NOTICES

Notices of motion:

The Chair of the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee (Senator Back): To move on the next day of sitting—That the following matter be referred to the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee for inquiry and report by 1 March 2012:

All aspects of higher education and skills training to support future demand in agriculture and agribusiness in Australia, including:

 (a) the adequacy and priority given to funding in the agriculture and agribusiness higher education and vocational education and training (VET) sectors by federal, state and territory governments;

 (b) the significant decline in agricultural and related educational facilities in the past decade, including reasons and impacts;

 (c) solutions to address the widening gap between demand and supply for higher education and VET sector graduates in agriculture and agribusiness in Australia;

 (d) the impact of this shortage in terms of agriculture research, bio-security and food security;

 (e) the economic impact on Australia's terms of trade and reputation as a trusted supplier of high-quality foodstuffs to world markets; and

 (f) any related matters.

Senator Wright: To move on the next day of sitting—That the Senate—

 (a) notes a recent report by the Climate Institute, A climate of suffering: the real costs of living with inaction on climate change, which concludes that the mental health of Australians, particularly rural Australians, is being adversely affected by climate change;

 (b) recognises that:

  (i) rural Australia is already experiencing increased levels of suicide and mental health issues compared to the rest of Australia, and climate change will increase stress and trigger more suicide in some of our most vulnerable communities,

  (ii) reported figures of a suicide per week in rural Australia are of great concern and likely to be under-reported,

  (iii) suicide in a rural community affects everyone in the community, and

  (iv) rural Australians are very resourceful and taking positive action can counteract mental health problems; and

 (c) calls on the Government to:

  (i) ensure adequate funding for rural mental health services, and

  (ii) investigate ways to assist rural Australia in adapting to climate change. (general business notice of motion no. 418)

The Chairman of the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills (Senator Fifield): To move on the next day of sitting—That the time for the presentation of the report of the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills on the future direction and role of the committee be extended to 30 November 2011. (general business notice of motion no. 419)

Senator Fierravanti-Wells: To move on the next day of sitting—That—

 (a) the Senate:

  (i) notes that:

   (A) more than 680 000 Australians have received treatment for dental care under the Medicare Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (the scheme),

   (B) more than 11 million dental services have been provided under the scheme,

   (C) on 10 June 2010, the Minister for Human Services (Ms Plibersek) announced a Medicare Australia taskforce (the taskforce) had been established to investigate dentists' compliance with the scheme, and

   (D) initial audits had been carried out on 49 dentists with a further 250 dentists to be audited,

  (ii) recognises that most dentists act in good faith in providing much-needed services under the scheme, and

  (iii) calls on the Government to desist from pursuing onerous financial restitution from dentists who have made inadvertent, minor or other administrative errors in providing appropriate clinical services to eligible patients; and

 (b) there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing (Senator Ludwig), by 5 pm on Monday, 31 October 2011, the following:

  (i) the number of dentists audited by the taskforce to 31 October 2011 and, as a result, the number of dentists required to:

   (A) repay Medicare benefits,

   (B) repay Medicare benefits where the services claimed have not been provided, and

   (C) repay Medicare benefits where the audit process found services claimed had not been provided, and

  (ii) copies of all documentation provided to dentists about the scheme since it commenced. (general business notice of motion no. 420)

Senators Milne and Hanson-Young: To move on 21 September 2011—That the Senate—

 (a) recalls, with regret, that on 19 November 2001, the SIEV X carrying approximately 400 asylum seekers sank on its way to Australia, resulting in the drowning of 146 children, 142 women and 65 men and only 41 people survived;

 (b) notes that:

  (i) in interviews with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, survivors told of the involvement of the Indonesian military in the boarding and organising of the voyage,

  (ii) survivors reported that they saw two military vessels appear, shine lights on the water and sail away,

  (iii) HMAS Arunta stood 4 hours away,

  (iv) Australia maintained a People Smuggling Disruption Program in the region at the time,

  (v) the Australian listening station at Shoal Bay was operational at the time, and

  (vi) many outstanding serious questions remain about the failure to rescue desperate people in the water and must be answered in the interests of justice and humanity; and

 (c) calls on the Government to establish a judicial inquiry into the SIEV X, subsequent investigations in the SIEV X tragedy and all circumstances pertaining to its voyage, loss and rescue of survivors. (general business notice of motion no. 421)

Notice of motion withdrawn: The Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown) withdrew general business notice of motion no. 335 standing in his name for today, relating to News International Limited.