Senator BOB BROWN (Tasmania) [3:59 PM] —by leave—I amend general business notice of motion No. 283 to read as follows:

That the Senate—

(a)   notes:

(i)   the recent deportation of long-standing performer with the Sydney Dance Company and Australian citizen Xue-Jun Wang from China where he was due to perform in the week beginning 16 October 2005, and

(ii)   that China is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and that Article 18 of the covenant protects the right to religious freedom and freedom of expression;

(b)   calls on the Chinese Government to ratify the ICCPR and to uphold human rights including freedom of speech;

(c)   calls on the Australian Government to make representations to the Chinese Government on behalf of Xue-Jun Wang so that he can visit China in the future.

I move:

Question agreed to.

The following items of business were postponed:

Business of the Senate notices of motion nos 2, 3 and 4 standing in the name of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Evans) for today, proposing the disallowance of certain social security declarations, postponed till 8 November 2005.

General business notice of motion no. 286 standing in the name of the Chair of the Employment, Workplace Relations and Education References Committee (Senator Marshall) for today, relating to an extension of time for the committee to report, postponed till 13 October 2005.