COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SENATE Official Hansard THURSDAY, 23 OCTOBER 1997 THIRTY-EIGHTH PARLIAMENT FIRST SESSION—FIFTH PERIOD BY AUTHORITY OF THE SENATE CANBERRA CONTENTS THURSDAY, 23 OCTOBER Privilege ............................................. 7901 Notices of Motion— Privileges Committee .................................. 7902 Petitions— Australian Broadcasting Corporation ........................ 7902 Logging and Woodchipping .............................. 7902 Notices of Motion— Amnesty International .................................. 7903 Koongarra Uranium Mine ............................... 7903 Road Transport Reform (Dangerous Goods) Regulations .......... 7903 Community Affairs References Committee ................... 7903 Racism ............................................ 7904 Committees— Selection of Bills Committee—Report ...................... 7904 Order of Business— Government Business .................................. 7908 Introduction of Legislation .............................. 7908 General Business ..................................... 7908 Importation of Cooked Chicken Meat ....................... 7908 Whale Meat ......................................... 7908 Oakajee Port and Industrial Estate ......................... 7909 Committees— Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee— Extension of Time .................................. 7909 Order of Business— Australian Workplace Agreements ......................... 7909 East Timor ......................................... 7909 Notices of Motion ...................................... 7909 Committees— Corporations and Securities Committee—Meeting .............. 7909 Constitutional Convention ................................. 7909 Human Rights ......................................... 7910 ACIL Economics ....................................... 7911 Parliamentary Service Bill 1997— Report of Appropriations and Staffing Committee .............. 7915 Farm Household Support Amendment (Restart and Exceptional Circumstances) Bill 1997— First Reading ........................................ 7915 Second Reading ...................................... 7915 Workplace Relations and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 1997— In Committee ........................................ 7917 National Road Transport Commission Amendment Bill 1997— Second Reading ...................................... 7943 Ministerial Arrangements ................................. 7944 Questions Without Notice— Nursing Homes ...................................... 7944 Greenhouse Gases .................................... 7945 Nursing Homes ...................................... 7946 Privatisation ......................................... 7947 Nursing Homes ...................................... 7949 Greenhouse Gases .................................... 7949 Nursing Homes ...................................... 7950 Greenhouse Gases .................................... 7952 Nursing Homes ...................................... 7953 Violence ........................................... 7955 Nursing Homes ...................................... 7956 Oakajee Port and Industrial Development .................... 7956 CONTENTS—continued Answers to Questions Without Notice— Clerk of the Senate .................................... 7957 Importation of Cooked Chicken Meat ....................... 7958 Nursing Homes ...................................... 7959 Personal Explanations .................................... 7965 Notices of Motion— Superannuation Committee .............................. 7966 Documents— Parliamentary Zone: Administrative Building .................. 7966 Committees— Membership ......................................... 7966 Matters of Urgency— Unemployment ....................................... 7966 Suspension of Standing Orders ............................ 7971 Industry Policy ........................................ 7977 Documents— Commonwealth Ombudsman ............................. 7994 Nuclear Safety Bureau—38th and 39th Reports ................ 7996 Judge Advocate General ................................ 7997 Veterans’ Review Board ................................ 7998 Civil Aviation Safety Authority ........................... 7999 National Health and Medical Research Council ................ 8000 Horticultural Research and Development Corporation ............ 8001 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner . 8002 Consideration ........................................ 8004 Committees— Economics References Committee—Report ................... 8005 Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee: Joint—Report ............ 8006 Consideration ........................................ 8007 Adjournment— Orphans of the Empire ................................. 8007 In the Shadow of the Cross .............................. 8007 Industry Policy ....................................... 8009 Parliamentary Privilege ................................. 8011 Parliamentary Privilege ................................. 8013 Documents— Tabling ............................................ 8014 Questions on Notice— Minister for Industrial Relations: Media Monitoring Services— (Question No. 711) .................................. 8015 Taxation: Motor Vehicle Claims—(Question No. 738) ........... 8015 Department of Environment, Sport and Territories: Grants and Programs—(Question No. 792) .......................... 8016 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission: Grants and Programs—(Question No. 801) .......................... 8023 Government Contracts—(Question No. 818) .................. 8027 Government Contracts—(Question No. 820) .................. 8029 Government Contracts—(Question No. 825) .................. 8031 Department of Social Security: Salary Packaging—(Question No. 841) 8031 Australian Ethnic Radio Training Project—(Question No. 861) ..... 8032 Australian Taxation Office: Lamesa Holdings BV—(Question No. 867) 8033 Child Care—(Question No. 888) .......................... 8036 Nursing Home Accommodation—(Question No. 889) ............ 8036 SENATE 7901 Thursday, 23 October 1997 ised disclosure have been regarded as meeting the criteria for giving precedence to a motion. There is a difficulty with the matter raised The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. by Senator Bolkus, however. One of the Margaret Reid) took the chair at 9.30 a.m., persons named in Senator Bolkus’s letter, Mr and read prayers. Entsch, is a member of the House of Repre- sentatives, and past presidential rulings have PRIVILEGE made it clear that the Senate cannot inquire The PRESIDENT—Senator Bolkus, by into the conduct of a member of the House of letter dated 21 October 1997, has raised a Representatives, other than a minister acting matter of privilege under standing order 81 in the capacity of a minister. Only the House and asked that precedence be given under that of Representatives can inquire into the con- standing order to a motion relating to the duct of its members other than ministers matter. acting in that capacity. Rulings to this effect The question he raises is whether two were given by President Sibraa on 17 May documents of the Joint Committee on Native 1988 and by President Beahan on 19 Septem- Title and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait ber 1994. Islander Land Fund have been dealt with by Although Mr Williams is a minister and the Attorney-General, Mr Daryl Williams MP, may be taken to have been acting in that the Special Minister of State, Senator capacity in dealing with the documents in Minchin, or Mr Warren Entsch MP, in a question, the evidence of his dealing with the manner not authorised by the joint committee. documents is his disclosure of them in the I am required by the standing order to course of proceedings in the House of Repre- determine whether a motion to refer the sentatives. The Senate cannot inquire into matter to the Privileges Committee should proceedings in the House of Representatives. have precedence, having regard to the follow- I therefore determine that precedence may ing criteria: be given to a motion relating to the matter raised by Senator Bolkus only in so far as it (a) the principle that the Senate’s power to relates to unauthorised dealings with commit- adjudge and deal with contempts should be tee documents other than by members of the used only where it is necessary to provide House of Representatives who are not reasonable protection for the Senate and its ministers and other than in the course of committees and for senators against improper proceedings in the House of Representatives. acts tending substantially to obstruct them in the performance of their functions, and should On 20 June 1996 the Senate adopted a not be used in respect of matters which recommendation of the Privileges Committee appear to be of a trivial nature or unworthy of that, in cases of unauthorised disclosure of the attention of the Senate; and committee documents, the committee con- cerned should in the first instance inquire into (b) the existence of any remedy other than the disclosure and determine whether it had that power for any act which may be held to a tendency substantially to interfere with the be a contempt. work of the committee or of the Senate. The Past presidential rulings have explained that resolution adopting this procedure, however, a matter is given precedence if it is capable explicitly does not prevent a Senator raising of being held by the Senate to meet criterion a matter of privilege under standing order 81 (a) and if there