fact, be an independent Speaker in the Westminster tradition. I noticed that on four occasions in September 2010 the Leader of the Opposition said that that was his
preference as far as a model for the Speakership is concerned. Consequently, after 17 years membership of the National Party, 19 years membership of the Liberal Party and three years membership of the Liberal National Party, I will be relinquishing my party membership.”
Address by President Obama to the Australian Parliament On 17 November 2011 the President of the United States, Rt Hon. Barack Obama, addressed a joint meeting of the Australian Parliament. Previous Presidents who have addressed the Australian Parliament include President George Bush in 1992, President Clinton in 1996 and President George W Bush in 2003.
The joint meeting conducted in the House of
Representatives chamber included Senators and Members. Mr Obama began by noting the “honour of standing in this great chamber to reaffirm the bonds between the United States and the Commonwealth of Australia, two of the world's oldest democracies and two of the world's oldest friends”. The President noted the enduring friendship and similarities between the two countries focusing on the successes and challenges that each country has experienced. Mr Obama commented that “this solidarity has sustained us through a difficult decade. We will never forget the attacks of 9-11 that took the lives of not only Americans but people from many nations, including Australia. In the United States,
AUSTRALIA
we will never forget how Australia invoked the ANZUS Treaty for the first time ever, showing that our two nations stood as one; and none of us will ever forget those we have lost to al-Qaeda's terror in the years since, including innocent Australians”.
Mr Obama used the address to outline his foreign policy agenda for the Asia-Pacific region. The President stated that “so here is what this region must know. As we end today's wars, I have directed my national security team to make our presence and mission in
At the same time, Mr Obama noted the role of China in the Asia-Pacific. Mr Obama stated that “the United States will continue our effort to build a cooperative relationship with China. Australia and the United States—all of our nations— have a profound interest in the rise of a peaceful and prosperous China. That is why the United States welcomes it. We have seen that China can be a partner, from reducing tensions on the Korean peninsula to preventing proliferation. And we will seek more opportunities for cooperation with Beijing, including greater
communication between our militaries to promote understanding and avoid miscalculation”.
Australia introduces a carbon pricing scheme
President Barack Obama
the Asia-Pacific a top priority. As a result, reductions in US defence spending will not—I repeat, will not—come at the expense of the Asia-Pacific. My guidance is clear. As we plan and budget for the future, we will allocate the resources necessary to maintain our strong military presence in this region; we will preserve our unique ability to project power and deter threats to peace; we will keep our commitments, including our treaty obligations to allies like Australia; and we will constantly strengthen our capabilities to meet the needs of the 21st century. Our enduring interests in the region demand our enduring presence in the region. The United States is a Pacific power and we are here to stay”.
348 | The Parliamentarian | 2011: Issue Four
On 8 November 2011 the Senate passed the Clean Energy Bill 2011 and related bills. The legislation will place a price on each tonne of greenhouse gases emitted by a business. It is a cap-and-trade emissions trading scheme which will commence on 1 July 2012. For the first three years, the carbon price will be fixed at $23 per tonne, and from 1 July 2015, the price will be determined by the market. The debate over the government’s decision to introduce a carbon pricing mechanism has been heavily criticised by the opposition which claims the government has no mandate for its introduction. During the Senate debate, Liberal Senator Mathias Cormann commented that “today is the day when Labor senators will lock in their betrayal of the Australian people. Today is the day when each single Labor senator will vote in breach of their solemn promise to the Australian
people before the last election that there would be no carbon tax under the government led by Julia Gillard. The vote today will haunt every single Labor member and senator all the way to the next election. History will judge Labor members and senators harshly and, before then, the Australian people will judge Labor members and senators harshly at the next election”. Senator Cormann concluded that “people across Australia understand that this is a tax which will push up the cost of everything, which will make Australia less competitive internationally, which will cost jobs, which will result in lower real wages and which will see emissions in Australia continue to go up”. The Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, Senator Barnaby Joyce stated that “this legislation is the height of foolishness for this nation, which as we speak is a mere $32 billion away from our next debt ceiling. When our nation's credit card is presented, the attendant will say, 'transaction declined; please go see your bank.' It is a very sad day when we start progressing down a path of reorganising our nation and our economy on account of a colourless, odourless gas. It is the height of foolishness”. The Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Christine Milne stated that “this Parliament is delivering profound environmental, economic and social reform, and I can understand why the coalition, who oppose that environmental, social and economic reform, are behaving as they are. This provides a platform for a higher level of ambition on climate change because, as I was saying, with a planet with seven billion people and accelerated global warning we need to make sure that the platform we are delivering