NOTICES

The Chair of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee (Senator Heffernan): To move on the next day of sitting—That the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee be authorised to hold an in camera hearing during the sitting of the Senate on Tuesday, 20 November 2012, from 4.30 pm, to take evidence for the committee's inquiry into the Foreign Investment Review Board national interest test. (general business notice of motion no. 1012 )

The Chair of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee (Senator Heffernan): To move on the next day of sitting—That the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Wednesday, 21 November 2012, from 4 pm, to take evidence for the committee's inquiry into aviation accident investigation. (general business notice of motion no. 1013 )

The Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories (Senator Pratt): To move on the next day of sitting—That the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories be authorised to hold a public meeting during the sitting of the Senate on Wednesday, 28 November 2012, from noon to 1.45 pm, to take evidence for the committee's inquiries into the 2010-11 annual reports of the Department of Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government, and the National Capital Authority. (general business notice of motion no. 1014 )

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

 (a) recognises that:

  (i) the recent ruling by the United States (US) Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which found that providing material support for terrorism was not a war crime between 1996 and 2001 and therefore could not support a conviction, invalidates Mr David Hicks' conviction for this crime,

  (ii) in 2007, Mr Hicks was incarcerated in a South Australian prison for 7 months as a result of negotiations between the Australian and US Governments and on the basis of this invalid conviction, and

  (iii) in 2011, the Australian Government instituted proceedings against Mr Hicks under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 on the basis of this invalid conviction; and

 (b) calls on the Government to conduct an independent inquiry into Mr Hicks' detention, treatment and unfair trial while in US custody, as well as the role played by the Australian Government in upholding the invalid and unlawful conviction. (general business notice of motion no. 1015)

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

 (a) notes the World Health Organization (WHO) findings in relation to female genital mutilation (FGM), including:

  (i) FGM is defined by the WHO as `all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons',

  (ii) it is estimated that FGM is practiced in 28 countries in western, eastern and north-eastern Africa, in parts of the Middle East, and within some immigrant communities in Europe, North America and Australasia, and that 100 to 140 million women and girls around the world have experienced the procedure, including 92 million in Africa,

  (iii) that, in seven of the countries where FGM is practised, the national prevalence rate among women aged 15 to 49 is almost universal - more than 85 per cent,

  (iv) FGM has no known health benefits and is known to be harmful to girls and women in many different ways; it is painful and traumatic and the removal of, or damage to, healthy genital tissue interferes with the body's natural functioning and causes immediate and long-term health consequences,

  (v) in terms of impact on health:

   (A) immediate consequences of FGM can include severe pain, shock, haemorrhage, tetanus or sepsis, urine retention, open sores in the genital region and injury to nearby genital tissue, and

   (B) long-term consequences include recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, cysts, infertility, an increased risk of childbirth complications and newborn deaths and the need for later surgeries; for example, the FGM procedure that seals or narrows a vaginal opening needs to be cut open later to allow for sexual intercourse and childbirth, and

  (vi) FGM is a manifestation of deeply entrenched gender inequality and is recognised as a human rights abuse, and it constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women, a violation of the rights of the child, the rights to health, life, security, physical integrity and the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment;

 (b) acknowledges that:

  (i) several international and regional treaties have specifically identified FGM as being both a violation of the rights of women and girls and a form of discrimination, including the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, `Ending female genital mutilation' resolutions 54/7 of 2010, 52/2 of 2008 and 51/2 of 2007, and

  (ii) in Australia, any type of FGM is clearly prohibited by specific legislation in every jurisdiction; and

 (c) expresses concern at recent identified cases of FGM in Australia. (general business notice of motion no. 1016)

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

 (a) for the purpose of its inquiry into the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment (Excessive Noise from Wind Farms) Bill 2012, the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee have power to consider and make use of the evidence presented to the Community Affairs References Committee for its inquiry into the social and economic impact of rural wind farms, including, subject to paragraph (2), evidence or documents ordered by that committee to be treated as in camera evidence; and

 (b) the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee shall not make use of any evidence or documents ordered by the Community Affairs References Committee to be treated as in camera evidence, except in accordance with the following conditions:

  (i) the committee must first obtain the agreement of the witness who provided the evidence or documents,

  (ii) the committee must not publish the evidence or documents without informing the witness in advance of the proposed publication,

  (iii) the committee must provide reasonable opportunity for the witness to object to the publication and ask that the particular parts of the evidence or documents not be published,

  (iv) the committee must give careful consideration to any objection by a witness before making its decision, and

  (v) if the committee resolves to publish the evidence or documents, it must also consider publishing them in such a way as to conceal the identity of persons who gave the evidence or provided the documents, or who are referred to in the evidence or documents. (general business notice of motion no. 1017)

Senators Stephens and Eggleston and the Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Milne): To move on the next day of sitting—That the Senate—

 (a) recognises and applauds the work of the Grameen Bank in helping to lift millions of poor people, particularly poor women, out of poverty;

 (b) acknowledges the work of founder Professor Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank as joint recipients of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for their work fighting poverty;

 (c) notes the actions of the Government of Bangladesh on 22 August 2012 in amending the section of the Grameen Bank Ordinance relating to the appointment of a Managing Director;

 (d) encourages the Government of Bangladesh to work cooperatively with the Bank's board of directors on the appointment of a new Managing Director;

 (e) urges the Government of Bangladesh to ensure the continued effectiveness of the Grameen Bank; and

 (f) encourages a resolution of the appointment of a new Managing Director that supports the bank's good governance. (general business notice of motion no. 1018)