Subscribe to the Senate Daily Summary Updates RSS feed http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/rss/sds.xml

<< Return to previous page | Senate Daily Summary

No. 2/2008

Tuesday, 12 February 2008

Download this document (PDF 338KB)

The Senate met from 10.30am until 6.56pm

Opening of 42nd Parliament

The Deputy of the Governor-General opened the 42nd Parliament in the Senate chamber. Following a suspension of sitting, the Governor-General addressed the members of both houses assembled in the Senate chamber. The speech will be debated and an Address-in-reply agreed to.

Senators Humphries and Lundy (representing the Australian Capital Territory) and Crossin and Scullion (representing the Northern Territory) were sworn in.

The Leader of the Government in the Senate advised the Senate of the First Rudd Ministry and ministerial arrangements in the Senate.

The Leaders in the Senate of the Liberal Party, the Nationals, the Australian Greens, the Australian Democrats, and Family First advised the Senate of various party appointments.

A motion moved by Senator Ludwig to enable to Senate to meet at 9.30am on 13 February was agreed to and a notice of motion was given to establish the days of meeting of the Senate for 2008.

National Apology to the Stolen Generations

The Leader of the Government in the Senate (Senator Evans) gave notice of a motion offering a National Apology to the Stolen Generations. The Senate has agreed that consideration of the motion will be the first item of business after prayers on 13 February.

Legislation

Bills and related documents available on BillsNet <www.aph.gov.au/bills/index.htm>

Notices of motion

To introduce bills

• Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Fair Bank and Credit Card Fees) Amendment Bill 2008–notice given by the Leader of the Family First Party (Senator Fielding) [private senator's bill]
• Cross-Border Insolvency Bill 2008–notice given by the Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law (Senator Sherry)
• Defence Amendment (Parliamentary approval of Overseas Services) Bill 2008–notice given by Senator Bartlett [private senator's bill]
• Financial Sector Legislation Amendment (Review of Prudential Decisions) Bill 2008–notice given by the Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law (Senator Sherry)
• Poker Machine Harm Reduction Tax (Administration) Bill 2008–notice given by the Leader of the Family First Party (Senator Fielding) [private senator's bill]
• Renewable Energy Legislation Amendment (Renewable Power Percentage) Bill 2008–notice given by the Leader of the Australian Democrats (Senator Allison) [private senator's bill]
• Rights of the Terminally Ill (Euthanasia Laws Repeal) Bill 2008–notice given by the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown) [private senator's bill]

To restore bills to the Notice Paper

Notice given by the Leader of the Family First Party ( Senator Fielding)–

• Alcohol Toll Reduction Bill 2007
• Qantas Sale (Keep Jetstar Australia) Amendment Bill 2007
• Trade Practices (Creeping Acquisitions) Amendment Bill 2007

Bills assented to

Assent to a number of laws was reported in the Senate

See Committees for details of reports relating to legislation

Delegated legislation

See Disallowance Alert for a complete list of notices of motion to disallow (and outcomes)

See Documents for details of instruments [Clerk's documents] tabled

Committees

For scheduled public committee hearings

For committee reports

Reports tabled

• Committee reports and documents presented since the last sitting of the Senate (see Journals entries nos 20 to 25)

Documents tabled

• Consolidated register of Senate committee reports–Volume 2–2004 to 2007
• President's report to the Senate on government responses outstanding to parliamentary committee reports as at 12 February 2008
• Work of Committees–1 January to 31 December 2007; and half-year statistics: 1 July to 31 December 2007

Notices of motion given

• To schedule estimates hearings
• To allocate departments and agencies to legislative and general purpose standing committees

To refer a matter to a committee

• Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Bill 2008 –Employment, Workplace Relations and Education Committee–to report by 28 April 2008

To establish a select committee

• Select Committee on Agricultural and Related Industries –to report on initial terms of reference by 16 June 2008

Membership

The Senate agreed to various appointments to committees.

Documents

Orders for the production of documents–Orders with continuing effect

Indexed lists of departmental and agency files published on the Internet

Statements of compliance for various agencies that were presented out of sitting were tabled [Letters of advice about certain files created by departments and agencies are required to be tabled twice a year]

Departmental and agency contracts published on the Internet

A statement of compliance for the Health and Ageing portfolio that was presented out of sitting 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]

Documents tabled

Presented since the last sitting of the Senate

• Auditor-General–Audit reports nos 7 to 21 of 2007-08
• Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979–Guidelines under section 8A
• Commonwealth Ombudsman–Report for the period 30 December 2006 to 30 June 2007 on the Ombudsman's activities under Part V of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979
• Department of Parliamentary Services–Report for 2006-07
• Department of the Senate–Report for 2006-07
• Government documents
• Parliamentary Service Commissioner–Report for 2006-07

Other documents

• Business of the Senate–1 January to 31 December 2007 [a digest of all business considered by the Senate in 2007]
• Clerk's documents [legislative instruments and other documents required by statute to be tabled, including Governor-General's Proclamations]
• Department of the Senate–Register of Senate senior executive officers' interests, incorporating notifications of alterations of interests of Senate senior executive officers lodged between 19 June and 7 December 2007
• Odgers' Australian Senate Practice –11th edition (Supplement)–Updates to 31 December 2007
• Questions on notice summary–16 November 2004 to 15 October 2007
• 4 petitions

Other business

Death of Australian Defence Force personnel

The Leader of the Government in the Senate (Senator Evans) moved that the Senate record its deep regret at the deaths in late 2007 of Sergeant Matthew Locke, Trooper David Pearce and Private Luke Worsley while on combat operations in Afghanistan.

Death of former senator and former members

The President informed the Senate of the deaths of a former senator and former members:

• on 12 October 2007, the Honourable Kim Edward Beazley, AC, a member of the House of Representatives for the division of Fremantle, Western Australia, from 1945 to 1977–motion moved by the Leader of the Government in the Senate (Senator Evans) and supported;
• on 21 September 2007, Senator the Honourable Robert Lindsay Collins, AO, a senator for the Northern Territory from 1990 to 1998;
• on 10 October 2007, Leonard Joseph Keogh, a member for the division of Bowman, Queensland, from 1969 to 1975, and from 1983 to 1987;
• on 10 October 2007, Kenneth Lionel Fry, a member for the division of Fraser, Australian Capital Territory, from 1974 to 1984;
• on 3 November 2007, Peter James Andren, a member for the division of Calare, New South Wales, from 1996 to 2007–motion moved by the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown) and supported; and
• on 7 February 2008, Helen Mayer, a member of the division of Chisolm, Victoria, from 1983 to 1987

Notices of motion

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

* * * * * * * * * * * * 

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

Comments to: research.sen@aph.gov.au
Last reviewed 13 February 2008 by the Senate Web Administrator
© Commonwealth of Australia
Parliament of Australia Web Site Privacy Statement
Images courtesy of AUSPIC