PARLIAMENTARY PRACTICE – AUSTRALIA

I won’t vote on any bills, vows Culleton

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-Nov-16

One Nation senator Rod Culleton has indicated that he will abstain from voting in the Senate while the constitutional validity of his election in July remains uncertain. The High Court may be asked to determine whether Culleton was entitled to be elected, as he had been convicted of a criminal offence at the time of the 2016 federal election. Meanwhile, there has been speculation of a rift between Culleton and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

ABCC bill passes House of Reps

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Original article by
Skynew.com.au – Page: Online : 19-Oct-16

The Federal Government’s bill to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission was passed by the House of Representatives on 18 October 2016. The Government is negotiating with crossbenchers to pass the bill in the Senate. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the ABCC bill and the registered organisations bill are aimed at boosting the economy rather than targeting unions. However, Coalition backbench MP Andrew Laming has questioned whether unions are still necessary.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS

Senate rides shotgun on IR bills

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 18-Oct-16

The Australian Government is hopeful that all but one senate crossbencher, Jacqui Lambie, will be open to supporting its bills to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission and establish a Registered Organisations Commission. However, some crossbenchers have a list of policies they want implemented in return for their support. Amongst other things, Nick Xenophon will press for imported building materials to be subject to local building standards and increased protection for whistleblowers, while David Leyonhjelm wants importation of the seven-shot Adler shotgun to be legalised.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, HOME AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

One Nation: freedom not union rule

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Oct-16

One Nation has indicated that it is likely to support the Federal Government’s bills to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission and establish a Registered Organisations Commission. One Nation has voted in favour of a bill to protect the rights of emergency services volunteers. Industrial relations spokesman Senator Malcolm Roberts says the party believes that volunteers should not be subject to union control, and it is likely to adopt the same principle when voting on the Government’s key industrial relations reforms.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Senate passes CFA laws

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Original article by Rob Harris, James Campbell
Herald Sun – Page: 1 & 2 : 11-Oct-16

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has welcomed the passing of amendments to the Fair Work Act to protect the rights of emergency services volunteers. Cash has described it as a "major victory" for Victorian Country Fire Authority volunteers in their dispute over an enterprise agreement. A total of 37 senators voted in favour of the Federal Government’s amendments, including 10 of the 11 crossbench senators, while 31 senators voted against the bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADES VICTORIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF JUSTICE AND REGULATION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Families to wear cost of budget savings deal

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-Sep-16

The Australian Government will press ahead with $A6.3bn worth of savings measures after the Opposition agreed to support its proposed changes to family tax benefits. The Australian Labor Party will support 20 of the 24 savings initiatives that were included in the Government’s "omnibus" bill, with both sides of politics agreeing to some concessions. The Government has backed down on measures such as abolition of the clean energy supplement for welfare recipients.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY

Government faces delay on ‘urgent’ cuts

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 30-Aug-16

The Australian Government will introduce 26 separate bills to Parliament in coming days, although its "omnibus" and superanuation reform bills will be delayed. The Australian Labor Party was not given a copy of the omnibus bill at its caucus meeting on 29 August 2016, while some Labor MPs oppose several of the proposed measures to reduce government spending. Meanwhile, the Government is yet to reach consensus within its own ranks regarding the lifetime cap on non-concessional super contributions.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, COUNCIL ON THE AGEING, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Gay marriage vote is left at the altar

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 30-Aug-16

The Australian Government will not have sufficient numbers in the Senate to pass its enabling legislation for a plebiscite on same-sex marriage, after Derryn Hinch and the Nick Xenophon Team decided to vote against it. The Australian Labor Party and the Greens had already committed to rejecting the legislation, and favour a direct vote by Parliament on the issue rather than a plebiscite. The legalisation of same-sex marriage is now unlikely to be on the political agenda again until after the next federal election.

CORPORATES
NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN MARRIAGE EQUALITY INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Hanson’s power bloc holds key in ABCC union battle

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 5-Aug-16

The support of One Nation in the Senate may be crucial to the Coalition’s chances of passing legislation to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission. The Coalition will have 30 seats in the new Senate, while the Australian Labor Party and the Greens will have 26 and nine respectively. The Coalition will need 39 votes to pass the ABCC bill in the upper house, or 114 in a joint sitting of Parliament. One Nation senator-elect Brian Burston has indicated that he is likely to support the ABCC bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

Senate count favours ABCC bill

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 6 : 4-Aug-16

The Federal Government’s chances of getting its Australian Building & Construction Commission legislation passed by a joint sitting of Parliament have been bolstered after the Liberal Party’s Jane Hume won the final Senate seat in Victoria. The Government needs 114 votes in a joint sitting, and it will commence negotiations with crossbenchers to support the bill. The final two Senate seats are expected to be decided shortly.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, ONE NATION PARTY, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION