Election of Senators – 1 March 2016

Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (16:12): I too rise today to speak on Senator Day’s matter of public importance. Oh, what irony it is to hear crossbench senators criticising others in this place for working together on important national legislation which includes bipartisan reforms that have been in the public arena now for nearly two full…

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Veterans’ Entitlements Amendment (Expanded Gold Card Access) Bill 2015, Second Reading – 25 February 2016

Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (10:57): I thank all current and past service personnel for their service to our nation, and there is absolutely no question that all of us in this place and in the nation owe them a huge debt of gratitude. I too rise today to speak on this bill and I do…

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Election of Senators – 23 February 2016

Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (16:34): I rise today to speak on this matter of public importance because I believe the issue of Senate voting reform is truly a matter of public importance—not for the reasons outlined in this motion but for the integrity of our democracy itself. There is absolutely no-one in this place more…

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Adjournment Debate on Cambodia – 4 February 2016

Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (19:05): Last month I had the extraordinary privilege of spending a week in Cambodia with five of my parliamentary colleagues from the House of Representatives. The visit was designed for us to visit a wide range of development programs funded by Australian aid. The visit was organised by Save the Children…

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Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Legislation Amendment (Exit Arrangements) Bill 2015 – 2/3 February 2016

Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (2 February 2016, 19:18): I rise this evening to speak about the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Legislation Amendment (Exit Arrangements) Bill 2015, which will amend the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988, to manage the exit of employers from the Comcare scheme. I listened with great interest to the debate earlier…

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Western Australia: Economic Competitiveness – 2 December 2015

  Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (13:13): I rise today to discuss issues that are near and dear to my heart. Those of you who heard my first speech will know them. They are the concepts of innovation, commercialisation and entrepreneurship. They are all concepts that are firmly embedded in the history and culture of Western…

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Climate Change – 30 November 2015

  Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (16:01): I too rise to speak on this matter of public importance. I have to say up-front that I could not agree more with the topic and with the need to take effective action on climate change. I am sure everybody in this chamber wants to leave the world and…

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Syria and Iraq – 26 November 2015

Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (17:17): I, too, rise today to speak on this motion on the absolutely devastating tragedy that continues in Syria and Iraq—a situation the scope of which is too large for us here to truly comprehend the scale and the impact that it is having on millions of people, not just those…

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Adjournment Debate on Empowering Women in Asia and Europe Dialogue – 25 Noveber 2015

Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (19:20): Last week I had the honour of participating as a guest of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in their Asian women parliamentarians dialogue in Brussels. The subject was on empowering women in Asia and Europe. The purpose of the dialogue was to examine the policies and practices of the EU and…

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Arts Funding – 23rd November 2015

Senator REYNOLDS (Western Australia) (16:57): I rise today to speak on what I would call this so-called matter of public importance. Barely three hours ago in this place the leaders of all parties addressed a very serious issue of national security. It was a big disappointment that instead of addressing issues of national security and…

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