Week beginning 6 February 2023

This page provides an overview of the key events of the last sitting week in the House of Representatives. It includes all bills presented and debated, and selected statements, debates and committee business. For the official record of proceedings, see the Votes and Proceedings. For a detailed procedural account of events, see the Procedural Digest and House Review.

Key events

• Condolence motion for Senator Andrew James (Jim) Molan AO DSC (6 February)
• Statement by Speaker responding to a matter of privilege raised on 1 December 2022 (6 February)
• Instrument of designation of the Republic of Nauru as a regional processing country presented (7 February)
• Motion for disallowance of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Amendment (Annual Members' Meetings Notices) Regulations 2022; debated (7 February) disagreed to (8 February)
• Statement by Speaker following presentation of the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce Annual Report (8 February)
• Motion moved by the Prime Minister endorsing the draft Behaviour Standards and Codes as presented in the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards' final report; debated (8 February) agreed to (9 February) 
• Proposed powers and proceedings of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Anti-Corruption Commission agreed to in the House (8 February)
  
  

Legislation

5 bills were presented, and 10 bills were passed by the House

Ministerial Statements

• Securing Australia’s Sovereignty—Minister for Defence (9 February)

Matters of Public Importance

• Cost of living (7 February)
• Interest rates (8 February)

Committee and delegation business

Committee reports presented   

Standing Committee on Economics 

• Review of the Reserve Bank of Australia annual report 2021 (9 February)

Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights

• Human rights scrutiny report: Report 1 of 2023 (8 February)

Standing Committee on Petitions

• Report 4: Petitions and Ministerial responses (6 February)

Selection Committee

• Report No. 8 relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members’ business on Monday, 13 February 2023 (8 February)

Joint Standing Committee on Treaties

• Report 204: Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America on Access to Electronic Data for the Purpose of Countering Serious Crime (8 February)
• Report 205: Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation (8 February)

Government responses

Joint Select Committee on Australia’s Family Law System

• Interim reports (6 February)

Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme

• Current scheme implementation and forecasting for the NDIS (6 February)
• General Issues 2021 (9 February)

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works

• 3rd report of 2020—National Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef, Reef HQ (6 February)

Joint Standing Committee on Treaties

• 194th Report—Amendments 2020—CITES (9 February)

There were no delegation reports presented

Private Members' business

The following private members' bill was introduced on Monday, 6 February

• Electoral Legislation Amendment (Lowering the Voting Age) Bill 2023—Mr Bates (Brisbane, QLD)

The following private members' motions were moved and debated on Monday, 6 February

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians—Ms Thwaites (Jagajaga, Vic)
• Australian Defence Force recruitment—Mr Hastie (Canning, WA)
• Child care—Mr Smith (Bean, ACT)
• Child care sector—Ms Le (Fowler, NSW)
• Digital economy—Mr Violi (Casey, Vic)
• Fossil fuel subsidies—Mr Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Qld)
• Fuel excise—Mr Pasin (Barker, SA)
• Introduction of Medicare—Ms Stanley (Werriwa, NSW)
• International Day of Women and Girls in Science—Mrs Andrews (McPherson, Qld)
• Manufacturing—Ms Byrnes (Cunningham, NSW)
• Nuclear energy—Dr Gillespie (Lyne, NSW)
• Tobacco plain packaging—Dr Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Vic)