SENATOR BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (17:46): I rise to offer in-principle support for the Water Amendment (Long-term Average Sustainable Diversion Limited Adjustment) Bill 2012, and to welcome the arrival of this legislation for debate in the Senate because it signals, I hope, that we are getting very close to the end of a very long, tortuous…
DetailsSENATOR BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (16:42): I rise to speak on this matter of public importance. Ten minutes is nowhere near long enough to go through the systematic government waste and incompetence of the Rudd and Gillard governments. Ten minutes is nowhere near long enough to go through even the systematic government waste and incompetence exposed…
DetailsSENATOR BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia): (12:37):I trust that is due respect being shown to the chair from the other side of the chamber. It is a pleasure to speak on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development) Bill 2012. I assure the chamber…
DetailsSENATOR BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (17:13): I seek leave to move a motion in relation to the response by the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities regarding the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Leave granted. SENATOR BIRMINGHAM: I move: That the Senate take note of the document. This is a brief response from the minister to…
DetailsSENATOR BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (13:57): I rise to continue this debate on the Migration Legislation Amendment (The Bali Process) Bill 2012. This is a very complex and serious issue, but it is underscored with one very simple question: how do we stop the human tragedy of lives being lost at sea with minimal impact on…
DetailsSENATOR BIRMINGAM: (South Australia) (17:31): On behalf of the Chair of Joint Standing Committee on Treaties I present the 126th report on Treaty relating to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement tabled on 21 November 2011. In taking note of this report on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement-or ACTA, as it has become known-which was tabled in the…
DetailsSENATOR BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (10:51): It is a pleasure to follow Senator Nash in this debate on this appalling piece of legislation, the Passenger Movement Charge Amendment Bill 2012. Senator Nash has highlighted so many of the flaws in this proposal and just how much these flaws are a result of the hopeless management of…
DetailsSENATOR BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (15:50): I thank the Senate for the support in considering this matter of public importance: the failure during the two years of the Gillard prime ministership to honour the commitment to fix the climate change, mining tax and border protection policy disasters. It is important to remember that this year we…
DetailsSENATOR BIRMINGHAM:(South Australia) (17:00): I want to commence my contribution to this debate with a quote: You do not just need to be here in this chamber to realise how arrogant and out of touch this government has become, with the ramming through of legislation, ridiculously tight deadlines for legislation, changing the sitting pattern all…
DetailsSENATOR BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (12:52): It is a pleasure to present this report on a series of treaties tabled on 7 and 28 February 2012. One of the more important treaties to put some remarks on the record about is the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment…
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