Parliamentary Library Web Site Publications
Parliamentary Library publications - update of the latest publications

• State economic and social indicators
  This paper presents a number of tables and charts that allow comparisons to be made between individual Australian states and territories in terms of their performance across a wide range of social and economic indicators.
• The International Labour Organisation’s core labour standards and the Workplace Relations Act 1996
  The paper outlines the ILO’s concerns and examines future prospects, including by assessing relevant Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Australian Greens’ policy commitments.
• Home loan interest rates and repayments
  This Background Note provides a resource on housing interest rate movements and their impact on Australian mortgage holders.
• Tax Laws Amendment (Taxation of Financial Arrangements) Bill 2007
  This Bill inserts new Division 230 into the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA97). The proposed Division defines the term financial arrangement and sets out six alternative methods for the profits and loss from transactions involving financial arrangements to be assessed for taxation purposes.
• Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Emergency Response Consolidation) Bill 2007
  The purpose of the Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Emergency Response Consolidation) Bill 2007 (the Bill) is to amend the policy regime set up by the legislative regime known as the Northern Territory (NT) Emergency Response package.
• Electoral division rankings: Census 2006 first release(2006 electoral boundaries)
  This paper provides an analysis by Commonwealth electoral division of socio-demographic data from the first release of the 2006 Census of Population and Housing. The electoral boundaries used in this paper are those applicable to the next federal election.
• Australian Crime Commission Amendment Bill 2007
  The Australian Crime Commission Amendment Bill 2007 (the Bill) would amend the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002 (the ACC Act) to clarify that an ACC Examiner can record their reasons for issuing a summons or notice to produce documents before, at the same time as, or as soon as practicable after it has been issued.
• National Health Security Bill 2007
  The purpose of this Bill is to introduce a new principal Act to enhance existing arrangements for sharing information about communicable disease, releases of chemical, biological or radiological agents, and the occurrence of other public health events of national and international significance.
• Crimes Legislation Amendment (Child Sex Tourism Offences and Related Measures) Bill 2007
  The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Child Sex Tourism Offences and Related Measures) Bill 2007 (the Bill) would amend the definition of ‘serious and organised crime’ in the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002 to expressly include the existing child sex carriage service offences in the Criminal Code (Schedule 1, item 1).
• Communications Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2007
  To amend the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (the Broadcasting Services Act) to give the Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) the discretion to consider late applications for renewals of community broadcasting licences up to the expiry date of the licence.
• Tax Laws Amendment (2007 Measures No. 6) Bill 2007
  This schedule amends Division 40 if the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA97) to provide a tax deduction for capital expenditure for the establishment of trees primarily for the purposes of carbon sink forests.
• Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2007
  The purpose of this Bill is to make a number of amendments to two pieces of health legislation in order to correct inadvertent or unintended consequences of these Acts. Amendments are proposed for the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 (PHIA) and the National Health Act 1953 (NHA).
• Thorium in Australia
  This research paper discusses thorium and the implications of its use, particularly in the Australian context.
• Practice nursing in Australia
  This research paper explores aspects of the recent development of practice nursing in Australia, particularly those relating to government initiatives currently in place. The paper also discusses some of barriers which may inhibit the further development of practice nursing, and makes some comment on how these could be addressed in the future.
• Quarantine Amendment (Commission of Inquiry) Bill 2007
  To enable a Commission of Inquiry into the outbreak of equine influenza in Australia to operate under the aegis of the Quarantine Act 1908, but with powers under the Royal Commissions Act 1902.
• Commonwealth general purpose financial assistance to local government (revised September 2007)
  This paper traces the evolution of Commonwealth financial assistance to local government and discusses related issues.
• Defence Legislation Amendment Bill 2007
  To give effect to the Government’s response to the Report by the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee entitled ‘The effectiveness of Australia’s military justice system’ by amending the Defence Act 1903 (the Defence Act), Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 (the DFDA) and Defence Force Discipline Appeals Act 1955 (the DFDAA).
• Trade Practices Amendment (Small Business Protection) Bill 2007
  To allow the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to bring representative actions on behalf of people damaged by conduct determined to be in breach of the secondary boycott provisions (section 45D and section 45E) in the Trade Practices Act 1974.
• Electoral pendulum 2007
  Since the 2004 election there have been electoral boundary redistributions in the Australian Capital Territory (2005), New South Wales (2006) and Queensland (2006).The 2004 election results have been transposed onto the new boundaries and a revised electoral pendulum showing margins (swings) needed to lose each division at the next election has been produced (see Appendix). Notionally, there has been no change in the party representation from the 2004 election outcome due to the 2005 and 2006 redistributions. However, it could be argued that the new division of Calare is notionally a Coalition rather than Independent division.
• National Health Amendment (Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2007
  To enable optometrists to prescribe subsidised medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and to restrict pharmacists who wish to supply medicines under the PBS from supplying only by mail order.
• Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Amendment Bill 2007
  To amend the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Act 2001 (the SHFTA) in order to extend the date by which that Act is to be repealed to 19 September 2033.
• Social Security Amendment (2007 Measures No. 2) Bill 2007
  To provide for legislation necessary to implement government initiatives announced in the 2007-08 Budget.
• Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment (Cape York Measures) Bill 2007
  The Bill will appropriate additional funding under the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000 (the Act) to support the expansion of the Making Up for Lost Time in Literacy (MULTILIT) teaching methodology and the establishment of Student Education Trusts for Indigenous students in the communities of Coen, Hope Vale, Aurukun and Mossman Gorge in the Cape York region of Queensland.
• Tax Laws Amendment (2007 Measures No. 5) Bill 2007
  The government has proposed to restrict the operation of section 51AD and Division 16D ITAA36 to arrangements entered into before 1 July 200