Thursday, 19 March 2009 Friday, 20 March 2009

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No. 24/2009

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The Senate met from 9.30am on Thursday, 19 March 2009 and suspended at 2.31am on Friday, 20 March 2009, and met from 9.30am until 6.12pm on Friday, 20 March 2009

The Senate has now completed the Autumn (2) sittings and will commence the budget sittings on 12 May 2009

Legislation

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

Bills considered

The following bills were introduced

• AusCheck Amendment Bill 2009 [passed by the House of Representatives on 18 March 2009]
• Customs Legislation Amendment (Name Change) Bill 2009 [passed by the House of Representatives on 19 March 2009]
• Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities, and Other Measures) Bill 2009 [passed by the House of Representatives on 19 March 2009]
• Tax Laws Amendment (2009 Measures No. 1) Bill 2009 [passed by the House of Representatives 18 March 2009]

The following bill was debated

• Social Security and Veterans' Entitlements Amendment (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Bill 2009 second reading agreed to [first speaker] and committee of the whole commenced

The following bills were passed

• Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2008-2009
  Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2008-2009
  Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2008-2009
  Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2008-2009
  a second reading amendment moved by the Australian Greens was agreed to [expressing a view about the policy of the bill]
  [these bills will now be assented to]
• Aviation Legislation Amendment (2008 Measures No. 2) Bill 2008 1 Senator Xenophon amendment agreed to [see below at Messages from the House of Representatives]
• Fair Work Bill 2008 179 Government, 1 Australian Greens and 4 Senator Xenophon amendments agreed to and 1 clause negatived [see Journals entries nos 28, 30, 44, 47 and 49] [see below at Messages from the House of Representatives]
• Social Security Amendment (Liquid Assets Waiting Period) Bill 2009 [this bill will now be assented to]
• Tax Laws Amendment (2009 Measures No. 1) Bill 2009 [this bill will now be assented to]
• Therapeutic Goods Amendment (Medical Devices and Other Measures) Bill 2008 [2009] [the House of Representatives will now consider this bill]

Messages from the House of Representatives

Reported

• Aviation Legislation Amendment (2008 Measures No. 2) Bill 2008 agreeing to the amendment made by the Senate [this bill will now be assented to]

Considered

• Fair Work Bill 2008 agreeing to 225 amendments and disagreeing to 6 amendments made by the Senate. The Senate did not insist on its amendments disagreed to by the House [this bill will now be assented to]

Notice of motion to introduce a private senator's bill

• Parliamentary Superannuation Amendment (Removal of Excessive Super) Bill 2009 notice given by the Leader of the Family First Party (Senator Fielding)

Variation to hours of meeting

The Senate agreed to vary the hours of meeting and routine of business for 19 March 2009 to enable the Government's legislative program to be considered [see Journals entries nos 19 and 48].

See Committees for details of reports relating to legislation

Committees

For scheduled public committee hearings

For committee reports

Estimates

Additional information arising from estimates hearings was tabled [a motion to take note of additional information tabled by the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee was moved and agreed to].

Reports tabled

Reports on legislation

• Personal Property Securities Bill 2008 [Exposure draft] Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee [a motion was moved to take note of the report]

Other reports

• Community Affairs Committee Grasping the opportunity of Opal: Assessing the impact of the petrol sniffing strategy [a motion to take note of the report was debated first speaker]
• Finance and Public Administration Committee Annual reports referred to committees Report no. 1 of 2009
• Publications Committee 9th Report [report adopted]
• Treaties Joint Committee 100th report Treaties tabled on 25 June 2008 (2) [a motion was moved to take note of the report]

Documents tabled

• Finance and Public Administration Committee Nation building and jobs plan: Inquiry into the Appropriation ( Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 1) 2008-2009 and 5 related bills Additional information

Government response tabled

• Treaties Joint Committee 93rd report Treaties tabled on 12 March and 14 May 2008

New inquiries

Selection of Bills Committee report

The Senate adopted report no. 4 of 2009 of the Selection of Bills Committee, and made the following references:

• Australian Business Investment Partnership Bill 2009 and a related bill Economics Committee to report by 7 May 2009
• Evidence Amendment (Journalists' Privilege) Bill 2009 Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee to report by 7 May 2009
• Fair Work (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009 Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Committee to report by 7 May 2009
• Family Assistance and Other Legislation Amendment (2008 Budget and Other Measures) Bill 2009 Community Affairs Committee to report by 7 May 2009
• Financial Sector Legislation Amendment (Enhancing Supervision and Enforcement) Bill 2009 Economics Committee to report by 7 May 2009
• Law and Justice (Cross Border and Other Amendments) Bill 2009 Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee to report by 7 May 2009
• National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Amendment Bill 2009 Finance and Public Administration Committee to report by 7 May 2009
• Native Title Amendment Bill 2009 Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee to report by 7 May 2009
• Social Security Legislation Amendment (Improved Support for Carers) Bill 2009 Community Affairs Committee to report by 7 May 2009
• Tax Laws Amendment (2009 Measures No. 2) Bill 2009 Economics Committee to report by 7 May 2009

Other references

• Community Affairs Committee
  • Matters relating to Medicare Australia to report by 15 May 2009
  • National accreditation scheme for doctors and other health workers to report by 18 June 2009
• Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee
  • Access to justice
  • Australia 's judicial system and the role of judges
    to report by 17 August 2009

Reference withdrawn

The Senate agreed to withdraw the reference to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee relating to Australia's judicial system, referred on 5 February 2009.

Variation to appointment of committee

The Senate concurred with a resolution of the House of Representatives [reported in the Senate on 11 March 2009] to vary the appointment of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Joint Committee [first speaker].

Meetings during the sitting of the Senate

The Senate authorised the following meetings to be held while the Senate is sitting:

• Fuel and Energy Select Committee 19 March 2009 private meeting
• Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee 20 March 2009 public hearing

Reporting date extended

The Senate agreed to extend the reporting date for the inquiry of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee into the import risk analysis for the importation of Cavendish bananas from the Philippines to 14 May 2009.

Notice of motion given to refer matters to a committee

A notice of motion was given by Senator Heffernan to refer matters relating to the incidence and severity of bushfires across Australia to the Agricultural and Related Industries Select Committee.

Membership

The Senate agreed to various changes to committee membership.

A message from the House of Representatives was reported advising the Senate of the appointment of Mr Murphy and Mr Oakeshott to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Joint Committee.

Documents

Delegated legislation

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

• Clerk's documents were tabled [legislative instruments and other documents required by statute to be tabled]

Notices of motion to disallow given

The Chair of the Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances (Senator Wortley) gave notices of motion to disallow various legislative instruments.

Notice of intention to withdraw a notice

The Chair of the Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances gave a notice of intention to withdraw a notice to disallow the Other Grants Guidelines (Research) 2008.

Document tabled

• Auditor-General Audit report no. 26 of 2008-09

Ministerial statement tabled

The Minister for Climate Change and Water (Senator Wong) tabled a ministerial statement about the FIFA World Cup bid.

Other business

Questions without notice and issues arising during question time first question

Adjournment debate first speaker

Motions agreed to

• The Turkish community moved by Senator Ferguson
• Association of Former Members of the Parliament of Australia moved by the President
• Legislation for an independent reviewer of terrorism laws moved by Senator Ludlam
• Message to the House of Representatives relating to the Reserve Bank Amendment (Enhanced Independence) Bill 2008 moved by Senator Bushby

Motions negatived

• Alleged embezzlement of whale meat moved by Senator Siewert
• Protection of the swift parrot moved by the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown)
• Repeal of the Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act moved by Senator Ludlam
• Same-sex law reforms moved by Senator Hanson-Young and the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown)
• Traveston Crossing Dam and the Queensland election moved by Senator Macdonald

Death of Corporal Mathew Hopkins

The Leader of the Government in the Senate (Senator Evans) moved that the Senate records its deep regret at the death, on 16 March 2009, of Corporal Mathew Hopkins, while on combat operations in Afghanistan.

Death of Australian soldier

The Leader of the Government in the Senate (Senator Evans) made a statement relating to the death of an Australian soldier in Afghanistan. Party leaders and Senator Xenophon made statements in response [first speaker].

Retirement of Ms Barbara Belcher

The Special Minister of State (Senator Faulkner) and the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Minchin) made statements relating to the retirement of Ms Barbara Belcher, First Assistant Secretary, Government Division, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Advance to the Finance Minister

The Advance to the Finance Minister for 2007-2008 was approved.

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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Online

The Senate Daily Summary is available on the Internet at www.aph.gov.au/senate

It is issued by the Senate Table Office as a convenient summary of each day's proceedings in the Senate. For a complete account see the official record, the Journals of the Senate, on the Internet at http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/pubs/index.htm

Related resources

The Order of Business (or Senate Red') and the Dynamic Red (which updates the Order of Business throughout the sitting day) are also available on the Internet at www.aph.gov.au/senate

Contact details

Inquiries, comments and suggestions:
phone 6277 3021
e-mail: sds@aph.gov.au