SENATE Official Hansard
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COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SENATE Official Hansard TUESDAY, 3 MARCH 1998 THIRTY-EIGHTH PARLIAMENT FIRST SESSION—SIXTH PERIOD BY AUTHORITY OF THE SENATE CANBERRA CONTENTS TUESDAY, 3 MARCH Ministerial Arrangements ................................. 159 Questions Without Notice— Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 159 Social Security ....................................... 160 Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 161 Mr Christopher Skase .................................. 163 Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 164 Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 165 Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 166 Federation Fund ...................................... 166 Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 167 Kyoto: Climate Change Convention ........................ 168 Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 169 Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 170 Answers to Questions Without Notice— Hindmarsh Island Bridge ................................ 172 Aboriginal Reconciliation ............................... 172 Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 172 Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 173 Personal Explanations .................................... 179 Answers to Questions Without Notice— Natural Heritage Trust ................................. 180 Petitions— East Timor ......................................... 180 Landmines .......................................... 180 Uranium ........................................... 180 Native Title ......................................... 181 Australian Broadcasting Corporation ........................ 181 Gender Identity ...................................... 181 Nursing Homes ...................................... 181 Sydney Airport ...................................... 181 Multilateral Agreement on Investment ...................... 182 Child Care .......................................... 182 Aboriginal Reconciliation ............................... 182 Public Sector Superannuation Scheme ....................... 182 East Timor ......................................... 183 Notices of Motion— Economics Legislation Committee ......................... 183 Indonesia ........................................... 183 Investment and Financial Services ......................... 183 Order of Business— Introduction of Legislation .............................. 183 Multilateral Agreement on Investment ...................... 184 Certain Government Accountability Matters Committee .......... 184 Multilateral Agreement on Investment ...................... 184 Multilateral Agreement on Investment ...................... 184 Consideration of Legislation ............................. 184 Committees— Economics Legislation Committee ......................... 184 Katherine Floods ....................................... 184 Documents— Parliamentary Zone .................................... 185 Auditor-General’s Reports—Report No. 36 of 1997-98 ........... 185 Committees— Membership ......................................... 185 Social Security Legislation Amendment (Youth Allowance) Bill 1997— In Committee ........................................ 185 Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 1997-98, CONTENTS—continued Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 1997-98, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 1997-98— Second Reading ...................................... 187 Committees— Corporations and Securities Committee—Referral .............. 215 Selection of Bills Committee—Report ...................... 215 Documents— Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission—Northern Land Council .......................................... 216 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission—Central Land Council .......................................... 217 Adjournment— Homeless Services .................................... 218 Health Funding ...................................... 219 Education: Schools Funding ............................. 221 Mr B.A. Santamaria ................................... 223 Mr Roger Shipton .................................... 225 Mr B.A. Santamaria ................................... 225 Documents— Tabling ............................................ 226 Questions on Notice— Department of Finance and Administration: Contracts for Public Relations Services—(Question No. 826) ................... 227 Department of Finance and Administration: Contracts for Public Relations Services—(Question No. 832) ................... 229 Green Corps—(Question No. 854) ......................... 232 Department for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts: Research—(Question No. 906) ...................... 246 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Research—(Question No. 909) ............................................ 263 Department of Finance and Administration: Research—(Question No. 913) ............................................ 266 Department of Transport and regional Development: Research—(Question No. 915) .......................... 269 Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Awarding of Consultancies of Contracts—(Question No. 930 - 948) ......... 276 Australian Conservation Foundation and the Wilderness Society: Funding—(Question No. 963) ........................... 276 Telstra: 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games—(Question No. 981) ....... 277 On Arrival Accommodation Program—(Question No. 1002) ....... 277 Housing—(Question No. 1003) ........................... 278 Youth Allowance—(Question No. 1006) ..................... 279 Second World War: Australian Servicemen Killed and Buried in Indonesia—(Question No. 1007) ......................... 279 Logging and Woodchipping—(Question No. 1011) ............. 281 Breath Testing Machines—(Question No. 1013) ................ 281 Wana Ungkunytja Proprietary Limited—(Question No. 1014) ...... 282 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1016) ......................... 283 Department of the Treasury: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1017) 284 Department of Primary Industries and Energy: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1018) ......................... 284 Department of the Environment: Training and Seminars—(Question No. 1019) ............................................ 285 Department of Communications and the Arts: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1020) ......................... 285 Department of Workplace Relations and Small Business: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1021) ......................... 285 Department of Industry, Science and Tourism: Training or CONTENTS—continued Seminars—(Question No. 1024) ......................... 285 Department of Defence: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1025) . 286 Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1028) ................. 294 Attorney-General’s Department: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1029) ............................................ 295 Department of Transport and Regional Development: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1030) ......................... 295 Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1031) ......................... 296 Department for Veterans’ Affairs: Training or Seminars—(Question No. 1032) ............................................ 296 Answers to Questions Without Notice— Telstra Sale ......................................... 299 Importation of Cooked Chicken Meat ....................... 299 SENATE 159 Tuesday, 3 March 1998 when Senator Faulkner went out to lead the charge for the Greens, battled Mr Beddall, who was acting on behalf of the industry, and The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. made such a mess of it that Senator Collins Margaret Reid) took the chair at 2.00 p.m., had to be called in to the rescue? Do we and read prayers. remember the decline in biodiversity as demonstrated by the State of the environment MINISTERIAL ARRANGEMENTS report? Senator HILL (South Australia—Leader of Do we remember the pitiful record of Labor the Government in the Senate)—by leave—I in relation to feral weeds and animals? Do we inform the Senate that Senator Richard know what they failed to do in relation to the Alston, the Minister for Communications, the Murray-Darling Basin—an area that all Aus- Information Economy and the Arts, will be tralians know needed substantial investment? absent from the Senate chamber for question Do we know their areas of failure in relation time today. Senator Alston is in Melbourne to to air pollution? And so I could go on. We attend the funeral of Mr Bob Santamaria. In make no apology that we committed ourselves his absence, Senator Ellison will take ques- to setting up a $1.1 billion— tions relating to Communications and the Senator Faulkner—On a point of order, Arts. Senator Kemp will take questions on the Madam President: obviously the feral weeds Information Economy— have got in the way of Senator Hill’s answer Opposition senators interjecting— to the question, which I thought was a specif- Senator HILL—Very ably, I would think, ic one directed to him in relation to when his Madam President, and I will take questions office directed the department to reassess the relating to the portfolios of Transport and applications rejected by the Victorian RAP Regional Development and Workplace Rela- process; who did it; whether it was cleared by tions and Small Business. him; and what representations were made. I thought