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No. 17/2011
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
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The Senate met from 12.30 pm until 9.04 pm
Budget 2011-12
Budget Papers, Portfolio Budget Statements and related sites <www.budget.gov.au >
The Minister for Finance and Deregulation (Senator Wong) tabled the Budget statement for the year 2011-12 and associated budget papers and ministerial statements.
Portfolio budget statements for parliamentary and executive departments were also tabled.
The Senate referred budget documents to committees to enable them to consider estimates. Estimates hearings will take place from 23 May to 3 June 2011.
The Opposition and other parties will make their responses to the Budget statement on Thursday, 12 May 2011.
Legislation
For bills and related documents
Bills considered
The following bill was debated
- Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Provisional Voting) Bill 2011–second reading debate commenced [first speaker ]
The following bill was introduced, debated and passed
- Human Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 [The bill will now be assented to]
The following bills were passed
- Australian Research Council Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2010 [The bill will now be assented to]
- Autonomous Sanctions Bill 2010 [The bill will now be assented to]
- Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Dividend and Other Measures) Bill 2011–1 Australian Greens second reading amendment agreed to [expressing a view about the policy of the bill] [The bill will now be assented to]
- Electronic Transactions Amendment Bill 2011 [The bill will now be assented to]
- Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Budget and Other Measures) Bill 2010–4 Government amendments agreed to [The House of Representatives will now consider the amendments made by the Senate]
- Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Regulatory Levies Legislation Amendment (2011 Measures No. 1) Bill 2011 and a related bill [The bills will now be assented to]
- Personal Property Securities (Corporations and Other Amendments) Bill 2011 [The bill will now be assented to]
- Tax Laws Amendment (2011 Measures No. 1) Bill 2011 [The bill will now be assented to]
The following private senator’s bill was discharged from the Notice Paper
- Assisting Victims of Overseas Terrorism Bill 2010
Notice of motion to introduce a private senator’s bill
- Protecting Children from Junk Food Advertising (Broadcasting and Telecommunications Amendment) Bill 2011–notice given by the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown)
Messages from the House of Representatives
- National Broadband Network Companies Bill 2011
Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (National Broadband Network Measures—Access Arrangements) Bill 2011–
–agreeing to the amendments made by the Senate [The bills will now be assented to]
- National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Bill 2010 [2011] and 2 related bills–agreeing to the bills without amendments [The bills will now be assented to]
Bills assented to
Assent to a number of laws was reported in the Senate
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.
Reports tabled
Reports on legislation
- Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Amendment (Disallowance and Amendment Power of the Commonwealth) Bill 2010, together with the amendments on sheet no. 7031 circulated by the Australian Greens–Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee [report]
- Criminal Code Amendment (Cluster Munitions Prohibition) Bill 2010–Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee [report]
- Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits Amendment (Fair Indexation) Bill 2010, together with the amendments on sheet number 7027 circulated by Senator Ronaldson and a related matter–Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee [report]
- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Prohibition of Support for Whaling) Bill 2010–Environment and Communications Legislation Committee [report]
- Product Stewardship Bill 2011–Environment and Communications Legislation Committee [interim report] [report]
- Tax Laws Amendment (2010 Measures No. 5) Bill 2010–Benchmark Interest Rate for Capital Protected Borrowings: Provisions of Schedule 2 of the Tax Laws Amendment (2010 Measures No. 5) Bill 2010–Economics Legislation Committee [report]
- Tax Laws Amendment (Temporary Flood and Cyclone Reconstruction Levy) Bill 2011 and a related bill– State government insurance and the flood levy–Economics References Committee [interim report] [a motion to extend the final reporting date to 30 June 2011 was agreed to]
- Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Bill 2011 and a related bill–Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee [report]
- Transport Safety Investigation Amendment (Incident Reports) Bill 2010–Pilot training and airline safety–Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee [interim report] [a motion to extend the final reporting date to 15 June 2011 was agreed to]
- Wild Rivers (Environmental Management) Bill 2011 provisions which have not been previously examined by the committee in its report into the Wild Rivers (Environmental Management) Bill 2010 [No. 2]–Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee [report]
Other reports
- Community Affairs References Committee–
- Impacts of rural wind farms [interim report] [a motion to extend the final reporting date to 1 June 2011 was agreed to]
- Planning options and services for people ageing with a disability [interim report] [a motion to extend the final reporting date to 31 May 2011 was agreed to]
- Economics References Committee–
- Augmented tax assessments [interim report] [report]
- Competition within the Australian banking sector [interim report] [report]
- Impacts of supermarket price decisions on the dairy industry [interim report] [second interim report] [a motion to extend the final reporting date to 1 October 2011 was agreed to] [a motion to adopt the recommendation of the committee relating to the provision of a government response was agreed to]
- Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee– Primary Schools for the 21st Century Program [report]
- Environment and Communications References Committee–The adequacy of protections for the privacy of Australians online [report]
- Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee–Department of Defence’s requests for tender for aviation contracts and associated issues [interim report] [a motion to extend the final reporting date to 23 June 2011 was agreed to]
- Gambling Reform Joint Select Committee–The design and implementation of a mandatory pre-commitment system for electronic gaming machines [report]
- Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee–Australian Law Reform Commission [interim report] [report]
- Publications Committee–5th report of 2011 [report] [a motion to adopt the report was agreed to]
- Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee–
- Sale of timber assets by the South Australian Government [interim report] [report]
- Science underpinning the inability to eradicate the Asian honey bee [interim report] [a motion to extend the final reporting date to 30 June 2011 was agreed to]
- Senators’ Interests Committee–Report 1 of 2011: Annual report [report]
Documents tabled
- Economics References Committee–Competition within the Australian banking sector–Corrections
- Environment and Communications Legislation Committee–Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Dividend and Other Measures) Bill 2011–Correction
Government responses tabled
- Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee– Economic and security challenges facing Papua New Guinea and the island states of the southwest Pacific (Volumes 1 and 2)
- Regional and Remote Indigenous Communities Select Committee–
- Second report
- Third report
- Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee–Australian horse industry and an emergency animal disease response agreement
Meetings during the sitting of the Senate
The Senate authorised the following meetings to be held while the Senate is sitting:
- Community Affairs Legislation and References Committees–10 May 2011 from 5.30 pm–private meetings otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1)
- Electoral Matters Joint Committee–11 May 2011 from 9.30 am to 11.00 am–conduct of the 2010 Federal Election and matters related thereto–public hearing
- Gambling Reform Joint Select Committee–10 May 2011–private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1)
- Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee–10 May 2011 from 1.50 pm–private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1)
Reporting date extended
The Senate extended the reporting date for the inquiry of the Rural Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee into the exposure draft and explanatory memorandum of the Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011 to 27 May 2011.
See also “Reports tabled” for details of further extensions of time.
Notices of motion
To extend reporting deadlines
- Finance and Public Administration References Committee–Administration of health practitioner registration by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency–to report by 3 June 2011
- Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee–Water Act 2007 provisions relating to the development of a Basin Plan–to report by 6 June 2011
- Senators’ Interests Committee–Draft code of conduct for senators–to report by 7 July 2011
To hold meetings when the Senate is sitting
- Corporations and Financial Services Joint Committee–12 May 2011 from 11.30 am–private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1)
- Environment and Communications Legislation Committee–
- 12 May 2011–private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1)
- 15 and 16 June 2011–Matters arising from consideration of the 2011-12 Budget estimates–public hearings
- Environment and Communications References Committee–12 May 2011–private meeting otherwise than in accordance with standing order 33(1)
- Migration Joint Committee–15 June 2011 from 10.30 am to noon–Multiculturalism in Australia–public hearing
To refer matters to committees
- Matters relating to the impacts of coal seam gas mines–Environment and Communications References Committee–to report by 12 October 2011–notice given by the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown)
- Matters relating to the incidence of international child abduction to and from Australia–Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee–to report by 27 January 2012–notice given by Senator Macdonald
Membership
The Senate agreed to various changes to committee membership.
A message from the House of Representatives was reported advising of the appointment of members to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Joint Committee and the Cyber Safety Joint Select 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, including Governor-General’s Proclamations]
Orders for the production of documents
Document tabled
An interim report on the Tasmanian Forestry Negotiations was tabled [tabled in response to the order of the Senate agreed to on 24 March 2011].
Orders with continuing effect
Departmental and agency appointments and vacancies
A letter of advice for the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio was tabled [Lists of appointments made and existing vacancies are required to be tabled 7 days before the commencement of budget, supplementary budget and additional estimates hearings]
Departmental and agency contracts published on the Internet
Letters of advice for the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio and the Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government portfolio 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]
Departmental and agency grants
A letter of advice for the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority was tabled [Lists of all grants approved are required to be tabled 7 days before the commencement of budget, supplementary budget and additional estimates hearings]
Indexed lists of departmental and agency files published on the Internet
Statements of compliance for the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio and the Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities portfolio were tabled [Letters of advice about certain files created by departments and agencies are required to be tabled twice a year]
Documents tabled
- Auditor-General–Audit reports nos 34 to 39 of 2010-11 [see Journals entries nos 56 and 68]
- Communiqué from the National Schools Constitutional Convention 2011–Old Parliament House–22 to 24 March 2011
- Government documents [see Journals entries nos 2 and 55]
- Responses to Senate resolutions about:
- 20th anniversary of the release of the report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991–from the Attorney-General (Mr McClelland) [resolution agreed to on 24 March 2011]
- Bund at Narrung in South Australia–from the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (Mr Burke) [resolution agreed to on 9 February 2011]
- Dampier Archipelago–from the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (Mr Burke) [resolution agreed to on 2 March 2011]
- Earthquake in Christchurch–from the New Zealand Acting High Commissioner (Mr Vitalis) [resolution agreed to on 21 March 2011]
- Human rights in Uganda–from the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr Rudd) [resolution agreed to on 10 February 2011]
- 5 petitions
Ministerial statements tabled
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Senator Lundy) tabled ministerial statements about:
- Afghanistan
- Economic impact of recent natural disasters
- Recent developments in the Middle East
Other business
Questions without notice and issues arising during question time–first question
Adjournment debate–first speaker
Motion negatived
Matter of public importance discussed
Death of World War I Veteran
The Manager of Government Business in the Senate (Senator Ludwig) informed the Senate of the death, on 5 May 2011, of the last known allied veteran of World War I, Mr Claude Choules.
Death of former member
The Deputy President (Senator Ferguson) informed the Senate of the death, on 7 April 2011, of David Bruce Cowan, a member of the House of Representatives for the division of Lyne, from 1980 to 1993.
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