COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SENATE Official Hansard THURSDAY, 30 MAY 1996 THIRTY-EIGHTH PARLIAMENT FIRST SESSION—FIRST PERIOD BY AUTHORITY OF THE SENATE CANBERRA CONTENTS THURSDAY, 30 MAY Petitions— Census ............................................ 1371 Industrial Relations: Reform ............................. 1371 Logging and Woodchipping .............................. 1371 Forest Protection ..................................... 1372 Higher Education Funding ............................... 1372 Pet Food ........................................... 1372 Sale of Telstra ....................................... 1372 How to Vote Cards .................................... 1373 Notices of Motion— Consideration of Legislation ............................. 1373 Regulations and Ordinances Committee ..................... 1374 Uranium Mining...................................... 1375 Snowy River ........................................ 1375 Aussie’s Coffee Shop .................................. 1375 Banking ........................................... 1375 Port Lillias ......................................... 1376 Budget Cuts ......................................... 1376 Salinity ............................................ 1376 Tully Millstream Project ................................ 1377 Logging and Woodchipping .............................. 1377 Drugs ............................................. 1377 Land Clearing ....................................... 1378 Higher Education Funding ............................... 1378 Commonwealth Ombudsman ............................. 1378 Daw Aung San Suu Kyi ................................ 1378 Water Pollution ...................................... 1378 Greenhouse Gases .................................... 1379 Murray-Darling Basin .................................. 1379 Committees— Selection of Bills Committee—Report ...................... 1379 Order of Business— Sessional Orders ...................................... 1380 Representation of Victoria ................................ 1380 Order of Business— Employment, Education and Training References Committee ....... 1380 Government Business .................................. 1380 Leave of Absence ...................................... 1380 Order of Business— General Business ..................................... 1381 Leave of Absence ...................................... 1381 Committees— Legal and Constitutional References Committee—Reference ....... 1381 Consideration of Legislation ............................... 1382 Consideration of Legislation ............................... 1382 Indexed Lists of Files .................................... 1382 Committees— Community Affairs Legislation Committee—Report ............. 1383 Community Affairs Legislation Committee—Report ............ 1383 Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee—Report . 1383 Airports Bill 1996— Airports (Transitional) Bill 1996— First Reading ........................................ 1383 Second Reading ...................................... 1383 Committees— Sales Tax Legislation Committee—Answers to Questions ......... 1388 Consideration of Legislation ............................... 1388 Amnesty International ................................... 1398 CONTENTS—continued Consideration of Legislation ............................... 1398 Notices of Motion— Native Title Committee ................................. 1399 Supply (Parliamentary Departments) Bill 1996-97 ................ 1400 Supply Bill (No. 1) 1996-97 ............................... 1400 Supply Bill (No. 2) 1996-97— First Reading ........................................ 1400 Second Reading ...................................... 1400 Customs Tariff (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 1996— Telecommunications (Carrier Licence Fees) Amendment Bill 1996— First Reading ........................................ 1401 Second Reading ...................................... 1401 Crimes Amendment (Controlled Operations) Bill 1996— In Committee ........................................ 1402 Third Reading ....................................... 1407 Education and Training Legislation Amendment Bill 1996— Second Reading ...................................... 1407 Loan Bill 1996— Second Reading ...................................... 1420 Sydney 2000 Games (Indicia and Images) Protection Bill 1996— Second Reading ...................................... 1421 In Committee ........................................ 1422 Third Reading ....................................... 1422 Australian Sports Drug Agency Amendment Bill 1996— Second Reading ...................................... 1422 Indigenous Education (Supplementary Assistance) Amendment Bill 1996— Second Reading ...................................... 1423 Bills Returned from The House of Representatives ............... 1426 Social Security Legislation Amendment (Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Periods and Other Measures) Bill 1996— First Reading ........................................ 1426 Second Reading ...................................... 1426 Order of Business ...................................... 1427 Housing Assistance Bill 1996— Second Reading ...................................... 1427 Questions Without Notice— Sale of Telstra ....................................... 1430 National Accounts Figures ............................... 1432 Budget Deficit ....................................... 1433 Optus: Foreign Ownership ............................... 1434 Housing ........................................... 1435 Climate Change: Greenhouse Emissions ..................... 1436 Kakadu National Park .................................. 1437 Land Fund .......................................... 1437 Higher Education Funding ............................... 1438 Equal Pay .......................................... 1438 Mahogany Glider ..................................... 1440 Defence Runways ..................................... 1441 Mining Industry ...................................... 1441 Women ............................................ 1442 Higher Education Funding ............................... 1443 Australian Defence Force Academy ........................ 1444 Budget Deficit ....................................... 1444 Land Fund .......................................... 1449 Kakadu National Park .................................. 1449 Shipping Grants Legislation Bill 1996— Report of Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee ........................................ 1451 Access to Internet ...................................... 1451 Coalition: Election Commitments ........................... 1451 CONTENTS—continued Notices of Motion— Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Regulations 1454 Matters of Urgency— Greenhouse Emissions ................................. 1454 Documents— Consideration ........................................ 1461 Higher Education Funding ................................ 1462 Committees— Employment, Education and Training References Committee— Reference ......................................... 1490 Documents— Australian Law Reform Committee ........................ 1490 Committees— Membership ......................................... 1490 Petitions— Wool ............................................. 1490 Committees— Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee—Report . 1491 Radioactive Waste Committee—Report ...................... 1493 Consideration ........................................ 1494 Adjournment— Tasmanian Economy ................................... 1494 Western Australia: Liberal Party .......................... 1496 Second Sydney Airport ................................. 1498 Queensland Parliament ................................. 1498 Second Sydney Airport ................................. 1500 Documents— Tabling ............................................ 1502 Questions On Notice— Bureau of Meteorology Calendar—(Question No. 32) ............ 1503 SENATE 1371 Thursday, 30 May 1996 In addition we support the ACTU/ANF campaign against the Coalition’s proposals to dismantle other existing industrial protection. The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. by Senator Panizza (from 14 citizens). Michael Beahan) took the chair at 9.30 a.m., Logging and Woodchipping and read prayers. To the Honourable the President and Members of PETITIONS the Senate in Parliament assembled. The Clerk—Petitions have been lodged for We are dismayed at the continuing destruction of old growth and wilderness forests around Australia, presentation as follows: despite the National Forest Policy Statement jointly signed by the Commonwealth and all States except Census Tasmania. To the Honourable the President and Members of Intensive logging, most often to feed a voracious the Senate in Parliament assembled. The Petition woodchip industry is underway or planned for of the undersigned shows: many high conservation value forests. These forests That the current practice of destroying the Census should be protected by the commitments of the is denying future generations an invaluable and Commonwealth and State Governments under the irreplaceable resource of data on medical, histori- NFPS. cal, social, scientific, and demographic factors. These forests include: Your Petitioners request that the Senate should: Coolangubra Wilderness and other areas of the Request the Government to review its current S.E. Forests of NSW along with rainforest and policy of destroying the Census; and support a