Motions

Snowy River

Motion | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Thursday 26th November 2009, 11:22am
in

That the Senate

  1. Notes the failure of the NSW Government to establish the Snowy River Scientific Committee in a timely fashion prior to the first Five-Year Review of the Snowy Water License (as required by the legislation);
  2. Notes that a decision on whether to allow environmental water to be released to the Snowy River from Mowamba weir in addition to Jindabyne Dam would require at least six months to allow the Snowy Scientific Committee to complete further studies as required;
  3. Notes that if a decision to amend the License to allow environmental water releases via Mowamba Weir as well as Jindabyne Dam is made after the finalisation of the Snowy Water License review this could result in substantial compensation needing to be provided to Snowy Hydro Ltd;
  4. Calls on the Commonwealth Government to insist that the NSW Government delay finalisation of the Snowy Water License Review for at least six months, to allow the Snowy Scientific Committee to review the environmental benefits of permitting releases from Mowamba Weir, in order to make a decision on this issue during the time of the Review and thus avoid the risk of unnecessary compensation.

Question agreed to.

NTER redesign consultations - order of documents

Motion | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Thursday 26th November 2009, 12:00am
in

I move:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (Senator Evans), no later than Friday, 4 December 2009, the complete and unedited transcripts of all four tiers of consultation meetings held under the Northern Territory Emergency Response Redesign Consultation process and any associated documents.

Unpaid Overtime in Australia

Motion | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Wednesday 25th November 2009, 12:00am
in

That the Senate notes:

  1. 25 November 2009 is national Go Home On Time Day;
  2. Australians work more than 2 billion hours of unpaid overtime each year;
  3. Australians work the longest hours in the western world;
  4. excessive unpaid overtime has significant industrial, economic and social implications; and
  5. long working hours can have negative consequences for physical and mental health and personal relationships.

Question agreed to.

Suicide Prevention

Motion | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Wednesday 25th November 2009, 12:00am
in

I, and also on behalf of Senators Moore and Adams, move:

That the Senate-

  1. notes that Sunday, 29 November 2009 is the inaugural R U OK? Day, a suicide prevention initiative that brings Australians together to help prevent the isolation that can play a part in someone considering, or taking, their own life;
  2. acknowledges the need to inspire Australians to reach out to anyone struggling, to show that people care and are there to help;
  3. is aware that suicide claims the lives of approximately 2 000 people each year and is the biggest killer of men and women 15 to 35 years old; and
  4. recognises that a simple conversation could change a life and that the key thing someone can do is regularly ask the people we care about, ‘Are you OK?', regardless of whether they are at risk or not, as that connection is good for all of us.

Question agreed to.

Commonwealth Dialysis Resources

Motion | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Wednesday 25th November 2009, 12:00am
in

I move:

That the Senate calls on the Federal Government to require that the use of Commonwealth dialysis resources, including the provision of the transportable dialysis facility in Alice Springs, is contingent on the lifting of the Northern Territory government's ban on new interstate renal patients, so that all citizens can access these services on the basis of need.

Motion lost

Phytophthora cinnamomi

Motion | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Monday 23rd November 2009, 12:00am
in

I, and on behalf of Senator Macdonald, move:

That the Senate:

  1. notes the significant disease threat posed by the introduced species Phytophthora cinnamomi to ecological communities across Australia;
  2. expresses disappointment with the lack of effective action at the national level to address the scale of this threat; and
  3. calls on the Commonwealth Government to:
    1. develop an effective national threat abatement plan including specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound goals, objectives and actions, and
    2. negotiate on the basis of this plan with state and territory agencies and land managers to leverage the resources, commitments and expertise needed to deliver its outcomes.

World Toilet Day

Motion | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Wednesday 18th November 2009, 4:52pm
in
  1. That the Senate notes:
    1. Thursday 19th November 2009 is World Toilet Day - a day to celebrate the importance of sanitation and raise awareness for the world's population who don't have access to toilets and proper sanitation;
    2. 2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation, which risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people (mostly children) a year;
    3. lack of proper sanitation is the world's biggest cause of malnutrition and infection, causing diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid and worm infections that kill 5,000 children each day;
    4. clean toilets contribute to poverty eradication by protection one's health and ability to work;
    5. safe collection and treatment of human waste and other various wastewaters protects drinking water sources and eco-systems, creating clean and healthy living environments, particularly in urban areas;
    6. the Millennium Development Goals (supported by all parties in the Australian Parliament) cannot be reached unless sanitation conditions are rapidly improved;
    7. the upcoming Global Framework for Action on Water and Sanitation meeting in Washington April 2010 is the opportunity for global support of the sanitation policy leadership of the UK, Dutch and Australian Governments;
  2. And calls upon the Government to;
    1. invest via its aid program in programs and projects aimed at improving sanitation levels, increasing the number of public toilets, and improving their cleanliness and accessibility;
    2. ensure that the Australian Government plays a constructive, proactive role at the Global Framework for Action on Water and Sanitation meeting in Washington April 2010, and;
    3. report the proportion of development aid spent on sanitation.

Kidney dialysis in the NT

Motion | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Tuesday 17th November 2009, 4:25pm
in

That the Senate:

  1. Notes the recent decision by the Northern Territory Government to refuse to provide renal health services to new interstate patients in the border regions of WA and SA is leading to significant hardship and poor health outcomes and potentially putting lives at risk;
  2. Raises concern over the plight of Patrick Tjungurrayi, a renown member of the Pupunya Tula group of artists who together raised a million dollars to establish dialysis services in Alice Springs and Kintore, which Patrick is now unable to access;
  3. Calls on the Federal Minister for Health, Nicola Roxon to negotiate an outcome to this impasse and an end to the interstate ban;
  4. Suggests the Federal, Northern Territory, West Australian and South Australian Governments put in place interim measures to address unmet demand prior to the establishment of the new 15 seat renal unit in Alice Springs, including the provision of additional resources to enable night dialysis;
  5. Highlights the rising demand for kidney dialysis by Aboriginal Australians in central Australia and other regions and recommends that a longer term planning process is needed to assess and respond to projected growth in the need for renal services.

Motion passed

Montara oil spill inquiry

Motion | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Thursday 17th September 2009, 12:00am
in

Senator SIEWERT (Western Australia) (10.16am)-I move:
That the Senate-
(a) notes the intention of the Government to hold an inquiry into the Montara oil spill; and
(b) calls on the Government to ensure that the terms of reference for the inquiry include:
(i) the resource management implications of the oil spill,
(ii) the environmental impact and potential impact of the oil spill,
(iii) an assessment of the management and effectiveness of responses to the oil spill, including coordination across the Commonwealth Government and across jurisdictions,
(iv) the provision and accessibility of relevant information to affected stakeholders and the public, and
(v) other related matters.

Threat Abatement Plan for disease in natural ecosystems caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi

Motion | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Wednesday 16th September 2009, 12:00am
in

I move:

That the Threat Abatement Plan for disease in natural ecosystems caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi (2009), made under section 279 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, be disallowed.