The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ) 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, 25 June 2024.
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, 25 June 2024, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 1 July and Thursday, 4 July 2024, as follows:
Monday 1 July 2024
Items for House of Representatives Chamber (11.40 am to 12 noon)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices
1 MS SHARKIE: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 , and for related purposes. (Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ban on Gambling Advertisements) Bill 2024 )
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 MR R MITCHELL: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that on Monday, 1 July 2024, every Australian taxpayer will receive a tax cut; and
(2) acknowledges the Government's number one priority is to tackle the cost of living pressures facing Australians by ensuring they earn more and keep more of what they earn.
(Notice given 25 June 2024.)
Time allotted — remaining private Members' business time prior to 12 noon.
Speech time limits —
Mr R Mitchell — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 2 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue at a later hour.
Items for Federation Chamber (12.30 pm to 1.30 pm)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices
1 MS SHARKIE: To move:
That this House:
(1) recognises that:
(a) the number of older people in Australia is anticipated to grow from 4.31 million people aged over 65 years in 2021 to 6.66 million by 2041 with the number of those aged over 85 years anticipated to grow 140 per cent from 534,000 to 1.28 million over that same timeframe;
(b) many older Australians report experiencing age discrimination, elder abuse, financial stress and homelessness;
(c) one in three people report experiencing age discrimination after turning 50, with employment-related and other forms of age discrimination reported including when accessing businesses and financial, and Government services such as My Aged Care;
(d) 20 per cent of pensioners are considering going back to work but barriers in place to their doing so reportedly include dealing with government services including finding digitally-based Services Australia interfaces inaccessible;
(e) 94 per cent of older people are concerned about rising living costs in the long term, 26 per cent are extremely concerned, and 24 per cent of older people report an inability to access dental care due to its cost;
(f) Australia's homeless population is ageing, with the rate of homelessness growing by over 30 per cent between 2011 and 2016 for older women;
(g) one in six older Australians reported experiencing elder abuse (psychological, neglect, financial, physical and/or sexual) in 2021, with higher rates among those experiencing poor health or social isolation; and
(h) many retirement village residents report poor transparency and lax consumer protections and calls have been made for a national review and harmonisation of regulation; and
(2) calls on the Government to establish a portfolio and Minister for Older Australians to:
(a) demonstrate the Government's commitment to older people during a time of demographic change in which Australians are expected to live longer lives, but with increased reliance on key services such as health and aged care;
(b) act as a conduit between Government and the community to better engage with older people on matters which concern them, beyond aged care, and enable a whole of Government approach to policy-making for and with older Australians across multiple sectors and Government agencies;
(c) ensure Government services are accessible and inclusive for all including those who may not have ease of digital access or may be experiencing hearing or vision loss;
(d) champion our older Australians and shift the narrative of older people as vulnerable and in need of support (a 'burden') to more positive aspects of ageing and the contribution older people make to the economy and society;
(e) work with older people and the sector to address key issues including age discrimination, elder abuse, social exclusion and isolation, homelessness, access to and cost of health care, and financial stress; and
(f) reframe the current narrative to recognise that older people helped to build our nation and continue to represent some of our greatest assets, rather than promoting intergenerational competition or conflict.
(Notice given 25 June 2024.)
Time allotted — 20 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Sharkie — 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.
Orders of the day
TAX CUTS: Resumption of debate on the motion of Mr R Mitchell—That this House:
(1) notes that on Monday, 1 July 2024, every Australian taxpayer will receive a tax cut; and
(2) acknowledges the Government's number one priority is to tackle the cost of living pressures facing Australians by ensuring they earn more and keep more of what they earn.
Time allotted — 20 minutes.
Speech time limits —
All 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.
1 BEEF CORRIDOR: Resumption of debate ( from 24 June 2024 ) on the motion of Ms Landry—That this House:
(1) acknowledges that:
(a) the cattle industry within the Queensland 'Beef Corridor' road network consists of a quarter of Australia's cattle herd and makes an important contribution to the Queensland economy worth $2.7 billion;
(b) the Beef Corridor, consisting of a 457 kilometre network of roads, serves as a crucial interconnected system for agricultural supply chains spanning from east to west;
(c) this infrastructure facilitates the seamless movement of premium beef throughout every stage of the production cycle;
(d) beef produced within the Beef Corridor road network is of world-class quality but is transported on dangerous sub-standard roads; and
(e) in 2022, the former Government committed $400 million to make the crucial improvements to the Beef Corridor roads;
(2) condemns the Government for its reckless decision to delay the full funding amount of $400 million for the Beef Corridor road network upgrades and creating uncertainty around this critical road safety project; and
(3) calls on the Government to reinstate the original 2023-24 funding profile of $400 million back to the 2025-26 start date to ensure the much needed road upgrades can begin so the beef industry can deliver its high value product to market safely.
Time allotted — remaining private Members' business time prior to 1.30 pm.
Speech time limits —
All 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.
Items for Federation Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Orders of the day — continued
2 ROAD SAFETY DATA: Resumption of debate ( from 24 June 2024 ) on the motion of Mr Pasin—That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) 677 lives were lost on Australian roads in the six months to 31 December 2023; and
(b) the second half of 2023 was the deadliest six months on Australian roads since 2010;
(2) recognises that the data needed to understand Australia's worsening road toll is being collected by state and territory governments but is not consistent and not being shared;
(3) further notes that:
(a) before the 2022 election, the federal Labor Party committed 'to cooperate with the states and territories to improve the timeliness and quality of road trauma data and look for opportunities to extract better quality road safety data from states and territories in return for funding of road projects'; and
(b) the Government has failed to deliver on that promise; and
(4) calls on the Government to compel the states and territories to collect and share data relating to the quality of Australian roads, the causes of crashes, and the effectiveness of road safety measures as a condition of the $50 billion in federal road funding allocated over the next five years under the National Partnership Agreement on Land Transport Infrastructure Projects.
Time allotted — 45 minutes.
Speech time limits —
All 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.
Notices — continued
2 MS J RYAN: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that on Monday, 1 July 2024, 2.6 million low paid workers will receive a third consecutive pay rise; and
(2) acknowledges the Government's number one priority is to tackle the cost of living pressures facing Australians by ensuring they earn more and keep more of what they earn.
(Notice given 25 June 2024.)
Time allotted — 40 minutes.
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.
3 MR CHESTER: To move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges that:
(a) natural gas is a key pillar of the Australian economy which employs 80,000 people in the industry supply chain, largely in regional areas;
(b) natural gas is connected to more than five million Australian homes and provided 42 per cent of the energy consumed by the Australian manufacturing sector in 2022;
(c) natural gas is essential to Australia achieving its net zero target by 2050;
(d) Australia has a critical role in providing a reliable source of natural gas to trusted trading partners which rely on our supplies for energy security; and
(e) regional Australia has benefitted enormously from long-term investment in the natural gas sector;
(2) notes that:
(a) new natural gas supply is needed to meet energy demand and reduce emissions in Australia and overseas;
(b) natural gas shortfalls will severely impact energy security and add to cost of living pressures; and
(c) the natural gas sector provided $17.1 billion in taxes, royalties and charges in 2023-24 allowing governments to invest in critical services and public infrastructure; and
(3) urges the Government to take urgent action to provide policy certainty which allows the industry to bring on the new gas supply needed to address forecast shortfalls, ensure Australia's energy security, and rebuild investor confidence.
(Notice given 25 June 2024.)
Time allotted — 40 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Mr Chester — 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.
4 MS THWAITES: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that on Monday, 1 July 2024, every Australian household will receive $300 in energy bill relief and small businesses will receive $325 off their energy bills; and
(2) acknowledges the Government's number one priority is to tackle the cost of living pressures facing Australians by ensuring they earn more and keep more of what they earn.
(Notice given 25 June 2024.)
Time allotted — remaining private Members' business time prior to 7.30 pm.
Speech time limits —
Ms Thwaites — 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.
Thursday 4 July 2024
Items for Federation Chamber (10 am to 12.30 pm)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices
1 MR CHANDLER-MATHER: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) only 1.3 per cent of public schools nationally receive their full schooling resource standard funding, while 98 per cent of private schools are currently overfunded;
(b) in Queensland this year, public schools will be underfunded by $1.7 billion, which is approximately $3,000 per student;
(c) schools like Indooroopilly State High School, in the electoral division of Ryan, are so overcrowded that students do not go to the bathroom because the lines are so long; and
(d) public schools should be genuinely free for all students; and
(2) calls on the Government to make public schools genuinely free and immediately lift funding to deliver 100 per cent of schooling resource standard funding to every public school in the country.
(Notice given 25 June 2024.)
Time allotted — 20 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Mr Chandler-Mather — 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.
2 MR BURNS: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) safe and affordable housing is central to the security and dignity of Australians;
(b) Australia does not have enough homes and has not for a long time; and
(c) the Government has committed to an ambitious housing reform agenda which will boost the supply of all housing, including more public and social housing, more affordable housing, more homes to rent, and more homes to buy;
(2) acknowledges the $6.2 billion in new investment in the 2024-25 budget to build more homes more quickly, bringing the Government's new housing initiatives to $32 billion, which includes:
(a) additional funding for the new $9.3 billion National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness (including a doubling of Commonwealth homelessness funding to $400 million every year, matched by states and territories);
(b) directing $1 billion to Housing Australia towards crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children experiencing domestic violence;
(c) assisting nearly 1 million Australian households with the cost of rent by delivering $1.9 billion for the first back-to-back increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance in more than 30 years; and
(d) providing up to $1.9 billion in concessional finance for community housing providers and other charities to support delivery of the 40,000 social and affordable homes under the Housing Australia Future Fund and National Housing Accord; and
(3) further acknowledges the Government's ambitious goal of building 1.2 million homes by the end of the decade.
(Notice given 25 June 2024.)
Time allotted — 40 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Mr Burns — 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.
3 MR TED O'BRIEN: To move:
That this House notes that:
(1) every Australian deserves and should expect access to cheaper, cleaner and consistent electricity, 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
(2) the Government has broken its promise to reduce household energy bills by $275, with households instead paying some of the world's most expensive energy bills;
(3) in the past two years power bills have increased by up to $1,000 more than the Government promised;
(4) the Australian Energy Market Operator has issued dire warnings about the state of Australia's gas market due to a lack of supply;
(5) 90 per cent of Australia's baseload energy will exit the grid by 2034 under this Government;
(6) baseload power stations should not be closed prematurely with no replacement ready to go;
(7) the Government is steamrolling regional communities in a desperate attempt to fulfill its all-eggs-in-one-basket 'renewables only' approach to meet its unachievable 82 per cent renewables target; and
(8) the Opposition believes in a balanced energy mix including renewables, gas and as coal exits the grid, it should be replaced with zero-emissions nuclear energy.
(Notice given 25 June 2024.)
Time allotted — 45 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Mr Ted O'Brien — 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 TEMPLEMAN: To move:
That this House notes that:
(1) the 2024-25 budget provided significant new investment in Australia's arts and cultural sector, including:
(a) $115.2 million over four years to support the long-term financial sustainability of the national arts training organisations and $36.4 million of indexed and ongoing funding from 2028-29 (including the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Australian Film, Television and Radio School, NAISDA Dance College, Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Australian Ballet School, National Institute of Circus Arts, Australian National Academy of Music and the Australian Youth Orchestra);
(b) $14.5 million to support the production of Australian children's screen content, recognising the importance of Australian children seeing themselves reflected in the stories they watch;
(c) $9.3 million to expand and enhance the National Film and Sound Archive's capacity to digitise audio-visual materials at risk of irreversible degradation; and
(d) $5.2 million to expand and develop the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and Darwin Symphony Orchestra;
(2) these investments sustain the momentum that the national cultural policy, Revive has created in rebuilding Australia's cultural sector and safeguarding our cultural heritage; and
(3) the Government is delivering transformative new investment to the cultural sector after a decade of neglect and cuts by the previous Government.
(Notice given 28 May 2024.)
Time allotted — 25 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Templeman — 5minutes.
Other Members — 5minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 5 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
5 MS WARE: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) Multiple Birth Awareness Week is observed each year from the third to the fourth Sunday of March;
(b) this year, Multiple Birth Awareness Week was observed between 17 and 24 March 2024;
(c) every year there are approximately 4,200 multiple births in Australia, making up 1.4 per cent of all births;
(d) multiples are more likely to face greater challenges in their early years, necessitating additional dedicated support; and
(e) the Multiple Birth Allowance provided as part of Family Tax Benefit Part A is insufficient in recognition of these greater challenges and is only provided to families of higher order multiples;
(2) calls on the Government to provide additional support to:
(a) families with multiples; and
(b) the not-for-profit sector to assist with improved education and peer support; and
(3) acknowledges the tireless work of advocacy groups including the Australian Multiple Birth Association.
(Notice given 14 May 2024.)
Time allotted — remaining private Members' business time prior to 12.30 pm.
Speech time limits —
Ms Ware — 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.
THE HON D. M. DICK MP
Speaker of the House of Representatives
26 June 2024
Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2023-2024
Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2023-2024
Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2024-2025
Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2024-2025
Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2024-2025
Treasury Laws Amendment (Support for Small Business and Charities and Other Measures) Bill 2023
Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Withdrawal from Amalgamation) Bill 2024
We're not going to have a situation where we have members in the manufacturing division compelled to be part of an organisation that they don't want to be part of.
It's time to no longer say, let's just wait and see if they sort it out themselves.
… 100 per cent supports both Darren and Michael Greenfield, as they are the latest victims of the ongoing politically orchestrated attacks against union leaders …
The case is devoid of any mitigating circumstances. The Union has shown no contrition, and has not cooperated with the regulator … there is no circumstance to which counsel could point as tending to exert a moderating influence upon the level of the penalty which the court would otherwise impose.
That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
"whilst not declining to give the Bill a second reading, the House:
(1) notes:
(a) the Government abolished the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) upon being elected to Government;
(b) the abolition of the ABCC has given the CFMEU effective control of the construction sector in Australia;
(c) the Fair Work Ombudsman has not brought a single action against the CFMEU since the ABCC was abolished;
(d) the threats made by Mr John Setka against the Australian Football League (AFL) are completely unacceptable; and
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) reinstate the ABCC and to apologise to the Australian people for abolishing this body to appease the CFMEU in the hope of receiving further donations to the Australian Labor Party; and
(b) amend the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act to ensure that anyone convicted of more than 10 criminal offences cannot be appointed as an officer of a registered organisation".
Telecommunications Amendment (SMS Sender ID Register) Bill 2024
That this bill be now read a second time.
Communications Legislation Amendment (Regional Broadcasting Continuity) Bill 2024
That this bill be now read a second time.
Customs Amendment (Strengthening and Modernising Licensing and Other Measures) Bill 2024
That this bill be now read a second time.
Customs Licensing Charges Amendment Bill 2024
That the bill be now read a second time.
That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Ryan moving the following motion:
That the House:
(1) notes the Minister for the Environment yesterday approved Gina Reinhart's Atlas gas project until 2080, which will destroy koala habitat, exacerbate the climate crisis and ignores the IEA's warning that no new coal, oil and gas projects can be built in order to reach net zero by 2050;
(2) condemns the fact that since the Government came to office, 9 gas projects and 5 coal projects have been approved while ten oil and gas fields covering 46,758 square kilometres of ocean have been released by the Resources Minister; and
(3) insists that the Atlas approval decision be overturned.
"Minister Plibersek is happy to pose for photos with cute and cuddly koalas one day and then approve the clearing of hundreds of hectares of koala habitat for new Gina Rinehart-backed coal seam gas developments the next … "
The House divided. [10:28]
(The Deputy Speaker—Mr Goodenough)
Export Control Amendment (Ending Live Sheep Exports by Sea) Bill 2024
Government has a responsibility to ensure that no Australian is worse off or left behind. However, should this bill be passed, that is what will occur for thousands of Australians.
Consultation on policy implementation has been done in a rushed and unprofessional manner that has left many producers feeling removed from a process that will impact their families, businesses and communities.
… now they are switching off markets for farmers, and food for hungry people.
What's next and can we continue to feed and clothe the nation if the decision-making keeps deteriorating?
The Ending Live Sheep Exports by Sea Bill will end a lot of things.
It will end Australia's uplift of animal welfare standards in the Middle East.
It'll end the livelihoods of farmers, shearers, truckies, agents and stock handlers in WA.
It'll end the strong trade and interpersonal ties Australia has developed in the Middle East as a trusted food security partner.
In summary, it'll end the tremendous amount of good this industry creates, both here and abroad.
Regardless of whether those animals are exported live or are processed locally, all the jobs up to the sheep being put on a boat or being processed remain the same. The only difference is, if the truck turns right to the ports, the live export sheep are loaded with a handful of stockmen, and an Australian vet accompanies their journey; if the truck turns left and takes those animals to a processing facility, it immediately employs between 500 and 800 people directly and many more in industries that support the processing plant. Those wages are spent in the local community, and flow-on benefits are significant.
The House divided. [11:32]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)
The House divided. [11:41]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)
That this bill be now read a third time.
Nature Positive (Environment Protection Australia) Bill 2024
Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) Bill 2024
Nature Positive (Environment Law Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2024
… lacks the independence and integrity needed to shield development and environmental decision-making from undue influence by vested interests.
I will discharge my duties diligently and with integrity. I will at all times put the interest of our people and country above all other interests.
… renewable energy connected with transmission and distribution, firmed with storage, and backed up by gas-powered generation is the lowest-cost way to supply electricity to homes and businesses as Australia transitions to a net zero economy.
That transformation is essential for the Australian economy to enjoy affordable and reliable energy in the future, as well as achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
The 2024 Integrated System Plan is the best roadmap we have to meet our energy needs, …
Clearly, if you have energy generation that works 100 per cent of the time, you would always use that before intermittent wind and solar, …
What we really need is a greater priority given to electricity that can be provided all the time.
I don't support the establishment of big nuclear facilities here at all. I'm opposed to it.
The Government's failure to take meaningful action to address skyrocketing rents and house prices that are driving the housing crisis for renters, first home buyers and mortgage holders.
A Greens MP who helped to design a 375million apartment block where individual units were going for as much as $8million refused to back a Uniting Church plan to build 92 units on an abandoned chicken farm
The Greens' housing spokesperson has led a long-running community campaign against a proposal … to build more than 850 dwellings—
Apartment towers up to 75 stories proposed for Woolloongabba—
to alleviate housing crisis opposed by Greens.
Rent control is not an effective way to improve affordability for renters.
It is hard to think of any area of widespread public concern where the same policies have been pursued for so long, in the face of such incontrovertible evidence that they have failed to achieve their ostensible objectives.
Governor-General Amendment (Salary) Bill 2024
Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024
… it would be hard to see how a contract manager could maintain their integrity whilst accepting gifts from a vendor …
Ministers are not supposed to be rubber stamps or daleks and there are two possibilities as to how this happened: (1) either no one noticed that no value for money assessment was undertaken; or (2) they did know but didn't care and blithely decided to proceed with a (then) $35 billion procurement anyway. Ultimately as this was a Cabinet process via the National Security Committee of Cabinet no one will ever really know what happened; whether there was a conspiracy or predetermined decision that BAE win the prize, or whether it was simply shocking incompetence by this group of Ministers in the then Government.
While the Committee would love to think the Commonwealth could just buy everything for 10 per cent less than a tendered price, it's a patently ridiculous proposition and vague claims there might be an "efficiency dividend" raise reasonable questions about the competence of the officials involved. Indeed, it is not apparent to any member of the Committee whether there has ever been an Australian shipbuilding project for such a major new capability that has run under budget.
Nature Positive (Environment Protection Australia) Bill 2024
Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) Bill 2024
Nature Positive (Environment Law Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2024
Our members have said for years that the current Act is broken. It is hard to engage with producers who want to do the right thing, and in some instances it's preventing best practice management of the landscape.
Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Withdrawal from Amalgamation) Bill 2024
The House divided. [17:22]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)
That this bill be now read a third time.
Nature Positive (Environment Protection Australia) Bill 2024
Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) Bill 2024
Nature Positive (Environment Law Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2024
Geographe Bay is a … sheltered embayment with extensive beds of tropical and temperate seagrass that account for about 80 per cent of benthic primary production in the area. The seagrass beds are noted for their high species biodiversity and endemism.
Similar to the lagoons to the north, Geographe Bay provides important nursery habitat for many shelf species—
is also an important migratory habitat for humpback whales.
I believe nuclear energy will be one of the most important energy sources for centuries to come, long after the oil and gas and coal have run out or run down to a smaller amount nuclear energy will still be available. It is really important that we perfect this technology and make it as safe as we possibly can and constantly work on making it safer. It is the safest already of all the major technologies but it's because I believe it is here for the long term and because it's clean and sustainable that I support it.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Hon. Karen Andrews ) took the chair at 09:30.
Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Withdrawal from Amalgamation) Bill 2024
The bill restores now-repealed Coalition-era powers to undermine unions and singles out the CFMEU to allow a ballot after the manufacturing division's multiple failed legal attempts to do so.
"It was a male-dominated space," she recalls. "He just went on this big rant and there was fear if anyone tried to say anything it would have just got a lot worse."
Within the building there were jokes about domestic violence. It was very uncomfortable to the point where our division had to leave the building.
When Festival Hall first opened, in 1913, it quickly became known as "The House of Stoush"—a boxing and wrestling venue and then, later, a home to roller derbies. This week, thousands of Setka's construction workers arrived in their high-vis and union-branded hoodies for the meeting. To Setka's … satisfaction, they reached capacity and spilled out the doors.
The EBA was ratified by members, securing a 21 per cent pay rise staggered over the next five years …
Within the building there were jokes about domestic violence. It was very uncomfortable to the point where our division had to leave the building.
The CFMEU's record of non-compliance with legislation of this kind has now become notorious … That record ought to be an embarrassment to the trade union movement.
The CFMEU has as egregious record of repeated and wilful contraventions of all manner of industrial laws.
The CFMEU has long demonstrated by its conduct that it pays but little regard to compliance with the law and indeed has repeatedly sought to place itself above the law.
It seems that the CFMEU feel that they can usurp Parliament and that they can set the law in this country. There is no place for such an attitude in Australian society.
The obstacles that could be put in the way of small family farms and businesses by this legislation are nothing short of catastrophic and naive, written by those who have no experience of how small communities are the backbone of the Australian way of life.
It was a male-dominated space. He just went on this big rant and there was fear if anyone tried to say anything it would have just got a lot worse.
Within the building there were jokes about domestic violence. It was very uncomfortable to the point where our division had to leave the building.
John was out of control. He hit my head against the table about five times. It was very painful. John is a lot bigger and stronger than me and he can totally physically control me. When he loses his temper, there isn't anything I can do but submit to him.
If it's work to rule, and we just work our basic hours, things are going to drag out forever—
We are not going to stop a whole stadium, but for projects of this nature to get delivered, they have to have the full cooperation on site, and that means a lot of flexibility, a lot of give and take.
We get our blokes to work RDOs, sometimes on long weekends. We have a meeting and say, "Look, the job's behind, they need to deliver this on time."
… as the head of the disgraced ABCC, Stephen McBurney brought untold misery to the lives of workers he unfairly demonised and the branch is very rightly expressing the genuine anger of its members.
The national union is yet to discuss potential action against the AFL, but there's zero doubt the pain the ABCC caused under McBurney is still being deeply felt by construction workers across Australia.
AFL is a working-class sport and his—
track record of blowing the whistle on the unions puts him at odds with many fans.
It was a male dominated space. He just went on this big rant and there was fear if anyone tried to say anything it would have just got a lot worse.
Within the building there were jokes about domestic violence. It was very uncomfortable, to the point where our division had to leave the building.
The most recidivist corporate offender in Australian history.
The CFMEU's record of non-compliance with legislation has now become notorious … That record ought to be an embarrassment to the trade union movement.
The CFMEU has an egregious record of repeated and wilful contraventions of all manner of industrial laws.
Within the building there were jokes about domestic violence. It was very uncomfortable to the point where our division had to leave the building.
John was out of control. He hit my head against the table about five times. It was very painful. John is a lot bigger and stronger than me and he can totally physically control me. When he loses his temper, there isn't anything I can do but submit to him.
… 25 times and sent her 45 text messages, calling her a "weak f---en piece of …
bleep—
… and a "treacherous … f---en c---" and a "f---en dog".
… that attack on the AFL really made the decision clear and made the timing immediate.
We're not going to have a situation where we have members in the manufacturing division compelled to be part of an organisation that they don't want to be part of.
Treasury Laws Amendment (Responsible Buy Now Pay Later and Other Measures) Bill 2024
Capital Works (Build to Rent Misuse Tax) Bill 2024
That all words after "House" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
"(1) notes that:
(a) the Government gives billions of dollars in tax handouts to property investors, driving up the price of housing and denying millions of renters the chance to buy a home;
(b) the Housing Australia Future Fund has not built a single home; and
(c) the median rent in Australia is now $621 and capital city rents have increased 9.5 per cent over the past year; and
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) freeze rent increases for two years followed by ongoing caps of 2 per cent every two years;
(b) phase out negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount; and
(c) establish a publicly-owned developer to build hundreds of thousands of good quality homes to be sold and rented at prices people can actually afford".
Capital Works (Build to Rent Misuse Tax) Bill 2024
Creative Australia Amendment (Implementation of Revive) Bill 2024
It acknowledges how central writing is for other pieces of creative work—all of which inspire the conversations about who we are as a country.
No other developed country of which I am aware provides so little in the way of support or recognition or has a state that treats its writers as poorly as Australia.
'For a long time, we've taken our literature for granted. To a certain extent, we've taken a literate population for granted. But if we value literacy, imagination, logical thinking and empathy—if we believe these things don't just enrich individual lives but enrich every human pursuit from science to social work, and promote a tolerant, caring, inventive society—then for the sake of the future we'll urgently put literature—books and reading—back on the agenda.'