Parliament wrap-up: 18 - 21 October 2021

This week both Houses of Parliament were sitting from October 18th to October 21st. Here are some highlights from the week, including key events, noteworthy bills, and some heated debate from Question Time.

New President of Senate Elected

The sitting week started off with electing a new President of the Senate after the resignation of the previous President, Senator Scott Ryan (VIC). Senator Brockman (WA) and Senator Faruqi (NSW) were nominated for the position, so a ballot took place. Senator Slade Brockman (WA) was then elected as the new President of the Senate.

• TL;DR What does the President of Senate do?

  The President of the Senate in the Australian Parliament is the presiding officer who chairs meetings of the Senate. The President is also the spokesperson for the Senate, who represents the Senate in dealings with the Governor-General, the executive government, the House of Representatives and persons outside the Parliament, and overseas. More here: The role of the President of the Senate – Parliament of Australia (aph.gov.au)

Senator Cox Makes Inspiring First Speech

After being sworn in, Senator Dorinda Cox (WA), who is the fifth Indigenous woman in federal parliament, delivered her first speech. It was inspiring as she emphasized that regardless of background, everyone has the right to belong in this system and participate in shaping the future of the country. She also spoke about climate action, domestic violence laws, and Indigenous rights in her maiden speech.

• TL;DR What is a Maiden Speech?

  A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. You can read a backlog of Maiden Speeches here: Maiden Speeches – First Speeches To Parliament | AustralianPolitics.com

Privilege Motion Against Christian Porter

Former Attorney-General, Christian Porter MP was issued a privilege motion in the House of Representatives. This was due to his refusal to reveal the anonymous donors of a blind trust that he used to fund a private legal matter. A privilege motion is raised by a member who feels that another member has breached the privilege of the House by withholding information or providing incorrect facts. The Government voted against Porter’s referral to the Privileges Committee, and the motion failed due to no Coalition member crossing the floor. This is the first time since federation that a privilege motion has not passed in the House after the Speaker gave precedence.

Noteworthy Bills

Noteworthy bills introduced this week included Independent MP, Helen Haines’ Private Member’s Bill on a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption, which was defeated and Labor’s Protecting Pensioners from the Cashless Debit Card Bill 2021 - a sign that Labor is getting ready for a Federal Election. 

• Climate Change Bill Presented in Lower House

Also introduced to Parliament this week was the Private Member’s Bill from Zali Steggall MP on climate change, presented in the House of Representatives for its first reading on October 18th. The bill needs to be presented for further readings and passed in both Houses along with any potential amendments before it becomes law. 

Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2021 addresses one of the most pressing issues of climate risk. The bill sets out a framework of national plans to progress towards net zero emissions by 2050. It proposes a modification of existing policies to ensure transparent monitoring, reporting, and accountability systems for greenhouse gas emissions. It also proposes the establishment of an independent Climate Change Commission. 

You can access the summary and explanatory memorandum of this bill here.

• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Amendment Bill Passed

The NDIS Amendment (Improving Supports for At-Risk Participants) Bill 2021 was passed on October 21st, after its final (third) reading in the Senate and will now be presented to the Governor-General for its assent (which means it becomes law).

Following recent cases of negligence and abuse within the NDIS, this bill presents clear guidelines for the sharing of protected information of participants and outlines the NDIS Quality and Safeguard Commissioner’s role. This safeguards at-risk participants by enabling a more transparent operation of the NDIS Commission. The bill also guarantees that the NDIS Act complies with an international framework for human rights. 

A detailed summary and an explanatory memorandum of this bill can be found here.

• Government’s Migration Amendment Bill 2019 Voted Down

The Morrison Government’s Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill 2019 has been voted down in the Senate during its second reading by Labor and the Greens. The bill would have given additional power to the Government to revoke or refuse visas of migrants based on the maximum possible sentence of any offense they committed, rather than the actual sentence they received. The unfair punishment would have resulted in many failing the Character Test for eligibility, and then being subject to indefinite detention over small offenses. 

Highlights from Question Time

The big topic of Question Time this week was climate change in the lead up to COP26, a summit for world leaders who must agree to net zero by 2050 - something the Coalition Government is yet to do at the time of writing. 

When asked about 2050 targets, the Prime Minister avoided answering the question directly, stating that the Liberal Party has a Coalition with the National Party and that together they have set clear goals for reducing emissions through technology, not taxes. 

The lack of transparency created an outrage, with the opposition blaming the government for lack of concern over climate action, claiming that this will result in Australia failing to meet international standards of emissions reduction. 

Question Time in the Senate also heated up over concerns of the economic impact of net zero emissions targets on rural and regional Australians. The Labor party accused the Government of a lack of concern for potential job losses in regional and rural Australia, where climate change will have the most impact.

Since then, the The Nationals and The Liberal Party have agreed to a 2050 net-zero target.

90 second speeches

This sitting week marked the first Youth Voice in Parliament week, where over 50 MPs and Senators from across the political spectrum used their 90-second statements to read out speeches sent in by constituents under the age of 21. You can see some of the snippets here: Politicians are giving young Australians a voice (sbs.com.au)

This article was written by Qazi Jafrin Kabir in collaboration with the Australian Catholic University’s Politics and International Relations Society.

About Qazi Jafrin Kabir

I am Qazi Jafrin Kabir, a Bachelor of Psychology student, minoring in Politics and IR. I am downright obsessed with Model UN conferences and can be found spending free time engrossed in books, engaging in political debate, or sleeping.