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Votes & Proceedings/Thursday, 22 August 2024
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House

1

The House met, at 9 am, pursuant to adjournment. The Speaker (the Honourable M. Dick) took the Chair, made an acknowledgement of country and read Prayers.

2

STATEMENT ON A SIGNIFICANT MATTER— National Skills Week 2024

Mr Giles (Minister for Skills and Training), pursuant to notice, made a statement in relation to National Skills Week 2024.

Ms Ley addressed the House in reply.

Mr Giles, by leave, moved—That further statements on National Skills Week 2024 be permitted in the Federation Chamber.

Question—put and passed.

3

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE

Message No. 342, 21 August 2024, from the Senate was reported informing the House that the Senate had agreed to the following resolution:

(1) That the following matters be referred to the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia for inquiry and report:

(a) the context and extent of energy, food and water security in Northern Australia;

(b) the challenges and potential actions to improving energy, food and water security;

(c) the impact this has on communities, particularly remote communities;

(d) relevant Closing the Gap targets;

(e) the extent and efficacy of policy, legislative, regulatory and funding frameworks, including the overlap or any gaps between federal, state and territory frameworks; and

(f) other related matters.

(2) That the committee present an interim report by 28 November 2024 and its final report by 29 May 2025.

4

AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION —REPORT—STATEMENT BY SPEAKER

The Speaker presented the following document:

Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the United States of America, 7 to 16 July 2024—Report, August 2024.

The Speaker made a statement in connection with the report.

5

Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Adding Superannuation for a More Secure Retirement) Bill 2024

Ms Rishworth (Minister for Social Services), pursuant to notice, presented a Bill for an Act to amend the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 , and for other purposes.

Document

Ms Rishworth presented an explanatory memorandum to the bill.

Bill read a first time.

Ms Rishworth moved—That the bill be now read a second time.

Debate adjourned (Mr Coleman), and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for the next sitting.

6

Family Law Amendment Bill 2024

Mr Dreyfus (Attorney-General), pursuant to notice, presented a Bill for an Act to amend legislation relating to family law, and for related purposes.

Document

Mr Dreyfus presented an explanatory memorandum to the bill.

Bill read a first time.

Mr Dreyfus moved—That the bill be now read a second time.

Debate adjourned (Mr Coleman), and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for the next sitting.

7

Department of Defence—Submarine Rotational Force—West, Priority Works, HMAS Stirling, WA—APPROVAL OF WORK

Dr Leigh (Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury), pursuant to notice, moved—That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969 , it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Department of Defence—Submarine Rotational Force—West, Priority Works, HMAS Stirling, Western Australia.

Question—put and passed.

8

Department of Finance—Proposed fit-out of new Commonwealth Parliament offices at One Festival Tower, Adelaide—APPROVAL OF WORK

Dr Leigh (Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury), pursuant to notice, moved—That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969 , it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Department of Finance—Proposed fit-out of new Commonwealth Parliament offices at One Festival Tower, Adelaide.

Question—put and passed.

9

Reserve Bank of Australia—Head office storage and logistics change—APPROVAL OF WORK

Dr Leigh (Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury), pursuant to notice, moved—That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969 , it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Reserve Bank of Australia—Head office storage and logistics change.

Question—put and passed.

12

Taxation (Multinational—Global and Domestic Minimum Tax) Bill 2024 —REPORT FROM FEDERATION CHAMBER

The Deputy Speaker reported that the Federation Chamber had been unable to complete its consideration of the bill and had returned the bill with an unresolved question ( see item No. 3, Minutes of Proceedings of the Federation Chamber, 21 August 2024 ), and presented a certified copy of the bill together with a schedule of the unresolved question.

Unresolved question—That the amendment be agreed to—

Question—put.

Question—That the bill be now read a second time—put and passed—bill read a second time.

Leave granted for third reading to be moved immediately.

On the motion of Dr Leigh (Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury), the bill was read a third time.

13

POSTPONEMENT OF NOTICE

Ordered—That notice No. 7, government business, be postponed until a later hour this day.

14

Future Made in Australia Bill 2024

The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the question—That the bill be now read a second time— And on the amendment moved thereto by Mr Taylor, viz.— That all words after “That” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

“the House declines to give the bill a second reading, and:

(1) notes:

(a) the failure of billions of dollars of the Government’s Future Made in Australia spending to meet the standards and processes laid out in this bill and the significant integrity concerns around these investments;

(b) the Government’s Future Made in Australia policy has been criticised by many eminent economists including the Productivity Commission’s Danielle Wood, former Productivity Commissioner Gary Banks, Australian National University visiting fellow Steven Hamilton, and University of New South Wales’ Professor Richard Holden; and

(c) this policy does not make up for the Government’s failures on economic management that are driving up the costs of manufacturing and have caused a tripling of manufacturing insolvencies since June 2022; and

(2) calls on the Government to get Australia’s economy back on track and back to basics by fighting inflation and reducing wasteful spending, reducing complexity and red tape for business, supporting affordable, reliable energy, and delivering lower, simpler, fairer taxes”—

And on the amendment moved thereto by Dr Haines, viz. —That all words after “House” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

“whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading:

(1) notes that:

(a) the 2024-25 Budget allocated $22.7 billion in taxpayer funds to the Future Made in Australia program;

(b) this is the second largest Budget measure announced in this term of Parliament; and

(c) concerns have been raised by the Productivity Commission, the Grattan Institute, the Climate Council of Australia, BP Australia, and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry that the bill contains inadequate transparency measures to ensure Australians know how their money is being spent on Future Made in Australia supports;

(2) recognises that the Member for Indi’s Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) Bill 2024 provides the necessary framework to help ensure the Government’s spending of taxpayer money to deliver the Future Made in Australia plan is transparent and fair; and

(3) calls on the Government to support the Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) Bill 2024”—

And on the amendment moved thereto by Dr M Ryan, viz. —That all words after “reading” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

“notes that:

(1) the Future Made in Australia national interest framework should be configured as the foundational reference for Australia’s industry policy;

(2) a robust governance structure for the framework must be ensured;

(3) clear criteria for national funding in the national interest should be established; and

(4) there should be periodic, independent reviews to ensure that industry policy remains effective and relevant”—

Debate resumed.

Question—That the amendment moved by Dr M Ryan to the amendment proposed by Dr Haines be agreed to—put and negatived.

Question—That the amendment moved by Dr Haines to the amendment proposed by Mr Taylor be agreed to—put and negatived.

Question—That the amendment moved by Mr Taylor be agreed to—put.

Question—That the bill be now read a second time—put.

Dr Chalmers (Treasurer) moved—That further consideration of the bill be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Question—put and passed.

15

POSTPONEMENT OF ORDER OF THE DAY

Ordered—That order of the day No. 2, government business, be postponed until a later hour this day.

16

Universities Accord (Student Support and Other Measures) Bill 2024

The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the question—That the bill be now read a second time— And on the amendment moved thereto by Mr Fletcher, viz.— That all words after “That” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

“whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House notes that:

(1) the Government’s economic mismanagement and high inflation has resulted in escalating student debt for some three million Australians with a HELP (Higher Education Loan Program) loan;

(2) the proposal to change HELP indexation to the lower of the wage price index or the consumer price index would still result in student debts increasing by 11.1 per cent since June 2022, with no date by which student debt credits will be applied or refunds paid;

(3) whether it is student debt, housing or paying bills, Australians continue to suffer acute cost of living pain under this Government;

(4) the Government has failed to detail eligibility criteria for the Commonwealth Prac Payments or how students will receive those payments, noting that students studying in other areas of workforce shortage such as occupational therapy, psychology and veterinary studies have been excluded from the scheme;

(5) the Government’s decision to mandate 40 per cent of the Student Services and Amenities Fee revenue be directed to student-led organisations, including student unions, associations and guilds, lacks any transparency measures to ensure money is spent on services which support student welfare; and

(6) the bill has been referred to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry to report by 3 October 2024”—

Debate resumed.

Mr Bates moved, as an amendment to the amendment proposed by Mr Fletcher—That all words after “reading” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

“the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) students are being shackled by a lifetime of debt which is making the cost of living crisis worse, locking people out of the housing market, causing people to delay having families and crushing dreams of going to university;

(b) the Government’s plan to provide student debt relief will still see student debts rise by 11.5 per cent in their first term and arts degrees costing over $50,000;

(c) the student debt system cannot be fixed because student debt should not exist and higher education, like education at every level, is an essential public good that should be free, universal and provided by the government;

(d) mandatory unpaid placements are causing students to forego paid work, choose between groceries, rent and medicine, drop out of universities and are taking an immense toll on students’ health; and

(e) students experiencing placement poverty need urgent relief and should be paid for every hour of work they are required to do as part of their degree, at least at minimum wage, not a lesser supplementary amount; and

(2) calls on the Government to wipe all student debt, make university and TAFE free, and pay all students doing mandatory placements at no less than minimum wage rates”.

Debate ensued.

Ms Fernando addressing the House—

It being 1.30 pm, the debate was interrupted in accordance with standing order 43, Ms Fernando was granted leave to continue her speech when the debate is resumed, and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for a later hour this day.

17

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

Members’ statements were made.

18

QUESTIONS

Questions without notice were asked.

19

DISCUSSION OF MATTER OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE— Safety and Economy

The House was informed that Mr Dutton (Leader of the Opposition), had proposed that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely, “This Government’s failure to keep Australians safe and the economy strong”.

The proposed discussion having received the necessary support—

Mr Dutton addressed the House.

Discussion ensued.

Discussion concluded.

20

Suspension of standing orders 31 and 33

Mr Burke (Leader of the House), pursuant to notice, moved—That standing order 31 (automatic adjournment of the House) and standing order 33 (limit on business) be suspended for the sitting commencing on Thursday, 22 August 2024.

Question—put and passed.

21

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE— National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Message No. 343, 22 August 2024, from the Senate was reported returning the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 with amendments.

Ordered—That the amendments be considered immediately.

On the motion of Mr Shorten (Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme), amendments (1) and (2), (4) to (48), (50) to (67), (69) and (70) were agreed to, after debate.

On the motion of Mr Shorten, amendments (3), (49) and (68) were agreed to.

24

ADJOURNMENT

Mr Burke (Leader of the House) moved—That the House do now adjourn.

Question—put and passed.

And then the House, at 4.44 pm, adjourned until 10 am on Monday, 9 September 2024.

DOCUMENTS

The following documents were deemed to have been presented on 22 August 2024 (An explanatory statement has been presented with each instrument unless otherwise indicated by an asterisk):

Corporations Act 2001—

ASIC Corporations (DDRS Class Exemption) Instrument 2024/557 [F2024L01035].

ASIC Corporations (Repeal) Instrument 2024/556 [F2024L01034].

ASIC Derivative Transaction Rules (Reporting and Clearing) Amendment Instrument 2024/416 [F2024L01032].

Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017— Parliamentary Business Resources Regulations 2017—Consolidated Statement of Expenditure 2023-24.

ATTENDANCE

All Members attended (at some time during the sitting) except Mr Thompson, Ms Ware and Dr Webster.

Claressa Surtees

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Federation Chamber

1

The Federation Chamber met at 9.30 am.

2

MEMBERS’ CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Members’ constituency statements being made—

Suspension of meeting

At 9.58 am, a division having been called in the House, the proceedings were suspended.

Resumption of meeting

At 10.09 am, the proceedings were resumed.

Members’ constituency statements continued.

3

Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water—Standing Committee —MOTION TO TAKE NOTE OF DOCUMENT

The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the motion of Mr Zappia—That the House take note of the document ( presented on 28 May 2024 ), viz.—

Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water—Standing Committee—Drowning in waste: Plastic pollution in Australia’s oceans and waterways—Report, May 2024—

Debate resumed.

Debate adjourned (Ms Belyea), and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for the next sitting.

4

Ending gender-based violence—STATEMENTS

Statements being made—

Document

Mr Wood , by leave, presented the following document:

Letter from Jason Wood MP to Chief Commissioner, Victoria Police force—2 May 2024.

Statements continuing—



Suspension of meeting

At 10.56 am, the Deputy Speaker left the Chair due to the lack of a quorum.

Resumption of meeting

At 10.58 am, the Deputy Speaker resumed the Chair, and a quorum being present—

Statements continued.

5

ADJOURNMENT

Ms Scrymgour moved—That the Federation Chamber do now adjourn.

Debate ensued.

Question—put and passed.

At 11.57 am, the Deputy Speaker adjourned the Federation Chamber until 10.30 am on Monday, 9 September 2024.

Peter Banson

Clerk of the Federation Chamber

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