SENATE Official Hansard

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SENATE Official Hansard THURSDAY, 2 MAY 1996 THIRTY-EIGHTH PARLIAMENT FIRST SESSION—FIRST PERIOD BY AUTHORITY OF THE SENATE CANBERRA CONTENTS THURSDAY, 2 MAY Petitions— Australian Coastline ................................... 191 French Nuclear Testing ................................. 191 Election Campaign .................................... 191 Election Campaign .................................... 191 Superannuation ...................................... 191 Religion and Democracy in Australia ....................... 192 Notices of Motion— Family Court ........................................ 192 How-to-Vote Cards .................................... 192 Introduction of Legislation .............................. 192 Condolences: Mr Rob Riley.............................. 192 Australian Maritime College ............................. 192 Federal Election 1996 .................................. 193 Women in Federal Parliament ............................ 193 Order of Business— Procedure Committee .................................. 193 General Business ..................................... 193 Election Campaign Material .............................. 194 BHP Petroleum ...................................... 194 Uranium Mining and Milling in Kakadu National Park Committee . 194 Acts Interpretation Legislation (Delegated Legislation) Amendment Bill 1991— Restoration to Notice Paper .............................. 194 Great Famine in Ireland .................................. 194 Uranium Mining and Milling Committee— Suspension of Standing Orders ............................ 194 Procedural Motion .................................... 196 Motion ............................................ 196 Consideration of Legislation ............................... 212 Ministerial Statements— Reform of the Treaty-Making Process ....................... 217 Deaths at Port Arthur .................................... 247 Questions Without Notice— Wages Outcomes ..................................... 248 Public Service ....................................... 248 Economy ........................................... 249 Budget Accounts ..................................... 250 Seasonal Workers ..................................... 251 Budget Cuts ......................................... 252 Family Court of Australia ............................... 253 Howard Government ................................... 255 Native Title ......................................... 256 Women in Federal Parliament ............................ 256 Information Technology ................................ 257 Telephone Call Charges ................................ 258 Civil Aviation Safety Authority ........................... 259 Families ........................................... 260 Aboriginal Flags...................................... 261 Economy ........................................... 261 Information Technology ................................ 264 Budget Cuts ......................................... 266 Question Time ......................................... 268 Matters of Public Importance— Economic Policy ..................................... 268 Documents— Commonwealth Grants Commission ........................ 279 CONTENTS—continued Australian Broadcasting Corporation ......................... 279 Order of Business— General Business ..................................... 293 Documents— Auditor-General’s Reports—Report No. 20 of 1995-96 .......... 293 Committees— Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee ........ 297 Membership ......................................... 297 Community Affairs References Committee—Report ............. 298 Economics References Committee—Report ................... 303 Electoral Matters Committee—Report ....................... 308 Adjournment— Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission .............. 310 Condolences: Mr Rob Riley.............................. 312 Credit Unions ....................................... 313 Diabetes ........................................... 315 Clarence By-election ................................... 315 Documents— Indexed Lists ........................................ 317 SENATE 191 Thursday, 2 May 1996 And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. by Senator Knowles (from 173 citizens). The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. Election Campaign Michael Beahan) took the chair at 9.30 a.m., and read prayers. To the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in Parliament assembled: PETITIONS The petition of certain residents of the State of Queensland draws to the attention of the Senate the The Clerk—Petitions have been lodged for recent election to the House of Representatives of presentation as follows: Members who during their election campaign, openly manipulated racist sentiments against and Australian Coastline about the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia as a To the Honourable President and Members of the means to gain office in the national Parliament. Senate in the Parliament assembled: Your petitioners therefore ask the Senate to We the undersigned, wish to lodge our protest, publicly condemn the use of racial attacks by in the strongest possible terms, at the Federal candidates or political parties in federal elections, Government’s inaction to take legislative measures and to call upon all parliamentarians to represent to protect our coast. all of their constituents without racial discrimina- tion, fear or favour, and to establish and enforce a We the surfriders and TRACKS readers of code of race ethics to be observed by parliamenta- Australia have watched our coastal treasures, the rians as national representatives of the citizens of ecology, biodiversity and beauty of the Australian Australia. coast marred by urban development, poor planning and pollution, especially over the last 25 years. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The ALP has been in government for half that time and we’ve lost double our resources. by Senator Reynolds (from 28 citizens). We (not so humbly) demand that you urge the Election Campaign Federal Government to act now to establish a national coastal agency with national powers to To the Honourable the President and Members of stop the destruction of our Australian coastline. the Senate in the Parliament assembled. We also demand that the Federal Government The Petition of the undersigned shows: That the recognise and include surfriders in the major printing and distribution of ‘How to Vote’ Cards on decision making forums and call on you to contri- Polling Day in State and Commonwealth Elections bute resources toward those who protect our surfing is extremely wasteful as the distribution of approxi- coast. mately 40 million pieces of paper during the last Federal Election indicates. Finally, we demand that the environment be recognised in the Australian Constitution. Your Petitioners request that the Senate should: Enact legislation to stop the use of ‘How to Vote We are tired of waiting! You must act now. Cards’ at Commonwealth elections and that it Please write to me and inform me of what you are should prevail on all State Governments in Austral- going to do to save our surf. ia to pass similar legislation for State elections. by Senator Bell (from 94 citizens). by Senator Spindler (from 1,789 citizens). French Nuclear Testing Superannuation To the Honourable the President and members of To the Honourable the President and the members the Senate in the Parliament assembled. of the Senate in Parliament assembled, the petition The petition of the undersigned citizens and of the undersigned shows: residents of Australia respectfully showeth that: "That same sex defacto relationships are not We register our strongest protest at the decision recognised under superannuation schemes, funds by the French Government to resume nuclear and associated legislation across Australia." testing in the South Pacific. Your Petitioners request that the senate should: The decision to resume testing is without regard In view of the current Federal Government’s to strident opposition from not only the people and Superannuation Guarantee Charge seek recognition nations of the South Pacific, but also many other of same sex defacto relationships under Superan- countries around the world. nuation Schemes, funds and associated legislation 192 SENATE Thursday, 2 May 1996 across Australia, so that all Australians are ensured distribution of how-to-vote cards at future of equality of access to all superannuation benefits. federal elections; by Senator Spindler (from 2,012 citizens). (b) notes that up to 40 million how-to-vote cards were discarded on the evening of Religion and Democracy in Australia the federal election on 2 March 1996; To the Honourable the President and Members of (c) calls on the Government to investigate the Senate in the Parliament assembled: alternatives to this extraordinarily waste- The petition of the undersigned requests: ful practice, for example, by displaying (i) that those of religious conviction who have party preferences on poster sized how-to- contributed to the development of Australia should vote cards displayed on the walls of be recognised in the study of Australian history to voting cubicles or on small laminated ensure that a balanced history is taught; cards fixed to a rotating file placed in each voting cubicle; and (ii) that any syllabus prepared on the teaching of Civics and Citizenship should include the contribu- (d) calls on the Government to table

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