Summary

Edit

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John (WA), which means it succeeded. Motions like these don't make any legal changes on their own but they can be politically influential since they represent the will of the Senate.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) 3 December 2018 was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and was an important moment to recognize the four million disabled Australians and the contribution they make to society,

(ii) for the first time, people with disability held their own National Awards for Disability Leadership,

(iii) despite the hard-won progress of the disability rights movement, disabled Australians continue to be subjected to discrimination and are routinely denied the right guaranteed to them under international law,

(iv) this discrimination creates and sustains the barriers to employment, education, transport, social and political participation experienced by disabled Australians, and most concerningly manifests itself in horrific violence, abuse and neglect to which they are subjected, and

(v) in a three-month period alone, from July to September of this year, over 184 incidents of abuse and neglect were reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government and the Opposition to support the immediate establishment of a royal commission to investigate violence, abuse and neglect of disabled people.

Votes Passed by a small majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Cory Bernardi SA Australian Conservatives No
Australian Greens (100% turnout) 9 Yes 0 No
Richard Di Natale Victoria Yes
Mehreen Faruqi NSW Yes
Sarah Hanson-Young SA Yes
Nick McKim Tasmania Yes
Janet Rice Victoria Yes
Rachel Siewert WA Yes
Jordon Steele-John WA Yes
Larissa Waters Queensland Yes
Peter Whish-Wilson Tasmania Yes
Australian Labor Party (76% turnout) 19 Yes 0 No
Catryna Bilyk Tasmania Yes
Carol Brown Tasmania Yes
Doug Cameron NSW Yes
Kim Carr Victoria Yes
Anthony Chisholm Queensland Yes
Jacinta Collins Victoria Yes
Alex Gallacher SA Yes
Kristina Keneally NSW Yes
Kimberley Kitching Victoria Yes
Jenny McAllister NSW Yes
Claire Moore Queensland Yes
Deborah O'Neill NSW Yes
Helen Polley Tasmania Yes
Louise Pratt WA Yes
Lisa Singh Tasmania Yes
David Smith ACT Yes
Glenn Sterle WA Yes
Anne Urquhart Tasmania Yes
Murray Watt Queensland Yes
Patrick Dodson WA Absent
Don Farrell SA Absent
Chris Ketter Queensland Absent
Gavin Marshall Victoria Absent
Malarndirri McCarthy NT Absent
Penny Wong SA Absent
Centre Alliance (100% turnout) 2 Yes 0 No
Stirling Griff SA Yes
Rex Patrick SA Yes
Nigel Scullion NT Country Liberal Party No
Derryn Hinch Victoria Derryn Hinch's Justice Party Yes
Sue Lines WA Deputy President Absent
Tim Storer SA Independent Yes
Fraser Anning Queensland Independent No
Lucy Gichuhi SA Independent No
Steve Martin Tasmania Independent Absent
David Leyonhjelm NSW Liberal Democratic Party No
Liberal National Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 2 No
Matthew Canavan Queensland No
James McGrath Queensland No
Liberal Party (70% turnout) 0 Yes 16 No
Eric Abetz Tasmania No
Slade Brockman WA No
David Bushby Tasmania No
Richard Colbeck Tasmania No
Jonathon Duniam Tasmania No
David Fawcett SA No
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells NSW No
Mitch Fifield Victoria No
Jane Hume Victoria No
Ian Macdonald Queensland No
Jim Molan NSW No
Marise Payne NSW No
Linda Reynolds WA No
Anne Ruston SA No
Zed Seselja ACT No
Amanda Stoker Queensland No
Simon Birmingham SA Absent
Michaelia Cash WA Absent
Mathias Cormann WA Absent
Lucy Gichuhi SA Absent
James Paterson Victoria Absent
Arthur Sinodinos NSW Absent
Dean Smith WA Absent
National Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 3 No
Bridget McKenzie Victoria No
Barry O'Sullivan Queensland No
John Williams NSW No
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 2 No
Peter Georgiou WA No
Pauline Hanson Queensland No
Scott Ryan Victoria President No
Brian Burston NSW United Australia Party Yes
Totals (82% turnout) 33 Yes – 29 No