amount of a little under $650. However, Charlie was also charged an up-front establishment fee of a little under $130, ongoing monthly fees and dishonour fees if she didn't have enough money in her bank account to pay the loan. This meant that every time she missed a payment because it was dishonoured, Charlie was charged a dishonour fee of a little under $35. To this day, Charlie has been unable to pay back this payday loan and now owes much more than she originally borrowed.
Charlie experienced money trouble for several years and she turned to other forms of unregulated credit to help her meet general living expenses. These included getting another payday loan and also using buy now pay later services. For the buy now pay later debt, Charlie was only able to make one payment before she fell into arrears and started being contacted by debt collectors.
In addition to her baby and her father, Charlie's mother also passed away in the last couple of years. Charlie was the next of kin for both her father and mother and her main financial priority since their passing was paying for the funerals of her loved ones—
Any spare money that Charlie had was going towards paying for these funerals and then paying off funeral directors.
Charlie was sent to prison in 2019 leaving her with no income at all, no way to pay off her debts and no repayment options to get out of the debt trap.
We've been busting our arses on dairy, holding the line because we were told it couldn't be done, and then Hanson rolls out and claims the whole bloody lot.
That the Senate take note of the explanation.
The big people - the politicians in Canberra - don't listen to us little people … We are the ones who are living this nightmare 24/7 and we are not going to stop fighting, even it means till the death.
That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Finance (Senator Cormann) to questions without notice asked by Senators Gallagher and the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Wong) today relating to wages growth.
… Truck driver with an ABN to deliver Multi-drops to the QLD country region. Driver will need to operate Truck and Dog and have a current BFM—
certificate to be able to drive 12 hours a day.
Late model Mercedes Benz autoshift truck provided.
Trucks are hand unloaded at stores with trolley by the driver, with deliveries to major retail and whole sale outlets through the country QLD area. All deliveries will be brown and white goods—
Person to be physically fit.
Applicants MUST have a ABN
Immediate Start.
$300 + GST day rate - runs will be 5 - 6 days long guaranteed each week.
South Australia's non-GM position provides our agricultural producers and food businesses market access in countries where there is demand for non-GM products or products made with non-GM ingredients … our non-GM status is one of the elements which underpin our global reputation as a supplier of premium food and wine from our clean environment.
The organic industry urges all Senators to overturn the Government's deregulation of gene technology. Instead, the Government should consider a proper risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis.
In this context, non-alignment between Australia and some trading partners appears likely, regardless of the direction of the Technical Review or further developments resulting from the Scheme Review. In the event this occurs, industry would have access to the same mechanisms used to resolve non-alignment issues for other aspects of trade.
Just one example involves rye grass, a common pasture feed, but in horticulture it is a noxious weed that spreads rapidly. Should a GMO rye grass be released, it could contaminate the entire country in a few short years.
There is a profound difference between what has been genetic engineering using the techniques originating in the 1970s, and which are responsible for the majority of the world's commercially available genetically modified plants, and the genetic engineering that can be done with SDN-1 and dsRNA to any kind of organism. A key difference is that these tools can be liberally used outside leading to simultaneous exposures of all species present. Not just the products of these techniques, but the dsRNA and the editing proteins can be applied at landscape scale out-of-doors by people with very little skill and no or limited knowledge of what the modifications might do.
Applications of the SDN-1 technique can lead to modifications to genes or other genetic materials as different as can the treatment with DNA from other species. This is due to the ability to apply them rapidly and repeatedly to the same target area in a genome or to apply them simultaneously to many areas of a genome. Even if all the places damaged by a nuclease are repaired by a "random" process, the cumulative scale of change in sequence would be no different, possibly even larger, than the differences created using transgenic genetic engineering. There is no evidence of which I am aware that other mutagenesis techniques can do this to the same extent and preserve the viability of the modified organism.
We see no benefit, and perhaps a risk, …
More evidence is needed on all the risks and potential benefits of the new gene technologies and their products, so the Precautionary Principle … should apply.
Given that CRISPR and other site-directed repair mechanisms all use a directed and targeted gene editing strategy we believe that these technologies should be regulated, even though the mechanism underpinning the technology is a natural repair mechanism.
Animals modified using all older gene technology techniques and most new genome editing techniques including those using CRISPR will continue to be regulated as GMOs.
The Australian regulatory framework for gene technology was established at a time when the technology was new, the risks were poorly defined, and there were few commercial products. Consequently, the focus was on ensuring the safety of new work in research facilities and tightly controlled small scale trials.
… … …
The Academy takes the position that there are efficiencies to be gained in the legislative and regulatory framework by developing an exemption model for organisms with genetic modifications indistinguishable from those produced by non-genetic modification techniques …
The Academy also recommends a regulatory scheme that is able to adapt to new technological developments, through clear definitions that focus on research outcomes rather than the technology used to achieve them.
The Senate divided. [16:04]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the following matter be referred to the Economics References Committee for inquiry and report by the last sitting day in June 2020:
The causes, extent and effects of unlawful non-payment or underpayment of employees' remuneration by employers and measures that can be taken to address the issue, with particular reference to:
(a) the forms of and reasons for wage theft and whether it is regarded by some businesses as 'a cost of doing business';
(b) the cost of wage and superannuation theft to the national economy;
(c) the best means of identifying and uncovering wage and superannuation theft, including ensuring that those exposing wage/superannuation theft are adequately protected from adverse treatment;
(d) the taxation treatment of people whose stolen wages are later repaid to them;
(e) whether extension of liability and supply chain measures should be introduced to drive improved compliance with wage and superannuation-related laws;
(f) the most effective means of recovering unpaid entitlements and deterring wage and superannuation theft, including changes to the existing legal framework that would assist with recovery and deterrence;
(g) whether Federal Government procurement practices can be modified to ensure that public contracts are only awarded to those businesses that do not engage in wage and superannuation theft; and
(h) any related matters.
That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, by no later than 3.30 pm on 14 November 2019, the following documents referred to in Auditor-General's report no. 12 2019-20, Award of Funding Under the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages (RJIP):
(a) the Memorandum of Understanding signed in July 2017, under which the Business Grants Hub was engaged to administer aspects of the program;
(b) documents that show how the cost of $8.078 million was determined;
(c) all other documents relating to the Business Grants Hub being selected to administer the RJIP, including emails/briefs between the Minister, the Minister's office, the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (the Department) and the Business Grants Hub, as well as all correspondence between the Department and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development; and
(d) the request for quote and the final agreed contract between the Department and the contractor who undertook the assessment process at a cost of $3.15 million.
That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, by no later than 3.30 pm on 14 November 2019, the following documents referred to in Auditor-General's report no. 12 2019-20, Award of Funding Under the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages (RJIP):
(a) all written briefings provided to Ministerial Panels to inform the award of grant funding in each of the 10 regions;
(b) all written responses from Ministerial Panels to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development (the Department) following consideration of advice provided in relating to paragraph (a) above, including:
(i) all records of requests by Panels to award funding to applications that had not been recommended by the Department, and all reasons for Panels awarding funding to applications that had not been recommended by the Department,
(ii) all records of requests by Panels to not award funding to applications that had been recommended by the Department, and all records of reasons for Panels not awarding funding to applications that had been recommended by the Department,
(iii) any documents identifying projects identified as ineligible, including any that received funding under the RJIP,
(iv) any documents identifying late applications, including any projects that received funding under the RJIP, and
(v) any documents identifying projects where there was a request for a co-funding exemption, including all records related to the decisions on whether to grant an exemption;
(c) a copy of the assurance review contracted by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development; and
(d) all documents provided to Ministers/Ministerial Panels containing the scoring/assessment of all grant applications under the RJIP, and all responses by Ministers/Ministerial Panels to this advice.
That the Senate—
(a) recognises that, 40 years after the Matildas first took to the field to play in the World Women's Invitational Tournament in 1978, Football Federation Australia and Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) have delivered a new four-year collective bargaining agreement, which will see the Matildas and Socceroos receive an equal share of revenue, closing the pay gap between Australia's national football teams;
(b) notes that:
(i) this agreement has been reached after the extensive collective bargaining efforts of female footballers through the PFA, and
(ii) this is an important step in closing the gender pay gap in professional sport;
(c) notes the current gender pay gap for Australian women is 14% – a statistic which has only decreased by 5% over the past two decades; and
(d) calls on the Federal Government to do more to ensure Australian women are not worse off in any workplace.
That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, by no later than 11.45 am on 14 November 2019, a copy of the full report prepared by the Independent Health Advice Panel for the third quarter of 2019, and the Minister's summary and response, in accordance with Section 199E of the Migration Act 1958.
Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment (Tax Transparency in Procurement and Grants) Bill 2019
That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 , and for related purposes.
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 the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment (Tax Transparency in Procurement and Grants) Bill 2019 is to reform Commonwealth procurement rules to place greater knowledge and transparency arrangements on government agencies entering into contracts with companies that are, or have related entities, domiciled in recognised tax havens.
The law will also introduce similar measure into arrangements for the provision of grants by Commonwealth entities.
The Australian Government has declared its desire to combat multinational tax avoidance.
However there have to date been no measures to provide the government with information on the foreign tax arrangements of companies seeking to contract with the Commonwealth to provide goods or services.
Nor have government departments and agencies been obliged to consider the tax arrangements of companies in the tender process.
Finally, there have been no public reporting requirements for government departments and agencies entering into contracts with companies that are, or have related entities, domiciled in recognised tax havens.
The same deficiencies in information collection, consideration and reporting also apply in regard to the entities that receive grants from Commonwealth Government agencies.
As a consequence there is no effective transparency in relation to government contractors or grant recipients that are, or have parent companies, domiciled in tax havens – for example, the Cayman Islands.
While there may be a wide range of legitimate reasons for companies to make offshore tax arrangements, including in recognised tax havens, there is a strong public interest in ensuring taxation transparency from entities that receive taxpayer funds, whether through government contracts or grants.
This Bill will remedy these very obvious deficiencies in the Australian Government's procurement arrangements and grants schemes.
The Bill will amend the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 to require the responsible Minister to prescribe foreign countries or parts thereof as tax havens.
In determining whether a country or area should be designated as a tax haven, the Minister will be required to consult with the Commissioner of Taxation.
The Minister will be required to publish a notice setting out the country, or the part of the country, the Minister proposes to prescribe; and invite interested parties to make submissions about the proposed prescription. The Minister must have regard to advice and submissions received before deciding to prescribe a tax haven.
This process will ensure that the Minister's decision is based on independent expert advice from the Commissioner of Taxation and provides the opportunity for input from any interested parties, which may include representatives of the country in question or companies domiciled in that country or area.
The Bill will further establish three key requirements for both procurement and grants – a disclosure requirement, a consideration requirement and a publication requirement.
The disclosure requirement will mandate that a company responding to a Commonwealth Government tender where the offered price for goods or services exceeds $4 million (or $7.5 million for construction services) will need to disclose whether the company, or any of its related entities, are domiciled in a tax haven.
These thresholds ensure that the taxation transparency arrangements will only apply to major public procurement.
A supplier or grant applicant will also be required to give details of foreign entities that might not otherwise be available on account of the secrecy laws normally encountered in tax haven jurisdictions.
The consideration requirement will require officials to consider, in consultation with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), any additional risks that a company, or any of its related entities being domiciled in a tax haven, may have on tax avoidance and transparency.
The publication requirement will impose an obligation on agencies that award contracts to companies that are, or have related entities, domiciled in a tax haven to publish the number of contracts and the total value of contracts in their annual reports.
Similar requirements will also apply to the award of grants by Commonwealth agencies.
The Bill will not make it unlawful or otherwise prevent the award of contracts or the provision of grants to companies and entities that have tax haven links. However it will establish a much-needed transparency scheme and impose additional due diligence requirements on officials to ensure that the public interest is properly weighed in Australian Government contracting and grants processes.
Australian taxpayers have a right to know if any significant amount of taxpayer money is being given to entities with tax haven links. They have a right to expect that Australian Government procurement will take into account international taxation issues.
This law will achieve these objectives, and the information that flows into the public domain will inform policy makers and public debate about further measures that may be required to strengthen Australia's efforts to combat multinational taxation avoidance.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) there are an estimated 100 living survivors from the thalidomide disaster in Australia who are experiencing rapid deterioration of their health and quality of life,
(ii) the Community Affairs References Committee conducted an inquiry into the support for Australia's thalidomide survivors and a report, presented on 22 March 2019, found the current supports available to thalidomide survivors are inadequate – the committee made 11 recommendations, including that the Government should issue a formal apology, as well as provide compensation to enable survivors to live with their disability, and the findings received unanimous support from the committee,
(iii) the Federal Government has not yet responded to the report, and has not indicated a clear timeline for its response to survivors, and
(iv) survivors have clearly articulated the need for urgency in enacting all recommendations of the report, especially those which call for the provision of compensation to all survivors; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to:
(i) urgently respond to the committee report and provide a clear timeline for that response to survivors, and
(ii) enact all recommendations of the committee report without delay.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) in December 2018, the Department of Social Services (the Department) figures recorded that 199,907 Newstart recipients had a 'partial capacity to work' meaning they are disabled or have an illness that prevents them from working 30 hours per week,
(ii) when the Department released figures to June 2019, it was revealed that the Department had been under-reporting the number of people with a 'partial capacity to work' and there were in fact 284,900 on Newstart with 'partial capacity to work' in December 2018,
(iii) figures to June 2019, show there are now 289,489, of a total of 686,000 people on Newstart, who are categorised as having a 'partial capacity to work' meaning 42% of Newstart recipients now have an illness or disability,
(iv) only 14.5% of people with a 'partial capacity to work' are reporting earnings,
(v) the inquiry into the jobactive program, undertaken by the Education and Employment References Committee, found that the employment services framework is not fit for purpose, and
(vi) the jobactive system is making people sick and depressed and exacerbating existing conditions;
(b) expresses its deep concern that:
(i) 42% of Newstart recipients who are sick and disabled people are struggling to pay bills often forced to choose between a meal or medicine, while looking for work, and
(ii) jobactive and disability employment services (DES) are not adequately supporting sick and disabled people; and
(c) calls on the Federal Government to make it a priority to help alleviate poverty by immediately increasing Newstart.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) on 12 November 2019 the Stop the Debt Trap Alliance has today released its report entitled, The Debt Trap , and
(ii) the report contains new data showing the scale of financial harm that payday lending is causing in Australia;
(b) recognises that:
(i) payday loans trap people in a cycle of debt and leave them in a significantly worse position than they were in prior to taking out the loan,
(ii) payday lenders target people who are economically disadvantaged and excluded from accessing mainstream finance,
(iii) over a five-year period, around 15% of payday loan borrowers fall into a debt spiral,
(iv) the number of women using payday loans has risen from 177,000 in 2016 to 287,000 in 2019 – this represents a rise to 23.13% of all borrowers,
(v) digital platforms have contributed to a rapid growth in payday lending, with payday loans that originate online expected to hit 85.8% by the end of 2019, and
(vi) in the 2015 report of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission entitled, The cost of consumer leases for household goods , it found in one case a dryer cost a Centrelink recipient the equivalent of an interest rate of 884%;
(c) further notes that:
(i) in 2015, the Federal Government initiated a review into Small Amount Credit Contracts and accepted the vast majority of recommendations made in the final report of the review delivered in 2016, and
(ii) in October 2017, the Federal Government released exposure draft legislation on Small Amount Credit Contract and Consumer Lease Reforms but since then has taken no action to introduce or attempt to pass the bill; and
(d) calls on the Federal Government to urgently introduce and pass legislation to provide critical protections and stop the harm caused by payday loans and consumer leases.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that today, 12 November 2019, marks the 100th anniversary of the commencement of the first ever flight from England to Australia;
(b) records its enduring respect for the feat achieved by the four-person crew, comprising pilot Ross Smith, navigator Keith Smith and mechanic Wally Shiers, all from South Australia, and mechanic Jim Bennett from Victoria;
(c) recalls that they:
(i) competed alongside five other Australian crews who responded to the invitation by then Prime Minister Billy Hughes to race from London to Darwin in a British built plane in pursuit of prize money of £10,000, provided they completed the journey within 30 days,
(ii) departed Hounslow, England, on 12 November 1919, stopping at Lyons, Pisa, Venturina, Rome, Taranto, Canea, Cairo, Damascus, Ramadi, Basra, Bundar Abbas, Karachi, Delhi, Muttra, Allahabad, Calcutta, Akyab, Rangoon, Bangkok, Singora, Singapore, Batavia, Surabaya, Bima and Atamboea before landing in Darwin 27 days and 20 hours later at 3.50 pm on 10 December 1919, with an actual flying time of 135 hours,
(iii) overcame great adversity to become the only crew to reach Darwin within the 30 days, with two crews perishing in accidents, two others abandoning the race due to crashes and the other crew taking 206 days to reach Darwin,
(iv) flew a Vickers Vimy, registration number G-EAOU, made largely of wood and fabric, with an open cockpit that variously exposed them to snow, sleet, hail and extreme heat, which is one of only two such aircraft still in existence, housed at Adelaide Airport, and is scheduled to be relocated into a modern, purpose built facility within the airport terminal by 2021, and
(v) were widely praised around the world for this accomplishment, with the New York Times editorialising that Captain Ross Smith "must be hailed as the foremost living aviator"; and
(d) extends its thanks to those who have helped to coordinate celebrations to mark the centenary of this epic flight and, in doing so, to raise awareness of the courage, ingenuity and perseverance of these skilled aviators.
(1) the Senate notes that:
(a) on 15 March 2019, the Federal Government announced that it would progress a mandatory code of conduct for the dairy industry;
(b) the current exposure draft of the Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes—Dairy) Regulations 2019 differs from an earlier exposure draft, in that it provides that milk processors will be able to retrospectively reduce the minimum price paid to producers under a milk supply agreement in circumstances that are 'beyond reasonable control of the processor'; and
(c) the Minister for Agriculture, Senator McKenzie, stated during a media interview on 12 November 2019 on ABC Radio National, that 'our legal drafters have interpreted the feedback we got through consultation and have actually reflected that in the words we have today'.
(2) That there be laid on the table by the Minister for Agriculture, by 5 pm on 25 November 2019:
(a) the drafting instructions provided to legal drafters to make changes to the previous exposure draft of the Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes—Dairy) Regulations 2019; and
(b) all correspondence between milk processors and the Minister for Agriculture, and milk processors and the Department of Agriculture during the period 1 March and 12 November 2019.
That the Senate—
(a) recognises that:
(i) 85% of retail and fast food workers had experienced abuse from customers at work,
(ii) for retail and fast food workers, this abuse can severely impact their physical and psychological health and it cannot continue,
(iii) the Christmas holidays period is the busiest time for retail workers, and
(iv) every worker has the right to be able to do their job in a safe environment; and
(b) acknowledges the work of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association in representing its members in retail and fast food, and advocating for industry changes to ensure that customers cannot continue this behaviour and build better protections for retail and fast food workers.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) in May 2019, the Victorian Essential Services Commission agreed to update its Energy Retail Code (the Code) to improve protections for customers affected by family violence, with effect from 1 January 2020,
(ii) changes to the Code implement a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Family Violence, and were developed in consultation with energy and community sector participants, and
(iii) the revised Code will provide practical support and protection to those experiencing domestic and family violence by requiring energy providers to:
(A) adopt policies to assist customers affected by family violence, including through consideration for hardship programs,
(B) provide customers experiencing family violence with flexible assistance in managing their personal and financial security,
(C) develop policies to ensure the privacy of contact details are protected in a situation where a customer is escaping a family violence situation, and
(D) provide comprehensive and ongoing training to all responsible staff regarding family violence;
(b) commends the Victorian Government and the Essential Services Commission for adopting these measures; and
(c) calls on the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction to discuss the development of a national framework of Family Violence Support Provisions for Energy Retailers with Energy Ministers at the upcoming COAG Energy Council Meeting.
That the Senate—
(a) notes:
(i) the devastating impact of bushfires currently burning across Australia,
(ii) the tragic loss of life, loss of and damage to property, and the impact on the livelihoods and communities of many Australians, and
(iii) the extraordinary resilience of these communities and emergency service personnel in responding to these tragic and challenging circumstances;
(b) acknowledges the immense risk being taken by our firefighting personnel, both paid and voluntary; and
(c) particularly acknowledges the Tasmanian firefighting personnel from the Tasmanian Fire Service, Parks and Wildlife Services and Sustainable Timbers Tasmania assisting in New South Wales, which is a great representation of the Australian spirit of helping out when needed.
Governor-General Amendment (Cessation of Allowances in the Public Interest) Bill 2019
That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Governor-General Act 1974 and for related purposes.
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 amends the Governor-General Act 1974 (the Act) to stop paying standard allowances to former Governors-General, and their spouses, when they have engaged in serious misconduct. There are currently no mechanisms within the Act to end allowances when such a payment is no longer in the public interest, for instance when a former Governor-General has engaged in unconscionable or illegal behaviour.
The Bill provides two avenues for ceasing to pay allowances. Firstly, the Minister may make a declaration through a legislative instrument to end allowances to a former Governor-General, or their spouse, where they have engaged in serious misconduct. The Ministerial declaration must set out the person the declaration applies to, the reasons for making the declaration and a summary of the information considered in the process. A declaration is not affected by when the Governor-General was in office, or when or where the misconduct took place.
The second avenue permits a House of Parliament to pass a resolution declaring that a former Governor-General, or their spouse, cease to be paid an allowance because a former Governor-General have engaged in serious misconduct.
Similar provisions for ceasing entitlements to former Governors already exist in state and territory legislation. In Queensland, under the Governors (Salary and Pensions) Act 2003 , a former Governor may have their entitlement ceased if a tribunal makes a finding that the Governor misbehaved in a way that justifies ending the entitlement.
For the purposes of this Bill, serious misconduct involves inappropriate, improper, wrong or unlawful conduct. Examples of serious misconduct could include corruption, harassment, abuse, theft, fraud and other criminal behaviour. The Bill outlines that serious misconduct also includes an omission to act. I think it is significant that we include an omission to act in the definition of serious misconduct because it sends a clear signal to people in power that the cover up of abuse and illegal behaviour is never acceptable.
The Governor-General is a political figurehead within our system, performing both constitutional and ceremonial duties. Under current convention, the Prime Minister is responsible for providing advice on the appointment of the Governor-General.
As we have seen in the past, there have been limited checks and balances on these appointments. Under the Act, former Governors-General are entitled to a retirement allowance for life after they cease to hold office. The retirement allowance is paid at 60% of the current salary Chief Justice of the High Court. Today, this is equivalent to $360,000 a year in retirement allowances. Following the death of a serving or retired Governor-General, their spouse is entitled to an allowance for life at five-eighths of the rate of a former Governor-General. This is a significant amount of money funded by the taxpayer.
In addition to a retirement allowance, former Governors-General are entitled to post-employment benefits including the provision of office facilities, administrative support and transport. These entitlements are administered through the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. In 2018, over $13 million was provided in non-cash benefits to former Governors-General on top of their retirement allowances.
Under the current legislative framework, a former Governor-General or their spouse will continue to receive retirement allowances even when they have engaged in serious misconduct. For example, they may have been convicted and imprisoned for a crime and would continue to remain eligible. This represents a clear oversight in legislation that should be rectified.
This Bill aims to introduce accountability and transparency to the expenditure of public money for the payment of pensions and allowances to former Governors-General. Our Government should not continue to pay such significant allowances, worth millions of dollars, where it is no longer in the public interest to do so. It is important that people who hold public office are held accountable. They should not be able to engage in misconduct or in unlawful activity and still continue to receive government-funded entitlements.
Our efforts to introduce accountability mechanisms to these allowances have been championed by the work of abuse survivors and their advocates. I would like to take a moment to recognise their tireless work in shining a light on this issue.
Many survivors of abuse are of the view that former Governors-General who have acted unconscionably or illegally should not receive ongoing government-funded entitlements. Survivors are calling for action from our politicians, not just words, as important as they are.
Last year, a coalition of groups wrote to the Prime Minister asking him to amend the Act to cease payment of public money to former Governors-General. This group included Bravehearts, the Blue Knot Foundation, Care Leavers Australasia Network, End Rape on Campus, Beyond Abuse and the Queensland Child Sexual Abuse Legislative Reform Council.
In the letter they wrote:
"At a time when ordinary Australians are working harder than ever, with energy, petrol and food prices constantly rising, and the tax payer bearing the burden of the enormous cost of untreated child abuse it is not in the public interest that the tax payer continue to also fund a person who has betrayed the public trust in their previous role as an institutional leader."
I would like to reiterate my admiration for the courage of survivors of institutional child sexual abuse and their strong support for survivors' ongoing pursuit of justice.
Taking action will help ensure the people and institutions who shielded abusers face the consequences of their actions. We know that the cover up of abuse in institutional settings allowed the sexual abuse of children to continue, causing further trauma and harm to children. People who held public office and played a part in covering up sexual abuse must be held accountable. This Bill is a part of ongoing efforts to achieve this. Public pressure alone won't be enough to strip former Governors-General of their generous entitlements. It is time to put legislation in place to ensure they are held accountable.
I am urging all parties to take a serious look at how we are supporting survivors of abuse in this country.
There is still significant work to be done to support abuse survivors, including implementation of all of the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutionalised Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
There is urgent work that needs to be done on fixing the National Redress Scheme to ensure it is as extensive, functional and effective as possible. The scheme has been plagued by delays in claims being processed and difficulties getting institutions to join the scheme. The reality is that survivors of sexual abuse are passing away before their claims for redress are processed. The Government must take this seriously and do everything it can to ensure the Redress Scheme is working as intended.
Thankfully progress is being made in some areas for survivors, and I think it's also important to celebrate these legislative achievements. In October, the Queensland Parliament passed legislation that extends the definition of abuse to include serious physical and psychological abuse. The legislation also sets aside the statute of limitations for these survivors to pursue civil claims. These changes will help hold institutions accountable and improve access to justice for abuse survivors in Queensland.
This Bill represents an important step towards redress for the survivors of abuse. It sends a clear message that no one is above the law and abusers and those who protect abusers must be held accountable. I urge you to consider this Bill, not only from a public accountability perspective, but also as a way of achieving healing, closure and justice for survivors of sexual abuse.
We must continue to break the culture of secrecy and silence.
I commend this Bill to the Senate.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) this week is Transgender Awareness Week, and
(ii) Transgender Awareness Week is an opportunity to learn about gender diversity, work to remove all forms of discrimination against transgender and gender diverse people, and commit to being better allies; and
(b) calls on all parliamentarians to:
(i) commit to learning more about the lives and experiences of transgender and gender diverse people,
(ii) elevate the voices of transgender and gender diverse people, especially during Transgender Awareness Week, and
(iii) support the provision of essential health, social, cultural, and community services for trans and gender diverse people and their families, delivered with the meaningful input and involvement of these communities.
The Senate divided. [16:32]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) since 2013, more than $300 million has been cut from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) by the Coalition Government,
(ii) the ABC has confirmed it will not buy the non-commercial rights to next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo, meaning there will be no live broadcast for the first time since 1952, and
(iii) the ABC has cited 'budget pressures' as being behind the decision; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to provide stable and adequate funding to the ABC.
That the following matter be referred to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report by 30 March 2020:
The deal struck between the Federal Government and the South Australian Government for 100GL of Murray-Darling River water to be cut from South Australia's allocation, and the Commonwealth to fund the increased use of the State's desalination plant to instead provide the same amount of water to the State, with particular reference to:
(a) the consequences for the river system of taking 100GL plus conveyance water from downstream flows;
(b) the mechanisms for ensuring that the water that South Australia is forgoing is actually delivered as intended, such as to small farmers to grow fodder;
(c) the checks and transparency measures to ensure the program is not rorted or exploited;
(d) whether the 100GL could have been delivered to New South Wales and Victorian farmers by a means other than reducing South Australia's allocation, and whether that would have been more cost-effective;
(e) the South Australian-commissioned desalination feasibility report;
(f) whether $88.4 million to help offset costs of running the South Australian desalination plant is the most efficient and cost-effective measure to help farmers feed their stock;
(g) legal provisions that allow Commonwealth and state governments to buy and sell water outside the provisions of the Water Act 2007 ; and
(h) any other related matters.
The Senate divided. [16:40]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes:
(i) the Victorian Government's announcement last week that they intend to end native forest logging in Victoria by 2030,
(ii) that clear-fell logging of public native forests continues in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, and continues to receive significant public subsidy, and
(iii) that plantation-sourced wood and fibre makes up 88% of Australia's timber output; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to:
(i) take national leadership to halt destructive logging and protect native forests for their values as complex ecosystems, including wildlife habitat, water supply, carbon storage and regional tourism, and
(ii) establish a national aim of phasing out native forest logging, and for plantations and farm forestry to provide 100% Australian-grown wood and fibre.
That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Assistant Treasurer, by 28 November 2019:
(a) a copy of the unused census test form, including new questions on gender and sexuality;
(b) any analysis undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as to whether these questions contribute to an understanding of the health needs, outcomes and wellbeing of the LGBTIQ+ community; and
(c) any communications between Ministers or their offices and the Australian Bureau of Statistics in relation to these questions.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) states of emergency have been declared in New South Wales and Queensland due to catastrophic bushfire risk,
(ii) lives have been lost, more than 150 homes have been destroyed, and almost 1,000,000 hectares of land in New South Wales have been razed since the start of this year's unprecedented bushfire season,
(iii) in New South Wales, the Greater Sydney and Hunter areas are set to experience catastrophic fire conditions for the first time on record,
(iv) in Queensland, a state of emergency has been declared in 42 local government areas across the south east and central Queensland, with at least 11,000 hectares and more than a dozen homes lost,
(v) the climate crisis is making bushfires like these more frequent and more intense, and making fire seasons longer and more dangerous each year, and
(vi) burning coal, oil and gas is dangerously heating our planet, and Australia is the third largest exporter of carbon pollution in the world;
(b) expresses its whole-hearted support for communities across New South Wales and Queensland devastated by these raging bushfires;
(c) thanks the courageous firefighters and emergency services for their service to communities in need; and
(d) calls on the Federal Government to:
(i) act decisively to build resilience in communities, and
(ii) declare a climate emergency.
The Senate divided. [16:49]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate notes that:
(a) Norwegian company Equinor has an application before the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight;
(b) NOPSEMA has rejected Equinor's environment plan stating that Equinor must provide it with further information about matters relating to consultation, source control, oil spill risk, and matters protected under Part 3 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 ;
(c) modelling commissioned by The Australia Institute shows Equinor will pay the Norwegian Government more than it will pay in Australian Government taxes, and up to 27 times more than it will pay to the South Australian Government;
(d) if Equinor's application is ultimately approved by NOPSEMA, a foreign-owned company will therefore take the vast majority of financial gains while exploiting and putting at risk our precious marine and coastal environment, and tens of thousands of tourism and fishing industry jobs; and
(e) the ecological and environmental significance of the Great Australian Bight is, in fact, priceless.
The Senate divided. [16:53]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes that on 17 October 2019, 7.30 revealed that:
(i) horses bred for racing, and subject to interstate trade, are being sent to knackeries and abattoirs to be slaughtered,
(ii) the horse racing industry produced more than 14,000 foals in the last financial year,
(iii) footage of horses matched to the national industry's official record of thoroughbreds—the Australian Stud Book showed around 300 racehorses, representing almost $5 million in prize money, were detected at Meramist Abattoir in Queensland in just 22 days alone,
(iv) horses like Tahitian Black, who won $400,000 in prize money, were trialled and raced dozens of times for people to wager on for sport, and have been discarded at knackeries and used for pet food, and
(v) thoroughbred race horses as young as two years old, fillies and colts, and the brood mares that produced them, are ending up at slaughter houses and knackeries; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to request His Excellency the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia to issue Letters Patent to establish a royal commission to inquire into cruelty to race horses.
The Senate divided [16:58]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes that, in October 2019, the Conservation Council of Western Australia released its 'Clean State' report, which found that:
(i) LNG production in Western Australia (WA) is the fastest-growing pollution source in Australia, and has been the primary driver of recent national emissions growth,
(ii) the rapid expansion in LNG production in WA, in combination with inadequate carbon pollution controls, has had a dramatic impact on the State's total emissions—while all other States' emissions are falling, WA's have risen by 23% since 2005,
(iii) Chevron and Woodside are responsible for most of this pollution and there are no effective controls on their operations,
(iv) over the next 12 years, the total cumulative emissions from WA's five current LNG facilities (384Mt) will cancel out the entire amount of abatement expected to be delivered under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) (375Mt), at a total cost of $4.55 billion the ERF is effectively an Australian taxpayer-funded offset program for Chevron and Woodside's operations to 2031,
(v) offsetting LNG pollution in WA would create 4000 jobs, and
(vi) there is no such thing as clean gas; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to:
(i) acknowledge the 'clean gas myth', and
(ii) commit to moving away from extracting and exporting LNG.
The Senate divided. [17:06]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) congratulates all finalists and recipients of the 2020 South Australian of the Year awards;
(b) further congratulates eye surgeon and blindness prevention pioneer, Dr James Muecke, AM, for being honoured as South Australian of the Year for 2020;
(c) recognises that Dr Muecke, AM, has dedicated his working life to fighting blindness prevention and ophthalmic research;
(d) notes that in 2000, Dr Muecke, AM, co-founded Vision Myanmar at the South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology, a $1 million program that has developed and operated eye health and blindness initiatives in the Southeast Asian nation;
(e) further notes that Dr Muecke, AM, is the founder and chairman of Sight for All, a social impact organisation which aims to create a world where everyone can see;
(f) acknowledges that Sight for All creates low-cost programs to fight blindness through research, education and infrastructure, and is closely involved in projects operating in Ethiopia, nine Asian countries, and in mainstream and Aboriginal communities across Australia;
(g) notes that, according to the Institute of Health and Welfare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 40 years, have 6 times the rate of blindness of other Australians, and 94% of vision loss in Indigenous Australians is preventable or treatable; and
(h) calls on the Federal Government to correct the marked under-resourcing of specialist eye services provided to remote and disadvantaged communities, when compared with the national average.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the 2019 Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot found that there were no affordable properties in any capital city for a single person on Newstart or Youth Allowance,
(ii) the low level of appropriate and affordable properties available to rent for households on the Newstart Allowance and Youth Allowance, strongly indicates the likelihood that many of those households will be living in housing stress or housing that is not appropriate,
(iii) the lack of affordable housing means that people on Newstart and Youth Allowance are spending a disproportionately high percentage of their income support on housing, resulting in them not being able to afford other essentials like food, energy and health, and
(iv) poverty is a well-established social determinant of health, including psychological health, and persistent poverty plays a demonstrable role in increasing levels of psychological distress; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to immediately increase Newstart and Youth Allowance to allow people in our community to have dignity of choice and to help address housing stress.
That the Senate—
(a) notes:
(i) the Government's failure to provide a response to the reports of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee (the Committee) on aspects of road safety in Australia,
(ii) that, in 2018, both the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation and References Committees sent two letters to the Minister, drawing attention to the Committee's reports into aspects of road safety in Australia,
(iii) that the Committee received correspondence in reply from the Minister, advising that the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development was 'consulting with other portfolios to finalise the Australian Government response to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee inquiry into aspects of road safety in Australia',
(iv) that it has now been a further nine months since the Minister's advice to the Committee that a government response to its road safety reports was being finalised, and a government response has still not been presented to the Senate, and
(v) significant concern about this lack of response, given the importance of improving road safety in Australia and preventing unnecessary deaths on our roads;
(b) calls on the Federal Government to respond to the Committee's recommendations in reports presented in 2016 and 2017, so that the recently established Joint Select Committee on Road Safety can properly consider the best ways to reduce road accident rates and deaths on Australian roads; and
(c) requires the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development to table, by no later than 3.30 pm on 14 November 2019, the government's response to the Committee's reports.
That the Senate—
(a) recognises there is a crisis in Australia in the exploitation of migrant workers;
(b) notes the findings in a report, dated November 2017, Wage theft in Australia: Findings of the National Temporary Migrant Work Survey , authored by Migrant Worker Justice Initiative, UNSW and UTS, that include:
(i) two-thirds of migrant workers reporting that their employer, at one point or another, failed to provide a payslip – with 44% reporting they had never received a payslip for their work,
(ii) 28% of workers in the hospitality industry experiencing their employer confiscating their passport,
(iii) 30% of survey participants earning $12 per hour or less – this is approximately half the minimum wage for a casual employee in many of the jobs in which temporary migrants work, and
(iv) 46% of participants earning $15 per hour or less;
(c) notes an October 2018 report, by the Migrant Worker Justice Initiative which found that fewer than one in 10 (9%) of migrant workers took action to recover unpaid wages, even though most know they were being underpaid;
(d) commends UnionsNSW and the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre for their Visa Assist program which provides free legal advice and assistance to migrant union members; and
(e) notes that, despite accepting all the recommendations contained in the report of the Migrant Workers' Taskforce, released on 7 March 2019, the Federal Government has failed to act on recommendations 3 to 9, 11 to 13 and 18 to 22.
The Senate divided. [17:17]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes:
(i) the statement made by the Queensland Premier, Ms Annastacia Palaszczuk, reported in the Brisbane Times on 30 October 2019, indicating she would be open to discussing the development of a 'smaller version of the Bradfield scheme' with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and
(ii) that, on 1 November 2019, the Courier Mail reported that LNP Leader, Ms Deb Frecklington, has committed to an updated version of the Bradfield Scheme in the form of a 'multibillion-dollar water scheme that could drought-proof parched western Queensland'; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to take the necessary steps to ensure the construction of a Bradfield-type scheme can begin, in Queensland, as swiftly as possible.
The Senate divided. [17:27]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
Dear Mr President,
Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion:
The failure of the Coalition Government to deliver for rural and regional Australia.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) Australia has a propensity to simply export its raw materials and commodities to countries that then profit by doing the value add and selling it back to us, and
(ii) this approach denies Australia economic activity and job opportunities; and
(b) calls on the Australian Government to adjust policy and support settings to ensure we value add before exporting.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) New South Wales and Queensland are currently in the midst of devastating bushfires,
(ii) these fires have led to three people tragically losing their lives, more than 30 people injured and over 170 homes destroyed,
(iii) well over 100 fires are burning across New South Wales and Queensland, and
(iv) New South Wales and Queensland remain in a State of Emergency, with severe fire dangers continuing today and expected to continue into the weekend;
(b) offers its condolences to the Australians who have lost their loved ones, and the Australians who have lost their homes;
(c) expresses its gratitude to the brave firefighters, both paid and voluntary, and emergency services personnel who are working through the day and night to keep communities safe; and
(d) urges those Australians in affected areas to listen to warnings and stay safe.
That the Senate take note of the report.
Senate Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances Delegated Legislation Monitor Tabling Statement
As Chair of the Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances I rise to speak to the tabling of the committee's Delegated Legislation Monitor 8 of 2019 .
In particular, I wish to highlight the committee's comments in Chapter 1 of the Monitor regarding the Immigration (Guardianship of Children) Regulations 2018.
The regulations set out the principles which the minister must observe when deciding whether to direct that a non-citizen child is to become the minister's ward.
In Delegated Legislation Monitor 4 of 2019 , the committee expressed concern that the regulations contain significant matters with the potential to affect the personal rights and liberties of non-citizen children. In the committee's view, such matters are more appropriate for inclusion in an Act of Parliament, rather than delegated legislation or non-statutory guidelines.
In light of the committee's concerns, the committee resolved to place a notice of motion to disallow the instrument, to give the Senate additional time to further consider these matters.
The committee has since had the opportunity to receive a private briefing from senior officials of the Department of Home Affairs about the regulations. This provided committee members with a valuable opportunity to ask further questions about the nature of the regulations and the manner in which they were made.
Following that briefing, the committee wrote to the Minister for Immigration to request a review of the regulations, and the regulation-making powers in the enabling Act, with a particular focus on the following two key issues:
1. whether the matters provided for in the regulations have the potential to affect personal rights and liberties or other significant matters such that they are more appropriate for parliamentary enactment, and
2. whether the manner in which the regulations are drafted is consistent with the intention of the enabling Act.
I am pleased to inform the chamber that the minister has now agreed to the committee's request to conduct such a review.
In light of the minister's undertaking, the committee has resolved to withdraw the notice of motion to disallow the instrument. The committee will continue to monitor the minister's undertaking to ensure that it is implemented.
I take this opportunity to thank the minister and departmental officers for their willingness to engage constructively with the committee regarding its scrutiny concerns.
The satisfactory resolution of this matter provides a model for how ministers and agencies can engage with the committee in the future, to ensure that delegated legislation is made in a manner which complies with the principles of parliamentary oversight.
With these comments, I commend the committee's Delegated Legislation Monitor 8 of 2019 to the Senate.
That the Senate adopt the recommendation contained in the report.
That the Senate take note of the report.
The Principles add to, rather than overcome, concerns regarding regulation of physical and chemical restraint, including on issues of consent.
Dear Mr President
I write with regard to a question I took on notice from Senator Faruqi during Question Time on Thursday 17 October 2019, on the matter of the Department of Health's Economic and social impacts of recreational hunting and shooting report.
The Department of Health engaged RM Consulting Group for $165,000 (GST lncl) to assess the health, wellbeing and economic impacts of recreational hunting and sport shooting in Australia. This was announced by the former Minister for Sport, Minister McKenzie in October 2018.
The final report was publicly released by the Department of Health on 20 September 2019 on its website. The report found that recreational hunting and shooting contributes $2.4 billion (gross) and $335 million (net) to Australia's GDP. In addition, it concluded that hunting and shooting provides a means of achieving meaningful levels of physical activity for many of its participants.
Australia's national sports plan, Sport 2030, outlines the need for a diverse sport industry and a wide range of activities to support more Australians to be more active, more often. The report shows:
The Australian Government recognises the positive impact that recreational hunting and shooting has both at an economic and social level in Australia.
I have copied this letter to Senator Faruqi .
Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Dear Senator
I am writing in relation to questions you raised regarding the Government's commitment to delivering clinical health care standards during Question Time on Wednesday 16 October 2019.
Safety and quality in hospitals is primarily the responsibility of states and territories. The Australian Government supports the states and territories in improving hospital quality and safety by jointly funding the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission).
By working in partnership with the Australian Government, states and territories, the private sector, clinical experts, and patients and carers, the Commission aims to ensure that the health system is better informed, supported and organised to deliver safe and high-quality care.
All hospitals and day procedures are required to implement the Commission's National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards. The NSQHS Standards were developed by the Commission in collaboration with the Australian Government, states and territories, private sector providers, clinical experts, patients and carers. The primary aims of the NSQHS Standards are to protect the public from harm and to improve the quality of health service provision.
The eight NSQHS Standards provide a nationally consistent statement about the level of care consumers can expect from health services. The eight NSQHS Standards are:
In addition to the NSQHS, the Commission has issued Clinical Care Standards. A Clinical Care Standard is a small number of quality statements that describe the care patients should be offered by health professionals and health services for a specific clinical condition or defined clinical pathway in line with current best evidence. Clinical Care Standards can play an important role in delivering appropriate care and reducing unwarranted variation, as they identify and define the care people should expect to be offered or receive, regardless of where they are treated in Australia.
I trust this information is of assistance to you. I have provided a copy of this letter to the Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, for information.
Yours sincerely
Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
That senators be discharged from and appointed to committees as follows:
Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology—Select Committee—
Appointed—Participating members: Senators Ayres, Bilyk, Brown, Carr, Chisholm, Ciccone, Dodson, Farrell, Gallacher, Gallagher, Green, Keneally, Kitching, Lines, McAllister, McCarthy, O'Neill, Polley, Pratt, Sheldon, Sterle, Urquhart, Watt and Wong
Implementation of the National Redress Scheme—Joint Select Committee—
Appointed—Senator Henderson.
Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2019-2020
Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2019-2020
Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2019-2020
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Streamlined Governance) Bill 2019
The Senate divided. [19:13]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
At the end of the motion, add:
", and the further consideration of the bill be an order of the day for the first sitting day after the findings and recommendations of the 2019 review of the NDIS Act and the new NDIS Participant Service Guarantee are publicly released."
The Senate divided. [19:17]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
The Senate divided. [19:25]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
For 2 years Chelsea Dog gave me a reason to get out of bed when all I wanted was to die. I was responsible for walking her, feeding her and shopping for her food which I hated because I had to be around people.
A lot of the companies that they talk to, when they explained my PTSD, said they'd give me a dog tomorrow, but our government won't acknowledge our PTSD. They won't recognise us and give us the permits for those dogs. That dog basically becomes useless. We can't go into hospital for two or three weeks at a time and have the dog.
… … …
For me, with my nightmares every single night—my poor wife has to go through hell every day with me, but that's another story. Every night, I usually end up on the couch downstairs with all the lights on. I'll wake up after a nightmare and am frightened one of my monsters is in the house somewhere, so I have to finally get up the courage to look over the other side of the couch, look under the pool table, check the doors are locked ...