Campaigns and Coalitions
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Procedural Digest 24 25 26 27 28
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES August/ September 2020 M T W T F Procedural Digest 24 25 26 27 28 No. 12 31 1 2 3 4 46th Parliament 24 August – 3 September 2020 Selected entries contain links to video footage via Parlview. Please note that the first time you click a [Watch] link, you may need to refresh the page (ctrl+F5) for the correct starting point. Bills 12.01 Jobkeeper bill introduced and passed all stages in one sitting The Treasurer presented the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Jobkeeper Payments) Amendment Bill 2020 on 26 August. In his second reading speech, the Treasurer thanked the opposition for its support in progressing the bill through the parliament quickly to provide certainty to Australian businesses and employees. Following his speech, the House gave leave for the debate to be made an order of the day for a later hour. During the day, 28 members contributed to the second reading debate. At the conclusion of the debate, a second reading amendment moved by the shadow Treasurer was negatived on division and the question ‘that the bill be read a second time’ was carried on the voices. Following a message from the Governor-General recommending appropriation, the bill proceeded to the consideration in detail stage and several opposition amendments were negatived on division. Consideration in detail concluded and, by leave, an assistant minister moved the third reading. The question ‘that the bill be read a third time’ was carried on the voices. The Speaker granted the Manager of Opposition Business indulgence a number of times over the sitting fortnight to place on the record the voting intentions of independent and minor party members unable to attend the sittings due to the pandemic. -
Chronology of Same-Sex Marriage Bills Introduced Into the Federal Parliament: a Quick Guide
RESEARCH PAPER SERIES, 2017–18 UPDATED 24 NOVEMBER 2017 Chronology of same-sex marriage bills introduced into the federal parliament: a quick guide Deirdre McKeown Politics and Public Administration Section On 15 November 2017, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) announced the results of the voluntary Australian Marriage Law Postal survey. The ABS reported that, of the 79.5 per cent of Australians who expressed a view on the question Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?, ‘the majority indicated that the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry, with 7,817,247 (61.6 per cent) responding Yes and 4,873,987 (38.4 per cent) responding No’. On the same day Senator Dean Smith (LIB, WA) introduced, on behalf of eight cross-party co-sponsors, a bill to amend the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) so as to redefine marriage as ‘a union of two people’. This is the fifth marriage equality bill introduced in the current (45th) Parliament, while six bills were introduced into the previous (44th) Parliament. Since the 2004 amendment to the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) which inserted the current definition of marriage, 23 bills dealing with marriage equality or the recognition of overseas same-sex marriages have been introduced into the federal Parliament. Four bills have come to a vote: three in the Senate (in 2010, 2012 and 2013), and one in the House of Representatives (in 2012). These bills were all defeated at the second reading stage; consequently no bill has been debated by the second chamber. -
A History of Misconduct: the Case for a Federal Icac
MISCONDUCT IN POLITICS A HISTORY OF MISCONDUCT: THE CASE FOR A FEDERAL ICAC INDEPENDENT JO URNALISTS MICH AEL WES T A ND CALLUM F OOTE, COMMISSIONED B Y G ETUP 1 MISCONDUCT IN POLITICS MISCONDUCT IN RESOURCES, WATER AND LAND MANAGEMENT Page 5 MISCONDUCT RELATED TO UNDISCLOSED CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Page 8 POTENTIAL MISCONDUCT IN LOBBYING MISCONDUCT ACTIVITIES RELATED TO Page 11 INAPPROPRIATE USE OF TRANSPORT Page 13 POLITICAL DONATION SCANDALS Page 14 FOREIGN INFLUENCE ON THE POLITICAL PROCESS Page 16 ALLEGEDLY FRAUDULENT PRACTICES Page 17 CURRENT CORRUPTION WATCHDOG PROPOSALS Page 20 2 MISCONDUCT IN POLITICS FOREWORD: Trust in government has never been so low. This crisis in public confidence is driven by the widespread perception that politics is corrupt and politicians and public servants have failed to be held accountable. This report identifies the political scandals of the and other misuse of public money involving last six years and the failure of our elected leaders government grants. At the direction of a minister, to properly investigate this misconduct. public money was targeted at voters in marginal electorates just before a Federal Election, In 1984, customs officers discovered a teddy bear potentially affecting the course of government in in the luggage of Federal Government minister Australia. Mick Young and his wife. It had not been declared on the Minister’s customs declaration. Young This cheating on an industrial scale reflects a stepped aside as a minister while an investigation political culture which is evolving dangerously. into the “Paddington Bear Affair” took place. The weapons of the state are deployed against journalists reporting on politics, and whistleblowers That was during the prime ministership of Bob in the public service - while at the same time we Hawke. -
The Struggle for the Senate's Centre Michelle Grattan
The Power of Small Voices: The Struggle for the Senate's Centre Michelle Grattan I am delighted to be here in Launceston. Many, many years ago, back in 1975, I spent a week here at the end of the Bass by-election. Talk about history! Federal Labor's defeat in that by-election was a moment of drama and a look into the future. One of the most helpful people I encountered was The Examiner's Michael Courtney. He was a font of knowledge and very generous with it; I recall an informative and entertaining dinner Laurie Oakes and I had at his home that week. John West, to whose memory this lecture is dedicated, was of course one of the moving spirits in the founding of The Examiner ; later he moved to Sydney to edit the Sydney Morning Herald . Among many other subjects, federalism and federation, then many years off, were among his interests and the subject of his writings. In the course of those writings he had some observations on the American Senate. He noted that the structure of that Senate saw a remarkable spirit of concession where – in terms of its equal representation of states – ''the power of the weakest is equal with the strongest''. He wrote: The pride of numerical authority long resisted a compromise, which seemed to give away the natural force of majorities, and which made a senator chosen in the desert equal to one appointed by the empire state; yet it is not difficult to perceive the immense value of this arrangement as a moderating influence. -
Independents in Federal Parliament: a New Challenge Or a Passing Phase?
Independents in Federal Parliament: A new challenge or a passing phase? Jennifer Curtin1 Politics Program, School of Political and Social Inquiry Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. [email protected] “Politics just is the game played out by rival parties, and anyone who tries to play politics in some way entirely independent of parties consigns herself to irrelevance.” (Brennan, 1996: xv). The total dominance of Australia’s rival parties has altered since Brennan made this statement. By the time of the 2001 federal election, 29 registered political parties contested seats and while only the three traditional parties secured representation in the House of Representatives (Liberals, Nationals and Labor) three independents were also elected. So could we argue that the “game” has changed? While it is true that government in Australia, both federally and in the states and territories, almost always alternates between the Labor Party and the Liberal Party (the latter more often than not in coalition with the National Party), independent members have been a feature of the parliaments for many years, particularly at the state level (Costar and Curtin, 2004; Moon,1995). Over the last decade or so independents have often been key political players: for a time, they have held the balance of power in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. More generally, since 1980 an unprecedented 56 independents have served in Australian parliaments. In 2003, 25 of them were still there. This is more than six times the number of independents elected in the 1970s. New South Wales has been the most productive jurisdiction during that time, with fourteen independent members, and Tasmania the least, with only one. -
Cover Article
COAL'S NEW HORIZON | ISSUE no 6 New markets for our 2nd JULY biggest 6, 2017 export COVER PLUS: - Standing strong for NorthART Queensland ICLE Jobs - LNP investment keeps CentralLorem ipsum Queensland dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod moving after Cyclone Debbietempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam - Mandatory Code of Conduct for the Sugar Indust ry July 2017 Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls, Deputy Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington, Queensland Senator Ian Macdonald and Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry and I celebrate the opening of the Adani headquarters in Townsville. A new dawn for North Queensland Ask any Queenslander what matters most to them, and resources jobs. In Queensland, we witnessed the spectacle chances are their answer will be looking after their family of an internal war between the Labor Party?s green collar and securing a strong future for their kids. and blue collar which spilled over in a public spat over royalties and nearly put a stop to the Adani project. We know that the best way to do that is to create job opportunities throughout regional Queensland. More and more we see the Labor Party doing the Greens? bidding and turning their back on the workers of Australia. North and Central Queensland are on the cusp of a jobs The LNP knows there is far more to our state than the boom. The investors in the Adani Carmichael Mine have inner city suburbs of Brisbane. We know because we live in given the $16.5 billion project the green light. -
P5048b-5048B Hon Darren West
Extract from Hansard [COUNCIL — Wednesday, 22 August 2018] p5048b-5048b Hon Darren West FEDERAL COALITION GOVERNMENT Statement HON DARREN WEST (Agricultural — Parliamentary Secretary) [6.46 pm]: I note that other members also wish to make a member’s statement, so I will be brief. Hon Simon O’Brien has given me a couple of good segues for my statement tonight. I believe that there will be a special meeting, and votes will be counted, and at the end of that we could have a new Prime Minister of Australia. This has been an extraordinary week in Canberra. For those of us who take a particular interest in political happenings in our national capital, I guess we could say we have seen it all before. However, this time I think there is an extra level of division and dysfunction than what we have seen in governments previous. It is extraordinary that there is potential for a second leadership spill in two days in the Liberal Party in Canberra to determine who will be this country’s next Prime Minister. This seems to be spreading from the Western Australian branch of the Liberal Party, although there is not a formal coalition in Western Australia, to its federal counterparts. It is extraordinary. I believe there will be a leadership spill in Canberra. There probably should also be a leadership spill in Western Australia, if anyone had the courage to challenge the current Leader of the Liberal Party. I am sure that will happen in due course, members. There is also potential for a change of leadership in the federal National Party in the coming days as the dysfunction spreads throughout the federal government. -
Ambassade De France En Australie – Service De Presse Et Information Site : Tél
Online Press review 7 May 2015 The articles in purple are not available online. Please contact the Press and Information Department. FRONT PAGE New Greens leaders seek ‘common ground’ on reform (AUS) Crowe The Greens are promising a fresh look at major budget savings after the sudden installation of Richard Di Natale as the party’s new leader signalled a dramatic shift in power to a new generation but stirred internal rancour. Get over historical indigenous wrongs: Noel Pearson (AUS) Bita Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson has challenged indigenous Australians to get over their traumatic history in the same way that Jews survived the Holocaust. Federal budget 2015: GST on Netflix and more on the way (CAN+SMH) Martin The federal government will move to impose the goods and services tax on services such as Netflix under new rules set to be included in next week's budget. Federal budget 2015: Census saved, $250m investment in Bureau of Statistics (CAN) Martin The census has been saved and the Australian Bureau of Statistics will get a $250 million funding boost as part of the biggest technology upgrade in its 110-year history. DOMESTIC AFFAIRS POLITICS Abbott rejects slur on Paris meeting as Fairfax Media slammed (AUS) Owens Tony Abbott has denied knowing that ambassador Stephen Brady’s male partner had been instructed to leave the tarmac of a Paris airport before the Prime Minister’s arrival on Anzac Day. Smearing Tony Abbott as a homophobe is victory for hatred (AUS/Comment) Kenny Given Tony Abbott has been dubbed a misogynist, Islamophobe and racist, I suppose the - occasional allegation of homophobia shouldn’t be a surprise. -
Balance of Power Senate Projections, Spring 2018
Balance of power Senate projections, Spring 2018 The Australia Institute conducts a quarterly poll of Senate voting intention. Our analysis shows that major parties should expect the crossbench to remain large and diverse for the foreseeable future. Senate projections series, no. 2 Bill Browne November 2018 ABOUT THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE The Australia Institute is an independent public policy think tank based in Canberra. It is funded by donations from philanthropic trusts and individuals and commissioned research. We barrack for ideas, not political parties or candidates. Since its launch in 1994, the Institute has carried out highly influential research on a broad range of economic, social and environmental issues. OUR PHILOSOPHY As we begin the 21st century, new dilemmas confront our society and our planet. Unprecedented levels of consumption co-exist with extreme poverty. Through new technology we are more connected than we have ever been, yet civic engagement is declining. Environmental neglect continues despite heightened ecological awareness. A better balance is urgently needed. The Australia Institute’s directors, staff and supporters represent a broad range of views and priorities. What unites us is a belief that through a combination of research and creativity we can promote new solutions and ways of thinking. OUR PURPOSE – ‘RESEARCH THAT MATTERS’ The Institute publishes research that contributes to a more just, sustainable and peaceful society. Our goal is to gather, interpret and communicate evidence in order to both diagnose the problems we face and propose new solutions to tackle them. The Institute is wholly independent and not affiliated with any other organisation. Donations to its Research Fund are tax deductible for the donor. -
Introduction to Volume 1 the Senators, the Senate and Australia, 1901–1929 by Harry Evans, Clerk of the Senate 1988–2009
Introduction to volume 1 The Senators, the Senate and Australia, 1901–1929 By Harry Evans, Clerk of the Senate 1988–2009 Biography may or may not be the key to history, but the biographies of those who served in institutions of government can throw great light on the workings of those institutions. These biographies of Australia’s senators are offered not only because they deal with interesting people, but because they inform an assessment of the Senate as an institution. They also provide insights into the history and identity of Australia. This first volume contains the biographies of senators who completed their service in the Senate in the period 1901 to 1929. This cut-off point involves some inconveniences, one being that it excludes senators who served in that period but who completed their service later. One such senator, George Pearce of Western Australia, was prominent and influential in the period covered but continued to be prominent and influential afterwards, and he is conspicuous by his absence from this volume. A cut-off has to be set, however, and the one chosen has considerable countervailing advantages. The period selected includes the formative years of the Senate, with the addition of a period of its operation as a going concern. The historian would readily see it as a rational first era to select. The historian would also see the era selected as falling naturally into three sub-eras, approximately corresponding to the first three decades of the twentieth century. The first of those decades would probably be called by our historian, in search of a neatly summarising title, The Founders’ Senate, 1901–1910. -
The Most Vitriolic Parliament
THE MOST VITRIOLIC PARLIAMENT EVIDENCE OF THE VITRIOLIC NATURE OF THE 43 RD PARLIAMENT AND POTENTIAL CAUSES Nicolas Adams, 321 382 For Master of Arts (Research), June 2016 The University of Melbourne, School of Social and Political Sciences Supervisors: Prof. John Murphy, Dr. Scott Brenton i Abstract It has been suggested that the period of the Gillard government was the most vitriolic in recent political history. This impression has been formed by many commentators and actors, however very little quantitative data exists which either confirms or disproves this theory. Utilising an analysis of standing orders within the House of Representatives it was found that a relatively fair case can be made that the 43rd parliament was more vitriolic than any in the preceding two decades. This period in the data, however, was trumped by the first year of the Abbott government. Along with this conclusion the data showed that the cause of the vitriol during this period could not be narrowed to one specific driver. It can be seen that issues such as the minority government, style of opposition, gender and even to a certain extent the speakership would have all contributed to any mutation of the tone of debate. ii Declaration I declare that this thesis contains only my original work towards my Masters of Arts (Research) except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text to other material used. Equally this thesis is fewer than the maximum word limit as approved by the Research Higher Degrees Committee. iii Acknowledgements I wish to acknowledge my two supervisors, Prof. -
Bicameralism in the New Zealand Context
377 Bicameralism in the New Zealand context Andrew Stockley* In 1985, the newly elected Labour Government issued a White Paper proposing a Bill of Rights for New Zealand. One of the arguments in favour of the proposal is that New Zealand has only a one chamber Parliament and as a consequence there is less control over the executive than is desirable. The upper house, the Legislative Council, was abolished in 1951 and, despite various enquiries, has never been replaced. In this article, the writer calls for a reappraisal of the need for a second chamber. He argues that a second chamber could be one means among others of limiting the power of government. It is essential that a second chamber be independent, self-confident and sufficiently free of party politics. I. AN INTRODUCTION TO BICAMERALISM In 1950, the New Zealand Parliament, in the manner and form it was then constituted, altered its own composition. The legislative branch of government in New Zealand had hitherto been bicameral in nature, consisting of an upper chamber, the Legislative Council, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives.*1 Some ninety-eight years after its inception2 however, the New Zealand legislature became unicameral. The Legislative Council Abolition Act 1950, passed by both chambers, did as its name implied, and abolished the Legislative Council as on 1 January 1951. What was perhaps most remarkable about this transformation from bicameral to unicameral government was the almost casual manner in which it occurred. The abolition bill was carried on a voice vote in the House of Representatives; very little excitement or concern was caused among the populace at large; and government as a whole seemed to continue quite normally.