Senate Daily Summary - 18 March 2013

No. 16/2013

Monday, 18 March 2013

Download this document (PDF 187KB)

Page menu: Legislation | Committees | Documents | Other business | Contact

The Senate met from 10.00 am until 10.25 pm

Legislation

Bills considered

The following bills were introduced

• Export Market Development Grants Amendment Bill 2013 [passed by the House of Representatives on 14 March 2013] [Minister’s second reading speech]
• National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2013 [passed by the House of Representatives on 14 March 2013] [Minister’s second reading speech]

The following bills were exempted from the cut-off order [to enable consideration in this period of sittings – 5 February to 21 March 2013]

• Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2012-2013 and a related bill [A statement of reasons for consideration of the bills this period of sittings was tabled] [The bills were then passed, see below]
• Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment Bill 2013
• National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2013 [A statement of reasons for consideration of the bill this period of sittings was tabled] [The bills were then debated, see below]

The following bill was debated

• National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2013–second reading debate commenced [first speaker]

The following bills were passed

• Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2012-2013 and a related bill [first speaker in second reading debate] [These bills will now be assented to]
• Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Improving Electoral Administration) Bill 2013 [first speaker in second reading debate] [The bill will now be assented to]
• Fisheries Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2012 [first speaker in second reading debate] [The bill will now be assented to]

Notices of motion

To introduce a bill

• Mutual Recognition Amendment (Northern Territory Beverage Containers and Plastic Bags) Bill 2013–notice given by Senator Whish-Wilson

To exempt bills from the cut-off order [to enable consideration this period of sittings – 5 February to 21 March 2013]

• Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Amendment Bill 2013
• Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Finance) Bill 2013
• Export Market Development Grants Amendment Bill 2013
• Higher Education Support Amendment (Further Streamlining and Other Measures) Bill 2013
• Royal Commissions Amendment Bill 2013
• Tax Laws Amendment (2012 Measures No. 6) Bill 2012

[Statements of reasons for consideration of the bills this period of sittings were tabled]

See Committees for details of reports relating to legislation

Back to top

Committees

Scheduled public committee hearings
Committee reports

Reports tabled

Reports on legislation

• Family Assistance and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2013–Economics Legislation Committee [report]
• Native Title Amendment Bill 2012–Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee [report]
• Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Bill 2012–Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee [report]

Other report

• National Capital and External Territories Joint Committee–Visit to Antarctica, 12 December and 13 December 2012 [report] [a motion to take note of the report was debated and agreed to – first speaker]

Meetings during the sitting of the Senate

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

• Broadcasting Legislation Joint Select Committee–18 March 2013 from 10.00 am–public meeting
• Environment and Communications Legislation Committee–
  • 18 March 2013 from 11.45 am–private meeting
  • 18 March from 10.00 am, and 19 March 2013 from 12.30 pm–public meeting–Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Convergence Review and Other Measures) Bill 2013 and 5 related bills

Reporting date extended

The Senate extended the reporting date for the inquiry of the Community Affairs Legislation Committee into the Family Assistance and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 to 19 March 2013.

Reporting date set

The Senate set a reporting date for the final report of the Cyber Safety Joint Select Committee of 27 June 2013.

Notices of motion to hold meetings when the Senate is sitting

• Law Enforcement Joint Committee–20 March 2013 from 1.00 pm–private meeting
• Public Works Joint Committee–21 March 2013 from 5.00 pm–public meeting, followed by an in camera hearing–Sydney Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices

Membership

A message from the House of Representatives was reported advising that:

• Mr LTD Ferguson would replace Mr McClelland on the Treaties Joint Committee
• Mr Murphy, Mr Neville, Mr Oakeshott, Mr Turnbull and Mr Zappia have been appointed to the Broadcasting Legislation Joint Select Committee

Back to top

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 a Governor-General’s Proclamation]

Orders for the production of documents

Orders with continuing effect

Departmental and agency contracts published on the Internet
A letter of advice for the Climate Change and Energy Efficiency portfolio was 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 portfolios were tabled [Letters of advice about certain files created by departments and agencies are required to be tabled twice a year]

Ministerial statement tabled

The Minister for Sport (Senator Lundy) tabled a ministerial statement about the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce along with the first interim report of the taskforce.

Back to top

Other business

Questions without notice and issues arising during question time–first question
Adjournment debate–first speaker

Motion agreed to

• Maritime Workers Union–moved by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Abetz)

Matter of public importance discussed

• Freedom of the press–proposed by Senator Fifield [first speaker]

Notices of motion

Notices of motion given today are available in the Senate Journals.

Back to top