The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. Stephen Parry) took the chair at 12:30, read prayers and made an acknowledgement of country.
Australian Education Amendment Bill 2014
We are committed to the student resource standard. Of course we are. We're committed to this new school funding model …
We have agreed to the government's school funding model …
… you can vote Liberal or Labor and you'll get exactly the same amount of funding for your school …
I think that the government are correct in this—
and I think that there is a real chance that the deregulation of fees — rather than making universities richer and so on — that they could produce further monies from doing that to be ploughed back to make them even greater … To improve the student experience, have higher teacher-student ratios, etc.
That this bill be now read a third time.
Private Health Insurance Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2014
… in the first year, 175,000 people would withdraw from private hospital cover and a further 583,000 people would downgrade their private cover. Over five years, they predict that 1.6 million Australians would drop cover and 4.3 million would downgrade their cover.
The AIHW's report really makes a mockery of the government's claim that health care spending is out of control.
There is absolutely no need for them to introduce the GP co-payment.
That this bill be now read a third time.
[The free trade] agreement will allow the [Australian dairy] industry to flourish and capitalise upon robust demand in the Chinese market.
[It] will strengthen Australian dairy’s competitiveness by providing [the Australian dairy] industry with a significant advantage compared to other countries in the market that do not have a FTA with China …
There is still sufficient time available, with adequate contingency, for the competitive [project definition study] to be carried out and to build the Future Submarines in Australia.
There does not have to be a capability gap if we get on with it now.
… there does not have to be a capability gap if we get on with it now.
There are significant technical, commercial and capability gap risks invoked by prematurely and unilaterally committing to a preferred overseas, sole-source supplier.
It just beggars belief that you would go with one provider without testing the market.
You will never know the true potential cost of a project until you get multiple companies to put their names to dollar figures on firm tender bids.
There is still sufficient time available, with adequate contingency, for the competitive PDS to be carried out and to build the Future Submarines in Australia.
A vibrant and sustained naval shipbuilding industry of all shapes and forms is vital to our self-reliance.
The future submarine should be designed specifically for Australia and built here in Australia. A sail-away cost of $20 billion for 12 submarines built in Australia is entirely feasible, and Australian industry has much to offer in solving the truly unique engineering challenges.
Australian industrial tenacity and innovation turned the project around to the point where we now operate among the most capable conventional submarines in the world.
In theory a competitive tender process can lead to the lowest price for government and potentially value for money. In practice, the contractor almost always has more information than the government about the costs and risks of a project.
Imposing direct managerial oversight by government would be counter-productive to maintaining these competitive efficiencies.
Given the evidence provided to the committee, particularly in relation to the inadequacy of the current Japanese Soryu submarine to meet Australia's needs, there does not appear to be any benefit in reopening this option for further consideration.
There is still sufficient time available, with adequate contingency, for the competitive PDS (Project Design Study) to be carried out and to build the Future Submarines in Australia.
There does not have to be a capability if we get on with it now.
That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Attorney-General (Senator Brandis) to a question without notice asked by Senator Whish-Wilson today relating to the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
That the Senate take note of answers in relation to my question on free trade agreements.
Finally, one should note that the real prize that China wants out of this FTA is for its SOEs—
to be exempt from FIRB—
scrutiny for investments of $1bn or less. … China is desperate that this concession be eventually made since it is determined that its SOEs be allowed to invest in leading Australian firms to hasten the technology and know-how transfer that they desperately need.
That the Senate—
(a) notes the support that the Queensland Government is giving to the coal industry in that State;
(b) acknowledges that this support has created thousands of employment opportunities, which in turn has greatly nourished the economies of the towns and communities associated with that industry; and
(c) further notes the balance that the Queensland Government is achieving between these investments and significantly important environmental protections.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the Federal Government has provided $1.5 billion in funding for the WestConnex motorway, plus an additional $2 billion in the form a concessional loan; and that this funding was awarded despite the lack of a detailed business case, including the assumptions behind the project’s cost-benefit analysis, being made available to Infrastructure Australia or the public,
(ii) the WestConnex motorway, if built, will negatively impact residents and commuters across Sydney by increasing traffic congestion and air pollution; and the main beneficiaries of the project will be private businesses who will profit from new tolls while the public wears the financial risk, and
(iii) the Federal Government has not spent a single dollar on public transport projects in Sydney; and
(b) calls on the Federal and NSW Governments to abandon their plans to construct the WestConnex motorway and commit to building public transport in Sydney to minimise congestion, improve environmental sustainability and boost productivity.
That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, no later than 3.30 pm on Monday, 24 November 2014, the report of the investigation by Transfield Services of allegations regarding the treatment of asylum seekers in the Manus Island regional processing centre, as referred to in a statement released by the Minister’s office on 3 November 2014.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) polling consistently shows that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) are the most trusted media outlets in Australia and two of the most trusted organisations of any nature,
(ii) the then Leader of the Opposition, Mr Abbott, stated categorically before the 2013 federal election that there would be ‘no cuts to the ABC or SBS’, and
(iii) on 1September 2014, the Minister for Communications refused an order of the Senate to lay on the table a copy of Mr Peter Lewis’ efficiency review into the ABC and SBS; and
(b) condemns the Abbott Government’s:
(i) unjustified budget cuts to the ABC and SBS, and
(ii) deception of the Australian public in promising no cuts to the nation’s public broadcasters.
That the Senate—
(a) notes:
(i) the role of the Australian Electoral Commissioner (the Commissioner) is essential to the performance, transparency and accountability of the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC),
(ii) the need to maintain community confidence in the ability of the AEC to carry out its statutory responsibilities, including the upcoming redistributions in Western Australia, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory,
(iii) the Special Minister of State advised the public that the previous Commissioner, Mr Ed Killesteyn PSM, tendered his resignation to the Governor-General on 21 February 2014,
(iv) the position of Commissioner has formally been vacant since the resignation of Mr Killesteyn took effect on 26 June 2014,
(v) the statement of the Special Minister of State to the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee at the 2013‑14 additional estimates on 25 February 2014 that ‘The intention is to have someone in place by about 4 July if humanly possible’,
(vi) the position of non-judicial member of the AEC has been vacant since the resignation of the Australian Statistician, Mr Brian Pink, on 12 January 2014, and
(vii) the position of Australian Electoral Officer is also vacant in two states and one territory; and
(b) calls on the Special Minister of State to take immediate steps to ensure the appointment, as a matter of priority, of suitably qualified and experienced people to the roles of:
(i) Australian Electoral Commissioner;
(ii) non-judicial member of the Australian Electoral Commission, and
(iii) Australian Electoral Officer in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
That—
(a) the following matter be referred to the Education and Employment References Committee for inquiry and report by 10 August 2015:
The operation, regulation and funding of private vocational education and training (VET) providers in Australia, including:
(i) the access private VET providers have to Commonwealth and state public funding,
(ii) the cost of education at private VET providers,
(iii) the regulatory regime private VET providers operate within,
(iv) the operation of VET-FEE-HELP,
(v) the quality of education provided by private VET providers, volume of learning requirements and graduate outcomes,
(vi) marketing and promotional techniques employed by private VET providers and education brokers both domestic and international,
(vii) any incidents or allegations of non-compliance with regulation and funding arrangements at private VET providers,
(viii) political donations made by private VET providers,
(ix) international comparisons to the Australian funding and regulatory regime,
(x) the operation, regulation and funding of private VET providers specifically offering courses in aged care and early childhood education and their labour market outcomes, and
(xi) any related matters; and
(b) the committee will table interim reports to the Senate on 2 March 2015 and 15 June 2015.
That the proposed amendments to the Tax Laws Amendment (Research and Development) Bill 2013 circulated by the Palmer United Party on sheet 7618 be referred to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 26 November 2014.
That the Senate—
(a) notes:
(i) the Free Trade memorandum of understanding signed between Australia and China, and
(ii) that climate change, with its consequent global food insecurity, is driving governments to acquire land and water outside their own borders as sources of food supply; and
(b) calls on the Government to:
(i) create a register of foreign ownership of agricultural land and water assets to continuously track overseas purchases,
(ii) lower the threshold from $248 million to $5 million for consideration of the national interest by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) for purchases of agricultural land and water by a foreign private entity,
(iii) legislate a stronger national interest test to be applied by the FIRB for purchases of agricultural land and water resources, and
(iv) prohibit the purchase of agricultural land and water by wholly‑owned subsidiaries of foreign governments.
That the Senate calls on the Abbott Government to immediately request that the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal reconsider the Government’s pay offer, which cuts the real pay and conditions of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, for the following reasons—the original offer:
(a) was unfair and wrong, particularly in light of the 2014-15 Budget allocating funding for an above‑inflation pay rise for ADF personnel;
(b) is affecting morale and is likely to affect recruitment;
(c) has caused a backlash amongst ADF servicemen and women, their families, and the wider community; and
(d) should be changed to ensure a fair deal for our ADF personnel.
That the Senate—
(a) acknowledges:
(i) that being understood is essential in accessing justice,
(ii) the importance of interpreting services in the justice system, and
(iii) the unacceptable rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration;
(b) notes:
(i) the Kimberley Interpreting Service (KIS) has around 100 interpreters who speak over 30 Indigenous languages,
(ii) that in many Western Australia communities English is not the first language, and
(iii) since 2006 KIS has been funded through a state and federal government partnership which ended in June 2014, and the Western Australian Government has said it was not in a position to provide any more funding; and
(c) calls on the Commonwealth Government to work with the Western Australian Government to ensure ongoing funding for essential interpreting services.
That leave of absence be granted to the following senators:
(a) Senators Edwards and Reynolds from 17 November to 19 November 2014, on account of parliamentary business;
(b) Senator Birmingham from 17 November to 19 November 2014, for personal reasons;
(c) Senator Heffernan for 18 November and 19 November 2014, for personal reasons; and
(d) Senator Cormann for 18 November 2014, on account of parliamentary business.
That the Senate acknowledges the fact that, according to the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics, over the past 12 months over $50 billion worth of resource projects have been finalised across the nation, with increases in production, including over 200 million tonnes of iron ore, 40 million tonnes of coal and more than 1 000 petajoules of gas, creating jobs and boosting the economy of thousands of small businesses and by extension, nourishing the nation's economy.
Question agreed to.
That the Senate commends the outstanding contribution of officials and volunteers to the staging of the G20 Leaders' Summit and other G20 events in Australia in 2014.
That the Senate—
(a) acknowledges:
(i) the 5th anniversary of the National Apology to the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants on 16 December 2014,
(ii) that over 500 000 Australians experienced care in an orphanage, or other form of out of home care during the past century and many of these experienced distress, neglect, abuse and assault, and
(iii) That the child migration scheme during the 20th Century is now universally recognised as having been fundamentally flawed with tragic consequences;
(b) notes:
(i) the 16 recommendations of the Community Affairs References Committee's report, Lost innocents and forgotten Australians revisited: Report on the progress with the implementation of the recommendations of the lost innocents and forgotten Australians reports (the report), and
(ii) the current Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse but that there are a range of issues identified by the Senate inquiries that are beyond the issues covered by Commission; and
(c) calls on leadership from governments and former providers to work towards the implementation of the remaining recommendations of the report, including the sensitive issues of redress, identity documentation and the need for responsive support for health and housing.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that four out of five Victorians believe mental health must be a top priority in the upcoming state election and that almost 92 per cent say regional mental health services need to be extended;
(b) recognises that mental illness in 12 to 25-year-olds is costing Australia an estimated $10 billion each year and people do not have access to the services they need; and
(c) calls on the Federal Government to fund the mental health system commensurate to the significant burden of disease associated with mental illness and to work with states in addressing chronic underfunding of the mental health system.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) a report commissioned by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) into the awarding of 2018 and 2022 World Cups casts doubt on the integrity of Australia's bid to host the 2022 World Cup,
(ii) the report concludes that Australia's bid included funding soccer development projects around the world, creating the appearance benefits were conferred in exchange for a vote,
(iii) the report also concludes that Australia's bid involved redirecting funds That the Australian Government had committed to existing development projects in Africa toward initiatives in countries with ties to FIFA Executive Committee members, and
(iv) more than $45 million of taxpayers' money was spent on the Australian 2022 World Cup bid; and
(b) calls on the Government to establish an independent investigation into allegations of corruption into Australia's bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Question negatived.
Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today I propose to move "That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:
The Government's unfair pay deal for Australian Defence Force personnel which cuts real pay and takes away vital Christmas and recreational leave".
That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:
"The Government's unfair pay deal for Australian Defence Force personnel which cuts real pay and takes away vital Christmas and recreational leave".
… essentially a kick in the teeth to every Soldier, Airmen, & Sailor.
A “fair go” is the least a grateful nation can offer to serving and former military personnel.
… the government that I have sworn to protect and serve, and that up to this point have been enormously proud to do so, has signed off on a deal that is essentially a kick in the teeth to every Soldier, Airmen, & Sailor.
… … …
My own government disdains me and my fellow serving members, and it disdains us publicly and with thinly disguised contempt.
I saw my husband for 55 days in total last year and this is what we get.
The new Australian Defence Force pay arrangements in no way reflect the value that the government places on ADF personnel …
Anindilyakwa Land Council—Report for 2013-14.
Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency—Report for 2013-14.
Auditing and Assurance Standards Board—Report for 2013-14.
Australian Accounting Standards Board—Report for 2013-14.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)—Report for 2013-14.
Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority—Report for 2013-14.
Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA)—Report for 2013-14.
Cancer Australia—Report for 2013-14.
Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC)—Report for 2013-14.
Climate Change Authority—Report for 2013-14.
Department of Defence—Report for 2013-14 (2 volumes), including report of the Defence Materiel Organisation.
Department of Education—Report for 2013-14, including the report of Tuition Protection Service.
Department of Employment—Report for 2013-14.
Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development—Report for 2013-14.
Department of the Treasury—Report for 2013-14.
Fair Work Commission—Report for 2013-14.
Indigenous Business Australia (IBA)—Report for 2013-14.
Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse—Royal Commission—Report of case study no. 7—Child sexual abuse at the Parramatta Training School for Girls and the Institution for Girls in Hay.
National Blood Authority—Report for 2013-14.
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)—Report for 2013-14.
National Health Funding Body—Report for 2013-14.
National Health Funding Pool—Report for 2013-14, including financial statements for state and territory State Pool Accounts.
National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR)—Report for 2013-14.
National Mental Health Commission—Report for 2013-14.
Professional Services Review—Report for 2013-14.
Repatriation Commission, Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs—Reports for 2013-14, including financial statements of the Defence Service Homes Insurance Scheme.
Takeovers Panel—Report for 2013-14.
Question put and passed.
That the Senate take note of the documents.
That the Senate take note of the document.
That the Senate take note of the report.
That Senators Back and McKenzie replace Senators Heffernan and Edwards on the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee from Thursday, 20 November 2014.
Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Seniors Supplement Cessation) Bill 2014
We believe Age Pension change should not be dealt with in isolation. There needs to be a systematic review of all aspects of retirement incomes that involves all key stakeholders and takes into account any changes that emerge from the Government’s reviews of the financial system and taxation. Retirement income changes have a long term impact on individuals, the Government’s budget and the broader community and this would be an opportunity to get it right.
We believe that the CSHC should be included in the proposed retirement income review and that there should be a discussion about its purpose and place within the retirement income sphere. Current eligibility and benefits for the card should remain as they are until that review has been completed. This would mean continuing CSHC entitlement to the Seniors Supplement.
COTA believes it would be useful to set up a structured process of roundtable discussions involving key stakeholders to look at varied policy options and their social and economic impacts. Such a process would need to be well informed and evidence based.
We are going to keep the promise that we actually made, not the promise that some people thought that we made, or the promise that some people might have liked us to make.
… I can assure your listeners that there will be no cuts to health, no cuts to education, no cuts to pensions, no change to the GST ...
As a person who has been very careful to make ends meet on the pension, I am not sure how I would manage if my income was reduced in any way.
I understand that the proposed changes to the way the pension is index, for example, would mean a cut of $80 a week over 10 years to the single pension, which seems like a huge amount when it is already a stretch for me to pay my bills, buy my groceries and get to important appointments.
I just don't have any way to make up that difference.
There are four nasty government bills before Parliament which, if passed, will, over time, drag Veterans Affairs pensions further and further behind community income standards.
You may not notice it at first because the half yearly indexation catch-ups will continue. It's just that those indexation catch-ups will be reduced.
And as those small reductions feed on each other, the falling behind accelerates.
To achieve its desired degrading of Veterans Affairs pensions, the government has introduced four pieces of legislation into Parliament.
With the Coalition government having a majority in the House of Representatives, all four bills are expected to pass despites some opposition from Labor, the Greens and the Palmer United Party.
They must then go to the Senate where the government does not have a majority.
Three have already reached the Senate and the fourth is expected to arrive soon.
The odious bills are:
Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (2014 Budget Measures No. 5) Bill 2014
Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Seniors Supplement Cessation) Bill 2014
Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (2014 Budget Measures No. 4) Bill 2014
Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (2014 Budget Measures No. 6) Bill 2014
Just which Senators will vote in favour of degrading Veterans Affairs pensions and which will vote against this degrading is yet to be seen—
But we believe the Greens and the Palmer United Party are likely to vote against all the measures degrading Veterans Affairs pensions. We believe, disappointingly, that while Labor will vote against most of these proposed downgradings but may vote in favour of some of them.
We shall be watching and reporting.
"I'm just a boy from Bunbury," he says. "I'm not a clever man. They're much too smart for me, these Canberra blokes who are supposed to manipulate power."
It is no use just having one chamber echoing the other—that is a waste of both time and money.
I did not interfere, involve myself or influence in any way any of that process.
… will allow the industry to flourish and capitalise upon robust demand in the Chinese market. The FTA will strengthen Australian dairy's competitiveness by providing our industry with a significant advantage compared to other countries in the market that do not have a FTA with China.
This is truly a free trade agreement. Australian dairy has been a leading commodity in the negotiations with China; we have campaigned long and hard for a positive outcome and are thrilled to see this come to fruition.
It would be reasonable to expect that increased world demand for our dairy products should be reflected in increased prices—
This is fantastic news for the Australian wine industry. We've already got a fantastic reputation in China for our premium wines, and this will allow us to compete with other major wine exporters.
This agreement will cement China as a key destination for Australian vegetable exports, and it is hoped that this will benefit regional communities across the country by creating jobs and boosting economies.
The landmark China-Australia Free Trade Agreement signed in Canberra today will foster an even deeper relationship with China in university education and research.
I want international childhood cancer awareness and funding so children don't have to die.
I am so frustrated at how progress is being made—it's just going too slowly—we need to change the game. We need to communicate, collaborate, and accelerate.
It makes me sick that if someone did something about this 10 years ago, maybe all the kids would be alive today.
It isn't fair that children are dying because there isn't enough awareness or funding. It's not fair that parents are losing their children. It's not fair that kids are losing their brothers and sisters. I don't understand how childhood cancer research gets so little funding, when children are our future.
I want to raise international childhood cancer awareness because children need better treatments or even a cure, because they have their whole lives ahead of them and it's not fair. I want to make a difference—can you help me?
It could happen to your daughter, to your son, it could happen to anyone. Our children deserve more. Help make childhood cancer a national priority. Force our Government to assume responsibility and appropriately fund childhood cancer.
With the exception only of the 200-year period of the gold standard, practically all governments of history have used their exclusive power to issue money in order to defraud and plunder the people.
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has admitted his government would be forced to close up to 150 of the state's remote Aboriginal homelands after accepting a one-off $90 million payment from the Abbott government to take over responsibility for municipal and essential services.
Moola Bulla was closed in 1955, and all the Aboriginal families were forcibly removed from the property. We were relocated to Halls Creek so that the station could be sold and run as a privately owned pastoral lease.
This story of my early life may seem a long, long time ago, but, unfortunately, the reality for many Kimberley Aboriginal people today is similar. In recent years many people were forcibly removed from Oombulgurri, not by packing them into a truck like we were, but by turning services off, not repairing power generation, switching off water and closing the school. They were sent packing to Wyndham before adequate housing was provided for them. Today we can drive into Wyndham and see many of these people sitting in the middle of town, still without homes, jobs, training or possessions; they are living hard in parks, bushes and mangroves.
A good example of the effects of austerity on the CTNC was the withdrawal of the Queensland government’s Healthy Lifestyle Program. This program was to provide a broad range of nutrition and health-related services to the community. The program had commenced in 2008, employed three staff members and had registered 15 per cent of the town’s population which had demonstrated tangible behavioural change. That is now gone along with opportunities for social and physical participation for local residents.
… a ‘code of practice’ to have effect under Work Health and Safety laws in every jurisdiction.
… in relation to the work, health and safety needs or requirements of pregnant employees, employees undergoing IVF and employees returning to work after miscarriage or childbirth…
… the number of horse fatalities resulting from endurance riding is unacceptable.
… Melbourne Cup Day punters appear blithely unaware that they are actually watching horses being whipped … and hard.
Last year more than 100,000 people attended the Melbourne Cup, with more than 3 million watching the race on TV in Australia alone. This would have to make whipping in horse-racing the most public form of violence to animals in Australia today, but most people don't seem to notice it.
To be fair, it was only when I saw high-speed images of whip impact that showed visible indentation of the skin in 83% of impacts I appreciated how likely it was that routine whipping of horses in racing causes pain.
… if whips didn’t cause pain there would be no use to them.
Representatives from the racing industry will doubtless say horses have thick skin and are therefore immune to pain from whip impacts but there is actually no evidence of such pain resistance in horses. Indeed, horses can feel a fly on their skin such that it triggers a characteristic shake called the "panniculus reflex".
The encouragement of a proper hunting spirit, a proper love of sport, instead of being incompatible with a love of nature and wild things, offers the best guarantee for their preservation.
Wildlife management in Australia could benefit from greater engagement between wildlife managers and the recreational hunting community. The potential exists for this large and active community to become a valuable resource for wildlife managers as many are already hunting feral pests. If the public understands there are pest animals eating native animals and destroying native habitat throughout Australia, it makes a lot of sense for hunters to be allowed to assist in the management of those populations at no cost to the government.
… should such a levy be introduced in Australia, it could generate significant funding for conservation in this country.