Estimates Transcripts

Twice each year, usually in May and November, the estimates of proposed annual expenditure of government departments and authorities are referred by the Senate to the relevant legislation committees for examination and report. At the estimates hearings, Senators may directly question Ministers and public officials not only about the details of proposed expenditure but also about the objectives, operations and efficiency of the programs for which they are responsible. Read more about estimates here.

LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL LEGISLATION COMMITTEE - 09/11/2009 - Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young
Wednesday 9th November 2011, 12:00am
in

Senator Hanson-Young -Thanks, Mr Cannon, for coming along today. I am a bit unclear about your position around (a) the purpose of marriage and (b) the role that the state should have in it. Are you in fact suggesting that we should abolish the Marriage Act in its entirety?


ABC First-run Indigenous content

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 12th August 2011, 1:03pm
in

Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications
Budget Estimates Hearings May 2011
Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Portfolio
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Question No: 86

Senator Ludlam asked:
Senator LUDLAM: You have provided an answer-and thank you for that-to my question on notice about first-run Indigenous content right across the broadcaster.
Mr Scott: Yes.
Senator LUDLAM: The answer was fairly unimpressive, unless I am reading it incorrectly. In 2009-10 it was 19 hours, or 0.3 per cent of total programming. In the first half of 2010-11 it was 10.5 hours. So we are running at about the same average-less than half of one per cent.
Mr Scott: Yes, but more is coming. Also, there is the slate that we have in drama. We recruited Sally Riley to run this area for us in ABC television. She came from Screen Australia and she is very experienced. We are developing a series of programs, which we expect will run in prime time, that will reflect Indigenous Australia working with Indigenous filmmakers. It is part of our Reconciliation Action Plan. We are conscious of our desire to increase levels of Indigenous content and we will continue to target it over time.
Senator LUDLAM: Do you have a target?

Ranger Mine site rehabilitation

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 5th August 2011, 5:35pm
in

Senate Standing Committee on Economics
Resources, Energy and Tourism Portfolio
Budget Senate Estimates
Question: BR7

Senator Ludlam asked:
Senator LUDLAM: I appreciate that. Has a uranium mine the size of Ranger-anything of that order of magnitude-ever been rehabilitated before anywhere in the world?
Ms Constable: Mines certainly have. Again, I would have to take on notice that specific question as it relates to uranium mines.
Senator LUDLAM: Yes.

Ranger Mine site area

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 5th August 2011, 5:33pm
in

Senate Standing Committee on Economics
Resources, Energy and Tourism Portfolio
Budget Senate Estimates
Question: BR6

Senator Ludlam asked:
Ms Constable: As I have mentioned, it is independently verified, but there is also oversight by the Department of Resources in the Northern Territory, by the Northern Territory Land Council and by the Supervising Scientist. So a range of people contribute to that final assessment.
Senator LUDLAM: Who is your independent verifier?
Ms Constable: For the current program, it is QS Services.
Senator LUDLAM: And everybody is completely confident that $169 million is enough to bring that site back into harmony with the values of the park before mining?

Energy and Resources Council and Uranium Council meetings

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 5th August 2011, 5:29pm
in

Senate Standing Committee on Economics
Resources, Energy and Tourism Portfolio
Budget Senate Estimates
Question: BR4

Senator Ludlam asked:
Ms Constable: It is always the intention when you have government-to-government and cross-jurisdictional issues to bring it before the Ministerial Council on Mineral and Petroleum Resources, which will shortly change to the energy and resource council. That particular issue will certainly be brought forward either as a noting item or for consideration by ministers. So it is more for information, as opposed to approval of ministers.
Senator LUDLAM: I do not get invited to those meetings and neither does most of the general public.
Ms Constable: There is always a communique that is put out after those meetings. If there is a report published then that report is always made public.
Senator LUDLAM: Okay. What is the frequency of meetings at the moment, again specifically on that issue of the cross-jurisdictional stuff?

Government nuclear policy

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 5th August 2011, 5:26pm
in

Senate Standing Committee on Economics
Resources, Energy and Tourism Portfolio
Budget Senate Estimates
Question: BR5

Senator Ludlam asked:
Senator LUDLAM: If you could check that for us; I think that is next week. In recent correspondence to national environment groups and other stakeholders, Minister Martin Ferguson referred to himself as the minister with the portfolio responsibility for nuclear policy. Is this correct and can you confirm-I do not know if I should throw to you, Minister-whether there has been a change of portfolio or a restructure?
Ms Constable: Uranium is the area that the department considers, of course. Uranium is a very important part of the nuclear fuel cycle. Consideration of uranium mining is always in the context of a full nuclear fuel cycle. The department has particular areas of responsibility within that nuclear fuel cycle, starting from the exploration and mining activities of uranium, out to radioactive waste issues. What we do not have responsibility for, because we do not have nuclear energy in Australia, is nuclear power, nuclear energy.

Social housing stock

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 5th August 2011, 5:19pm
in

Senate Community Affairs Committee
FAMILIES, HOUSING, COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS PORTFOLIO
2011-12 Budget Estimates Hearings
Question No: 41

Senator Ludlam asked:
Is the Commonwealth working with the states and territories and the community housing
sector to talk about the quality and the location of stock being transferred?

Social housing and government owned land

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 5th August 2011, 5:16pm
in

Senate Community Affairs Committee
FAMILIES, HOUSING, COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS PORTFOLIO
2011-12 Budget Estimates Hearings
Question No: 40

Senator Ludlam asked:
Are there any targets or provisions for community housing organisations to access some of
the land being released by the Australian Government in 2010-12 or to go in as equity
partners? Does the government have a view on community housing providers having greater
access to government owned land? Is there a commitment for a mandatory target for
affordable housing on government released land?

Census 2011 - Homeless school students

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 5th August 2011, 5:14pm
in

Senate Community Affairs Committee
FAMILIES, HOUSING, COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS PORTFOLIO
2011-12 Budget Estimates Hearings
Question No: 39

Senator Ludlam asked:
Will the data collection on homeless school students go ahead in the 2011 census?

Affordable housing schemes

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 5th August 2011, 5:07pm
in

Senate Community Affairs Committee
FAMILIES, HOUSING, COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS PORTFOLIO
2011-12 Budget Estimates Hearings
Question No: 38

Senator Ludlam asked:
By the year 2014 (the end of the NPA on affordable housing), what fraction of the demand for new social housing will be taken up by the different schemes and incentives that governments are providing and what do you expect will be taken up by the private sector?