The SPEAKER ( Hon. Bronwyn Bishop ) took the chair at 10:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
Report relating to the consideration of private Members ' business.
1. Pursuant to a resolution of the House of 20 November 2013, the Speaker, Chief Government Whip and Chief Opposition Whip met on 21 November 2013 to determine the order of precedence and times to be allocated for consideration of private Members' business on Monday, 2 December 2013, as follows:
Items for House of Representatives Chamber (10.00 am to 12 noon)
PRIVATE MEMBERS ' BUSINESS
Notices
1 Mr Nikolic: To move:
That this House notes:
(1) with concern that Tasmania has the lowest gross state product per capita in Australia, the nation's highest unemployment rate, the lowest proportion of adults in the nation who have attained a year 12 qualification, one of the lowest retention rates to year 12, the lowest population growth, and the highest proportion of Australians without superannuation coverage;
(2) that Tasmania has enormous potential with productive land, a skilled and willing work force and people with a strong commitment to improve the state's economy by endeavour and hard work; and
(3) that the Federal Coalition's Economic Growth Plan for Tasmania, promised in the election campaign and reiterated in Her Excellency the Governor-General's speech opening the 44th Parliament, will provide the architecture to help turn Tasmania's economy around and encourage long term, sustainable employment. (Notice given 18 November 2013.)
Time allotted—40 minutes .
Speech time limits—
Mr Nikolic — 10 minutes.
Next Member speaking — 10 minutes each.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 10 + 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
2 Mr S. P. Jones: To move:
That this House notes that:
(1) as identified by Infrastructure Australia, we are an urban nation with four-fifths of our population and economic activity occurring in our cities;
(2) Australia's growing cities have a strategic need for greater public transport capacity to meet the growing transport task, ease urban road congestion and ensure improved national productivity;
(3) this urban transport task is a joint Australian and state government responsibility;
(4) recognising this, Labor in government invested $13 billion—more Commonwealth funding for public transport than all other governments since Federation—and this investment in urban transport projects, put forward and assessed through Infrastructure Australia, resulted in a significant boost to the strategic development of Australia's public transport network; and
(5) urban public transport projects including the Brisbane Cross River Rail project, the Perth Public Transport Package and the Tansley Park Public Transport Package in Adelaide are nationally significant projects and are not guaranteed to proceed without Australian Government funding. (Notice given 19 November 2013.)
Time allotted—40 minutes .
Speech time limits—
Mr S. P. Jones — 10 minutes.
Next Member speaking—10 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 10 + 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
3 Dr Stone: To move:
That this House:
(1) celebrates the success of Rural Clinical Schools (RCS) around Australia, commenced in 1999 by the then Minister for Health, the Hon. Dr Michael Wooldridge MP, and continued by his successor, the Hon. Tony Abbott MP;
(2) notes that:
(a) RCS were designed to overcome the maldistribution of all doctors including general practitioners across Australia, which left country regions short of general practitioners and other specialty doctors;
(b) students undertaking training in rural locations have academic results that are equal to or better than their metropolitan counterparts;
(c) published data from public universities show high rates of RCS graduates working in, or intending to work in rural areas; and
(d) the information gathered through an independent project tracking all Australian and New Zealand medical students—Medical Schools Outcomes Database—demonstrates that long term placements in a rural setting through RCS have a significant impact on the vocational choice and intention to practice in a rural or remote setting as well as future career specialty focus; and
(3) calls on the Government to:
(a) continue its support for these excellent initiatives; and
(b) examine opportunities to increase intern and postgraduate training places in rural locations to enhance the future of specialty medical service delivery with a focus on general practitioners in rural and regional Australia. ( Notice given 20 November 2013. )
Time allotted—remaining private Members ' business time prior to 12 noon.
Dr Stone—10 minutes.
Next Member speaking—10 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 10 + 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
Items for Federation Chamber (11 am to 1.30 pm)
PRIVATE MEMBERS ' BUSINESS
Notices
1 Ms Rishworth: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month;
(2) acknowledges that more than 9,100 Australians are diagnosed with lung cancer every year;
(3) recognises that lung cancer claims the lives of more Australians than any other cancer with only 14 out of 100 Australians surviving five years beyond their initial diagnosis; and
(4) calls on Australian and state and territory governments to work together to improve the survival rates of Australians diagnosed with lung cancer by encouraging early detection and providing access to high quality health care treatment and support. (Notice given 18 November 2013.)
Time allotted—50 minutes .
Ms Rishworth — 5 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking =10 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
2 Ms O ' Dwyer: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that 1 December 2013 is World AIDS Day;
(2) recognises that:
(a) more than 35 million people now live with HIV/AIDS worldwide, and almost 10 per cent of these are under the age of 15;
(b) every day nearly 6,300 people contract HIV—nearly 262 every hour;
(c) in Australia in 2012 there were 25,000 people living with HIV and 1253 new diagnoses of HIV infection—a 10 per cent increase from previous years;
(d) in 2012, 1.6 million people died from AIDS‑related illnesses;
(e) in some communities HIV rates are as high as 40 per cent;
(f) since the beginning of the epidemic in the 1980s, more than 75 million people have been infected with HIV and nearly 36 million have died of AIDS‑related illnesses;
(g) there are now outstanding antiviral treatments available to people living with HIV; and
(h) although a lot of work has been done and many medical advances have been made, there is no cure and no vaccine, so a lot of research and work still needs to be done before we see the end of HIV;
(3) acknowledges that:
(a) in July 2014, Melbourne will host the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014);
(b) the conference will bring together 14,000 delegates from around 200 countries, which will be the largest medical conference ever held in Australia; and
(c) the conference will be chaired by Nobel Laureate, Professor Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, and Professor Sharon Lewin; and
(4) calls on the Parliament to:
(a) continue Australia's strong commitment to an enduring effective partnership between government, scientists and the community to meet the needs of people living with HIV;
(b) continue Australia's strong commitment to medical health and research; and
(c) foster and cultivate Australia's medical health and research community and researchers to ensure we stay at the forefront of all aspects of treatment, care and research in HIV. ( Notice given 20 November 2013. )
Time allotted—50 minutes .
Ms O ' Dwyer — 10 minutes.
Next member speaking — 10 minutes
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 10 + 6 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
3 Mr Hayes: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) 10 December is International Human Rights Day and also marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the High Commissioner for Human Rights;
(b) on 12 November 2013, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam gained a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council and also signed the United Nations Convention Against Torture; and
(c) despite Vietnam being a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, there remains a concerning number of human rights violations in that country including the:
(i) treatment of 14 Vietnamese Catholics who were arrested and sentenced to four to eight years imprisonment in January 2013 for protesting in support of land rights, freedom of religion and the release of previously convicted activists;
(ii) arrest in October 2012 of Nguyen Phuong Uyen and Dinh Nguyen Kha, charged under Article 88 of the Vietnamese Penal Code for distributing leaflets protesting against China's claims to the Paracel and Spratly islands in the South China Sea; and
(iii) seven year imprisonment of trade union organiser Do Thi Minh Hanh, for national security charges relating to her involvement in organising workers at a shoes factory in October 2010; and
(2) calls on the Australian Government to:
(a) take all appropriate steps to encourage the Vietnamese Government to honour its obligations as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
(b) consider issues of human rights in Vietnam when assigning funding under Australia's overseas development aid program; and
(c) continue Australia's engagement in bilateral and multilateral contexts with Vietnam on human rights.
Time allotted—20 minutes .
Mr Hayes — 5 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
4 Ms King: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) Australia Post as per its Community Service Obligations, is required to achieve timely mail deliveries in all parts of Australia, not just the major capital cities;
(b) residents in regional towns and cities across Australia are not receiving mail for up to six days, with mail routes routinely left unprocessed due to insufficient staff at regional mail centres; and
(c) constituents have contacted the offices of regional Members, citing regular occurrences of late mail affecting people who depend on reliable mail services; and
(2) calls on the Minister for Communications to:
(a) ensure that the current cuts by attrition at regional mail centres are reversed, suspending moves by Australia Post and the Government to abandon regional Australia by transferring mail sorting services to capital cities;
(b) restore next day delivery services from regional centres; and
(c) ensure the security of jobs and safe working conditions for regional postal workers.
Time allotted—remaining private Members ' business time prior to 1.30 pm.
Ms King—5 minutes.
Other Members—5 minutes. each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this should continue on a future day.
That this House notes:
(1) with concern that Tasmania has the lowest gross state product per capita in Australia, the nation's highest unemployment rate, the lowest proportion of adults in the nation who have attained a year 12 qualification, one of the lowest retention rates to year 12, the lowest population growth, and the highest proportion of Australians without superannuation coverage;
(2) that Tasmania has enormous potential with productive land, a skilled and willing work force and people with a strong commitment to improve the state's economy by endeavour and hard work; and
(3) that the Federal Coalition's Economic Growth Plan for Tasmania, promised in the election campaign and reiterated in Her Excellency the Governor-General's speech opening the 44th Parliament, will provide the architecture to help tum Tasmania's economy around and encourage long term, sustainable employment.
(1) with concern that Tasmania has the lowest gross state product per capita in Australia, the nation's highest unemployment rate, the lowest proportion of adults in the nation who have attained a year 12 qualification, one of the lowest retention rates to year 12, the lowest population growth, and the highest proportion of Australians without superannuation coverage;
(3) that the Federal Coalition's Economic Growth Plan for Tasmania … will provide the architecture to help turn Tasmania's economy around and encourage long term, sustainable employment.
I hope to be a strong advocate in this parliament who can support both good economic policy and the regions. I certainly believe in economic reform, but let me say that I also believe that what I call the country-city compact, … that existed for the best part of 100 years in Australia, was a tragic victim of the reform agenda of the eighties, nineties and 2000s.
… … …
The country regions—
need a fair go. The compact recognised that there was an inextricable interdependence between the country and the city. It acknowledged that there was a mutual obligation that recognised the costs of living in the country. This has basically gone, and yet country regions remain vital to the nation.
Like a slippery lawyer pointing to the fine print after the client had signed on the bottom line—
Like a slippery lawyer pointing to the fine print after the client had signed on the bottom line, the government is maintaining everyone else has got it wrong—the states, the journalists and a great deal of the education sector.
That this House notes that:
(1) as identified by Infrastructure Australia, we are an urban nation with four-fifths of our population and economic activity occurring in our cities;
(2) Australia's growing cities have a strategic need for greater public transport capacity to meet the growing transport task, ease urban road congestion and ensure improved national productivity;
(3) this urban transport task is a joint Australian and state government responsibility;
(4) recognising this, Labor in government invested $13 billion—more Commonwealth funding for public transport than all other governments since Federation—and this investment in urban transport projects, put forward and assessed through Infrastructure Australia, resulted in a significant boost to the strategic development of Australia's public transport network; and
(5) urban public transport projects including the Brisbane Cross River Rail project, the Perth Public Transport Package and the Tansley Park Public Transport Package in Adelaide are nationally significant projects and are not guaranteed to proceed without Australian Government funding.
That this House:
(1) celebrates the success of Rural Clinical Schools (RCS) around Australia, commenced in 1999 by the then Minister for Health, the Hon. Dr Michael Wooldridge MP, and continued by his successor, the Hon. Tony Abbott MP;
(2) notes that:
(a) RCS were designed to overcome the maldistribution of all doctors including general practitioners across Australia, which left country regions short of general practitioners and other specialty doctors;
(b) students undertaking training in rural locations have academic results that are equal to or better than their metropolitan counterparts;
(c) published data from public universities show high rates of RCS graduates working in, or intending to work in rural areas; and
(d) the information gathered through an independent project tracking all Australian and New Zealand medical students—Medical Schools Outcomes Database—demonstrates that long term placements in a rural setting through RCS have a significant impact on the vocational choice and intention to practice in a rural or remote setting as well as future career specialty focus; and
(3) calls on the Government to:
(a) continue its support for these excellent initiatives; and
(b) examine opportunities to increase intern and postgraduate training places in rural locations to enhance the future of specialty medical service delivery with a focus on general practitioners in rural and regional Australia.
In the other specialties, this lack of rurally-based intern positions is further hampered by limited rural training opportunities for trainees seeking fellowship of a specialist medical college, noting that the—
STP … has made some difference in this area.
Part of the rural-urban health disparity in Australia is caused by inequalities in access to healthcare, for example, in timely access to life-saving cardiac catheterisation services and availability of medical practitioners, particularly specialists.
Grape and Wine Legislation Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
Primary Industries (Customs) Charges Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
Primary Industries (Excise) Levies Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013
Building and Construction Industry (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2013
… returning the industrial relations pendulum back to the sensible centre.
… the ABC Commissioner's investigatory powers have the potential to severely restrict basic democratic rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of association, the privilege against self-incrimination and the right to silence.
Okay, so rubbish reports like this are common as muck, true. But this is more significant because it's on the basis of stuff like this that the Coalition has committed to reinstitute a major attack on basic rights. And that attack will not be just on the rights of construction industry unionists, but all of us.
The great gains for construction industry arising, it was said, from the near equalisation of costs in the commercial and domestic residential sectors that was attributed to the ABCC have disappeared, like a mirage on the horizon.
This close analysis of the Econtech data raises serious questions about the nature of regulation in the building and construction industry. Alleged economic benefits, used to justify denial of basic rights to employees in the industry—rights which everybody else is, at least at present, entitled to enjoy—are based on discredited cost data. In short, there do not appear to be any significant economic benefits that warrant the loss of rights involved in recent arrangements.
That all the words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
"the House declines to give the bill and the related bills a second reading because it would be ill advised to continue having regard to:
(1) the negative impact of the re-establishment of the Australian Building and Construction Commission on the rights and entitlements of Australian workers; and
(2) Government plans to equip the Australian Building and Construction Commission with powers that are extreme, unnecessary, undemocratic and compromise civil liberties."
When a handful of yachts become ocean liners while the rest remain lowly canoes, something is seriously amiss.
The neoliberals … insisted that unrestrained inequality in incomes and flexible wages would reduce unemployment. But throughout the rich world both inequality and unemployment have soared. The recent jump in unemployment in most developed countries—worse than in any previous recession of the past three decades—was preceded by the lowest level of wages as a share of GDP since the second world war. Bang goes the theory. It failed for the same obvious reason: low wages suppress demand, which suppresses employment.
Australia would benefit to the tune of $1.252 billion if the construction sector improved its productivity by just 1 per cent, according to the new PricewaterhouseCoopers report.
Our policy starts with a clear commitment to all Australian schools: your funding is certain.
This measure alone—
means schools students are in a better position now than they were before the election.
Mr Abbott should be commended for restoring the $1.2 billion of education funding which was deceitfully removed by the Labor government in its dying days.
Rusal Australia made it clear over the past three years in meetings with, and briefings to, the previous government that its investment in the … (QAL) refinery at Gladstone was being put at risk by the government's unilateral carbon tax and energy policy.
We will not invest another cent in major capital improvements until Labor agrees to the repeal of the carbon tax …
A tonne of alumina produced in Australia emits on average 0.85 tonnes of CO2, while in China the average carbon emission from production of a tonne of alumina is 1.35 tonnes.
By the modelling done for the previous State government, Queensland could lose up to 21,000 jobs by 2020 and Gross State Product could fall by $9.6 billion thanks to the carbon tax.
… for the mining sector the combined costs of permits, higher fuel costs and pass through of carbon costs on gas and electricity was an added burden of about $1.2 billion.
That so much of standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Maribyrnong moving immediately:
That this House censures the Prime Minister for breaking his promise to parents and children across Australia that no school would be worse off under his Government.
We will honour the agreements … We will match the offers that Labor has made.
That all words after "That" (first occurring) be omitted and the following words be substituted: "this House condemns the Leader of the Opposition for cutting funding to schools in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory by $1.2 billion in the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook, and for failing to achieve a national, fair and needs based school funding model when Minister for Education."
… no school will be worse off, whether it is a Liberal or Labor government in the next term.
The House divided. [15:20]
(The Speaker—Hon. Bronwyn Bishop)
The House divided. [15:26]
(The Speaker—Hon. Bronwyn Bishop)
That the program of sittings for 2014 be agreed to.
… proposes … that some of the most interesting things in history and culture happen at the interface between cultures … the future .. in a globalized economy … will lie with people who can think and act with informed grace across ethnic, cultural, linguistic lines … In the world that is coming, if you can't navigate difference, you've had it.
We lived in Wodonga and during that time the Kelly bushrangers were active. My father who worked for the PMG (before it became Australia Post) used to be accompanied by an armed policeman as they feared the train might be ambushed.
Grape and Wine Legislation Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
That this bill be now read a third time.
Primary Industries (Customs) Charges Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
That this bill be now read a third time.
Primary Industries (Excise) Levies Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
That this bill be now read a third time.
Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013
Building and Construction Industry (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2013
Ordinarily, under our laws, you have certain rights not to answer questions … You have privileges against self-incrimination. But these rights do not exist when you are being interviewed by the ABCC. That an innocent member of the public can get caught up in these powers simply increases the concerns.
HIA also strongly opposed the government's decision—
to abolish the industry watchdog, the Australian Building and Construction Commission. By mid-year, the industry had already witnessed a return to union militancy, with blockades notably shutting down construction sites in the Melbourne CBD. HIA has called on the Commonwealth Government to restore the ABCC with appropriate penalties against offenders.
We believe that it is primarily a productivity enhancing measure that will provide certainty to businesses that their livelihood will not depend on the arbitrary actions of rogue union officials. The re-establishment of the ABCC is a reflection of the realities of the building and construction industry, and the capacity of projects to be held to ransom by union groups seeking that their unreasonable demands be met. The building and construction industry represents around eight per cent of GDP, and re-establishing the ABCC to watch over the industry is an important step in increasing productivity and boosting long term confidence and investment in infrastructure projects.
Small and medium businesses are particularly vulnerable to the effects of industrial action and industrial activity in the workplace—they often do not have the time or the resources that large companies have to devote to expenditure on the legal battles that these situations often necessitate.
While much of the industrial action that occurs on building sites is unlawful, by the time it is brought to a halt, businesses have sustained significant economic harm because the workplace has come to a standstill
The Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate did not provide businesses with certainty that unlawful industrial action would be dealt with firmly and decisively, because it inherently lacked the powers to do so.
The fact that it was established within the architecture of the Fair Work system, rather than as an independent regulator, is highly problematic, given the perception among many employers that the system is designed to assist employees, rather than employers
By contrast, the ABCC will be an independent industrial regulator which has already demonstrated its capacity to be the 'tough cop on the beat' for the building and construction industry.
to ensure that where disputes occur within the industry, such disputes are resolved in accordance with legislated or agreed dispute resolution mechanisms rather than by the application of industrial and commercial pressure.
…an independent body, free of the pressures on the participants in the industry, which will ensure that participants comply with industrial, civil and criminal laws applicable to all Australians, and thus operating on building and construction sites, as well as industry specific laws applicable to this industry only.
This move will prove harmful for the building and construction industry, and the Australian economy.
The rule of law is now compromised beyond repair. Construction industry sources complain that the building unions are boasting that they are 'back in control.' They show no fear of, nor regard for, the new Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate.
The abolition of the ABCC will promote building industry chaos.
The government states that it supports a strong cop on the beat, but these laws promote anything but that.
The abolition of the ABCC will increase the risk of unlawful industrial action and coercion on building sites. Those who comply with the law have nothing to fear from the ABCC and the existing legislation.
The workplace relations reforms introduced as a result of the Cole Royal Commission have been very successful. The ABCC and the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act were central planks of the reforms. Today, the industry is a much better place to work and invest than prior to the reforms and this has provided huge benefits to employers, employees and the community.
However, damaging and unproductive industrial relations practices have been creeping back into the construction industry and a strong regulator needs to be maintained to ensure that industrial practices are lawful and appropriate.
This means the unions will be able to pressure employers to settle matters, including issues of coercion, reinforcing the very behaviour the law is designed to combat. All of the evidence points to the continuing need for a strong cop on the beat. This Bill just does not deliver on that promise.
… it is considered that separate attribution of labour productivity improvements to the ABCC and industrial relations reforms is not possible, because they both need to operate together to be effective.
There is no justification for selecting a different maximum penalty, for the same contravention, simply because the offender is in a particular industry.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Broadbent ) took the chair at 10:30.
That this House:
(1) notes that November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month;
(2) acknowledges that more than 9,100 Australians are diagnosed with lung cancer every year;
(3) recognises that lung cancer claims the lives of more Australians than any other cancer with only 14 out of 100 Australians surviving five years beyond their initial diagnosis; and
(4) calls on Australian and state and territory governments to work together to improve the survival rates of Australians diagnosed with lung cancer by encouraging early detection and providing access to high quality health care treatment and support.
The symptoms of lung cancer can often be vague and mimic those of other conditions, so it's important to know what your cough is telling you.
Unexplained, persistent symptoms lasting more than three weeks can include:
These symptoms may be due to other conditions however, if any of these symptoms are experienced, it is important that they are discussed with a GP or healthcare worker without delay.
Tobacco is a unique consumer item. Tobacco products cause premature death and disability when used as intended by the manufacturer; and they are addictive. No company trying to introduce cigarettes into Australia today would succeed in getting them onto the market.
(1) notes that 1 December 2013 is World AIDS Day;
(2) recognises that:
(a) more than 35 million people now live with HIV/AIDS worldwide, and almost 10 per cent of these are under the age of 15;
(b) every day nearly 6,300 people contract HIV—nearly 262 every hour;
(c) in Australia in 2012 there were 25,000 people living with HIV and 1,253 new diagnoses of HIV infection—a 10 per cent increase from previous years;
(d) in 2012, 1.6 million people died from AIDS—related illnesses;
(e) in some communities HIV rates are as high as 40 per cent;
(f) since the beginning of the epidemic in the 1980s, more than 75 million people have been infected with HIV and nearly 36 million have died of AIDS‑related illnesses;
(g) there are now outstanding antiviral treatments available to people living with HIV; and
(h) although a lot of work has been done and many medical advances have been made, there is no cure and no vaccine, so a lot of research and work still needs to be done before we see the end of HIV;
(3) acknowledges that:
(a) in July 2014, Melbourne will host the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014);
(b) the conference will bring together 14,000 delegates from around 200 countries, which will be the largest medical conference ever held in Australia; and
(c) the conference will be chaired by Nobel Laureate, Professor Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, and Professor Sharon Lewin; and
(4) calls on the Parliament to:
(a) continue Australia's strong commitment to an enduring effective partnership between government, scientists and the community to meet the needs of people living with HIV;
(b) continue Australia's strong commitment to medical health and research; and
(c) foster and cultivate Australia's medical health and research community and researchers to ensure we stay at the forefront of all aspects of treatment, care and research in HIV.
For the first time, the Queensland trend has crossed the line, meaning that the Queensland rate is higher than the Australian average—that's never happened before.
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) Australia Post as per its Community Service Obligations, is required to achieve timely mail deliveries in all parts of Australia, not just the major capital cities;
(b) residents in regional towns and cities across Australia are not receiving mail for up to six days, with mail routes routinely left unprocessed due to insufficient staff at regional mail centres; and
(c) constituents have contacted the offices of regional Members, citing regular occurrences of late mail affecting people who depend on reliable mail services; and
(2) calls on the Minister for Communications to:
(a) ensure that the current cuts by attrition at regional mail centres are reversed, suspending moves by Australia Post and the Government to abandon regional Australia by transferring mail sorting services to capital cities;
(b) restore next day delivery services from regional centres; and
(c) ensure the security of jobs and safe working conditions for regional postal workers.
Grape and Wine Legislation Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
Primary Industries (Customs) Charges Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
Primary Industries (Excise) Levies Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
Australia ranks fourth among the world's 10 biggest wine exporters in the average value per litre of bottled wine exports …
The increase in trade spend has come at the cost of suppliers' marketing and research and development spend which may have a long-term impact on growth, sustainability and innovation.
Primary Industries (Customs) Charges Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
Primary Industries (Excise) Levies Amendment (Australian Grape and Wine Authority) Bill 2013
Illness resulting from lifestyle represents 60 per cent of our total health cost when the underlying condition is taken into account. Type 2 diabetes is our biggest killer and our children are now world leaders in obesity rankings, where once we led the world in sporting participation and performance. Australian culture once revolved around participation in sport. The celebration of our sporting heroes held second place only to the celebration of our real heroes. Various assaults on this lifestyle have combined to diminish the distinction that provided us with the physical, mental and social benefits of an active lifestyle.
… … …
As a member of federal parliament I find it hard to think of anything more related to electorate business than the promotion of good health for all Australians. In July last year I was invited to travel to Perth to deliver the keynote speech at a Curtin University forum relating to sporting-club development.