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No. 09/2011
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
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The Senate met from 9.30 am until 7.42 pm
Legislation
For bills and related documents
Bills considered
The following bills were introduced
- Customs Amendment (Anti-Dumping) Bill 2011 [private senator’s bill]
- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Bioregional Plans) Bill 2011 [private senator’s bill]
- National Broadband Network Companies Bill 2010
Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (National Broadband Network Measures—Access Arrangements) Bill 2011
[passed by the House of Representatives on 1 March 2011]
- Tax Laws Amendment (2010 Measures No. 5) Bill 2010 [passed by the House of Representatives on 2 March 2011]
The following bills were debated
- National Health and Hospitals Network Bill 2010–second reading agreed to [first speaker ] and committee of the whole commenced–1 Australian Greens amendment to be determined [further amendments remain to be considered]
- Tax Laws Amendment (Temporary Flood and Cyclone Reconstruction Levy) Bill 2011 and a related bill–second reading debate continued [first speaker ]
The following bill was passed
- Telecommunications Interception and Intelligence Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2010–1 Government amendment agreed to [The House of Representatives will now consider the amendment made by the Senate]
Committees
For scheduled public committee hearings
For committee reports
Reports tabled
Report on legislation
- Defence Legislation Amendment (Security of Defence Premises) Bill 2010–Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee [report] [a statement was made in relation to the report]
Other report
- Scrutiny of Bills Committee–Alert Digest No. 2 of 2011 and 2nd report of 2011 [contain assessments of bills on civil liberties and related grounds] [a motion to take note of the report was agreed to]
New committee
A message from the House of Representatives was reported requesting that the Senate concur with a resolution to establish a Joint Select Committee on the Christmas Island tragedy of 15 December 2010. The Senate concurred with the resolution.
A further message was reported requesting that the Senate concur with a resolution to establish a Joint Select Committee on the National Broadband Network. The message will be considered on a future sitting day.
New inquiries
- Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Amendment (Disallowance and Amendment Power of the Commonwealth) Bill 2010 together with amendments circulated by the Australian Greens–Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee–to report by 21 March 2011 [terms of reference]
- Development of a draft Code of Conduct for Senators–Senators’ Interests Committee–to report by 12 May 2011 [terms of reference]
Public meetings
The Senate authorised the following public meetings to be held while the Senate is sitting:
- Cyber Safety Joint Select Committee–21 March 2011 from 10.15 am to 12.30 pm
- Treaties Joint Committee–21 March 2011 from 10.15 am to noon
Notices of motion given
To extend reporting deadlines
- Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee–Biosecurity and quarantine arrangements–to report by 6 July 2011
To hold meetings when the Senate is sitting
- Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee–3 March 2011 from 4.30 pm–Criminal Code Amendment (Cluster Munitions Prohibition) Bill 2010
- Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee–3 March 2011 from 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm–private briefing
To refer matters to committees
- Capacity of communication networks and emergency warning systems to deal with emergencies and natural disasters–Environment and Communications References Committee–to report by 2 November 2011–notice given by Senator Fisher
- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Bioregional Plans) Bill 2011–Environment and Communications Legislation Committee–to report by 13 May 2011
- Future direction and role of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee–Scrutiny of Bills Committee–to report by the last sitting day in June 2011–notice given by the Chairman of the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills (Senator Coonan)
- Tax Laws Amendment (Temporary Flood and Cyclone Reconstruction Levy) Bill 2011, a related bill and related matters–to report by 2 May 2011–notice given by Senator Xenophon
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]
Motion to disallow defeated
The Senate did not agree to a motion which would have disallowed the Health Insurance (Eligible Collection Centres) Approval Principles 2010 [homepage] [first speaker].
Orders for the production of documents
Notice of motion given
Senator Fifield gave a notice of motion to require the Minister representing the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (Senator Arbib) to table documents relating to the appointment of Ms Catherine Deveny as a disabilities ambassador for the International Day for People with Disability–no later than noon on 21 March 2011
Orders with continuing effect
Departmental and agency contracts published on the Internet
Letters of advice for the Human Services and Immigration and Citizenship portfolios were tabled [Letters of advice about certain contracts valued at $100 000 or more entered into by departments and agencies are required to be tabled twice a year]
Indexed lists of departmental and agency files published on the Internet
Statements of compliance for various agencies were tabled [Letters of advice about certain files created by departments and agencies are required to be tabled twice a year]
Documents tabled
Ministerial statement tabled
The Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations (Senator Collins) tabled a ministerial statement about moving asylum seeker children into the community.
Other business
Questions without notice and issues arising during question time–first question
Matters of public interest debate–first speaker
Adjournment debate–first speaker
Motions agreed to
- Eligibility criteria for independent youth allowance–moved by Senator Nash
- Rock art on the Dampier Archipelago–moved by Senators Ludlam and Siewert
Motions negatived
Matter of public importance discussed
Notices of motion
Notices of motion given today are available in the Senate Journals.
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Online
The Senate Daily Summary is available on the Internet at www.aph.gov.au/senate . On sitting days it provides a summary of each day’s proceedings in the Senate.
Estimates at a Glance is issued this week by the Senate Table Office as a convenient guide and index for information relating to the consideration of estimates by Senate committees.
Further information
Senate Briefs, prepared by the Senate Procedure Office, provide general information about the estimates process:
No. 4: Senate Committees
No. 5: Consideration of Estimates by the Senate Committees
No. 13: Rights and Responsibilities of Witnesses before Senate Committees
Contact details
Inquiries, comments and suggestions:
phone 6277 3021
e-mail: sds@aph.gov.au