The National Health Reform Amendment (Independent Hospital Pricing Authority) Bill 2011 establishes the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority by amending the National Health Reform Act 2011. This is another one of the bureaucracies being established as part of so-called health reform. This one is s... ...more
Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011
Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Bill 2011
Second Reading
Debate resumed on the motion: (Resumption of speech, from 12 October 2011)
That these bills be now read a second time.
Senator FIERRAVANTI-WELLS (New South Wales) (17:31): I was going ... ...more
I will continue with the next sad and sorry episode of the Craig Thomson saga. I have spoken of Coastal Voice in the past. This evening I would like to place on the record some important evidence given to the New South Wales Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No. 5 on 27 October ... ...more
The Steel Transformation Plan Bill was an afterthought to the clean energy package. We are dealing with it separately because it was not part of the original package. It was dreamed up when there was an outcry about the carbon tax and the Gillard government scrambled to garner support from the very ... ...more
Can I follow Senator McKenzie's lead by bringing into the chamber copies of the bills and say at the outset that today we have insult on top of insult. This government has gagged the gag on these 18 bills and that is an absolute shame, on top of the other shame that they have lied to the Australian ... ...more
I rise to speak on the tabling of the report of the Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into the funding and administration of mental health services and, in particular, the dissenting report by coalition senators. What we set out to do in our report was to talk about, as Senator Siewert ... ...more
As we commemorate World Mental Health Day this week, I would like to put on record the coalition's strong track record on mental health policy. It is this record that underpins our plans for the future of mental health services in Australia. In 2006, the coalition's Better Access to Mental Health Ca... ...more
I have previously raised matters regarding the member for Dobell. Tonight I would like to disclose further transgressions by Mr Thomson regarding his failure to disclose company directorships and association involvements in his register of interests. Despite his protestations of no wrongdoing, the d... ...more
I too rise to take note of answers given by Senator Carr to questions asked by Senators Abetz, Brandis and Cash. Senator Carr, in his usual bumbling sort of attitude comes in here today and there is this sort of serial amnesia that the government now suffers from, conveniently forgetting—this is the... ...more
My colleagues have previously spoken about safety and the importance of ensuring that nuclear power plants have the appropriate safety mechanisms. I endorse those comments. I also endorse the comments that Senator Abetz made before me about the need to have a balanced consideration of this matter. O... ...more