Summary

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The majority voted in favour of a motion that the bills be read a first time. The eighteen bills are a package to implement a carbon pricing mechanism.

Passing this motion means that the bills can be introduced into the Senate. According to Odgers’ Australian Senate Practice, “the first reading is normally passed without opposition and is regarded as a purely formal stage”, so the fact that the Senate divided to vote on this motion demonstrates how controversial the carbon pricing mechanism was.

The carbon price is a key policy of the Labor Government.

The eighteen bills are:

Background to the bills

The carbon pricing mechanism is set to begin on 1 July 2012.(Read more about the carbon pricing mechanism on the Clean Energy Regulator’s website.) It is an emissions trading scheme that puts a price on carbon emissions. It will apply to “liable entities” (a group that includes companies that emit a high level of greenhouse gases). Initially the price of carbon will be fixed by the mechanism but from 1 July 2015 the price will be set by the market.

References

Votes Passed by a small majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Australian Greens (100% turnout) 9 Yes 0 No
Bob Brown Tasmania Yes
Richard Di Natale Victoria Yes
Sarah Hanson-Young SA Yes
Scott Ludlam WA Yes
Christine Milne Tasmania Yes
Lee Rhiannon NSW Yes
Rachel Siewert WA Yes
Larissa Waters Queensland Yes
Penny Wright SA Yes
Australian Labor Party (80% turnout) 24 Yes 0 No
Catryna Bilyk Tasmania Yes
Mark Bishop WA Yes
Carol Brown Tasmania Yes
Doug Cameron NSW Yes
Jacinta Collins Victoria Yes
Stephen Conroy Victoria Yes
Trish Crossin NT Yes
Don Farrell SA Yes
Mark Furner Queensland Yes
Alex Gallacher SA Yes
Joe Ludwig Queensland Yes
Kate Lundy ACT Yes
Gavin Marshall Victoria Yes
Anne McEwen SA Yes
Jan McLucas Queensland Yes
Claire Moore Queensland Yes
Helen Polley Tasmania Yes
Louise Pratt WA Yes
Nick Sherry Tasmania Yes
Lisa Singh Tasmania Yes
Ursula Stephens NSW Yes
Glenn Sterle WA Yes
Matt Thistlethwaite NSW Yes
Anne Urquhart Tasmania Yes
Mark Arbib NSW Absent
Kim Carr Victoria Absent
Chris Evans WA Absent
John Faulkner NSW Absent
David Feeney Victoria Absent
Penny Wong SA Absent
Nigel Scullion NT Country Liberal Party No
John Madigan Victoria Democratic Labor Party No
Stephen Parry Tasmania Deputy President Absent
Nick Xenophon SA Independent Yes
Liberal Party (88% turnout) 0 Yes 23 No
Eric Abetz Tasmania No
Judith Adams WA No
Christopher Back WA No
Simon Birmingham SA No
Sue Boyce Queensland No
George Brandis Queensland No
Michaelia Cash WA No
Richard Colbeck Tasmania No
Mathias Cormann WA No
Sean Edwards SA No
Alan Eggleston WA No
David Fawcett SA No
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells NSW No
Mitch Fifield Victoria No
Mary Fisher SA No
Gary Humphries ACT No
David Johnston WA No
Helen Kroger Victoria No
Ian Macdonald Queensland No
Brett Mason Queensland No
Stephen Parry Tasmania No
Marise Payne NSW No
Michael Ronaldson Victoria No
Cory Bernardi SA Absent
David Bushby Tasmania Absent
Bill Heffernan NSW Absent
Scott Ryan Victoria Absent
National Party (80% turnout) 0 Yes 4 No
Ron Boswell Queensland No
Bridget McKenzie Victoria No
Fiona Nash NSW No
John Williams NSW No
Barnaby Joyce Queensland Absent
John Hogg Queensland President Yes
Totals (85% turnout) 35 Yes – 29 No