The SPEAKER ( Hon. Milton Dick ) took the chair at 09:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
Report relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and of private Members' business
1. The Committee met in private session on Tuesday, 12 September 2023.
2. The Committee deliberated on items of committee and delegation business that had been notified, private Members' business items listed on the Notice Paper and notices lodged on Tuesday, 12 September 2023, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 16 October 2023, as follows:
Items for House of Representatives Chamber (10.10 am to 12 noon)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices
1 MS WATSON-BROWN: To present a Bill for an Act to impose a curfew and related restrictions on aircraft movements at Brisbane Airport, and for related purposes. ( Brisbane Airport Curfew and Demand Management Bill 2023 )
(Notice given 6 September 2023.)
Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes — pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.
2 DR SCAMPS: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 , and for related purposes. (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Expanding the Water Trigger) Bill 2023 )
(Notice given 12 September 2023.)
Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes — pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.
3 MS CHANEY: To move:
That:
(1) this House establish a joint select committee, to be known as the Joint Standing Committee on Oversight of the Implementation of Recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme to inquire into and report upon:
(a) the implementation of recommendations of the Royal Commission, which are directed at strengthening the Australian Public Service (APS), improving the processes of the Department of Social Services and Services Australia, and reinforcing the capability of oversight agencies;
(b) the implementation of recommendations of other reviews relating to the APS which the Royal Commission endorsed or specifically supported;
(c) the work of the APS Integrity Taskforce to deliver a 'pro-integrity culture' across the APS, including a comprehensive response to the themes emerging from the Royal Commission;
(d) action taken in response to other observations by the Royal Commission relating to the capability of the APS and budget processes; and
(e) any matter in relation to the Royal Commission's recommendations referred to the committee by a resolution of either House of the Parliament;
(2) the committee present reports every six months until the final sitting day of the 47th Parliament;
(3) the committee consist of nine members—four senators, and five members of the House of Representatives, as follows:
(a) two members of the House of the Representatives to be nominated by the Government Whip or Whips;
(b) two members of the House of Representatives to be nominated by the Opposition Whip or Whips;
(c) two senators to be nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate;
(d) one senator to be nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate;
(e) one senator to be nominated by any minority party or independent senator; and
(f) one member of the House of Representatives nominated by any minority party or independent member;
(4) participating members may:
(a) be appointed to the committee on the nomination of the Government Whip in the House of Representatives, the Opposition Whip in the House of Representatives, the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate or any minority party or independent senator or member of the House of Representatives; and
(b) participate in hearings of evidence and deliberations of the committee, and have all the rights of members of the committee, but may not vote on any questions before the committee;
(5) every nomination of a member of the committee be notified in writing to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(6) the members of the committee hold office as a joint select committee until the House of Representatives is dissolved or expires by effluxion of time;
(7) the committee may proceed to the dispatch of business notwithstanding that all members have not been duly nominated and appointed and notwithstanding any vacancy;
(8) the committee elect:
(a) a Government member as its chair; and
(b) a non-Government member as its deputy chair who shall act as chair of the committee at any time when the chair is not present at a meeting of the committee; and
(c) at any time when the chair and deputy chair are not present at a meeting of the committee, the members present shall elect another member to act as chair at that meeting;
(9) in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, shall have a casting vote;
(10) three members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House;
(11) the committee have power to:
(a) appoint subcommittees consisting of three or more of its members, and to refer to any such subcommittee any of the matters which the committee is empowered to examine; and
(b) appoint the chair of each subcommittee who shall have a casting vote only;
(12) two members of a subcommittee constitute the quorum of that subcommittee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House;
(13) the committee have power to send for and examine persons and documents, to move from place to place, to sit in public or in private, and have leave to report from time to time its proceedings and the evidence taken and such interim recommendations as it may deem fit;
(14) the provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders; and
(15) a message be sent to the Senate seeking its concurrence in this resolution.
(Notice given 12 September 2023.)
Time allotted — 20 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Dr Scamps — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
4 MR NEUMANN: To move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the hard work of the Government to bring the free trade agreement with the United Kingdom into force on 1 June 2023;
(2) welcomes the successful resumption of tariff-free sugar exports to the United Kingdom for the first time in 50 years, with the first shipment arriving in London from Queensland on 6 September 2023;
(3) recognises that as a trading nation Australia's prosperity is linked to open international markets, with trade contributing 29 per cent of Australia's gross domestic product and supporting one in four Australian jobs; and
(4) notes jobs in export industries pay five per cent above the national average income.
(Notice give n 12 September 2023.)
Time allotted — 30 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Mr Neumann — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
5 MR TED O'BRIEN: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes:
(a) the $60 billion blackhole in the Government's energy plan, as exposed by independent analysis from a leading Australian energy economist;
(b) independent analysis has revealed that more than $60 billion of mega-energy projects, which the Government is seeking to build by 2030, are unaccounted for in the Government's logic despite their significant impact on the energy prices paid by households;
(c) the concerns raised pertain to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's GenCost study which evaluates the levelised cost of electricity for different energy generating technologies;
(d) the GenCost study provides the central justification for the Government's radical energy experiment and the repeated mantra that 'renewables are the cheapest form of energy';
(e) the GenCost report fails to account for the true cost of various energy generation technologies by excluding the cost of integrating them into the electricity network;
(f) that this includes projects such as Snowy 2.0, the Kurri Kurri gas plant, significant integrated system plan transmission projects, Tasmania Battery of the Nation, and the Illawarra gas peaking plant;
(g) the $60 billion price tag excludes household batteries and the distribution network;
(h) the Government has wilfully misrepresented the study to blind Australians to the true cost of the Government's plan; and
(i) the importance of a total system cost assessment for energy, including integration costs, because this will be paid for in the energy bills of Australian households and businesses; and
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) immediately stop misrepresenting the price of various energy generation technologies so that a complete assessment can be done to determine the true optimum investment pathway for Australia's energy market; and
(b) adopt an 'all of the above' approach to energy as the Opposition has done, which allows for a mix of different technologies to be considered, including renewables.
(Notice given 14 September 2023.)
Time allotted — remaining private Members' business time prior to 12 noon.
Speech time limits —
Mr Ted O'Brien — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
Items for Federation Chamber (11 am to 1.30 pm)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices
1 MS WARE: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes:
(a) Australia's energy grid is under imminent threat of blackouts as soon as this summer, as the Government's energy plan drives the premature closure of baseload energy without any guarantee of like-for-like replacement;
(b) that the Australian Energy Market Operator has sounded its most dire warning yet, signalling the increased likelihood of significant energy shortfalls as renewable energy investment stalls;
(c) that the stark warning is a direct result of the Government's energy policies;
(d) that at least 80 per cent of baseload energy will shut down by 2035 under this Government's watch;
(e) that despite the Minister for Climate Change and Energy repeatedly claiming that he is leading an economic transformation 'bigger than the Industrial Revolution' his Government has not asked his department or Treasury to complete any modelling of the energy plan;
(f) that Australians are already paying some of the most expensive energy bills in the world and now they have been told their lights may not turn on when they need them;
(g) the Government's heavy-handed, big government policies continue to smother investments in gas which is vital to keeping the lights on and the prices down;
(h) that increased demand for gas coupled with decreased investment due to the Government's anti-gas policies will exacerbate the threat to reliability and the risk that the lights will go out;
(i) the situation will only get worse if the Government continues with its policy suite and ill-informed pathway to decarbonising the grid;
(j) the Government's policies are driving the premature closure of baseload power generation yet is failing to replace the capacity as it has promised it would; and
(k) the Government is setting up renewable energy for failure, not success, by demanding a renewables-only grid; and
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) immediately stop its ideological crusade against energy technologies it does not like despite many of these technologies having reliably kept the lights on for decades;
(b) adopt an 'all of the above' approach to energy, as the Opposition has done, to ensure a balanced mix of technologies that can power our grid into the future, including renewables but not only renewables;
(c) support any state government that seeks to avoid premature closure of coal fired power stations while like-for-like energy generating replacements are built; and
(d) reinstate a technology-agnostic capacity mechanism as an insurance method to provide operators with the incentives they need to ensure a reliable synchronous energy supply in the grid.
(Notice given 7 September 2023.)
Time allotted — 35 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Ware — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 7 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
2 MS TEMPLEMAN: To move:
That this House notes that:
(1) the arts and creativity make a valuable contribution to the quality of life, cultural identity and individual wellbeing in regional communities;
(2) the arts and creativity can drive economic development by encouraging tourism, supporting small businesses; diversifying employment opportunities and providing skilled jobs;
(3) to tell the Australian story, regional voices must be heard;
(4) the new National Cultural Policy, 'Revive', commits new funding to creativity in regional Australia; and
(5) Revive will provide new investment and new vision for the cultural sector and begin repairing the damage caused by a decade of neglect of the arts by the previous Government.
(Notice given 12 September 2 023.)
Time allotted — 30 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Templeman — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
3 MR CHESTER: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that the:
(a) Stronger Communities Programme delivered on the former Government's commitment to deliver social benefits in communities across Australia;
(b) programme provided grants of between $2,500 and $20,000 to community organisations and local governments for small scale projects; and
(c) programme helped fund over 15,000 community-based projects across Australia; and
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) the Government has failed to provide funding for future rounds of the programme, with no replacement for small-scale projects; and
(b) community groups, already struggling with the increased cost of living, will have no other option than to fundraise for projects that otherwise could have been funded under the programme.
(Notice given 12 September 2023.)
Time allotted — 45 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Mr Chester — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 9 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
4 MS J RYAN: To move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges that the Government is working for Australia by delivering our commitment to strengthen Medicare and making it easier to see a doctor by:
(a) tripling the bulk billing incentive, the largest increase to the incentive in the 40-year history of Medicare;
(b) delivering cheaper medicines by cutting the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme co-payment for the first time in 75 years and allowing 60-day prescriptions, saving patients time and money due to less visits to the doctors and the chemist;
(c) establishing bulk-billing Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across the country where patients receive urgent but not life-threatening care and freeing up overstretched GPs, take pressure off hospitals and improve access to affordable care; and
(d) growing our health workforce and supporting our trusted health workers to do what they are trained to do by investing in the work force and supporting our local GP practices through the Strengthening Medicare General Practice Grants; and
(2) notes the mess the health system was left in after a decade of neglect, including under the stewardship of the now Leader of the Opposition who during his time as Minister:
(a) tried to tax every single visit Australians made to their GP;
(b) tried to jack up the price of medicines of $5 for each and every script;
(c) cut $50 billion from hospitals;
(d) started six years of a Medicare rebate freeze; and
(e) was voted the worst Health Minister in 40 years by the Australian Medical Association.
(Notice given 12 September 2023.)
Time allotted — remaining private Members' business time prior to 1.30 pm.
Speech time limits —
Ms J Ryan — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
Items for Federation Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm)
PRIVATE MEMBERS ' BUSINESS
Notices — continued
5 DR SCAMPS: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) everyday Australians are experiencing a cost of living crisis; and
(b) the Government is investigating ways to respond to the United States of America's (US) Inflation Reduction Act, which is focused on demand-side solutions by the electrification of households, small businesses and transport; and
(2) calls on the Government to urgently bring forward its plan for responding to the US Inflation Reduction Act, to rapidly decarbonise and to reduce cost of living pressures.
(Notice given 12 September 2023.)
Time allotted — 20 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Dr Scamps — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
6 DR ANANDA-RAJAH: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes the clear message the Australian people sent in May 2022, demanding real action on climate change by electing the current Government;
(2) further notes the Government has not wasted a day by:
(a) increasing Australia's emission reduction targets from 26 per cent to 43 per cent;
(b) legislating to bring back the Climate Change Authority;
(c) putting net zero in the objects of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Australian Renewable Energy Agency Acts;
(d) legislating our $20 billion Rewiring the Nation Fund;
(e) taking substantial steps to create an offshore wind industry in Australia;
(f) agreeing to a sensible capacity investment scheme with the states;
(g) working with states and territories to put emissions reduction into the National Energy Objectives, and to develop a new National Energy Transformation Partnership;
(h) signing the Global Methane Pledge and joining the Climate Change Club and Global Offshore Wind Alliance;
(i) reforming the safeguard mechanism so that our biggest industrial emitters are doing their fair share;
(j) passing the electric vehicle discount, releasing the National Electric Vehicle Strategy and commencing the rollout of the Driving the Nation charging program;
(k) committing $1.7 billion to the Energy Savings program, providing real financial support to households, businesses, and local governments to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency;
(l) signing funding agreements to deliver more than 50 community batteries around Australia;
(m) establishing the Net Zero Economy Agency to have a laser-like focus on the economic opportunities for the regions at the centre of the energy transformation; and
(n) budgeting $2 billion to the vital Hydrogen Headstart Program; and
(3) acknowledges that this is just another way the Government is working for Australia and delivering on the promise of building the better future Australians voted for.
(Notice given 12 September 2023.)
Time allotted — 40 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Dr Ananda-Rajah — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
7 MR L O'BRIEN: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that the supply, distribution and sale of illicit tobacco and vapes:
(a) is a significant source of revenue for organised crime and criminal gangs connected with the production of illicit drugs, illegal prostitution, supply of illegal firearms and other unlawful activities that cause harm to Australians;
(b) deprives the Australian people of approximately $400 million each year that would be directed toward the national health system;
(c) deprives lawful retailers of tobacco products of business; and
(d) endangers lives, properties and communities, including the owners and staff of legitimate grocery stores that sell legal tobacco and vapes; and
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) properly empower, resource and fund the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce to disrupt the supply and distribution of illicit tobacco and vapes; and
(b) legislate tough penalties to deter both the demand and supply of illicit tobacco and vapes.
(Notice given 7 September 2023.)
Time allotted — 30 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Mr L O'Brien — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
8 MS LAWRENCE: To move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges that the Government is working to relieve the cost of living pressure for Australians on low and fixed incomes, with around 5.5 million Australians receiving an increase to their income support payments and pensions on 20 September, as a result of:
(a) indexation; and/or
(b) the boost to income support announced in the May budget as part of the $14.6 billion cost of living package; and
(2) notes the changes include:
(a) increases to the rates of working-age and student payments, including:
(i) Jobseeker;
(ii) Youth Allowance;
(iii) Austudy;
(iv) Parenting Payment Partnered;
(v) Youth Disability Support Pension; and
(vi) ABSTUDY;
(b) expanded eligibility for the higher rate of Jobseeker to those aged 55 and over, who are on payment for nine continuous months or more (down from 60);
(c) expanded eligibility for Parenting Payment Single, to single principal carers until their youngest child turns 14 (up from 8);
(d) increases to the maximum rates of Commonwealth Rent Assistance, the highest in more than 30 years;
(e) indexation increases for recipients of the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment and veterans on a service pension;
(f) indexation of the income limits for Commonwealth Seniors Health Card recipients; and
(g) other supplementary payments including Telephone Allowance and Utilities Allowance are also being indexed.
(Notice given 12 September 2023.)
Time allotted — 30 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Lawrence — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
9 MR PASIN: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that it is now over 130 days since the Government announced a 90-day review into the Infrastructure Investment Pipeline;
(2) recognises that:
(a) investment in infrastructure is essential to reduce congestion, improve productivity and safety; and
(b) delaying important infrastructure projects while we await the results of the 90-day review is holding back the productivity of our nation and putting much needed safety upgrades on hold;
(3) acknowledges that costs continue to rise and delays to the commencement of infrastructure projects as a result of the review will result in considerably higher costs than originally estimated; and
(4) calls on the Government to complete the review process and unlock the infrastructure investment that our nation desperately needs.
(Notice given 12 September 2023.)
Time allotted — remaining private Members' business time prior to 7.30 pm.
Speech time limits —
Mr Pasin — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 9 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
THE HON D. M. DICK MP
Speaker of the House of Representatives
13 September 2023
Treasury Laws Amendment (Support for Small Business and Charities and Other Measures) Bill 2023
That this bill be now read a second time.
That notices Nos 2 and 3 be postponed until a later hour.
Interactive Gambling Amendment (Credit and Other Measures) Bill 2023
That this bill be now read a second time.
Identity Verification Services Bill 2023
That this bill be now read a second time.
Identity Verification Services (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023
That this bill be now read a second time.
Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Bill 2023
That this bill be now read a second time.
Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2023
That this bill be now read a second time.
… it is not the role of the Committee to request that the NACC conduct an investigation …
If there is evidence that people believe they have, it should be referred for independent investigation, so we would support that process.
That the House take note of the report.
Royal Commissions Amendment (Private Sessions) Bill 2023
That this bill be now read a third time.
Statutory Declarations Amendment Bill 2023
The House divided. [10:17]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)
That this bill be now read a third time.
Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023
Assessment of water recovery as being 'cost effective' must take into account a full range of flow-on impacts and strategic value of targeted purchases. It should not be a simplistic assessment that only compares the dollar value per mega litre to the taxpayer.
… such simplistic assessments ignore the flow-on impacts in communities, the value of future production and employment opportunities.
The Commonwealth shall not, by any law or regulation of trade or commerce, abridge the right of a State or of the residents therein to the reasonable use—
of the waters of rivers for conservation or irrigation.
That the order of the day be referred to the Federation Chamber for debate.
Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023
The peak flow reached the South Australian border on 23 December and has since passed through Renmark, Lyrup, Berri, Loxton …
The adjusted peak flow at the border was around 190 GL/day …
High flows are achieving good scouring of sand at the Murray Mouth, now that average tide levels are becoming lower (typical for this time of year). In addition to the obvious environmental benefits, the current deepening and widening of the Mouth will also further improve capacity of the barrages to pass flood waters out to sea.
In these difficult economic times, "voice" is not a priority.
Using the 'Voice' referendum to create a race division in our society is not what I think most Australians will accept.
… in 1967, we voted for equality and reconciliation … Please stand up for equal rights for all Australians, regardless of race.
Not only does youth incarceration severely affect the health and wellbeing of generations of Indigenous people, it is also a pathway into reoffending, contributing to overrepresentation of Indigenous youth in the criminal justice system.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that of children in youth detention across Australia, 56% were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. However, Indigenous kids only represent 6% of the entire 10-17 age bracket in Australia.
According to Amnesty International, 94% of children locked up between the age of 10 and 12 were found to reoffend before turning 18.
With one in five of us impacted by a mental health condition each year, why is mental health not a national priority and getting the attention of our prime minister?
On balance, the evidence from the evaluation suggests that the additional 10 sessions should continue to be made available …
A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?
In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:
i. there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice—
ii. the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
iii. the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice—
iii. the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.
Treaties are about reparation for past injustices. How can these things be excluded?
… … …
… a Voice to Parliament is the first step, and treaty-making follows.
The need to urgently prioritise passage of reforms to strengthen national environmental laws and protections to defend nature and address the extinction crisis.
In the coming weeks, I will also be releasing the changes that we are proposing to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, including the first of the National Environmental Standards, for public consultation.
The EPBC Act is out dated and requires fundamental reform.
… Australians do not trust that the … Act is delivering for the environment, for business or for the community.
The reforms outlined are a very welcome and long-overdue step to better protecting Australia's extraordinary wildlife, forests and natural environment.
Business welcomes the government's commitment to implementing recommendations of the Samuel Review—
Housing Australia Future Fund Bill 2023
That the amendments be agreed to.
Two of us riding nowhere
Spending someone's hard-earned pay.
National Housing Supply and Affordability Council Bill 2023
Treasury Laws Amendment (Housing Measures No. 1) Bill 2023
Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023
A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
… the old way of managing the Murray-Darling Basin has reached its use-by date.
… … …
… we need to confront head on and in a comprehensive way, the over-allocation of water in the Murray-Darling Basin.
While much has been achieved in the decade of Basin Plan implementation, the Authority remains deeply concerned about key aspects of the Plans delivery.
Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023
Australians should have safe jobs, well paid jobs and rewarding jobs, but the government's radical shake-up of the industrial relations system will not deliver that …
These changes will create confusion and extra costs for consumers, make it harder to hire casual workers and create uncertainty for employing anybody.
Any government that's serious about cost of living would not do this.
The Albanese Government's latest industrial relations legislation changes are some of the most extreme, interventionist workplace changes that have ever been proposed in Australia.
The changes will inflict immense harm to the economy, the weight of which will fall on the shoulders of the most vulnerable Australians who will pay more for groceries, housing, and energy.
… will be bad for productivity, those wanting to be their own boss, and consumers struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. The only winners in this are union chiefs. The only loophole this bad legislation is looking to close is that of plummeting union membership … This is a continuation of a radical industrial relations agenda, and we are again bracing ourselves for further risky changes to our workplace system.
The issues of confusion and complexity remain, combined with an increased requirement of every business, small or large, to dedicate resources, time and money towards trying to understand and implement these onerous new obligations.
… … …
At a time when small businesses are managing increased costs of supply, of rent, of power, of wages; we don't need changes that detract business from their sales and service delivery. Small business seek to employ and properly reward their workers. They seek to innovate and adopt new technology.
As corporations and households get overextended and face difficulties in meeting their debt obligations, they reduce investment and consumption, which in turn leads to a decrease in economic activity.
Any government that's serious about cost of living would not do this.
The Albanese Government's latest industrial relations legislation changes are some of the most extreme, interventionist workplace changes that have ever been proposed in Australia.
The changes will inflict immense harm to the economy, the weight of which will fall on the shoulders of the most vulnerable Australians who will pay more for groceries, housing, and energy.
For Australian mining, this excessive burden and workforce rigidity will put the industry's ability to deliver the full economic and social benefit from the emerging clean energy mining boom, under serious threat.
Every single worker in the country deserves to feel safe at work, and to go home to be with their family at the end of every shift.
The operations of every enterprise in Australia ranging from the local gardener or plumber to BHP and the Commonwealth Bank will be caught in the incredible ramifications of the 784-page industrial relations legislation including the 500 pages of explanatory memorandum.
Given the complexity and the total powers being awarded to the minister and Fair Work Australia, no enterprise whether they be big or small will have any certainty as to whether they are obeying or breaking the law.
And if they find that, unintentionally, they have broken these incredibly complex laws, they may suffer enormous penalties.
An accurate analogy can be applied to the roads. Imagine if, the road regulators quadruple penalties for speeding and then erect multiple speed restriction signs along those roads and cover each one with a hessian bag.
You drive along the road completely unaware as to whether you have broken the law, but still facing huge penalties.
When we look through the schedules of this bill and the explanatory memorandum of 500 pages, we learn even more about what the minister and the government are proposing, and it is perhaps the single greatest anti-productivity industrial relations bill in our nation's history. It is the word that cannot be mentioned by the Labor Party, productivity, and while they talk about pushing up wages, wages have to come with productivity or they are simply cost increases for consumers. That's what we're seeing in our economy, and that's what we see with this legislation …
… gig platforms mean people can create their own businesses faster, can do their own types of work faster and can provide their own benefits and set their own terms and conditions—
They're doing it without the need for the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations to be involved. They don't need the government to be involved in this part. We have a huge industrial relations framework in this country that provides all the minimum protections—
We are one of the most regulated industrial markets in the world. We are the highest wage jurisdiction in the world, and yet the government says they want to artificially put up the prices. That's the reason in this legislation when we see the attached costs at $9 billion in the government's own costings. I don't believe that's correct—
and industry is telling us that these costs are conservative because they don't model the changes to independent contractors and other forms of work that the government is proposing in the bill.
That's the truth, and the minister has to acknowledge that. He says, 'I know most people won't take up these things, so there is no problem.' But why change it if it isn't a big problem? Why at six months should you factor in 11 factors—four sections and seven subsections in this legislation—for something that isn't a big problem for most of the workforce? People are going to benefit. They want to be casuals because they want higher rates of pay—
The minister knows this, but he acts as if it is a major loophole. He knows it isn't a major loophole. He knows that a fraction of the problem here doesn't warrant the solution he has provided. Again, the agenda is very different.
The truth of this bill is that unions are under threat by modern workplaces, and they're unable to gain the cachet they need in the workplaces, and therefore the government, in a whole range of sectors, are going to smash through what they describe as loopholes …
There is a real sense here that the Labor Party is actually being the conservative party. They want to take our industrial relations framework back to the 19th and 18th centuries. They want to have the contest between capital and labour that Karl Marx spoke about.
We have new emerging forms of employment, labour and industrial relations that need new frameworks—frameworks that recognise productivity, frameworks that take the opportunity of these new innovations and don't try to shut them down or feel threatened by them because of power based erosion in the union movement but actually recognise that new generations want new and different ways of working and that they should be available for people in new and different contracts.
To their great credit, the independents have refused to rush the legislation through the upper house and have delegated it to a parliamentary committee which means there will be more time to expose the damage it will create.
Pocock wants to deal with several parts this year, including: banning discrimination against employees experiencing family and domestic violence; the workers' compensation change; and provisions criminalising wage theft.
While employers may not agree with every item on the list, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Acci), AiGroup, Minerals Council and Master Builders agree in principle with splitting the bill, allowing the discrimination and workers compensation law changes to be dealt with immediately.
But he has been completely gazumped by the Employment Minister who masks his massive legislative agenda with irrelevancies like paying a little more for pizzas.
I invite the Treasurer to take a day off and sit down with those 784 pages and try and understand what on earth it all means for someone trying to conduct an enterprise.
Maybe all ALP politicians should circulate the 784 pages among the small enterprises in their electorate so they "understand" the new rules that are to govern them.
'The Voice to Parliament will affect every property owner. The United Nations has given the Australian government a mandate of ownership for all housing, property, farms and businesses countrywide …'
… … …
'… the United Nations will own all Australian land.'
Today I filled up at the pump and paid $2.28 a litre for unleaded. Premium was over $2.50.
I got a script at the chemist on Saturday and it had gone up by 18% compared with what I paid a month ago.
I was told I was not entitled to this new 2 for 1 script pricing arrangement because I wasn't a cardholder and in any event you had to spend a minimum of $30. When I said to the chemist that's the first time I have heard that he said it had been miscommunicated by the government.
Our power bill has gone up 30% this year. Where is our $275 rebate that Albo promised.
And if you do the shopping like me every week, grocery items are increasing. So the staple loaf of bread has gone from $2.50 to $2.70 in the last 3 months.
This is a Government that puts women at the heart of our decision making, which is why in our first year in office we've delivered the biggest investment in women in the last forty years.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Archer ) took the chair at 09:29.
Our family has never really recovered from Dad's death, and to find out that the funding that we and other locals fought so hard for might be pulled is gut-wrenching.