The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. Stephen Parry) took the chair at 12:30, read prayers and made an acknowledgement of country.
Biosecurity Amendment (Ballast Water and Other Measures) Bill 2017
From my window in Hobart, I look out over the Derwent River. It's a fantastic view across the slate-grey sea. But below the tranquil surface of the Derwent, there is a battle raging between the locals and some aggressive new arrivals - northern Pacific seastars. The first of these seastars probably arrived as stowaways on ships from Japan about 20 years ago. They thrived in the cool Tasmanian waters and bred so furiously that there are now almost 30 million of them in the estuary.
The seastars could not have made the trip unaided because currents do not carry them this way. They were brought here in ships. The young seastars, swimming near the surface, were probably sucked up with tonnes of water, used as ballast to stabilise empty vessels. A single vessel can take 70,000 tonnes of ballast water - enough to fill 32 Olympic swimming pools and carry millions of young seastars.
The seastars would not have been alone - each day, around 3000 marine organisms are transported around the globe in the ballast water of ocean-going vessels. These invaders, along with the ballast water, are dumped at their destination to make way for precious cargo. In 1993, 121 million tonnes of ballast water were dumped into Australian ports - equal to one quarter the volume of water in Sydney Harbour. That's a lot of stowaways. Many of them will not survive the voyage, but those that do can settle in their new homes and, if conditions are right (as they were for the northern Pacific seastars), form plagues.
The northern Pacific seastars flourished because they left behind their natural predators, parasites and competitors. And they aren't fussy eaters.
… mechanical, physical, chemical, and biological processes, either singularly or in combination, to remove, render harmless, or avoid the uptake or discharge of Harmful Aquatic Organisms and Pathogens within Ballast Water and Sediments.
That this bill be now read a third time.
Social Security Legislation Amendment (Youth Jobs Path: Prepare, Trial, Hire) Bill 2016
The Senate divided. [14:02]
(The President—Senator Parry)
It would push a greater number of children into state schools and they are struggling to accommodate them as it is.
It's a very poor process when a government announces a new 10-year school funding proposal without consulting the second largest provider of school education in the country.
Common funding arrangements across the country will see greater transparency and give principals confidence that what they receive in school funding is fair and equitable.
The move to reduce the twenty-seven funding agreements into a single model, with no special deals, may finally bring truly needs based funding to all sectors.
I think this is a fabulous deal for South Australia … Every school in South Australia will benefit from this, every single one …
… I'm very pleased to hear that the Turnbull Government has accepted the fundamental recommendations of our 2011 report …
…ministers cannot dissociate themselves from, or repudiate the decisions of their Cabinet colleagues unless they resign…
I endorse the complete legislation package proposed by the government … I am pleased that the Turnbull government is backing the Australian media industry through these reforms.
This package is crucial for Australian jobs and our ability to continue creating local programming that is watched by millions of Australians every day.
… I'm very pleased to hear that the Turnbull Government has accepted the fundamental recommendations of our 2011 report—
and particularly regarding a needs-based situation.
… I'm very pleased that there is substantial additional money, even over indexation and in the foreseeable future.
Our full support and full weight is behind this development if it means regional jobs are created.
This package does not provide a long-term vision for the future which will sustain this success or Australia's standing.
That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Attorney-General (Senator Brandis) and the Minister for Education and Training (Senator Birmingham) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today relating to education funding.
Victorian Liberal frontbencher and Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar suggested the government would have to modify its plans to ensure schools were satisfied.
Tony Abbott has predicted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull could dump—
… education funding reform.
This will, I'm sure, be heavily discussed in our party room on Tuesday …
… the education funding package was "absolutely outrageous" and declared more voters would "abandon" the party, as they urged Mr Turnbull and the Education Minister to reconsider the changes.
… if "this is not fixed and soon", there would be a partyroom showdown … "I have no idea what they are thinking … I can't believe it," …
The new reform is good policy for two main reasons.
First, it seeks, in principle at least, to correct some of the compromises and corruptions—
that marred the original Gonski reforms, leading to many different deals being done across the nation and to a highly inconsistent application of the SRS.
Second, states will only get funding if they agree to use the money for reforms proven "to support better outcomes for students".
This will broaden the focus from simply debating how much schools get, to the equally important question of what schools do with the cash.
The original Gonski review was designed to introduce a fairer, more transparent and needs-based federal funding model. If such a model had actually been produced, over-funded non-government schools would have lost some money.
But this never happened. Instead, early in the review process, the Labor government promised that "no school would lose a dollar" as a result of the reforms.
Instead of a "needs-based" model, Labor delivered a model that injected significantly more money into schooling, but also protected the vested interests of Catholic and independent schools.
There is simply no denying this fact. As original Gonski review panellist member Ken Boston recently put it, "the Gonski Report was filleted and the flesh thrown away", leaving a deeply unfair set of arrangements.
All schools need to have certainty in their funding arrangements to ensure effective planning and support for students.
For the 2018 to 2020 school years, recurrent school funding will be indexed by an education specific indexation rate of 3.56 per cent, with an allowance for changes in enrolments. This measure reflects more accurately the growth in education costs by focusing on factors specifically related to the education sector. Consequently, as a result of using this index, the Australian Government will provide an additional $1.2 billion over four years from 2017-18.
That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Attorney-General (Senator Brandis) to a question without notice asked by Senator Di Natale today relating to the 2017-18 Budget.
That the provisions of paragraphs (5) to (8) of standing order 111 not apply to the following bills, allowing them to be considered during this period of sittings:
Parliamentary Business Resources Bill 2017
Parliamentary Business Resources (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2017.
STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR INTRODUCTION AND PASSAGE IN THE 2017 WINTER SITTINGS
PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS RESOURCES BILL 2017
PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS RESOURCES (CONSEQUENTIAL AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS) BILL 2017
Purpose of the Bill
To establish new primary legislation governing parliamentarians' business expenses (referred to currently as "entitlements" or "benefits") and repeal the Parliamentary Entitlements Act 1990 (PE Act), Parliamentary Entitlements Regulations 1997 (PE Regulations) and all legislative instruments authorised by the PE Act and PE Regulations
Reasons for Urgency
The Parliamentary Business Resources Bill 2017 (PBR Bill) needs to be passed by 22 June 2017 to enable new or revised work expenses to commence at the beginning of the 2017–18 financial year.
The commencement of the PBR Bill is tied to the passage of the Parliamentary Business Resources (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2017. Therefore, passage must be secured for both bills if either is to commence at the beginning of the 2017–18 financial year.
(Circulated by authority of the Minister for Finance)
That general business order of the day No. 42, Competition and Consumer Legislation Amendment (Small Business Access to Justice) Bill 2017, be considered on Thursday, 11 May 2017 under consideration of private senators' bills.
That leave of absence be granted to Senator Payne from 9 May 2017 to 11 May 2017 on account of ministerial business.
That leave of absence be granted to the following senators:
(a) Senator Marshall for today 9 May 2017; and
(b) Senator Pratt for 11 May 2017
for personal reasons.
That the following matter be referred to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report by 23 November 2017:
The current and future impacts of climate change on housing, buildings and infrastructure, accounting for the full range of projected climate scenarios, having regard to matters, including:
(a) recent and projected changes in sea level rises, and storm surge intensity;
(b) recent and projected changes in temperature and precipitation;
(c) recent and projected changes in extreme weather, including heatwaves, bushfires, floods, and cyclones;
(d) recent and projected changes in natural coastal defence systems including coral reefs, kelp and mangrove forests;
(e) the impact of these changes on the vulnerability of infrastructure in coastal areas;
(f) the impact of these changes on water supply and sewage treatment systems;
(g) the impact of these changes on transportation, including railways, roads and airports;
(h) the impact of these changes on energy infrastructure, including generators and transmission and distribution lines;
(i) the impact of these changes on health, education and social services infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and aged care;
(j) the impact of these changes on private and public housing;
(k) the impact of these changes on public recreation and tourism facilities;
(l) the impact on financing and insurance arrangements for housing, buildings and infrastructure;
(m) the adequacy of current state and Commonwealth policies to assess, plan and implement adaptation plans and improved resilience of infrastructure; and
(n) any other related matters.
That consideration of the business before the Senate on Wednesday, 14 June 2017, be interrupted at approximately 5 pm, but not so as to interrupt a senator speaking, to enable Senator Georgiou to make his first speech without any question before the chair.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM):
(i) is the national peak body that represents, advocates and supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives at a national level,
(ii) represents the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce, and
(iii) undertakes extensive activity to build the capacity of non-Aboriginal health professionals to provide culturally-safe work and health service environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and service users across the nursing and midwifery profession; and
(b) calls on the Government to embed cultural safety in health practitioner legislation and fund CATSINaM beyond 30 June 2018.
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) 11 April 2017 was World Parkinson’s Day,
(ii) 2017 marks 200 years since the disease was recognised by Dr James Parkinson in his publication, An Essay on the Shaking Palsy,
(iii) conservative estimates indicate there are well over 70,000 people living with Parkinson’s in Australia, making it the most common major movement disorder,
(iv) an estimated 700,000 people are directly impacted because they either have Parkinson’s, provide care to someone or have a family member or close friend with Parkinson’s, and
(v) in 2014, the total cost to the Australian economy from Parkinson’s was $9.9 billion; and
(b) acknowledges that:
(i) World Parkinson’s Day brings the community together as part of a global campaign,
(ii) Australians with Parkinson’s should have access to specialist care, medications and therapies,
(iii) investment in research is critical to finding better treatments, and ultimately a cure, for Parkinson’s disease,
(iv) a skilled workforce is vital to ensuring a timely diagnosis and better care and support for people living with Parkinson’s,
(v) there is a significant financial burden faced by people with the disease and their families, and
(vi) the economic burden of Parkinson’s is set to rise, as the number of people with Parkinson’s is set to increase by 4% per year.
That the Senate—
(a) is deeply concerned that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is reportedly planning to purchase weaponised drones;
(b) notes that:
(i) the Obama Administration is estimated to have killed at least 7 000 people with these lethal unpiloted aircraft during its term of government,
(ii) the Bureau of Investigative Journalists estimates that up to 1 168 civilians have been killed in United States (US) drone strikes in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia alone,
(iii) due to the lack of transparency surrounding the US’s lethal drone program, and the practice of categorising unidentified people killed in strikes as enemies even if they were not the intended target, it is impossible to tally the exact number of civilian deaths, and
(iv) weaponised drone strikes exacerbate the very threat that the ADF is seeking to confront; and
(c) calls on the Australian Government not to purchase weaponised drones, and instead direct funding to strengthening Australia’s diplomatic network and increasing Australia’s aid budget from its current record low.
The Senate divided. [15:56]
(The President—Senator Parry)
Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion:
The Turnbull government's enthusiasm to waste $1 billion propping up Labor's Adani mine shows they're working for billionaires, not for the future of everyday Australians.
I am concerned the real risk of maladministration may lead to significant losses to the Commonwealth in the future and the misallocation of resources due to political pressure and poor governance, resulting in funds failing to be allocated to more worthy purposes.
This is something that governments of all political persuasions have done in the past and I assume will do in the future, it doesn't necessarily mean it's make or break for the project.
That the Senate take note of the document.
It should be noted that our complaints handling process is a voluntary process. We are not able to compel parties to respond to a complaint.
From the Office's inception up to 31 December 2016, the Office received a total of 90 complaints.
As at 31 December 2016, 67 complaints were closed by the Office. The remaining 23 matters are at various stages of the complaint handling process.
That the Senate take note of the document.
… the PNG Defence Force allegedly fired shots at the detention centre after a fight with asylum seekers.
There was difficulty, as I understand it, in the community. There was an alleged incident where three asylum seekers were alleged to be leading a local five year old boy back toward the facility and there was a lot of angst around that, if you like, within the local PNG community.
Why was there angst about that?
Well because I think there was concern about why the boy was being led or for what purpose he was being led away back into the regional processing centre. So I think it's fair to say that the mood had elevated quite quickly. I think some of the local residents were quite angry about this particular incident and another alleged sexual assault.
That the Senate take note of the report.
Fair Work Amendment (Corrupting Benefits) Bill 2017
Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2017
Racial Discrimination Amendment Bill 2016
Treasury Laws Amendment (GST Low Value Goods) Bill 2017
Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Amendment Bill 2017
That senators be discharged from and appointed to committees as follows:
Economics References Committee—
Appointed—Participating member: Senator Georgiou
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade—Joint Standing Committee—
Discharged—Senator McCarthy
Appointed—Senator Singh
Treasury Laws Amendment (Enterprise Tax Plan) Bill 2016
Customs and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016
Customs Tariff Amendment Bill 2016
Diverted Profits Tax Bill 2017
Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Jobs for Families Child Care Package) Bill 2016
Farm Household Support Amendment Bill 2017
Social Services Legislation Amendment (Simplifying Student Payments) Bill 2017
Treasury Laws Amendment (2016 Measures No. 1) Bill 2016
Treasury Laws Amendment (2017 Measures No. 1) Bill 2017
Treasury Laws Amendment (Combating Multinational Tax Avoidance) Bill 2017
Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Digital Readiness and Other Measures) Bill 2017
Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2016-2017
Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2016-2017
Education and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2017
Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2017
Social Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2017
Budget statement and documents 2017-18
Budget speech 2017-18—Statement by the Treasurer (Mr Morrison), dated 9 May 2017.
Budget papers—
No. 1—Budget strategy and outlook
No. 2—Budget measures
No. 3—Federal financial relations
No. 4—Agency resourcing
Ministerial statement—Regional Australia—Driving our economy 2017-18
That the Senate take note of the Budget statement and documents.
That the documents be referred to legislation committees for the consideration of the estimates.
Budget Related Documents—9 May 2017
2017-18 Portfolio Budget Statements (PBS)
Agriculture and Water Resources portfolio
Attorney-General's portfolio
Communications and the Arts portfolio
Defence portfolio
Department of Human Services
Department of Veterans' Affairs
Education and Training portfolio
Employment portfolio
Environment and Energy portfolio
Finance portfolio
Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio
Health portfolio
Immigration and Border Protection portfolio
Industry, Innovation and Science portfolio
Infrastructure and Regional Development portfolio
Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio
Social Services portfolio
Treasury portfolio
In the First Collect for today there is a prayer that seems particularly apt when applied to the qualities of Her Majesty.
The Collect gives thanks to God “to our sovereign Queen Elizabeth”, because God has given her “gifts of faith in your promises, and hope for the future and love of her people”. This I think is the first quality of extraordinary leadership that Her Majesty has given us—living out faith, hope and love. In doing this she is living out the Baptism she has been given in service to her people.
Faith, hope and love are described as the three theological virtues. They are given as gifts from God. They dispose us to do the good. For those who live out these theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, God gives them knowledge of their origins, their motives and their objectives.
For such a long period of time, we can see that Her Majesty has used these Baptismal gifts of faith, hope and love in great service. For the virtuous way that she has lived out her Baptismal calling, we thank God. It is expressed in her tremendous continuous service over so many years.
A third quality that comes to my mind on this important anniversary today of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, is that she is a symbol of unity in a very polarised world.
… … …
To a certain degree, I find Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for so many has symbolically held the Commonwealth together. With her many gifts she has been able to embrace so many disparate cultures and societies and to assure them that, ultimately, we must remain united as a global village in a very polarised world. Whether this has happened, in reality, others may comment. However, I am referring to her symbolic presence which is so unifying.