Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2012, Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives (Medicare Levy Surcharge-Fringe Benefits) Bill 2012, Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives (Medicare Levy Surcharge) Bill 2012

Speeches

SENATOR BIRMINGHAM (South Australia) (18:06): I come to this debate with a fairly firm belief. It is a belief that private investment in activities like health care is something that should be encouraged. It is a belief that the systems that we support out of this place-that are society, that are government, that are laws-should…

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Kony 2012 – Adjournment speech

Speeches

SENATOR BIRMINGHAM (South Australia) (19:52): Many people grapple with new media and how it can be used for good and how we can ensure that, as a society, it achieves positive benefits. We have seen over recent years many social, political and corporate successes and failures as people have made different forays into the use of…

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Murray Darling Basin – Adjournment Speech

Speeches

SENATOR BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (19:31): One of the first issues I addressed in the parliament was the future of the River Murray. It was partly out of my own personal concerns for better management of the Murray, it was partly as a result of it being the top issue confronting people in my home state…

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Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Bioregional Plans) Bill 2011 2nd Reading

Speeches

Senator BIRMINGHAM: (11:29): It is good to follow Senator Back, who is very knowledgeable in these areas and has highlighted particularly some of the local concerns about the impact of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Bioregional Plans) Bill 2011 and of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which Senator Colbeck is seeking…

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Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011

Speeches

Senator BIRMINGHAM: (12:28): I rise to speak on Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 and the Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Bill 2011, and I do so having had, I think, a track record in my few years in this place of expressing reservations where appropriate about proposals that governments introduce that increase the nanny-state…

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