Thursday, 27 November 2008

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No. 83/2008

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The Senate met from 9.30am until 11.24pm

Legislation

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

Bills considered

The following bills were introduced

• Corporations Amendment (Short Selling) Bill 2008 [passed by the House of Representatives on 26 November 2008]
• Renewable Energy Amendment (Increased Mandatory Renewable Energy Target) Bill 2008 [private senator’s bill]

The following bills were debated

• Tax Laws Amendment (2008 Measures No. 5) Bill 2008–second reading agreed to [first speaker ] [details of the bill will be considered on a future sitting day]
• Temporary Residents’ Superannuation Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 and a related bill–second reading agreed to [first speaker ] and committee of the whole commenced–7 Government amendments agreed to and 1 item negatived. 1 Senator Xenophon amendment to be determined

The following bills were passed

• Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Bill 2008 [This bill will now be assented to]
• Evidence Amendment Bill 2008 [This bill will now be assented to]
• Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Emergency Response Consolidation) Bill 2008–6 Opposition amendments agreed to, 12 items and 1 Schedule negatived [The House of Representatives will now consider the amendments made by the Senate]
• Migration Legislation Amendment (Worker Protection) Bill 2008 [The House of Representatives will now consider this bill]
• National Measurement Amendment Bill 2008 [This bill will now be assented to]
• Tax Laws Amendment (Education Refund) Bill 2008 [This bill will now be assented to]
• Transport Security Amendment (2008 Measures No. 1) Bill 2008 [This bill will now be assented to]
• Water Amendment Bill 2008–
  • 2 Opposition and 2 Australian Greens amendments agreed to
  • 1 Opposition amendment (to an Opposition/Australian Greens amendment agreed to on 25 November 2008) agreed to
  • 2 Opposition amendments agreed to (to an Australian Greens amendment agreed to on 26 November 2008)
  [The House of Representatives will now consider the amendments made by the Senate]

Notices of motion

To exempt bills from the cut-off order [to enable consideration this period of sittings]

• Corporations Amendment (Short Selling) Bill 2008
• Tax Laws Amendment (Luxury Car Tax—Minor Amendments) Bill 2008

To vary the hours of meeting

A notice was given by the Minister for Human Services (Senator Ludwig) to vary the hours of meeting for the week commencing 1 December 2008 to enable the Government’s legislative program to be considered.

See Committees for details of reports relating to legislation

Committees

For scheduled public committee hearings
For committee reports

Reports tabled

• Corporations Amendment (Short Selling) Bill 2008–Economics Committee
• Schools Assistance Bill 2008 and a related bill–Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Committee

Document tabled

• Water Amendment Bill 2008–Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee–Corrigenda

Government responses tabled

• Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee–Final report–The removal, search for and discovery of Ms Vivian Solon
• Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Joint Committee–Australia’s aid program in the Pacific

New inquiry

• Importation of Cavendish bananas–Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee–to report by 19 March 2009

Reporting dates extended

The Senate extended reporting dates for the following inquiries:

• Academic freedom in school and higher education–Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Committee–to report by 4 December 2008
• Matters specified in part (2) of the inquiry into the management of the Murray-Darling Basin system–Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee–to report by 19 March 2009

Membership

The Senate agreed to various changes to committee membership [see Journals entries 15 and 35]

Documents

Delegated legislation

See Disallowance Alert for a complete list of notices of motion to disallow (and outcomes)

• A clerk’s document was tabled [legislative instruments and other documents required by statute to be tabled]

Documents tabled

• Auditor-General–Audit report no. 9 of 2008-09
• Australian Parliamentary Delegation–Report–Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina–29 September to 8 October 2008

Ministerial statement

The Special Minister of State (Senator Faulkner) made a statement about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India.

Other business

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

Motions agreed to

• Moreton Bay fishers–moved by Senator Macdonald
• Parliamentary zone–to approve a  proposal for the construction of a new cooling plant enclosure at Old Parliament House–moved by the Minister for Human Services (Senator Ludwig)

Statement by President

The President made a statement relating to remarks made by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Senator Evans) and a matter raised by senators during question time on 26 November 2008.

Statements by leave

Statements were made relating to the absence of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Minchin) to attend the funeral of Mr Gordon Adams, husband of Senator Adams, and extending condolences to Senator Adams and her family.

Personal explanation

Senator Fifield made a personal explanation relating to a booklet produced by the Australian Electoral Commission on the 2007 Federal election results.

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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