COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SENATE Official Hansard WEDNESDAY, 11 DECEMBER 1996 THIRTY-EIGHTH PARLIAMENT FIRST SESSION—SECOND PERIOD BY AUTHORITY OF THE SENATE CANBERRA CONTENTS WEDNESDAY, 11 DECEMBER Petitions— Industrial Relations .................................... 7115 Australian Broadcasting Corporation ........................ 7115 Child Care .......................................... 7115 Triple J ............................................ 7116 Rural Cutbacks ...................................... 7116 Point Lillias ......................................... 7116 Point Lillias ......................................... 7116 Airport: Holsworthy ................................... 7116 Airport: Holsworthy ................................... 7117 Veterans Entitlement Legislation .......................... 7117 Humanitarian Migration Program .......................... 7117 Notices of Motion— Introduction of Legislation .............................. 7117 Introduction of Legislation .............................. 7118 Introduction of Legislation .............................. 7118 Introduction of Legislation .............................. 7118 Order of Business— Overseas Travel by Senior Officials ........................ 7118 US Defence Force Personnel in Australia .................... 7118 Corporations and Securities Committee ...................... 7118 Government Business .................................. 7118 Tibet .............................................. 7118 Human Rights ....................................... 7118 Austudy Regulations ................................... 7118 Committees— Finance and Public Administration References Committee—Reference 7118 Immigration .......................................... 7118 Committees— Economics References Committee—Reference ................. 7119 National Capital Planning Authority .......................... 7119 Nuclear Weapons ....................................... 7119 Nobel Peace Prize Committee .............................. 7120 Budget 1996-97— Consideration of Appropriation Bills by Legislation Committees- Additional Information ............................... 7120 Registration of Senators’ Interests ........................... 7121 Workplace Relations and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 1996— Report of the Economics Legislation Committee ............... 7121 Telstra (Dilution of Public Ownership) Bill 1996— In Committee ........................................ 7121 Distinguished Visitors ................................... 7132 Telstra (Dilution of Public Ownership) Bill 1996— In Committee ........................................ 7132 Matters of Public Interest— Compulsory Voting ................................... 7150 Victorian Casino ..................................... 7153 Whistleblowers ...................................... 7156 Tasmania ........................................... 7158 Republic ........................................... 7161 Logging and Woodchipping .............................. 7163 Questions Without Notice— Private Health Insurance ................................ 7164 Interest Rates: Family Tax Initiative ........................ 7165 Taxation: Cooperatives ................................. 7166 Taxation: Family Benefit ................................ 7167 Taxation: Mining Prospectors ............................ 7168 Social Security: Charities ............................... 7169 CONTENTS—continued Unemployment: Labour Market Assistance ................... 7170 Energy Resources ..................................... 7173 Unemployment: Labour Market Assistance ................... 7174 Euthanasia Legislation ................................. 7175 Pensions: British Expatriates ............................. 7176 Poultry: Newcastle Disease .............................. 7176 Families ........................................... 7178 Banking ........................................... 7178 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Unauthorised Disclosures . 7179 Adoption of Orphans in People’s Republic of China ............. 7180 Questions On Notice— Question No. 240 ..................................... 7181 Question No. 235 ..................................... 7181 Question No. 249 ..................................... 7182 Questions Without Notice— Defence: Glenn Review ................................ 7182 Beijing Platform of Action For Women ....................... 7183 Questions Without Notice— Office of Government Information and Advertising ............. 7184 Unemployment: Labour Market Assistance ................... 7185 Euthanasia Legislation ................................. 7190 Order of Business— Government Documents ................................ 7191 Days and Hours of Meeting ............................... 7192 Notices of Motion— Days and Hours of Meeting .............................. 7192 Consideration of Appropriation Bills by Legislation Committees .... 7192 1996 Progress Report to The People ......................... 7193 Documents— Auditor-General’s Reports—Report No. 20 of 1996-97 ........... 7202 Auditor-General’s Reports—Report No. 21 of 1996-97 ........... 7202 Committees— Scrutiny of Bills Committee—Report ....................... 7202 Public Works Committee—Report ......................... 7202 Budget 1996-97— Consideration of Appropriation Bills by Legislation Committees—Additional Information ..................... 7204 Committees— Public Accounts Committee .............................. 7204 Telstra (Dilution of Public Ownership) Bill 1996— In Committee ........................................ 7204 Order of Business— Days and Hours of Meeting .............................. 7239 Telstra (Dilution of Public Ownership) Bill 1996— In Committee ........................................ 7239 Adoption of Report .................................... 7242 Third Reading ....................................... 7245 Adjournment— Nuclear Weapons ..................................... 7246 Documents— Tabling ............................................ 7248 Tabling ............................................ 7249 Questions On Notice— Mercenaries—(Question No. 291) ......................... 7250 SENATE 7115 Wednesday, 11 December 1996 7. The secondary boycott provisions should be preserved in their existing form. 8. The powers and responsibility of the AIRC to ensure the principle of equal pay for The PRESIDENT (Senator the Hon. work of equal value should be preserved in Margaret Reid) took the chair at 9.30 a.m., its existing form. We oppose any attempt by and read prayers. the Coalition to restrict the AIRC from dealing with overaward gender based pay PETITIONS equity issues. The Clerk—Petitions have been lodged for 9. A ‘fair go all round’ for unfair dismissal so presentation as follows: that all workers currently able to access these remedies are able to do so in a fair Industrial Relations manner, at no cost. To the Honourable President and Members of the 10. Workers under state industrial regulations Senate in Parliament assembled: maintain their rights to access the federal We the undersigned citizens respectfully submit awards system in its current form. that any reform to Australia’s system of industrial Your petitioners therefore urge the Senate to relations should recognise the special needs of reject the above proposed reforms to the area of employees to be protected from disadvantage, ex- industrial relations. ploitation and discrimination in the workplace. by Senator Faulkner (from nine citizens). We the petitioners oppose the Coalition policies which represent a fundamentally anti-worker regime Australian Broadcasting Corporation and we call upon the Senate to provide an effective To the Honourable the President and members of check and balance to the Coalition’s legislative the Senate in Parliament assembled: program by rejecting such a program and ensuring that: This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the Senate your 1. The existing powers of the Australian petitioners’ appreciation of the vital role the ABC Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) be plays in the development of Australian culture and maintained to provide for an effective in the provision of quality news and information independent umpire overseeing awards and services, including in regional Australia. workplace bargaining processes. Proposed alterations to the ABC charter and cuts 2. The proposed system of Australian Work- to its funding and staff levels will have an extreme- place Agreements (AWAs) should be sub- ly adverse effect on the ABC’s performance of ject to the same system of approval required these roles. for the approval of certified agreements (through enterprise bargaining). Specifically, Your petitioners express their grave concern that an AWA should not come into effect unless the Government proposes to break its unequivocal it is approved by the AIRC. election promise to maintain current levels of ABC funding and proposes to redefine the ABC’s role so 3. The approval of agreements contained in the that it has a narrower focus and is more politically legislation should be public and open to acceptable to the Howard Government. scrutiny. There should be provision for the involvement of parties who have a material Your petitioners request that the Senate ensures concern relating to the approval of an the current ABC charter, funding and staffing levels agreement, including unions seeking to are maintained so that the ABC retains its inde- maintain the no