The SPEAKER ( Hon. Tony Smith ) took the chair at 10:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
3.20 Currently, consideration in detail of the main appropriation bill is governed by the same standing orders that apply to the consideration in detail of other bills. The Clerk of the House has suggested that this debate ‘differs so much from the normal consideration in detail process that it should have its own rules clearly set out.’ As a minimum, the Clerk suggested that:
it would be helpful to chairs, ministers and Members generally if the existing standing orders specifically applying to the budget and estimates debates could be co-located (that is moved, copied or at least cross-referenced) under the section of the standing Orders headed Financial Procedures.
3.21 In the Committee’s opinion, the annual consideration of the budget and the consideration in detail stage, in particular, are unique, and of such importance, that the procedures for the main appropriation bill should be explicitly provided for in the Standing Orders, to make clear:
That the House take note of the report.
That Private Members' Business Notice No. 1 be postponed until a later hour today.
Tax Laws Amendment (Tougher Penalties for Country-by-Country Reporting) Bill 2016
That this bill be now read a second time.
Ethical Cosmetics Bill 2016
That this bill be now read a second time.
Flags Amendment (Protecting Australian Flags) Bill 2016
That this bill be now read a second time.
(a) the act is reasonably likely, in all the circumstances, to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people; and
(b) the act is done because of the race, colour or national or ethnic origin of the other person or of some or all of the people in the group.
Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for someone to do an act that is reasonably likely to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" someone because of their race or ethnicity.
It is not clear how it could be argued that the burning of the flag in these particular circumstances was done because of your race, national original or ethnic origin or the race, national or ethnic origin of Australians of European descent.
… in advancing the political and economic welfare of women at home and across the world.
Telecommunications (Numbering Charges) Amendment Bill 2015
Competition and Consumer Amendment (Payment Surcharges) Bill 2015
Tax and Superannuation Laws Amendment (2015 Measures No. 6) Bill 2015
The US Navy will be proud to sail in harm's way with the Royal Australian Navy anytime, anywhere.
… meritorious operational service in the Persian Gulf during enforcement of sanctions in support of United Nations Security Council Resolutions and the subsequent period of hostilities against Iraq to liberate Kuwait in 1990–91.
That business intervening before order of the day No. 7, government business, be postponed until a later hour this day.
Social Services Legislation Amendment (Family Measures) Bill 2015
That the amendment be agreed to.
Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Access Regime and NBN Companies) Bill 2015
We are going to do a rigorous analysis, we will get Infrastructure Australia to do an independent cost benefit analysis.
After deliberating all year, the Vertigan panel has recommended that Australia look to emulate 1970s US telephone industry policy to promote investment in 21st century broadband networks.
… … …
Most of the Vertigan recommendations represent nothing more than rehashed, discredited theoretical arguments promoted by opponents of regulatory reform and the NBN.
The inquiry has been an expensive distraction that has done little more than create uncertainty and disquiet across the industry during a crucial period of the transition to a new broadband network.
The Cost-Benefit Analysis is a deeply flawed and overtly political document. It is not credible and is not a reliable basis upon which to make decisions about the NBN.
The proposal to dilute the non-discrimination requirements in order to allow NBN to do exclusive deals for “pilots and trials” is highly risky, unnecessary and supported by no persuasive evidence that there is a problem in existing rules.
… not convinced that the problems triggering these proposed amendments currently, or will in the future, exist. The amendments are likely to add further complexity to the telecommunications regime and increase the amount of time it takes for the regulator to arrive at, and implement, decisions.
Nbn co's latest corporate plan suggests that there will be a larger than anticipated funding gap between the build costs and the capped funding commitment by the Government.
… unnecessary, retrograde and/or add complexity to regulatory decision-making processes. Worse, many of the proposed measures compromise fundamental elements of the level playing field underpinning the NBN, and may have a detrimental impact on competition and consumer outcomes.
We run two home businesses and it interferes greatly with our income. We also experience frequent drop outs.
I run a small business from home … I'm considering a move to where the NBN is connected just so I can work at a decent speed.
We cannot obtain a fast internet connection. I work from home and commute to Sydney, and require fast speeds to work.
… it would not be commercially viable to generate electricity from a nuclear power plant in South Australia in the foreseeable future.
… the revenue estimates have no basis in reality. There is no comparable overseas model of commercial trade of nuclear waste for disposal. No real idea how many countries might avail themselves of the opportunity to send nuclear waste to Australia for disposal, or how much they might send, or how much they might pay.
… requires isolation from the environment for many hundreds of thousands of years.
… this is Work Choices on water.
I've watched this month come and go over the years. I've shared amazing stories about research, fund raising, awareness. I've interviewed campaigners, survivors. And now — as if in a nightmare — this disease is mine. I'll never forget the wave of heat that rushed through my body as I was shown the dangerous blood test result. I was devastated, and to be honest, I still am.
At first the military officials indignantly resented intrusion during practice, and asked by what authority the cricket officials had entered. The reply was that the strangers had as much right to enter the battery enclosure as artillerymen had to shoot on to a cricket ground.
Having listened to the Prime Minister and Defence Minister today, you could feel their genuine ambition to better leverage innovative Australian business.
Importantly, the Turnbull Government's plan provides a much-needed and necessary opportunity to grow a stable, long-term skilled naval build and sustainment workforce across the nation.
It’s a win for workers, families, businesses and an entire industry sector and it’s also a win for Australia.
Tax Laws Amendment (Implementation of the Common Reporting Standard) Bill 2015
That the amendments be agreed to.
Tax Laws Amendment (Small Business Restructure Roll-over) Bill 2016
Parliamentary Entitlements Amendment (Injury Compensation Scheme) Bill 2016
Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Access Regime and NBN Companies) Bill 2015
Nikolic is on record as saying that in the age of terrorism … the civil liberties debate is simply not relevant.
Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Access Regime and NBN Companies) Bill 2015
The report—
which was never intended for public disclosure, reveals the extent to which the more than $46 billion project has drifted off course, mainly during the time when Mr Turnbull was in direct control as communications minister.
… the NBN Co's own documents show that for all that money, it remains bedevilled with problems from the slow design approvals by power utility companies (FTTP did not require electrical supply but FTTN does) and as a result of material and supply problems. Even expertise in dealing with the copper network is scarce.
While the government is moving in the right direction by putting innovation at the forefront of the agenda, they need to more substantively support this statement by investing in digital infrastructure in order to maximize the potential of this growing segment of the workforce. The move towards an 'Ideas Boom' is a great first step, but they haven't fully executed against their vision.
Building a future-proof, world-class national broadband network. According to a Nielsen report, three-quarters of the nation's businesses believe a national broadband infrastructure will increase their ability to engage in the digital economy
Sam Bashiry, founder of Smart50 finalist Broadband Solutions, told SmartCompany in the overall scheme of things, the NBN will 'change things for the better' for companies like his own, which offers broadband products in the B2B market.
But he says the proposed benefits of the NBN have been thrown around for 'way too long' and to date, the connections that have been rolled out have been focused on residential users, rather than businesses.
Small businesses will only realise the benefits of internet and mobile technology adoption if the underlying infrastructure (and the software running on the infrastructure) provides them with a suitable level of reliability.
Some small businesses are pretty much ready for a system such as ‘Single Touch Payroll’ to be rolled out, as they have moved to ‘cloud’ accounting software. However, many have not moved to these ‘cloud’ systems and many will not at the moment as their internet access is so slow. Enter the Communications Minister Malcom Turnbull.
The Communications Minister would have us believe that the rollout of the NBN is going swimmingly and that in this country we have no issues with getting internet access at reasonable speeds. Now, this doesn’t even pass the bulldust test as people try and use the internet for their business daily and many know that it’s not up to scratch.
'The performance of data uploading features strongly in a variety of case studies of iiNet small business customers,' the company wrote. 'In all cases, upload performance is the key to their purchasing decision. Nowhere in the strategic review—
is there any consideration of upload performance to the small business sector of the economy, or at all. Any business utilizing broadband will confirm that upload performance is ‘mission critical’ and yet little attention has been given to this issue, which is strategically important to the Australian digital economy.'
The NBN company has given a Newcastle business an estimate ranging up to $9,500 to extend fibre cables 300 metres from the local streetside 'node' through existing Telstra pipes to their facility in the Newcastle CBD, as signals continue to grow that the Coalition's election estimates on fibre on demand costs were inaccurate.
My request to you is to help get Acacia gardens onto the NBN rollout schedule.
… … …
I feel for anyone living in Acacia Gardens who is trying to run a home business. I've had to purchase extra wireless internet cards so that my wife can do her schoolwork as at times it's too slow for Google docs to work.
We have been told by every internet provider that they are unable to provide internet in our area because there are no ports available.
… … …
We are currently using a mobile hotspot for internet. We are paying $49.95 a month for 1GB. When we go over our 1GB allowance our internet slows down to excruciatingly slow speeds.
… … …
We are not prepared to wait until the earliest estimated time which is the first half of 2017. This is over a year away.
It becomes really difficult to work from home for my son as it takes a lot of time to upload files and share data with his office.
I manage & provide technical support for corporate IT systems which have very high availability SLAs & when I work on a customer problem I need a reliable network otherwise it can compromise my efforts in solving issues for my customers in timely manner.
The NBN is all around me and my next door neighbor was lucky enough to have the Internet installed through Telstra. It seems The Ponds is hit and miss with Internet services from what I have found out from my inquiries I am really frustrated.
Multiple reviews, at vast cost, have been completed, primarily focused on demonstrating that the Labor government’s NBN concept was flawed or at least was less economically viable than that of the Coalition. Unfortunately, much of the review analysis has had a political tarnish which diminishes its value in forward planning for this important infrastructure project.
The Cost-Benefit Analysis is a deeply flawed and overtly political document. It is not credible and is not a reliable basis upon which to make decisions about the NBN.
Business Services Wage Assessment Tool Payment Scheme Amendment Bill 2016
The basic defect in the use of BSWAT is that it reduces wages to which intellectually disabled workers would otherwise be entitled by reference to considerations which do not bear upon the work that they actually do.
The Full Court of the Federal Court, by a majority, concluded that the use of the BSWAT disadvantaged intellectually disabled persons. Although it was widely used, it was not reasonable. … The unchallenged expert evidence was that the BSWAT produced a differential effect for intellectually disabled persons and reduced their score. We see no reason to doubt the conclusions of the Full Court.
That this bill be now read a third time.
Trade Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2016
The government has declared that it is 'open for business', however its recent decisions have sent the opposite message to potential international investors considering investing in the Australian agrifood sector.
Innovation, knowledge and creativity are the new drivers of economic growth in developed nations around the world.
… … …
… We need to foster an environment where innovative sectors can grow and entrepreneurs can flourish. We need to seek and encourage greater business and technological innovations.
The potential of how much value we can derive from this announcement is really now back in the hands of industry …
It is now up to businesses to seize this opportunity to grow by being smart with their marketing, branding and positioning …
We certainly have had a heightened focus on … China with the Free Trade Agreement in mind. We are working closely with our clients to ensure they are aware of the benefit of the FTA.
The many employees in the defence sector in Hindmarsh look forward to the coalition's commitment to increase defence spending to two per cent of GDP … The air warfare destroyers and the next generation of submarines are two such examples where Australian workers, South Australian workers, will be part of something special.
That this bill be now read a third time.
Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Access Regime and NBN Companies) Bill 2015
It is clear that in commissioning the National Broadband Network reviews the government has carefully selected consultants, analysts and economists that have previously expressed views that support their position.
Multiple reviews, at vast cost, have been completed, primarily focused on demonstrating that the Labor government’s NBN concept was flawed or at least was less economically viable than that of the Coalition. Unfortunately, much of the review analysis has had a political tarnish which diminishes its value in forward planning for this important infrastructure project.
The Cost-Benefit Analysis is a deeply flawed and overtly political document. It is not credible and is not a reliable basis upon which to make decisions about the NBN.
Importantly, all forecasts in the Strategic Review have been arrived at independently by NBN Co and, in the view of the company and its expert advisors, are both conservative and achievable.
As the industry technology norms have changed to delivery of large files via Internet, we are struggling to service our clients' expectations. With a maximum of wireless 15 gig a month from Telstra our only option, it makes our business uncompetitive. The limit on the availability of high speed broadband is directly affecting our productivity and our ability to employ more young designers.
We would love to continue running our business here in Gisborne, but with the NBN rollout not continuing through to this region, it may just be that we have to move our business to Melbourne.
After deliberating all year, the Vertigan panel has recommended that Australia look to emulate 1970s US telephone industry policy to promote investment in 21st century broadband networks.
Most of the Vertigan recommendations represent nothing more than rehashed, discredited theoretical arguments promoted by opponents of regulatory reform and the NBN.
When I made an inquiry to the NBN about laying their network in my current area they are either not sure or they don't know how much time it will take more to start laying cables in our area.
I am writing you this e-mail to raise the unavailability of phone connections and internet services in our area. I have recently purchased my own house in Wyndham Vale. But I am unable to get this very basic facility of internet at my place because of lack of ports in the area, as per told by every provider including Telstra.
And I am wondering what is the reason of lack of ports as the latest internet provision NBN has been started in the area just across Ballan road which is more far to city than my area.
Our internet connection is very slow, impacting on our daily lives and on our children currently doing VCE. It is really unacceptable considering our world and society is now heavily based on technology.
There is enough capacity on private satellites already in orbit or scheduled for launch for the NBN to deliver broadband to the 200,000 or so premises in remote Australia without building its own.
So we will deliver a minimum of 25 megabits … by the end of our first term.
For all his industry experience, some of Turnbull's early steps were amateurish. At first he appeared to line up with his leader believing the whole world was going wireless and this would make FTTP redundant.
Wireless broadband has been growing at nearly ten times the rate of fixed-line broadband, whose penetration has remained fairly static. The convenience and flexibility of wireless is compelling and likely to become more so. It will be a fierce competitor with the new network.
The truth, however, was that the explosive growth in wireless as dependent on fixed-line technology, and price sensitive consumers were going to be careful to avoid heavy use of data over 4G mobile networks that would be far more expensive per megabyte.
… the recent use of violence by the security forces and the increased number of cases of human rights violations in Ethiopia. It calls for a credible, transparent and independent investigation into the killings of at least 140 protesters and into other alleged human rights violations in connection with the protest movement after the May 2015 federal elections in the country
… calls on the Ethiopian authorities to stop suppressing the free flow of information, to guarantee the rights of local civil society and media and to facilitate access throughout Ethiopia for independent journalists and human rights monitors. The EU, as the single largest donor, should ensure that EU development assistance is not contributing to human rights violations in Ethiopia
As we all know, Defence has also been an integral component of the Territory's economy for a very long time, and these new commitments flag that it is only going to have an even larger impact.
For the construction sector, the white paper paints a compelling picture, one that will bring a smile to many businesses and the 12,000-plus workers who rely on the industry for a living … The white paper speaks of multiple projects over multiple years, across almost all facets of construction.
Our study first flagged many of these opportunities last year, but confirmation means we are now going to see those plans turn into real investment dollars.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Dr Southcott ) took the chair at 10:30.
Just living here is unhealthy. There is an infestation of mosquitoes and the smell is that bad that you feel nauseous.
Time after time, police do not respond to reports of crime.
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (the agency) revealed in recent reports that more than 64 building sites across Australia contain illegal asbestos;
(b) it is unclear how many building sites have asbestos that has not been detected; and
(c) the agency advised the Senate Economics References Committee, for its inquiry into non conforming building products, that building products containing asbestos are being imported to Australia, contrary to Australian law;
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) Australia has one of the highest rates of asbestos related death and injury in the world; we know that 33,000 people have already lost their lives to asbestos; and
(b) around 700 Australians die each year from asbestos related diseases, and without proper management experts worry that tens of thousands of Australians could be diagnosed with asbestos related diseases in coming decades;
(3) condemns the Government's inaction and silence on the dangers of asbestos, despite warnings provided to the Senate Economics References Committee; and
(4) calls on the Government to give greater importance to stopping asbestos importers at the border and immediately increase the penalties for illegal asbestos contamination on Australian building sites.
I want to be able to parade this person in court. I think the industry just has cowboys and they've got to be controlled.
The ACCC does not believe that traces of asbestos in crayons presents a safety risk to consumers because the asbestos is fixed within the crayon wax, which removes the risk of inhalation or ingestion.
That this House notes that:
(1) May is Crohn's and Colitis month, designated to raise awareness of these life long gastrointestinal disorders that commonly present themselves in children, adolescents and adults;
(2) the conditions, collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), are an emerging global disease, with Australia having one of the highest rates of prevalence in the world;
(3) IBD is a chronic and largely hidden disease affecting approximately 1 in 250 people aged 5 to 49 years nationally;
(4) more than 75,000 Australians live with these conditions, with numbers expected to increase to more than 100,000 by 2022;
(5) IBD cannot be cured as yet, but it can be managed effectively, especially with the use of medications to control the abnormal inflammatory response; and
(6) the Government has acknowledged the need to improve the quality and consistency of IBD care in Australia and has announced an historic $500,000 matched funding agreement to kick start the Crohn's & Colitis Australia programme.
Anything I ate I was in a huge amount of pain in my stomach to the point where I basically stopped eating. I didn't want to go to sleep because I thought my body was failing me and I wasn't going to wake up.
There are particular provisions in each award or agreement that I think should be reviewed and I'm not suggesting for a moment that there aren't provisions including penalty rates that shouldn't be looked at.
We cannot go on in a society where we are charging people on a day which is a normal operating day, double what you would on any other.
I mean, the Sunday rate comes from an era when Sunday trading was unusual. Today it's the busiest time of the week and it does affect many small enterprises.
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) the Tibetan Plateau is:
(i) the largest source of freshwater beyond the Arctic and Antarctic;
(ii) a major driver of the global climate;
(iii) the source of most of Asia's major rivers; and
(iv) an area of great significance to the global environment; and
(b) traditional nomadic herding has provided Tibetans with resilient livelihoods and ensured the health of Tibetan grasslands, including maintaining biodiversity and soil carbon;
(2) expresses concern that:
(a) Tibetan nomads are leaving the grasslands and that their displacement will have harmful impacts on their livelihood and culture as well as on Tibet's fragile environment; and
(b) construction of large dams and water diversion projects in the headwater regions will impact the environment and the livelihood of millions of people in the region;
(3) notes China's many positive steps towards addressing the challenges of climate change, including reducing dependence on coal; and
(4) calls for acknowledgement of the:
(a) important role Tibetan nomads play in ensuring the health of Tibetan grasslands; and
(b) importance of Tibetans having a say over decisions that affect their land and livelihoods.
Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015
A process for redress must provide equal access and equal treatment for survivors—regardless of the location, operator, type, continued existence or assets of the institution in which they were abused
I would like to see a national system of redress which could be accessed by the churches and one in which the culpable parties would contribute to the payment of whatever the findings were … It would clearly show that such payments are not dependent on the decisions of the Catholic Church … No matter how fair and independent an agency funded by the church might be, there's always the danger that it will be found to be subservient.
Governments—
are using a range of funding levers to make it harder for community organisations to speak out, to advocate on behalf of the groups they represent (and) the natural environment and that's bad for the health of our democracy
Walking Wounded … has been established to assist in the psychological rehabilitation and recovery of returned Australian soldiers who are experiencing hardships after their time in service. Our primary objective is to intervene and prevent the concerning incidences of suicide in the young veteran community through counselling and other support. We show them that there is 'life after the Army'.
What I did over there—
mattered … I had a prominent job, I enjoyed what I did. When I came home all that went away. I didn't really have any self worth anymore.
I did become just another number. You lose a sense of purpose, your identity.
You can't kill and face death and return unchanged to a world in which you are expected to refrain from … violence and relax.
No one leaves their home willingly or gladly. When people leave en masse the place of their birth, the place where they live it means there is something very deeply wrong with the circumstances in that country and we should never take lightly these flights of refugees fleeing across borders. They are a sign, they are a symptom, they are proof that something is very wrong somewhere on the international scene. When the moment comes to leave your home, it is a painful moment.
It can be a costly choice. Three weeks and three days after my family left the shores of Latvia, my little sister died. We buried her by the roadside, we were never able to return or put a flower on her grave.
And I like to think that I stand here today as a survivor who speaks for all those who died by the roadside, some buried by their families and others not and for all those millions across the world today who do not have a voice who cannot be heard but they are also human beings, they also suffer, they also have their hopes, their dreams and their aspirations. Most of all they dream of a normal life.
Australia's policy of off-shore processing for asylum seekers arriving by sea, and its interception and turning back of vessels, is leading to a chain of human rights violations, including arbitrary detention and possible torture following return to home countries. It could also lead to the resettlement of migrants in countries that are not adequately equipped. …
… Human rights are not reserved for citizens only, or for people with visas. They are the inalienable rights of every individual, regardless of his or her location and migration status.
Australia is rarely pushing for rights-respecting solutions these days – and more than that, is too often part of the problem. Politicians trapped in the refugee policy dialogue in Canberra frequently fail to recognise that Australia’s boat push-back policies, and offshoring asylum seekers into abusive conditions of detention in Nauru and on Manus Island, are seen as a green-light by Asian governments to do the same: …
By soliciting governments to help stop boats, Australia also ends up looking the other way on other rights abuses. By cooperating with Australia to take back boats of their nationals, both Sri Lanka and Vietnam know they could count on Australia not to publicly raise concerns about the rights abuses that drove those people into the boats in the first place. …
Meanwhile, Cambodia is laughing all the way to the bank with at least $55m of Australia’s taxpayer dollars for taking just five refugees so far from Nauru. All this for a deal that the UN high commissioner for refugees termed “a worrying departure from international norms” of refugee protection.
… we live now as hostages to our lowest fears.
… … …
To those who say this matter is resolved, I say no … A settlement built on suffering will never be settled. An economy built on cruelty is a swindle. A sense of comfort built upon the crushed spirits of children is but a delusion that feeds ghosts and unleashes fresh terrors.
… … …
We're losing our way. We have hardened our hearts. I fear we have devalued the currency of mercy. Children have asked for bread and we gave them stones. So turn back. I beg you. For the children's sake. For the sake of this nation's spirit. Raise us back up to our best selves. Turn back while there's still time.
In 2014-15, how many applications were refused for the
(a) Visitor visa (subclass 600), and
(b) Sponsored Family Visitor visa (subclass 679).
In 2014-15, there were 115,744 visa applications refused for the Visitor visa (subclass 600).
In March 2013, the Sponsored Family Visitor visa (subclass 679) was repealed and incorporated into the Visitor visa (subclass 600) as a distinct stream, as part of the Government's Visa Simplification and Deregulation project. In 2014-15, there were 9067 visa applications refused for the Visitor visa (subclass 600) - Sponsored Family stream.