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Senate Daily Summary
No. 32/2011
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
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The Senate met from 12.30 pm until 7.48 pm
Legislation
Bills and related documents
Bills considered
The following private senators’ bills were introduced
- Bankruptcy Amendment (Exceptional Circumstances Exit Package) Bill 2011
- Migration Amendment (Declared Countries) Bill (No. 2) 2011
The following bills were debated
- Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Bill 2011 [1 Opposition second reading amendment to be determined]
Carbon Credits (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011
Australian National Registry of Emissions Units Bill 2011
–second reading debate commenced [first speaker ]
The following private senator’s bill was discharged from the Notice Paper
- Migration Amendment (Declared Countries) Bill 2011
Message from the House of Representatives
- Customs Amendment (Serious Drugs Detection) Bill 2011–agreeing to the amendment made by the Senate [The bill will now be assented to]
See Committees for details of reports relating to legislation
Committees
Scheduled public committee hearings
Committee reports
Reports tabled
- National Broadband Network Joint Standing Committee–Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Fibre Deployment) Bill 2011 [advisory report] [a motion was moved to take note of the report]
- Public Accounts and Audit Joint Committee–
- 423rd report–Review of Auditor-General’s reports nos 39 of 2009-10 to 15 of 2010‑11 [report]
- 424th report–Eighth biannual hearing with the Commissioner of Taxation [report]
[a motion to take note of the reports was agreed to]
New inquiry
The Senate referred the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Fair Protection for Firefighters) Bill 2011 to the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee to report by 15 September 2011.
Variation to terms of reference
The Senate varied the terms of reference of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee inquiry into procurement procedures for defence capital projects.
Meetings during the sitting of the Senate
The Senate authorised the following meetings to be held while the Senate is sitting:
- Migration Joint Committee–17 August 2011 from 10.30 am to noon–public hearing
- National Broadband Network Joint Committee–5 July 2011–
- from 6.00 pm–private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1)
- from 6.15 pm–public hearing
- Public Accounts and Audit Joint Committee–6 July 2011 from noon to 1.00 pm–National funding agreements–public hearing
Reporting dates extended
The Senate extended reporting dates for the following inquiries:
- Community Affairs Legislation Committee–2011-12 Budget estimates–to report by 7 July 2011
- Community Affairs References Committee–
- Funding and administration of mental health services in Australia–to report by 20 September 2011
- Supply of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines to remote area Aboriginal Health Services–to report by 11 October 2011
Notices of motion to refer matters to committees
- An examination of the Foreign Investment Review Board National Interest Test–Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee–to report by 30 November 2011–notice given by Senator Heffernan
- Criminal Code Amendment (Cluster Munitions Prohibition) Bill 2010–Treaties Joint Committee–to report by 7 September 2011–notice given by Senator Ludlam
- Review of the Professional Services Review Scheme–Community Affairs References Committee–to report by 22 September 2011–notice given by Senator Back
- Drafts of Business Names Registration Bill 2011 and 2 related bills–Economics Legislation Committee–to report by 15 August 2011–notice given by the Minister for Small Business (Senator Sherry)
Membership
The Senate agreed to various changes to committee membership.
Messages from the House of Representatives relating to the Australia’s Immigration Detention Network Joint Select Committee were reported –
- advising that Mr Melham and Ms Vamvakinou had been appointed
- agreeing to the amendment of the Senate varying the resolution of appointment
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, including Governor-General’s Proclamations]
Ministerial statement tabled
The Parliamentary Secretary for Defence (Senator Feeney) tabled a ministerial statement about aviation safety.
Documents tabled
- Government documents
- Reserve Bank of Australia—Banking Fees in Australia–Bulletin, June quarter 2011 [tabled in response to a request of the Senate agreed to on 21 June 2011]
- Responses to Senate resolutions about–
- Palestine and Israel–from the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr Rudd) [resolution agreed to on 11 May 2011]
- the national pilot of the Ai-Live system–from the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth (Mr Garrett) [resolution agreed to on 23 March 2011]
Other business
Questions without notice and issues arising during question time–first question
Adjournment debate–first speaker
Motion agreed to
Motions negatived
- Marriage equality–moved by Senator Hanson-Young
- Tax summit and consideration of legislation to impose mining and carbon taxes–moved by Senator Cormann
Matter of public importance discussed
Death of Sergeant Todd Langley
The Leader of the Government in the Senate (Senator Evans) moved that the Senate records its deep sorrow at the death, on 4 July 2011, of Sergeant Todd Langley while on combat operations in Afghanistan. The motion was supported.
Questions on notice–Failure to provide answers
Senator Cormann asked the Minister representing the Treasurer (Senator Wong) why answers had not been provided to questions on notice nos 437, 541, 601 and 603 to 607. Senator Wong provided an explanation [a motion to take note of the explanation was debated and agreed to – first speaker].
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
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