NOTICES

Notices of motion:

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

 (a) notes that:

  (i) both universities and students recognise the contribution that student organisations, associations, unions and democratically elected student representatives make to the vibrancy of university culture, student life and the value of gaining a university degree for students,

  (ii) under legislation passed in 2011 to restore student services on campuses via a student services and amenities fee, universities must consult with student organisations, associations, unions and democratically elected student representatives, and can develop funding agreements to pass on the fees they collect from students,

  (iii) while some universities have both consulted and struck good funding agreements with these student organisations to pass on student services fees, other universities have still not made any commitment to pass on the student services fees they have collected to their student organisations,

  (iv) many student organisations, associations, unions and democratically elected student representatives, which have been starved of money since the Howard Government era of voluntary student unionism, are struggling to re-establish essential student services such as subsidised day care, legal services, emergency loans and book banks, and

  (v) the failure of some universities to make funding arrangements with these student organisations is causing uncertainty about the level and quality of services that can be provided to students in 2012; and

 (b) calls on the Government to encourage all universities to consult with and develop funding agreements with student organisations, associations, unions and democratically elected student representatives to pass on a proportion of the student services and amenities fees collected. (general business notice of motion no. 695)

The Chair of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee (Senator Sterle): To move on the next day of sitting—That the time for the presentation of the report of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee on the 2011-12 additional estimates be extended to 22 March 2012. (general business notice of motion no. 696)

The Chair of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee (Senator Crossin): To move on the next day of sitting—That the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Friday, 16 March 2012, from 9.30 am, to take evidence for the committee's inquiries into the Crimes Amendment (Fairness for Minors) Bill 2011 and the Migration Amendment (Removal of Mandatory Minimum Penalties) Bill 2012. (general business notice of motion no. 697)

Senator Furner: To move on the next day of sitting—That the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Friday, 16 March 2012, from 9 am, to take evidence for the committee's inquiry into the review of Defence annual report 2010-11. (general business notice of motion no. 698)

The Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (Senator Macdonald): To move on the next day of sitting—That the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Friday, 16 March 2012, from 1.30 pm, to take evidence for the committee's inquiry into the integrity of overseas Commonwealth law enforcement operations. (general business notice of motion no. 699)

Senators Xenophon, Birmingham and Hanson-Young: To move on the next day of sitting—That the Senate—

 (a) notes that:

  (i) since late 2010 the Renmark Paringa Council has made requests of the South Australian Government for assistance to reinforce levee banks along the River Murray and its tributaries and creeks in its council area in order to minimise the risk of flooding to key infrastructure and assets, including environmental assets,

  (ii) current levee banks in the Renmark Paringa Council area have not been substantially maintained since their construction in the late 1950s,

  (iii) the cost of protecting the Renmark Paringa Council area from major flooding is in the vicinity of $2.8 million for capital works, which is some 50 per cent of the council's annual revenue, and

  (iv) there is some $36.6 million in South Australian Government and Australian Government infrastructure assets in the Renmark Paringa Council area that would be at risk in a major flood event; and

 (b) calls on the South Australian Government to urgently address the need to undertake the capital works necessary to minimise the risk of flood damage in the Renmark Paringa Council area. (general business notice of motion no. 700)

The Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Bob Brown): To move on the next day of sitting—That the Senate requests that, in the absence of a final report, the Committee of Privileges should provide a progress report, not later than Monday, 19 March 2012, on the matter referred to it by the Senate on 24 November 2011. (general business notice of motion no. 701)

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

 (a) notes that:

  (i) China's twelfth 5-year plan is expected to introduce caps on coal use from 2015,

  (ii) the price of coking coal has already dropped some 40 per cent in the past year, due in large part to a drop in China's demand for imported coal,

  (iii) China expects utility scale solar power to out-compete new coal-fired power stations by the end of the decade, while the Indian Government expects the cost crossover as soon as 2016,

  (iv) India's economic giant, Tata Power, has publicly stated that its new investments will favour renewable energy, as coal power is becoming `impossible' to develop,

  (v) the Australian Bureau of Resource and Energy Economics (BREE) continues to predict that coal exports will double over the next two decades, and

  (vi) Australia is leaving itself economically exposed by focusing on the development of coal export infrastructure; and

 (b) calls on the Government to:

  (i) require BREE to review its modelling based on the current geopolitics of coal, and

  (ii) reconsider Australia's economic settings, which assume ongoing increases in the coal export market, and instead look to broaden Australia's economic base and build a more competitive clean energy economy. (general business notice of motion no. 702)

Notice of motion withdrawn: The Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water (Senator Farrell), at the request of the Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations (Senator Collins), withdrew government business notice of motion no. 1 standing in the name of Senator Collins for 21 March 2012, relating to the consideration of legislation.