Parliament wrap-up: 22 - 25 November 2021

Written By Not Too Young To Team

This week the House of Representatives was sitting. Throughout the week there were a range of noteworthy bills, discussions and outlined are some key highlights from Question Time. 

 

Key highlights

  •  A prominent highlight of this week was when two members of the House of Representatives crossed the floor to vote against the Morrison government. Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer crossed the floor to support an independent bill for a federal integrity commission. Following this action, Archer was called into the Prime Minister’s office for a meeting on her decision.  Prior to crossing the floor MP Bridget Archer made a 90 second statement on the Helen Haines integrity bill (more on 90 second statements later!)

  • Queensland LNP MP George Christensen voted against a government bill which makes changes to class action laws. Christensen delivered a speech in which he drew a comparison between the vaccine mandate and the Hitler regime. Within this speech, Christensen also called for ‘civil disobedience.’ The bill only required one more vote to have been defeated on a ‘tied vote.’ 

  • Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie made headlines this week after criticising One Nation leader Pauline Hanson for calling mandatory vaccines ‘discriminatory.’ In an impassioned speech Lambie asserted “being held accountable for your own actions isn’t called discrimination. It’s called being- you wouldn’t believe it- a god-damn bloody adult.”

  • Lastly, the Federal Government cancelled a proposed 2700-metre concrete runway in Antarctica. This action terminates the future 20-year construction process which may have caused significant environmental impacts in a ‘sensitive environment.’ Environment Minister Sussan Ley affirms this action strengthens Australia’s environmental commitments. 

TL;DR: What does “crossing the floor” mean?

 Crossing the floor refers to when a member of a political party votes against their party. This is significant as MP’s predominantly vote the same way and crossing the floor may demonstrate disagreement within the party. 

TL;DR: What are 90 second speeches?

A 90 second statement enables any Member to make a statement on any topic of concern for no longer than 90 seconds. 

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansardr/25173/&sid=0082 (link to 90 second statements from the 25th of November) 

Noteworthy bills

Religious discrimination Bill 2021

This bill was introduced and read for the first time on the 25thof November 2021 in the House of Representatives. The Act sets out its objectives to make it ‘unlawful to discriminate against a person on the ground of religious belief or activity in a range of areas.’ 

 

Why was the religious discrimination bill controversial? 

The religious discrimination bill has had a contentious history, with debate first commencing when the same-sex marriage legislation passed in 2017.  Equal rights advocates have raised concern in regards to the bill, claiming it may enable discriminatory statements to be made under the cover of religion. Further, the bill will strengthen religious schools’ ability to make faith-based hiring and enrolment, which may lead to further discrimination.

 

Migration Amendment (Protecting Migrant Workers) Bill 2021 

This bill seeks to amend the Migration Act 1958: ‘to establish new criminal offences and civil penalties that apply where a person coerces or exerts undue influence or pressure on a non-citizen to accept or agree to certain work arrangements.’ This will protect vulnerable migrant workers from exploitation and provide wider protections. The bill was introduced and read a first time on the 24thof November 2021 and the second reading was subsequently moved. 

 

Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced by Forced Labour) Bill 2021 [No.2] 

 The Customs Amendment Bill was introduced and read for the first time on the 22ndof November 2021. This bill proposes to amend the Customs Act 1901. The purpose of the bill is to ban the importation of goods that are produced in whole or part by forced labour. This is an effort by the Australian parliament to support international efforts to suppress modern slavery. Senator Rex Patrick originally introduced a version of this Bill in 2020 which was intended to target banning goods produced by Uyghur forced labour. The most current form of the bill will seek to ‘impose an absolute ban on the importation of goods produced in whole or part by forced labour’ regardless of ‘geographic origin.’ Ultimately, this bill will support Australia’s longstanding commitment to uphold internationally recognized rights to freedom from slavery and forced labour. 

 

TL;DR: What happens after a bill is introduced? 

After a bill is introduced it then progresses to a second reading. At this stage, members will debate and vote on the main idea of the bill. After further consideration a bill will move to a third reading in which the members will vote on the bill in its final form. If a bill is passed in the House of Representatives, it will progress to the Senate for further deliberation. Finally, if the bill is passed in the Senate, it will receive Royal Assent from the Governor-General and will become an Act of Parliament. 

Highlights from Question Time 

Question Time kicked off on Monday with heated discussion revolving around the Prime Minister’s previous family holiday in Hawaii. The issue resurfaced when asked whether he attempted to cover up his trip amidst the bushfires in late 2019.  Prime Minister Scott Morrison initially claimed that he had told Labor Leader Anthony Albanese that he was going to Hawaii but eventually admitted the holiday was undisclosed. 

Another notable question was directed at the Prime Minister by Celia Hammond MP about the economic recovery for Australia. The Prime Minister outlined how this week produced a ‘significant achievement’ as over 90% of Victorians have been vaccinated over the age of 16. Alongside this, the Prime Minister stated how Australia has had ‘one of the lowest fatality rates in the world.’ This followed the emphasis of the national plan which seeks to open up the nation and ‘secure economic recovery for Australians.’ 

In regards to the integrity commission, Labor Leader Anthony Albanese had questioned the Prime Minister on why the government had failed to implement its proposed model, almost after three years it was promised. In response, the Prime Minister affirmed that ‘the legislation is there for all to see’ and that ‘if the opposition wishes to support that legislation, they should do so and we can legislate it.’ The Prime Minister then expressed criticism for the anti-corruption commission in New South Wales, which he described as ‘an absolute disgrace’ and ‘shameful.’ He finished his response to the question by stating ‘I’m not going to have a kangaroo court taken into this parliament.’ 

 

TL;DR: Where can this legislation be accessed? 

The draft legislation can be found on the Attorney-General’s Department website. The webpage details the proposed establishment of the Commonwealth Integrity Commission (CIC) and includes the Commonwealth Integrity Commission Bill 2020 (the draft) and the Integrity and Anti- Corruption Legislation Amendment (CIC Establishment and Other Measures) Bill 2020. A fact sheet about the key features of the CIC is also available. 

On the last day of sitting week a question without notice was again raised by the Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese. He stated ‘today a majority of the house voted against the Prime Minister not once, but twice. Hasn’t the Prime Minister lost control of the house, lost control of his senators and lost control of his government?’ The Prime Minister responded succinctly, stating ‘no.’

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

About Ruth

My name is Ruth, I am a first year Law and Global Studies student and I love learning about international politics.  Outside of university, I enjoy spending my time watching too much Netflix, visiting Art Galleries and hanging out with my two rabbits!

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