The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. Scott Ryan) took the chair at 09:30, read prayers and made an acknowledgement of country.
… demand for improved performance all over the world. It may be manifested in some places in riots, in demonstrations and in other ways in a less violent manner, but a demand for institutions such as ours to carry out their work efficiently is becoming apparent.
Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Flexibility Measures) Bill 2020
The time between a parent and their child is sacred, and this government will always fight to enhance that time… Research is now becoming more and more definitive that time parents spend with their children and children's improved developmental markers are highly correlated. As the nature of work changes, our legislation also needs to change.
Supporting Australian families by empowering them through choice and flexibility strengthens the fabric of Australia as a whole. By making the Paid Parental Leave scheme more flexible, families have more choices. Parents can tailor their payments to their family's needs and circumstances…
Taking stock of the evidence, it seems that child development is negatively affected when an infant does not receive full-time personal care … for at least the first 6 to 12 months of his/her life.
Most of the more recent evidence tends to support the view that the use of nonparental care/child care (usually necessitated by maternal employment) when initiated within the first year of a child's life can contribute to behavioural problems and, in some contexts, delayed cognitive development.
So much of what is best in us is bound up in our love of family, that it remains the measure of our stability because it measures our sense of loyalty. All other pacts of love or fear derive from it and are modeled upon it.
(1) Clause 2, page 2 (table item 2), omit the table item, substitute:
(2) Schedule 2, item 1, page 54 (line 6), omit "1 April 2020", substitute "1 July 2020".
(3) Schedule 2, item 2, page 54 (lines 10 to 14), omit subitem (1), substitute:
(1) The amendments of the PPL Act made by Schedule 1 to this Act do not apply in relation to a claim for parental leave pay for a child made before the commencement day.
(4) Schedule 2, item 2, page 54 (line 16), omit "1 July 2020", substitute "the commencement day".
(5) Schedule 2, item 3, page 55 (lines 16 to 20), omit subitem (1), substitute:
(1) The PPL Act, as amended by Schedule 1 to this Act, applies in relation to a claim for parental leave pay for a child made on or after the commencement day.
(6) Schedule 2, item 3, page 55 (lines 23 to 25), omit "1 July 2020, the amendments of the PPL Act made by the following items of Schedule 1 to this Act are taken, on and after the day on which the child is born,", substitute "the commencement day, the amendments of the PPL Act made by the following items of Schedule 1 to this Act are taken".
(7) Schedule 2, item 3, page 56 (line 5), omit "is born", substitute "was born".
That the House of Representatives be requested to make the following amendments:
(1) Clause 2, page 2 (at the end of the table), add:
(2) Page 53 (after line 9), after Schedule 1, insert:
Schedule 1A—Work test for claimants impacted by an emergency circumstances event
Paid Parental Leave Act 2010
1 Section 6
Insert:
emergency circumstances event declaration means a declaration made by a Minister under subsection 33(2AC).
2 Section 30 (paragraph beginning " Division 3 " )
Omit:
Special rules apply in the case of premature birth or complications or illness related to the pregnancy (see section 36A) or if the person is already eligible for dad and partner pay (see section 36B).
substitute:
Special rules apply in the case of premature birth or complications or illness related to the pregnancy (see section 36A), if the person is already eligible for dad and partner pay (see section 36B) or in circumstances when the Minister has made an emergency circumstances event declaration (see section 36C).
3 After paragraph 33(1)(a)
Insert:
(aa) if:
(i) subsection (2AA) applies in relation to the primary claimant; and
(ii) the primary claimant would not satisfy the work test if the claimant's work test period were the work test period under paragraph (b) or (c) of this subsection;
the claimant's emergency‑related reduction in work day; or
4 After subsection 33(2A)
Insert:
(2AA) This subsection applies in relation to a primary claimant if:
(a) the primary claimant:
(i) will cease or ceased performing work on a particular day; or
(ii) will perform or performed less hours of paid work commencing from a particular day;
because of an emergency circumstances event; and
(b) any conditions prescribed by the PPL rules are satisfied.
(2AB) The particular day referred to in subparagraph (2AA)(a)(i) or (ii) is the claimant ' s emergency ‑related reduction in work day .
(2AC) The Minister may declare, by legislative instrument, that an event is an emergency circumstances event if the Minister is satisfied that:
(a) the event is an emergency that has a significant impact on one or more industries; and
(b) the event is likely to have a significant impact on employment or the number of hours ordinarily worked by workers; and
(c) the occurrence of the event was unpredictable and outside of the control of employers and employees.
Note: The declaration is an emergency circumstances event declaration (see section 6).
(2AD) Without limiting the matters to which the Minister may have regard for the purposes of subsection (2AC), the Minister must have regard to:
(a) the extent to which the nature or extent of the event is unusual; and
(b) the number of workplaces that are disrupted.
5 At the end of Division 3 of Part 2 ‑3
Add:
36C If an emergency circumstances event declaration has been made
A person also satisfies the work test , on the day the person's child was born, if:
(a) the Minister has made an emergency circumstances event declaration under subsection 33(2AC); and
(b) the person:
(i) ceased performing work on a particular day; or
(ii) performed less hours of paid work commencing from a particular day;
because of the emergency circumstances event; and
(c) any conditions prescribed by the PPL rules are satisfied; and
(d) the Secretary is satisfied that the person would have satisfied the work test on the day the person's child was born if, during the period commencing on the particular day referred to in subparagraph (b)(i) or (ii) and ending on the day the person's child was born, the person had continued to:
(i) perform work; and
(ii) perform the person's ordinary hours of paid work.
6 Coronavirus known as COVID ‑19—Emergency circumstances event declaration
(1) For the purposes of subsection 33(2AC) of the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 , as inserted by this Schedule, the economic downturn arising from the COVID‑19 pandemic and government initiatives to slow the transmission of COVID‑19 is declared to be an emergency circumstances event.
(2) The declaration in subitem (1) is taken to be an emergency circumstances event declaration made by the Minister for the purposes of the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 .
Statement pursuant to the order of the Senate of 26 June 2000
Amendment (2)
Amendment (2) is framed as a request because it amends the bill in a way that is intended to increase the number of persons eligible for parental leave pay.
The amendment adjusts the work test period that is used to determine eligibility for parental leave pay in the situation of an emergency circumstances event, for those who have lost their employment or had their hours reduced because of the event. The amendment declares the economic impacts of COVID‑19 to be such an event, and also enables the Minister to declare other such events in the future.
As this will increase the number of persons eligible to receive parental leave pay, the amendment will cause an increase in expenditure under the standing appropriation in section 307 of the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010.
Amendment (1)
Amendment (1) is consequential on amendment (2).
Statement by the Clerk of the Senate pursuant to the order of the Senate of 26 June 2000
Amendment (2)
If the effect of the amendment is to increase expenditure under the standing appropriation in section 307 of the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 then it is in accordance with the precedents of the Senate that the amendment be moved as a request.
Amendment (1)
This amendment is consequential on the request. It is the practice of the Senate that amendments that are consequential on an amendment framed as a request may also be framed as requests.
The committee divided. [11:43]
(The Chair—Senator Lines)
That the House of Representatives be requested to make the following amendment:
(1) Schedule 1, page 34 (after line 26), after item 111, insert:
111A After paragraph 54(1)(a)
Insert:
(aa) if the child's birth mother is unlikely to satisfy the income test on the child's expected date of birth, or did not satisfy the income test on the day the child was born:
(i) the biological father of the child; or
(ii) the partner of the child's birth mother;
Statement pursuant to the order of the Senate of 26 June 2000
Amendment (1)
Amendment (1) is framed as a request because it amends the bill in a way that is intended to increase the classes of persons who can claim parental leave pay.
The amendment would allow the biological father of a child or the partner of the child's birth mother to make a primary claim for parental leave pay for a child, if the child's birth mother does not, or is not likely to, satisfy the income test at the relevant time.
As this will increase the number of persons who would be eligible to receive parental leave pay, the amendment will increase the amount of expenditure under the standing appropriation in section 307 of the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010.
Statement by the Clerk of the Senate pursuant to the order of the Senate of 26 June 2000
Amendment (1)
If the effect of the amendment is to increase expenditure under the standing appropriation in section 307 of the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 then it is in accordance with the precedents of the Senate that the amendment be moved as a request.
The committee divided. [12:01]
(The Chair—Senator Lines)
That this bill be now read a third time.
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment (Enhancing Australia's Anti-Doping Capability) Bill 2019
That the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority's regulatory role and engagement with sports in relation to the audit and enforcement of sport's compliance with anti-doping rules and approved policies be enhanced by establishing regulatory compliance powers exercisable by the proposed National Sports Integrity Commission in collaboration with (and at the request of) the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority CEO.
ASADA has power to issue a disclosure notice to compel certain persons to attend for questioning and to produce documents and things.
The breadth of the information that can be requested in a disclosure notice is broad. Given that compliance may place a significant burden the person receiving a disclosure notice, it is reasonable to require that the CEO actually believe that the disclosure notice will yield relevant information. A suspicion, which is tantamount to a hunch, even if reasonable, is not enough to require an athlete to provide their personal data, phone, computer, bank accounts, and other private information.
We oppose this amendment because it would deny an athlete any recourse if they suffer a loss as a result of their NSO's—
breach of its duty of care.
Even for an athlete who is exonerated, the ramifications of an anti-doping matter on their career, mental health, and reputation can be substantial. Accordingly, an NSO must be required to exercise due care and, if it fails to do so, an athlete should be able to hold it to account.
They need to apologise. Not just for the likes of myself - and obviously many more families in that situation - but for people that have had to put their life on hold to try and scrape back thousands of dollars.
It wasn't right and they knew that in the beginning.
Apologise so that we can move forward, but don't think you are going to get out of anything.
But make no mistake, this virus is still in our community …
I won't rule out adjustments at the end of the review.
That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister representing the Prime Minister (Senator Cormann) and the Minister representing the Minister for Government Services (Senator Ruston) to the questions without notice asked by Senators Keneally, Kitching and Wong today.
The automation of this process will free up resources and result in more people being referred to the tax garnishee process, retrieving more outstanding debt on behalf of taxpayers.
It is important that the Government explores different means of debt recovery to ensure that those who have received more money than they are entitled to repay their debt.
… if people fail to come to an arrangement to settle their debts, the Government has a responsibility to taxpayers to recover that money.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) during the coronavirus pandemic, there has been an increase in violence against women and their children,
(ii) at least 23 women have been murdered so far this year at the hands of a current or former partner in Australia,
(iii) on average, more than one woman a week is murdered by a current or former partner,
(iv) violence against women and their children will continue to worsen in the face of job losses, stand-downs and financial stress and uncertainty, and
(v) domestic and family violence services funding was inadequate before the COVID-19 pandemic; and
(b) calls on the Morrison Government to:
(i) follow Labor's call to convene a National Summit on violence against women and their children, and
(ii) urgently provide more support for frontline domestic violence services.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted women's economic security:
(A) in April over half a million Australians lost their jobs, of which 55 per cent were women,
(B) women's underemployment ratio now sits at an unprecedented 16 per cent, compared to 14 per cent for men, and
(C) modelling has estimated that more than 200,000 women casual workers in the accommodation, food services, and retail trade sectors alone will miss out on the JobKeeper wage subsidy;
(ii) women typically retire with half the superannuation balance of men and, if they choose to withdraw funds, women will suffer a significantly greater impact on their retirement income than men,
(iii) Australian women have been on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis in Australia in underpaid and undervalued roles:
(A) women account for 87 per cent of registered nurses and midwives,
(B) women account for 87 per cent of aged care workers, and
(C) women account for 96 percent of early childhood educators, and
(iv) as a result of COVID-19, mothers are spending an extra hour each day on unpaid housework and four extra hours on childcare; and
(b) calls on the Morrison Government to recognise that women have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and address women's interests in their recovery plans.
That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the law in relation to financial transparency in the aged care sector, and for related purposes. Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Financial Transparency) Bill 2020 .
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) there has been a dramatic increase in Australians accessing public services due to the economic and social impacts of COVID-19,
(ii) now more than ever we need to be strengthening our public services for people who need support, not making these services more difficult to access,
(iii) the Government intended to close the Abbotsford (Yarra) Service Centre on Thursday 21 May 2020, but in the face of strong community objection agreed to keep it open for a further three months,
(iv) the Government now intends to close the centre in three months, despite the landlord publicly stating Centrelink could remain on the premises and despite clear community need,
(v) unnecessarily closing this Centrelink Service Centre will harm and inconvenience thousands of vulnerable people reliant on it, and that suggesting that people travel to a Centre almost 7 km away is not only unfair, but inappropriate at a time when people in Victoria are being told to stay at home and encouraged not to use public transport, and
(vi) on 21 May 2020, after receiving news of the imminent closure of the Abbotsford (Yarra) Service Centre, Yarra councillors passed two motions which respectively direct Yarra Council to liaise with Services Australia over possible temporary and long-term sites for a Centrelink Service Centre in Yarra; and
(b) calls on the Government to:
(i) recognise the value of public services and commit to keeping the Abbotsford (Yarra) Service Centre open permanently, and
(ii) abandon any plans to shut down any further Centrelink Service Centres while Australians are experiencing the impacts of COVID-19.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) investments in developing and deploying vaccines, and helping to strengthen health systems, can enhance global health security by reducing the incidence of, and protecting children from, preventable diseases, enabling them to live longer and healthier lives, and contributing to poverty reduction,
(ii) in 2000, governments of many countries, and multilateral health organisations and philanthropic organisations created Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), a public-private partnership to expand access to new and underused childhood vaccines, reduce the incidence of deadly and debilitating diseases, prevent epidemics and save lives,
(iii) since 2000, Gavi has supported country-led vaccine programs in 73 countries (16 of them in our region), enabled immunisation of at least 760 million children, helped avert an estimated 13 million deaths, and contributed to a 70 percent reduction in the number of deaths globally due to vaccine-preventable diseases,
(iv) Gavi has pooled vaccine demand from implementing countries — expanding the global supplier base for vaccines, enhancing the competitiveness and security of vaccine supply chains, and creating efficiencies expected to achieve an estimated $US 900 million in savings, which can help accelerate access to vaccines between 2021 and 2025, and
(v) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gavi has allowed implementing countries to reallocate up to 10% of their health support funding to domestic COVID-related needs, and has also launched COVAX, an innovative finance mechanism that will provide access to any vaccine against COVID-19 in the countries where Gavi works – an important first step in ensuring equitable access to a vaccine, and a role similar to the one Gavi played in the development and distribution of an Ebola vaccine; and
(b) acknowledges that:
(i) on 4 June 2020, the United Kingdom hosted Gavi's third replenishment, the Global Vaccine Summit, with an ambitious goal to raise $US7.4 billion in new donor commitments,
(ii) with this renewal of resources, Gavi plans to support the immunisation of 300 million more children against potentially fatal diseases and save an additional 7 million to 8 million lives between 2021 and 2025,
(iii) at the Summit, Australia, which has been a consistent contributor to Gavi since 2006, stepped up with a pledge of AU$300 million, a 20% increase on our previous pledge, which will support improved access to vaccines throughout our region, and
(iv) the Global Vaccine Summit raised an impressive total of US$8.8 billion in pledges, which will save lives, reduce poverty and protect against the threat of epidemics globally over the next five years, adding to the US$150 billion in economic benefits already derived from Gavi-supported vaccines in participating countries since 2000.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) 1-7 June 2020 was World Haemochromatosis Week, and
(ii) Sunday, 14 June 2020 is World Blood Donor Day;
(b) recognises that:
(i) hereditary haemochromatosis, or inherited iron overload disorder, is treated through therapeutic venesection,
(ii) subject to Australia Red Cross Lifeblood's safety requirements, blood collected through therapeutic venesection can be donated, and
(iii) treating haemochromatosis not only helps patients avoid the worst outcomes of the disorder but may save further lives by adding to Australia's blood supply; and
(c) urges all members and senators to raise awareness among their constituents that:
(i) haemochromatosis, if left untreated, may be debilitating and fatal,
(ii) being tested and treated for haemochromatosis will also benefit others, and
(iii) Australians should remember the mnemonic "TEST — Tricky to say, Easy to test, Simple to treat, Tragic to ignore."
That the Senate—
(a) notes that a strong and properly resourced public service will be critical during the COVID-19 recovery period, including:
(i) to continue to lead the national health response to prevent a second wave,
(ii) to design and implement economic recovery measures, and
(iii) to provide essential services to the community; and
(b) calls on the Morrison Government to:
(i) abolish the arbitrary staffing cap, and
(ii) guarantee that no APS jobs will be cut during this term of Parliament.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) Friday 12th June 2020, marks the 118th anniversary of the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 , which was the first step to granting all Australian women the right to vote in national elections and stand for election to Parliament,
(ii) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were not able to vote until 1962, and not included in the census until the 1967 Referendum, and
(iii) while Australia was one of the first nations to grant political rights to women, it was more than 40 years until a woman was elected into Federal Parliament – one of the longest gaps of any other nation; and
(b) acknowledges:
(i) the courage and fortitude of the first trail blazers, including the first woman elected to the House of Representatives, Dame Enid Lyons, and the first woman elected to the Senate, Dame Dorothy Tangney, and
(ii) the 26 women who stood unsuccessfully for federal election before 1943; the 235 women, including those here today, who have come after; and the future generations of women who will continue in the footsteps of those who have come before.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the government has decided to scrap free childcare and begin forcing parents to pay expensive childcare fees again from next month,
(ii) this move will force many parents to reduce their work days or remove their children from care,
(iii) childcare is an essential service which should be universally available for everyone, and
(iv) the move away from free childcare will disproportionately impact women;
(b) commends the vital and hard work of early childhood educators and care workers, who have been fighting for better wages and conditions; and
(c) calls on the Government to invest to make childcare free permanently, with higher wages and better conditions for workers to reflect the value of what they contribute to our communities.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the Morrison Government's HomeBuilder scheme includes grants of $25,000 for home renovations valued between $150,000 to $750,000,
(ii) individuals can earn up to $125,000, and couples can earn up to $200,000, a year to be eligible for the grants, and
(iii) there is a huge backlog of urgent repairs needed in Australia's social housing stock; and
(b) calls on the Government to scrap renovation grants from the HomeBuilder scheme and direct these funds towards addressing the backlog of social housing repairs and the shortfall in social housing stock.
That the Senate—
(a) recognises that:
(i) since the report of the Senate Education and Employment References Committee "They never came home – the framework surrounding the prevention, investigation and prosecution of industrial deaths in Australia" in late 2018, 190 workers have lost their lives in the workplace,
(ii) as of 4 June 2020, 78 Australian workers have died on the job this year, and
(iii) these preventable workplace fatalities highlight the urgent need for industrial manslaughter laws to protect workers;
(b) congratulates the Victorian, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Northern Territory governments for passing comprehensive industrial manslaughter laws; and
(c) calls on the Federal Government to act on the recommendations of the "They never came home" report, which has been gathering dust since October 2018.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the Federal Government's $130b JobKeeper package is now a $60b package with an unexpected "saving" of $70b as a result of administrative error,
(ii) the Government has so far refused to extend JobKeeper or JobSeeker to temporary visa holders – including 97,000 asylum seekers – because it expects them to support themselves, even if they have lost their jobs and cannot return to their home country,
(iii) many temporary visa holders and asylum seekers on visas with work rights are now unemployed as a result of the pandemic, and have no safety net, despite previously contributing to the economy through taxes and being self-reliant,
(iv) poverty resulting from recent job losses has led desperate asylum seekers to turn to charities and community groups to help feed their families and pay rent,
(v) the South Australian-based Australian Refugee Association has reported a 200% increase in demand for emergency assistance between March and May 2020,
(vi) the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has reported a three-fold increase in demand for its food, health and employment services since March 2020, and Welcoming Australia has also reported more than doubling in demand for emergency relief, and
(vii) a May survey from Settlement Services International found 82% of temporary visa holder respondents had lost jobs in the past two months or had their hours reduced and found that:
(A) 62% had gone without meals due to lack of money,
(B) 29% had sought emergency assistance from a welfare or community organisation,
(C) almost 80% had borrowed money from friends and family to pay for essential items, and
(D) 52% could not buy medicines they normally take, and
(viii) in May, 186 charities, unions, refugee and church groups wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Morrison asking for asylum seekers and other temporary visa holders to be included in the Government's COVID-19 responses as part of the "Nobody Left Behind" campaign; and
(b) calls on the Government to:
(i) extend the JobSeeker payment to asylum seekers on bridging visas currently ineligible for other income support, and
(ii) extend the JobKeeper payment to all temporary visa holders so that eligible businesses can continue to employ them.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that the 2020 Australian Institute of Criminology report into 'Deaths in custody in Australia' revealed that:
(i) the 2017-18 rate of death in prison custody for:
(A) Indigenous persons was 0.14 per 100 prisoners, and
(B) non-indigenous persons was 0.18 per 100 prisoners;
(ii) the 2017-18 total deaths in police custody and custody-related operations was:
(A) 3 Indigenous persons; and
(B) 14 non-indigenous persons;
(iii) in the last 30 years, of the 328 indigenous deaths in prison custody, 79% were due to natural causes;
(iv) over the decade to 2018:
(A) non-indigenous persons were nearly twice as likely as Indigenous persons to hang themselves in prison custody, and
(B) motor vehicle pursuits represented 38% of Indigenous deaths in police custody and custody-related operations, and
(v) from 2006 to 2016, a 41% increase in Indigenous imprisonment rates corresponded with a 42% increase in people identifying as Indigenous; and
(b) further notes that, using the 437 unconvicted Indigenous deaths without reference to critical detail and context, results in a distorted discussion of Indigenous issues.
That the Senate notes the Federal Government's commitment and support for the live animal export trade.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the Brisbane Sikh Temple (Gurdwara) Inc ("Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara") has provided approximately 20,000 free cooked meals and 2,000 free grocery hampers to people in need during the coronavirus pandemic,
(ii) assistance has been provided by the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara to Australians and visitors to Australia irrespective of race, religion or nationality,
(iii) in providing the assistance, members of the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara have volunteered their time continually over the last three months, including by cooking food, organising groceries, packing hampers, delivering hampers and doing all the other activities needed to undertake such a large project,
(iv) prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara has previously helped members of the Australian community during their time of need, including (most recently) through the delivery of water and other essential supplies to those impacted by drought and bush fires,
(v) the actions of the members of the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara represent the best of Australian values — reaching out to help people in need, and
(vi) Senator Paul Scarr told INDOZ TV that "It doesn't matter what the background is of the needy people, they're there to support them, and that is all that is good about Australia – is summarised in what the Brisbane Sikh Temple is doing here…";
(b) acknowledges and deeply appreciates the outstanding contribution of all those members of the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara who stepped up to help people who have been left behind by the Morrison Government during this pandemic – particularly the international students and temporary migrants who have lost their jobs, cannot return home, and are unable to support themselves;
(c) thanks Senator Scarr for bringing this matter to the attention of the Senate; and
(d) expresses its sorrow that so many people in Australia – including those people supported by the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara and many other faith and community organisations – have been left behind by the Morrison Government's response to the corona virus pandemic.
That—
(1) The Senate notes that:
(a) in July 2019, the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal recommended to the Minister for Defence Personnel that the Minister recommend to the Sovereign that Ordinary Seaman Edward 'Teddy' Sheean be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross of Australia for the most conspicuous gallantry and a pre-eminent act of valour in the presence of the enemy during a Japanese aerial attack on the HMAS Armidale in the Timor Sea on 1 December 1942;
(b) it is understood that the Minister for Defence Personnel subsequently communicated to the Minister for Defence that he was supportive of the Tribunal's recommendation for the award to be granted; and
(c) the independent, unanimous and expert recommendation was overruled.
(2) There be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, by 2.00pm on 24 June 2020, all documented correspondence between the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Defence relating to the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal's consideration of the matter of posthumous awarding of a Victoria Cross of Australia for Edward Sheean, created between 22 July 2019 and 11 June 2020.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) while the Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age have reported that international insurance companies Liberty Mutual, HDI-Talanx and Aspen Re are underwriting work on Adani's Carmichael coal mine, the coverage extends to early work only and Adani has still not secured insurance for the complete construction and operation of the Carmichael mine,
(ii) many major companies have refused to be involved in any part of the climate-wrecking project, including:
(A) at least sixteen global insurers, and
(B) at least sixty-five major insurance, construction, engineering, finance and haulage companies, and
(iii) in the ten years since this mine was announced, the Adani group has:
(A) misrepresented the number of jobs the Carmichael mine would create,
(B) illegally released contaminated water into protected wetlands and the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area, and
(C) been criminally convicted in relation to giving false and misleading information to the Queensland regulator in relation to unlawful clearing activities; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to:
(i) recognise that the Adani Carmichael coal mine project is unviable and withdraw its support for the project,
(ii) ban all new thermal coal mining in the Galilee Basin and plan a just transition for workers in existing coal mines, and
(iii) invest in renewable energy projects that will actually create jobs without turbo-charging the climate crisis.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the Morrison Government is pushing for a 'gas led recovery', which is expected to increase gas extraction across Australia,
(ii) Australia's largest insurance company, Insurance Australia Group, has announced that it will no longer provide liability cover for farmers with coal seam gas (CSG) infrastructure on their property,
(iii) landholders, including farmers and First Nations peoples, have consistently raised concerns regarding the risks that unconventional gas poses to land, water and the climate, and farmers are concerned that loss of insurance cover exposes them to additional liability for those risks,
(iv) on Q&A on 1 June 2020, Senator Matt Canavan said in relation to gas and farmers' rights: "I think we've got the balance wrong in this country. We don't give farmers enough rights ... I've been to some of those landowners and I've sat with them, having cups of tea. And there was not a lot of voluntary participation in lots of the [gas access] agreements", and
(v) the Greens have proposed a number of bills since 2011 to give landholders, including farmers and First Nations peoples, the right to say no to unconventional gas and coal mining on their land, which the Liberal, Labor and National parties have consistently voted against; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to require gas companies to hold:
(i) public liability insurance coverage over any land where they have CSG infrastructure, and
(ii) comprehensive insurance coverage for environmental damage on that land.
That—
(1) There be laid on the table by Tuesday, 16 June 2020, by the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities:
(a) any evaluation against Community Development Grant program criteria prepared by the Department in relation to any successful recipients identified during or after the 2019 election; and
(b) a list of all projects that have been identified by government as potential recipients prior to the 2019 election campaign, but have not yet been contracted or commenced.
(2) In the event the Minister fails to table the documents requested in paragraph (1), the Senate requires the Minister to attend the Senate by 10am on 17 June 2020 to provide an explanation, of no more than 10 minutes, of the Government's failure to table the documents requested.
(3) Any senator may move to take note of the explanation required by paragraph (2).
(4) Any motion under paragraph (3) shall have precedence over all business until determined, and senators may speak to the motion for not more than 10 minutes each.
That the Senate—
(a) pays tribute to Australia's world-class healthcare professionals for their incredible, life-saving work during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic;
(b) recognises that healthcare workers have placed themselves at personal peril while at work in order to save the lives of others during the pandemic, including in the face of shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE);
(c) further recognises the role of our exceptional public health experts who have led Australia's response to the pandemic;
(d) notes with gratitude the professionalism and dedication of our doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and all those working in our public health system, during the pandemic and throughout their careers;
(e) acknowledges the significant mental health burden on health professionals during this challenging time; and
(f) calls on the Federal Government to:
(i) support and appropriately fund Australia's world-class public health system and all those delivering essential health care within it, and
(ii) ensure that no healthcare worker is put at greater risk through lack of access to PPE or other essential equipment.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that the Australian Greens have introduced the Coronavirus Economic Support and Recovery (No-one Left Behind) Bill 2020, which is a Bill for an Act to provide for a coronavirus economic support and recovery fund, amend the law relating to social security and expand eligibility for the JobKeeper scheme, and for related purposes, and
(b) calls on the Government to:
(i) make sure that no-one is left behind by the coronavirus health and economic crisis,
(ii) expand the COVID-19 supplement to recipients of the Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment,
(iii) expand JobSeeker to people on temporary visas,
(iv) expand the JobKeeper scheme to include:
(A) all casual employees,
(B) employees who hold temporary visas,
(C) intermittent workers,
(D) higher education providers, and
(E) entities owned by foreign governments who are resident in Australia, and
(v) invest in:
(A) a $2.3 billion recovery package for the arts and entertainment sector,
(B) a $12 billion manufacturing fund,
(C) a $6 billion electricity transmission fund, and
(D) a $2 billion grant to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2020
That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to electoral matters 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.
I am pleased to introduce the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2020. This Bill makes technical amendments to the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and is mirrored by amendments to theReferendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 to ensure consistency across all electoral events.
These amendments remedy anomalies in legislation and improve clarity, to enhance electoral processes and allow greater workforce flexibility for the Australian Electoral Commission, so they can use more modern workplace practices.
This Bill progresses technical amendments that were previously supported by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters and carried over from the last Parliament. These amendments were deferred to facilitate passage of only the most urgent amendments ahead of the 2019 federal election. This Bill also includes further technical amendments proposed by the AEC following the 2019 federal election.
The Bill contains a number of measures variously designed to modernise electoral processes, build greater workforce flexibility to allow the AEC to streamline election delivery, and strengthen electoral integrity.
The Bill includes necessary amendments in response to the High Court decision in Spence vs State of Queensland to better clarify the interaction between federal and State electoral laws. These amendments narrow the operation of provisions that were passed in the last Parliament, to reflect the High Court's findings about the exact limits of the Commonwealth's legislative power.
The revised provisions ensure that federal law only applies exclusively to donations that are expressly for federal purposes, while fully respecting the application of state laws to amounts used for state purposes. The new rules do not purport to apply federal law exclusively to amounts that are 'untied', namely donations that are not specifically pledged to either a federal or state purpose.
To ensure integrity, the revised rules provide that if a donation is initially made for federal purposes but is subsequently used for a non-federal purpose, then the recipient will lose any immunity from state or territory law for receiving or keeping the gift. For example a political party may need to disclose the amount under state law and may be liable for penalties if the donation was not permitted under state law.
The Bill also clarifies changes made through the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform) Act 2018 . These changes simplify and clarify funding and entitlement rules including the rounding and indexation of public funding entitlements for eligible candidates, parties and groups.
It makes clear for avoidance of doubt that public funding for joint Senate tickets is split in proportions decided by the relevant parties and the Bill allows amendments of public funding applications, including permitting applicants to clarify or add information to justify their claim;
It also fixes an unintended contradiction between rules related to the de-registration and registration of political campaigners and associated entities.
The Bill allows greater workforce flexibility for the AEC and more nationally consistent processes. For instance, it allows the Electoral Commissioner to devolve functions of a Divisional Returning Officer to other AEC officials. This enables the AEC to more effectively utilise its resources to ensure greater service delivery to its stakeholders, while maintaining public confidence.
The Bill reduces unnecessarily prescriptive practices, including by allowing the AEC to use the most effective postal services; permitting them to supply pens as well as pencils in polling places; and allowing variation in the order of the three questions that must be asked of voter's to ascertain their entitlement to vote.
The Bill removes the obligation for Divisional Offices to be pre-poll voting centres, as many are not suitable due to poor access for people with mobility issues.
A particularly welcome reform is to permit party and candidate names to be printed under a preference box on a Senate ballot instead of alongside it, to reduce the possibility of one metre wide Senate ballot papers.
Removing stringent rules where they do not always work, will reduce public confusion, without diminishing the integrity of the electoral process.
The Bill extends telephone voting to eligible Australian voters living in Antarctica, to improve the secrecy of votes for Antarctica voters and streamline operational process.
This Bill will help modernise many aspects of our electoral process. Although the individual technical changes are modest, together they will help the AEC run a more efficient and responsive service for the public.
In conclusion, it is important that we remain committed to improving electoral legislation in a non-partisan manner which promotes public confidence, enables our electoral system to evolve in a modernising environment, and strengthens democracy.
I commend the Bill to the chamber.
That—
(1) The Senate notes that:
(a) on 23 July 2019 the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal decided to recommend to the Minister for Defence Personnel that:
(i) the decision by the Chief of Navy to refuse to recommend the award of the Victoria Cross for Australia to Ordinary Seaman Edward Sheean in respect of his actions in HMAS Armidale during a Japanese aerial attack in the Timor Sea on 1 December 1942 be set aside, and
(ii) the Minister recommend to the Sovereign that Ordinary Seaman Edward Sheean be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia for the most conspicuous gallantry and a pre-eminent act of valour in the presence of the enemy in HMAS Armidale during a Japanese aerial attack in the Timor Sea on 1 December 1942;
(b) the Prime Minister explained in part his rejection of the recommendations to ABC Tasmania on 26 May 2020 by saying "I have taken advice from Australia's military chiefs past and present in making this decision".
(2) There be laid on the table, by no later than noon on Wednesday 17 June 2020, by the Minister representing the Prime Minister, all copies of documents and correspondence, whether written letters or via email, referred to in the advice outlined in (1) (b) above, held by the Prime Minister or his department relating to the decision of the Prime Minister to reject the recommendation of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal decision in Barnett and the Department of Defence re: Sheean [2019] DHAAT 09 (23 July 2019).
The Senate divided. [15:49]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes:
(i) the decision of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal in Barnett and the Department of Defence re: Sheean [2019] DHAAT 09 (23 July 2019),
(ii) that the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal is an independent statutory body established under the Defence Act 1903 to consider Defence honours and awards matters, and
(iii) that on 23 July 2019 the Tribunal decided to recommend to the Minister for Defence Personnel that:
(A) the decision by the Chief of Navy to refuse to recommend the award of the Victoria Cross for Australia to Ordinary Seaman Edward Sheean in respect of his actions in HMAS Armidale during a Japanese aerial attack in the Timor Sea on 1 December 1942 be set aside,
(B) the Minister recommend to the Sovereign that Ordinary Seaman Edward Sheean be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia for the most conspicuous gallantry and a pre-eminent act of valour in the presence of the enemy in HMAS Armidale during a Japanese aerial attack in the Timor Sea on 1 December 1942; and
(b) calls on the Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Personnel to uphold the recommendation of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal and immediately recommend to the Sovereign that Ordinary Seaman Edward 'Teddy' Sheean be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia.
That the Senate—
(a) notes:
(i) the tremendous sacrifices made by all Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic,
(ii) the more than 100 deaths that have occurred in Australia as a result of the virus,
(iii) the millions of livelihoods disrupted by shutdown of businesses and resultant job and income losses,
(iv) the negative mental health outcomes caused by social distancing for many in the community,
(v) that there are many worthy causes, gatherings and significant occasions which have been disrupted, including ANZAC and Labour Day Marches,
(vi) the importance of political leaders leading by example in all matters, and
(vii) the comments of AMA President Tony Bartone that the protests over the weekend were held "in defiance of public health warnings"; and
(b) calls on members of this House and the other place who attended the protests over the weekend:
(i) to lead by example,
(ii) to comply with public health laws and directives, and
(iii) to acknowledge that their actions represent a failure of leadership and are an insult to all those who have suffered during this period.
That the Senate—
(a) thanks the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for its service in delivering vital emergency broadcasts and comprehensive coverage during national catastrophes, especially this year's devastating bushfires fires and the COVID-19 pandemic;
(b) recognises Australians turn to the ABC as the most trusted source of news and information during times of crisis;
(c) notes that the ABC has released independent research, submitted to the bushfire royal commission, which found that:
(i) 60% of people in bushfire-affected areas said information from the ABC helped ensure their safety,
(ii) 81% of people were aware of the ABC as an information source, and one in two used it as their main source of information during the summer crisis,
(iii) respondents said they trusted the ABC's channels and websites more than the commercial ones, and ABC local radio was essential when internet and telecommunications failed in bushfire zones, and
(iv) the ABC's Emergency website was the ABC's most trusted platform (74% trusting it "greatly") along with ABC Local Radio (72%) and ABC News TV (71%);
(d) acknowledges that:
(i) the ABC's emergency coverage saved lives during the bushfires,
(ii) the ABC has lost $783m in funding since the Coalition Government came to power in 2014, and
(iii) 250 ABC workers will now lose their jobs across news, entertainment and regional divisions as a consequence of years of underfunding by the Coalition Government and the paused indexation funding; and
(e) calls on the Government to properly fund the ABC and reverse the $83.7 million paused indexation funding, as a matter of urgency.
The Senate divided. [16:01]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the Queensland Palaszczuk Labor Government closed the Queensland state border on 26 March 2020 and released a "Roadmap to easing restrictions" on 8 May 2020 indicating the border would re-open on 10 July 2020,
(ii) on 18 May 2020, Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk contradicted her Government's "roadmap" by stating "I would say that things would look more positive towards September - having said that, I do not want to rule anything out";
(b) further recognises:
(i) that, as at Tuesday 9 June, there were only three active cases, and three new cases, of COVID-19 reported in the last seven days in Queensland,
(ii) comments made by the Prime Minister on 27 May 2020 that "the national medical advice that came from the expert panel that has driven all the other decisions never recommended closing [interstate] borders" and that border closures such as these "do harm the economy, they do harm jobs and it is important that we get those removed as soon as possible",
(iii) that the income lost in the Queensland economy from the border remaining closed is estimated to be in excess of $50 million each day,
(iv) that Queensland's unemployment rate remains worse than the national average and increased greater than the national average last month; and
(c) calls on the Queensland Palaszczuk Labor Government to:
(i) provide certainty and clarity to the people of Queensland on when the state border will re-open,
(ii) instil business confidence and restore lost jobs, particularly in the industries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent border closure, and
(iii) return to a position on re-opening the state border that more closely reflects the view as initially outlined in the "Roadmap to easing restrictions."
The Senate divided. [16:11]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) on May 15 2020 the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura peoples, the traditional owners of the Juukan Gorge in Western Australia's Pilbara, put in a request to Rio Tinto to access the site of two 46,000-year-old rock shelters and were advised that the site was laden with explosives and about to be destroyed to make way for a major expansion of an iron ore mine, and
(ii) following this news, the Traditional Owners requested that Rio Tinto not go ahead due to the cultural significance of the Gorge; they phoned the WA government and then appealed to the Federal Government but, on May 24, the site was destroyed;
(b) recognises that archaeological studies show that Juukan Gorge is one of the earliest occupied locations in Australia and that this is an irreplaceable loss of culture,
(c) acknowledges that Rio Tinto was aware of the significance of this site to the Traditional Owners having helped make a documentary about it years prior,
(d) further notes that:
(i) it is reported that FMG as part of its mining operations has plans to destroy other heritage sites in the Pilbara including a 60,000-year-old rock shelter, and
(ii) there have been 463 applications to impact West Australian Aboriginal heritage sites on mining leases under Section 18 of the WA Aboriginal Heritage Act in the past 10 years—none has been rejected,
(e) condemns the destruction of Juukan Gorge and the loss of irreplaceable First Nations heritage, and
(f) calls on:
(i) FMG, Rio Tinto, BHP and any other mining companies with proposals to destroy First Nations heritage and culture to immediately abandon those plans; and
(ii) Governments around Australia to act to ensure no further loss of First Nations heritage or culture.
The Senate divided. [16:16]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Government Business Order of the Day relating to the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Ensuring Integrity No. 2) Bill 2019 be discharged from the Notice Paper .
That the Senate—
(a) recognises that:
(i) arts and entertainment was one of the first Australian industries to be impacted by the restrictions on gatherings introduced in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, with the cancellation of exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances, festivals and other events,
(ii) this has threatened the livelihoods of 50,000 professional artists and the 600,000 workers that support them,
(iii) many artists are ineligible for existing economic support measures such as JobKeeper Payment despite losing 100 percent of their income,
(iv) the Australian Government's $27 million funding package and other minor support measures fall far short of what is needed to save this $111 billion industry from financial disaster, and
(v) despite admitting that they are spending $60 billion less on supporting Australian workers through this crisis, the Australian Government continues to refuse to provide the support the arts and entertainment industry needs; and
(b) calls on the Australian Government to provide a tailored support package for the arts and entertainment industry, in consultation with the industry, which is substantial enough to ensure that artists, arts organisations, arts industry workers and their families can survive financially through the COVID-19 crisis.
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the motion being moved immediately and determined without amendment or debate.
The Senate divided. [16:22]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That—
(1) The Senate notes:
(a) the Prime Minister's statement that the Government started working on its proposed Commonwealth Integrity Commission in January 2018 – almost two-and-a-half years ago,
(b) the Attorney-General's statement last September that the Government would release a draft bill to establish a Commonwealth Integrity Commission for public consultation by the end of 2019,
(c) the Attorney-General's failure to meet his own deadline,
(d) the Attorney-General's statement in January 2020 that "[w]ork to deliver the Commonwealth Integrity Commission draft consultation bill is now all but complete",
(e) the Attorney-General's statement in May 2020 that "[t]he draft legislation to establish the Commonwealth Integrity Commission (CIC) was ready for release to allow for consultations ahead of introduction into parliament before the global economic and health crisis caused by the coronavirus"; and
(f) that despite it being "ready for release" months ago, the Government has not released its draft legislation for public consultation; and
(2) There be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Attorney-General, by no later than 15 June 2020, a copy of the draft legislation to establish a Commonwealth Integrity Commission.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on older Australians, their families, their carers and the aged care workforce,
(ii) valuable contributions have been made by the more than 360,000 aged care workers who have continued to deliver care and support to older Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic,
(iii) all aged care workers play a valuable role to deliver care and support to older Australians in residential and home care,
(iv) many aged care workers are low paid and around 87 per cent of them are women,
(v) the Morrison Government has made a decision to exclude a large proportion of aged care workers from receiving the retention bonus,
(vi) excluded aged care workers who will not receive the retention bonus include those delivering services under the Commonwealth Home Support Program as well as in-direct care workers in residential aged care facilities including lifestyle and leisure therapists, cleaners, hospitality workers and gardeners,
(vii) the exclusion of any aged care worker from receiving the retention bonus is unwarranted and unfair,
(viii) on 20 March, 2020 the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians issued a media release that stated that the retention bonus payment would be 'after tax', and
(ix) on 5 June, 2020 the Department of Health retention bonus guidelines stated, the payment would be 'subject to income tax'; and
(b) conveys its disappointment that the Morrison Government made:
(i) a decision to exclude about 40% of aged care workers from receiving the retention bonus, and
(ii) a late decision to switch the retention bonus from being after tax to being before tax that will see aged care workers lose hundreds of dollars they were previously promised;
(c) calls on the Morrison Government, as a matter of urgency, to reconsider its decision and pay the retention bonus to all aged care workers irrespective of their role or where they work and to explain why it changed the rules around the payment being after tax to the payment now being subject to income tax; and
(d) acknowledges the work all aged care workers undertake each and every day, and thanks them for their continued dedication to care and support older Australians in residential and home care.
The Senate divided. [16:29]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) welcomes the announcement from the Victorian government that a life-saving medically supervised injecting facility will be opened in the Melbourne CBD; only the second in Victoria and third in Australia;
(b) further welcomes the continuation of the trial of the Medically Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR) in North Richmond for another three years;
(c) notes that the MSIR trial review, released last week, found that:
(i) since its commencement in June 2018, the North Richmond MSIR has been one of the busiest supervised injecting facilities in the world, with 119,223 visits in the first 18 months,
(ii) despite 271 serious overdose incidents, no overdose deaths have occurred in the MSIR, and at least 21 lives have been saved,
(iii) there has been a reduction in local ambulance call-outs due to overdoses, and
(iv) there has been a reduction in reports of public injecting;
(d) acknowledges that the Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (Uniting MSIC), which opened in Kings Cross, Sydney, in May 2001 has managed 8,500 overdoses since commencement with zero deaths;
(e) notes with concern that in Australia there are more than 2,000 preventable drug overdose deaths per year;
(f) recognises that supervised injecting facilities save lives; and
(g) calls on the Government to act to prevent drug overdose deaths by:
(i) supporting the states and territories in the establishment of supervised injecting facilities wherever there is need across Australia,
(ii) expanding access to drug treatment programs across Australia,
(iii) expanding access to needle and syringe programs across the country, including urgent roll out of trials inside prisons, and
(iv) promoting awareness of the life-saving opioid reversal drug naloxone and making it free for all people at risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose.
The Senate divided. [16:37]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the ABC has asked staff to volunteer for redundancies as it prepares to axe more than 200 positions to meet the Federal Government's $84 million budget cut,
(ii) more than $300 million has been cut from the ABC by the Coalition Government since 2013,
(iii) ratings show the ABC almost doubled its audience in March as the COVID-19 crisis took hold in Australia,
(iv) 60% of people in bushfire-affected areas said information from the ABC helped ensure their safety,
(v) emergency broadcasting during the summer bushfires cost the ABC an additional $3m,
(vi) the public broadcaster is the only news source in many regional areas, and
(vii) accurate news and information, and the telling of Australian stories is more important than ever right now; and
(b) calls on the Government to restore every dollar cut from the ABC's budget since 2013.
The Senate divided. [16:42]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes that the Morrison Government:
(i) has announced it will refund at least $721 million that it unjustly enriched itself with by raising unlawful debts against Australians,
(ii) for years denied Robodebt was illegal, but on Friday 29 May 2020 conceded that "There wasn't a lawful basis" for the scheme, and
(iii) only admitted Robodebt was unlawful and suspended the scheme after a class action was launched on behalf of 600,000 victims; and
(b) calls on the Minister representing the Minister for Government Services to produce all answers to questions asked by the Senate Community Affairs Legislation and References Committees relating to Robodebt over which there have been public interest immunity claims made.
The Senate divided. [16:46]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate –
(a) notes that:
(i) it is almost 30 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody handed down its recommendations,
(ii) 437 First Nations people have died in custody since the Royal Commission,
(iii) First Nations Women are 21 times more likely to end up in jail, and men 14 times more likely,
(iv) First Nations people face discrimination in our justice, child protection, social security, health and education systems - as well as in society generally,
(v) First Nations people continue to suffer poverty and poor social justice outcomes across Australia, and
(vi) thousands of Australians peacefully rallied to support change in our justice system to reduce Indigenous incarceration and deaths, and that change:
(A) must be informed by First Nations people, and
(B) must include the aspirations of First Nations people as articulated in the Uluru Statement,
(b) condemns:
(i) the unacceptably high rates of incarceration of First Nations people and the many preventable deaths in custody, and
(ii) the unacceptably high rates of children in Out-of-Home-Care;
(c) calls on the Government – along with the states, territories – to commit to clear, ambitious and urgent targets to reduce rates of First Nations incarceration and child removal;
(d) calls on the Government to properly resource programs for justice re-investment, family support, social welfare and economic opportunity for First Nations Australians; and
(e) calls on the Government to commit to including action to reduce Indigenous incarceration as a priority action for the National Federation Reform Council (NFRC).
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) Regional Forest Agreements are federal–state agreements under which native forest logging operations have been exempted from federal environment law ( Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)) for more than 20 years;
(ii) the Federal Court has found that:
(A) VicForests logging operations breached its Code of Practice for Timber Production and did not apply the precautionary principle when assessing impacts on the Greater Glider or Leadbeater's Possum, and
(B) these breaches of the Code mean that the native forest logging exemption does not apply, and the Central Highlands logging operation must be assessed under the EPBC Act,
(iii) this landmark decision sets an important legal precedent—meaning the exemption for native forest logging operations does not apply if they are in breach of rules that apply under the RFAs, and planned logging with a significant impact on federally listed threatened species must be assessed under the provisions of the EPBC Act; and
(iv) this decision has implications for native forest logging in all 10 areas under Regional Forest Agreements:
(A) Tasmania, with implications for iconic species such as the Tasmanian devil, Swift parrot, Eastern quoll, Giant freshwater crayfish, masked owl and others which are at serious risk due to logging;
(B) New South Wales in Eden, the North East NSW and Southern region, including implications for the feathertail glider, brushtail possum, koalas and others;
(C) Victoria in the Central Highlands, East Gippsland, Gippsland, West, and North East, including implications for the spot-tailed quoll, the smoky mouse and others; and
(D) Western Australia, including implications for the Western ringtail possum, remaining continental populations of quokkas, the forest red-tailed black cockatoo, Carnaby's black cockatoo, the numbat and other species, and
(b) calls on the Government to:
(i) accept the Federal Court decision that, in circumstances where the rules underpinning Regional Forest Agreements are not complied with, logging operations that will impact on Matters of National Environmental Significance need to be assessed under the provisions of the EPBC Act, and
(ii) take immediate, urgent action to ensure Australia's native forests are protected for their values including threatened species habitat, carbon storage, water supplies, and regional tourism.
The Senate divided. [16:52]
(The President—Senator Ryan)
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) a Government objective for the Future Submarine program is to maximise Australian industry involvement through all phases of the Future Submarine Program,
(ii) Naval Group, a French Company, is Australia's strategic partner for design, development, build and delivery of the future submarine,
(iii) to date Naval Group, endorsed by Defence, has contracted four critical systems (diesels, main motors, main DC switchboards and the weapon discharge system) to foreign suppliers without a comparable competitive process,
(iv) Australia has an established supplier of batteries for submarines: PMB Defence Pty Ltd has supplied batteries to the Collins submarines for three decades,
(v) in total contrast to the approach with other critical equipment, Naval Group, with Defence's support, has forced the Australian battery supplier, PMB Defence Pty Ltd, into a competition with a foreign supplier, and
(vi) the Government made strong Australian Industry Participation promises at the commencement of the Future Submarine program and has manifestly failed to live up to its promises; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to:
(i) immediately explain why PMB Defence Pty Ltd was not engaged solely for the supply of the Future Submarine's battery,
(ii) immediately justify why capability or value-for-money requirements purportedly necessitated forcing PMB Defence Pty Ltd into a competition with a foreign supplier, but that four critical Future Submarine systems went to foreign suppliers without a comparable competitive process,
(iii) in all cases where there is an established Australian designer and producer of Future Submarine components or services, the Government should direct Defence to engage with that Australian company first as it assesses all market options, and
(iv) provide assurances that the Future Submarine project will meet at least the same level of Australian industry content as was achieved in the building of the Collins-class submarines.
That the Senate–
(a) notes that:
(i) World Tuberculosis day (TB) Day is 24 March each year,
(ii) TB is contagious and airborne, is the world's leading infectious disease killer and kills more people than HIV/AIDS,
(iii) according to the World Health Organisation, in 2018 alone, an estimated 10 million people became ill with TB,
(iv) according to estimates from Australian researchers, there are 1 million people in Australia infected with latent TB (dormant TB) and thus at risk of developing TB disease,
(v) 12 out of the 30 countries with the highest number of TB cases are in the Asia Pacific Region, accounting for more than 62% of the world's TB burden, and
(vi) Papua-New Guinea has one of the highest rates of TB infection in the Pacific, with an estimated 37,000 total cases, including 2,000 drug-resistant cases in 2018;
(b) further notes that:
(i) drug-resistant forms of TB are a major contributor to deaths from antimicrobial resistance globally, and anti-microbial resistance is a threat to achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals,
(ii) the impact of TB goes beyond death or illness for individuals, and includes effects on economies and communities, health systems, and threats to health security, and
(iii) committed funding for TB diagnosis and care fell short by US$3.3 billion in 2019;
(c) recognises:
(i) that the Australian Government has contributed $242 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria for 2020 to 2022,
(ii) the provision of $75 million over five years for Product Development Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific Health Security initiative,
(iii) the provision of $13 million to help support global efforts in eradicating tuberculosis in the Pacific region, and
(iv) that Australia and other countries committed at the UN High-Level Meeting on TB in September 2018 to mobilise sufficient and sustainable financing, with the aim of increasing overall global research and development investments to US$2 billion; and
(d) calls on the Australian Government to:
(i) develop an action plan to demonstrate progress towards the targets and commitment made at the UN High-Level Meeting on TB, and
(ii) support the international adoption of the target to spend 0.1 % of its annual Gross Domestic Expenditure on Research and Development on TB research in order to close the global TB R&D funding gap.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the robodebt scheme inflicted unnecessary pain on thousands of Australians by demanding money many did not have,
(ii) the scheme reversed the onus of proof and forced victims into a bureaucratic nightmare until the Federal Court decided the debts were "not validly made" because of the way they were calculated,
(iii) the Federal Court rejected the fundamental design of the flawed policy – the reliance on "income averaging" to decide who breached the income test,
(iv) the Federal Government expected to "save" $2.3 billion through the scheme over 4 years but has only revealed they will repay $721 million already collected,
(v) the Federal Government is refusing to apologise to people caught up in its controversial robodebt scheme, despite conceding hundreds of millions of dollars in debt were racked up unlawfully,
(vi) lawyers acting for hundreds of thousands of welfare recipients who have had unlawful "robodebts" raised against them have urged the Government to apologise over its handling of the scheme, and promised not to use the apology against the Government in court, and
(vii) for the Federal Government, sorry seems to be the hardest word;
(b) acknowledges the vulnerable Australians who have suffered, and in particular those who took their lives as a consequence of the stress and shame of being pursued for a robodebt; and
(c) calls on the Federal Government to formally apologise, without prejudice, to all victims of the robodebt fiasco.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) pancreatic cancer is known as a silent killer, with symptoms often only appearing once the cancer has spread,
(ii) pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality of all major cancers:
(A) the 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is just 10.7% compared with 95% for prostate cancer and 91% for breast cancer, and
(B) two thirds of pancreatic cancer patients will die within the first year of diagnosis,
(iii) survival rates for pancreatic cancer have not changed significantly in nearly 40 years, and
(iv) a recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare ('AIHW') confirms pancreatic cancer is projected to become the third most common cancer killer in Australia in 2020, and will claim more lives than breast and prostate cancer,
(b) acknowledges that, according to the Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation (the only Foundation in Australia exclusively dedicated to pancreatic cancer), pancreatic cancer is only the eleventh most government-funded cancer and receives less than 8% of available National Health and Medical Research Council ('NHMRC') funding; and
(c) calls on the Federal Government to:
(i) urgently increase research and clinical funding to meet the goals of the Avner Foundation to help improve survival and quality of life for patients with pancreatic cancer, which includes:
(A) identification of biomarkers to assist with early detection,
(B) identifying why pancreatic cancer is resistant to existing cancer therapies,
(C) gaining a greater understanding of the pancreatic cancer microenvironment,
(D) identifying new therapies for pancreatic cancer, including the repurposing of existing treatments, and
(E) creating a single pathway to ensure Australians affected by pancreatic cancer can gain instant support, guidance and care, including cancer care nurses who can help patients navigate the complexities of treatment, and
(ii) implement the recommendations made in the report of the Senate Select Committee into Funding Research into Cancers with Low Survival Rates.
That—
(1) The Senate
(a) notes that:
(i) Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has been asked to deliver a revised proposal for mandatory pregnancy warning labels on packaged alcohol to the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation (the Forum) by 22 June;
(ii) the mandatory labelling proposal would replace the industry's voluntary labeling scheme of eight years, and includes a two-year transition phase and stock in trade exemptions, and
(iii) FSANZ's original proposal was rejected by some Forum ministers in March because of what they saw as "unreasonable" costs to industry, the colour requirements of the label and the signal wording – that is, the use of the colour red and words "health warning" – mirroring the objections made solely by the alcohol industry;
(b) accepts that the original proposal FSANZ put forward in February is evidence-based and well-researched;
(c) questions how changing the signal wording "health warning" on a label eases any cost burden;
(d) further notes Ministers Colbeck and Littleproud are the Federal representatives on the forum, which meets on 17 July to consider the revised FSANZ proposal; and
(e) is concerned that the focus on one-off costs to industry and the potential watering down of the warning risks undermining the intention to reduce the number of alcohol-exposed pregnancies and rates of incurable and devastating Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in children.
(2) There be laid on the table, by 9.30am on 12 June 2020, all advice sought by or provided to Ministers Richard Colbeck and David Littleproud regarding mandatory pregnancy warning labels on packaged alcohol - aside from advice sought from or provided by FSANZ - since 4 October 2019.
That—
(1) The Senate
(a) acknowledges that:
(i) the shocking death of Ms Ann Marie Smith of Kensington Park, Adelaide, shows only too tragically what happens when people with a disability are treated as a number by a system meant to care for them – a system that has failed in its duty of care,
(ii) Ms Smith lived alone and had to rely on a carer for all her needs following the death of her parents who loved her and made provision for her,
(iii) Ms Smith died on April 6 from severe septic shock, multi-organ failure, severe pressure sores, malnutrition and issues connected with her cerebral palsy,
(iv) it was not her disability that killed her,
(v) Ms Smith died after being deposited in a woven cane chair for 24 hours a day for over a year, which operated as her toilet and bed,
(vi) Ms Smith was denied love, denied care, denied respect and denied dignity, and
(vii) no-one should ever have to endure such pain, suffering and isolation;
(b) notes that:
(i) Ms Smith had been a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant since 2018 under the responsibility of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), and
(ii) the NDIS Quality Safeguards Commission has the regulatory and safeguarding oversight for all NDIS clients; and
(c) further notes that the Minister for Social Services was interviewed on ABC Adelaide on 27 May 2020 and confirmed that he knew how many times Ms Smith was checked on by the NDIA, but refused to provide this information in the public interest, arguing, erroneously, that it would prejudice the current inquiry by the NDIS Quality Safeguards Commission.
(2) There be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, by 9.30am on 12 June 2020, all advice sought by or provided to Minister Robert with respect to how many times Ms Anne-Marie Smith was 'checked on' by the NDIA regarding her welfare while she was a participant of the NDIS, and all written correspondence between Minister Robert and the South Australian Minister for Human Services, Ms Michelle Lensink, concerning the death of Ms Smith.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the Brisbane Sikh Temple (Gurdwara) Inc ("Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara") has provided approximately 20,000 free cooked meals and 2,000 free grocery hampers to people in need during the coronavirus pandemic,
(ii) assistance has been provided by the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara to Australians and visitors to Australia irrespective of race, religion or nationality, and
(iii) in providing the assistance, members of the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara have volunteered their time continually over the last three months, including by cooking food, organising groceries, packing hampers, delivering hampers and doing all the other activities needed to undertake such a large project;
(b) further notes that, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara has previously helped members of the Australian community during their time of need, including (most recently) through the delivery of water and other essential supplies to those impacted by drought and bush fires;
(c) also notes that the actions of the members of the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara represent the best of Australian values–reaching out to help people in need; and
(d) acknowledges and deeply appreciates the outstanding contribution of all those members of the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara who have been involved in helping people during the coronavirus pandemic.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that, on Saturday 30 May, the international multiple sclerosis (MS) community marked World MS Day 2020;
(b) recognises that:
(i) MS is a condition of the central nervous system, interfering with nerve impulses within the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves,
(ii) MS affects over 25,600 people in Australia and more than two million diagnosed worldwide—most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20-40, but it can affect younger and older people too,
(iii) roughly three times as many women have MS as men,
(iv) sadly, there is currently no known cure for MS however there are a number of treatment options available to help manage symptoms and slow progression of the disease, and
(v) the 2020-2022 World MS Day theme is 'connections'–MS Connections is all about building community connection, self connection and connections to quality care, and campaigns around World MS Day 2020 are challenging social barriers that leave people affected by MS feeling lonely and socially isolated; and
(c) urges all members and senators to raise awareness among their constituents of MS and World MS Day 2020 by:
(i) acknowledging the 30th of May as World MS Day and
(ii) encouraging them to visit www.msaustralia.org.au.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that on 31 January 2020, the Treasurer issued a press release which made the following statement in respect of the Financial Services Royal Commission: "We are on track to meet the accelerated timetable outlined in our implementation roadmap which committed that, excluding the reviews to be conducted in 2022":
(i) by the end of 2019, more than 20 commitments, around one third, will be implemented or with legislation before the Parliament,
(ii) by mid-2020, more than 50 commitments, close to 90 per cent, will have been implemented or have legislation before the Parliament; and
(iii) by the end of 2020, remaining Royal Commission recommendations requiring legislation will have been introduced",
(b) further notes that the Hayne Royal Commission Response – Protecting Consumers (2020 Measures) Bill 2020 was circulated in January for public comment, which closed on 29 February 2020, and
(c) calls on the Government to ensure that:
(i) the Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response – Protecting Consumers (2020 Measures) Bill 2020 is introduced in the Senate by 17 August 2020, and
(ii) the bill includes measures to implement recommendation 1.15 of the Financial Services Royal Commission (enforceable code provisions).
That there be laid on the table, by the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, by no later than 10 am on Monday 15 June 2020, executed grant agreements and any and all associated performance, evaluation, expenditure and financial reports relating to monies dispensed under the Building Landcare Community and Capacity grants programme to the following organisations:
(a) Kondinin Group;
(b) The Australian Broadcasting Corporation;
(c) Australian Women in Agriculture;
(d) Soil Science Australia;
(e) FutureEye;
(f) Greening Australia;
(g) Conservation Volunteers Australia;
(h) NRM Regions Australia;
(i) National Grower Group;
(j) Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia;
(k) Agricultural Shows Australia;
(l) Meat and Livestock Australia;
(m) Mulloon Institute;
(n) Australian Garden Council;
(o) Soil CRC;
(p) South Australian No-Till Farmers Association;
(q) Regional Development Australia (Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait);
(r) Soils for Life; and
(s) The National Farmers Federation.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that 2 June 2020 marked the 67th anniversary of the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia and Head of the Commonwealth;
(b) recognises Her Majesty for the strong sense of duty and grace she has shown during her reign as the longest serving Queen of the United Kingdom, Queen of Australia, and Head of the Commonwealth realm; and
(c) acknowledges:
(i) Her Majesty's unwavering commitment to execute her duties in the service of the Commonwealth; and
(ii) Her Majesty's representative, His Excellency General the Hon. David Hurley AC DSC, and the other 26 former Governors-General, who have dutifully executed their constitutional and ceremonial duties in the service of Australia and its people.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) Australians have done extremely well in recent times to change our behaviour to help stop the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19,
(ii) when it comes to road safety, our behaviour has not changed and we are still seeing too many fatalities and injuries, despite fewer vehicles on our roads due to COVID-19,
(iii) on Friday 29 May 2020, it was Fatality Free Friday—a road safety campaign promoting road safety, and
(iv) fatalities and injuries are still far too high and, by applying the Fatality Free Friday core principles, we as Australians can do our part to reduce the rates of fatalities and injuries on our roads;
(b) recognises:
(i) the work of Australian Road Safety Foundation and their promotion of road safety initiatives such as Fatality Free Friday,
(ii) the importance of the Fatality Free Friday core principles of:
(A) always be fit to drive,
(B) stay focused on the road,
(C) scan the road ahead,
(D) keep a safe distance,
(E) drive to suit the conditions, and
(c) calls on the Government to adequately resource road safety to ensure there are no unnecessary deaths or injuries on Australian roads through road trauma.
That the Senate—
(a) notes with deep concern that:
(i) so many disabled Australians are subjected to violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation,
(ii) disabled women are subjected to violence at significantly higher rates, more frequently, for longer, in more ways and by more perpetrators compared to the rest of the population,
(iii) the death of Ms Ann Marie Smith was horrific, but Ann Marie's case is not unique, with hundreds of disabled lives taken as a result of violence, abuse, and neglect—her treatment is an example of why the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability (the Royal Commission) is so important to bring the reality of the situations that disabled people find themselves in every single day to light, and to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice, and
(iv) Ms Smith's death and the failures that contributed to it are the product of individual, community, systemic, and cultural ableism that perpetuates violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of disabled people—this must be acknowledged and actively addressed to prevent these situations from occurring in the future;
(b) notes that Ms Ann Marie Smith's death has had a profound impact on the South Australian community, particularly the disabled community; and
(c) calls on:
(i) the Federal Government to urgently address the systems which consistently fail disabled people, and
(ii) the Federal Government to work with the community to confront the ableist attitudes which perpetuate violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of disabled people in our communities, and
(iii) the Royal Commission to conduct a full and thorough investigation into Ann Marie Smith's death.
That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to provide for a coronavirus economic support and recovery fund, amend the law relating to social security and expand eligibility for the JobKeeper scheme, 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.
I rise today on behalf of the Australian Greens to introduce the Coronavirus Economic Support and Recovery (No-one Left Behind) Bill 2020.
This Bill does three things.
Firstly, it directs the Finance Minister to create the Coronavirus Economic Support and Recovery Fund. This would require the Minister to create a $2.3 billion recovery package for the arts and entertainment sector, a $12 billion manufacturing investment fund, a $2 billion contribution to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and a $6 billion investment in electricity transmission infrastructure. It prohibits the fund from being used to subsidise or invest in coal, oil and natural gas extraction or production or power generation, or to subsidise manufacturing processes which are solely or primarily reliant on the direct use of coal, oil or gas.
Secondly it would expand the $550 per fortnight COVID-19 supplement to recipients of the disability support pension and carer payment, and ensures that holders of temporary visas are eligible for the JobSeeker payment if they otherwise meet the JobSeeker criteria. Eligibility would be back dated to 27 April 2020.
Finally, it would extend the JobKeeper payment scheme, requiring the Minister to create rules for the JobKeeper scheme that:
- Extend potential eligibility to all casual employees, regardless of period of employment
- Extend potential eligibility to all temporary visa holder employees
- Extend potential eligibility to intermittent workers with a demonstrated income history
- Include certain entities 100% owned by foreign sovereign governments within Australia as eligible employers, including companies such as Dnata
- Include higher education providers as eligible employers
- Facilitate prompt back payment of newly eligible employees and employers
To date, the global COVID-19 crisis has not only left over 400,000 dead but lead to millions facing unemployment and poverty. It has been truly unprecedented. The Morrison Government's response has been slow, dragged to action by both the states and territories and the unfolding severity of the crisis. But each day we learn of new shortcomings, of communities left behind or skewed priorities for the road ahead and we must ask ourselves one question, the question of priorities.
Because what exactly do decisions to date tell us of the priorities of the Government's response? What set of priorities would say that someone who had been a casual employee for only 11 months with the same employer would be treated far harsher than one with 12? What set of priorities would say that an international student should be left without income and in many cases life's essentials like food or housing purely by virtue of their visa status? What set of priorities would say that the hundreds of thousands of workers in the arts or higher education sectors should be thrown to the wolves, and the homeless ignored, while millions of dollars are handed to wealthy homeowners to re-do their kitchens?
And when we look to the recovery, to the charted path out of COVID-19, what priorities do we see there? Another round of the game of mates, as big business and the rent seekers come to collect their favours. A gas-led recovery that would see environmental protections ripped apart and public money funnelled to locking in decades of climate pollution. Billions in tax cuts for the big end of town, to the tune of over $11,000 a year for people already earning over $200,000.
So when the Government makes a $60 billion mistake, and finds that its stimulus program actually won't be stimulating the economy as much as intended, what does it do? It decides to bank it, to pay down debt. This isn't sensible economic management, it's economic sabotage. The most recent Labour Force statistics show that 600,000 jobs were lost in April alone. We are in our first recession in three decades. Now is not the time for penny pinching, it is time to support those who are doing it tough and invest in the recovery.
That's why the Greens are introducing this Bill today. We say let us use this windfall to actually invest in people, and invest in the industries we want to nurture. Let's use this opportunity to expand the JobKeeper program to all casuals, to temporary visa holders, to intermittent workers and to workers at universities. Let us ensure that people with disabilities and those who care for them are able to access the resources they need to navigate this truly challenging period. And let us build the industries of the future, in arts and entertainment and higher education and renewable energy and green manufacturing.
And the fight goes beyond this Bill today. As we continue to navigate the twin health and economic crises, as we emerge from the lockdowns and try to restart our economy, we need to ask ourselves what kind of society we want to build. We have a choice. We can choose to continue with the successful elements of the Government's response, by maintaining the rate of JobSeeker and keeping childcare and early childhood education fee-free. And we can create a fairer and greener Australia. We can make Australia run on 100% renewables, not only to save the climate but to power energy-intensive green manufacturing industries that actually add value to our mineral exports. We can guarantee access to universal services, like free university and TAFE that can train the next generation of workers while removing the structural inequalities that prevent young people from pursuing post-school study. We can use government investment to reach truly full employment, where everyone who wants a job has one, while making our income support system truly fair so that no one has to live in poverty.
These are the choices we face. This Bill goes some way to rewriting those priorities, charting a pathway out of this moment and leaving no one behind along the way. I commend the Bill to the Senate.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the Coronavirus crisis has increased costs for many people with disability and carers, for instance: higher energy bills, extra transport costs from avoiding public transport, grocery delivery charges, missing out on shopping at the market for specials, as well as extra health, and protective equipment costs,
(ii) a survey by People With Disability Australia found that over 90 per cent of people with disability have faced increased expenses due to the Coronavirus crisis,
(iii) despite the two $750 Economic Support Payments, many people on the Disability Support Pension are temporarily receiving a lower payment rate than people on JobSeeker Payment, when the Coronavirus Supplement is taken into account,
(iv) many carers are also being left in situations where they are worse off — particularly if they are caring for children with disability,
(v) the Government can make changes to extend additional support to people who need it with the stroke of a pen, and
(vi) the second Economic Support Payment will not be paid until 13 July — almost five weeks away — despite people with disability and carers facing extra costs now; and
(b) calls on the Government to allow people with disability and carers who have increased costs to bring forward the second $750 Economic Support Payment.
That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Treasurer, by 9.30am on 31 July 2020, all documents held within the Office of the Treasurer, the Australian Taxation Office and/or the Department of Education, Skills and Employment relating to:
(a) any data regarding the breakdown of individuals in receipt of the JobKeeper Payment by gender, age and location;
(b) any data regarding the salary of recipients prior to receiving the JobKeeper Payment;
(c) any data regarding recipients who were earning less than the JobKeeper Payment prior to receiving the JobKeeper payment, including:
(i) how much recipients were earning;
(ii) a breakdown of the age, gender and location of those recipients; and
(iii) whether those recipients were in receipt of any other social security payments and the details of those payments.
That the following matter be referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia for inquiry and report by 30 September 2020:
The destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia with particular reference to:
(a) the operation of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA) and approvals provided under the Act;
(b) the consultation that Rio Tinto engaged in prior to the destruction of the caves with Indigenous peoples;
(c) the sequence of events and decision-making process undertaken by Rio Tinto that led to the destruction;
(d) the loss or damage to the Traditional Owners, Puutu, Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people, from the destruction of the site;
(e) the heritage and preservation work that has been conducted at the site;
(f) the interaction, of state indigenous heritage regulations with Commonwealth laws;
(g) the effectiveness and adequacy of state and federal laws in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage in each of the Australian jurisdictions;
(h) how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage laws might be improved to guarantee the protection of culturally and historically significant sites;
(i) opportunities to improve indigenous heritage protection through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 ; and
(j) any other related matters
Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Ensuring Fair Representation of the Northern Territory) Bill 2020
That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 in relation to representation of the Northern Territory, 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.
I am proud to be introducing this Bill today which is co-sponsored by my colleague, Senator for the Northern Territory, Malarndirri McCarthy.
The purpose of the Bill is to provide for a minimum of two seats for the Northern Territory in the House of Representatives.
This Bill is necessary, because, based on Parliamentary Library projections, the Northern Territory's representation in the House is set to halve after an electoral boundary redistribution process which is due to start next month. This is because the Territory's population, although nearly 250,000, is below the entitlement quota for two seats.
The Constitution allows for a minimum of five seats for each original state—but leaves Parliament to decide the representation for the Territories.
There is very much a historical aspect to where we find ourselves. At Federation in 1901 the Northern Territory was a single electorate together with South Australia.
It was a short lived arrangement. In 1907 South Australia passed the Northern Territory Surrender Act that started a process to move the Northern Territory back to Commonwealth control.
On 1 January 1911, the NT became a Federal Territory under the control of the Commonwealth under the Northern Territory Acceptance Act 1910 .
And still, despite self-government, the Northern Territory is ultimately subject to the legislative control of the Commonwealth. It's a situation that has caused and continues to cause some resentment. Territorians are prickly about Canberra control.
This sentiment gave rise to the Darwin Rebellion in 1918, when around 1000 demonstrators marched on Government House protesting employment, taxation and political representation.
The rebellion led to a Royal Commission, the outcome of which was the Northern Territory Representation Act 1922 which provided for one Northern Territory member of the House of Representatives—but with no voting rights.
Significantly, it was a people's movement that forced the Commonwealth to act.
There have been further legislative changes at the federal level over many years impacting on NT representation.
The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 provides for a minimum of one member each for the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Based on population, the ACT currently has three members of the House of Representatives and the Northern Territory has two.
The Northern Territory first gained a second seat at the 2001 election, dividing the electorate of the Northern Territory into the seats of Solomon (the urban area of Darwin and Palmerston) and Lingiari (the rest of the Northern Territory west to the border of Western Australia, south to South Australia, and east to Queensland).
Prior to that my colleague in the other place, the Member for Lingiari, the Honourable Warren Snowdon, was the member for the electorate of the Northern Territory for 12 years. In 2001 when the electorate was divided, Warren became the member for Lingiari and he was joined by CLP member David Tollner in the newly formed seat of Solomon which is now held by Luke Gosling.
In 2003, the Australian Electoral Commission made a redistribution determination that would have again reduced the NT to one seat. In response to that, David Tollner introduced a private member's bill to guarantee the Territory two seats and the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters inquired into whether the Act should be amended to guarantee both the ACT and the NT two seats in the House of Representatives.
While the majority of submissions to the inquiry were in support of the proposal, the Committee found that the representational entitlement method was the best method of determining the Territories' entitlement. Although the Committee recommended overturning the Commissioner's 2003 redistribution determination, it stopped short of guaranteeing the Territories two seats into the future.
In 2004 the Act was amended to overturn the Electoral Commissioner's determination and retain both electoral divisions. This was largely because the shortfall for the second quota was only 295 electors and well within an acceptable margin of error. The Act was also amended at that time to introduce a margin of error calculation for future redistribution determinations.
The amendment to the Act in 2004 only applied to the 2003 redistribution. No redistribution since then has resulted in a reduction in members in the NT, so the need for further amendments to the Act has not arisen—until now.
On the Parliamentary Library's reckoning the estimated population figures will see the NT fall short of a second quota by approximately 4,700 electors including the margin of error.
Without legislative intervention, the Territory will lose a seat in the upcoming redistribution, halving its representation in the House of Representatives at the stroke of a pen.
The Territory's size, the remoteness of many of its communities and its unique demography all contribute to its need for more than one lower house seat.
Losing a seat would mean a single MP serving an electorate of over 1.4 million square kilometres, including the remote Indian Ocean Territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands. The Territory is enormous—it is six times the size of Victoria and almost double the size of New South Wales.
Losing a seat would mean a single MP representing a population of nearly 250,000 Territorians.
This would make the NT electorate by far Australia's largest by population, with approximately 30,000 more people and spread over an area more than 35,000 times larger than the electorate of Melbourne.
The two seats in the Northern Territory have a population not too far below the national average and yet more than each of the five seats in Tasmania.
Tasmania, as an original state in the Constitution, is guaranteed five seats regardless of its size. Five members in the House of Representatives with a population of about 535,000 — this Bill is simply asking for two elected members for the Territory's 250,000 residents.
Without legislating for a guaranteed two seats, representation in the Territory will always be at the mercy of ABS statistics. We don't know the true population because many people have not been counted in the Census. There is a historical issue with undercounting remote community populations, with issues around accessibility, language barriers and other barriers.
On top of that, populations fluctuate. The Northern Territory Department of Treasury and Finance's projected population statistics predict the Territory's population will reach 251,727 by 2021, taking it over the threshold of eligibility for two seats. If these projections are correct and a redistribution this year results in the loss of a seat, the redistribution would see an outcome which is not reflective of the population at the time of the next election.
A single electorate for the Territory would not recognise the different characteristics and communities of interest from Darwin and Palmerston to the remote regions, nor the NT's strategic and economic importance to the whole of Australia.
The port of Darwin is integral to our nation's defence, biosecurity and border security. It is the gateway for trade with the rest of the world, being the closest port to South-East Asia.
But the Territory is more than just Darwin. Without legislation, a single MP would need to divide their time between Darwin and communities like the Cocos Islands, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Christmas Island, Katherine and Arnhem Land. These are places of enormous historical, cultural and environmental significance to Australia and they need special attention.
The Territory is simply too big for one person and its citizens deserve more. The saying is 'Bigger than Texas'. We really should be saying 'Bigger than the Territory' to get a true sense of that vast region.
As the Territory works to recover from the impacts of COVID-19, there could not be a worse time for it to lose a voice in the Federal Parliament.
The challenges presented by the coronavirus have put a number of critical industries at risk.
Tourism is vital to the Territory, generating over $2 billion in expenditure last year and supporting 15,000 jobs across some 2,000 tourism businesses.
With international borders unlikely to be reopened until next year and a return to pre-COVID levels being some years off, supporting and advocating for domestic tourism opportunities will be more important than ever.
This advocacy will be particularly important in the Territory where the tyranny of distance will require a different approach to what is successful on the east coast.
For the 2,000-odd enterprises, the majority of which are sole traders or small businesses, our advocacy will be critical to their survival and the long term success of the tourism industry in the NT.
Legislating for two seats in the Northern Territory will ensure that all Territorians, including the 27 per cent of the NT's population who are Indigenous, will continue to have the representation in Canberra that they deserve.
Although First Nations peoples make up over a quarter of the NT's population, only 68.2 per cent of eligible Indigenous Territorians are enrolled to vote. This compares to an overall enrolment rate in the NT of 84.4 per cent and a national enrolment rate of 96.3 per cent. Although the enrolment rate has been steadily improving, this is quite clearly an unacceptable gap. We need to maximise the opportunity for Indigenous Australians to be represented and to fully participate in our democracy.
At a time when we should be heeding the call for First Nations people to have a stronger, louder, more influential voice in our democratic processes, reducing the NT's representation in the House will only set us back further.
I want to acknowledge and thank my Territory colleagues for working tirelessly for their constituency and for making the case for two seats in the NT. The Member for Lingiari, the Honourable Warren Snowdon, the Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy and the Territory's Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, are all fierce advocates for the Territory and we need them all now more than ever.
I want to make special mention of Country Liberal Party Senator Sam McMahon. Senator McMahon understands the need for effective representation in the NT and I thank her for her public statements on this issue. I would also like to thank National Party Senators McKenzie, Canavan, Davey and McDonald for joining Senator McMahon in co-sponsoring the motion to introduce this Bill. I know also that there are other Senators from the crossbench who are supportive and I hope that the support from all of those Senators will help sway their colleagues.
Labor will always fight for strong federal representation for Territorians and we call on the Morrison Government to back our plan to guarantee two Northern Territory seats in legislation.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) 25 women have been killed by violence since the start of 2020, as reported by Counting Dead Women Australia from Destroy The Joint, eight more since the previous sitting of the Senate,
(ii) there is no national government reporting program to record the ongoing toll of women killed by violence in real time and ensure that these horrifying statistics receive ongoing public attention,
(iii) on average, one woman is murdered every week by her current or former partner,
(iv) according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey 2016:
(A) more than 370,000 Australian women are subjected to violence from men each year,
(B) 1 in 3 Australian women has experienced physical violence,
(C) 1 in 5 Australian women has experienced sexual violence,
(D) 1 in 6 Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner,
(E) 1 in 4 Australian women has experienced emotional abuse by a current or former partner,
(F) Australian women are nearly three times more likely than men to experience violence from an intimate partner, and
(G) Australian women are 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalised for assault injuries arising from family and domestic violence than men, with hospitalisation rates rising by 23% since 2014-2015,
(v) in 2017, young women aged 15-34 accounted for more than half of reported sexual assaults,
(vi) there is growing evidence that women with disabilities are more likely to experience violence,
(vii) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women report experiencing violence at 3.1 times the rate of non-Indigenous women,
(viii) in 2016-2017, Indigenous women were 32 times as likely to be hospitalised due to family violence as non-Indigenous women,
(ix) the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 states that the overall prevalence of violence against women will only start to decrease in the very long term as gender roles change,
(x) the Fourth Action Plan recognises that demand for domestic and family violence services has increased, and will continue to increase, and
(xi) the COVID-19 crisis has put more women and children at risk of abuse and increased both the demand for domestic and family violence services and the complexity of the models for delivering these services, and
(b) calls on the Government to:
(i) recognise violence against women as a national security crisis,
(ii) adequately fund frontline domestic, family and sexual violence and crisis housing services to ensure that all women seeking safety can access these services when and where they need them,
(iii) legislate for 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave so that women don't have to choose between paying the bills and seeking safety,
(iv) ensure that all government funded counselling services for domestic and family violence are delivered by expert family violence service providers in accordance with the National Outcome Standards for Perpetrator Interventions,
(v) implement all 25 recommendations of the 2015 Senate inquiry into domestic violence in Australia, and
(vi) maintain and publish an official real-time national toll of women killed by violence in Australia.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) since mid-March the number of people receiving unemployment benefits has doubled, up from 812,000 on 13 March to 1,640,000 on 22 May,
(ii) the Department of Social Services expects 1.7 million people to be relying on JobSeeker Payment by September this year,
(iii) the Government has temporarily increased the JobSeeker Payment, through the Coronavirus Supplement, but only until 24 September 2020,
(iv) the base rate of JobSeeker Payment - previously Newstart – is too low – it traps people in poverty and prevents them from getting work because they cannot afford essentials like transport, training, clothes, equipment and housing, and
(v) Deloitte Access Economics has warned the Government against the rapid withdrawal of support, and stated that, at the end of the Coronavirus Supplement period, 'there is an obvious case to keep JobSeeker at a higher rate than Newstart'; and
(b) calls on the Federal Government to:
(i) release economic modelling showing the impact on jobs and the economy of suddenly and completely stopping the Coronavirus Supplement, and
(ii) increase the base rate of the JobSeeker Payment when the Coronavirus Supplement ends, to keep people out of poverty and ensure they can get work when it is available.
Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion:
The Government's decision to snap back to a complex and expensive child care subsidy system on 13 July, as Australia enters its first recession in 29 years, will lead to child care becoming unaffordable and for families, particularly women, to think about going back to work and could now act as a handbrake on Australia's economic recovery.
… the hand of government reaching in and taking away our children's youth.
We would like to wholeheartedly thank Minister Tehan, the Treasurer and the. Prime Minister for listening to our members and recognising the importance of ensuring that all Australian families have access to high-quality learning services.
That the Senate take note of the report.
That the Senate take note of the report.
Trade and investment are essential to Australia's economy. Tens of thousands of Australian businesses, from sole traders to large enterprises, export goods and services around the world.
Investment has underpinned the growth of many Australian industries and enables businesses to expand, diversify, hire more staff, and enter new markets.
This inquiry considered opportunities for Australian businesses to increase their exports and attract further investment. In particular, the Committee examined what role the Australian Government has in boosting exports.
The Committee also considered what challenges businesses face when exporting, such as non-tariff barriers and unnecessary or burdensome regulation.
This report makes 20 recommendations aimed at supporting businesses, including in new and emerging industries, to increase their trade and attract investment.
The Committee recommended an assessment of the regulatory arrangements for the agricultural industry. This included recommending an examination of whether regulatory costs, red and green tape, and differing arrangements across jurisdictions are impacting on Australia's international competitiveness for agriculture.
Another focus of the Committee's recommendations was supporting innovation and new and emerging industries, such as the space sector, defence exports, international health and video game development.
The Committee also looked to the future of Australian trade and investment, including the Government's goal of having 90 per cent of Australia's two-way trade covered by trade agreements by 2022.
Achieving this goal will be a significant milestone, but also raises the question of what further opportunities there will be to drive growth in Australia's exports.
As this inquiry process was coming to a close, the world was confronted with the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic. This has already had devastating consequences for individuals, businesses and economies around the world. The long-term economic impact of COVID-19 is not yet known, but the Australian Government is putting measures in place to support businesses after this health crisis has been overcome.
As the majority of evidence to this inquiry was received before the COVID-19 outbreak, the report does not reflect the emerging challenges businesses across the globe will face as a consequence. However, the report recommendations, which focus on creating more opportunities to export and invest, remain relevant and necessary as the economy looks towards recovery in the coming months.
On behalf of the Committee, I would like to acknowledge the difficult times many Australian businesses are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is our hope that the work of the Australian Parliament, including through this Committee, will help businesses recover from the effects of this pandemic.
I would like to thank the individuals, businesses, organisations and government agencies who participated in this inquiry and provided the committee with an insight into the trade and investment challenges and opportunities for Australian businesses. I would also like to thank my Committee colleagues for their significant contribution to this inquiry and the ongoing work of the Committee more broadly.
National Skills Commissioner Bill 2020
That this bill may proceed without formalities and be now read a first time.
That this bill be now read a second time.
Today I am introducing the National Skills Commissioner Bill to establish the statutory position of the National Skills Commissioner (Commissioner). The Commissioner will be a critical new part of Australia's economic infrastructure, providing independent expert advice and national leadership on the Australian labour market, current and future skills needs, and workforce development issues.
The Vocational Education and Training (VET) system is the engine room of Australia's future growth. It is the place where every year, over four million Australians go to learn new skills, gain nationally recognised qualifications and springboard to their first, or their next job. It is the place that employers turn to ensure their employees receive high quality training, to enable them to do their existing jobs better or to perform new roles.
Now, more than ever before, Australia needs the training system to be the best it ever has been. Australia's economy is changing rapidly and millions of Australians need to reskill and upskill in growth areas. It will be the Australian people, our human capital, that will lead Australia's recovery from the COVID‑19 health and economic crisis, supported by our world class VET system.
The Bill I am introducing today will create a new independent National Skills Commissioner who will lead thinking on Australia's skills and workforce needs.
The Commissioner will consolidate and strengthen labour market and skills needs analysis, to provide an independent and trusted source of information about what is happening in the Australian labour market now and into the future. This research and analysis will draw on emerging data sources and cutting-edge analytic techniques to ensure Australia's labour market analysis capability is world leading.
This analysis will help close skills gaps and provide confidence to employers, students, tertiary educators and Australian governments that we are investing in the right skills at the right time. This is essential to prepare Australians for the workforce opportunities of today and tomorrow.
In addition, the Commissioner will examine the cost drivers and develop and maintain a set of efficient prices for VET courses, to improve transparency, consistency and accessibility for students. Currently, VET prices and subsidies vary considerably around Australia, with students paying different prices for the same course, and facing varying levels of quality.
I emphasise that an efficient price does not mean the lowest price. At the core of any purchasing decision, is a decision about value for money and VET is no different. In establishing efficient prices, the National Skills Commissioner will consider both the cost of delivering the qualification and the outcomes for the student. If the price for a course is higher, but that course consistently delivers students who are employed quickly with higher salaries, then it is safe to say it is value for money.
Central to the Commissioner's work will be a focus on quality, to determine the price that delivers the skills that employers need and sets students up for a valuable career.
Finally, the Commissioner will lead research and analysis to examine the effectiveness of the VET system and advise on the public and private returns on government investment. This means better understanding VET student outcomes, such as whether a student got a job and what they are now earning, as well as public benefits such as building a strong care workforce. This will enable Australian governments to direct investment towards high quality courses that give students the best chance of getting a job, while strengthening our economy and society.
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the importance and increased the urgency of this work, reinforcing the importance of our existing commitment to reform the VET system. It builds on our $585 million Delivering Skills for Today and Tomorrow skills package, and contributes to COAG's agreed vision for VET to be a responsive, dynamic and trusted sector.
Together with the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Governance and Other Matters) Bill 2020 , this Bill delivers some of the key elements of the 2019 expert review of Australia's VET system, led by the Honourable Steven Joyce.
The role of the National Skills Commissioner is underpinned by the principles of independence, transparency and accountability. It will support a stronger, more agile VET system, enabling us to navigate economic recovery, lift productivity and lay the foundations for a prosperous future.
I commend this Bill to the chamber.
Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Flexibility Measures) Bill 2020
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment (Enhancing Australia's Anti-Doping Capability) Bill 2019
The Wood Review found doping is more prevalent and widespread than ever among athletes at all levels, and is facilitated by the increasing availability of highly sophisticated techniques that make it harder to detect. The Wood Review also found serious and organised crime is involved in the supply of performance and image enhancing drugs and the current suite of statutory protections and powers under the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Act 2006 (ASADA Act) is not sufficient to facilitate ASADA's increasing emphasis on intelligence-based investigations.
The Wood Review made a number of recommendations including legislative amendments, principally to the ASADA Act, to allow ASADA's existing regulatory functions to be carried out more effectively. These amendments provide for these recommendations, with the principal effects to include:
streamlining the administrative phase of the statutory anti-doping rule violation process;
extending statutory protection against civil actions to cover other persons in their exercise of Anti-Doping Rule Violation functions;
facilitating better information sharing between ASADA and National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) through enhancing statutory protections for information provided to an NSO by ASADA; and
strengthening ASADA's disclosure notice regime.
ASADA noted that in four significant cases in recent years, the inability to reach the reasonable belief threshold had delayed or otherwise prevented the progression of those matters, noting that in each of these cases the subjects of the investigations were facilitators, suppliers or third party enablers of doping.
… that there are at least 10 instances of organisations or businesses being involved in the supply of performance and image enhancing drugs that ASADA has been unable to fully investigate using disclosure notices due to the current reasonable belief threshold.
The Australian Olympic Committee … welcomes the introduction of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment (Enhancing Australia's Anti-Doping Capability) Bill 2019—
Without this protection, we cannot preserve the integrity and honesty of Australian sport for all clean athletes.
The committee recognises that the matters addressed in the bill have been the subject of extensive review and consultation, both through the Wood Review, legislative scrutiny processes and subsequently following the introduction of similar form of the bill during the previous parliament. The committee notes the refinements to the bill in response to this scrutiny and consultation.
The bill seeks to enhance ASADA's intelligence gathering capabilities by addressing inefficiencies, inconsistencies and gaps identified by the Wood Review. At the same time, the bill is intended to provide ASADA with the flexibility it needs to apply a more risk based and nuanced approach to its work. Oversight is maintained through internal ASADA procedures as well as through judicial review, while appropriate safeguards remain in place for the protection of information.
Australians don't just expect our sports people to win; they expect them to do so fairly and within the rules. Where they don't do this, we expect them to face the music.
… will ensure that athletes can have confidence that they are playing on an even field, and Australians can have faith not only that the sports that we're watching are fair but that our Australian sports men and women are representing our country with the same ideals of fairness and equality that their forebears have had for over 100 years.
(1) Schedule 1, items 43 and 44, page 11 (lines 3 to 6), to be opposed.
In light of the broad responsibilities of the ASADA CEO and the width of the phrase 'relevant to the administration of the NAD scheme', there is some doubt whether a change to the threshold for issue of a disclosure notice is necessary. It may be sufficient for the ASADA CEO to fully utilise the current legislation.
(1) Clause 2, page 2 (table item 2, column 1), omit "4", substitute "4A".
(3) Schedule 1, item 16, page 5 (lines 17 and 18), omit the item, substitute:
16 Subsection 14(4)
Omit "ADRVP", substitute "CEO".
(4) Schedule 1, item 40, page 9 (lines 5 to 9), omit subsection 78(5), substitute:
(5) A national sporting organisation of Australia, or a person performing work or services for the organisation, is not liable to an action or other proceeding for damages for or in relation to an act done or omitted to be done in good faith:
(a) in the performance or purported performance of any function given to the national sporting organisation under the NAD scheme; or
(b) in the exercise or purported exercise of any power given to the national sporting organisation under the NAD scheme.
(8) Schedule 1, page 12 (after line 6), after Part 4, insert:
Part 4A—Athlete ombudsman
48A At the end of section 14
Add:
Athlete Ombudsman
(6) The NAD scheme must establish an Athlete Ombudsman.
(7) The functions of the Athlete Ombudsman must include:
(a) providing independent advice to athletes and support persons, at no cost, in relation to the operation of the NAD scheme and this Act; and
(b) investigating complaints made in relation to matters arising under the NAD scheme; and
(c) providing assistance in disputes arising in relation to matters under the NAD scheme; and
(d) establishing and maintaining a list of legal practitioners who are able to provide pro bono assistance to athletes and support persons in relation to matters arising under the NAD scheme.
(8) All money required to give effect to the Athlete Ombudsman is to be funded out of money appropriated by the Parliament for the purposes of this section.
(2) Schedule 1, item 14, page 5 (lines 13 and 14), to be opposed.
(6) Schedule 1, item 45, page 11 (lines 7 to 9), to be opposed.
(7) Schedule 1, item 47, page 11 (line 12) to page 12 (line 3), to be opposed.
That this bill be now read a third time.
Commonwealth Registers Bill 2019
Treasury Laws Amendment (Registries Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2019
Business Names Registration (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019
Corporations (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019
These statues should remain as a reminder of a point in time in our lives – even when detrimental. They serve as prompts to encourage people to talk about history.
I've seen more dinner times than I've seen dinners, I've known discrimination, I've known prejudice, I've known all of those things ... but some of that is still with us ... and it's got to be changed.
Every time they have to tell their story we are effectively retraumatising that individual.
I just can't do all the groundwork to try and do all of this stuff, I can't even do anything—I don't want to get out of bed in the morning.
They should contact you, you shouldn't have to chase them.
I would not agree with the notion that I might go to Beijing and provide a lecture on a whole range of these matters whilst at the same time encouraging the Chinese to buy Victorian products. I do not think that would be particularly conducive to more jobs or a stronger relationship. Now if that is the mission of those opposite—to actually sell less goods to less customers—well, we do not agree with that approach. And if the Leader of the Opposition wants to lead a human rights delegation to China or any other country and then try and do a trade deal at the same time, I wish him luck because I reckon he will need it.
Make no mistake, industry super funds are on track to be the biggest political donors in Australia. They'll be bigger than the CFMMEU and Co.