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Speeches
I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion of the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads that is before this place today, a motion that recognises the indispensable role that local governments continue to play in responding to the interests and needs of the local communities they serve.
Today I want to speak about concerns that local constituents in my electorate of Calwell have raised with me over the future of televised sporting events currently available on free-to-air television. I suspect that many of my colleagues in this place would have already received a large number of emails via the ‘Save My Sport’ campaign from local constituents equally worried about the future of free-to-air sporting events that they love to watch so dearly.
I join my colleague the member for Hotham, and indeed other members on this side of the House who have spoken in this debate, in opposing the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2006 that is currently before us in the House. It is a bill that seeks to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Mr Speaker, 25 November each year marks the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day aims to raise public awareness about the many forms of violence that women around the world still experience and calls on the international community to present a united front against such violence.
I would firstly like to congratulate the member for Cunningham on giving the House an opportunity to debate the impact of the government’s Work Choices legislation on Australian working women. Trying to balance work and family commitments is an ongoing challenge in most women’s lives. Often, these two commitments pull us in two different directions.
Report of the Inquiry into certain Australian companies in relation to the UN Oil-for-food Programme
The findings of the Inquiry into certain Australian companies in relation to the UN Oil-For-Food Programme, chaired by the Hon. Terence Cole and otherwise known as the Cole inquiry, were finally tabled in parliament this week. This report has been much anticipated, certainly by this side of the House, and has certainly been the subject of intense media and public interest and speculation.
Can I take this opportunity to say to my colleague the member for Banks: ‘ditto’ on a wonderful speech. I am very pleased to be speaking to the Australian Citizenship Bill 2005 today. I would like to begin with some history on the Australian Citizenship Act. With its passing into law on 29 January 1949, the Australian Citizenship Act established Australian citizenship as a legal category for the very first time.
PROHIBITION OF HUMAN CLONING FOR REPRODUCTION AND THE REGULATION OF HUMAN EMBRYO RESEARCH AMENDMENT BILL 2006
Ms VAMVAKINOU (Calwell) (5.22 p.m.)—The Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction and the Regulation of Human Embryo Research Amendment Bill 2006 seeks to amend the Prohibition of Human Cloning Act 2002 and the Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002 in line with recommendations made by the Lockhart committee in its report released on 19 December 2005.
