MARK DREYFUS MP

We need to move away from the continual ill-informed questioning of the science and false and confrontational representations of the debate as between those for and those against. We need to close the gap between the available scientific knowledge and the debates in this parliament. The visit of the climate scientists has helped to close that gap. The best quality science information is always to be welcomed.

All of these measures show that this government - unlike the former government, which in its 11 years was unable to come to grips with the need for firm government action in respect of climate change - is committed to reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions and to engaging with dangerous climate change.

It is a fact that the increased rate of chronic illness in the Australian community has a significant and detrimental impact on the quality and span of life for individual Australians.

The Liberal and National parties have an obsessive hatred of all things union, and that obsessive hatred drove them to inflict major damage on student services in higher education.

Much of the discussion on the new national curriculum has focused on literacy and numeracy. Less focus has been given to the other important areas of the curriculum. I am pleased to note that languages, along with the arts, including music, are part of the second phase of developing the national curriculum.

The Rudd government's education revolution is ensuring that local students in our community in my electorate of Isaacs have better facilities, higher standards of teaching and greater opportunities to excel at school.

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 says on its face that it is a scheme which is intended to create a right to information for the citizens of this country. The right for a minister to simply step in and put a document beyond reach that might otherwise be available for release is really a feature that should have no part to play in a scheme intended to create a general right to information.

It is necessary to legislate in this way because it is critical that the ADF have a functioning military discipline system, particularly when the forces are engaged, as currently, in operations overseas.

The professional firefighters from the United States made a particularly notable contribution, but that contribution runs the risk of being restricted in future due to potential liability under Australian tort law.

The House should be in no doubt that what this bill is directed at is returning some measure of control to the shareholders of corporations, because that is the mechanism that has been adopted in order to impose some curb or check on these excessive executive termination payouts.