Senate Daily Summary - 21 November 2012

The Senate met from 9.30 am until 7.26 pm

Legislation

Bills and related documents

Bills considered

The following bills were debated

• Clean Energy Amendment (International Emissions Trading and Other Measures) Bill 2012 and 6 related bills–second reading debate commenced [first speaker]

The following bills were passed

• Crimes Legislation Amendment (Serious Drugs, Identity Crime and Other Measures) Bill 2012 [The bill will now be assented to] [first speaker in second reading debate]
• Higher Education Support Amendment (Streamlining and Other Measures) Bill 2012–2 Government amendments agreed to [The House of Representatives will now consider the amendments made by the Senate] [first speaker in second reading debate]
• Water Amendment (Long-term Average Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment) Bill 2012 [The bill will now be assented to]

Notices of motion

To introduce a private senator’s bill

• Restoring Territory Rights (Voluntary Euthanasia Legislation) Bill 2012–notice given by Senator Di Natale

To discharge a private senator’s bill from the Notice Paper

• Restoring Territory Rights (Voluntary Euthanasia Legislation) Bill 2010–notice given by Senator Siewert

Committees

Scheduled public committee hearings
Committee reports

Report tabled

• Scrutiny of Bills Committee–Alert Digest No. 14 and 14th report of 2012 [contains assessments of bills on civil liberties and related grounds]

New inquiries

• Exposure draft and explanatory notes of the Human Rights and Anti‑Discrimination Bill 2012–Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee–to report by 18 February 2013
• Unauthorised disclosure of a draft report of the Electricity Prices Select Committee–Privileges Committee

Proposed references

The Senate did not agree to refer the following matters to committees:

• Impact of the mining industry on health–Community Affairs References Committee

Meeting during the sitting of the Senate

The Senate authorised the Community Affairs Legislation Committee to hold a private meeting during the sitting of the Senate on 21 November 2012 from 4.30 pm.

Reporting date extended

The Senate extended the reporting date for the inquiry of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee into the New Zealand Potatoes Import Risk Analysis to 20 March 2013.

Notices of motion

To hold a meeting when the Senate is sitting

• Law Enforcement Joint Committee–22 November 2012 from 6.00 pm–private meeting

To extend reporting deadlines

• Environment and Communications References Committee–Protection of Australia’s threatened species and ecological communities–to report by 28 February 2013
• Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee–Aid to Afghanistan–to report by 28 March 2013
• Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee–
• Foreign Investment Review Board national interest test–to report by 27 February 2013
• Fresh ginger import risk analysis–to report by 20 March 2013
• Fresh pineapple imports–to report by 20 March 2013

Membership

The Senate agreed to appoint Senator Crossin to the Constitutional Recognition of Local Government Joint Select Committee in place of Senator Singh. 

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]

Regulation disallowed

The Senate debated and agreed to a motion to disallow the Migration Amendment Regulation 2012 (No. 6), as contained in Select Legislative Instrument 2012 No. 237 and made under the Migration Act 1958 [homepage] [first speaker].

Orders for the production of documents

Motion defeated

The Senate did not agree to a motion requiring the Minister representing the Minister for Resources and Energy to table a map of the location of the proposed alternative site for a nuclear waste dump.

Documents discussed

Government documents were discussed.

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

• ABC television production unit in Tasmania–moved by Senators Brown and Bushby and the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Milne)
• Audio description trial conducted by the ABC–moved by Senators Ludlam and Siewert
• Deepavali celebrations–moved by the Minister for Multicultural Affairs (Senator Lundy)
• International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women–moved by Senator Cash

Motions negatived

• Conflict in the Middle East–motions moved by the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Milne) and Senator Ryan
• Proposed seismic survey–moved by Senator Wright

Matter of public importance discussed

• Environment protection–proposed by Senator Siewert [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 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.

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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

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phone 6277 3021
e-mail: sds@aph.gov.au