No. 47/2005
The Senate met from 9.30am until 7.31pm
Days of meeting
The Senate agreed that, to enable senators to fully participate
in the 60th anniversary VP Day celebrations in their
respective states and territories, it would not meet on 15 August
2005
Legislation
Full text of
bills and other associated documents
The following bills were introduced in the
Senate
- Australian Technical Colleges (Flexibility in Achieving
Australia’s Skills Needs) Bill 2005
- Customs Amendment (Extension of Import Cut-over Time) Bill
2005
- Human Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2005
- Medical Indemnity (Competitive Advantage Payment) Bill
2005
- Medical Indemnity Legislation Amendment (Competitive
Neutrality) Bill 2005
The following bills were considered
- Skilling Australia’s Workforce Bill 2005 and Skilling
Australia’s Workforce (Repeal and Transitional Provisions)
Bill 2005–second reading debate continued [The Australian
Greens moved a
second reading amendment to the bill expressing a view about
the bill’s policy]
The following bill was passed without
amendments
- Superannuation Laws Amendment (Abolition of Surcharge) Bill
2005 [The bill will now be assented to]
The following messages from the House of Representatives
were considered
- Border Protection Legislation Amendment (Deterrence of Illegal
Foreign Fishing) Bill 2005–The message reported that the
House of Representatives had agreed to
amendments nos 3, 5 and 8 and disagreed to amendments nos 1, 2,
4, 6, 7 and 9. The Senate did not insist on the amendments. [The
bill will now be assented to]
- Tax Laws
Amendment (Personal Income Tax Reduction) Bill 2005–The
message reported that the House of Representatives had insisted on
disagreeing to the
amendments made and insisted on by the Senate. The Senate did
not further insist on the amendments. [The bill will now be
assented to]
Notices of motion given
To exempt a bill from the cut-off order [to enable
consideration this period of sittings]
- Customs Amendment (Extension of Import Cut-over Time) Bill
2005
To restore a bill to the Notice Paper
- Truth in Food Labelling Bill 2003–Notice of motion given
by the Senator Brown
Bills assented to
Assent to a number of laws was reported in the Senate
See Committees for details of reports
relating to legislation
Delegated legislation
Complete list of notices
of motion to disallow (and outcomes)
Motion to disallow regulations debated
The Senate debated a motion by Senator Bartlett to disallow the
Migration Amendment Regulations 2005 (No. 6) as contained in Select
Legislative Instrument 2005 No. 171 and made under the
Migration Act 1958. The debate will continue on a future
sitting day. [The regulations will be deemed to be disallowed if
the notice is not agreed to or withdrawn within 15 sitting days
after 9 August 2005–ie. by 5 October 2005]
Notice of motion given
A notice of motion was given by Senator Bartlett to disallow the
Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry (Export of Live-stock to
Saudi Arabia) Order 2005 [F2005L01580], made under section 17 of
the Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997. [The
Order will be deemed to be disallowed if the notice is not agreed
to or withdrawn within 15 sitting days after 10 August
2005–ie. by 6 October 2005]
See Documents for details of instruments
[Clerk’s documents] tabled
Committees
Scheduled public
committee hearings
Committee
reports
Estimates
Additional information tabled
- Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the
Arts Legislation Committee–Budget (Supplementary) and
additional estimates 2004-05
- Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation
Committee–Additional estimates 2003-04, Budget, Budget
(Supplementary) and additional estimates 2004-05
Reports tabled
- Copyright Amendment (Film Directors’ Rights) Bill
2005–Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory
Up-front Student Union Fees) Bill 2005–Employment, Workplace
Relations and Education Legislation Committee
- Performance of the Australian telecommunications regulatory
regime–Environment, Communications, Information Technology
and the Arts References Committee
- Regulatory framework under the Maritime Transport Security
Amendment Act 2005–Rural and Regional Affairs and
Transport Legislation Committee
- Scrutiny of Bills Committee–Alert
Digest No. 8 of 2005 and
7th report of 2005 [contain assessments of bills on civil
liberties and related grounds]
- Selection of Bills Committee–Report
No. 7 of 2005 [report adopted] [contains recommendations to
refer bills to legislation committees]
Document tabled
- Work of Committees–Financial year statistics: 1 July 2004
to 30 June 2005; and half-year statistics: 1 January to 30 June
2005
New inquiries
See Reports tabled (Selection of Bills
Committee Report) for details of bills referred to
committees
Government response to committee report
- A Pacific engaged: Australia’s relations with Papua New
Guinea and island states of the south-west Pacific–Foreign
Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee
Membership
The Senate agreed to
various changes to committee membership
Public meetings
The Senate agreed that the following public meetings may be held
while the Senate is sitting:
- Economics Legislation Committee–11 August 2005 from
4pm–Trade Practices Amendment (National Access Regime) Bill
2005
- Finance and Public Administration References Committee–11
August 2005 from 3.30pm–Regional Partnerships program
- Finance and Public Administration References Committee–18
August 2005 from 4pm to 7pm–government advertising
Reporting dates extended
- National Animal Welfare Bill 2005–Rural and Regional
Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee–to report by the
last sitting day in June 2006
- Possible links between household debt, demand for imported
goods and Australia’s current account deficit–Economics
References Committee–to report by 6 October 2005
Motion agreed to
The Senate agreed to a motion about Australian cyclist,
Amy Gillett–moved by Senators Kemp, Lundy, Fielding,
Australian Democrats and Australian Greens
Motions defeated
The Senate did not agree to motions
about:
Notices of motion
For
other notices of motion not mentioned elsewhere
Orders for the production of documents
Document tabled
The Acting Deputy President tabled the report of the inquiry by
Mick Palmer AO APM into the circumstances of the immigration
detention of Cornelia Rau [The report was tabled in response to the
order of the Senate agreed to on
23 June 2005 on the motion of Senator Nettle]. The Senate
debated a motion (moved by
Senator Ludwig) to take note of the report.
Documents
The following documents were tabled:
- Auditor-General–Audit
reports nos 56 to 59 of 2004-05 and nos 1 to 4 of 2005-06
presented since the last sitting of the Senate [and
considered]
- Business of the Senate–1 January to 30 June 2005 [a
digest of all business considered by the Senate in the calendar
first half year 2005]
-
Clerk’s documents [disallowable instruments and other
documents required by statute to be tabled]
-
Government document [and
considered]
-
Government documents presented since the last sitting of the
Senate [and
considered]
- Odgers’ Australian Senate Practice 11th
edition–Supplement–Updates to 30 June 2005
- Parliamentary zone–proposal and documentation to approve
capital works relating to the construction of a pathway on the
southern foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin, including Australians of
the Year Walk. A
notice of motion was given to approve the capital works.
- Questions on notice summary–16 November 2004 to 30 June
2005
- Responses to Senate resolutions about:
-
Earth Charter–from the Premier of Queensland and the
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory [resolution
agreed to
21 June 2005]
-
Tobacco policy–Royal Australasian College of Physicians
and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of
Psychiatrists–from the Deputy Premier of Tasmania, the South
Australian Minister for Health, the Premier of New South Wales, and
the Premier of Western Australia [resolution agreed to
15 June 2005]
-
4 petitions were received
Also in the Senate yesterday
- Matters of public interest debate [link to
first speaker]
- Questions without notice and debate on issues arising in
Question Time
- Senators
Fielding (Family First, Vic.SA),
Milne (Australian Greens, Tas.) and
Ronaldson (Lib, Vic.) made their first speeches [Senators
Adams, Polley and Siewert will make their first speeches on 11
August 2005]
-
The Senate agreed that the address-in-reply would be presented
to His Excellency the Governor-General by the President of the
Senate on 17 August 2005
- Adjournment debate [link to
first speaker]
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