Thursday, 13 November 2008

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No. 78/2008

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The Senate met from 9.30am until 6.39pm

Legislation

Bills and related documents available on BillsNet <www.aph.gov.au/bills/index.htm>

Bills considered

The following bill was introduced

• Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority Bill 2008 [see also bills passed] [passed by the House of Representatives on 25 September 2008]

The following bills were debated

• National Rental Affordability Scheme Bill 2008 and a related bill–second reading debate commenced [first speaker]
• Renewable Energy Amendment (Feed-in-Tariff for Electricity) Bill 2008 [private senator’s bill]–second reading debate commenced [first speaker]

The following bills were passed

• Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority Bill 2008 [This bill will now be assented to]
• Customs Amendment (Australia-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation) Bill 2008 and a related bill [These bills will now be assented to]
• Dairy Adjustment Levy Termination Bill 2008 [This bill will now be assented to]
• Financial Transaction Reports Amendment (Transitional Arrangements) Bill 2008 [This bill will now be assented to]
• Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Laws Bill 2008 [No. 2] [private senator’s bill]–11 Senator Troeth amendments (as amended by 5 AG amendments) and 2 AG amendments agreed to [The House of Representatives will now consider this bill]

Message from the House of Representatives

• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2008–agreeing to the amendments made by the Senate [This bill will now be assented to]

See Committees for details of reports relating to legislation

Committees

For scheduled public committee hearings
For committee reports

Estimates

Additional information

Additional information arising from estimates hearings was tabled.

Documents tabled

Particulars of proposed expenditure and supplementary estimates statements 2008-09 for portfolio and executive departments were tabled.

Reports tabled

Reports on legislation

• Horse Disease Response Levy Bill 2008 and 2 related bills–Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee
• National Rental Affordability Scheme Bill 2008 and a related bill–Community Affairs Committee
• Social Security and Veterans’ Entitlements Legislation Amendment (Schooling Requirements) Bill 2008–Community Affairs Committee

Other reports

• Economics Committee–Australia’s mandatory Last Resort Home Warranty Insurance scheme [a motion to take note of the report was debated and agreed to]
• Finance and Public Administration Committee–Item 16525 in Part 3 of Schedule 1 to the Health Insurance (General Medical Services Table) Regulations 2007 [A motion to take note of the report was debated]
• Publications Committee–7th Report [report adopted]
• Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee–Annual reports referred to committees–Report No. 2 of 2008

Report debated

• Procedure Committee–Third report of 2008 [A motion that the report be adopted and the procedures outlined operate as a temporary for the two weeks of sitting beginning on 24 November 2008 was debated and agreed to]

Government responses tabled

• Community Affairs Committee–A matter relating to the PET review of 2000
• Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Joint Committee–Review of the Defence annual report 2005-06
• Public Accounts and Audit Joint Committee–410th report–Tax administration

New inquiries

Selection of Bills Committee report

The Senate adopted report no. 15 of the Selection of Bills Committee, and made the following references:

• Corporations Amendment (Short Selling) Bill 2008–Economics Committee–to report by 27 November 2008
• Plebiscite for an Australian Republic Bill 2008–Finance and Public Administration Committee–to report by 10 March 2009

Other references

• Exposure draft of the Personal Property Securities Bill 2008–Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee–to report by 24 February 2009

Select committees

The Senate established the Select Committee on Men’s Health.

The Senate did not agree to establish a select committee on the integrity of the Prime Minister’s office.

Public meeting

The Senate authorised the Regional and Remote Indigenous Communities Select Committee to hold a public meeting while the Senate is sitting on 13 November 2008 from 3.30pm till 5.45pm.

Variation of resolutions

The Senate agreed to vary the provisions relating to quorums of four select committees.

Reporting date extended

The Senate agreed to extend the reporting date for the inquiry of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee into natural resource management and conservation challenges to 12 March 2009.

Notice of motion given

A notice of motion was given to refer matters relating to the recent mergers among Australian banks to the Economics Committee for report by 4 December 2008.

Membership

The Senate appointed various senators as members of the Men’s Health Select Committee.

Documents

Documents discussed

Government documents, committee reports, government responses and Auditor-General’s reports were discussed

Other business

Questions without notice and issues arising during question time–first question
Adjournment debate–first speaker

Motions agreed to

• 10th International Transgender Day of Remembrance–moved by Senator Hanson-Young
• Access to the National Diabetes Services Scheme–moved by Senator Siewert
• Death of Ms Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow–moved by the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown)
• Diabetes–moved by Senators Barnett and Wortley

Motion negatived

• Global population–moved by the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown)

Notices of motion

Notices of motion given today are available in the Senate Journals.

Statistics

Statistics on the work of the Senate this week will be available in the Statistical Summary, which forms part of StatsNet–the Department of the Senate’s online statistical collection.

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