The SPEAKER ( Hon. Andrew Wallace ) took the chair at 09:30, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATION
Valedictory
Mr HAYES (Fowler—Chief Opposition Whip) (09:31): on indulgence—Mr Speaker, this is my first opportunity to congratulate you. I would also like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land and the many nations that make up this great country of ours, Australia. I acknowledge their elders past and present, and also acknowledge their work in their conservation and care of this great country. I believe there's still much to be learnt from their practices and traditions.
I remember standing here giving my first speech, full of emotion and pride. In 17 years it seems little has changed, except electorates. Just to answer some people: no, I haven't changed my mind—I'm still going. Bernadette is still up there in the gallery to make sure I don't recant!
From Werriwa, where I was first elected in a by-election, where Bernadette and I raised our family and were both pretty engaged in our communities, I transferred, because of party interests, to the seat of Fowler. When I got here, it was an eye-opener for me. Not only was I representing one of the most multicultural electorates in the whole of Australia; they had a vastly different expectation of me as their member. This multicultural community wanted me to be their voice on matters of human rights, particularly in respect of violations that occurred in countries of their respective diasporas.
With the assistance of my local community and with my long association with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, I have spoken regularly, as everyone here knows, on matters of human rights not only in this place but also in various community and academic forums. After parliament, I intend to continue my work with the human rights community as well as with the Capital Punishment Justice Project. As most would be aware, I am a convenor of Australian Parliamentarians against the Death Penalty, and have been since 2005.
I also intend to continue my association with the Police Federation of Australia. I think it's pretty common knowledge that my office has been well-known to police—but in a good sort of way!
Not even with their badges could they get in here today, but I understand they're listening, so could I acknowledge the PFA president, Ian Leavers; CEO, Scott Weber; their predecessors, Mark Carroll, Vince Kelly and Peter Alexander; and my good mate for the last 25 years, Mark Burgess. I acknowledge them not only for their advocacy on behalf of 65,000 professional police officers in this country but also for putting policing on the national agenda. Their efforts in this regard have been truly commendable.
As Chief Opposition Whip, it necessitates me working very closely with my counterparts—a relationship that's built on honesty and integrity and trust. Our efforts have been to make this parliament work, as well as look after the welfare of our colleagues. I've been incredibly assisted by Jo Ryan and Anne Stanley during my time as chief whip. But, given the challenges of the pandemic, Bert van Manen and I, and our staff, have almost been joined at the hip. As the member for Casey will well know, there have been many three-way conversations throughout this whole period. I also acknowledge the Manager of Opposition Business and the Leader of the House and the assistance they have given in helping us as whips at least keep this place functioning. To Bert, Nola Marino, Scotty Buchholz and Warren Entsch: thanks for your friendship, your cooperation. Not many people really know what we do here, but together, and despite the adversarial environment of parliament, we strive to make this place work.
I would just like to make special mention of Philip Ruddock. I must be pretty careful here, because currently Philip is the president of the Liberal Party of New South Wales. Not only did he and I serve together as chief whips; we shared a common interest in the promotion of human rights and served together as conveners of Australian Parliamentarians against the Death Penalty. Together, Philip and I visited the refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, seeing firsthand the plight of the displaced Syrian people, which was, without doubt, one of the worst humanitarian crises since the Second World War. Simply put, you could not come away from that experience unaffected. Full disclosure: Philip and I actually do remain close friends, but I assure my colleagues here that I will not be handing out for the mayor of Hornsby at Saturday's council elections.
Throughout my time in politics, I have not been comfortable being out front when it comes to community campaigns. To me, it's always been important to work with others, local champions, and to assist them in achieving outcomes. For me, building community resilience was always more important than a photo opportunity. Maybe it's not necessarily the making of a good politician.
To show the calibre of the local community I have had the honour of working with, I would like to name just a few. I assure you it's not an exhaustive list. There are people like Grace Fava OAM, an advocate for autism support.
Lucy Reggio, a Liverpool Citizen of the Year, does incredible work with families living with disabilities and special needs.
Tracy Phillips, of Bonnie Support Services, and her team, looks after women fleeing domestic violence. Their work has increased exponentially over the period of this pandemic.
Harry Hunt OAM is one of the most engaged business leaders in our region. From charities to startups, little happens in Liverpool without Harry's involvement.
Ken Chapman OAM is the driving force behind the Neighbourhood Watch program and a major supporter of Cabramatta business development.
Janice Le is a local lawyer and convener of Amnesty International as well as Human Rights Relief Foundation. Janice is really a moral compass for the community in a very, very complex world.
Carmen Lazar OAM, of the Assyrian Resource Centre, assists in the settlement of displaced peoples and refugees from the Middle East, principally from Syria and Iraq. Brad Parker, from MATES in Construction, looks after the mental health of workers in this dangerous but very essential industry.
Beth Godwin OAM is a former principal of Cabramatta High School, a passionate educator and advocate for the welfare of children, particularly those from diverse backgrounds.
James Chan OAM is one of the most respected leaders in the Chinese diaspora and a major contributor to the multicultural credentials of our community. I'm proud to call James my Chinese brother.
June and Ken Young—what a team! Both have been awarded OAMs and both are tireless in their charitable and community work, always looking after people from youth to veterans. They really epitomise the phrase 'service above self'.
Sid Hugen and the fellas from the Bonnyrigg's Men's Shed not only support the wellbeing of each other, but collectively they have made an enormous contribution in our local community.
Dr William Trinh OAM leads a team of dedicated doctors, optometrists, dentists and volunteers who regularly travel to Cambodia and Vietnam to treat the poor and those who are unable to obtain medical treatment.
Cheryl Bosler is associated with probably everything good that happens in Cabramatta. She is one of my community's most prized assets.
Charles Gream chronicles just about everything in life in our community. Charles is someone who genuinely cares about the community and its people.
These are just some of the many wonderful people that I have had the privilege of working with throughout my time in parliament and who have made a difference for the better in my community.
Throughout my career, I've been very fortunate to work alongside some incredible colleagues, committed in helping me look after the interests of our local community. Here, I'm speaking about my electorate staff. I know my decision to retire has an enormous impact on them, their lives, their families and it throws them into a period of uncertainty. From the outset, I always took steps to ensure that the diversity of our community was represented in the composition of my office. So just a few words about my current staff, if I may.
Gai Coghlan, my office manager, has been with me since my by-election in 2005. It may be a little indiscreet to say we've aged together in two electorates, but I'm afraid it's true. But despite everything, all the challenges, Gai has been truly loyal and totally reliable. The young ones in the office refer to her as their 'work mum'. Gai has kept me on the straight and narrow and certainly kept the office focused on the needs of our community.
Rania Haddad is a young lawyer of Lebanese heritage and an Arabic speaker, a great researcher and someone who shares my passion in respect of human rights. Her personality and daily selection of hijabs certainly lend colour to our office.
Alex Glumac, an electorate officer of Serbian heritage, is fully committed to looking after the welfare of the community as a whole. His language skills have been invaluable to me, particularly in our interactions with the Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian and Russian diasporas of my community.
Sandy Luc is a young woman fluent in Mandarin and Vietnamese who brings her analytical skills as a business development graduate in the way she deals with the complex needs of a community such as mine.
Grace Le is another young lawyer and a Vietnamese speaker, and apart from her role in the electorate office and working with me on matters of human rights, Grace fulfills the very important role of coordinating Labor's activities in the Federation Chamber.
Harry Wong is a young man of Chinese heritage fluent in Cantonese. Harry, a recent graduate, shows great care and compassion in dealing with constituents.
Nathaniel Dadd, on my relief staff, is a young man who keeps us grounded in how we should care and engage with people with disabilities. Nathaniel has really impressed me not only in his ability to pick up complex tasks but in how he has been able to settle in and become an integral part of an electorate team. Having a disability doesn't disbar you from being part of the community. I'm terribly proud of Nathaniel and all my staff. It has been a privilege to work with them over my time in parliament.
That brings me to my staff as chief whip. I'll start with Debra Biggs, who is in the advisers box. Debra has been a part of the parliamentary scene over the past 30-odd years and worked with most of the Labor luminaries—and then she gets stuck with me! Deb largely coordinates the functions between the opposition and government whips' offices, with Jess and Larni, making sure that things work. I've got to say that Deb didn't have grey hair before she started working with me!
Now it comes to the real whip, Anna George. Anna has had a lifetime serving the parliamentary Labor Party. She is the fount of all knowledge about the parliament and someone not to be messed with! I've always found that, to avoid trouble, it is advisable to check with Anna before acting. I should mention that Anna and I have decided to pull the pin and we're going to retire at the same time.
I'll say a few words about my high school sweetheart, who's been the centre of my life for almost 46 years. Before I get to Bernadette, I should say being of short stature has actually proven to be an incredible virtue for me. At the dances at the Mount St Joseph school, a convent school, as it turned out, Bernadette was one of the few girls shorter than me, so she quickly became my go-to dance partner and, somewhere along the way, became my life partner. Without Bernadette's support, I would not have even considered entering politics. Here in parliament, everyone knows Bernadette. I hate to say she's part of the furniture, but I think most people have had many, many interactions with her. Bernadette is widely known throughout the local community. I think I'd say she's far more loved than I'm known! In the 17 years that I've been a member of parliament, I think there would have been only a handful of events that Bernadette has not attended with me. She's been part and parcel of the team of looking after our community and being part of our community.
I turn now to our children. Elizabeth, like Bernadette, is an absolutely fabulous mother. She is also a devoted high-school teacher and someone who's absolutely determined to give kids graduating from year 12 the best opportunities in life, particularly the children around Rosemeadow in New South Wales. My two sons, Nicholas and Jonathan, are both highly skilled tradespeople and devoted fathers. Of them and their families, our 10 grandchildren, we are just so proud. I'm also so thankful for their support and also probably what they've had to put up with over the period that I've been a member of parliament.
To the Speaker emeritus, Tony Smith: while retiring from politics, I know there will be another chapter in your life, and I trust it will be equally as successful as your time as Speaker. I wish to thank you for your friendship and support. Similarly, to all our colleagues who are not contesting the next election: I wish you all the best in future. I should say that my mate Wazza Snowdon and I have planned a few more motorcycle excursions.
Honourable members interjecting—
Mr HAYES: Thankfully, the Speaker's not joining in that condemnation, being another fellow motorcyclist! Warren and I are probably destined to grow old disgracefully! To the Leader of the Opposition, Anthony Albanese, who will be the next Prime Minister of this country: it's been an absolute privilege to serve your team as chief whip. I look forward to the next chapter of your life and that of all our Labor colleagues here—namely, to chart the future direction of this country. Australia needs a Labor government to restore fairness in the community and prosperity in our economic outlook.
To all those loyal ALP branch members who have supported me throughout my career: I can never repay that debt. But, sadly, we've lost a few along the way. Ted Wale, for instance, at 107, was the oldest living member of the Labor Party. His passing, along with that of his son Alan, was a tremendous loss to our Cabramatta branch. More recently was the passing of Huy Tran, one of the first Vietnamese people I met on coming to Fowler. At the age of 45, he was taken far too early. An old union mate of mine, Digby Young: not only did we work together in the AWU but he was a tireless supporter and campaigner for me in every election in Fowler.
To the clerks, the Serjeant-at-Arms and their staff, who have always been so professional and proper in their dealings with me; Luch and all the attendants; Joy our cleaner; our COMCAR drivers; and all who've made my time here more comfortable: thank you. Also, a special thanks to the staff of the Parliamentary Library. Apart from research, they've certainly kept me in novels, which I share with my mother.
Notwithstanding the pandemic, there are probably two areas which I'd like to highlight that occurred within the last 12 months which have been quite significant—if you like, a high point, at least for me. Recently working with the Capital Punishment Justice Project team we submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of Thailand for an Australian citizen who was on death row. His final judicial moment was to be considered. Not only did we get this Australian citizen off death row; all charges were then dropped because of the brief that was provided. This man is now back living with his family here in Australia.
The other one I'd like to indicate, which certainly involves the minister opposite: he will recall that I had eight people who were trapped in Kabul after its fall—as a matter of fact, caught in the bombing at Kabul airport. The minister brought his staff back to the parliament at 11 pm one night, together with my staff, and worked on the necessary paperwork. We tracked their journey from Kabul, through to Quetta, then onto Islamabad, and a military flight brought them home from there. It's one of those things that can be achieved by working cooperatively. Alex, mate, thanks for your cooperation, and Ross MacDonald, who was there at 11 o'clock at night. It's really appreciated. That family is now happily settled in this country.
Whilst there have been high points, there is still one low point for me. A great personal disappointment is that, despite what I consider to be my best efforts over the last two years, I have not been able to get an Australian citizen, Van Kham Chau, out of a Vietnamese prison. This 72-year-old retired baker from Western Sydney was convicted on charges of terrorism solely because of his membership of a human rights and pro-democracy organisation here in Australia. So I'd make this plea to the Prime Minister: please take an active interest in this matter. I know that you and, indeed, the Australian government have a good relationship with the Vietnamese administration but could you please take an active interest in this with a view to securing Mr Chau's release so that he can return to his wife and family here in Australia.
Finally, I am the 1,018th person to have had the honour of representing their local community in the federal parliament. It has been an absolute privilege to serve in this place. To the people of Werriwa, and those of Fowler, I say a heartfelt 'Thank you'. To everybody here, I wish you a merry Christmas and I hope you have time with your family and loved ones. I look forward to welcoming a Labor government next year.
Honourable members: Hear, hear!
Mr BUCHHOLZ (Wright—Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport) (10:00): on indulgence—While the member is still in the House, I think it's appropriate, as a former government whip, to offer a couple of comments to the member for Fowler for his contribution to the House. I don't want to detain members in offering their affirmation to the member for Fowler.
It's worth noting that when the Australian public look upon this building, and look upon our behaviour, they see it mostly through the prism of question time—this room with its Colosseum-like layout, and the gladiatorial style of conduct that happens between two and three o'clock. I dare say each of us as members are often asked—I am!—by members of the public, 'Who are your friends in the parliament?' When you say a few names they may recall and then you roll on to the names of men and women that sit on the other side of the chamber, you can see their eyebrows rise as they think: 'Why would you be friends with them? You program us that they are your enemy.' But, I can assure you, the member for Fowler is no enemy of mine and no enemy of a lot of people in this building.
Member for Fowler, your simple compassion, the way you conduct yourself, the affirmation you bestow upon your staff—they are all very accurate comments. Bernadette, the time you have given to this parliament, the sacrifices you have made, your presence here in the parliament through the partners groups, and your friendly disposition and your ever-smiling face—he's nothing without you, absolutely.
Member for Fowler, I wish you all the best for the next chapter in your life. Please do this House a great endeavour and sell your motorbike, and live a long and prosperous life. I wish you well for the future, my friend. Godspeed.
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (10:02): on indulgence—I rise on behalf of my team in the Australian Labor Party. I have already spoken about Chris Hayes—the member for Fowler, the former member for Werriwa and my dear friend—in other fora. The job of Chief Opposition Whip, indeed of all whips, is one of pastoral care as much as other things. I can't think of anyone in our show who is more respected or more trusted to be a confidante, to be someone whom people can walk through the door and talk to about their issues, and to deal with both sides professionally. He is a man of great honour.
He loves the people he represents in his electorate, and I've had the great privilege of visiting both his electorates over a period of time—including visiting the current one, Fowler, as Labor leader. He will be missed. He makes a difference. The fact that in his final speech here he spoke about a Vietnamese Australian who is in prison in Vietnam over human rights issues, and made a heartfelt plea to the government on those issues, says everything about him—as does the way he worked with the minister to make a difference to people escaping from Afghanistan who were vulnerable when Kabul fell, when attacks were occurring against people who had links with our great nation of Australia.
To Chris Hayes: on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, a big thank you. To Bernadette: a huge thank you. It is a fantastic partnership. I don't want to leave out Anna George, who will already be working away, who will leave at the same time. Anna has worked for Labor leaders or in the whips offices for a long period of time. It is the case that if you want to know what's going on and really want to know the line not just of the whip but also of Labor leaders just ask Anna. She knows what's going on. She will be sadly missed as well.
But to Chris and Bernadette, all the best. You are going out standing! There was a possibility, of course, that you would go out in a horizontal fashion in the Federation Chamber, and it is a good thing that you are going out with your health restored again and with many, many more years of enjoyment ahead of you and Bernadette and your lovely family. You are much loved my friend, my comrade and my mate.
Mr HAWKE (Mitchell—Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs) (10:05): on indulgence—The member opposite said something nice about me, and I don't think I will be able to stay in this place with the ledger being that way because, really, the ledger is all the other way. So I just wanted to say a few short things about the member for Fowler that have not been noted, from a very personal level.
In a week where we've heard about the bad culture of this place, can I say my experience and the experience of my wife, Amelia, about Bernadette and Chris is completely the opposite. They care for people across this parliament. My wife was a young staffer. She refers to Bernadette and Chris as her second parents, a story that I've told at many multicultural events across south-west Sydney.
Chris has had an enormous impact in the Christian fellowship of this parliament, across members, across staff and across everyone here; he's had a great impact on them. He plays touch football. I don't know if many people know. He's not awfully good at that, I must say, but he is an outstanding parliamentarian. He has deep Labor values. He's been very impactful with the multicultural communities of this country in Sydney. There are zero Labor members about which I have had people come up to me in my own electorate and say, 'That person is a good person—except for Chris Hayes, and it happens all the time. It happens so often it actually alarms me! And it's happened over many years, since I first came to this place.
I want to say to Bernadette and Chris, on behalf of the government and the Prime Minister, thank you for everything you have done for all of us here in this place. Thank you for being outstanding representatives of your values and your traditions but making a mark on all of us.
The SPEAKER: On behalf of the entire parliament and all the departmental staff, I would also like to share in congratulating the member for Fowler on his incredible career. It's testament to the member for Fowler, and shows the mark of the man, that he spent 99 per cent of his valedictory speech talking about others. As a fellow Lasallian, I know the De La Salle Brothers will be incredibly proud of you for the man you are and the high integrity that you have.
PRIVILEGE
Privileges and Members' Interests Committee
Mr BROADBENT (Monash) (10:08): On unauthorised disclosure: this is my report back to the House as chair. As Chair of the Standing Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests I rise to report back to the House on a significant matter that I raised earlier this week. In presenting a report from the committee on Tuesday relating to the member for Pearce's statement of registrable interests, I informed the House of an unauthorised disclosure of the report and the committee's private deliberations. As I noted on Tuesday, details of the committee's report and discussion of the committee's private deliberations appeared in an article on the Guardian website on Monday evening. The committee considered this matter yesterday and agreed that it is clear that this article is the result of an unauthorised disclosure in contravention of standing order 242(b).
In undertaking an initial investigation of the matter, the committee concluded that on this occasion the unauthorised disclosure is unlikely to have caused substantial interference to the work of the committee or the House such as to amount to a potential contempt under the Parliamentary Privileges Act. However, the committee considers the incident very unfortunate and disappointing, potentially damaging to the ongoing operations of the committee in the future. Each member of the committee and secretariat gave an assurance that they had not disclosed the contents of the committee's report or proceedings to any person not authorised to receive the information.
In light of this, the committee's view is that it will be difficult to determine with any certainty the source of the unauthorised disclosure. It is most regrettable that this serious breach of standards has occurred, particularly as the Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests is the committee responsible for investigating breaches of privilege and should, therefore, be setting an example for other committees. People who decide to leak confidential committee deliberations show a complete lack of respect for their colleagues, for committee work and for the parliament.
Those in the media who decide to use and publish leaked material likewise show their disrespect for the institution of parliament and the important principles which underpin its work. I want to make it very clear to journalists and their publishers that a potential contempt can be committed in the act of publishing material from parliamentary committees that has not been authorised for publication. This is serious. I will be writing to the journalist in question and the president of the Parliamentary Press Gallery accordingly.
I want to remind all those involved with parliamentary committee processes of the importance of observing the rules against unauthorised disclosure of committee proceedings, including draft reports. Unauthorised disclosures erode trust in the parliamentary process and have a clear adverse impact on our work as committee members and as parliamentarians. I thank the House.
COMMITTEES
Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
Report
Mr ANDREWS (Menzies) (10:11): On behalf of the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, I present the committee's report entitled Advocating for the elimination of child and forced marriage interim report for the inquiry into certain aspects of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade annual report 2019-20.
Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).
BILLS
Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2021
First Reading
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mr Evans, for Ms Ley.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mr EVANS (Brisbane—Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management) (10:12): I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
This bill is one of a package of bills to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the ozone protection and synthetic greenhouse gas management program.
The changes will reduce the burden on business and ensure the program can continue to achieve important environmental outcomes.
The ozone protection and synthetic greenhouse gas management program regulates the manufacture, import, export, use and disposal of ozone depleting substances and synthetic greenhouse gases.
This program protects the ozone layer and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
An extensive review completed in 2016 found that the program has been very successful through working in partnership with businesses that supply and use these chemicals.
In May 2016 the Australian government announced a range of changes identified by the review to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the program.
The major emissions reduction and streamlining changes were passed by parliament in 2017.
This included the introduction of the hydrofluorocarbon, HFC, phase-down to reduce emissions of these potent global warming gases. HFCs are a group of synthetic greenhouse gases widely used in refrigeration and air conditioning.
The Australian government was instrumental in gaining agreement by all 197 parties to the Montreal Protocol to the worldwide phase-down of HFCs, an important action to protect our ozone and our climate.
The amendment bill introduces most of the remaining measures announced following the review of the program.
The bill also introduces measures developed from consultation and stakeholder feedback since the 2017 amendments, which has incorporated practical ideas and views from industry, consumers and business as they have implemented the measures.
The government continues to work with stakeholders on this program to achieve sustainable environmental benefits as well as better outcomes for consumers and business.
Measures to streamline and clarify program requirements include bringing into the legislation the controls that are currently imposed through licence conditions, such as the ban on import of bulk gas in non-refillable containers.
These changes provide clarity for business and improve protection of the environment.
The bill will clarify licence and exemption requirements, including changes to make the legislation easier to understand and reduce unintentional noncompliance.
Increasing the time allowed for submitting reports and paying levies will reduce the regulatory burden on business and maximise compliance with program requirements by increasing the flexibility for businesses to manage their workload and their cash flow.
The bill reforms the compliance and enforcement approach of the program to provide for consistent Commonwealth regulatory powers and to increase legal certainty for industry and individuals who are subject to the act.
These amendments adopt the standard provisions of the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014, as is Australian government policy when amending legislation.
Minor modifications are made to the standard provisions of the Regulatory Powers Act as appropriate to the program.
The offence and penalty structure in the act is modernised to give flexibility in enforcement while also providing deterrence against noncompliance.
The bill will also add the option of licence suspension as an alternative to immediate cancellation or financial penalties.
The reforms and various amendments in this bill are each minor on their own. As a whole, the package of reforms represents an important step in ensuring the continued success of this program for ozone protection and synthetic greenhouse gas management.
The reforms will encourage compliance and reduce the regulatory burden on business whilst ensuring that the standard of environmental protection provided by the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act remains high.
I commend the bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.
Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment Bill 2021
First Reading
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mr Evans.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mr EVANS (Brisbane—Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management) (10:17):
I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to ensure that cost recovery arrangements for the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Program can continue to be effective.
The bill will amend the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Act 1995 (the import levy act) to remove the levy on the import of equipment that operates using ozone depleting substances.
This levy is no longer needed as this type of equipment is largely banned from import and may only be imported in very limited circumstances—such as where the equipment is essential for public safety or for scientific purposes and no practical alternative exists. It is appropriate not to charge a levy in those kinds of circumstances.
The bill will also amend the import levy act to provide for the levy rates to be set by regulation rather than being fixed in the act itself.
The change will allow for more timely and responsive cost recovery approaches in the program and ensure that the Commonwealth's likely costs in administering the program can continue to be recovered.
Any change to the levy rate would have to be appropriate and not recover more than the likely reasonable costs of administering the program. This would only take place after review of cost recovery arrangements.
The capped levy rate has been in place since 2003. As such, it does not reflect the current cost of administering the program.
Removing the cap allows the levy to be adjusted periodically so that activities under the act and regulations can be fully cost recovered in the future.
I commend the bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.
Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment Bill 2021
First Reading
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mr Evans.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mr EVANS (Brisbane—Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management) (10:19): I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to ensure that cost recovery arrangements for the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Program can continue to be effective.
The bill will amend the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Act 1995 (the manufacture levy act) to provide for the levy rates to be set by regulation rather than fixed in the manufacture levy act.
The change will allow for more timely and responsive cost recovery approaches in the program and ensure that the Commonwealth's likely costs in administering the program can continue to be recovered.
Any change to the levy rate would have to be appropriate and not recover more than the likely costs of administering the program. This would only take place after review of the cost recovery arrangements.
The capped levy rate has been in place since 2003. As such, it does not reflect the current cost of administering the program.
Removing the cap allows the levy to be adjusted periodically so that activities under the act and regulations can be fully cost recovered in the future. I commend the bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.
Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2021
First Reading
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mr Taylor, for Mr Tudge.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mr TAYLOR (Hume—Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction) (10:22): Today I am introducing the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2021, which amends the Australian Research Council Act 2001 to ensure continuity of funding to the funding schemes of the Australian Research Council or ARC.
This bill will amend the Australian Research Council Act 2001 to update the existing funding caps and insert new funding caps through until 30 June 2025 for the funding of competitive research in Australia.
This routine update to the ARC's funding caps provides for anticipated inflationary growth so that the government can continue to support Australia's research sector.
The new cap for the 2021-22 financial year has been increased to just over $815 million, and a new paragraph is added to provide appropriations as per agreed Commonwealth policy to the 2024-25 financial year.
This funding builds on the Australian government's investment of $11.9 billion in science and research in 2020-21, around 6.7 per cent of which goes to the ARC.
The ARC's Discovery and Linkage programs, and their flagship programs, Discovery Projects and Linkage Projects, support a broad range of research efforts and date back to the birth of the agency in 2001.
Discovery is for fundamental discovery or 'blue sky' research, while Linkage supports collaborative research that facilitates linkages within universities and outside the university sector.
These programs continue today as an important balance of the ARC's research investment.
The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme supports centres of expertise through which our best researchers maintain Australia's international standing. Since the first funding round in 2003, the scheme has supported a total of 70 centres, with funding of $1.5 billion awarded.
Since 2009, the Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme has supported 210 laureate fellows with over $590 million.
Also since 2009, the ARC's mid-career fellowship scheme, or Future Fellowships, has provided over $1.3 billion to 1,800 worthy recipients in every research discipline, from STEM to HASS, and at universities around Australia.
In total, over its 20 years, the ARC has supported more than 29,000 unique research projects and competitively awarded over $13.5 billion since 2002. More than 38,000 researchers have participated in ARC funded projects and more than 9,000 institutions across Australia and globally have partnered on ARC grants since the agency was established.
ARC funding has been crucial to a long and significant list of Australian research achievements. They include the bionic ear (Cochlear), the establishment of the online database for the Australian Dictionary of Biography and the 2016 detection of gravitational waves.
The bill ensures the continuing support of the ARC and the many thousands of jobs in Australia's research sector that it supports.
Our ability to respond to the challenges of the future relies on the knowledge of our best and our brightest. Much of this knowledge is forged in the research centres of our universities.
It's in order to support and grow our research community that we bring this bill to the parliament.
I commend this bill to the House. I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
Debate adjourned.
Higher Education Support Amendment (2021 Measures No. 1) Bill 2021
First Reading
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mr Taylor, for Mr Tudge.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mr TAYLOR (Hume—Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction) (10:26): I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
The Higher Education Support Amendment (2021 Measures No.1) Bill 2021 will make the following three amendments to the Higher Education Support Act 2003(HESA): to list Avondale University (Avondale) as a table B provider; to clarify grandfathering arrangements for honours students under the Job-ready Graduates Package of reforms to higher education; and allow the Minister for Education and Youth to make other grants to table A and B providers and bodies corporate to assist higher education providers to translate research into commercial outcomes including through collaboration with industry.
Listing Avondale as a table B provider recognises the university's recent achievement of registration as an 'Australian university' by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and its teaching and research performance. This amendment will contribute to specialisation, differentiation and quality across the Australian higher education sector. Avondale provides unique value to the university sector through its stated goal of delivering education with a strong research focus, particularly in the areas of teaching and nursing.
The amendment to HESA to give Avondale greater access to HESA grants, such as research block grants, is obviously crucially important. In its research activity to date, Avondale has been successful in securing competitive grant income from both national and international sources by partnering with peer universities and industry.
Access to research block grants will allow Avondale to strategically expand its research activity and leverage its existing partnerships to play a greater role in industry focused research translation and commercialisation. This will better position the university to serve the Lake Macquarie region and meet future challenges.
Avondale has proven that it delivers high-quality teaching and produces job-ready graduates. The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) survey results show that Avondale performs well above the national average across student experience measures and full-time employment for graduates. In the 2019 and 2020 QILT Student Experience Survey, Avondale exceeded the national average on learner engagement (20.5 per cent higher), overall experience (9.6 per cent higher), skill development (9.8 per cent higher), teaching quality (8.2 per cent higher) and student support (7.3 per cent higher).
In the 2018, 2019 and 2020 QILT graduate surveys, Avondale exceeded the national average on the good teaching scale (18.4 per cent higher), overall satisfaction (12 per cent higher), and full-time employment (nine per cent higher).
Listing Avondale as a table B provider is fully supported by the university and its community. Given its strong teaching and research performance, it is appropriate that Avondale receives table B status under HESA.
This bill will also amend HESA to clarify that under the Job-ready Graduates package, Commonwealth supported students who commenced an ongoing course of study before 1 January 2021 are considered 'grandfathered students' for a related honours course. This means they are not subject to higher student contribution amounts. It will align the legislation with the original policy intent and minimise the risk of students not receiving the intended benefits of the Job-ready Graduates package.
The Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Act 2020 made amendments to HESA to change student and Commonwealth contribution amounts towards student fees. This was to encourage students to enrol in courses in areas of job growth. Those amendments inserted a definition of 'grandfathered student' in schedule 1 of the act for the purposes of treating certain existing students (on 1 January 2021) beneficially where they would otherwise be charged a higher student contribution amount.
Under the current definition, Commonwealth supported students who complete an 'ongoing course' at the bachelor level after 1 January 2021 are not considered grandfathered students for a subsequent related honours course. The current definition only applies where a student completed an earlier bachelor course prior to 1 January 2021. A student who commences or transfers to a new related honours course after 1 January 2021 is also not covered by the current definition.
This amendment will ensure existing students who undertake a related honours course after 1 January 2021 are not subject to higher student contribution amounts.
To benefit the greatest number of students, the grandfathering amendments will apply to any student who commenced an ongoing course before 1 January 2021, then undertakes a unit of study in a subsequent related honours course with a census date on or after 1 January 2021. This means some students will retrospectively become grandfathered students, and any student contribution amounts deferred to the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) or paid up-front may need to be recredited or refunded, respectively. The bill therefore provides the Minister for Education and Youth with the power to make rules prescribing matters of a transitional nature by legislative instrument, with certain limits imposed.
The clarification to grandfathering arrangements must be in place by February 2022 to ensure eligible honours students are grandfathered from 2022. If this timing is not met, some honours students commencing in 2022 will be charged as non-grandfathered students and may initially pay higher fees. Student contribution amounts are determined at the census date for a unit of study; therefore the bill must pass and receive royal assent before semester 1 2022 census dates occur.
The amendment to make grants to support research commercialisation with universities and other institutions will strengthen the ability to support the translation and commercialisation of research by our higher education providers, including through closer engagement with industry partners.
This measure will allow the Morrison government to deliver on its commitment to maximise the social and economic benefits of Australia's multibillion-dollar university research sector. The measure will enable activities that will help translate our high-quality university research into breakthrough products, new businesses and ideas needed to grow the economy and improve our country.
I commend this bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.
Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Pension Loans Scheme Enhancements) Bill 2021
First Reading
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mr Taylor, for Mr Robert.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mr TAYLOR (Hume—Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction) (10:35): I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
The Morrison government is increasing the flexibility of the Pension Loans Scheme to give our senior Australians more choices in their retirement.
The Retirement Income Review highlighted that accessing a portion of a person's home equity can greatly improve their living standards in retirement. This is particularly true for those senior Australians who hold substantive assets but have limited income.
Around 80 per cent of those over the age of 65 are home owners, with many of our senior Australians having significant equity in their home or other real estate assets.
The Pension Loans Scheme gives our senior Australians another option for using their accumulated wealth to support their retirement lifestyle.
Participation in the Pension Loan Scheme is voluntary and the scheme is similar to a reverse mortgage product.
It provides senior Australians the option of drawing a fortnightly loan amount, backed by the equity in their home or other real estate assets, to supplement their other retirement income.
Through the scheme, pensioners can top-up their pension payment with loan payments up to a maximum of 150 per cent of the fortnightly rate of the age pension. Eligible non-pensioners, such as self-funded retirees, can receive the full 150 per cent of the fortnightly rate of the age pension in loan payments.
The Morrison government enhanced the Pension Loans Scheme in the 2019-20 budget by expanding its eligibility to all older Australians of age pension age and increasing the maximum allowable fortnightly combined pension plus loan from 100 per cent to 150 per cent of the rate of the age pension. This allowed maximum rate pensioners to participate in the scheme for the first time.
Since those changes came into effect on 1 July 2019, the number of participants in the scheme as at 30 September 2021 has grown from around 780 to over 5,000. This sixfold increase in two years demonstrates that the scheme is meeting the needs of our senior Australians.
This bill will introduce two additional features to the Pension Loans Scheme to further increase flexibility and confidence in the scheme for those senior Australians who choose to use it. These measures will come into effect on 1 July 2022.
Firstly, a 'no negative equity guarantee' will apply to all Pension Loans Scheme participants. It will mean that, when scheme participants settle their debt, they will not repay more than the equity they have in the property used to secure their loan.
Introducing a no negative equity guarantee brings the Pension Loans Scheme in line with an obligation placed on private providers of reverse mortgage products, who have been required since 2012 to provide a no negative equity guarantee to users of home equity products.
The no negative equity guarantee will provide additional confidence to participants of the Pension Loans Scheme. It builds upon the strong safeguards already in place to minimise the possibility of a participant's debt exceeding their secured equity.
These safeguards include:
conservative age-based loan-to-value ratios, which restrict the total amount that can be borrowed through the Pension Loans Scheme according to a person's age and available equity; and
limits on the amount a person can receive, which remains capped at 150 per cent of the maximum fortnightly rate of pension.
Secondly, participants of the Pension Loans Scheme will be able to access a portion of their payment as a lump sum advance.
This option to choose a lump sum advance will give retirees greater flexibility and a new mechanism to help them meet unexpected and/or substantial expenses.
The maximum lump sum advance will be capped at 50 per cent of the maximum fortnightly rate of the age pension over 26 fortnights.
Based on current age pension rates, the maximum advance payment over a 26-fortnight period will be around $12,580 for singles and around $18,960 for couples combined.
Any advance taken will reduce the amount of fortnightly Pension Loans Scheme payments a participant can receive.
Participants will be able to take up to two advances in any 26-fortnight period, with the combined total limited by the 50 per cent cap.
Consequently, the maximum amount a participant can receive in loan payments will generally be the same irrespective of whether they take an advance payment, fortnightly payments or a combination of both.
These measures will ensure that participants do not build up excessive debt balances, while providing them flexibility and choice in how they tap into the equity of their real estate assets.
To complement the introduction of these new measures, the Morrison government will embark on a campaign to raise awareness of the Pension Loans Scheme.
Although the Pension Loans Scheme has operated since 1985, awareness among our senior Australians remains low and there remains a misconception that only those receiving the age pension can access the scheme.
While participants need to be of age pension age, they do not actually need to be receiving a pension payment in order to qualify for the scheme.
The awareness-raising campaign will help our senior Australians improve their understanding of the scheme, and the new features can be used to improve their living standards in retirement.
Home ownership has always been the bedrock of our society. This bill will give our older Australians more confidence to tap into a small proportion of their home equity to increase their retirement outcomes.
We want our senior Australians to enjoy greater choice, financial independence and quality of life in their retirement years.
I commend this bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.
STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE
Commonwealth Integrity Commission
Dr HAINES (Indi) (10:41): I don't wish to take up too much of the House's time; just a couple of minutes, really. Today we've seen the final set of bills that the government are planning to introduce to the House, and I note that, as expected, there is no integrity commission bill coming from the government. Yesterday, I inspected the document that the PM tabled in the House and it is, in fact, the same exposure draft that the former Attorney-General published over a year ago. To be clear, that is not a bill before this House.
I want to know why the government is doing this. I want to know why we haven't seen an integrity commission bill introduced this morning on the last possible day of the year. Last week, the member for Bass did something extraordinarily brave and crossed the floor in good faith to bring on debate on my Australian Federal Integrity Commission Bill 2020. Since that time, government senators have called for a stronger integrity commission bill to come from the government. Nothing has been forthcoming. Since that time also, other members of the government, in good faith, have gone into the Prime Minister's office and called for collaboration and good-faith consensus to get a bill to the House that the Australian nation needs.
The member for Bass has done something brave and extraordinary over the course of this parliament to bring on an integrity commission debate on the Australian Federal Integrity Commission Bill 2020. It was a brave step and it has not been taken up by the government. I think this is really, really disappointing. In fact, it's worse than disappointing. This is the most important bill that the government should introduce, and it's nowhere to be seen.
Mr ALEXANDER (Bennelong) (10:43): I would just like to add some comments to those of the member for Indi. If we were to enter a period of debate on this issue, we might be here in another 20 years, as we have been on climate change. I would suggest that we act like mature adults, enter a room—we both have our positions—and start working through this document line by line until we have a resolution together. We should work together across this great divide to do well for the Australian people because the one thing they want of the people in this place is integrity, and our stocks are not high in that department at this time.
COMMITTEES
Public Works Joint Committee
Approval of Work
Mr TAYLOR (Hume—Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction) (10:44): On behalf of the Minister for the Public Service, I move:
That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to parliament: Department of Health—Fit-out of existing premises, Sirius Building, Woden, ACT.
The Department of Health is proposing to undertake a fit-out of works at the Sirius Building in Woden in the ACT. The proposed works will enable Health to relocate staff from its other Woden tenancy, Scarborough House, into the Sirius Building prior to the lease expiring in 2025. The updated fit-out will also cater for a range of operating models and enable Health to meet the whole-of-government occupational density target of 14 square metres. The total estimated cost of the project is $64.3 million, excluding GST.
The works must be referred to, considered by, and reported on to both houses of parliament by the Public Works Committee before work may commence. The project was referred to the committee on 21 October 2021. The committee has recommended that the House of Representatives resolve, pursuant to section 18(7) of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, that it is expedient to carry out the project. Subject to parliamentary approval, the works are expected to commence in March 2022 with completion by March 2025. On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the committee for undertaking a timely inquiry, and I commend the motion to the House.
Question agreed to.
Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources Committee
Report
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (10:46): On behalf of the Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources, I present the committee's report entitled The now frontier: developing Australia's space industry, together with the minutes of the proceedings.
Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).
Mr CONAGHAN: by leave—Today I present the report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources, entitled The now frontier: developing Australia's space industry. On 11 November 2020, the committee adopted an inquiry into developing Australia's space industry, referred by the then Minister for Industry, Science and Technology the Hon. Karen Andrews MP. The committee was asked to focus on how the Australian government can support and encourage the space industry while preserving and protecting the space environment.
Space is an industry that inspires, fascinates and excites people. Generally, rockets and astronauts come to mind when we think about the space industry. But, in fact, its technology and equipment are very much part of our day-to-day lives. There are enormous opportunities for individuals, organisations and communities to take advantage of this growing sector, particularly in regional and rural areas.
Australians are most familiar with our nation's involvement in the moon landing in 1969, before my time. Tracking stations at Honeysuckle Creek and Parkes in New South Wales relayed images back to Earth of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon. This followed the rocket testing program in the late 1950s at Woomera in South Australia as part of the Australian government's weapons research establishment.
Perhaps less familiar to Australians is the continued use of space based technologies and applications in our daily lives. Mobile phones, the internet, weather forecasting, GPS technology and banking services all rely on data derived from space. Space related technologies were once considered those of the future—robots, drones, remote sensors and artificial intelligence—but are now very much where we are. For Australia to be competitive, we need to not only foster these technologies and their applications but ensure we have the right people with the right skills and expertise to make it happen.
The pace at which space-based technologies and innovations are developing is set to revolutionise the way we live. Space 2.0 refers to utilising and accessing space here on Earth. It includes a range of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, remote sensing, smart sensors, nanotechnology, micro-electronics, big data, robotics, drones, autonomous systems, quantum computing and the Internet of Things. The significance of Space 2.0 is that it will create the jobs of the future. In addition to improving our lives, this transformation will present real opportunities for Australia to be part of a growing and lucrative global space industry.
Australia needs to position itself to capitalise on these opportunities. Australia enjoys natural and structured advantages that can be leveraged to benefit us socially and economically. Our geography and landscape, education and training system, technical expertise, and international partnerships and agreements all combine to form an important foundation for access to the global space industry supply chains and the development of sustainable commercial activities. Furthermore, Australia is renowned for its innovation, research and development.
The Australian space industry is enjoying a renewed focus and interest. The establishment of the Australian space industry in 2018 has helped to galvanise an industry and signal Australia's commitment to a globally competitive industry. It is fair to say it has invigorated the domestic space industry. I note that we went on a tour of the Australian space industry and it was absolutely fascinating, and I urge anybody who's listening to this to take that opportunity to go to the Australian Space Agency and educate yourself as to the future of Australia's space.
The Australian government has set a goal to grow the domestic space sector by $12 billion and create an additional 20,000 jobs. This report makes recommendations designed to support this growth and beyond. It has identified key reforms that the committee hopes will help the Australian space sector to be more globally competitive while preserving and protecting the space environment. Some of these reforms include the call for an overarching vision of the industry in Australia to inspire confidence in investment in our space capabilities and an increased visibility of space across the government and parliament.
The report acknowledges the importance of the Australian Space Agency, its dedicated staff and the role it has played in strengthening the Australian space industry. At the same time, the committee believes it is time that important consideration be given to the agency's funding, operations and status, including whether it becomes a statutory authority. This is to ensure it can better support the industry and hold its own with other international space agencies.
Importantly, this inquiry helped to uncover that space is an accessible industry to those wishing to pursue a career in this field. The sector presents a lot of opportunities for Australia, and the need to grow a workforce to support it is paramount. Beyond rockets and astronauts, there are many and varied jobs that can be undertaken. The committee has heard that there are a range of professionals not generally associated with space, such as law, medicine, project management, communications and business, that will be able to support and facilitate Australia's space industry to grow an internationally competitive sector.
The report recommends that community education and outreach programs to promote these opportunities are developed and that diversity is sought across the sector. Further, there is so much potential for our rural and regional areas to benefit from and get involved in Australia's space sector. This includes the links between our regional industries and the space sector; the application of space related technology and infrastructure to agriculture, health and telecommunications; and, of course, the uptake of regional education and training to better equip young people to build their careers in this industry. The report calls for an examination of ways to maximise these benefits.
This inquiry was the second undertaken by this committee during COVID-19 conditions, where travel and lockdown restrictions challenged the way we engaged with stakeholders and met as a committee. For the industry, COVID-19 highlighted the vulnerability of Australia's reliance on other countries for space related technology services and global supply chains. It reinforced the need for a sovereign space capability so that Australia has what it needs to design, build and maintain our own space requirements. In turn, the committee has made recommendations with a view to this. For example, we have recommended a national assessment of Australia's current and future space infrastructure requirements, with particular emphasis on developing sovereign capability in identified areas, whilst acknowledging the need for the industry to access a range of infrastructure for research, development and manufacture.
This is an exciting time for the Australian space industry, with awe-inspiring work already being done here. I believe I speak on behalf of the committee in saying that we hope this report acknowledges the wonderful things happening now and that it goes further to encourage and support the future promise and potential of the industry. This bipartisan report, therefore, makes 38 recommendations designed to drive growth and investment, encourage commercialisation of research and development, better facilitate international collaboration and grow a future workforce. In terms of growing a future workforce, it has identified the need for greater education in science, technology, engineering and maths of young people. We had evidence that most of the high-level jobs are filled by those who have been educated overseas. We need to make a change in that regard and encourage education at a university level in both space engineering and aeronautical engineering rather than look overseas. We need to develop better systems and greater awareness of those jobs of the future. It is not just rockets and astronauts. It is law, it is medicine and it is trade. I'm very excited for young people of the future to be involved in the space industry in the future.
The committee appreciates the contribution of the witnesses and those who hosted the committee on site visits and those joining us remotely from the home, studios and office. I would like to thank the former chair, the Hon. Barnaby Joyce MP, for his stewardship of the inquiry and the deputy chair, the Hon. Sharon Bird. Congratulations on your valedictory speech yesterday, Sharon—well done. I'd like to thank all the committee members for all their hard work. I also extend my thanks to all the committee secretariat staff, including Kate Portus, Fran Denny, Peter Richardson, Ashlin Hardiman and Tamara Palmer, for their work in planning the public hearings and the preparation of this report.
The space industry is not the new frontier but the now frontier. Building on the strengths of our industry will have enduring benefits for all Australians. I commend this report to the House.
Ms BIRD (Cunningham) (10:58): by leave—As the deputy chair of the committee, I want to take a few moments on the tabling of this report to make a few comments. Our chair gave a comprehensive and excellent coverage of what the committee heard in the evidence it took. The report and the 38 recommendations have been well covered. It was quite challenging, because this is a fast-moving industry sector. As we took evidence, we read in the media, almost on a daily basis, about further progress and developments that had occurred. This meant that some of the evidence we'd taken maybe only a week before had become outdated. So, as the chair outlined, it was a challenge beyond the challenges of the COVID restrictions. So I wanted to say a particular thank you to not only all who gave us submissions in evidence but also those who we had to call back to give us updates because of the speed at which things were developing. I particularly want to acknowledge the Australian Space Agency, who worked so well to provide support to this inquiry. It's head, Enrico Palermo, was appointed during the period of the inquiry, which is just an indication of how things were changing.
As the chair said, it is an enormous opportunity sector. I think we were particularly interested and excited by the fact that we so often think of what is described as the 'from Earth space industry'—that is, the launching of rockets and their cargo satellites and so forth. But Australia already plays a significant role in what they call the 'from space sector', and Australia is really well positioned to develop new industries. The from space sector involves the gathering of imagery and data that can then be translated into really useful applications such as in the agriculture sector, the infrastructure sector and the environment sector in really fantastic ways that could create businesses and job opportunities in this country.
There is tremendous opportunity. As the chair indicated—and I suspect 38 recommendations indicate—there is a lot more that we could be doing as a federal government and a federal parliament to foster and support the industry. I want to thank the chair, the member for Cowper. He came into this right towards the end, although he had been a very active member of the committee through the entire inquiry. He stepped up for this final process of putting the report together and has done an outstanding job. Thank you very much, Pat; that was great work. I would also like to acknowledge the outgoing chair, the member for New England, who decided to take a sideways promotion—from chair of this committee to Deputy Prime Minister! It was great to work with the member for New England on the committee, and he certainly went out of his way to ensure all committee members had the full capacity to participate in the inquiry. The members of the committee were fabulous to work with.
I said in my valedictory, which the chair very kindly referred to yesterday, that committee work is often one of the most underestimated aspects of this place. So thank you to the member for Higgins, the member for Swan, the member for Hughes, the member for Wentworth, the member for Paterson and the member for Moreton for their fantastic work with us on this particular inquiry.
Finally, the other thing I said in my valedictory was that so much of what we do is supported by an amazing professional group of people who work behind the scenes in this place in all its forms. One of the groups I mentioned was committee secretariats. Thank you so much to secretary, Kate Portus; the inquiry secretary, Ms Fran Denney; research staff Mr Nathan Fewkes, Mr Ashley Stephens, Ms Ashlin Hardiman and Mr Peter Richardson; graduate officers Ms Sarah Nguyen and Ms Sharda Bhargave; and the administration officer, Ms Tamara Palmer. It was a great pleasure to work with all of you. It's an excellent report, and I really commend it to my colleagues to have a read.
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (11:03): I move:
That the House take note of the report.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Rob Mitchell ): In accordance with standing order 39, the debate is adjourned. The resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Reference to Federation Chamber
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (11:03): I move:
That the order of the day be referred to the Federation Chamber for debate.
Question agreed to.
Public Accounts and Audit Committee
Report
Mrs WICKS (Robertson) (11:04): On behalf of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, I present Report 487: annual report 2020-21.
Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).
Mrs WICKS: by leave—During the past year the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit—or the JCPAA, as we all know it as in the committee—tabled five reports, worked on five further inquiries, considered the budget estimates for the Australian National Audit Office and the Parliamentary Budget Office twice, determined the audit priorities of the parliament, and continued its role in providing accountability and transparency to the public administration of the Commonwealth.
I'm conscious that this is perhaps our last presentation of an annual report for this session of the parliament and I do just want to take a moment—if you'll indulge me, Deputy Speaker—to acknowledge the important work that this committee does for the parliament. It's not a committee I had sat on prior to 2019, but it is a committee that I have grown to have enormous respect for. I have found it to be an incredible honour to participate in the work of this committee, and I thank the committee membership for allowing me to serve as their chair. I'd also like to note that committees such as this really do demonstrate some of the best of the ways that parliament can work.
I would like to take the opportunity to place on record my thanks and acknowledgment to the deputy chair, the member for Bruce, who is in the chamber, who I suspect does not know what I'm about to say. I do want to say to the member for Bruce that I very much appreciate the way in which we have worked together over the course of this term of the parliament. I had perhaps not spoken to you many times before we became colleagues on this committee. We had to work together in quite a close, and what became a very collegiate, manner. I want to thank you personally for your stewardship. I want to thank you for the very professional manner in which you approached the fulsome work of this committee and the way in which we were able to almost always reach agreement or at least consensus on matters that were before the committee. There was often very robust debate, as there should be, and yet I think both of us sought to uphold the bipartisan nature of this committee on behalf of this parliament. I will remember this as something that reflects extremely well on the very best of Australian democracy, the very best of how this parliament should work. To the member for Bruce, I do thank you personally and also on behalf of the committee for all of your contributions and your advice and, as I said, the whole approach of this entire committee over the many different reports and considerations we have had to give.
There were a number of reports that were tabled by this committee into a wide range of topics. Another aspect of this committee that I hadn't actually appreciated until I served as the chair was the breadth of topic and scope that this committee looks into, inquires into, and undertakes. It has been a tremendous learning experience, but also one that I hope will serve me well in the months, and I hope years, to come. Some of the reports include reports and inquiries into, for instance, the operations of the Parliamentary Budget Office, Defence's acquisition of equipment, the administration of grants programs, and the cyber-resilience of Commonwealth agencies.
It was interesting to see different members of the committee taking different particular interests in the various topics. Over the course of this term of parliament we've really seen a strong participation from all committee members in the various reports and the various inquiries. I really want to place on record my thanks and appreciation to all of the committee members for all of their efforts and endeavours. I really do think that it has made many of the recommendations and the reports quite robust. Again, it is a great example of the best of the operations of committees such as this. It really is a great honour and privilege to participate in them.
Of course, the last two years have not always been the easiest, particularly with the restrictions coming with COVID-19 and many of the ways we've had to adapt quickly. Perhaps it took a little bit of time to refacilitate things onto videoconferencing and some of these other things, but I think we have actually adapted to that quite quickly. I note that we actually ended up meeting more times than the average over recent parliamentary years; I think we met 28 times in 2020-21. We really did undertake the role of the committee very seriously while still working within the restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. But because of the pandemic many of the committee's public hearings and private meetings took place remotely.
I also note that 2021 marks 70 years since the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act received royal assent. For seven decades this committee, the JCPAA, has played what I believe is an incredibly important role in the parliament's oversight of Commonwealth agencies. As I indicated when I commenced my remarks, the committee has really continued to work in a collegial, non-partisan way, and I really do thank all of my fellow committee members for their dedication to the committee and to its work. I have mentioned the deputy chair, the member for Bruce. I also thank the member for Moncrieff, who was here in the chamber just earlier; the member for Boothby; Senator Kitching; Senator McLachlan; Senator O'Sullivan; Senator Patrick; the member for Canberra; Senator Scarr; the member for Jagajaga; the member for Bonner; Senator Walsh; the member for Gellibrand; and the member for O'Connor. The committee's inquiries and all of its activities over the 2020-21 financial year have really benefited from the contribution of all members, as has the work of the committee over the entire term of this parliament.
In closing, can I also pay special tribute to the committee secretariat for their tireless work. It is a big committee, we often have several inquiries underway at once and the workload can be quite intense. I thank every single one of them for their contribution, for their professionalism, for their expert advice and for their support to the committee. I particularly thank and express the committee's appreciation to committee secretary, Joel Bateman, who has really served this committee in an exemplary manner. We thank him very much for all of his tireless efforts. I commend this report to the House.
Mr HILL (Bruce) (11:13): by leave—I will endorse all of the comments of the chair. It is an important committee. I'll make a few brief remarks to add to the comments made by the chair. The committee has been around for a very long time. I think the Audit Office was established in the very first year of the parliament. The Auditor-General works on behalf of the parliament in scrutinising the executive—a really important, somewhat archaic and at times arcane distinction, but the Auditor-General does work on behalf of the entire parliament in scrutinising expenditure.
It is a bit of a nerdy committee. It's a good one to go on if you actually want to have a magical mystery tour around government, because we have a statutory responsibility to consider every single audit report the Auditor-General puts forward, which covers the whole span of government. It's not for everyone. There's the workload, and some of the material can be dry, but I think the chair's remarks are spot on about the bipartisan tradition of this committee. It does require a bit of compromise and negotiation, and that's no bad thing. I think the general public don't see the work that goes on in committees. Overwhelmingly, but with a few notable exceptions at times, the work in committees is conducted in a respectful, sensible way and most stuff is agreed on—I think as you, when you were not in the chair just a few moments ago, remarked as well, Deputy Speaker Bird.
I thank the chair for those very kind words. I must say, I think that's terrible for our reputations! It's fair to say the chair likes working with me far more in her capacity as chair of the committee than when she's sitting in the Speaker's chair! It is a relationship built on trust as colleagues, and that trust has not been breached; I think that is really important. It's often a less understood part of getting stuff done around here—that you have to be able to shake someone's hand and have it mean something. It's old-fashioned for many.
I also thank the secretary. I made some remarks in last year's tabling statement for the committee that the committee was at that point seriously under-resourced, and I thank the secretary for guiding us through that period. I also thank the assistant clerk for giving the secretary those extra couple of positions and getting staff on board to deal with the workload.
I also thank the Audit Office and the Auditor-General, who support the work of the committee; they are always available. We had a record number of meetings this year—not always very long meetings. We had 28 meetings, and 28 is my favourite number, so I was very happy to hear that in the report; that's lovely. The Auditor-General is a source of counsel, advice and prudent insights, and I think he does a terrific job on behalf of the parliament. I think it's a topic for another day, but, frankly, I think the parliament could make more use of the Auditor-General, particularly through the estimates process, and some of the other committees could develop a habit of drawing on the expertise and work done by the Audit Office. In other parliaments, like the UK and elsewhere, they draw on the audit office far more often, and frequently in the course of their policy work, and seek insights as part of inquiries. I think there is room to make better use of that investment there.
I want to make a couple of remarks on output. I said last year that the committee had done less work that year than in any recent year. There used to be a little tracking table in the annual report. Most annual reports have a table where they have a few metrics where you can look back over the previous years to see how you're going. That table disappeared last year—I think it would have been a bit embarrassing for the committee last year!—and I called on the committee to pick up the pace. I think we have done that in some respects. I'm trying to think of a parliamentary way to say 'constipated'; we should avoid scatological references wherever possible—I'm sure you'd agree, Deputy Speaker Bird! I'll say there is a lot of work gestating in the pipeline of the committee.
I briefly want to read into the Hansard what the table would have said. I will do this very efficiently; I think it is important to have this on the record. Over the last six financial years—2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21—there have been five key metrics. The total number of meetings held was 17, 19, 19, 19, 14 and 28. The number of public hearings—an important metric—was 12, eight, 10, 18, eight and nine; we could lift our game a little bit there. The number of reports tabled—this is a really important metric, on how much advice the committee gives to the parliament at the end of the day—was 10, four, nine, eight, two and five. So last year we had two reports. This year we had five. Those are still amongst the lowest numbers in the last six years, but there is a lot in the pipeline.
On Auditor-General reports selected for inquiry—I mentioned we have to consider every report the Auditor-General tables—the numbers were:12, 18, 15, two, 14 and 13. So we are getting better at shoving work into the pipeline now. The number of recommendations made were: 50 in 2015-16; 17 in 2016-17; 57 in 2017-18; 67—a bumper year—in 2018-19; 12 last year; and 23 this year. So there is a little bit of room for improvement there, but I can say with confidence now, as those stats on the reports selected for inquiry show, that there is a lot of work in the pipeline and that this year we are going to be tabling a bit of stuff out of session to be safe. This year will be a bumper year.
Importantly, the final thing I would note is that the 10-year review of the Auditor-General Act, which doesn't show up in those statistics, is nearing completion by the committee. That's been an enormous piece of work, having a look at the entire architecture of the Audit Office.
I thank all the committee members, the chair, the secretary and the ANAO. There will be lots of great tabling statements if we come back in February. You watch, Deputy Speaker Bird; we will rock this House with our tabling statements!
Mrs WICKS (Robertson) (11:19): by leave—I present Executive Minutes on report 484 of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.
DELEGATION REPORTS
Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the 142nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly
Mrs WICKS (Robertson) (11:20): I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation tothe 142nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, held in virtualformat from 24 to 28 May 2021, and seek leave of the House to make a short statement in connection with the report.
Leave granted.
Mrs WICKS: The Inter-Parliamentary Union, or IPU, is an international organisation of parliaments dedicated to promoting peace through diplomacy and dialogue. Australia has a longstanding commitment to attend IPU assemblies and meetings, and our participation facilitates stronger bilateral and multilateral relationships with other nations and helps promote parliamentary democracy. The important work of the IPU has continued through the COVID-19 pandemic. The 142nd assembly of the IPU was scheduled to take place in person during April 2020. However, due to the global pandemic the assembly was postponed until May 2021 and conducted in virtual format. I had the pleasure of leading the Australian delegation at the 142nd assembly and participated alongside Senator Sarah Henderson, Senator Deborah O'Neill and the member for Bruce, Julian Hill.
The theme of the assembly was 'Overcoming the pandemic today and building a better tomorrow: the role of parliaments'. The assembly was attended by over a thousand delegates, including 755 parliamentarians from 133 member parliaments. Of these, almost 40 per cent were women and a quarter were young MPs. In addition to contributing to the general debate at the assembly, the Australian delegation actively participated in meetings of the Asia-Pacific geopolitical group and the Twelve Plus geopolitical group before the assembly.
I'd very much like to thank my fellow delegation members for their continued commitment to Australia's engagement in the IPU, and I also congratulate Senator O'Neill on her appointment to the IPU standing committee to promote respect for international humanitarian law, as a representative of the Asia-Pacific group. On behalf of the delegation, I acknowledge the staff of the Parliamentary Library, who provided briefing materials, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in Canberra, who provided advice to the delegation. I also want to acknowledge the work of the delegation secretary, particularly Sophie Dunstone, who has been an incredibly invaluable source of advice and support. I commend this report to the House.
BILLS
Defence Legislation Amendment (Discipline Reform) Bill 2021
Returned from Senate
Message received from the Senate returning the bill without amendment.
COMMITTEES
Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity Joint Committee
Human Rights Committee
Implementation of the National Redress Scheme Joint Select Committee
Membership
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Bird ) (11:23): I have received messages from the Senate informing the House that Senator Scarr has been discharged from the Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity and that Senator McLachlan has been appointed as a member of the committee; that Senators Dodson and Green have been discharged from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and that Senators O'Neill and Pratt have been appointed members of the committee; and that Senator Dean Smith has been discharged from the Joint Select Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme and that Senator O'Sullivan has been appointed a member of the committee.
BILLS
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Political Campaigners) Bill 2021
Consideration of Senate Message
Bill returned from the Senate with amendments.
Mrs MARINO (Forrest—Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories) (11:25): I move:
That the amendments be considered immediately.
Mr BANDT (Melbourne—Leader of the Australian Greens) (11:25): The House absolutely should not consider this dodgy deal immediately. This is a dirty deal that's bad for democracy, done on the last day of parliament, between Liberal and Labor. It has been rushed through the Senate without even debate or an inquiry, and it has been brought here on the last day of parliament, and we're urged to rush through a bill that will silence charities and string them up with red tape and also potentially affect the outcome of the election, because it will impinge on people's rights to campaign against the government during this forthcoming election campaign. When you have a bill that impacts on so many people in society, from charities to non-government organisations to people who want to engage in democracy, at the very least we should have a debate about it, we should have a full inquiry into the bill in the Senate and we should have a full debate about the bill in the Senate. That should be an uncontroversial proposition in this place—that, when this government comes in with a bill that is aimed at silencing people who disagree with it, we should at least be able to inquire into it and have a debate. But no. You've always got to watch out on the last day of parliament, because that is the day that Labor and Liberal will do dirty deals to ram through legislation that is bad for democracy and bad for civil rights, and we are seeing it here with this bill.
ACOSS, the Human Rights Law Centre, Anglicare and 80 other charities wrote to the government urging them to drop this bill or, at the very least, demanding that there be a serious look at it to work out what it is going to mean for their operations before it is passed. The government ignored them, but we expect that from this government, because we know that this government is in an 'in case of emergency break glass' mode. They fear that they're behind in the polls, so they're trying to change the rules of the game to stop people from voting or speaking out against them. We expect it from this government, but what we don't expect is that Labor will sign up to a dirty deal to ram through an antidemocratic piece of legislation on the last day of parliament.
Some of the biggest charities and non-government organisations and people who look after others who are doing it tough are speaking up against this bill or saying, 'At the very least, can we please have a debate about it and have an inquiry into it before it is rushed through on what might be the last sitting day of parliament before the election.' But we also have the government, in their own words, saying that it is clear that this is about targeting those they perceive as their political opponents, such as the Climate 200 group, OpenAustralia Foundation and They Vote For You. The government and government members have been explicit that this bill is about shutting up people who might want to campaign against them.
So we should be doing all we can to preserve democracy in this country and to stop the government getting away with legislating to change the rules of the game because it doesn't like what people say. The so-called party of freedom of speech is now saying, 'We want to tie up organisations in red tape and make it retrospective.' I'll come to how bad these amendments are when we get to debating the amendments themselves, if that's what happens—if we do in fact find that they're being voted on immediately. The government has been absolutely explicit that this is about trying to tilt the playing field in its favour by stopping people from speaking and putting them under obligations that might make them responsible for activities that happened before this bill even came into effect. It's potentially going to be retrospective for these organisations.
We in the Greens have known from the start that it's bad law, which is why we've opposed it. But what we thought is that there would at least be a chance to debate it, to understand exactly what it's going to mean for civil society in Australia and then potentially to go and change some people's minds, to say, 'Hey, actually, having heard all of this, we should not be passing this bill.' We are now being denied that opportunity because of the Labor Party. The Labor Party are saying, 'No, we want to ram it through today, on the last day of parliament.' They may well say, 'But, look, we had to do this because we're stopping another bill, another terrible bill, of the government,' but I just ask people to cast their minds back to yesterday.
Just yesterday the parliament held the government to account and came together across party lines, with everyone from the opposition, to the Greens, to the crossbenchers, to force the government to back down on a cut that it wanted to introduce on Australia's screen sector. We held firm and we forced them into a backdown. We have the potential to do this again, especially with things at the moment being as fluid as they are in this parliament. And we know that the wheels are starting to come off the government the closer it gets to an election and the more it realises it's behind in the polls. In that environment especially, we should be doing everything we can to apply maximum scrutiny to this bill—absolutely. That should be a fundamental principle. But, instead, Labor and Liberal, on the last day of parliament, are getting together to rush through a bill to silence democracy. They couldn't even debate it in the Senate. They weren't even allowed to have a full debate on this bill in the Senate.
This is a dark day for democracy, not only because we here in this parliament are being denied the opportunity to debate a very bad bill, but also because this bill will restrict people's right to campaign and say what they want to say during the course of the election campaign. This bill will restrict democracy. So the dirty deal that's been done to pass a very bad bill is a bad day for democracy. The dirty deal that has been done to pass a terrible bill is a dark day for democracy.
So I oppose this being dealt with immediately. If it is the case that Labor and Liberal want to force this through on the last day of parliament, then I will seek to speak to amendment (1) to explain to the House why it is so terrible, in the hope that, when people understand exactly what this amendment is going to do, they then agree to oppose it.
Ms STEGGALL (Warringah) (11:33): It is incredibly disappointing to actually have to stand up and take the point here in relation to the action of the major parties, who have done a deal, clearly, in the other place. They have bargained on one legislation for the sake of another. And I have a real issue with that, just as a matter of principle, because you should be looking at the merits of each legislation on its own—what the impact of that legislation is. That is a commitment I have made to the people of Warringah.
We are now in a situation where the government is seeking to push forward amendments to very important legislation, the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Political Campaigners) Bill 2021. What this legislation does is try to reach back to three years ago to campaigns that non-for-profit organisations may have run in the 2019 election to raise awareness of issues that were relevant to their stakeholders, relevant to communities. The government is seeking to reach back to three years ago and change the rules, change their reporting obligations and impose a whole lot of additional administrative burden. And that is not a good outcome.
A government member interjecting—
Ms STEGGALL: Before we get into the grandstanding or the misleading statements that come as to what happens—
A government member interjecting—
Ms STEGGALL: The member is not even talking about the same legislation. That's how clueless they can be at times. We are talking about organisations that would be impacted such as Farmers for Climate Action, the Australian Conservation Foundation, the National Association for the Visual Arts, Christian Schools Australia, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, the Climate Action Network, the Wilderness Society and Sunrise. I know those organisations were impacted by the original legislation, which was a change of classification from a $500,000 threshold to a $100,000 threshold. Because of the rush in which this has been pushed through, we have no way of knowing what the deal is that has been struck between the coalition and the opposition in moving that to $250,000. We simply have no way of knowing the impact and how this will change for these organisations, who this is going to catch and what the retrospective aspect is going to be for so many organisations.
So for the merit of democracy, for the principle of good governance, this should not be rushed through today. There should have been a debate in the other place. This should be coming back to this House with full information from government and from the opposition on the reasons why this deal has been struck. Why is it in the best interests of the Australian public for this legislation, with these amendments, to go through? All I can see is that this is the status quo binding together to try and preserve their hold on power. They are trying to keep out community groups and small organisations from having a say and from raising awareness on issues, and that is undemocratic. So I support the motion to not proceed immediately with these amendments.
The SPEAKER: The question is that the amendments be considered immediately.
The House divided. [11:40]
(The Speaker—Hon. Andrew Wallace)
Mrs MARINO (Forrest—Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories) (11:45): I move:
That Senate amendment (1) be agreed to.
Mr BANDT (Melbourne—Leader of the Australian Greens) (11:45): I thank the government for allowing these to be looked at separately. I just want to be clear that I'm going to speak about amendment (1) and explain to the House exactly what it does and why it appears to be good but in fact doesn't need to be there at all. At the moment, certain people are required to comply with the disclosure thresholds that are there—so if you spend $500,000, if you spend a decent amount. The government wanted to reduce it to $100,000. What the government and Labor have agreed is that they want to cut it from $500,000 to $250,000. What is this going to mean? This is going to mean that a whole new range of groups between the $250,000 and $500,000 mark, which encompasses many charities, organisations, campaigning groups and advocacy groups in this country, are going to be caught now by legislation that is retrospective in part and that ties them up in red tape during an election campaign. It's designed to silence! It's designed to silence during an election campaign.
Government members interjecting—
Mr BANDT: I hear interjections coming from the government side about why this bill is necessary. If you really cared about integrity, then bring on a federal integrity commission. Come on, where is it? Where's the anticorruption commission that requires government and MPs and politicians to act transparently? It's nowhere. It's nowhere because the government's goal is to hide and cover up. That's what it always does. But, with this, the government and Labor—the Liberals and Labor—are now about to make a whole lot of organisations and civil society bound by laws that are potentially retrospective and that we don't even know the full impact of. Why? Why don't we know the full impact of what amendment (1) will mean? Because Labor and the Liberals wouldn't even allow a Senate inquiry into it. They wouldn't even let the Senate debate it! It got rammed through the Senate without debate.
You've always got to be worried about what happens on the last day of parliament, because that's when Liberal and Labor come together to push through bad bills that are bad for democracy, and this is one of those. Should it be $100,000 or $250,000? No, it should stay where it is. No-one should be cutting it.
We Greens voted against this bill when it was put to the House. We voted against it in the Senate. We've made the point that we shouldn't be debating these amendments. And this cut from Labor and Liberal is to bring a whole lot of new charities and organisations in at this election—this election, of all times!—to give the Liberals a leg-up by silencing dissent! This election! Well, be it on your heads. Be it on your heads for silencing civil society and requiring them to retrospectively comply with laws that we haven't even had a chance to debate and haven't even had a chance to inquire into to understand what it's going to mean for democracy in our country. Shame on the Liberals! Shame on Labor! Shame on this dirty deal that is a dark day for democracy!
The DEPUTY SP EAKER ( Ms Bird ): The question before the chair is that Senate amendment (1) be agreed to. There being no further speakers, I propose to put the motion. The motion is that Senate amendment (1) be agreed to.
Question agreed to.
Mrs MARINO (Forrest—Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories) (11:49): I move:
That Senate amendments Nos (2) to (25) be agreed to.
Question agreed to.
Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Magnitsky-style and Other Thematic Sanctions) Bill 2021
First Reading
Bill received from the Senate and read a first time.
Second Reading
Dr GILLESPIE (Lyne—Minister for Regional Health and Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment) (11:51): I present a revised explanatory memorandum to this bill, and I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
The government will reform Australia's 2011 autonomous sanctions framework through the Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Magnitsky-style and Other Thematic Sanctions) Amendment Bill 2021 and the Autonomous Sanctions (Magnitsky-style and Other Thematic Sanctions) Amendment Regulations 2021. The reforms will ensure Australia can sanction individuals and entities responsible for, or complicit in, egregious conduct, including malicious cyberactivity, serious human rights abuses and violations, and serious corruption. They will also ensure Australia can establish further thematic sanctions regulations in the future, including in relation to serious violations of international law.
This reform responds to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade's inquiry into the use of sanctions to target human rights abuses and violations that was tabled on 7 December 2020, to which the government responded on 5 August 2021.
With this reform, Australia introduces Magnitsky style sanctions, as now recognised in the title of the bill. The Magnitsky movement was inspired by Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who exposed fraud committed by Russian government officials, but was consequently arrested and imprisoned. He was subjected to degrading treatment and tortured, and he died in custody on 16 November 2009.
Through the advocacy of Bill Browder, whose firm Hermitage Capital Management Mr Magnitsky was advising, the US Congress in 2012 passed the Magnitsky Act, banning travel and freezing assets of those Russian officials responsible. From 2016, countries including the United States, Canada, the EU and the United Kingdom, began to create or update their respective sanctions frameworks to enable perpetrators of egregious conduct to be sanctioned in a more timely way, no matter where the conduct occurs. With this debate gathering momentum internationally, Foreign Minister Payne referred the matter for inquiry by the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade in 2019.
Autonomous sanctions can be used as an important tool of statecraft to respond to the most egregious situations of international concern, when it's in our national interest. They are highly targeted measures, designed to influence, deter and impose costs on the perpetrators, while minimising the impact on the general population.
Autonomous sanctions are distinguished from sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council and implemented by UN member states pursuant to international obligations. Australia uses autonomous sanctions in egregious situations of international concern which are not covered by UN Security Council sanctions, or to supplement sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.
Australia has a proud history of promoting and protecting human rights globally, supporting the international rules based order, and acting for the peace and security of the international community. We have used our existing country-specific autonomous sanctions regimes to those ends. These include human rights violations in Zimbabwe and Syria, and Russian threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The bill expands Australia's Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 by creating a framework to establish new thematic sanctions regimes, which will allow Australia to list perpetrators of the most egregious relevant conduct of international concern, wherever and whenever such conduct occurs.
The government recognises the importance of denying the perpetrators and beneficiaries of egregious acts from accessing our economy and benefiting from the freedoms our democracy allows. Positioning Australia to act more quickly to freeze the funds of perpetrators and beneficiaries, and to prevent them from travelling here, will ensure that we do not become an isolated, attractive safe haven for such people and entities, and their ill-gotten gains.
An increasing number of comparatively attractive economies have joined the 'Magnitsky movement', and this bill is timely for Australia. This will also allow us to act more swiftly with key like-minded sanctions partners, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, where it is in the national interest.
As sanctions are a foreign policy tool it is both appropriate and in line with our existing autonomous sanctions framework that the power to impose, remove or vary thematic sanctions rests with the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Prior to making a thematic sanctions listing decision, the Minister for Foreign Affairs will be required to consult and obtain the agreement of the Attorney-General, as first law officer of the Commonwealth. The Minister for Foreign Affairs must also consult with any other relevant ministers. This decision-making process ensures that thematic sanctions listings decisions take account of all relevant foreign policy and other national interest considerations. These amendments set out the executive process by which the thematic sanctions decisions are made, not the material on which the minister can rely.
The bill sets out an illustrative list of themes for sanctions regimes. If the parliament elects to pass the bill, the government will amend the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011 to establish three new thematic sanctions regimes: serious violations or serious abuses of human rights; activities undermining good governance and the rule of law, including serious corruption; and malicious cyberactivity. This was part of the government response to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, issued on 5 August 2021.
This will enable Australia to respond flexibly and swiftly in the national interest, without the delay of creating a new country regime when a situation of international concern arises, if the conduct constitutes serious human rights abuses and violations, serious corruption or malicious cyberactivity.
The government response included a commitment to introduce a new thematic cyber-regime, in addition to the Magnitsky-style sanctions canvassed by the committee. This additional tool of statecraft will serve alongside other law enforcement and operational mechanisms to enhance Australia's response to instances of egregious malicious cyber activity that impact our interests.
The regulations will provide the specific criteria under which a person or entity could be sanctioned under three of these new thematic regimes, should the Minister for Foreign Affairs assess—after appropriate consultation—that it is in Australia's national interest to do so. Additional thematic sanctions regimes could be included in the regulations at a later date, should the government consider they are necessary.
Embedding the new thematic regimes in our existing autonomous sanctions framework means that established processes and safeguards will continue to apply, rather than being duplicated across multiple sanctions acts and frameworks. This is important to provide certainty and continuity for all of those who engage with our autonomous sanctions framework. Businesses and the community can maintain their existing compliance processes while those involved in governance, whether at the bureaucratic, political or legal level, will not be required to administer new provisions. This is similar to the approach taken by the UK, which does not have a standalone act, and has a similar framework with regulations under an overarching act.
The changes we are making to the existing act and regulations empower us to do all that a separate bill would do, without creating multiple, and complex, laws, separate frameworks, and imposing additional regulatory burdens on businesses and the community.
To ensure Australia's framework remains fit for purpose, as soon as possible, after three years of the operation of the bill coming into effect, the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade must commence a review of the operation of these amendments and prepare a written report of the review, which must be tabled in each house of parliament.
Consistent with current practice, the government encourages public engagement on these significant issues and looks forward to the future recommendations from parliament and civil society on possible listings. In making a listing, the minister can consider any relevant material that will assist her in being reasonably satisfied the criteria is met, including credible information obtained by non-governmental organisations. The government encourages public engagement on human rights and corruption issues, conducts regular consultation with civil society and will continue to receive suggestions for sanctions listing from a range of sources.
The bill will support the ongoing role of sanctions as a primary tool of statecraft, by which Australia can define, defend and demonstrate our foreign policy values globally and support a robust international rules based order.
I commend the bill to the House and, in doing so, would like to thank everyone who has advocated for and supported Magnitsky-style sanctions—in particular, Foreign Minister Payne; the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Senator David Fawcett; the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Subcommittee, Kevin Andrews MP, and his colleagues on the committee; and several others across all sides of politics, including Senator Penny Wong, Senator James Paterson, Senator Kimberley Kitching and Senator Janet Rice.
Leave granted for second reading debate to continue immediately.
M r BRENDAN O'CONNOR (Gorton) (12:03): I rise to speak on the Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Magnitsky-Style and Other Thematic Sanctions) Bill 2021. This bill seeks to amend the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011, which was enacted by the previous Labor government to enable the listing of individuals and entities responsible for or complicit in egregious conduct, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, threats to international peace and security, malicious cyberactivity, serious violations or serious abuses of human rights and activities undermining good governance for the rule of law, including serious corruption.
This piece of legislation is an important addition to Australia's Autonomous Sanctions Act that, as I say, was introduced and passed by Labor in 2011. It significantly broadens the scope of activities that are counter to Australia's interests for which financial sanctions may be applied. For the past decade Australia's ability to implement sanctions against individuals was more limited to: those responsible for the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and threats to international peace and security; and regimes that committed grave human rights abuses or acts of aggression. These sanctions enabled Australia to take seriously its international commitments to peace and security by further augmenting pressure on foreign regimes where UN Security Council sanctions had been adopted, such as those in Iran, North Korea, Syria, Zimbabwe and Russia. But it has become increasingly apparent that an update and a broadening of the scope of activities to which sanctions may apply is necessary.
We are more than 70 years from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As my colleague in the other place, Senator Wong, said of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
As Eleanor Roosevelt described it, the international Magna Carta for all mankind. With its foundations in the four freedoms espoused by her husband: freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear … with its recognition that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and its implication that to be sincere it must encompass civil and socio-economic rights, it remains as profound as ever. And perhaps it remains as aspirational as ever.
While it's fair to say we've seen so many advances in human rights, we've also seen stagnation and deterioration. And, while the global pandemic has fostered greater awareness and debate in some societies about the devastations of poverty and inequality, in other places political leaders have sought to manipulate the circumstances of the pandemic to further weaken human rights in their own countries. Unfortunately there's nothing new in that.
Sergei Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer and tax auditor who, as the minister has just mentioned, was hired in 2007 to investigate corruption by Russian interior ministry officials. Magnitsky was a lawyer, accountant and tax partner at Moscow law firm Firestone Duncan. He was arrested in November 2008, after he helped Hermitage, once Russia's largest foreign portfolio investor, reveal the biggest alleged tax fraud in the country's history. It's well-known that he died in prison awaiting trial. The Russian government of the day ordered the chief prosecutor and justice minister to launch an investigation. The $230 million crime allegedly involved senior police officers, judges, tax officials, bankers and the Mafia.
The Hermitage Capital Management CEO and founder is William Browder, an American financier who took British citizenship, and he is the grandson of the former leader of the American Communist Party, Earl Browder. The fund manager was alleged to have evaded taxes and was barred from the country in 2005, but its CEO denies these allegations. He urged all lawyers associated with the matter to leave Russia for their safety, but Magnitsky stayed. He was arrested after he testified against a Russian interior ministry official involved in a tax raid on Hermitage offices and officials involved in the $230 million fraud. He was charged with participating in tax evasion and, as we know, he met an ill fate.
In a large way, Magnitsky is an inspiration for this initiative and indeed the proposed legislation before us. It's in his name that advocates around the world have sought to shed light on those individuals, governments and regimes that use their power to crush dissent and resist accountability, and those that commit gross human rights violations. In the absence of comprehensive and effective global accountability, protocols that raise the cost of such behaviour, it relies upon nation states to act independently.
Australia, through the United Nations, ensured we dealt with this matter. It was the government of 2011 that legislated the Autonomous Sanctions Act to enable sanctions that targeted countries and individuals independent of multilateral arrangements. This has proved an important tool of Australia's foreign policy. It meant we were able to target those responsible for egregious behaviour, while limiting the negative consequences on others, by depriving access to capital, goods and services. But it is clear that we need to go beyond what has been traditionally considered, insofar as the realm of sanctions, threats to international peace and threats to security. We need to use sanctions to help support agreed international norms of human rights and be a force for positive change. It's therefore important that we do everything we can to prevent the deprivation of human rights in order to counter such action.
These sanctions will ensure those responsible can seek safe haven for themselves or for their assets in Australia. I think it's fair to say that, as a result of the efforts of Mr Magnitsky, we have seen enactments throughout various jurisdictions across the globe, including the United States, the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom, since 2012. Labor has been calling for Australia to join our friends and partners and to introduce these sanctions for some time. Indeed, Senator Penny Wong and Labor colleagues have been raising these matters throughout recent years, as have, I might add, members of the government. We have been raising these matters with the Turnbull and Morrison governments, including with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The prevailing view in the government was that such a regime may not be necessary, that the Autonomous Sanctions Act already allowed for the listing of individuals and entities complicit in human rights abuses abroad. Labor took the view that Australia being part of the global Magnitsky movement was in our national interest, because it is in our interest that we work to generate and preserve global public good.
Shaping the world for the better, something all of us in public life should aspire to, includes promoting issues and principles which we believe are of common benefit to all our nations and peoples. That is at the heart of Labor's foreign policy tradition. These sanctions and formalised engagement with NGOs to target those responsible for human rights abuses are contemporary expressions of that tradition. Enshrining in law those actions that are counter to our interests is a very important signal to the perpetrators and beneficiaries of egregious human rights abuses as well as threats to international peace and security. Working with our like-minded partners would enable effective and timely targeting of individuals and entities responsible for such conduct while also minimising the impact on populations.
In December last year, as the minister referred to, the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade recommended that the Australian government 'enact stand alone targeted sanctions legislation to address human rights violations and corruption'—or the Magnitsky Act—that should be able to receive nominations from any source. On behalf of the opposition, I acknowledge the committee—the chair, Senator Fawcett; the deputy chair, Ms Swanson; and members Senator Ayres, Senator Kitching, Senator Patrick, Mr Gorman, Mr Hayes, Mr Hill, Mr Khalil, Senator McCarthy, Senator O'Neill, Senator Sheldon and Ms Vamvakinou—and its leadership and work to bring this bill into existence. The Morrison government did not respond to the committee's recommendations until August this year, but we are thankful we are now debating the bill in the House before rising this year.
I should also note that this matter has been taken up by members on both sides of the aisle. But I would also just acknowledge the fact that Senator Kimberley Kitching was awarded an acknowledgment for her efforts to bring this matter to the attention of the government and this place and the other place when she raised these issues. Indeed, she has been recognised by the Boston Global Forum for her efforts. I think that also should be noted, given her commitment to this cause.
What we have seen, I think it is fair to say, are efforts by advocates to do better and to amend the current act to broaden the capability to take on human rights abuses. Individual members of the opposition and, indeed, of the government—including you, Deputy Speaker Andrews—have advocated for the need to do more. We have seen other like-minded countries already enact legislation consistent with this approach. I think it's therefore timely that this matter is resolved and is dealt with before rising this year.
As I say, the government didn't respond to the committee's recommendations until recently, in August, and it has taken three months for this bill to be introduced. We believe the delays were regrettable. They sent a regrettable message. But, as I say, we have finally arrived where we should have arrived earlier. That Australia wasn't sufficiently committed and that we did not take human rights abuse seriously was a charge that we were laying against the government, and I guess it's fair to say through pressure by government members and by the opposition we have seen this matter finally put before us.
In the meantime, we have seen increasing disturbing reports of human rights violations around the world. In some places, political leaders have sought to manipulate the circumstances of the pandemic to further weaken those human rights. As we speak today, Chinese citizen-journalist Zhang Zhan is on a hunger strike and at risk of dying without the urgent medical intervention that she needs. Ms Zhang was sentenced to four years of prison in December last year for social media posts critical of the handling of the early COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan.
The 1 February military coup in Myanmar was a direct attack on the country's ongoing democratic transition. The subsequent violent crackdown against those protesting the coup saw thousands of political prisoners detained and civilians killed by security forces. But 10 months have passed and Australia stands alone amongst the UK, the United States, Canada and the European Union in not applying additional targeted sanctions against those responsible for the violence.
And now we have the reports that Australia's Future Fund, the taxpayers' fund, has been investing in joint ventures which have in some ways assisted these human rights breaches. The opposition has written to the minister and expressed our concern about these reports. It's fair to say—and I'm sure every member of the House would agree—that the Future Fund should not be investing in such matters. It should not be profiting from what's happened in Myanmar.
Importantly, the regulations of this bill enable the listing of individuals or entities that engage in serious violations of a person's right not to be held in slavery or to be required to perform forced labour. As we know, modern slavery, including forced labour and forced marriage, affects millions of people, including in our region. In 2017, an estimated 40 million people around the world were living in conditions of modern slavery. Approximately 25 million of these people were in forced labour situations. Research by the Walk Free foundation has found that one in every 130 women and girls around the world is living in modern slavery.
When it comes to criticising these violations, Australia cannot bring the moral credibility we need to the table unless we strengthen our Modern Slavery Act. Labor continues to call upon the Morrison government to work with us and the crossbench to improve the Modern Slavery Act to introduce tougher penalties for noncompliance and strengthen mandatory reporting requirements on possible exposures to abuses. Labor will do more than amend these laws; we will place ending modern slavery at the heart of our international human rights engagement. This includes sanctions against those directly profiting from forced labour and modern slavery.
It is incumbent upon the Australian government, we would contend, to prosecute our interests, including support of human rights and democratic freedoms. Decisions to implement sanctions against individuals and entities are, and should remain, executive decisions of government, taking into account all relevant factors, including foreign and strategic interests and implications for bilateral relations. But it would also be appropriate to consult more widely. The process leading up to this legislation, in our view, has laid bare how disinterested the current government is in serious engagement with human rights advocates and diaspora community groups. Too often their insights, not to mention their real-time reporting of on-the-ground knowledge, are ignored. Labor would seek to correct this.
We also believe that the themes of the bill under which sanctions can be applied are not wide enough. It does not cover violations of the rules and norms of armed conflict. It does not cover the crime of genocide or other crimes against humanity. It doesn't cover instances where rape and sexual violence are used as weapons of war. It doesn't cover the targeting of civilians or the manipulation or blockage of humanitarian aid in conflict zones. This is why we will amend the bill to enshrine violations of international humanitarian law, the law of conflict, as an additional theme under which sanctions can be applied. This is a view that has been clearly communicated by human rights non-government organisations, including Human Rights Watch Australia and Save the Children. I thank them for their constructive engagement in providing feedback to the government's bill.
We support this bill. It is overdue and there is more to be done, but it is important that we see this bill pass today and proclaimed in law so we can do better to deal with serious human rights abuses and prevent the ability of individuals to exploit circumstances where we see time and time again fundamental human rights being affected adversely and broken. I commend the bill to the House.
Mr WATTS (Gellibrand) (12:22): Deputy Speaker Andrews, before beginning, I acknowledge your significant interest in the matter of this bill. This an important bill, and it's been a long time in the making. The Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Magnitsky-Style and other Thematic Sanctions) Bill 2021 implements a Magnitsky style sanctions regime in Australia, allowing for targeted sanctions against individuals who commit human rights violations and engage in corruption. It also expands the reach of these sanctions to other themes, including, relevantly for my portfolio responsibilities in this place, those who engage in malicious cyberactivities. I want to say a few words today about both the Magnitsky human rights campaign and the use of individualised sanctions as a tool of cyberdiplomacy.
Labor has been urging the government to introduce Magnitsky style sanctions since June of 2020, but there have been a number of people in this House, on both sides of the chamber, who have been campaigning for these laws since well before that time. I want to pay tribute in my remarks today to those people and acknowledge the very significant impact that their advocacy will have here and around the world. I start with Senator Kitching in the other place, who, in addition to sitting on the subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade which recommended these acts, has long had a private senator's bill in her name to implement this. I also would like to commend Senator Kitching on her recent Magnitsky award for service to the global Magnitsky movement. I would also to like to thank my colleagues on the subcommittee for bringing this bill to fruition—particularly the chair, the member for Menzies; and the deputy chair, the member for Fowler. I thank the government for heeding the calls of international human rights experts and victims of human rights abuses in referring consideration of a Magnitsky scheme to this committee and ultimately acting on their recommendation with this bill.
But the person that I think this place owes a particular obligation to acknowledge in this debate is the great Michael Danby, the former member for Melbourne Ports. He insisted unrelentingly to everyone in this place that we pay attention to the need for a Magnitsky regime and the message it sends to human rights abusers. He even introduced a private member's bill to do so in 2018 to implement a Magnitsky regime, and in his second reading speech on that private member's bill—and I was proud to sit next to Michael Danby when he introduced his bill—he rather colourfully but no less accurately summed up the urgency with which we should be proceeding on this issue. He said that:
I think democratic countries around the world need to be involved in more push-back against these authoritarian regimes. This is something that should attract the support of both sides of politics. The great Australian actor Peter Finch, in the film Network, advised people to open their windows and shout, 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore'. That should be the attitude that informs democratic citizens right across the world.
He was right then, and I'm glad the chamber is heeding his call now. Such was the former member for Melbourne Ports's commitment to this issue in his valedictory speech in this chamber he said:
I feel a longing for all the unfinished business I leave here. Although I moved a first reading of the Magnitsky Act, it is not enshrined in our law. The government has come to favour having a legislative device for pushing back against corruption and human rights abuses by authoritarian countries. I say to this parliament that Magnitsky would allow us—like the US, Canada and the UK—to tell states like Russia that you can't kill 38 Australians and get away with it. Unfortunately we seem to have run out of time.
I hope that Michael Danby has been watching the debate on the implementation of the Magnitsky regime in Australia this week as we pass the bill into law and we finally complete the work that he began in this place years ago.
Of course, while we owe much in this place to those of us who have advocated for a Magnitsky act, most of all we must acknowledge Bill Browder, who led the global push for these laws, and the late Sergei Magnitsky, whose name we honour in the bill's title. The story of the two friends is well-known but its the kind of story we can't be told enough. Sergei Magnitsky was a Russian tax lawyer employed by the British American financier Bill Browder. Magnitsky was murdered at the age of 37 after uncovering and exposing a massive fraud committed by officials within the Russian government. When Magnitsky blew the whistle on this fraud, he was jailed by the Russian government without trial for 11 months. In jail he was tortured to death. Left in squalid conditions, he developed severe medical conditions, including pancreatitis, and his prison doctors withheld treatment as a means of coercion. He died a harrowing death alone in a jail cell. Complaining of worsening stomach pain for five days, by the end he was vomiting every three hours, and with a swollen stomach, was finally moved to a medical facility where he was given a painkiller and assessed psychiatrically. Half an hour later he was dead.
After tracking the ill-gotten gains of those Russian officials back to the US, Magnitsky's good friend Bill Browder successfully lobbied the United States government to place sanctions on the individuals, and in his name the US Congress passed the Magnitsky Act, laws to say that when domestic governments won't hold people accountable within their own borders for outrageous human rights abuses then other states will take the lead in doing what they can to hold those responsible accountable. Browder has dedicated his life to lead a push for global Magnitsky laws to ensure that human right abusers like those that murdered Sergei Magnitsky would not have a safe haven anywhere on this earth.
The point behind the bill is that this story is far from unique. There are countless Sergei Magnitskys in this world who deserve our attention and our action. As Bill Browder noted on the need for the laws globally:
The global Magnitsky sanctions will issue a stark warning to human rights abusers and kleptocrats around the world that no longer will they be able to commit atrocities with complete impunity. Targeted sanctions against those involved in corruption and human rights abuse will provide an immediate, tangible consequence which directly affects an individual where it hurts them the most—in their pocket. Leaders of corrupt regimes will know they are no longer able to protect their ill-gotten gains abroad, or flee to their lavish properties in foreign countries. Totalitarian dictatorships ultimately fall, and when they do, the Global Magnitsky Act will prevent those who have committed human rights abuses from claiming asylum almost anywhere in the world.
And it's because of this campaign that Labor has moved amendments to recognise Sergei Magnitsky in the title of this bill.
While Labor supports the bill finally before the House, it has taken a long time to get here since the committee recommended a Magnitsky regime be put in place. The committee released its report in December 2020, around this time last year, and recommended that the government enact a sanctions regime. But the government did not respond to the committee's full report until August 2021. Today's faffing about whether to list this bill for debate and to finally resolve this bill was pretty discouraging at the last moment. I thank the government for bringing it on and dealing with it today. But its absence on the legislative calendar for today was a disappointing start to the morning.
The Morrison government's delay in introducing Magnitsky style sanctions has sent a regrettable message—that this is not a priority for Australia. In an era where democratic values are under increasing pressure and authoritarianism gains pace around the world, both within and without countries, we need to be forthright in our defence of democratic values. In the 12 months that this government has delayed the implementation of a Magnitsky sanctions regime, we've seen increasing and disturbing human rights violations around the world, including the military coup in Myanmar this past February; the erosion of the democratic system and the one country, two systems arrangement in Hong Kong; and the reports of continuing mass detentions and other human rights violations against Uighurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang and across China. In finally passing these laws, we are saying to human rights abusers: 'Australia will not be a bolthole for you. You are not welcome here.'
The bill also amends the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 to enable sanctions against individuals that perpetuate malicious cyberactivity. This is a very good step in the fight against international cybercriminals, who are menacing Australian businesses and our essential services, our critical infrastructure, particularly to international ransomware crews. Again, it's the same problem we were dealing with with human rights abusers—domestic governments refusing to hold individuals within their own borders accountable for acts that menace the international order.
In Australia and around the world, these criminals have wilfully targeted health and hospital networks, bringing them to their knees and putting lives at risk. We've seen no fewer than eight attacks on health and hospital networks this year. These cyberattacks are not just disruptive and they're not just costly; they are a threat to life. And, indeed, we've tragically seen deaths from ransomware attacks on hospitals in Germany and the United States. Frankly, we have been lucky there haven't been more deaths, and we're particularly lucky there haven't been deaths in Australia. These modern-day privateers regularly undertake these attacks with impunity from their host countries. Sanctions regimes targeting individual hackers, like the expanded scope included in this bill, are a useful part of the cyberdiplomacy toolkit for trying to put an end to this impunity. It's not easy. Attribution of cyberattacks is often not a trivial exercise from a technical perspective. It requires careful analysis, and it's not always possible to do at an individual level. But, where it is, sanctions regimes are a useful tool for responding to and deterring malicious cyberactivity.
Autonomous sanctions regimes targeting cybercriminals have already been implemented by our allies, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU. And, in the case of state backed actors, they have been able to go further than Australia has. While Australia has joined international partners in attributing malicious cyberactivity to hackers with links to the Chinese Ministry of State Security in the case of the Hafnium and Microsoft Exchange campaign, and to Russia in the SolarWinds supply chain attack, we haven't been able to go so far as to impose targeted sanctions on individuals that engage in these kinds of activities when we identify them as responsible.
The United States first began imposing sanctions on cybercriminals in 2012, when the Obama administration used terrorism related powers to designate the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence for hacking activities that it had been undertaking with Hezbollah. In 2015, President Obama issued executive order 13694, which allowed individuals and entities to be designated for malicious cyberactivities unconnected to terrorism offences. In 2016, the US expanded its cybersanctions regime 'in view of the increasing use of such activities to undermine democratic processes or institutions' including 'harming, or otherwise significantly compromising the provision of services'.
The United States has imposed 311 cyber-related sanctions over the last decade. Our allies have already been able to use targeted sanctions against individual members of the Sodinokibi or REvil group, the same Russian based ransomware crew that was responsible for ransomware attacks on JBS Foods, our biggest meat supplier, shutting down their operations. The US has also placed individual sanctions on associates of North Korea's Lazarus Group, an infamous hacking group, for their numerous cyberattacks, including the very dramatic attack on Sony Pictures in 2014, in response to a not particularly good Seth Rogen movie; one of the biggest bank heists in world history, on the central bank of Bangladesh; and, most heinously of all, the WannaCry 2.0 attack in 2017, which caused global damage estimated in the billions, including to the NHS and hospital networks around the world, in more than 150 countries.
The European Council too has stated:
Sanctions are one of the options available in the Union's framework for a joint diplomatic response to malicious cyber activities (the so-called cyber diplomacy toolbox), and are intended to prevent, discourage, deter and respond to continuing andincreasing malicious behaviour in cyberspace.
Those sanctions can be imposed for attacks that 'cause a significant impact, and constitute an external threat to the EU or its member states'. In July 2020, the European Council placed sanctions against six individuals and three entities for various significant cyberattacks, including Operation Cloud Hopper, WannaCry and NotPetya. This was followed up by sanctions on two individuals and one group for a cyberattack on the German federal parliament in October 2020.
So we're some way behind our allies in the global effort to deter malicious cyberactivity, but this bill is an important opportunity to catch up and pull our weight on this front. This bill adds a measure of action to our words internationally. It gives weight to the words of Australian diplomatic representatives and the Australian government in international forums when they stand up for international norms of appropriate state behaviour in cyberspace and when they stand up for international law in this area. That's why Labor supports this bill. It doesn't solve every problem. There are no silver bullets in this space. It's a complex area of both international law and cyberdiplomacy. But the measures in this bill advance the debate. They get us in the conversation.
Some of the individuals held accountable by these sanctions are interesting characters. One, Maksim Yakubets, the leader of the Evil Corp ransomware group in Russia, has been sanctioned by the US government. He drives a fluoro camouflaged Lamborghini with the licence plate 'Thief'. That kind of impunity needs to end.
Mr HILL (Bruce) (12:37): Mr Deputy Speaker Andrews, this legislation, the Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Magnitsky-Style and Other Thematic Sanctions) Bill 2021, comes, of course, from a landmark report of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, tabled around 12 months ago in the parliament, which called for an overhaul of Australia's sanctions regime. You're a member of that committee and an active participant and, in fact, the chair of its Human Rights Subcommittee. Australia's sanctions regime has proven to be insufficient in countering serious human rights violations and widespread corruption. This thematic sanctions bill—which I believe should be entitled 'Magnitsky legislation', in line with our recommendation—will provide real and tangible targeted responses and bring us into line with other strong human-rights-protecting states. There will be additional mechanisms, when this law is passed, for the Australian government to target and sanction individuals and beneficiaries who have committed serious human rights abuses or are guilty of serious corruption perpetrated in any country around the world.
The government has not accepted all of our recommendations. The scope of the autonomous sanctions that the government is putting forward in this bill includes the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, threats to international peace and security, malicious cyberactivity, serious violations or serious abuses of human rights, and activities undermining good governance or the rule of law, including serious corruption. They're worthy things and deserving of support. I believe and Labor believes, though, that they don't go wide enough and that the themes of the bill, under which sanctions can be applied, should be wider. For example, the bill doesn't cover violations of the rules and norms of armed conflict. The government's chosen not to cover the crime of genocide or other crimes against humanity. The government's chosen not to cover instances where rape and sexual violence are used systematically as weapons of war. The government's chosen not to cover the targeting of civilians or the manipulation or blockage of humanitarian aid in conflict zones. The government's chosen not to take up our, I think, thoughtful and considered recommendations—a matter on which we had real debate and turned our mind to in the committee—regarding our media freedoms and protection for journalists. Special consideration was given, Deputy Speaker Kevin Andrews, as you would remember, through our inquiry on the need to protect journalists and human rights defenders.
I'll make these remarks: media freedom is under threat across the world like never before. We've seen this kind of threat manifest in places like Turkey, China, the Russian Federation, Hong Kong, Egypt, Cambodia, just to name a few. I made similar remarks in my tabling speech in relation to the report. I'm sorry to say that in our key security partner and largest foreign investor, the United States, shamefully our own citizen Julian Assange is being pursued by the United States, facing life imprisonment—an effective death sentence—for publishing evidence of US war crimes. We cannot underestimate this risk to liberal democracies if journalists are unable to do their jobs. It'll affect all of us as a global community. They're matters which I think should concern everyone in the parliament. Journalists as well as human rights, democracy, Labor and environmental rights activists remain at great risk in places like Cambodia.
I'll just make a few remarks on Cambodia, Deputy Speaker. You know from our work on the committee together that I've got a great interest in human rights in Cambodia. I'm proud to represent a vibrant Australian Cambodian diaspora community. Cambodia gives us a great operational example of the potential application of the proposed Magnitsky legislation. In making these remarks, I do stress this legislation is not about targeting one country. This legislation would apply across the world and give the government that extra tool in the toolkit when needed. But for many years in Cambodia, under the gangster regime of Prime Minister Hun Sen, human rights have been under threat. In the Cambodian CPP, the ruling elite stand accused of enormous and systemic corruption. Hun Sen and his family and his cronies line their own pockets at the expense of ordinary Cambodians. They take their land, they attack their labour rights and they suppress dissent. They've given up any pretence of being a democracy. The gangster Prime Minister there won 125 seats out of 125 seats! I'd love to win more seats at the election, but I think it should be because that's what the people choose through casting their votes, not through systemic corruption. And, unfortunately, as we've seen with many authoritarian and liberal regimes across the world, the situation has been getting worse in the last 18 months, using the cover of COVID-19 to advance authoritarian changes.
It doesn't matter for governments like Cambodia that the United Nations human rights expert has issued concerns about mass trials of individuals on charges of conspiracy theory and incitement to create social chaos, including, I might say, charging in absentia Australian citizens—a new tactic. Human rights organisations have been calling on the Cambodian government to stop their harassment of independent media outlets and intimidation of journalists. There was testimony to the inquiry from brave members from the Cambodian diaspora, who take a risk in speaking out in support of democracy and human rights. Many of them will never be able to visit their home country, the country of their birth or their ancestors. But they spoke out and gave us testimony about threats, including against Australian citizens, and money laundering by Cambodian officials buying assets here in Australia—the kind of stuff that this legislation will give the government more targeted tools to actually address and deal with. I hope they do.
I'd encourage the government, when this legislation passes—I hope it passes unanimously—to have an early look at Human Rights Watch's 'Cambodia dirty dozen'. Magnitsky laws will give the government the tools to deter and shine light on the behaviour of the corrupt Cambodian elite and ensure Australia no longer provides any shelter to these gangsters. As my friend Victorian Labor MP Meng Heang Tak said in his testimony:
… it's about time that Australia played a role in curbing this regime. Given our geographic location, if we don't have a Magnitsky or we don't have enough measures to curb this interference in Australia, Australia is a very good place for the ruling party, for the elite, to park their assets.
We know—the evidence has been given to the parliament for years—that Australia is a safe haven for the Cambodian corrupt ruling elite to buy assets, to educate their children and to seek residency. They come and go. This can be tackled.
So I do commend this legislation to the House. These laws send a strong message of support to the victims and survivors that states are joining together, that the global community increasingly is working together, to take stronger action to combat these violations. I will read into the Hansard a quote from Hemara In, who lives in my electorate and is a friend of mine. He's one of those Cambodians still subject to criminal charges by the Cambodian justice system. He hasn't been there for years but he's still subject to trumped-up criminal charges of incitement for daring to speak out while here in Australia in support of human rights and democracy, daring to speak out in support of our values. It's a new tactic because, if convicted in Cambodia by the criminal courts, he will have a criminal record. That will stymie his ability, and make it dangerous for him, to travel through large parts of the world if there's any chance of extradition to Cambodia. This is a tactic—I've said it before and I'll keep saying it. Shamefully, the foreign minister has said nothing about this tactic almost 12 months later. It's a tactic that we cannot stand by and meekly accept as a country. We need to work with our friends and allies and push back.
He said that if Australia were to adopt a Magnitsky-style targeted sanction regime it would send:
… hope to ordinary people that the international community understands their plight and is willing to stand by them and to help them. It's a message of hope.
By enacting these laws today, we as a country can add our voice to that growing global message of hope. At their core, Magnitsky laws are about lighting a candle to shed light on the darkness and protect the most vulnerable in our global community.
I'll make some remarks about 'why now?' After delays of too long, as other speakers have said, why is it so significant at this time that Australia finally actually pass these laws? It's because there's a global movement underway, and Australia must be part of it. We should not underestimate the value of Australia bringing ourselves into line finally with other world-leading states in enacting Magnitsky-style legislation. These laws will ensure that human rights are not merely ideals that we talk about, things that we might have posters on our wall about or noble words said in committees, but things that we actually follow through with as a parliament, as a government and as a country with real action. That's the key here.
If they're used properly and wisely by the government, these laws can represent tangible and effective deterrents, because global experience is that deterrence is a powerful force in preventing human rights abuses and corruption. Of course, these laws are not going to stop all bad behaviour—of course not—but if used well they can deter and moderate abuses if perpetrators know that they will risk exclusion from the global financial system, the loss of assets and that their beneficiaries and family members may also be affected, or that they're prevented increasingly from entering developed, reputable countries across the world. I say that it is important that we do this today.
It was incredibly disappointing for us who've fought so hard for this—it was Labor's foreign minister, Senator Penny Wong, who spoke to the Turnbull government and the Morrison government, who has been calling for a long time now for us to enact these laws. It was Labor in government in 2011 that enacted the autonomous sanctions regime. This gives us the third limb, if you like. We've got United Nations sanctions, we've got the autonomous sanctions regime introduced by a Labor government and now finally—initially through pressure from Labor, and I credit many backbench members of the government for joining with us through the committee process—today we'll have the Magnitsky-style targeted sanctions.
It is important we do this today. It was really disappointing, given all the work that's been done—it came through the Senate today—that the government hadn't listed this for debate. It's not as though the government has any real legislative agenda, is it? The sitting calendar makes that clear. The Senate is going to sit for five days from tonight to 7 August; 10 days for the House of Reps. The Prime Minister's so terrified of getting his own party room together. It's not as though they have any real legislative agenda, so I'm questioning why—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Andrews ): The member for Bruce is straying away from the bill before the House.
Mr HILL: It's little bit of context about the scheduling. It's important stuff, Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member will come back to the bill.
Mr HILL: I'm making the point that I welcome the government's belated decision to introduce this legislation and bring it forward for debate today. It should have been listed. It should have been a priority, given the government has no agenda, as I said, but I do welcome the fact we are debating it today.
Targeted restrictions are important. They mean visa bans, travel restrictions, limiting access to assets and restricting access to Australia's financial system for people who have perpetrated serious human rights violations or serious corruption. They will complement our existing sanctions, as I said. They are important because in the absence of sufficient global accountability mechanisms that raise the cost of behaviour outside global norms—deterrents, if you like—then it falls to nation-states to act independently. Through our United Nations commitment—that first level of sanctions, if you like—Australia has targeted whole regimes for unacceptable, nefarious behaviour, grave abuses and serious threats to international peace and security.
In 2011 a Labor government built on that regime, implementing the Autonomous Sanctions Act to enable these sanctions to apply to targeted countries and individuals completely independent of our multilateral arrangements. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade didn't want these sanctions. They said, 'You could use the existing act.' The committee, to its credit, didn't accept that advice. I don't mean to be mean to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. They were actually very helpful witnesses. They cooperated with the inquiry. They put their view, which was obviously the government's view. The government didn't want this legislation, but, to their credit, some of the government backbenchers obviously fought that fight internally, and here we have this legislation. Autonomous sanctions have proved to be an important tool of Australian foreign policy, and these sanctions will complement them.
Sanctions are controversial. There are some countries that don't support sanctions at all, but I believe we need to use them to help support agreed international norms of human rights and be a force for positive change. The Magnitsky movement has shown, including internationally—and we received this evidence through the inquiry—that when you deprive human rights abusers of their wealth and their ability to travel it hits them where it hurts. It's not going to deter every example of egregious behaviour, but it can make the world a better place.
In closing, I hope this legislation passes the House today. I do commend the government for finally deciding belatedly—better late than never on this one—to bring this matter forward for debate. So in the likelihood that this is the last sitting day of this parliament with this rotten, tired, corrupt government over there—I can certainly understand why the Prime Minister won't want to bring his party room back together in February—on that possibility, or indeed likelihood, then at least this parliament will on its last day of sitting, if that turns out to be the case, have done something decent, something supported by all members of parliament, to shine light and deter the most egregious of human rights abusers.
Mr BURNS (Macnamara) (12:52): I first heard the name Sergei Magnitsky many years ago when talking to my predecessor, Michael Danby, who would very much like to have been here today. I'm sure, had the borders been open, he would have been in the chamber today to shepherd this bill through, to see the continuation of his work and the work of many others and see the Magnitsky act legislated and go through as law in this country. This is a cause that Michael believed in deeply and a cause that guided him throughout his political career. He often took issues and took a stance on issues before they became mainstream and before many others did so. It is a great credit to Michael that he spent many days in this place looking not just for the latest political trend but, rather, at what was the principle he needed to stand for on behalf of those who needed a voice in this great chamber of democracy.
Michael wanted very much to see a Magnitsky act legislated. He retired just before it happened. He passed the mantle on to his good friend in the other place Senator Kitching, who has carried on the Danby mantle of Magnitsky and shepherded this bill through. I pay tribute to Senator Kitching, who was recently awarded a Sergei Magnitsky human rights award for 2021. She is very much a worthy recipient of that award as someone who has worked tirelessly to see that Australia joins the many other countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, that have a framework of sanctions on individuals who are against human rights.
Senator Kitching organised for a group of us from both sides of the parliament to listen to the great Bill Browder, the person who started this global movement in honour of his friend and lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a prison camp in Russia. Hearing Bill speak, even though it was on Zoom because of the pandemic, was infectious. From his passion and sincerity, you can see why this has become a global movement and why democratic nations around the world have introduced similar bills to this one. Make no mistake, it is due to Bill Browder and his tireless commitment to stand up for what is right, not what is easy.
This bill is a big step forward in our sanctions regime. Is it exactly as the Labor Party would have legislated and drafted? No. But it is a bill that we will support, obviously. It is a good step in the right direction, and it does improve our sanctions capability. It is important that Australia has strong sanctions capabilities. In instances like what happened in Myanmar where there was a coup, where Australia is now standing alone among similar countries in not having issued sanctions, it is important that we have legislation such as this in order to take action and send a strong signal to those who ran the coup in that country.
The other person I want to mention in this speech—and I'll keep my remarks relatively brief—is Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert. Along with the member for Wentworth, I worked with the Minister for Foreign Affairs—and I want to pay credit also to the Prime Minister, who was deeply involved in the activity—to have her released from an Iranian prison after 800 days. The astounding thing about Kylie Moore-Gilbert is that, despite the unbelievable ordeal that she had to go through, she has come out of that with grace, strength, intelligence, conviction and a commitment to stand up for others who were in her spot and others who face similar situations. She has been a champion for this legislation as well, and I pay tribute to her.
This is the culmination of many years of work. This is the culmination of many years of dedication. This is a good piece of legislation. It is important that Australia increases our sanctions capability, and I am proud to support the Magnitsky act in honour of Sergei Magnitsky and Bill Browder and all of their tireless efforts.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Andrews ) : Before calling the minister I will just add, as Chair of the Human Rights Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, which tabled a unanimous report after an inquiry into the Magnitsky legislation, that I commend the government for bringing forward this legislation and the House for expediting the debate today.
Dr GILLESPIE (Lyne—Minister for Regional Health and Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment) (12:59): The Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Magnitsky-style and Other Thematic Sanctions) Bill 2021 is a really important bill that is long overdue. People across both sides of the chamber, in this place and in the other, have said many things. There is capability in this to add other themes and additions, but the important thing is that we acknowledge not only people like Michael Danby but people around the country who have been calling for this sort of legislation, so I'd like to thank all contributors to the debate. I've just given an extensive second reading speech which outlines all the important things. I commend this bill to the House.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Third Reading
Dr GILLESPIE (Lyne—Minister for Regional Health and Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment) (13:00): by leave—I move:
That this bill be now read a third time.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a third time.
COMMITTEES
Social Media and Online Safety Select Committee
Membership
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Dr Freelander ) (13:01): I have received advice from the Chief Opposition Whip nominating members to be members of certain committees.
Mr HOGAN (Page—Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister and Assistant Minister for Local Government) (13:01): by leave—I move:
That:
(1) Mr Georganas be discharged from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and that, in his place, Mr Burns be appointed a member of the committee;
(2) Ms Claydon, Mr Watts and Mr C. Kelly be appointed members of the Select Committee on Social Media and Online Safety.
Question agreed to.
BILLS
Religious Discrimination Bill 2021
Religious Discrimination (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021
Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2021
Second Reading
Cognate debate.
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That these bills be now read a second time.
Mr DREYFUS (Isaacs) (13:02): The idea that it should be unlawful to discriminate against someone in employment, in the provision of services or in other areas of public life on the basis of a person's religious belief or activity is not, or at least should not be, controversial. Indeed, it is already unlawful under the antidiscrimination laws in most states and territories for individuals to be discriminated against on the basis of their religious beliefs or practices. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief is a fundamental human right. Labor supports the extension of the federal antidiscrimination framework to ensure Australians are not discriminated against because of their religious beliefs or activities, just as Commonwealth law currently prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, race, sex, gender identity, sex characteristics and sexual orientation.
The provisions of these bills, the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021, the Religious Discrimination (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021 and the Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2021, are complex, particularly when it comes to their interaction with other antidiscrimination laws, including state antidiscrimination laws. Many of the bill's opponents have already raised concerns about the kinds of comments these bills could allow people to say or make, and many of the supporters of these bills have been just as quick to refute many of those arguments.
Even the Prime Minister and the Assistant Attorney-General cannot agree on how the Religious Discrimination Bill would work in practice, with each offering different and contradictory views about the way in which particular provisions would operate. If the Prime Minister cannot even agree with his own ministers about the effective aspects of these bills, it is clearly inappropriate for the Prime Minister to bring these bills on for a vote in the House today, a few days after he introduced them and before a parliamentary committee has had an opportunity to even commence its public consultations on them.
This is a complex area of law, and Labor will not adopt a final position until the parliamentary committee has looked at these bills and we have consulted widely with the Australian community, because we want to get this right. We want a respectful debate and we want that debate informed by what we in this parliament hear from our communities, what we hear from the communities that we represent.
This week we've shown in the debate about Maeve's Law, the bill dealing with mitochondrial donation, and the ethical issues that that raises that we can debate and respect each other's views. It was very much parliament at its best, and I know that many on the other side of the chamber hold the view that I've just expressed about both the capacity of this parliament to have a respectful debate and the need for a respectful debate on these bills.
It has been disappointing to hear the Attorney-General characterise that sensible, responsible position of waiting for a parliamentary inquiry to report, which is of course consistent with the usual practice in relation to the vast majority of complex bills introduced to this parliament, as some kind of delaying tactic. This is the same Attorney-General who has also flagged publicly that she and the government are open to making amendments to these bills if the parliamentary committee recommends that course.
Let's be quite clear about the history of the bills that are now before the parliament. In December 2018, three years ago, the Prime Minister committed to introducing a religious discrimination bill in early 2019, in order for it to be passed before the 2019 election. He didn't. He didn't even introduce it in early 2020 or even in early 2021. In December 2018, some three years ago, the Prime Minister committed to working with Labor and the crossbench in 'the spirit of bipartisanship'. The Prime Minister said that his government 'will endeavour to introduce legislation into the parliament that enjoys broad cross-party support'. In the intervening three years, regrettably, the Prime Minister did not honour this commitment. He and his government have not worked with Labor on this legislation. In June of this year I wrote directly to Senator Cash, as the new Attorney-General, to ask her to work with Labor on these bills. She has not. So for the government to introduce these complex bills in the second last sitting week of the year, almost three years after the Prime Minister promised to do it, and then to accuse Labor of delay because we expect the bill to go through the usual process of parliamentary scrutiny is simply wrong.
The debate in this parliament on the issues of religious freedom and nondiscrimination needs to be an occasion for bringing people together. As I've already made clear, Labor's approach to these bills will be guided by a number of simple but fundamental principles, including the following. First, as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights makes clear, religious organisations and people of faith have the right to act in accordance with the doctrines, beliefs or teachings of their traditions and faith. Second, Labor supports the extension of the federal antidiscrimination framework to ensure Australians are not discriminated against because of their religious beliefs or activities. And, third, consistent with the international covenant, any extension of the federal antidiscrimination framework should not remove protections that already exist in the law to protect Australians from other forms of discrimination. I could add that we also need to ensure the provisions of the bill work as intended, and I expect the parliamentary committee looking at these bills will pay careful regard to any unintended consequences over the course of the important inquiry that it is about to undertake.
If I could offer a personal perspective, every member of this House has a responsibility to ensure that the laws we pass here work for the benefit of the communities we represent and for the wider benefit of the nation. I was elected to this parliament in 2007, and, in my first speech, I spoke about how honoured I was to be representing the people of the diverse electorate of Isaacs, which I'm very proud to represent to this day, in south-east Melbourne. My electorate, taking in the suburbs of Dandenong South, Mentone, Mordialloc, south Keysborough and a dozen or so others, just by way of example, provides a vivid example of our success as a multicultural society. These places have absorbed immigrants from around the world and are now a vibrant home to people from 182 countries, including representatives from just about every religion in the world. That religious diversity of the Isaacs community includes the Sikh temple on Perry Road; the Dhamma Sarana Temple, which is managed by the Buddhist Sri Lankan Association of Victoria and has developed relationships with other Buddhist temples in Melbourne, including those of the Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese and Thai communities; the Turkish Islamic and Cultural Centre in Keysborough; Christian churches representing communities from across that faith, including Catholic, Anglican, Uniting and Baptist churches and the Assemblies of God; and the Moorabbin Hebrew congregation, who are busy with their Hanukkah celebrations this festival week.
The religious diversity I see in my own community of Isaacs is of course to be found in electorates across our nation. That religious diversity is intrinsic to our successful multiculturalism and our success as a nation, because, for many Australians, religion forms a central part, if not the core part, of their personal identity and value system, and it helps guide how they want to raise their families.
For me, personally, the values of Judaism are very important. In particular, the central themes of law and justice in both Jewish religious and secular traditions have great meaning for me. It was Moses who charged the Jewish people with the command, 'Justice, justice you shall pursue,' from Deuteronomy. The pursuit of justice has been an ongoing challenge and a call to action for me in my previous career and in my work in this place. Judaism is also an inseparable part of my family history. My father and his parents were forced to flee from Nazi Germany for the simple reason that they were Jews. My father managed to escape Nazi Germany before World War II erupted, arriving in Australia with his brother in July 1939. My father's parents—my grandparents—arrived later, some three months after the war started in a somewhat miraculous escape from Germany. My great-grandparents did not escape; they perished in the Holocaust.
That family history, as well as the much broader historical tapestry of the Jewish people, who've lived for some 2,000 years as the guests of other nations, has helped to shape my worldview, and it continues to inform my work as a member of this parliament. It is a history, personal and cultural, that ensures that I have undying gratitude to this nation and to its generous people for taking in my father, his brother and my grandparents in their time of desperate need. And it is a history that makes me appreciative of the wonderful diversity of this nation and the need to continually protect that diversity and the need to uphold and, where possible, to strengthen the fundamental human rights in which that diversity flourishes.
In my first speech, I said:
Tolerance lies at the heart of our Australian multiculturalism. It is a vital democratic value. Tolerance of others—tolerance of different cultural and religious values and tolerance of different political positions—produces inclusiveness and not division. It enables harmonious communities and peaceful political debate. By and large, migrants to our country leave behind them old hatreds and prejudices. When they arrive, they acquire Australia's understated style of tolerance of difference.
The idea of tolerance is undoubtedly important, but, as I've said before, I think we can often do better than merely tolerating our differences. I think we can learn to embrace the fact of those differences as a wonderful boon to be appreciated for all that it offers us, rather than seeing difference merely as a burden that must be tolerated. I feel that it is in the open-hearted acceptance and genuine appreciation of difference, rather than the mere tolerance of it, that the foundations of a truly multicultural and diverse society must rest, because from this position we will not just tolerate those from other cultures and religions but actively welcome and appreciate them. It is because of the need to foster acceptance and appreciation that I've always championed the importance of our nation's antidiscrimination framework, and it is why I've always worked to find the right balance between ensuring rights are protected and, at the same time, ensuring that those rights do not lead to discrimination.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Australia has been a party for two generations now, makes the importance of this difficult balance clear. Article 18(1) of the ICCPR states:
Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
Article 18(3) of the covenant states:
Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
It is on that last point, the need to ensure that freedoms do not compromise the fundamental rights and freedoms of others, that so much turns. Acknowledging the complexity of getting the balance right is not a delaying tactic. It is a statement of the obvious. As the expert panel led by Phillip Ruddock recognised, designing legal rules to protect freedom of thought, conscience and religion without unjustifiably burdening other rights is an immensely difficult and delicate task. The expert panel aptly described it as 'a many-sided discussion'.
Some contributions to this many-sided discussion have already referred to matters that are not addressed in these bills directly. For example, as everyone in this place knows, a little over three years ago the Prime Minister promised that he would update the laws to protect LGBT students as soon as possible. Those were the Prime Minister's words: 'as soon as possible'. He hasn't done that as part of this package of bills, and just a few days ago the Prime Minister said that he would not do anything on this issue for at least another year. He said he needed to hear from the Australian Law Reform Commission before taking any action. But now, according to reports this morning, the Prime Minister has changed his mind and has agreed to move an amendment to these bills to ensure that students cannot be discriminated against on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity. We will wait to see what, if anything, the Prime Minister is proposing to do on that front. On that issue, as with these bills, we stand ready to work across the parliament.
As I've said to Senator Cash, Labor has been seeking to encourage a bipartisan approach to all of these issues so that, to the extent possible, we have a discussion that is respectful, constructive, accepting and unifying and that recognises the wealth and value of Australia's diversity. That does not mean that everyone will agree on the outcome, but such an approach should mean that everyone's view is respected and listened to. I await the report of the parliamentary inquiry into these bills, as I am sure do all of my colleagues in this parliament.
Mr JOYCE (New England—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development and Leader of the Nationals) (13:20): The circumstances of our democracy and the liberties that we enjoy in our form of government are underpinned by the ethos that surrounds faith—for me, my Christian faith, the egalitarian treatise that one should love one neighbour's as one's self, not better, not worse, but as you would expect to be treated yourself. This took the place of the historical hierarchal structure that was the lived human condition since we left the cave: I am the king; you are the peasant; you are the slave; you are merely sport and have no value; you are dispensable. That has been the way of the world till very recent times, till faith succeeded in saying, 'No, this is not how you treat your fellow person.' Sadly, now, democracy is in decline across the globe.
As democracy is in decline then the principle of equality is replaced by another person's or group's unquestioned tenure of power becoming the lived experience of others, that their rights are greater and your role is subservient. Democracy is underpinned by the convention that you and I are equivalent in our rights. Ancient Greece did not invent democracy, not like we experience it today. It is a very, very, very distant and quite different ancestor. What we can take from the ancient Athenians, however, is how long it took to grow to the actual rights that we enjoy in this chamber. The fertilizer, the nutrients that allowed that growth and, to be frank, its most abundant forms in very recent times, was the ethos of faith—in my instance, the Christian faith, and, in other people's, other faiths.
Paradoxically, and somewhat obnoxiously, many now want to pull out the roots of the tree which we shelter under. In Australia, we acknowledge that people should not be discriminated against by reason of their gender. We acknowledge that people should not be discriminated against because of their sexuality. We acknowledge that people should not be discriminated against because of the colour of their skin. We acknowledge that people should not be discriminated against by reason of physical appearance. But in our nation we missed a fundamental element of what a person is.
For many, what is more important than their physical appearance, their gender, their sexuality or the colour of their skin is their faith. It is, for many, what differentiates them from the animals. We're endowed with a belief structure that transcends to the supernatural, the deity, a god. It is a unique thing about the human condition. People's belief structures are a unique thing; cultures that have been separated by seas and thousands of miles and millennia of time nonetheless have faiths. I believe there is a spiritual and an eternal aspect to our terminal human condition.
The emblems of these varying faiths were in the centres of the villages in Papua New Guinea, in jungles in Central America, in the deserts of the Middle East, in the cities of Europe, or in the psyche of the person as they walked across their land. Without faith, so many people are left without reason, devoid of purpose. They are alone on a planet crowded with people. Faith comes with caveats. You can't use faith for the destruction of another person, in any of their forms, for your own reasons, outside the law, or in the impoverishment of others who do not share your belief. Faith must come with a caveat. You must respect the rights of people who hold completely different beliefs or who hold none at all.
The Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 is a major step—in fact, a belated step—to make sure this nation allows faith to remain unshackled by the state, and by so doing preserves the full expression and enjoyment of the freedom that is the birthright of this democratic nation. Part of our democratic inheritance is the freedom of people to express their views and contribute to the public debate. Rod Chiswell, the Anglican Bishop of Armidale, said, 'Considering the federal discrimination laws already in place dealing with sex, race, age, disability, it is only right that religious belief be among those protections,' and I think most Australians would agree with that.
The right to faith, the refuge of the adherent and the source of a code which has given us the foundation of so many of the rights and freedoms that today we mistakenly believe grew organically—the implausible inspiration from a void—must be protected. This right to have faith must be protected to protect democracy itself. The great threat to faith is when it's usurped by the excessive powers of the state, when the state annuls or corrals the spirit. The paramount state enviably sees faith as their biggest threat and so brutally abolishes it or corrupts it and uses it, replacing it with their alternative belief structure.
Importantly, the Australian Christian Lobby notes that this bill directly addresses the Porteous matter by delivering an override for section 17 of the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Act, which provides that a person can bring an action if they are offended by statements pertaining to a protected attribute. The fact that a Catholic prelate was going to face legal sanction by a simple profession of faith in a document is evidence of the state brutally corralling and neutering to usurp the role of faith in the public square.
In New England, the introduction of this bill has been welcomed by local faith based schools. One school principal in Tamworth says: 'I believe that those using the excuse that these laws will promote the sacking of staff are missing the point, as the very purpose of Christian schools is to hold a world view that is Christian. We don't seek to discriminate but to adhere to the bias by which the school was formed.' I believe that it is creating a strawman that there will be some sort of purge on good teachers doing a perfectly reasonable job, and that parents must be allowed to send their children to a school that adheres to their faith. To elucidate the argument: there would be a proper outcry if a teacher in a non-denominational secular school brought teachings, tenants and exams on bible studies into a mathematics class.
Catholic schools in my area are conscious of the need to have the freedom to employ staff who are supportive of their mission. In welcoming this bill, they say:
The proposed legislation simply enables Catholic schools to preference the employment or enrolment of people of the Catholic faith, and those willing to support the ethos and values of the school. This is reasonable and fair in a free, pluralist society.
Many of my constituents feel strongly about this too. As one wrote to me recently: 'The Church of God is called to a higher standard than the citizens of Australia. It should be allowed to expect their members, and especially their leaders, to follow the teachings of the Bible.' The vast majority of Australians believe in respecting the inherent dignity of the individual. In this regard, it means letting them live the life they wish and raise their families according to their values. It's important to note that this is a belief that stems from Christian teaching and, to a varying degree, has shaped the various iterations of this bill.
This was a promise taken to the last election by the coalition and it is essential that we keep faith with those who voted for us on this issue in 2019. This is something the Nationals believe in deeply. It also underpins our commitment to ensuring parents have a choice in how they educate their kids. While some will say the legislation does not go far enough, others say it has gone too far. That is part of our democratic inheritance. It also suggests that the bill has to take into account the breadth of views held by the community and that it is worthy of bipartisan support. It finally provides Australians with protections against religious discrimination at a federal level that are long overdue, and I'm pleased to support this bill.
In going through the amendments, I hope that we make sure that we adhere to the tenets we provided at the election and that we support it. It is an addition to the rights we currently enjoy. Of course, to do so, it must go beyond what is currently the status quo.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( M r Llew O'Brien ): It being almost 1.30, the debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 43. The debate may be resumed at a later hour. The member will have leave to continue speaking when the debate resumes.
STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS
Newcastle Electorate: Morrison Government
Ms CLAYDON (Newcastle) (13:29): Every day more and more Novacastrians are being left behind by this Morrison Liberal government. Whether it's child care, petrol prices or increased out-of-pocket health costs, it's getting harder and harder for local families to get ahead.
Right now we're facing a national housing crisis, with Novacastrians waiting between five and10 years on social housing waiting lists. Last week I was contacted by Emily from Stockton, who is a single parent with three kids. Her family is facing eviction because her rent is increasing by $175 a week. She's worried she's going to have to sleep in the car. And this government's got no plans to help Emily or thousands of others just like her.
Likewise, this government's shocking neglect of the NDIS is having a real impact on the lives of vulnerable people in my community. In the last month alone I've had 10 constituents from my electorate contact me about their NDIS plans being cut, their basic requests being denied or simply being ignored altogether—like the double amputee from my electorate who was denied a request for two new prosthetic limbs. Every day he waited at home, isolated from his community and living in extreme pain because his prosthetic legs no longer fitted him, until I intervened.
This Prime Minister likes to pretend that there's nothing to see here, but tell that to the 460,000 Australians with significant or permanent disability who have been left behind by the government. This is a government with no plans for now, no plans for the future. They don't deserve another turn in government.
Bass Electorate: Education
Mrs ARCHER (Bass) (13:30): It's always a good time to celebrate our teachers, but, as we near the end of the school year in Tasmania, it's especially fitting to say thank you to the teachers and education staff across all of our schools. I'm sure any parent who has undertaken the task of home learning at any stage recently has a new-found appreciation for what's really required when educating young minds.
In Tasmania this week, educational professionals were recognised at the 25 Year State Service Awards, including Caryn Kerrison, Jill Fish, Colleen Elliott, Natasha Gibbons, Anthony Leonard, Bronwyn Morgan, Jennifer Radford, Caryn Watson, Marie Stannus, Tony Brazendale, Dearne Lansdell, Marcella Glachan and Sussen Cute. I'm fortunate enough to know a few of the recipients, including Jill Fish, who has I think taught all of the Archer children over many years in George Town; and the wonderful principal of Invermay primary school, Tony Brazendale. Tony began his career as a PE teacher in 1996, before working his way up to principal of the Invermay Primary School. He says that his passion for education remains. 'I turn up every day, love what I do, and so here I am,' he said. Riverside Primary School teacher Jennifer Radford always knew she wanted to be a teacher and has spent her career teaching kindergarten through to year 2. Ms Radford sums it up perfectly when she says, 'What we do isn't about literacy or numeracy but rather the relationship we build with the child so that they can become the best person they can be.'
Solomon Electorate
Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (13:32): This year, 2021, has been a massive year, the second year of this pandemic, and I want to put a big shout-out to all the Territorians out there who've done an awesome job fighting COVID and keeping their families and our whole community safe. We had a couple of short lockdowns. We had a lockout. But they were just short ones, and everyone did the right thing. Thank you, everyone, for doing that. It's why we're still one of the safest places in Australia, so thank you.
I want to thank my family in particular. It's been a long year, with some big absences when I got stuck down here in a lockdown and then had two weeks at Howard Springs quarantine facility on the way home. I want to thank my staff as well for putting up with me. Howard Springs is a great facility, but this time I'm looking forward to just seven days quarantining at home when I get back to Darwin.
I want to thank the member for Lingiari, my friend and colleague, for his 30 years of service to the Territory and to this parliament, and my other Labor colleague Malarndirri McCarthy for her sterling work fighting for Territorians in this place, because that's what we are here to do—and listening to valedictory speeches is a good reminder of that.
I'll keep fighting for the north, for Darwin and Palmerston in the Territory, every minute that I'm here. I can't wait to get home. I want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas.
Gold Coast: Industry
Ms BELL (Moncrieff) (13:33): Today marks the release of the 2021 Reimagine Gold Coast: Insights Report, the second publication since the pandemic hit. As chair of the City Heart Taskforce, I convened Reimagine 2.0 in September this year to bring together industry leaders to plan for the year ahead and beyond for jobs, skills and industry on the Gold Coast. I thank the City Heart Taskforce executive members and their industry leaders for the work and dedication and contributions made to the forum, and to this report that focuses on the future jobs economy as applied to the three key areas of opportunity, innovation and talent.
It highlights emerging economic sectors on the Gold Coast, such as medtech, industry 4.0, advanced manufacturing and space. I thank RDA Gold Coast, Urbis, the Gold Coast Bulletin, Southern Cross Austereo, the Island in Surfers Paradise and Dreamweavers for their support of the event. I also thank Karen Phillips for her great efforts on the event and the subsequent report. I thank the Prime Minister and my local Gold Coast colleagues, the member for McPherson, Karen Andrews, and the member for Fadden, Stuart Robert, for their support and contributions.
The report is featured in the Gold Coast Bulletin today and is available from our website online. For anybody who wants to read further into the report, please go to that website and have a look. To Gold Coast industry, I say thank you. It's imperative that we continue to draw on our entrepreneurialism, resilience and collaborative spirit. These strengths are the foundation upon which we build our recovery to the new economy.
Eden-Monaro Electorate: ReBoot in Bermagui
Ms McBAIN (Eden-Monaro) (13:35): I rise today, on the last day of sitting for the year, and I reckon I'm not the only one who could use a reboot. The last two years have been pretty tough, with the fires then the pandemic, with multiple lockdowns and border closures, and, more recently, floods. I think I can confidently say that a reboot is in order for us all, which is why I'm excited to see the annual ReBoot in Bermagui finally taking place this weekend. It was cancelled last year and then postponed in October this year, so it's been a long and uncertain journey for the organisers to get to this point. But I'm glad that they persevered.
ReBoot in Bermagui is one of those fantastic local events that bring community and tourists together to enjoy a weekend outdoors. It's a weekend to run, relax, refresh and renew in the beautiful coastal town of Bermagui. It features fun runs, bike rides, ocean swims, yoga, tai chi and Pilates, as well as stand-up paddleboarding, surf lessons and barefoot bowls. The skate, scoot and BMX competition is another highlight, where kids and adults can show off their skills at the skate park.
ReBoot in Bermagui is exactly what our communities need right now. We need to put this year behind us, and what better way is there than to go out and about in this sunshine and kick off summer with a laugh and a smile. Thank you to the organisers for all of your efforts to get this off the ground and create such a positive experience for our community. It's not too late to register for the events. Head to the ReBoot in Bermagui website and get down and support these guys.
Member for Bennelong
Mr BROADBENT (Monash) (13:37): I rise to return this book, American Colossus: Big Bill Tilden and the Creation of Modern Tennis, to the member for Bennelong. He lent me the book, and I now return it to him. The member for Bennelong has given me great gifts, not just the book. He gave me 'Indian Summer' by the Gatlin Brothers, with Roy Orbison taking it home. He's told me about songs, about places. He's told me stories.
But for me, his great contribution has been that, as an international person, to a degree he's been above this parliament. His thoughts have been higher than our thoughts. His work on committees and the uplifting inquiry into infrastructure—I believe he's a prophet and a seer. One day, John—one day, Member for Bennelong—the things that you put in those reports, on that infrastructure and the way we do it, will come to pass in this country, and you'll be lauded as somebody who was way ahead of his time.
As an international tennis player, coming into this place as you did, you had a different view of the world. You may not have been like other politicians here. You were different. You wanted to see national cooperation for the betterment, and the greater benefit, of the Australian people. That was your goal. That was your focus and always has been. To me, it's a great regret that you are leaving this parliament. You know I encourage you to stay on—probably once a week—but your time has come. I wish you the very best, and I give you this song: 'Gentle on My Mind'. John, you'll be gentle on my mind forever.
Morrison Government
Mr BURNS (Macnamara) (13:38): I present to the House the 12 scandals of Christmas: 2021 edition.
On the first day of Christmas the PM backed his mates, only picking fights with premiers of Labor states. On the second day of Christmas the PM copped some flak. He said we were at the front of the queue, but we were really at the back. On the third day of Christmas the PM left us cross. He said it wasn't a race, but it was and we badly lost. On the fourth day of Christmas the PM tipped the scales. Victoria would have to wait for vaccines; he sent ours to New South Wales. On the fifth day of Christmas the world was left perplexed when he picked a fight with the French and leaked their private texts. On the sixth day of Christmas the PM rocked the boat with a Trump-style attempt to suppress the number of votes. On the seventh day of Christmas he said showing ID is a must, unless it's a donation to a minister's blind trust. On the eighth day of Christmas the PM searched for backers by giving his sympathy to violent antivaxxers. On the ninth day of Christmas he played some more repeats, wasting millions on car park rorts that were only for marginal seats. On the 10th day of Christmas he threw up a distraction: a shiny new pamphlet to cover up eight years of climate inaction. On the 11th day of Christmas he really wasn't shy; he told us on the radio he'd never told a lie. On the 12th day of Christmas there can be no more doubt: it's time to throw this rotten, tired Morrison government out. Merry Christmas.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Llew O'Brien ): Ho, ho, ho!
Road Safety
Mr CHESTER (Gippsland) (13:40): Deputy Speaker Llew O'Brien, I note from the outset your longstanding interest in all things road safety. I had the opportunity this week to meet with Michelle McLaughlin, who told me a tragic but inspirational story. Seven years ago, she lost her four-year-old son, Tom, in a tragic road accident. He was struck by a car while the family were on holidays. Four hundred and thirty children have died since then in road crashes. Michelle has found strength to turn this tragedy into something positive in Tom's memory. She formed the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation. Her mission is to help educate and to protect child pedestrians from dangers on our roads.
Since 2014, 63 councils and four states have engaged with the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation. They've done things like installing high-profile and colourful signs which recognise that, in peak holiday times, there is a lot more activity around our communities and beachside areas and also the importance of holding a child's hand at all times near a road. These messages and signs are installed by local governments near beaches, key playgrounds and car parks. It's a prevention strategy that I believe needs a national rollout. I've written to the minister for transport in this regard—and I note the assistant minister at the table as well—and suggested to him that we add a statement of expectations to the Roads to Recovery Program to encourage local government to roll out, on a national level, the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation signage.
Finally, I encourage everyone listening today to please slow down, pay attention and stay safe on our roads this Christmas.
Hills Radio
Ms SHARKIE (Mayo) (13:41): This week, Hills Radio signed off as a community radio broadcaster after seven years of service to the Adelaide Hills. Their closure on 30 November was a day of great sadness for the 70 volunteers, who produced over 47 programs each week, and to all of us who listened. I would like to say thank you to the volunteers. I know you left no stone unturned to secure a second licence for the region. I know this because I've been advocating on behalf of Hills Radio since I was first elected, when they had a temporary licence. I supported their bid for a second licence when ACMA allocated the community broadcasting licence to Lofty radio in September 2020. Lofty radio is a wonderful community broadcaster too, and I also go on that station, but we can have two in our region. You only have to look at Victor Harbor to see an example of two community broadcasters, Happy FM and Fleurieu FM, who operate successfully in the same location. These are arguments I raised with the minister and with ACMA on many occasions, in meetings and in letters. ACMA have been definitive in refusing Hills Radio's request. Looking forward, it's my hope that the talent at Hills Radio is not wasted and those volunteers can find a new outlet in community broadcasting in our community. It really is a great, great shame and loss.
Boothby Electorate: Beach Safety
Ms FLINT (Boothby—Government Whip) (13:43): Summer has started in South Australia, and that means that it's beach time in Boothby. Staying safe at the beach this summer is so important, and our surf lifesaving volunteers do so much to ensure that we can all enjoy the beautiful beaches in Boothby both safely and responsibly. I urge all beachgoers to follow the advice of our trained lifeguards and to swim between the flags at all times. We can also visit beachsafe.org.au for more tips about beach safety.
I would like to highlight the tremendous work of our local surf lifesaving clubs in Boothby and thank President John Cvetko and the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club volunteers; President Michael 'Mick' Billing and the Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club volunteers; President Jacinta Day and the Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club volunteers; and President Warwick Holland and the Somerton Surf Life Saving Club volunteers. These clubs and amazing volunteers do so much to keep us all safe each and every summer. They also support the development of skills, fitness and volunteering and foster lifelong friendships, especially amongst their young members. There are so many ways to support these amazing and fantastic clubs, so please get in touch with your local club in Boothby to find out how you can get more involved and support our wonderful volunteers who keep us all safe at the beach each summer. On behalf of all South Australians, I thank all of our surf lifesaving clubs in Boothby for their tremendous work each and every summer.
Dobell Electorate: Headspace
Ms McBRIDE (Dobell) (13:44): It's been more than two years since this government promised to build a headspace at Wyong in my community on the Central Coast of New South Wales. They made the promise on the eve of the 2019 election, saying they'd put $1.5 million towards the project. They said it would be up and running by 2021. In fact, in Senate estimates on 2 October we were told that headspace Wyong would be officially opened in December 2021. It's now December, and this government still hasn't delivered.
My community on the Central Coast desperately needs access to more mental health support, especially for young people and especially after the year they've had. Our community spent months in lockdown because of the government's failures in hotel quarantine and their failure to stop another COVID-19 outbreak. During this time, demand for mental health support surged to its highest levels. Lifeline experienced its busiest day on record in August, with over 3,500 calls made in just one day. Young coasties were crying out for help as they struggled with changes and home learning ahead of HSC. A service like headspace Wyong could have helped them and made it easier on them.
Instead, the government has sat on its hands when it comes to mental health support for my community. They make empty promises without following through. People in my community on the Central Coast deserve better. They deserve a headspace at Wyong. It's well past time for the government to follow through on this commitment.
Parkes Electorate: Volunteering
Mr COULTON (Parkes) (13:46): Everyone knows volunteers are the glue that holds communities together. As we speak, the finals of the New South Wales Volunteer of the Year Awards are being held. I've got some great finalists who are contesting that today. The Adult Volunteer of the Year for the Orana region is Bruce McDermaid, who's a justice advocate. The Senior Volunteer of the Year for the Orana region is Janice Stanford, who's a great long-serving member of the CWA. The Volunteer Team of the Year for the Orana region is the Rotary Club of Narromine.
Out in the Far West, the Young Volunteer of the Year, Abbie Kelly, from Broken Hill, is an environmentalist, lobbyist, fundraiser, performer and volunteer and is only 12 years of age. St John Ambulance and SES volunteer joint finalists are Shane Webb and Trevor Murphy from Broken Hill. They do a great job looking after the community through their work with the SES and St John Ambulance. The Senior Volunteer of the Year is Meals on Wheels volunteer Fay Rolton from Broken Hill. Fay has been a long-time volunteer delivering meals to old and vulnerable people in Broken Hill. The Volunteer Team of the Year are the 61 volunteers who run the kiosk at the Broken Hill hospital. Over the years, they've raised $1.7 million towards funding the Broken Hill hospital.
Volunteers are so important in communities, and I'm pleased that these fine people have been recognised today
Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband Network
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (13:48): I rise to express my deep dismay that it's end of the year and the Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband Network has failed to table its report which was due months ago. The committee chair, the member for Barker, has been asked repeatedly by me, as deputy chair, about scheduling a meeting by email, text or in person but has let this final fortnight go without a meeting. In fact, the last meeting of the full committee was on 17 March.
This inquiry into the business case for the NBN and the experiences of small businesses began in October 2019. I take full responsibility for being unable to attend meetings in March this year to finalise the report, which was scheduled for a time when my community was underwater with serious floods. So the committee published a progress report on 31 March and was due to issue a report by 30 June. For eight months now, I have worked collaboratively—or so I thought—with the chair and with Independent committee members to try to get this report finalised. It is clear that the chair does not want a report tabled and is using every delaying tactic in the book to stop it. I can only see this as a deliberate strategy by the chair to avoid releasing findings that the government may not like about the quality of NBN coverage, executive bonuses and the challenges small businesses face, all of which we took public evidence on as part of the committee hearings. We take committee work seriously. Out of respect for witnesses who appeared before the committee, this report needs to be made public.
Nicholls Electorate: Volunteers
Mr DRUM (Nicholls—Chief Nationals Whip) (13:49): Ahead of International Volunteer Day this Sunday, I'd like to pay tribute to the almost nine million volunteers across Australia who give their time for their communities. In particular, I'd like to thank the volunteers in my electorate of Nicholls for the tireless work that they do. As such, it gives me great pleasure that 42 volunteer organisations in Nicholls will share $120,000 of funding as part of the Liberal-National government's 2021 Volunteer Grants round. Among the groups to receive funding are the Echuca Moama Search & Rescue Squad, with Lyn Chaplin and James McKenzie-Ross, who are going to use their money for an infrared camera; Cobram Barooga RSL, where Sue Nicholson, Edelweiss Cortes, Glenda Mann and John Hanlon are going to use their money for a computer for their volunteers; Broadford Scouting Group, where Tanya Malward and David Dixon are going to purchase some camping equipment; Murchison CFA, where Jon Crowley and Tino Catania are going to undertake a kitchen upgrade for their facilities; Riding for the Disabled Association Echuca, where Tanya Lucas and Edwina Boase-Stratford are going to subsidise the cost of their camps; the Lions Club of Tatura with Malcolm Campbell and Glenda McLeod are going to create a website to attract more members and more volunteers; and Shepparton FoodShare, with Grace Grieve and Kate Smith, are going to purchase a pallet scale.
I can see firsthand the impacts that volunteering has in the Goulburn Valley and how hard these local volunteers work to strengthen our communities. I want to thank each and every one of them for the work that they do.
Dunkley Electorate: Community
Ms MURPHY (Dunkley) (13:51): Today, on the last day of parliament for the year, I want to thank my community for everything you've done to get us through 2021, another tough year in so many different ways. To our early childhood educators, our teachers and support staff; to our nurses, doctors, social workers and counsellors; to our cleaners, and our disability, aged and family carers; to our retail and hospitality workers; to our police, ambos and firies; to the manufacturing and construction businesses and workers; to the small businesses who had to pivot online, who kept our economy going; to the sporting clubs and associations—some didn't get to play many matches, it has to be said—who stepped up and beyond to provide support and care to your players, coaches and members; to parents, grandparents and students navigating home learning for so much of the year; to our volunteers at food banks at support services; to our charities; to neighbours who cared for each other; and to families who cared for people who are on their own: you have all shown why we are stronger together. You have all shown why our community is so magnificent.
I am indescribably proud to have represented all of you for the last 2½ years, and I hope to do so for many years to come. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and I look forward to seeing you out on the wonderful Frankston Beach and in our parks as we enjoy a summer coming out of a year that was so hard, but we did it. Congratulations.
Member for Leichhardt: Staff
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt) (13:52): I have a serious problem. There is something in the water in my electorate office, and I need to report it. Just recently two more of my electorate staff officers announced that they're expecting little ones in 2022. This comes on the back of my office manager, Rosie Korman, recently giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, Ryah Sauve-de-Rose.
The first to announce they were expecting in the new year was my amazing electorate officer Megan Carey. They are No. 7 and No. 8. Two of them have actually become pregnant through the water supply in my office. Megan and her partner, Maclane, are a fantastic young couple, and I have no doubt that they'll make amazing parents when their bundle of joy arrives some time in April 2022. They've decided not to find out the sex of their baby until the day, which is a rarity these days.
Shortly following on from Megan's announcement, my part-time electorate officer Katie Johnson revealed she was also expecting in the new year. This will be Katie and her partner, Tom's, second child and, I'm reliably told, a little sister for their daughter Dylan. I can honestly say, I was extremely proud of Megan and Katie, when they told me about their bundles of joy arriving in the new year, and I want to take the opportunity to wish Megan and Katie the very best. (Time expired)
Commonwealth Integrity Commission
Mr STEPHEN JONES (Whitlam) (13:54): You can't stand on a platform of courage if you don't have any. And you can't stand on a platform of morality if you don't show any. This is the story of the Morrison government week after week after week—the sleaze and corruption. Another story, week after week after week, and every day a feeble attempt to cover it up and create a distraction.
This week we could have had a federal anticorruption commission. There are two bills drafted. The member for Indi has got one. The Prime Minister has got one as well. But, instead of introducing it, he waved it around yesterday like some sideshow huckster. The Prime Minister, who tells us that he is the only one who's tough enough to stand up to China, didn't have the courage to come in here and debate his own bill. And the Leader of the House, who tells us that he is the only one who's tough enough to stand up to the bikies, wouldn't let us debate any bill. This is the same bloke who loses his water every time somebody says nasty things about him on Twitter. This is the same guy who wanted to get rid of 18C. Of course, we know the real reason that this weak Prime Minister doesn't want an anticorruption commission: because in the witness box you have got to tell the truth. There's something very, very sinister about this Prime Minister.
The SPEAKER: I'm just going to ask the member for Whitlam to remain at the dispatch box and withdraw that comment about corruption. I ask the member for Whitlam to withdraw that comment about corruption.
Mr STEPHEN JONES: I withdraw.
Green, Mrs Louise
Mr ZIMMERMAN (North Sydney) (13:55): Today I want to commend to the House the work of an inspiring school principal in my electorate, Louise Green, who is leaving Artarmon Public School at the end of this year. Louise has been the much admired principal at Artarmon Public School for 15 years. Throughout her 42 years with the Department of Education she has selflessly devoted her working life to providing high-quality and professional learning to the next generation of Australians. Among her many achievements, she has led Artarmon Public School through a major capital works program—not an entirely enjoyable experience, but something that set up the school for success well into the future.
Over those 15 years the school's population has almost doubled, from 630 kids when she started to 1,276 today, and every one of those students has benefited from her driving ethos of what is best for the kids. In so many of those students there is now a little bit of Louise Green, and the inquisitive minds, care, compassion and talent are all her most important legacies. Louise is deeply respected by her colleagues, who describe her as a fantastic mentor. I know she also enjoys the respect and affection of parents. As the son of a primary school principal, I know that's not always an easy task.
To Louise I say thank you and congratulations on a stellar career. It has been a pleasure to work with you during my time as a member for parliament, and you have my very best wishes for all that comes next.
Morrison Government
Mr HUSIC (Chifley) (13:57): It's the last day of parliament for a last-gasp government, a tired government, a lazy government, a deceitful government. We have never seen a bunch of people work so hard to get power and then do nothing with it. It is 'government by Roomba': it operates automatically. Stuff happens without them having to lift a finger or do a single thing. But people deserve better. They deserve better than a government that only ever acts in its own interest at the last minute. There's been no action on tackling corruption, but they will rush in laws to save themselves. They sent the ADF into our communities but refused to send in vaccines. They refused to use the ADF to set up and run vaccine hubs in our areas. They're lazy, lifeless and clueless. Look at how many days parliament is sitting. This is more of a slouch than a sitting pattern. They have no ability, no idea, no laws, no sense of what they can do for the country.
We deserve a government that fights for the health of the nation, fights for a healthy economy, fights for healthy people and fights for a healthy government that acts with integrity and the interest of the nation. We deserve better than this.
Cowper Electorate
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (13:58): As we charge towards the end of the year and the busy school holiday period, I'd like to reflect on what my electorate of Cowper has achieved over the past 12 months and what we're about to achieve. The Mid North Coast has rallied together and supported one another through some of the region's most difficult times. Like everyone else, we had to deal with COVID-19 and the repetition of lockdowns. But we also had to battle devastating floods in March, which many are still recovering from. The usual sense of solidarity and the community-minded spirit has persevered throughout. We rolled up our sleeves and lent a hand to the clean-up after our natural disasters, and then we rolled up our sleeves to get the jab, with the Mid North Coast population achieving 95 per cent fully vaccinated well ahead of the state average, to keep our friends and family safe and keep our businesses open.
Now it's time once again to prioritise and support our own. I urge everyone to buy local and shop local, go to our local cafes and local restaurants. Our world-class and homegrown businesses are ready and waiting for the season's influx like no other. It's up to us to ensure that they finish on a high at the end of this year. I wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and I look forward to seeing the best region in Australia turning it on for their tourists.
The SPEAKER: In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.
STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE
Minister for Education and Youth
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister) (14:00): I rise on indulgence to refer to the statement made earlier today by Ms Miller and the allegations regarding her relationship with Minister Tudge. These issues are obviously deeply concerning and, I know, deeply distressing both for Ms Miller and Minister Tudge and the families who are affected by these events. I have discussed Ms Miller's statement with Minister Tudge, who has refuted the claims that have been made. Given the seriousness of these claims that have been made by Ms Miller, it is important that these matters be resolved fairly and expeditiously.
To this end, the minister has agreed to my request to stand aside while these issues are addressed by my department through an independent and fair process to ensure that the matters that have been raised can be properly assessed and views put by the respective parties in relation to these issues. I am advised by the department that they will be seeking to do this through Ms Vivienne Thom. This will enable them, my department, to provide me with any further advice regarding any implications for the ministerial standard.
I wish to stress that this action in no way seeks to draw a conclusion on these matters, but this is the appropriate action for me to take under the ministerial standards. I note that Minister Tudge has welcomed this process and he looks forward to participating in the process. I have also asked, as it is occurring at the same time, for this advice to be provided directly to Ms Miller by my chief of staff.
In the interim, Minister Robert will act as the Minister for Education and Youth. I also note that today the Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business will answer questions in relation to those portfolios.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Quarantine Services Australia
Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR (Gorton) (14:02): My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, Sky News reported two of the Prime Minister's best mates received $80,000 of taxpayer money, without a tender, to set up their own private sector quarantine business known as Quarantine Services Australia. Sky News also reported that Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo told business leaders that this was a really important project for the Prime Minister. Is Mr Pezzullo right?
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House, on a point of order?
Mr Dutton: There is an imputation that's implied quite clearly in the question that's been asked, and that is against the standing orders. That's the first point, Mr Speaker. If there are allegations to make, then those allegations should be put in another forum, not here in this House.
The SPEAK ER: The Manager of Opposition Business?
Mr Burke: Ministers are expected to be across media reports; that's in Practice. The question specifically goes to a media report and describes the source. It then refers to that particular payment being a priority for the Prime Minister as being attributed to the secretary of a department. It simply asks whether that is accurate. It goes no further than asking whether it was a really important project for the Prime Minister. So the extra layers that the Leader of the House is referring to are not in the question that was just asked.
The SPEAKER: Standing order 100(d)(iii) and (iv) refer to 'inferences' and 'imputations'. It's certainly sailing close to the wind. I will allow the Prime Minister to answer the question.
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister) (14:05): On the standing orders matter, that is a matter for the Speaker. I haven't seen this report that they refer to. What I can say is that at all times my ministers and I rightly declare any possible interest that may relate to matters that are being considered in the cabinet as the first standing item on every single agenda of every cabinet meeting. I call for that at every single meeting, as cabinet ministers will understand. I can't speak to comments made by others that I have no knowledge of whatsoever. All I know is that I have always fully disclosed any interests where they are relevant to any matter that I may be considering, and the suggestion otherwise is a disgraceful slur by a grubby opposition.
COVID-19: Vaccination
Mrs McINTOSH (Lindsay) (14:06): My question is to the Prime Minister. Australians like those in my Western Sydney community of Lindsey have rolled up their sleeves to help make our nation one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world against COVID-19. Will the Prime Minister outline how this tremendous effort means we can safely live with the virus and look ahead to 2022 with confidence for a stronger future and more strong Morrison government management?
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister) (14:06): As we come towards the end of this parliamentary year and towards the end of 2021, we are moving forward into 2022, looking firmly out through the front windscreen, as Australians are, as they look forward to this Christmas and summer period. The lockdowns and difficult times of the last 18 months are in the rear-vision mirror, because we are moving into 2022 with a stronger economy emerging and with Australians getting back into jobs.
Today, over 20 million Australians have now had their first vaccination. I want to thank all those Australians for the amazing job that they have done. In particular, the member for Lindsay will know just how many sacrifices there have been in the work done by people in her community and by members all across this place. I want to sincerely thank Australians for the amazing job that they have done over these difficult past 18 months to two years. We thank Australians for rolling up their sleeves to get this jab because, under the national plan, that means we can open safely and we can remain safely open as we go into 2022 and those jobs come back, the businesses come back and the livelihoods come back. Australians can plan for the future with confidence under the strong economic management of our government looking forward.
I want to thank those Australians for doing their bit and playing their part, especially our health workers—nurses, doctors and pharmacists—who have been out there every single day. I want to thank our Indigenous communities and Indigenous leaders for the way that they have worked hard to keep their communities safe and have worked so closely with governments around the country. I want to thank those mental health support workers who have been on the end of phones and reaching out to Australians doing it tough, young people especially. I want to thank, in particular, headspace and the work done by Lifeline, Kids Helpline and Beyond Blue. They have been true heroes of this pandemic. I want to thank the transport workers who've kept our country moving. I want to thank the Royal Flying Doctor Service. I want to thank the cleaners who've carried an extra responsibility.
Opposition members interjecting—
Mr MORRISON: I don't know why they are interjecting. I don't know why they have a problem with me thanking cleaners for doing the work that we need them to do.
I want to thank students and teachers for their forbearance. I want to thank all of those businesses who have kept their businesses going, keeping their employees in jobs. I want to thank all of those at Qantas, Virgin, Rex and others who kept planes flying. I want to thank the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Border Force for the great work they have done. And I want to thank the great people of our Public Service—the Chief Medical Officer, the secretaries of our departments and all of those, over at Services Australia in particular, who have provided that support. Thank you, Australia. (Time expired)
COVID-19: Quarantine
Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR (Gorton) (14:10): My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that his government has awarded $80,000 to set up and run private luxury-resort-style quarantine facilities? Can the Prime Minister confirm that this quarantine business is being run out of his best mate's lobbying firm, based at the Hotel Realm in Canberra?
Mrs ANDREWS (McPherson—Minister for Home Affairs) (14:10): Can I start by saying that the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs has been questioned about this particular issue twice at Senate estimates—once in October and the second time just a week ago. There have been a range of questions put to the secretary. The secretary was very clear. I will actually quote from what Secretary Pezzullo said at Senate estimates. He said, 'It had nothing to do with ministers, their staff or ministerial officers.' He was very clear. And very significantly more, I would invite those people who have the questions in relation to this matter to look at the Senate estimates transcript, because it makes it abundantly clear that any such contract was entered into directly by the Department of Home Affairs. It was done without my knowledge. The first I became aware of it was following the contract having been finalised.
We make no apology for the fact that we have looked at what was best—
Opposition members interjecting—
Mrs ANDREWS: We make no apologies as a government that we did all that we possibly could to make sure that Australians were as protected as they possibly could be during this pandemic. The transcript from Senate estimates clearly sets out what the arrangements were in relation to this contract.
COVID-19: Regional Australia
Mr DRUM (Nicholls—Chief Nationals Whip) (14:12): My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the Deputy Prime Minister please outline to the House how regional Australians have helped to drive the nation's recovery from the pandemic?
Mr JOYCE (New England—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development and Leader of the Nationals) (14:12): I thank the honourable member for his question. I wanted to thank more people, but the Prime Minister hasn't really left me any. Obviously, the member for Nicholls is very aware of the work that is done, especially in the horticulture industry. He would also know how important Shepparton is to the processing of so many of the foods that we eat. It's an incredibly important thing that the Australian people, through the time of the pandemic, which we hope that we are getting—we are learning how to live with the virus, and that's the way the world is going to go. We have to move on. We have to get people back their rights, liberties and freedoms. We have to make sure that people live in the Australia they were born in.
One of the greatest freedoms they can have is the capacity to eat. It's people in regional Australia, farmers in regional Australia, especially in the seat of Nicholls and in other seats such as the seat of Riverina, the seat of Parkes and the seat of Mallee, who are all incredibly important. These people provide the most basic element of our liberties and our freedoms in Australia, and that is that we can feed ourselves. Not only do we feed ourselves, but we feed millions of other people around the world. That is something to be truly thankful of.
Likewise, the miners in so many parts of our nation: whether they are iron-ore miners, coalminers, gas, gold, bauxite or copper, they are the ones who underpin our terms of trade and the value of our dollar, which give us the standard of living that we enjoy and which, in fact, we take as a birthright. These are the people putting product on the boat, and if people didn't put product on the boat then we would not be getting off the boat all the imported accoutrements of our lives, from our phones to our fuel, cars and clothes, because there would be no value in our currency. So every day we note these people, some of whom are derided. We thank them because they are the people who underpin the essence of wealth in our nation. Of our 10 biggest exports, one is from the service sector, and all the others are from mining or agriculture.
We have to also note that this nation would not exist without the thousands of kilometres that are travelled. We need the transport workers who do it. The transport workers are a vital part of that. I note the member for Wright has been hard at work. I thank the member for Wright for all the work he has done—and I will thank myself to be a long way from the member for Wright, when I can get home! This has been a tough year.
Finally, I think it incredibly important to thank the families who have had to tolerate the issues pertinent to the pandemic, and, most importantly, thank those who have dealt with those who are the most vulnerable in the aged-care sector in regional areas. You're the only one left, Mr Speaker, so I thank you—and I also thank the member for Fowler! (Time expired)
COVID-19: Quarantine
Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR (Gorton) (14:15): My question is to the Prime Minister. The government is supporting the setting up of private luxury resort-style quarantine but has failed to establish a single purpose-built quarantine facility almost two years into the pandemic. Why?
Mr HUNT (Flinders—Minister for Health and Aged Care) (14:16): I want to directly address—
Mr Khalil interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The minister for health will wait one moment. The member for Wills is warned. The minister for health is entitled to give his response. Members might want to check standing order 65(b).
Mr HUNT: I want to directly address the question in relation to quarantine facilities. Firstly, 471,000 Australians have come back on red-zone flights. That 471,000 puts into perspective the task the nation has had in order to keep people safe. In so doing, a series of elements were set up. Firstly, hotel quarantine was established, and that has led to one of the four rings of containment to protect Australia, in terms of borders, testing, tracing and distancing. That in turn has led to one of the lowest rates of COVID and one of the lowest rates of loss of life in the world. That is the first line of protection.
The second thing is that we set up a national resilience centre, specifically focused and run by the Commonwealth, at Howard Springs. I will read the advice I've received, which reflects that which has been put forward, as I understand it, through Jane Halton, the former secretary of Finance and of Health: 'Howard Springs maintains the highest standards of infection prevention control practices, and to date there have been no reported instances of transmission between cohorts of international arrivals in quarantine at the centre and no instances of transmission into the Australian community.'
The third element that has been set up is the establishment of purpose-built facilities—as opposed to Howard Springs, which already existed and which was adapted and used in a way which has not seen a single case transmitted between cohorts or a single case escape. It is a functioning, highly effective system which has now been taken over by the Northern Territory at their request, as they saw it as their responsibility. In addition to that, there is now the facility being developed in Melbourne as well as facilities in Brisbane and Perth which are at different stages of advancement.
Those three layers have been established, and that is why, perhaps above all the other elements we have taken amongst those rings of containment, we have had one of the lowest rates of loss of life in the world. We have had one of the three lowest rates amongst the 38 OECD countries. That means that we have saved over 30,000 lives by comparison with the OECD average. We have saved over 45,000 lives by comparison with the rates in the United Kingdom and the United States. These three steps—quarantine within hotels, the dedicated Howard Springs national resilience facility and the establishment of new dedicated facilities—are the things which have helped keep Australians safe and will keep us safe, going forward.
Agriculture Industry: South Australia
Ms SHARKIE (Mayo) (14:19): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Territory. South Australian fruit and vegetables, including cherries, berries and apples, from my electorate that are destined for export markets need to be heat treated interstate before export. This is costly and creates time delays. I have long advocated for the need for an end-point treatment facility in South Australia to reduce the economic impact of fruit fly and spoilage. Will the minister please advise when the government will provide support for this much-needed facility in South Australia?
Mr LITTLEPROUD (Maranoa—Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia and Deputy Leader of the National Party) (14:20): I thank the member for Mayo for her question and her passionate advocacy on this matter for some time. The member is correct and quite right in trying to make sure that we address this issue. It does have the potential to threaten much of our exports from South Australia and Australia. So the government is in the final determinations of the appropriateness of a facility to make sure that it fits in with our export protocols with our export partners, making sure that we understand that also we consult widely with industry and also the South Australian government. They have been very, very passionate as well about the advocacy for such a facility, considering the geographical constraints of South Australian producers from the nearest facility. So we are in that final determination, making sure that any investment where we partner either with the South Australian government or industry itself makes sense, meets those protocols, ensures that we protect the industries in South Australia and complements our national fruit fly program. That is a $16.9 million program, in fact, where we released sterile fruit fly within the electorate of Mayo to try to breed out fruit fly. So we are working consistently with states, and I can assure the member that those final determinations about that facility will be made very soon.
COVID-19: Economy
Ms FLINT (Boothby—Government Whip) (14:21): My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer please explain to the House how the Morrison government's decisive economic leadership over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic will assist in a strong economic rebound and a brighter future for Australian families and businesses around the country?
Mr FRYDENBERG (Kooyong—Treasurer) (14:22): I thank the member for Boothby for her question and acknowledge her experience as a journalist and being the first female representative for Boothby since 1903. She has been a strong advocate for lower taxes, and more than 5,000 businesses across her electorate are able to access the expanded instant asset write-off, like Paul Gesti, a local constituent whose plumbing business Gesti Brothers bought a new bobcat with that expanded instant asset write-off.
As we approach Christmas, it's only appropriate that we reflect on how far the country has come since March of last year, when business and consumer confidence had their biggest falls on record and Treasury feared that unemployment could reach as high as 15 per cent. We introduced programs like JobKeeper, which the Reserve Bank Governor said was a remarkable program that supported some 700,000 jobs. And I acknowledge the member for Fenner's comments, who said without JobKeeper we would have been looking at unemployment rates at Great Depression levels.
Thankfully, JobKeeper made a real difference, and now Australia's economic recovery is stronger than all but two major advanced economies. It's stronger than Germany, stronger than Italy, stronger than Canada, stronger than the United Kingdom and stronger than Japan. And the unemployment rate today is lower than when we came to government. Since September, we've seen 350,000 jobs come back and job ads are now 30 per cent higher than going into the pandemic. We've seen a boost in retail consumption—more than $5 billion, according to the retailers, being spent in the black Friday sales. And we saw business investment up by more than nine per cent through the year. We've been able to retain our AAA credit rating from the three leading credit rating agencies, one of only nine countries in the world to do so. And, overnight, the OECD upgraded their economic growth forecast for Australia from 3.3 per cent to 4.1 per cent—higher than the OECD average—saying that the Australian economy was recovering rapidly. That's the strength of the Australian economy.
Today is an opportunity to thank all Australians for the sacrifices and efforts they have made to see this strong rebound in our economy. With one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, one of the lowest mortality rates in the world and, now, one of the strongest economic recovery recoveries in the world, we say thank you to all Australians.
Commonwealth Integrity Commission
Ms CATHERINE KING (Ballarat) (14:25): My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm his model of an anticorruption commission cannot ever hold public hearings for politicians, will only undertake investigations the government wants and won't even be able to make findings of corruption?
Mr FLETCHER (Bradfield—Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) (14:25): I thank the shadow minister for her question and the opportunity passed to me by the Prime Minister to respond to it. I would note, of course, that the exposure draft has been in the public domain for many, many months. We've always been ready to engage with the opposition on the details and to answer these kinds of questions. There are 349 pages of legislation because our Commonwealth Integrity Commission model is for a serious—
The SPEAKER: The interjections on my left are far too high. I will start ejecting members if they continue to loudly interject. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?
Mr Burke: It might be easier to do it straightaway. A point of order on direct relevance: the question asks about three specific aspects of the model that the government has put forward. I respect that what's happened so far has been a preamble about the model generally, but the question only goes to those three aspects and asks whether or not that can be confirmed.
The SPEAKER: The minister will return to the dispatch box. The question asked does have three subsets within it. They are fairly broad but I will invite the minister to return to the question.
Mr FLETCHER: As we've consistently explained, the government's model for the Commonwealth Integrity Commission will have the same powers as a royal commission to investigate criminal corruption in the public sector. But what we've also sought to do is make sure that it appropriately provides procedural fairness to individuals who are under investigation for corrupt conduct and that there are appropriate safeguards against vexatious, baseless, politically motivated and time-wasting referrals, such as the nine failed referrals to the Australian Federal Police by the shadow Attorney-General. The fact is that the Labor Party and the shadow Attorney-General have form in this area, in using these matters for entirely political purposes. We are serious about combating corrupt—
The SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?
Mr Burke: Under standing order 91 on your previous ruling, where you referred to the fact that there were in fact those three areas, the minister is now referring to none of them.
The SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business has already used the point of order of relevance once. I know that you are referring to 91 but, in my view, you are effectively trying to relitigate relevance twice. I'm happy to hear from you again. I've been listening very carefully to the minister. I'm not going to give credence to the second argument about relevance, because the minister has been talking about the ability to deal with corruption, which was one of the three; and about procedural fairness, which certainly would go to the second part of the question. I'm not going to give the Manager of Opposition Business an opportunity to relitigate the relevance issue. I'm happy to hear from you on another point.
Mr Burke: I'm not seeking to relitigate. Under standing 91, I can't object to how you previously ruled on the issue of relevance. But I can go with exactly what you said could only be referred to and point out that he is now departing from that ruling. The list you just went through made no mention of the Labor Party, and what he's talking about now is the Labor Party. That's what he's talking about.
The SPEAKER: But then that comes back to relevance, doesn't it? The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The minister has the call.
Mr FLETCHER: What I'm talking about are the serious policy considerations which have informed our detailed and well-developed model. We want to engage in this matter seriously, but I think there are good grounds for suspicion that those on the other side are motivated by political considerations. This is after all the party of Eddie Obeid, Joe Tripodi, Ian Macdonald, Craig Thomson, Adem Somyurek and Sam Dastyari, and they're pontificating about virtue in public life. The Australian people know what you're up to—
Honour able members interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat. Members on my right! Members on my left! I get it's the last day. I understand it's the last day. Manager of Opposition Business?
Mr Burke: Mr Speaker, the minister was deliberately defying your ruling. You called him to order; he just kept going. I appreciate that you want the interjections on this side to stop, but, if a minister's going to behave in that way, the disorder follows.
The SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat.
COVID-19: Health Care
Ms LIU (Chisholm) (14:31): My question is to the best Minister for Health and Aged Care. Will the minister please outline to the House how our healthcare heroes have worked tirelessly to protect Australians throughout the COVID-19 pandemic?
Mr HUNT (Flinders—Minister for Health and Aged Care) (14:32): I want to thank the best member for Chisholm! She has supported the pharmacists and the GPs, the healthcare heroes, that have assisted Australia through this vaccination program. General practices, such as SIA medical centres in Burwood and Box Hill in her electorate, have helped achieve a number of 39.4 million vaccinations in Australia. Those vaccinations have given Australia one of the highest rates of vaccination in the world and they have given us one of the lowest rates of loss of life in the world and one of the strongest economic recoveries in the world. We owe that to our healthcare heroes, our doctors and nurses, and to our pharmacists, who have given over 2.3 million vaccinations. We also owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our pathologists and our pathology collectors. They have delivered over 48 million COVID tests.
So the structures we put in place of borders, testing, tracing, distancing and vaccination have protected Australians. What we see is a nation, when you look at the rest of the world, which has saved 30,000 lives by comparison with the OECD and 45,000 lives by comparison with the agony suffered by our great friends the United States and the United Kingdom. As a result of that, Australians have been safer and Australians have been protected. There's always more work to do, but it's our healthcare heroes who have been on the front line.
Just overnight, there were another 700,000 cases of COVID-19 worldwide. There were over 7,800 lives lost worldwide. These global figures put it into comparison. Although we have had great challenges in this nation—there has been loss and suffering, and we must acknowledge that—what we have experienced as a nation is vastly different to almost anything else experienced by most of the rest of the world. Had we contemplated this situation 18 months ago, we would say that we have been blessed by comparison with what the rest of the world has faced.
Mr Husic interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The member for Chifley is warned.
Mr HUNT: The people whom I most want to thank and acknowledge are our doctors and our nurses, our pathologists, our pharmacists, our healthcare assistants, our aged-care workers, our aged-care nurses—all of our healthcare workers. They've kept Australians safe. We owe them our thanks and we honour them.
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:35): I join with the health minister in honouring those health workers who've kept us safe.
Morrison Government
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:35): My question is to the Prime Minister. Can he confirm that this fortnight government members and senators have crossed the floor on multiple issues; the chair of the privileges committee resigned over a report on the member for Pearce, who also resigned; and the Prime Minister was forced to abandon his voter suppression bill? Hasn't the Morrison-Joyce government lost the ability to govern?
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister) (14:36): 'No' is the short answer to that question. The coalition government continues to focus on the issues the Australian people have foremost in the front of their minds. Last Sunday, before we came back into this parliament this week, we raised one of the most important issues that Australian families have, now more than at any other time, and that is the terrible impact that social media is having on the mental health of their families.
Opposition members interjecting—
Mr MORRISON: I hear the interjection 'What?' from those on the other side of the chamber. They may not be aware of the severity of this issue. That might not be what they are concerned about, but I can assure you that the members on the government benches in the coalition government are terribly concerned about this. While the Labor Party want to focus on the parliamentary games of Canberra and what goes on in the bubble of this place, my government, our government, will focus very firmly on what is happening in the homes and the communities all around this country. They are concerned about their health and their wellbeing as we come through one of the largest and most significant pandemics in 100 years over the course of this year.
Even just this week we have reached 20 million Australians having had their first vaccination. We have one of the highest rates in the world and one of the strongest economies coming through the pandemic. We have 350,000 people coming back into jobs. We have one of the lowest fatality rates from COVID in the world, having saved 30,000 lives. We have 217,000 apprentices in trade training and a million Australians working in manufacturing. Schools are getting back and open again. Australia is opening safely so it can remain safely open. These are the issues our government is focused on. The defence of our nation, the signing up to the AUKUS agreement and working with our allies and partners to create a free and open Indo-Pacific with the uncertainty that our world faces, particularly in our own region. Even now we hear from the OECD that they have upgraded the economic forecast for Australia as we go into next year. People are getting a job. People are buying a home; 320,000 Australians are getting into home ownership as a result of the policies of our government.
The leader of the Labor Party spends a lot of his time focusing on this place. He should focus on what's happening out there in the Australian community.
COVID-19: International Travel
Mr VAN MANEN (Forde—Chief Government Whip) (14:38): My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister please update the House on how the management of Australia's international border has been crucial to our successful outcomes in relation to the pandemic? Will the minister further detail the important work being done every day by the Australian Border Force?
Mrs ANDREWS (McPherson—Minister for Home Affairs) (14:39): I thank the member for his question.
Mr Perrett interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The member for Moreton is warned.
Mrs ANDREWS: There is absolutely no doubt that the very strong and decisive action that this government took in March of last year to successfully manage our borders has saved lives and has contributed to the health outcomes that we have now—outcomes, quite frankly, that are the envy of the world. But it has been a challenge to close our borders and still ensure that we receive the critical goods that Australia needs. That includes critical supplies of vaccines and personal protective equipment. It includes products that businesses rely on every single day. And, of course, it includes international mail. It's been an absolute challenge to close our borders but still facilitate travel for those who absolutely had to do so for compassionate reasons or for very important work purposes. It's been a challenge to put in place the new systems that we have so that we can safely reopen our border for vaccinated Australians, as we did last month.
But, at every step, the men and women of the Australian Border Force have proved that they are more than capable of meeting the challenges that the pandemic has presented to them. It's certainly been tough, and, as a government, we're very mindful of the impact that changes to our border settings have had on individuals, on families and, of course, on our businesses. Our Australian Border Force officials have been on the front line of this particular issue and dealing with people who are often in very distressing situations. They've certainly helped grieving people through our airports and our quarantine systems. They've worked with businesses to secure vital supply chains through our ports. They've made record seizures of illicit drugs to help keep our communities safe. And, all that time, they have patrolled our oceans to make sure that our borders are secure and to keep people smugglers out and make sure that they cannot ply their evil trade during the pandemic and beyond.
So, on behalf of the government of Australia, I'm very proud to thank the men and women of the Australian Border Force for the tremendous work that they have done, particularly through this year. To Commissioner Outram and his team of over 5,000 officers and staff, who work every single day to keep Australians safe and to secure our interests: a sincere thank you to you. Our nation is made much stronger by the critical work that you do for us, often in very difficult circumstances. A very merry Christmas, and a safe Christmas to everyone.
Prime Minister
Mr MARLES (Corio—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:42): My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that, this fortnight, he has denied saying electric vehicles would 'end the weekend', denied paying parents to vaccinate their children, wrongly claimed he texted he was going on a holiday to Hawaii and blamed Labor for his failure to introduce an anticorruption bill? Why does the Prime Minister have such difficulty with the truth?
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House.
Mr Dutton: It was a barely credible question all the way through, and then, at the end, he flicked a switch to vaudeville. The last part of that question is completely out of order because it contains a slur. It's only said for the TV cameras, and the Australian public should see through it.
The SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business.
Mr Burke: The question deals with a series of issues that have been the subject of question time over the last fortnight. On the final part of the question that the Leader of the House just referred to, there are specific rules as to how honesty can be tested in this place and words that are not allowed to be used, and the wording of this question is consistent with the precedents that have previously been allowed.
The SPEAKER: Unless the Manager of Opposition Business would like to take me to Practice for some precedents on those, I'm not minded to allow the last part of the question. I'm going to allow the Prime Minister to answer the question, but the last part is out of order.
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister) (14:44): What I can confirm is, frankly, the Labor Party is so focused on the trivialities of politics and cheap 'gotcha'.
Opposition members interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Order!
Mr MORRISON: This is the great accusation that the Labor Party makes against me as Prime Minister—
The SPEAKER: The Prime Minister will resume his seat. I'm going to invite the member on my left that yelled out an unparliamentary remark to withdraw it. I didn't see who it was, but—
An honourable member: What a shock!
The SPEAKER: The member for Whitlam is seeking the call.
Mr Stephen Jones: I said the word 'corruption' and I withdraw.
Government members interjecting—
Mr Stephen Jones interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The member for Whitlam! The Leader of the House?
Mr Dutton: Again, the withdrawal needs to be unconditional. This member is a habitual offender, as we know, but he should withdraw unconditionally or, frankly, he should leave the chamber.
The SPEAKER: I interpreted the member for Whitlam's withdrawal to be without reservation. His further comment was made out of order, I might add, but as a remark to someone else's comment. So it wasn't an equivocal withdrawal, at least from what I could hear anyway. The Prime Minister has the call.
Mr MORRISON: The Labor Party opposition prove day in and day out that they're more interested in the slurs, sledges and trivialities of politics and coming in here and showboating around than focusing on the issues that are really demanding the attention of the Australian people that our government are focused on—getting them into jobs, keeping them safe, driving our manufacturing industries forward, getting electricity prices down and standing up to those who would seek to coerce Australia and threaten the interests of Australians. These are the strong things that our government have done. These are the strong focuses that we as a government have. The weakness of the ALP and the weakness of their leadership brings them back to the trivialities. Their big problem with me as Prime Minister is apparently that I go home for Father's Day, I have a holiday with my family and I go to church on a Sunday. Get over it. A lot of Australians do.
Australian Defence Force
Mr ANDREWS (Menzies) (14:47): I ask the Minister for Defence if he would inform the House—
Mr Joyce interjecting—
Mr Albanese interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The Deputy Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition!
Mr Joyce interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Deputy Prime Minister! The member for Menzies can restart his question.
Mr ANDREWS: I ask the Minister for Defence if he would inform the House of the appreciation and gratitude of the Australian people for the service of the men and women of the Australian Defence Force in keeping this country safe?
Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Minister for Defence and Leader of the House) (14:48): Firstly, I acknowledge the service of the member for Menzies, one of most honourable people in this House. He's served as the defence minister and as a minister for a long time in government. I recognise that. I am sure I speak for everybody in this House and I'm certain for all Australians when I say that Christmas is a time to reflect on what has been a very difficult year for many Australians, both at home and abroad. That includes members of the Australian Defence Force, our agencies and those that perform work in our country's name who will never be known to the Australian public—those that wear a uniform and those that don't who are involved in intelligence collection and operations overseas to protect our interests. In many cases, these are the men and women who have been responsible for stopping terrorist attacks and for keeping us safe. We as a country pay them the honour of stopping and saying thank you to them for their service and saying thank you for the sacrifice that they will make again this Christmas. Many of them will be deployed overseas or on Operation COVID-19 Assist or elsewhere in our country's name, and we should rightly be incredibly proud of the work that they do. As we know, this year they've not just been involved in the pandemic but also 250 ADF personnel risked their lives in the Kabul evacuation, bringing 4,100 people, predominantly women and children, to safety. That was a remarkable effort. The Prime Minister and I and other members of the National Security Committee had briefings right through that period from the CDF and others, and it was a precarious position. As we know American soldiers lost their lives in that theatre. Ours were able to be brought home safely, and that they brought people in such a significant number is a great credit to their professionalism.
It doesn't stop there. We know that there have been 522 personnel who have been deployed on classified operations abroad, and 24,000 troops and 440 defence department staff have helped underpin the government's pandemic response through Operation COVID Assist. And all of those who have supported the personnel I've just spoken about—the spouses, the friends, the mates, the children who have gone without contact over an extended period of time with their mum or dad—as they've served in these different roles need to be acknowledged in this place as we approach Christmas.
On behalf of a very grateful nation, a grateful government, we say thank you to all of those men and women of the Australian Defence Force and the department and those who have provided support in keeping our country safe. May we always provide the requisite support to them to keep them safe in the work that they do to keep us safe.
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:51): on indulgence—I join with the minister in that very warm tribute to the men and women of the Australian Defence Force. At this time, at Christmas, particularly the sacrifice will be felt. Those serving us overseas and their families, with the long absences—they do us proud, and we hope that each and every one of them stay safe over Christmas. We express our gratefulness. On behalf of the Labor Party, we join with the government.
Honourable members: Hear, hear!
Morrison Government: Economy
Ms COKER (Corangamite) (14:51): My question is to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister said he would deliver higher real wages, but petrol prices have gone up as much as $900 in a year while real wages have fallen by $700. Will the Prime Minister finally acknowledge how hard it is for working families to make ends meet under his decade-old government?
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister) (14:52): The member raises questions around the cost of living. In the three years since I was elected Prime Minister, inflation has grown by 1.8 per cent. That compares, in the last three years of the Labor government, to 2.5 per cent. Electricity prices have fallen on average each year by 3.2 per cent, and, under Labor in their last three years, they increased each year by 12.2 per cent. And, over the course of their government, electricity prices doubled because of their mismanagement.
Clothing and footwear costs over the course of last three years have fallen by one per cent on average each year, compared to a 0.4 per cent increase under the Labor Party in their last three years. Fuel prices over the last three years have increased by 1.2 per cent per year—
Ms O'Neil interj ecting—
The SPEAKER: The member for Hotham is warned.
Mr MORRISON: over the last three years. And, under the Labor Party in their last three years, they increased by 7.2 per cent. Each and every year of those last three years—
Mr Perrett interjecti ng—
The SPEAKER: The member for Moreton will leave under 94(a).
The member for Moreton then left the chamber.
Mr MORRISON: On communications costs: under our government, since I was elected three years ago, they have fallen 2.8 per cent each and every year on average, and, under the Labor Party, they went up by 1.2 per cent over their last three years. Housing costs: as we know 320,000 Australians were helped into homeownership because of the policies of our government, but, not only that, housing costs over the last three years since I was elected Prime Minister are up 0.6 per cent on average each year.
Ms O'Neil interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The member for Hotham is warned.
Mr MORRISON: Under the Labor Party, in their last three years, they went up by 4.3 per cent each and every year—
Mr Thistlethwaite interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The member for Kingsford Smith will leave under 94(a).
The member for Kingsford Smith then left the chamber.
Mr MORRISON: some seven times higher than what has occurred under our government. And health costs: they've gone up three per cent per year each year on average over the last three years. Under the Labor Party they went up five per cent each year and every year.
What the Australian people know, regardless of the challenges that we face as a country for our economy and what it means for cost of living and what they can earn, is two things: (1) our strong economic management will always ensure that Australians will be better off than they would under the Labor Party; and (2) they'll be able to keep more of what they earn, because we believe that Australians and Australian business owners should keep more of what they earn, because if they give it to the Labor Party they know they'll only waste it.
Australian Natural Disasters
Mr COULTON (Parkes) (14:55): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia. Will the minister update the House on the support made available by the Morrison-Joyce government to assist Australians affected by natural disasters throughout the year?
Mr LITTLEPROUD (Maranoa—Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia and Deputy Leader of the National Party) (14:55): I thank the member for Parkes for his question. He knows full well that, particularly over the last couple of weeks, his electorate of Parkes and also the electorate of Riverina have faced up to a flooding event. In fact, that has extended into my own electorate, where we've had the evacuation of Inglewood and Yelarbon. I thank the local government for the key role that they've played not just during this flooding event but through all the natural disasters that we've faced up to over the last 12 months, whether it be floods, fire, the drought or even cyclones. It is in that coordinated approach that we work with state and local governments to ensure our response is immediate, timely and effective. They are long-lasting and longstanding arrangements that we continue to enhance at every chance.
At first, it is about the immediacy of support, taking away that financial burden. We partner with the states in making sure we give those people some dignity and respect through our disaster recovery allowance. We pay for that fifty-fifty. In some states it's $900, in some it's over $1,600, and in others it's the full reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs. The federal government complements and supplements that with our disaster recovery payment: $1,000 per adult and $400 per child. That makes a real difference in taking away the burden and mental strain of the immediacy and urgency of what they are facing up to.
Then we work with the states further in making sure that we share the burden in rebuilding the public infrastructure, making sure that we also use this thing called common sense and that, where we can, we don't just rebuild it to the standard but build it to a higher standard to make it more resilient for future disasters. That's what we should continue to strive for, and I thank the states for working collaboratively with us on that.
We also make sure that we are tailoring our response with states not just in the short-term but with long term support, including through drought, whether it be through Regional Investment Corporation loans, with an interest-free and repayment-free period; through restocking and replanting grants; or through small business grants or small business loans. We are making sure it's tailored to the local community. It's a local solution, not a Canberra solution. It's important we understand that the Australian taxpayer has made a significant investment: $11 billion towards drought recovery, over $2 billion in response to the Black Summer event and $3 billion to the floods in North-West Queensland alone. That continues, and that has bipartisan support in making sure we help Australians in their hour of need.
One of the most significant investments out of all those programs that we make is in our people, with nearly $130 million in mental health support, helping the healing of those who have faced up to the tragedy of loss in some cases. Above all, the last line of defence is the emergency service personnel. Sadly, we have seen some who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and their community. So, to all those emergency service personnel who do their bit for their country and community, at the end of the year we say thank you.
National Disability Insurance Scheme
Mr SHORTEN (Maribyrnong) (14:58): My question is to the Prime Minister. This is Nick from Mackay. He was born with multiple complex disabilities requiring 24—
The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Maribyrnong will just put the prop down. The member for Maribyrnong has the call.
Mr SHORTEN: Thank you.
The SPEAKER: No, put the prop down.
Mr SHORTEN: I beg your pardon?
The SPEAKER: The member for Maribyrnong will not use any props. Put it down.
Mr SHORTEN: Nick is not a prop; he's the face of the cuts of the Morrison government.
The SPEAKER: The member for Maribyrnong is warned.
Mr SHORTEN: Nick from Mackay was born with multiple complex disabilities requiring 24/7 high-level support for all areas of his daily life. When the Morrison government cut Nick's plan by $300,000, Nick's family, Tammy and Rob, described the NDIS behaviour as emotionally exhausting and horrendous and as having left Nick unsafe. How many individual NDIS participants have had their funding cut in the past year?
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister) (14:59): The member who asked the question would know of my deep interest in and concern for those Australians who suffer from multiple sclerosis. He'll be aware my brother-in-law has suffered with that condition for many years, and I will look forward to receiving the details of what the member has raised in relation to his question today. But, as the member will know from when he raised similar matters regarding other cases yesterday, I and the minister responsible have gone back to him on each of those cases—and, as it turns out, in the matter of Harper's case, we were advised that Harper's current plan is in place for six months and includes a higher rate of funding than his previous 12-month plan. I wrote to the member advising him of this, so I look forward to—
The SPEAKER: The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Maribyrnong, on a point of order?
Mr Shorten: Point of order: the Prime Minister is misleading the House. I've spoken to Harper's mother since the Prime Minister wrote to me and she doesn't agree with him.
The SPEAKER: The member for Maribyrnong will resume his seat. The Leader of the House.
Mr Dutton: Mr Speaker, there is no point of order. It's a complete grandstand.
The SPEAKER: That was not a point of order that was in order, the member for Maribyrnong. The Prime Minister will return to the question.
Mr MORRISON: As I wrote promptly back to the member, following up the very issue he raised in this place yesterday, I was advised that National Disability Insurance Agency is in frequent contact with Harper's parents, and it is incorrect to say that Harper's current NDIS funding has been reduced, including overnight supports. I'm advised that Harper's current plan is in place for six months and includes a higher rate of funding than his previous 12-month plan. It is important to consider comparable annualised plans, values and durations. NDIS plans are frequently implemented for a shorter period, such as six months, for participants with complex needs like Harper. It is also important to recognise that the NDIS works with mainstream service system, including the health system, to support families with additional support needs for health conditions.
Mr Shorten interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The member for Maribyrnong asked the question. He might want to listen to the answer.
Mr MORRISON: I would have thought that the member for Maribyrnong may be interested in the very important issue that was raised in relation to Harper's needs, but, if he's going to use people to make political points, that's a separate issue, and I'll let others make the judgement. We took his complaint seriously, we followed it up, we got back to him, and I've concluded my answer.
The SPEAKER: If a member asks a question, I would have thought the member would be wanting to hear what the answer is.
National Disability Insurance Scheme
Mr LEESER (Berowra) (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, representing the Minister for the NDIS and Minister for Government Services. Will the minister update the House on the Morrison government's rollout of the NDIS and its growing workforce? Why is it so important we recognise our disability sector workers and the incredible work they do, particularly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic?
Mr ROBERT (Fadden—Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) (15:03): I thank the member for Berowra for his question and acknowledge his enormous interest in this area and his advocacy for those with disability, especially with mental disability and challenges, and his lifelong work in this area, which we can all be so very proud of. Likewise, the entire House can be proud of what we're all trying to do with the NDIS. It is a world-leading endeavour. It started above politics, and I know we're all committed to keeping it above that. It's been a great privilege for many of us in this House to work on its rollout.
Today the NDIS supports more than 480,000 extraordinary Australians who are seeking to achieve their goals, their dreams and their aspirations. In 2013 we put the first participant into the scheme, and today, eight years later, we are approaching the milestone of half a million Australians. Prior to the NDIS, of course, support for those Australians with disability was fragmented across the Commonwealth, states and territories. Around $7 billion was spent annually, if you roll it all up, yet today in the July to September period this year alone, just three months in duration, the NDIS made payments of $6.4 billion to participants. That's a 350 per cent increase in just eight years, which goes to the extraordinary commitment of governments towards the scheme. In June 2014, just one year into the NDIS, there were 1,350 providers; today there are over 17,800. We should be proud of what we're achieving.
Tomorrow, as we all know, is the International Day of People with Disability. The House won't be sitting, so it's incumbent that we use this day in this House to recognise Australians with disability and collectively seek to celebrate what they've achieved. I think it's important we take the opportunity to highlight the incredible work that the providers, carers, family members and those working in the disability sector do. They make a world of difference in the lives of extraordinary Australians. Can I simply say thank you to all those working in the area. It's the work that those beautiful Australians do to care for Australians with disability that allows those Australians to reach for the sky.
A great example in the member for Lindsay's electorate is the blind chef of Penrith. Craig is an incredible man. Beating childhood cancer, he went on to pursue a skilled career, becoming a fully qualified chef and, of course, working in some of Sydney's great establishments. Supported by the NDIS, he pursued his dream of opening his own joint, the Blind Chef Cafe & Dessert Bar on Penrith's High Street. He employs Australians of all ability in his cafe. The cafe is designed for accessibility for all Australians. It's because of the great workers of the NDIS that the blind chef can continue to work today. Thank you to all of them.
National Disability Insurance Scheme
Mr SHORTEN (Maribyrnong) (15:06): My question is to the Prime Minister. Liam McGarrigle is an autistic young man. He and his family won a landmark case in 2017 over NDIS transport funding that had implications for thousands of other people who rely upon the NDIS for support. But in November the Morrison government cut Liam's plan by $38,000, including his transport funding, bringing the family to tears. Prime Minister, how many individual participants like Liam have had their NDIS funding cut in the last 12 months?
Mr ROBERT (Fadden—Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) (15:07): I thank the member for Maribyrnong for his question. The minister is well aware of the concerns raised by Mrs McGarrigle in relation to the transport funding for her son Liam. The minister also received direct communication from Mrs McGarrigle a number of weekends ago, and he will be responding to the concerns that have been raised. On receipt of the concerns raised, the agency made contact with the family. I understand they have acknowledged the error that has been made in relation to the transport funding. The NDIA has apologised for that error. The issue is being resolved through that process.
The SPEAKER: The member for Maribyrnong on a point of order? The minister has completed his answer.
Australian Women
Ms FLINT (Boothby—Government Whip) (15:08): My question is to the Minister for the Environment, representing the Minister for Women. Will the minister update the House on the strength and resilience of Australians during a very challenging two years, particularly Australian women and their incredible contribution?
Ms LEY (Farrer—Minister for the Environment) (15:08): I thank the member for Robertson for her question and commend her on the important role that she will play chairing a committee that examines how we can best protect women, often, and all Australians from anonymous online abuse.
For so many women, this has been the most difficult of years. For women in this workplace, it has been a year like no other. In this building, where we should aim to demonstrate global leadership and parliamentary workplaces, Kate Jenkins's sobering report told us that we must do better. I want to thank the 1,700 women and men who came forward to tell the stories, hurtful and distressing though that was. I want to say that I feel that the culture of change is coming and we can look forward with more confidence to when a young person who comes to work in this building feels inspired and valued, like so many do.
All over Australia, whether it be getting through the bushfires and drought, storms that damage the crop that was finally going to balance the farm books, navigating lockdowns and the pandemic, and the economic challenges that we've faced, the one constant has been the courage and resilience shown by women across the country. With policies reflecting our principles—respect, dignity, choice, equality of opportunity, and justice—the Morrison government has handed down a dedicated, record-spending women's budget to improve women's safety, economic security, health and wellbeing. From listing life-saving women's medicines on the PBS—because we know that you can't place a value on time with your family—to funding early education and care, to superannuation that allows greater savings for retirement, the Morrison government will continue to support women at every age and stage of their life.
To the women who run rural businesses and households; who fill our high streets with activity and shopfronts; who volunteer their time for local sporting teams and school committees; who juggle work, home and their family's happiness, as so many women do: thank you for everything you do to create strong communities.
I want to particularly thank every frontline worker doing the heartbreaking and life-saving work of keeping women and children housed, supporting their path to justice and financial freedom. We cannot keep women, children and their families safe without you. And I know I'm joined by every member of this place in saying thank you for your skill, your pride and your warmth.
To the women of this country who are leading the way: you deserve our respect. We thank you for your contributions to every facet of our culture, and communities. So often we see you've been hit hard by life circumstances, you draw on inner resilience, you get back up, you dust yourself off and you face that uncertain future with confidence. The parliament is with you.
Mr Morrison: Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.
STATEMENTS
Personal Explanation
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (15:12): I seek leave to give a personal explanation.
The SPEAKER: Does the Leader of the Opposition claim to be misrepresented?
Mr ALBANESE: I do, Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition has the call.
Mr ALBANESE: It was by the member for La Trobe, the Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs in social media posts on 29 November and 30 November. It concerns barbecue-gate. The member for La Trobe has joined the conspiracy theorists that a barbecue cooked for me by the Premier of Victoria on Saturday was a fake. I can confirm that, just like the moon landing, it was real. The steaks were cooked perfectly medium-rare. The steaks were cooked but not as cooked as the member for La Trobe.
Personal Explanation
Mr SHORTEN (Maribyrnong) (15:13): I seek leave to clarify a misrepresentation by the Prime Minister in question time. He misrepresented my position.
The SPEAKER: Is the member for Maribyrnong wishing to make a personal explanation?
Mr SHORTEN: Yes, I'm seeking to make a personal explanation.
The SPEAKER: Does the member for Maribyrnong claim to be misrepresented.
Mr SHORTEN: Yes, by the Prime Minister in question time.
The SPEAKER: The member for Maribyrnong has the call.
Mr SHORTEN: Today the Prime Minister answered a question which I raised yesterday about Harper Murnane. The Prime Minister said that he had written to me just before question time, which he had, and he said that the plan of the person we asked about yesterday hadn't been cut compared to the previous year.
Upon receipt of the letter from the Prime Minister before question time, I reached out to the mother—
Government members interjecting—
Mr SHORTEN: Surely the mother of the person counts here. And she says—the Prime Minister said—
The SPEAKER: The member for Maribyrnong will just pause for one moment. You're claiming to be misrepresented. How is this a personal explanation?
Mr SHORTEN: The Prime Minister said that we were seeking to use the story of Harper's cuts for political purposes. That is not the case. The mother—
Government members interjecting—
Mr SHORTEN: Just hear us. A couple of sentences won't kill you. The mother has written to me at two o'clock—
Government members interjecting—
Mr SHORTEN: This is about the mother of the person you claim to care about. The mother has written to me because I sent her the Prime Minister's letter, and the mother has said that in the time that the cuts occurred to her son, he's now legally blind, he's lost his ability to talk—
The SPEAKER: The member for Maribyrnong will resume his seat. The Leader of the House, on a point of order?
Mr Dutton: On a point of order—
Opposition members interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House will wait one moment. I can't hear the Leader of the House when I'm getting all these interjections on my left. The Leader of the House has the call.
Mr Dutton: We're all in agreement that this is a very difficult circumstance. If there are details that the honourable member wishes to bring to the attention of the minister, then the minister has, I'm sure, every capability and every desire to resolve the issue, and that's where it should be undertaken. In terms of the words that have just been used, that is not a representation in relation to being misrepresented in this place; it was adding somehow to a question that was put earlier. I don't think it's in order.
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House can resume his seat. I will uphold the point of order.
DOCUMENTS
Presentation
Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Minister for Defence and Leader of the House) (15:15): Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Full details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.
BUSINESS
Leave of Absence
Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Minister for Defence and Leader of the House) (15:16): I move:
That leave of absence be given to every Member of the House of Representatives from the determination of this sitting of the House to the date of its next sitting.
Question agreed to.
COMMITTEES
Government Response
The SPEAKER (15:16): For the information of honourable members, I present a schedule of the status of government responses to committee reports as at 1 December 2021. The schedule will be incorporated in Hansard.
The schedule read as follows—
SPEAKER'S SCHEDULE OF THE STATUS OF GOVERNMENT RESPONSES TO COMMITTEE REPORTS
(as at 1 December 2021)
The Speaker's schedule to the House of Representatives on the status of government responses to committee reports is presented at six monthly intervals, usually in the last sitting weeks of the winter and spring sittings. The last schedule was presented in the House on 24 June 2021. The schedule presents a list of committee reports that contain recommendations requiring a government response. Government responses received during the period are included in the schedule and the report it relates to is then removed from subsequent schedules.
The timeframe for government responses to committee reports in this schedule is determined by the resolution adopted by the House on 29 September 2010, in which government responses to House and Joint committee reports are required within a six month period from the presentation of the report in the House. The Senate has resolved to require government responses to Senate and Joint committee reports within three months of a report being tabled.[A]
This schedule does not list reports that do not require a government response. In the past, the practice was to include all reports tabled in the House in the Speaker's schedule. However, the intent of this schedule is to provide an update to the House on the status of government responses to committee reports.
The schedule does not include advisory reports on bills introduced into the House of Representatives unless the reports make recommendations that are wider than the provision of the bill and would therefore be the subject of a government response. The Government's response to bill inquiry reports is apparent in the resumption of consideration of the relevant legislation by the House. Also not included are reports from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, the House of Representatives Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests, and the Publications Committee (other than reports on inquiries). Government responses to reports of the Public Works Committee are usually reflected in motions for the approval of works after the relevant report has been presented and considered. The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights' regular scrutiny reports on the human rights compatibility of bills and legislative instruments are not listed, as the timeframe for a response is specified in correspondence to the relevant minister.
Reports of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit primarily make administrative recommendations but may make policy recommendations. A government response is required in respect of such policy recommendations made by the committee. Responses to administrative recommendations are made in the form of an Executive Minute provided to, and subsequently tabled by, the committee. Agencies responding to administrative recommendations are required to provide an Executive Minute within six months of the tabling of a report. Executive Minutes are included in this schedule.
The table below provides a summary of government responses received and outstanding to committee reports of the 43rd to 46th Parliaments inclusive.
Listed below (see table below) are responses received (since tabling of the last schedule on 24 June 2021) and outstanding (as at 1 December 2021):
Parliament |
Awaiting response (time expired) |
Awaiting response (time not expired) |
Response received (time expired) |
Response received (time not expired) |
43rd |
2 |
- |
- |
- |
44th |
15 |
- |
1 |
- |
45th |
40 |
- |
5 |
- |
46th |
34 |
32 |
9 |
5 |
Description of Report |
Date Tabled or Published [1] |
Date of Government Response [2] |
Responded in Period Specified [3] |
Agriculture and Industry (House, Standing) |
|||
Smart farming—Inquiry into agricultural innovation |
4/5/16 |
No response to date |
No |
Agriculture and Water Resources (House, Standing) |
|||
Making every drop count |
20/12/17 |
No response to date |
No |
Super-charging Australian Agriculture |
11/12/18 |
No response to date |
No |
Growing Australia: Inquiry into growing Australian agriculture to $100 billion by 2030 |
11/12/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Aussie logs for Aussie jobs: Inquiry into timber supply chain constraints in the Australian plantation sector |
23/3/21 |
No response to date |
No |
Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (Joint, Statutory) |
|||
Integrity of overseas Commonwealth law enforcement operations |
24/6/13 |
No response to date |
No |
Inquiry into the jurisdiction of the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity |
5/5/16 |
No response to date |
No |
Integrity of Australia's border arrangements |
8/12/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Australia's Family Law System (Joint, Select) |
|||
Improvements in family law proceedings: Second interim report |
15/3/21 |
No response to date |
No |
Australia's Child Support Scheme: Third Interim Report |
22/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Final report |
22/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Australia Fund Establishment (Joint, Select) |
|||
Report |
25/6/15 |
No response to date |
No |
Communications and the Arts (House, Standing) |
|||
Report on the inquiry into the Australian film and television industry |
7/12/17 |
No response to date |
No |
Report on the inquiry into the Australian music industry |
2/4/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Sculpting a National Cultural Plan: Igniting a post-COVID economy for the arts |
27/10/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (Joint, Select) |
|||
Progress report |
27/10/14 |
No response to date |
No |
Final report |
25/6/15 |
No response to date |
No |
Constitutional Recognition Relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (Joint, Select) |
|||
Final report |
29/11/18 |
No response to date |
No |
Corporations and Financial Services (Joint, Statutory) |
|||
Inquiry into the Impairment of Customer Loans |
4/5/16 |
6/8/21 |
No |
Inquiry into the Life Insurance Industry |
27/3/18 |
6/8/21 |
No |
Options for greater involvement by private sector life insurers in worker rehabilitation |
24/10/18 |
6/8/21 |
No |
Statutory Oversight of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Takeovers Panel and the Corporations Legislation: Report No. 1 |
13/2/19 |
22/9/21 |
No |
Report on the 2017-2018 annual reports of bodies established under the ASIC Act |
2/4/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Regulation of auditing in Australia: Interim Report |
27/2/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Regulation of auditing in Australia: Final Report |
11/11/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Litigation funding and the regulation of the class action industry |
21/12/20 |
20/10/21 |
No |
Mobile Payment and Digital Wallet Financial Services |
28/10/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Report on the 2019-2020 annual reports of bodies established under the ASIC Act |
25/8/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Regulation of the use of financial services such as credit cards and digital wallets for online gambling in Australia |
19/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Economics (House, Standing) |
|||
Review of the Four Major Banks (Third Report) |
7/12/17 |
No response to date |
No |
Report on the inquiry into the implications of removing refundable franking credits |
4/4/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Report on the inquiry into impediments to business investment |
4/4/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Electoral Matters (Joint, Standing) |
|||
Second interim report on the inquiry into the conduct of the 2013 federal election: An assessment of electronic voting options |
20/11/14 |
No response to date |
No |
The 2013 Federal Election: Report on the conduct of the 2013 election and matters related thereto |
15/4/15 |
No response to date |
No |
Third interim report on the inquiry into the conduct of the 2016 federal election: AEC modernisation |
21/6/17 |
No response to date |
No |
Excluded: The impact of section 44 on Australian democracy |
17/5/18 |
No response to date |
No |
Report on the conduct of the 2016 federal election and matters related thereto |
5/12/18 |
No response to date |
No |
Interim report on all aspects of the conduct of the 2019 Federal Election and matters related thereto: Delegation to the International Grand Committee, Dublin, Ireland |
15/5/20* |
No response to date |
No |
Advisory report on the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Ensuring Fair Representation of the Northern Territory) Bill 2020 |
16/10/20* |
No response to date |
No |
Report on the conduct of the 2019 federal election and matters related thereto |
10/12/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Report of the inquiry on the future conduct of elections operating during times of emergency situations |
24/6/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Employment, Education and Training (House, Standing) |
|||
Innovation and Creativity |
19/6/17 |
No response to date |
No |
Unique Individuals, Broad Skills |
30/5/18 |
No response to date |
No |
Australian Government funding arrangements for non-NHMRC research |
26/11/18 |
No response to date |
No |
Status of the teaching profession |
28/11/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Education in remote and complex environments |
11/11/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Environment (House, Standing) |
|||
Streamlining environmental legislation: Inquiry into streamlining environmental regulation, 'green tape', and one stop shops |
23/2/15 |
No response to date |
No |
Inquiry into the Register of Environmental Organisations |
4/5/16 |
No response to date |
No |
Environment and Energy (House, Standing) |
|||
Living with fruit bats: Inquiry into flying-fox management in the eastern states |
27/2/17 |
No response to date |
No |
Powering our future: Inquiry into modernising Australia's electricity grid |
5/2/18 |
No response to date |
No |
Not without your approval: a way forward for nuclear technology in Australia: Report of the inquiry into the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia |
13/12/19* |
No response to date |
No |
Tackling the feral cat pandemic: a plan to save Australian wildlife-Report of the inquiry into the problem of feral and domestic cats in Australia |
4/2/21 |
No response to date |
No |
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (Joint, Standing) |
|||
Compassion, Not Commerce: An inquiry into human organ trafficking and organ transplant tourism |
3/12/18 |
19/10/21 |
No |
Inquiry into transition from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) |
3/4/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Second Interim Report: freedom of religion and belief, the Australian experience |
3/4/19 |
No response to date |
No |
First report: Inquiry into Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific |
3/4/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Inquiry into PFAS remediation in and around Defence bases - Second progress report |
31/8/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Criminality, corruption and impunity: Should Australia join the Global Magnitsky movement? An inquiry into targeted sanctions to address human rights abuses |
7/12/20 |
5/8/21 |
No |
Inquiry into the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Australia's foreign affairs, defence and trade |
8/12/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Inquiry into Australia's defence relationships with Pacific Island nations |
1/4/21 |
21/10/21 |
No |
Australias response to the coup in Myanmar: Interim report for the inquiry into certain aspects of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Annual Report 2019-20 - Interim report |
24/6/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
One Region, One Family, One Future: Deepening relations with the Pacific nations through trade |
1/9/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Inquiry into the Department of Defence Annual Report 2019-20 |
25/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Inquiry into the human rights of women and girls in the Pacific |
29/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Health, Aged Care and Sport (House, Standing) |
|||
Report on the Inquiry into the 2017-18 Annual Reports of the Department of Health and Australian Hearing |
4/4/19 |
29/11/21 |
No |
Bedtime Reading: Inquiry into Sleep Health Awareness in Australia |
4/4/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Walking the allergy tightrope: Addressing the rise of allergies and anaphylaxis in Australia |
15/6/20 |
No response to date |
No |
The New Frontier - Delivering better health for all Australians |
25/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Human Rights (Joint, Statutory) |
|||
Eleventh Report of 2013: Review of Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory Act 2012 and related legislation - Interim report |
26/6/13 |
No response to date |
No |
2016 Review of Stronger Futures measures: Final Report |
16/3/16 |
No response to date |
No |
Freedom of speech in Australia: Inquiry into the operation of Part IIA of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) and related procedures under the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) |
28/2/17 |
Partial response |
No |
ParentsNext: examination of Social Security (Parenting payment participation requirements-class of persons) Instrument 2021 |
4/8/21 |
No response to date |
No |
Implementation of the National Redress Scheme (Joint, Select) |
|||
First Interim Report of the Joint Select Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme April 2020 |
1/5/20 |
30/9/21 |
No |
Second Interim Report of the Joint Select Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme, November 2021 |
23/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Indigenous Affairs (House, Standing) |
|||
Report on food pricing and food security in remote Indigenous communities |
7/12/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Report on Indigenous participation in employment and business |
30/8/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Industry, Innovation, Science & Resources (House, Standing) |
|||
Keep it in the regions: Mining and resources industry support for businesses in regional economies |
3/12/18 |
No response to date |
No |
From Rubbish to Resources: Building a Circular Economy |
7/12/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Infrastructure, Transport and Cities (House, Standing) |
|||
Smart ICT: Report on the inquiry into the role of smart ICT in the design and planning of infrastructure |
15/3/16 |
No response to date |
No |
Fairer funding and financing of faster rail: Inquiry into options for financing faster rail |
9/12/20 |
22/6/21 |
No |
Intelligence and Security (Joint, Statutory) |
|||
Review of the mandatory data retention regime |
28/10/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Review of 'Declared Areas' Provisions: Sections 119.2 and 119.3 of the Criminal Code |
24/2/21 |
3/8/21 |
Yes |
Report on the review of the re-listing of Hizballah's External Security Organisation as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code |
22/6/21 |
24/11/21 |
Yes |
Annual Report of Committee Activities 2020-2021 |
14/9/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Advisory Report on the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2020 |
16/9/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Advisory report on the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020 and Statutory Review of the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 |
29/9/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Review of Administration and Expenditure No. 19 (2019-20) - Australian Intelligence Agencies |
24/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Law Enforcement (Joint, Statutory) |
|||
Inquiry into financial related crime |
7/9/15 |
No response to date |
No |
Inquiry into crystal methamphetamine (ice): First Report |
6/9/17 |
No response to date |
No |
Inquiry into crystal methamphetamine (ice): Final Report |
27/3/18 |
No response to date |
No |
Examination of the Australian Federal Police Annual Report 2015-16 |
28/3/18 |
No response to date |
No |
Inquiry into the trade in elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn |
19/9/18 |
No response to date |
No |
Impact of new and emerging information and communications technology |
4/4/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Summary report of the 24 June 2020 public hearing on the Australian Institute of Criminology's National Deaths in Custody Program |
8/10/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Illicit Tobacco |
12/11/20 |
24/11/21 |
No |
Public communications campaigns targeting drug and substance abuse |
12/5/21 |
No response to date |
No |
COVID-19, criminal activity and law enforcement |
21/6/21 |
No response to date |
No |
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (House, Select) |
|||
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention - Final Report |
1/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Migration (Joint, Standing) |
|||
Inquiry into efficacy of current regulation of Australian migration and education agents |
21/2/19 |
No response to date |
No |
The report of the inquiry into review processes associated with visa cancellations made on criminal grounds |
21/2/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Interim Report of the Inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker Program |
15/9/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Final Report of the Inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker Program |
30/11/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Interim Report of the Inquiry into Australia's Skilled Migration Program |
18/03/21 |
No response to date |
No |
Final Report of the Inquiry into Australia's Skilled Migration Program |
9/8/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
National Capital and External Territories (Joint, Standing) |
|||
Telling Australia's story - and why it's important: Report on the inquiry into Canberra's national institutions |
3/4/19* |
No response to date |
No |
National Disability Insurance Scheme (Joint, Standing) |
|||
NDIS Workforce Interim Report |
9/12/20 |
7/10/21 |
No |
Independent Assessments |
19/10/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission |
30/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
General Issues |
30/11/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Northern Australia (Joint, Standing) |
|||
Never Again: Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia: Interim report |
9/12/20 |
No response to date |
No |
A Way Forward: Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia |
18/10/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Petitions (House, Standing) |
|||
Your voice can change our future: The inquiry into the future of petitioning in the House |
21/2/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Procedure (House, Standing) |
|||
Role of the Federation Chamber: Celebrating 20 years of operation |
22/6/15 |
No response to date |
No |
Division required? Electronic voting in the House of Representatives |
2/5/16 |
No response to date |
No |
A window on the House: Inquiry into the practices and procedures relating to question time |
13/5/21 |
No response to date |
No |
Public Accounts and Audit (Joint, Statutory) |
|||
Report 460: Public Sector Governance - Inquiry based on Auditor-General's report 29 (2015-16) |
16/2/17 |
No response to date |
No |
Report 463: Commonwealth Financial Statements |
5/9/17 |
Partial response received |
No |
Report 472: Commonwealth Procurement — Second Report |
17/10/18 |
Partial response received |
No |
Report 475: Defence First Principles Review, Naval Construction and Mental Health in the AFP |
14/2/19 |
Partial response received |
No |
Report 477: Commonwealth Financial Statements - Second Report, and Foreign Investment in Real Estate |
2/4/19 |
Partial response received |
No |
Report 478: Issuing of a Certificate under section 37 of the Auditor-General's Act 1997 |
2/4/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Report 479: Australian Government Security Arrangements |
2/4/19 |
Partial response received |
No |
Report 481: Efficiency and Effectiveness: Inquiry into Auditor-General's Reports 25, 29, 38, 42, 44, 45 and 51 (2018-19) |
15/6/20 |
Partial response received |
No |
Report 482: Review of the Operations of the Parliamentary Budget Office 2019-20 |
19/10/20 |
24/8/21 |
No |
Report 483: Inquiry into the 2018-19 Defence Major Projects Report and the Future Submarine Project - Transition to Design (Auditor-General's Reports 19 and 22 (2019-20) |
7/12/20 |
24/8/21 |
No |
Report 484: The Administration of Government Grants: Inquiry into Auditor-General's Reports 5, 12 and 23 (2019-20) |
7/12/20 |
Partial response received |
No |
Report 485: Cyber Resilience: Inquiry into Auditor-General's Reports 1 and 13 (2019-20) |
9/12/20 |
Partial response received |
No |
Report 486: Regulatory Activities - Inquiry into Auditor-Generals Reports 33, 47, 48 (2019-20) and 5 and 8 (2020-21) |
24/8/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Road Safety (Joint, Select) |
|||
Improving Road Safety in Australia |
30/10/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Social Policy and Legal Affairs (House, Standing) |
|||
Inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence |
31/3/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Final report: Inquiry into homelessness in Australia |
4/8/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Tax and Revenue (House, Standing) |
|||
2017 annual report of the Australian Taxation Office: Fairness, functions and frameworks—Performance review |
21/2/19 |
No response to date |
No |
Owning a Share of Your Work: Tax Treatment of Employee Share Schemes |
23/8/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
The Development of the Australian Corporate Bond Market: A Way Forward |
25/10/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
2018-19 Commissioner of Taxation Annual Report |
26/10/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Trade and Investment Growth (Joint, Standing) |
|||
Inquiry into Australia's Future Research and Innovation |
3/5/16 |
No response to date |
No |
Pivot: Inquiry into Diversifying Australia's Trade and Investment Profile |
17/3/21 |
5/8/21 |
Yes |
Treaties (Joint, Standing) |
|||
Report 189: Capital Increase WBG IBRD; Capital Increase WBG IFC; Amendments CMS; Termination IPPA-Indonesia |
6/8/20 |
No response to date |
No |
Report 192: Military Training-Singapore; Digital Economy Agreement-Singapore |
8/12/20 |
29/4/21 |
Yes |
Report 194: Certifications - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; Amendments 2020 - CITES |
16/3/21 |
No response to date |
No |
Report 193: Strengthening the Trade Agreement and Treaty-Making Process in Australia |
26/8/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Report 196: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement |
31/8/21 |
No response to date |
Time not expired |
Report 197: OCCAR Managed Programmes Participation Agreement; Minamata Convention on Mercury |
1/9/21 |
22/11/21 |
Yes |
Notes
[A] This practice has arisen from a Senate resolution of 14 March 1973, in which the Senate declared its opinion that the government should provide a response to committee reports within three months of tabling. Successive governments have affirmed their commitment to providing such responses.
[1] The date of tabling is the date the report was presented to the House of Representatives or to the Speaker, whichever is earlier. In the case of joint committees, the date shown is the date of first presentation to either the House or the Senate or to the President or Speaker (if presented earlier out of session). Reports published when the House (or Houses) are not sitting are tabled at a later date.
[2] If the source for the government response date is not the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives or the Journals of the Senate, the source is shown in an endnote.
[3] The Government has undertaken to respond to committee reports within a six-month period—see House of Representatives Standing Orders, resolution of the House of Representatives of 29 September 2010. This resolution also puts in place additional steps for reports not responded to within that six month period. The period from when the 44th Parliament was prorogued on 9 May 2016 to the commencement of the 45th Parliament on 30 August 2016 is not included in the response period. The period from when the 45th Parliament was prorogued on 11 April 2019 to the commencement of the 46th Parliament on 2 July 2019 is not included in the response period.
DOCUMENTS
Commonwealth Ombudsman
Presentation
The SPEAKER (15:16): I present the Commonwealth Ombudsman's quarterly report under section 712F(6) of the Fair Work Act 2009 for the period 1 April to 30 June 2021.
PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATION
Valedictory
Mr HUNT (Flinders—Minister for Health and Aged Care) (15:17): on indulgence—I hope not to detain the House for too long. Well, it's been a slightly busy term! When I think back to the fear and the concern of this House and this country in February and March last year, and I look at that which has occurred around the world and the lives that have been saved here by comparison, I'm so proud of this government, of this parliament and of this nation, and all the things that have been done to save lives and protect lives. I'm confident that, in the systems that are in place of the Chief Medical Officer and the Department of Health, the National Security Committee, the National Incident Centre and the national cabinet, and in the leadership of the Prime Minister and the Treasurer providing the guiding way, the country is well prepared for the future. There will be challenges, but we are well prepared for that future. To have in some small way stood beside them at the time they made the biggest of decisions, and to have hopefully helped, has been an immense privilege.
But for all the time that we have spent together, and as fond as I am of the Prime Minister and the Treasurer, my card is ultimately elsewhere—sorry, Josh! It is with my family. My amazing wife, Paula, who is in the gallery today, is a nurse, carer, counsellor and confidante. But perhaps above all else she's raised two beautiful children largely as a single mother. I am so immensely proud of Poppy, who is going into year 11, and of James, who is about to go into senior school. They're both getting awards this week, and, again, I'm not there. On Sunday they looked at me and said: 'Dad, this is your last chance to be a proper dad. It's time to come home, Dad.' So, earlier today, I spoke with the Prime Minister and my electorate chairman, and I informed them that I would not be contesting the next election. This may come as a surprise to some of you, for the reason that the very ideas and structures that brought me into this place are still the things that I love and believe in. For the great Liberal Party—from Menzies's 'forgotten people' to Howard's 'battlers' to Scott Morrison's 'quiet Australians'—the golden thread which has run through the life of this party has been the simple belief that it's our task to try to give every Australian the best chance at the life of their choice. I would never be here but for the gift of the party. I want to thank my electorate chair, Peter Rawlings—the extraordinary Peter Rawlings—and his predecessor, Julie Heron, and all of our party members, like Charles and Marshall, who've been in the same roles for 20 years.
I'm very confident in the future of our local party. I think it is time, subject to the will of the local branch members, for a strong, brilliant woman to be the Liberal candidate for Flinders. And I'm very confident about the future of this great party in this coalition. I look at the incredible talent on the back bench, the middle bench and the front bench, and I know that in the leadership of the Prime Minister we see someone where the bigger the issue, the clearer he knows the way. That's it. I think that's because he understands Australians, and he trusts Australians.
As much as I love the Liberal Party, I love this place more. My father said of the parliament: 'Honour the parliament. Be a parliamentarian before a politician.' This week I have seen this parliament at its absolute highest, with the passage of Maeve's law: government and opposition and crossbench working together for both the yes and the no case, and the yes and the no case working together for the dignity of the parliament.
That reminds me of a second rule which I've learnt along the way: always turn your back from the cameras when you're putting your mask on! My staff taught me that—a little late! But none of us would be anything without our staff, and I want to thank the incredible staff—from all of us to all of them, but, particularly, from me to my staff. They have kept Australia safe, and they have worked throughout night and day during the course of this pandemic and throughout the last 20 years. I can't name all of them, but I do want to note there are six who have served for a decade: Lynne Strahan, Sarah Meredith, Tina McGuffy, Denise Garnock, Lisa Burgess and Wendy Black, who has been chief of staff for a decade. But there's a seventh. I want to acknowledge Joanne Tester as well, who, along with Wendy, has been the unrelenting and extraordinary joint chief of staff during the course of this term. You get double points for a pandemic, Jo!
But there is one more thing. The highest of all honours is the simplest. We are all representatives, and I have been graced and favoured by the people of Flinders to represent the area in which I grew up—the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port—and our strongest role is when we are partners with our community. Gunnamatta Ocean Beach, Point Nepean, the Somerville Secondary College, Balcombe Grammar, the Mornington cancer centre and the Abacus autism centre in Hastings—all of these things are meaningful and real.
But my most cherished possession is a simple letter that I received a letter some years ago from Olivia. Olivia is the mum of Bella, who at the time was five. They were a family from a dairy and potato farm at Cora Lynn, just outside of Koo Wee Up. Olivia said to me that Bella had an ultra-rare genetic enzyme condition, which led to liver fibrosis and that it was a terminal condition without treatment. It's so rare that there may at any one time be one child in Australia with it. There was no medicine in Australia and there was never going to be one that was listed. But, at her request, we asked the company to provide compassionate access from overseas, and thankfully they gave us the grace and did that. It's the letter on her 6th birthday, which I keep behind my desk, which I wish to read briefly: 'Isabella celebrated her 6th birthday at the start of August, and I thought this was a great opportunity to thank you and update you on her progress. We are overwhelmed with her response to the Kanuma infusion she started two months ago. She's a changed little girl. Most notable for us is that she is no longer in constant pain. She's started to build muscle. She has bounds of new energy. She spends most her free time playing on the gym rings outside. We hope to enrol her in gymnastics class soon.' Well, she's just turned nine. They did enrol her in gymnastics—and in soccer, and in cross-country. And, if there had been nothing else in these last 20 years, that alone would have been enough.
But now, Mr Speaker, it's time to turn to focus on another family: Paula, Poppy, James, Elsa and Charlie the cavoodle. And there's a lot more to do over the next six months. To paraphrase my favourite film, The Princess Bride—we've all got our secrets—there's a country to protect, medicines to list, a budget to prepare and an election to win, but, when all of that is done, it will be time to come home. I honour the House.
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister) (15:27): on indulgence—We all answer to higher authorities in this place, and Paula, Poppy and James are the higher authority to whom the Minister for Health and Aged Care answers. I could not be more grateful to the minister for health, but, more significantly, to Paula, Poppy and James for allowing Greg to be here and serve in this place and serve as part of our team here, particularly over these last three years. I seek the indulgence of the House to refer to the member by his first name.
When Greg spoke to Josh and I before the last election and expressed to us his desire to go and be with his family, we called upon him one last time, not knowing in full what those three years might bring. And, over the course of these particularly last two years, I have relied on no-one more than Greg and Josh as we have sought, together with the Deputy Prime Minister and his predecessor, to navigate our way through this very difficult time. I could have thought to have no more brilliant mind, no greater friend, no person of greater integrity but, most importantly, someone with a massive heart.
I remember when, after the 2016 election and there was discussion about who would be the next health minister, and when I was asked about this I said, 'There is only one choice, and that is Greg Hunt.' As those who have been health ministers would know—there are a few in this chamber—it is one of the hardest portfolios to deal with. There are many stakeholders, all with the most worthy of cases and the most urgent of needs, and it is so difficult to prioritise those. And it is always the biggest of asks at the Expenditure Review Committee, and it is always the most difficult of moral challenges to seek to weigh those up. You want a health minister who has a big brain and a big heart, and I have had the great fortune to have a person who excels in those attributes more than most, if not any, I have known in this place.
We will speak of his achievements at other times—I know he doesn't want me to go on too much today. He'll expect them to be listed, I'm sure, at great length. But that won't be a difficult task, because they are many. Greg and I, over a long time, shared offices next to each other in opposition. He's helped me, as a dear friend, deal with some of the most difficult of challenges and issues. He's encouraged me. One of the nicest things he'd often say after a very long conversation, on whatever the topic might be, on a weekend or whenever it was, was, 'Mate, just go and be a dad for the rest of the day.' I would always seek to take that advice.
As we come to this point, I am obviously very sad to lose an incredible, great member of my team. I join with the Treasurer in saying we're both going to miss a very, very good mate and his constant encouragement to us both at a personal level as well as a professional level. Your father, mate, would be so proud, as Paula, I'm sure, is bursting with pride in you. Our loss is their great gain, and I know how much you're looking forward to that. I pray it'll be a great time of blessing for you and your family, and I look forward to our friendship in the many years to come outside of this place.
On behalf of the government, on behalf of the party I have the great privilege to lead, thank you for honouring this place. Thank you for honouring our party. Thank you for honouring your family. Thank you for honouring yourself in the way you've conducted yourself. Thank you, mate.
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (15:31): on indulgence—On behalf of the Australian Labor Party, we wish Greg Hunt well in his personal life. We thank Paula, Poppy and James—conscripts, as our families all are, to service. Two decades in parliamentary life is a significant achievement, and being a senior minister in a range of portfolios is something that you can be very proud of indeed. In particular, though, being health minister during a global pandemic would have brought enormous challenges, not least of which would have been the time you spent away from your family. I've been locked out of Sydney for three months, and it was difficult. You were locked out for a lot longer than that and you had to keep on top of the details. I'll say that any time I've requested information from you, it has been forthcoming, and you have been very professional. I thank you for that.
You get to spend time now in your beautiful electorate. I actually went down there and campaigned in that first election that you ran in, and it is a beautiful part of Victoria and a beautiful part of Australia. You can be proud of your efforts, you've been loyal to the Labor—Liberal!—Party. I'm used to saying the other! You've been a very loyal Liberal Party member. It's an honourable thing to stand by your beliefs and it is indeed something that you can be proud of.
You're a worthy opponent, as someone who has different values. I understand that, from your perspective, you have stayed true to them, and I congratulate you on that. I'm sure you will have a future contribution to make in your working life but, of course, it's your personal life that will be much improved by moving on.
All the best, Greg. On behalf of everyone on my team, on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I note that you have given your self—it's a class act, I reckon, standing up in the parliament, giving respect to this place—as a parliamentarian. I thank you for that, and I thank you on behalf of all who've benefited from your service during your 20 years in public life.
The SPEAKER: I don't intend to detain the House for too much longer, but I do want to make just a quick remark. As someone who has walked this walk for some time, I want to thank the minister for health, because you have saved lives in Australia, particularly those suffering from mental health and, in particular, those suffering from eating disorders. There are tens of thousands of Australians out there whose lives have been changed because of your actions, and I'm sure they will always think very, very fondly of you.
STATEMENTS
Valedictory
Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister) (15:35): It is that time of the year, as we close the parliamentary proceedings for this year and before returning next year, when it is customary for us to express our thanks to all of those who've supported us in our work over the course of this year. It has been an extraordinary year. I hope we never see another one like it. It has been an extraordinary year, but, when Australians are challenged in great ways, Australians always rise to the challenge.
We said at the start of this pandemic that we've always considered ourselves to be a strong people and we were about to find out how strong were. And, indeed, Australians have proven to be incredibly strong, resilient, caring and compassionate as they've sought to navigate their own way through, with great support from government, to ensure that they can be where they are today—in a situation where, all around the world, Australia's record of coming through this pandemic has been incredibly strong. There is no country anywhere in the world that can claim a perfect record in dealing with a one-in-100-year pandemic. But, when it comes to Australia's performance and, more significantly, the performance of Australians, it has been extraordinary. We have one of the lowest fatality rates in the world. There are 30,000 Australians here in this country at the moment who wouldn't otherwise be here were it not for the fact that our response has ensured that more Australians have been able to survive this terrible pandemic—which, in so many other countries, has not been the case.
As we move into next year, we're in a position where the economy is strengthening once again, as the lockdowns are in the rear vision mirror, and the economic impacts of those are in the rear vision mirror, and we look through that front windscreen together as a country, and we move into 2022 with confidence. We're a confident people. We're an optimistic people. We always look to see the opportunity and we always back ourselves in as a confident nation, confident in our abilities and each other to achieve what we know we can achieve.
It has been a year not only tested by the pandemic but where the situation globally has been extraordinarily challenging and will continue to be so. It is a time, as I've reflected and as other ministers have highlighted—in particular, the Minister for Defence—that we have not seen in the Indo-Pacific since the 1930s. That has required significant responses from the government, and I want to thank the allies and partners who we work with in the Indo-Pacific, our great comprehensive strategic partners in ASEAN. They are our great friends, our neighbours, with whom we share this region. It was an honour this year that Australia was able to achieve the first ever comprehensive strategic partnership with ASEAN. It speaks to Australia's place in the Indo-Pacific region as a trusted partner, as a trusted neighbour. Even now, throughout the Pacific, we think of our Pacific family, and we think of all those in the Solomon Islands especially. We think of those AFP, ADF and DFAT officers who are up there right now, seeking to secure the peace, stability and calm of one of our Pacific family of nations, as our responsibility is to them in our own region. I want to thank all of those and their families who are on service right now in the Solomon Islands for what they're doing for our Pacific family and indeed expressing the values of our nation, our care and concern for our Pacific family.
The conclusion of AUKUS has been a milestone event in Australia's national security. We enjoy an extraordinary relationship with the United States. We enjoy an extraordinary relationship with the United Kingdom. We continue to work together with them and all of our like-minded partners, because we cannot assume in this world that an international order that favours freedom will always endure. That is why we together, here in Australia, Australians all, one and free, are standing up for the important issues of liberal democracy in our part of the world. If we don't, who will? We have, and we will continue to do that.
I speak of our partners and allies in the United States and the United Kingdom. We worked so closely with them, as the Minister for Defence mentioned, in what was the largest single air evacuation by Australia in Afghanistan, with 4,100 people lifted out of that awful situation. So many of them—those who have not gone to other countries—are here in Australia and becoming Australians. I am truly grateful for the extraordinary work and support that was done in those days of extreme pressure in the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Defence Force. I was so privileged, when I went through AMAB on the way back from overseas just a few months ago, to go there and say thank you to all those who were serving during that time. To see the pictures that were drawn by the young children who had been evacuated to freedom was truly moving. They were indeed truly grateful to Australia, and now those children are here in Australia, going to Australian schools and growing up Australian. That says a lot about us.
After 20 years in Afghanistan, there are disappointments. But, at the same time, what our forces did in Afghanistan—and in particular the 41 Australians who were lost there. We think of them and their families at this time, and the service of them and all of those who went with them. This year, they won't be there. For many, the memories of their time in Afghanistan will stay with them forever. For many veterans, it will haunt them. For all those veterans who are thinking of that time, and indeed those who continue to serve, it is our duty in this place to reach out to them and to continue to support them in every way we possibly can and thank them for their service.
It's been a year where we have dealt with many other challenges, such as the challenges of how we address the future energy economy, how we deal with the online world and how we make that safer for Australians, and how we strengthen the opportunities in regional Australia. I think it has been a strong year for regional Australia, and I'm sure the Deputy Prime Minister would agree. But it's a constant reminder: where once drought and bushfires have impacted regional Australia, even as we stand here today, there are floods and the ruination of crops which were the next payment for those coming out of those earlier challenges. Hope is disappointed once again. But regional Australians are resilient people, and rural Australians are resilient people. They are the heart of Australia, and I want to thank all of them for their endurance, their resilience and their care and compassion for one another.
Disaster resilience, response and recovery capabilities have been at the heart of the response to the aged-care royal commission and addressing the very serious needs there, continuing the record financial support for those in this country who, through no fault of their own, have grown up with disabilities that in decades past meant that they could not even hope to have the same opportunities as other Australians. The National Disability Insurance Scheme seeks to put that right and to give them as much opportunity as we possibly can to enable them.
For supporting the mental health of Australians, again I thank the minister for health. I also thank Pat McGorry, who has been a constant source of advice and counsel to me and the minister for health and many here. I want to thank my colleagues for their encouragement and support on those issues.
Addressing the safety of women here in this building has been an important issue, and I want to thank all of our staff who work here with us. It is our commitment to ensure we will work together to secure a safer workplace for them.
I look to the Minister for Indigenous Australians and I'm reminded of the great, true heart of this country. I want to thank those Indigenous leaders and elders and Indigenous Australians around the country who keep their culture alive—the oldest living culture in the world. It is something this country can be truly proud of and truly grateful for. May we continue to seek to understand their insights as we seek to take this country forward.
They are extraordinary times. They are not times for confusion. They are a time for clarity, which we are seeking to provide. Decent, hardworking Australians, generous and fair, love their country. They wish to simply move forward, and we want to move forward with them into 2022.
I was very proud of the members of this House particularly in the most recent debate, which the minister for health has spoken of, on Maeve's Law. It is always—and I'm sure the Leader of the Opposition agrees—when we come together on matters like this that the parliament is at its best. I appreciate the work that has been done to bring that to a conclusion.
A sense of gratitude should pervade this place at this time of year. I want to thank the premiers and chief ministers with whom I have worked over the course of this pandemic this year. We will meet again at the end of next week and then continue the important work of the National Federation Reform Council.
I want to thank all the members of our Defence Force not just serving in the Solomons but elsewhere around the world and those otherwise who are in those places.
I want to thank all of those members who are retiring from this place at the next election and who have indicated that to this House. We have just heard from the minister for health, but there are many others. They will have their opportunities, as some have. I'll also extend personally my best wishes to the member for Fowler, with whom I've shared a good friendship over many, many years. But there are many others. I won't list them all. We know who they are and we thank them for their great service to this House.
I want to thank the Chief Government Whip, the member for Forde, who does a terrific job. As we reflected in our party room recently, for those members who joined the House in 2019, this has not been a usual term. This has been an extraordinary term in terms of what members have had to endure—long separations from family and long times in isolation because of the various rules that have been put in place. There haven't been the same opportunities to have that camaraderie and that direct support for each other which is very customary in this House and that those of us who entered this House in earlier times benefited from. I do feel for the class of 2019, on all sides of the House, who have had to seek to navigate their service in this place in a different way to those who came before them. That has been very difficult for them. I think they have felt, at times, quite vulnerable. I want to thank the whips, certainly our whips, with Nic and Rowan as well, and the opposition whips, for the pastoral care and support that they have provided to the members here in this place. The job of the whip is not just to get us all in here to vote; the job of the whips is also to provide care, counsel and pastoral support to members. They do a terrific job. I can think of none better than the member for Forde, who has one of the kindest hearts in this place.
I also thank the Clerk of the House, the deputy clerks and assistants. Claressa, thank you very much for the responsibilities that you have taken on. To the Serjeant-at-Arms, thank you for your work over the course of this year. It has been an interesting year for the parliament. To all of those who serve our parliament here—the attendants and so many others—thank you for the way you have worked both with the new Speaker and the former Speaker, the member for Casey. My thanks go to the PM&C legislative team, the House and Senate parliamentary liaison officers and the First Parliamentary Counsel.
Then there are all of those staff who are retiring this year. Deputy Clerk Catherine Cornish is retiring this year after 27 years of service. Department of Parliamentary Services staff member David Watt retired after 28 years at the Parliamentary Library. Carla Turcic retired after 25 years at parliamentary broadcasting. Michael Shield retired after 26 years also at parliamentary broadcasting. They will both be leaving quite a vacant space there to be filled by newcomers. And there are other retirees: Philip McAppion; Eric Horwood in Visitor Services; and Barry Smith, who was 14 years in Hansard. He'd have quite a book if he chose to write one.
Can I extend to the Leader of the Opposition and his family, to the Manager of Opposition Business, to all the opposition members and to all their staff all the very best for the Christmas and holiday season. I hope they have a very safe and refreshing season. It will be a very busy year next year, as we all know.
To my team: to the Deputy Prime Minister and his predecessor I say, 'Thank you very much,' for your friendship and your support. It's the great strength of the coalition of the Liberals and the Nationals. That's a coalition we want. The other coalition that could occur on the other side—Labor and the Greens—is not such a great coalition, but the coalition here is a great coalition and has been in place for many, many years.
Opposition members interjecting—
Mr MORRISON: I thought that'd get a reaction. I'll return to the true tone of this.
Thank you to the Deputy Prime Minister. To the Treasurer I say, 'Thank you very much.' He is a dear friend. We shared a house for a few weeks, and I didn't see a tape measure going anywhere near the curtains during that time at the Lodge, not once.
Ms Catherine King: Not that you saw!
Mr MORRISON: Not that I saw. That's true, Member for Ballarat. I thank the Treasurer. He's a dear friend, as are my colleagues I serve with. You rely heavily on the deputy leader of your party, and this deputy leader has been such a great and loyal deputy leader. I know he has worked closely with all of our colleagues in the Liberal parliamentary party and sought to support them and ensure that their interests and issues have been raised and well understood within our leadership. He is a dear friend, and I wish him a happy Hanukkah. I know he celebrates Christmas as well. He gets the best of both worlds there, or at least the kids do, anyway. I wish him all the best.
To the Deputy Leader of the National Party and to the Leader of House, two great Queenslanders: I wish them well over the break and thank them for stepping up into their roles, particularly the Leader of the House and the service that he is providing us here. I also thank the Leader of the House for the outstanding work that he's done since he became Minister for Defence. He is a very long serving Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. That is a series of lessons that we share, but as Minister for Defence he has been a tower of strength.
To the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Birmingham, and the deputy leader, Senator Cash: thank you for your support in the other place. Can I also add a very personal thanks to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Women and co-chair of the cabinet task force on women, my dear friend Marise Payne, for the tremendous work and support that she's provided to me and also to Jenny as a close friend. Thank you very much.
To all the coalition members and their staff: rest up, because next year we go forward together as always, making that boat go faster, as we've always said. I wish them and their families well and thank their families for all their many sacrifices over the course of this year. Those sacrifices: we will show next year as a team how we come together to ensure that Australia continues to have the strong government and the good government that Australians deserve and need.
I thank my chief of staff, Dr John Kunkel, and all of those who work in my great team for their hard work and effort. I know they're looking forward to a break. I thank particularly, back there in the shire, Julie and all the team in my electorate office—thank you.
There are many thankyous. Thank you to the attendants and to the Federal Police who look after us, particularly my own detail and those who provide support to, sadly, too many of the members of this place. We saw in the United Kingdom this year the death, the murder, of a member of parliament. I know that reminded us all that in our service of our nation there are some risks that we perhaps underestimate. In that case we were reminded of those who keep us members of parliament safe in this building and when we're out and about doing our duty. Thank you to the catering teams, the Library, Hansard and the support staff. Of course, the cleaners assist us, particularly Anna, Maria and Zia: thank you very much. They've been there a very long time. I'll continue to seek to be as tidy as I can.
This has been a challenging and difficult year for our country. Mr Speaker, I wish you all the best, as I do to all of the Speaker's panel for the work they have done here in this place. To the crossbenchers and their families I similarly extend my best wishes.
The House is rising, but elsewhere in our country Australians are facing down those floods, and our gratitude continues to be with those who are serving them. We might have been separated by borders for the last few years, but those border closures are certainly lifting. As our vaccination rates are at world-high levels, we look forward to those being lifted and we look forward to Australia continuing to open safely so we remain safely open. Our hope and our prayer is for a quiet summer where there are neither fires nor floods, but, if there are, Australians know that those who work across our government will be there to support them in their time of need. May it be a time of great peace, renewal and refreshment, and may 2022 be a better year than that which preceded it. 2021 is in the rear-vision mirror; 2022 is the way forward. God bless and merry Christmas to all.
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition on indulgence.
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (15:55): It's been a bit of a tradition to stand up and observe that it's been a tough year for Australians, and, unfortunately, that tradition continues, because it has been a tough year. We've gone from drought to bushfire to pandemic and lockdown and now to flood. Australians still living in caravans after losing their homes in the fires are now having to deal with the rains of La Nina. Farmers got through the drought, and then we had the mouse plague. They saw things coming good, and now their bumper crops are getting smashed by rain. They're doing it tough.
The thing that we've seen, though, during the pandemic in particular is the resilience of Australians and their preparedness to make sacrifices for each other, for their families and for their neighbours. I particularly want to thank those essential workers who have kept the country going during such a difficult time. We should value our nurses, our doctors and our police, but I also hope we never, ever take our cleaners and the people who do so much work to keep the whole economy and the whole society running for granted.
I want to thank the community organisations like Addie Road in my electorate, the Reverend Bill Crews and his organisation, and other charities, who have done it particularly tough and have helped so many people. I look forward to spending Christmas Day once again with Bill Crews and 2,000 of our closest friends. It is indeed a wonderful occasion where people who are afflicted with homelessness, addiction or tragedy, or in some cases are just lonely, have somewhere to go on Christmas Day. It is the true Christian spirit that Bill Crews and Exodus represent, and this year they celebrate 50 years of providing service for some of the most vulnerable people in the inner west of Sydney—but, wherever they come from, no-one's ever turned away from Exodus there at Ashfield.
I want to thank the Prime Minister for his words, and I wish him and his family and all the families of the members and senators all the very best for Christmas. To you, Mr Speaker: it is a bit of a tough job from time to time, isn't it? Our job isn't necessarily to make it easier for you, but it is a tough job and I wish you well. I reiterate my thanks to the former Speaker, who did such an extraordinary job; to everyone on the Speaker's panel; and to our whip team, led by the member for Fowler, about whom we said good things before—that's enough, Chris; that's enough, mate—and Anna and Deb in the whip's office and, of course, the members for Lalor and Werriwa, who assist in that job.
To my mate the deputy leader: one couldn't have hoped for a more loyal deputy leader. He is a good friend, someone who I've developed a very close relationship with and someone who, I think, will make an outstanding Deputy Prime Minister at some time next year. To the Manager of Opposition Business, who I've known for a lot longer, the member for Watson. He's the longest ever serving Member for Opposition Business. He is a good person. He will make an outstanding Leader of the House. He does understand the standing orders. I will forgo my customary sledging of his band and his musical capacity on the basis of the Christmas spirit!
To his deputy, the member for Hindmarsh, and to my economic team, led by Jim Chalmers and Katy Gallagher. They have done outstanding work. In the Senate we've got these three amazing women: Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally and Katy Gallagher. They are quite extraordinary in the work that they do. To my shadow minister assisting me in the Senate, Don Farrell: I've come to rely upon him very much for advice and wise counsel, always. To all of our team: it's been a tough period to be in opposition. We had to come into the parliament and we supported every single piece of legislation that was put up during the pandemic, even though we regarded some of it as being flawed. We said we wouldn't allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good because the national interest required that, and we did it. Without exception we did it, something that those opposite don't always acknowledge, but they are the facts of what happened.
I think that our responsibility means we're competitive at the next election. We're competitive. Nothing more than that. It's a tough time to be Leader of the Opposition, to be in opposition, during a pandemic. Most oppositions around the country—I note Western Australia as an example—have not been competitive at all in the lead-up to an election. But we're in a position whereby we will continue to hold the government to account and we'll put forward our constructive alternative offer to the people of Australia at some time next year, be it in March or in May.
To all of parliamentary staff: the clerks; the Hansard staff; the Parliamentary Library; the Department of the House of Representatives; the attendants; the hardworking folks at Aussies and the staff cafeteria; everyone working at the coffee cart, who really keep us going; to the cleaners, who do such an amazing job—to everyone here. Particularly I want to thank Joy, the cleaner who keeps my office presentable. Thank you very much. To the COMCAR drivers and staff, especially my Sydney drivers, Greg and Suzanne, who look after me so well. To all the Parliament House security and the AFP. We appreciate all that you do. To our ADF personnel serving overseas, as we noted during question time. It is a particularly important time for us to thank them. To the press gallery; we don't always agree, but it is an important role that you play in a democracy, and I certainly acknowledge that. To the state premiers and chief ministers for their leadership during the pandemic. I've made it a principle not to criticise any of the state premiers. I think they've had a really tough job, along with the chief ministers. To all the parents who've had a tough job too, dealing with remote work and remote schooling often at the same table.
I want to thank my personal staff, led by Tim Gartrell, my chief of staff. Tim Gartrell was the campaign director in 2007. There's an omen there. I think that he brings that experience and his experience as the campaign director for the marriage equality postal vote that was held. He's a class act. He's a good friend. He was my first campaign director way back in 1996 for Grayndler. We go back a very long way. When I became leader of the Labor Party I approached him and cheekily said it was a condition of my continuing with that pursuit that he had to come, because that was the deal that we had come to some time ago before when he talked me into running once before.
To Sandra Crowe, my EA, I thank you for making me go to the right place at the right time. We really rely upon our personal staff for all my team, including Liz, who leads the media team, and Jeff, who plays such a key role in policy development. I thank all of them very much.
I thank my electorate. Without them, I wouldn't be here—simple as that. I love my electorate, the inner west. It's diverse, it's multicultural, it's a fascinating electorate, it's a difficult electorate and it's a very political electorate, and I'm very proud to have lived there my whole life.
My son Nathan turns 21 next week, and I've been in politics his entire life. When I talked to Greg Hunt about his family we discussed how it is difficult. But I look forward to being home. I thank whoever did the parliamentary schedule for the fact that 8 December isn't a sitting day, and I look forward to that. I look forward to 11 December, which is the party. I hope that it goes well for him, and I'm very pleased that he's able to have one. I am very proud, every single day, of the young man that he has become. He's quite outstanding, but he has had a difficult time as well. He's studying business at university and hasn't been onto his campus since 2019. For a lot of young people, the period of their lives in which they should have been having the most fun of their lives simply hasn't happened. It's been a difficult period.
To Jodie Haydon, my partner: we've spent considerable time apart this year, but I thank you for your friendship and your support. I do want to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. May it be a time of reunions, of love, of happiness and of relaxation, and may 2022 bring us whatever we want in life. I guess people know what my wish is for!
Mr JOYCE (New England—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development and Leader of the Nationals) (16:07): I'd like to endorse the comments made before and thank all the people that the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister thanked. That leaves me with, basically, the cat, the dog and the rat in the roof to thank because everyone else seems to have been thanked.
Starting off on a more serious note, I'd like to thank my family—obviously Vikki, who has been great support to me, and Sebastian and Thomas, who have made this their home, so much so that at one stage Tom, after having a shower in the Deputy Speaker's office, decided—we were standing there and we heard the door shut, and Luke managed to stop him just before he ran naked into this chamber, which would've been a remarkable addition to the parliament that day.
To my colleagues: I'd like to thank the leadership team of DLP, Bridget, Drummy and Perrin, for all their hard work through the process. I'd like to thank the deputy leader in the Senate, and Matt, Sam and Susan over there. To all the team here—Michael, I know it's been a tough year—I really thank you for the professional, diligent and decent way that you have acted. I'd like to thank Mark, Pat, Ken, George and Lou. To Dr Dave, Andrew, Keith, Hoges and Michelle: it's been a great year to prepare for the next year, which will be an incredible year, and we are going to make sure that we give the best representation of ourselves. Hopefully, we will all stay here—if that is the will of the people—and maybe we will bring a few others down here to Canberra with us.
To the ever-patient staff: you've been such a professional team down here and in Tamworth—an incredibly professional team. You carry me so well, and you make me look vastly better than I actually am. I thank you for that. I won't go through all their names because, as they know, I'm notorious for not remembering them. To the support structure in this parliament, to all the people you don't think about—imagine all the calls the ladies down on the switch get on the phones and the absolutely crazy or angry people ringing them up, and they have to try to deal with it. If ever you get a chance, you should go down to say g'day to them.
Obviously, to the people of New England and to the great part of New England that wanted to be its own state—
Honourable members interjecting—
Mr JOYCE: And should have. Look there's still hope. They should have. You've been so patient, allowing me to go away and do other jobs. I love the people of New England. I love the people of the state of Queensland who gave me my initial job, but to come home to New England, with the support I get on the street and on every corner of it, as we try to do our very best job for them—I really appreciate that. I can't wait to get back after this and go back and do the best service I can in the spare time we have. I've already mentioned the staff there.
I won't go through all the opposition, but I will acknowledge the member for Fowler, Chris Hayes, who actually has been a good mate over a long period of time. I wasn't there for your farewell; I had another job to do. I was watching you on the screen. He is the one person that you can have absolute confidence in. You can go to him and say what you need, and it goes no further than Chris. So I thank you, Chris. Especially in tougher times that I've had in the past, you were a mate.
To the media: I just have to mention you. You can make of it what you like. Thank you so much for your representation of our nation. The fourth estate is a vital part of our democracy, and if we don't have that we don't have a democracy. That's why I'm so fervent about trying to chip Facebook and the others to try and get some of the advertising revenue back in your direction, because you are the people who actually do the job.
There is a certain group. There are a lot of people over Christmas who don't get time off. They work. They're the doctors, and they work. They're the nurses, and they work. They're the ambulance drivers and the policemen, and they work. They don't get time off for Christmas. They love their families just as much as we love ours, but they are dedicated to the task at hand. So I thank you for that and for the sacrifice that you're about to make.
Christmas is such a great time for so many but the worst time for a few. For a few it's the loneliest time of the year. It's a time where they realise that they are divorced, that they are widowed, that they are homeless or that they're away from anybody. If you get any opportunity to reach out to those people—and I've worked for a long time for St Vincent de Paul—then you will get more out of that than you would know. You will get more out of that small act of compassion than you would know. So I thank all those people who assist in that.
Finally—or second finally—the Australian people. You have to think of some group that involves everybody else, so I won't thank the people of the world, but I'll thank the Australian people for their tolerance of us. We are servants of them. This is their house; we merely work here. So, to the Australian people who are about to go into the process of dealing with an election—we hope that we will be in this adversarial chamber, which it is supposed to be—I thank them for the role that they play, all of them, in making our nation a better place.
I conclude by saying we have a welcome to country in our area. It starts with 'Yaama', but I always remember the end, and it is [Gamilaraay language not transcribed], which means, 'Walk with God.' So I say in conclusion, in Gamilaraay, [Gamilaraay language not transcribed].
The SPEAKER (16:13): I was going to make a speech on behalf of all those in parliament, but, if you work in the building, thank you very much for your service to the Commonwealth. Also, to the members of parliament and senators: thank you very much and merry Christmas.
COMMITTEES
Intelligence and Security Joint Committee
Membership
The SPEAKER (16:13): I have received advice from the honourable the Prime Minister nominating a member to be a member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
Mr GEE (Calare—Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel) (16:14): by leave—I move:
That, in accordance with the provisions of the Intelligence Services Act 2001, Mr K. J. Andrews be appointed a member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
Question agreed to.
BILLS
National Health Amendment (Enhancing the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) Bill 2021
Health Insurance Amendment (Enhancing the Bonded Medical Program and Other Measures) Bill 2021
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Assurance of Senate Counting) Bill 2021
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Contingency Measures) Bill 2021
Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Exempting Disability Payments from Income Testing and Other Measures) Bill 2021
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Annual Disclosure Equality) Bill 2021
Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme (Facilitation) Bill 2021
Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021
Returned from Senate
Messages received from the Senate returning the bills without amendment.
MOTIONS
Assange, Mr Julian
Mr WILKIE (Clark) (16:14): I'm acutely aware that there are only minutes left for this parliament this year, but there's one very notable Australian who has not been mentioned this afternoon, and I seek to remedy that. I seek leave to move:
That the House:
(1) notes that:
(a) Walkley Award winning Australian journalist, Mr Julian Assange, remains incarcerated in HMP Belmarsh in the United Kingdom, despite a British Court earlier this year finding that Mr Assange could not be extradited to the United States of America for health reasons;
(b) the US continues to pursue Mr Assange and has recently been back in court in the UK appealing the earlier decision to refuse the extradition;
(c) the reason for the US's determination to extradite Mr Assange is limited to Wikileaks' exposés in 2010 and 2011 of US war crimes and other misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Guantanamo Bay, including the release of the 'Collateral Murder' video in which a US helicopter in Iraq gunned down innocent civilians including journalists;
(d) recent revelations in the media show the Central Intelligence Agency developed plans to abduct and assassinate Mr Assange; and
(e) the continuing incarceration of Mr Assange, and any extradition to the US, would not only be a grave injustice but a severe threat to his health and life; and
(2) calls on the Prime Minister to:
(a) speak directly with his counterparts in the US and UK to bring an end to this madness, including the US dropping all charges against Mr Assange and the UK allowing his immediate release; and
(b) commit to not allow the extradition of Mr Assange to the US from Australia.
Leave not granted.
Mr WILKIE: I move:
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Clark from moving the following motion immediately—That the House:
(1) notes that:
(a) Walkley Award winning Australian journalist, Mr Julian Assange, remains incarcerated in HMP Belmarsh in the United Kingdom, despite a British Court earlier this year finding that Mr Assange could not be extradited to the United States of America for health reasons;
(b) the US continues to pursue Mr Assange and has recently been back in court in the UK appealing the earlier decision to refuse the extradition;
(c) the reason for the US's determination to extradite Mr Assange is limited to Wikileaks' exposés in 2010 and 2011 of US war crimes and other misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Guantanamo Bay, including the release of the 'Collateral Murder' video in which a US helicopter in Iraq gunned down innocent civilians including journalists;
(d) recent revelations in the media show the Central Intelligence Agency developed plans to abduct and assassinate Mr Assange; and
(e) the continuing incarceration of Mr Assange, and any extradition to the US, would not only be a grave injustice but a severe threat to his health and life; and
(2) calls on the Prime Minister to:
(a) speak directly with his counterparts in the US and UK to bring an end to this madness, including the US dropping all charges against Mr Assange and the UK allowing his immediate release; and
(b) commit to not allow the extradition of Mr Assange to the US from Australia.
Speaker, there's no time for a rousing speech. Can I simply say there is genuinely an urgent need to suspend the standing orders and deal with this motion because as we sit here an Australian citizen, an Australian journalist, is literally rotting in Belmarsh prison in London and could well die there. And if he is extradited to the US, to lifetime imprisonment in a high-security supermax jail, he will certainly die there. Thank you.
Mr BANDT (Melbourne—Leader of the Australian Greens) (16:19): [by video link] I second the motion. Given that the clock is running down, I will be brief. The situation with Julian Assange should concern everyone. It sets the precedent that you can be a journalist exposing war crimes and find yourself ground down, to the point where you may no longer be able to stay alive, by some of the most powerful forces and some of the most powerful governments in the world. To anyone who believes in transparency and people abiding by the rule of law, that should send a shiver down everyone's spine. It's also incredibly concerning because it raises the question about what it means to be an Australian citizen and what it means for a government to effectively turn its back on one of its own and allow them to rot and be subject to not only legal proceedings but potential threats of assassination and abduction, as the member for Clark has referred to in the motion.
I want to commend the work done by all members of the Parliamentary Friends of the Bring Julian Assange Home Group and acknowledge the work of our Senators Peter Whish-Wilson, in particular, and Janet Rice, who have been pursuing this matter over in the Senate. Given the limited time, I commend this motion to the House.
The SPEAKER: The question is that the motion moved by the member for Clark be disagreed to.
Question agreed to.
MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Morrison Government
The SPEAKER (16:20): I have received a letter from the honourable member for Canberra proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely:
The Government's failure to govern in the best interests of Australians.
I call upon those members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places.
More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places—
Ms PAYNE (Canberra) (16:21): I was noting the government's long list of failures, rorts, dodgy deals and broken promises, but I ran out of time just when I was getting started. It seems they saw me coming, because, with the Christmas messages and valedictories this afternoon, my time has been cut short. But, anyway, back by popular demand, I've got a bit more time to discuss these issues in depth.
I'm very proud to have requested today as a matter of public importance that this House discuss the government's failure to govern in the best interests of Australians, because, in the words of Billy Joel, the Prime Minister 'didn't start the fire' but he most certainly doesn't 'hold a hose'! From birthing lanes on the Barton Highway and the forced handshakes of bushfire victims to robodebt and telling Australian women we're lucky we're 'not being shot at', Australia has never had a government quite like this one. With Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott before him, we've had almost 10 years of a government that cares more about itself than the issues facing Australians, and Australians deserve so much better.
I don't need to remind Australians about what they went through in the Black Summer bushfires in 2019 and 2020, but I will remind them of what the Prime Minister did: he went to Hawaii, and then he told us he didn't 'hold a hose'. And when he returned he started the PR mission from hell. He went to Cobargo, where he forced a pregnant woman to shake his hand. He snubbed our fire chiefs who had sounded the alarm bells months earlier. He blamed arsonists and environmentalists and ignored the basic science that our changing climate would make our fire seasons worse. This was confirmed just last week: the CSIRO published a study showing, 'Climate change is the dominant factor causing the increased size of bushfires in Australia.' He did establish a royal commission in the aftermath, only to then ignore its recommendation to develop a sovereign aerial firefighting fleet. And, always about the announcement and not the follow-up, he promised to fund the recovery but not much has been spent, because people in this region are still living in caravans. And, as the member for Eden-Monaro and the member for Gilmore will continue to focus on, these people need help. In the Bega Valley, of the 467 homes burnt down only 34 have been rebuilt—not good enough.
This Prime Minister will always act in his own interests and not in the interests of Australia, because it's always someone else's fault, someone else's responsibility. It's why he outsourced quarantine to the states, and it's why in the minutes before COP26 this government was hopelessly divided on the question of net zero by 2050, and he put it onto the Nationals and the climate deniers in their ranks to write his policy—the same policy that embarrassed Australia on the world stage at the recent COP26 meeting in Glasgow. If that weren't enough, the government signed up to an international agreement to act on climate change and the same day confirmed they had no intention to fulfil it. You can't believe a word they say.
Remember, we've had eight years of this government, and in that time we've had three prime ministers and more than 20 energy policies, yet they have delivered nothing. Don't believe the pamphlet or the talk of technology. Scott Morrison's real plan is to leave it to someone else: our children and our grandchildren. It's so predictable with this Prime Minister, because everything is someone else's responsibility.
If you need more proof of the lack of humanity at the centre of this government, look at their response to Brittany Higgins when she bravely spoke out about her alleged rape in this building. We saw a real moment arise for the Prime Minister to stand up and show some leadership when someone from his own team, working for his minister, came forward with the most distressing account of her experiences here in this building. But, setting aside what we might have liked to have seen from the leader of our nation in response to this, what about as an employer, a senior colleague, a human being? How did he respond to a young woman, a member of his own staff, who should have been safe in her workplace? We heard that the government was taking action. Yet in the meantime the Prime Minister was asking his former chief of staff to undertake an inquiry into what his staff knew about and when. We still don't know the answer to that. We heard that Jenny had told him to 'think about it as a father'. Yet in the meantime his staff were backgrounding Brittany Higgins's loved ones. We heard from the Prime Minister that women have copped this for far too long, right before he tried to weaponise the experience of women to blackmail the media.
Brittany Higgins's brave testimony and other revelations of disgraceful behaviour in this building led to a groundswell from women around this country because what was going on in this building was what was going on in their workplaces, in their homes and in their community. We have a deep-seated problem with violence against women in country, yet this Prime Minister wouldn't go and stand with the thousands of women who marched that day, outside this building and around the country, in the March 4 Justice to say, 'Enough is enough.' I was proud to stand out there with them, as were many of my colleagues. But, when we came in, the Prime Minister told us we were lucky we hadn't been shot at.
Last week we saw seven coalition members cross the floor, yet the only one hauled into the Prime Minister's office for a 'please explain', against their wishes, was the member for Bass, Bridget Archer. It wasn't Senator Rennick, it wasn't Senator Canavan, it wasn't the member for Dawson—just the member for Bass. I wonder what was different about her! And let's not forget that this week we saw one of the Prime Minister's senators barking at a female parliamentarian on the very day that Kate Jenkins's damning report into the culture of this building was handed down.
Australians want to see a better standard from their parliament than this. But this is a government that has one standard for itself and another for everyone else. This is a government that has no respect for the institutions of this parliament, for our democracy, for integrity, for accountability. It shuts down debate at every opportunity. In the last sittings of this year, and possibly this term, what is the government trying to rush through? Not some great reform but a voter suppression bill, Trump style. I'm proud that Labor stood against this and that this bill has been defeated. We didn't want to see it made harder for Australians to vote. You couldn't write this stuff. The government has failed to introduce a federal integrity commission, having promised it over a thousand days ago. But apparently it's our fault, as the opposition, that the government has not introduced a piece of legislation. It's because it doesn't want to have the debate.
On scandals, the list is too long for me to go through it again: sports rorts; 'pork and ride'; the scandals surrounding the member for Hume, 'watergate' and 'grassgate'; forged documents. We've got the Leppington Triangle, where $30 million was spent on land worth $3 million. We've got the member for Pearce and his anonymous $1 million donation, and this government's unprecedented vote against sending that to the Privileges Committee. We have seen secrecy. We have seen a secret trial where the government has tried to prosecute, in secret, Bernard Collaery and Witness K. We have seen the attacks on and interference in the ABC, and even the raiding of Annika Smethurst's home. We've seen millions spent on the COVID-19 app—and who is using that? Did it work? Did it trace one case? No, it didn't.
What has the Prime Minister done amongst this scandal? He has dodged, deflected, distracted and backgrounded. And he has an uncomfortable relationship with the truth. He said 'Shanghai Sam' 17 times, and then said he'd never said it. 'Electric vehicles will end the weekend'—we all saw him say that. At the front of the queue is leaking diplomatic texts. I won't go on, because we all know what's going on. No wonder, with the list of scandals that have accumulated over this past decade, the government does not want a federal integrity commission to look into these issues.
It's been a lost decade for Australia. We're the ones who pay the price. We're the ones who are paying the price for a government incapable of acting in the interests of anyone but themselves. For eight long years this government has squandered Australia's advantages and ruined our reputation on the world stage. We rank last among 60 countries on climate policy; we have slipped to 59th in the world for average broadband speeds; we rank eighth out of 11 high-income countries for healthcare affordability; educational outcomes have slipped; we are ranked as more corrupt and have less trust in government; household debt as a share of GDP is now the second highest of 43 countries; and we have the third most unaffordable housing market. One in six Australian children—
The SPEAKER: Order!
Ms PAYNE: And I'm out of time again.
ADJOURNMENT
The SPEAKER: It being 4.30, I propose the question:
That the House do now adjourn.
Morrison Government
Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (16:30): If you can't govern your party, you can't govern the country. The Morrison government is a hopelessly divided government that is coming apart at the seams. The Liberal government has racked up a trillion dollars in debt with hardly anything to show for it. Working families cannot risk or afford another three years of attacks on Medicare, wages and job security. Within my electorate of Gilmore, the government's list of failures is long. When the bushfires were on, the Prime Minister abandoned us all and fled to Hawaii. He abandoned constituents in my electorate. The government's failed to deliver a radiation therapy treatment service at Moruya. They promised it at the last election—not delivered.
But this is the tip of the iceberg when one understands the systemic failure of this government in delivering health and mental health services. I'll start by saying we love our nurses, our doctors and all our hospital and health workers. They are absolute champions, working in the most difficult conditions. All I hear from locals is praise for the hardworking and caring teams. They are there every day, caring for our community and going above and beyond to help those who are in need. I thank them for everything they do today and every day.
But people in Batemans Bay and Moruya just want to have their hospital services improved. At present, around two-thirds of patients have to travel outside the area for hospital and cancer care treatment. That often means a long trip to Canberra, requiring additional costs for overnight stays and time away from loved ones. The plan was for a brand-new Eurobodalla hospital to provide the higher level 4 services and include intensive care and mental health beds. But no. In a growing community, there will be fewer maternity beds, no intensive care unit, fewer emergency beds, no acute mental health services, no dedicated paediatric and neonatal support, and no orthopaedics.
This government thinks itself good on announcements, but it is a failure with a capital F on delivery. The prime Minister never intended to keep his promise to introduce a national anticorruption commission. It's now three long years since Mr Morrison assured Australians a national anticorruption commission would be delivered, but there is nothing. Worse still, there is an endless series of rorts and scandals. Labor will introduce a strong, independent anticorruption commission, with real teeth, with all the powers of a standing royal commission and with investigative bite against serious and systemic corruption in the federal government.
The government's failure across the Australian economy is certainly not in the best interests of Australians. Everything except your wages is going up under the Morrison government. That's right: eight long years of wage stagnation. All the while, we see the soaring cost of housing and the flow-on effect with the cost of rentals. Across our nation, there is an absolute housing crisis. I've previously shared with the House how I'm on the Shoalhaven homelessness task force. Locally, the Shoalhaven Homeless Hub has been providing homelessness services from its central Nowra address for over 20 years, supporting men, women and children. They are saying to me that an increasing number of people who have never encountered homelessness before are now becoming homeless for the very first time, for their properties are being sold and they cannot find alternative accommodation within the time frame provided. This is a vicious cycle that is playing out across the country.
The absolute failure of this Morrison government is the lack of leadership. If you're going to make housing affordable, the federal government must be involved. A Labor government will create a $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, creating thousands of jobs now and in the long term. Over the first five years, the fund will build around 20,000 social housing properties, and 4,000 of these properties will be for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence and for older women on lower incomes who are at risk of homelessness. That is leadership. It is in the best interests of Australians to elect an Albanese Labor government.
Cowper Electorate: Apprenticeships
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (16:35): I have a real-life positive story to relay to the House. There is no greater investment that we as a government can make than an investment in our young people. It's an investment that is guaranteed to pay off in spades, and I say 'in spades' because I'm talking about tradies. We love tradies. I am pleased to see the continued increases in the investment from this government in recent years into the practical education of our up-and-coming young people and leaders. The $6.4 billion in skills and training funding alongside billions in wage supports have ensured that Australia is well-placed to recover from COVID-19 and to secure our future. These recent measures and incentives for businesses have meant that there were over 217,000 Aussies in trade apprenticeships in July of this year. My nephew is one of them. He's doing an electrical trade and he's very good, so when he's done, I will get him to come and rewire my house for free. That number, 217,000, is the highest figure since records began.
In my own electorate of Cowper, I have seen this boom in apprenticeships firsthand, with hundreds of businesses across the electorate employing 2,195 apprentices. The member for Riverina visited one in particular in his role as the Deputy Prime Minister, Faircloth & Reynolds in Coffs Harbour. They have been training local apprentices since 1985, well before the recent milestone financial incentives to business were introduced. Their own personal annual apprenticeship scheme has seen more than 300 apprentices complete their trade qualification in electrical refrigeration, air conditioning and sheet metal fabrication, with the company having a number of lifers moving through the ranks to work in management and senior positions throughout the organisation. These apprentices have received further in-company training opportunities, progressing to project managers, sales executives and estimators, taking their ground-level training and understanding of the company's physical processes to new heights. The current operations manager, service manager and even the catering manager were all once apprentices in the company. In 2022, Faircloth & Reynolds will hire a record 18 new apprentices to join the 50 already working in the company. As Geoff Stokes, the human resources manager, says of apprenticeships:
This is a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages in regional areas to achieve a trade and be able to live and work in a great place like Coffs Harbour.
He is so right. You don't have to move to the city to find opportunities. They are in our regions because of the opportunities given by our government.
It's not just the larger enterprises like Faircloth & Reynolds that take up the mantle; it's also the smaller organisations that play just as much of an important role. It's the family run and family owned businesses like Lawrence Built in Port Macquarie, who have been building quality homes for locals for over 40 years and who employ up to four apprentices at a time. It's the community facilities like Crescent Head Country Club, who continually hire apprentices in all areas of their business, from greenskeepers to chefs. These are but a few examples of the many apprenticeships in my electorate taking advantage of prosperity while entering the next generation have the tools to continue with their success.
So for the young men and women across the Mid North Coast who are considering applying for an apprenticeship I implore you to do so. Grab the amazing opportunities that are popping up throughout our region now and set yourselves up for the future in your own home town. To those currently on the tools, gaining practical employment and life skills and bettering themselves not just for their own personal futures but for economic prosperity, I wish you all the best.
Morrison Government
Ms COKER (Corangamite) (16:40): I rise to talk about this government's failure to govern in the best interests of Australians. There is no better evidence of this than in my growing electorate of Corangamite. Take Armstrong Creek, which is a new suburb that was established only a decade ago and is already home to 17,000 people. It's expected to grow more than 66,000 residents in the next two years. This community is representative of so many similar communities right around Australia. It has high growth, with many young families just starting out, many students and families who are renting and older families who are retiring. It's a community with hopes, dreams and aspirations.
But the Morrison-Joyce government has turned its back on these people in Armstrong Creek when it comes to roads, mobile connectivity, the construction industry and housing affordability. On every measure that is important, this government has failed them. On the cost of living, the Morrison government has failed them. On the crucial issue of connectivity and modern communications, this government has not given them what they need to get by. We have one of the highest levels of child care. The government are not helping our local families. On delivering timely community infrastructure, the government have failed. On roads, they are way behind. On community services, the only thing this government has delivered is an illegal robodebt scheme and an NDIS cost-cutting plan that is hurting many in my communities and their families. On integrity, there's no federal integrity commission. On housing, the cost of buying a home and paying rent has skyrocketed under this government, Housing has become much less affordable, almost prohibitive, for young Australians. We have a national timber crisis that has been created by this government and which is causing huge delays, massive price increases and job losses. In Armstrong Creek and right across my region, this crisis is starting to bite.
The Morrison-Joyce government promised in 2018 to meet a one billion trees target. As usual, Mr Morrison has failed to deliver, doing next to nothing on this promise. Because of the lack of a national plan, timber is being imported from overseas and costing between 18 and 125 per cent more. This massive increase is being passed on to builders, leading to a very real increase in the cost of housing. Just this week my office contacted a major home builder who said that in the last six months an entry-level three-bedroom home has jumped in price by $28,000. The cost of housing has gone through the roof, and that's why an Albanese Labor government would introduce a $10 billion housing affordability fund.
Let's move on to connectivity. Modern communications are essential to people's everyday lives in Armstrong Creek, just like everywhere else. I had so many complaints to my office that the shadow minister and I had a meeting with about 100 concerned citizens, and they told me terrible stories, such as where a husband had collapsed and his wife could not be with him and had to be at the other end of the house to get connectivity to get the instructions from the ambo. It's just not good enough. No matter where Australians live, they should have quality access, reliable and affordable data and voice communication options. How can you live very close to the second-biggest city in our state and still not have that connectivity?
Let's turn to the government's NBN. This failed fibre to the node is not up to scratch. An Albanese Labor government will invest $2.4 billion dollars to introduce fibre to the home, and it will benefit Marshall, Bannockburn, Clifton Springs, Portarlington, St Leonards, Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale.
I am also proud that Labor has recognised the significance of investment in road infrastructure. We have just announced, if elected, $125 million for the second stage of the Barwon Heads Road. This is an essential road for the safety of my community in Armstrong Creek and will cut commuter times drastically. So, when it comes to connecting people to work, family, school and sport in a high-growth area like mine, it's an Albanese government that will deliver; it is an Albanese government that actually cares about the community. Armstrong Creek is the suburb that the Morrison-Joyce government forgot, and it's time for a government that cares and truly plans for our future—an Albanese Labor government.
Minister for Health and Aged Care
Valedictory
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (16:45): I'm going to use the opportunity today to say a few thankyous. I note with some great humility that today is one year since I had the honour of being able to call myself Garth Hamilton MP. And what a year it's been. I want to say a few thankyous to people in this House on both sides; in the spirit of Christmas, I will be very open. It's an incredible privilege to sit here and represent your local community, and, Mr Speaker, I certainly appreciate your help and guidance on that path.
I want to use today to tell a quick anecdote for about the Minister for Health and Aged Care. It was a Saturday night, 15 May, at 7.30 pm. My wife and I had kicked the kids away to the grandparents. It was one of the few nights we were going to have by ourselves this year. At 7.30 the phone rang. It was one of my constituents, and his sister was caught in ICU in Vanuatu. She was in a very, very delicate situation. They didn't have the equipment there to treat her, and the only option for getting her home involved a very difficult process for us to get an exemption to bring someone home from overseas, as you can imagine, in the midst of a pandemic.
I started a series of phone calls with the minister. And he stayed with me the entire night as we went back and forth talking to various CHOs in Queensland and in New South Wales, trying to find a way forward so that we could bring this person home. It was somewhere in the early hours of Sunday morning that we finally had a resolution. Twelve hours after making the first phone call to Minister Hunt, amongst a myriad of other responsibilities he held in the role—and I know this is true for ministers in this government as it is for members across the board; there are a thousand things we have to do—he did what he had to do. Twelve hours later, Judith was in hospital in Brisbane, being treated successfully, and she came out of that very, very close shave. And it was absolutely thanks to the minister for health's intervention and his hard work to get that done. Certainly, to her brother Ian, I'm eternally grateful to him for reaching out to me—on Facebook of all things; that is how he was able to get hold of me that evening.
I want to read a quick text message I got from Minister Hunt which I think is an important one for all of us. In the spirit of the end of the year and being open, I will share this. This was a text from Greg after I informed him that Judith was safe and well and had recovered. He said, 'These are the quiet things that may not receive any attention or publicity but which are the real reasons that we do the job.' And I find that a great truth. I've found it in members on this side of the House and on the other side of the House. And, whilst there may be much that we can improve on in the conduct of this House, there is much that we can learn from that example—that it is in those little things, those things we do for our communities, that our true value is realised here as members of this House. So I raise that to thank him.
I will do something that I have been trying to do for the best part of a year, which is to make three little speeches; I will make them into one. The day I was elected a dear family friend passed away, and I haven't had the guts, quite frankly, to talk about her contribution. She was a wonderful ambassador for regional and women's health. Her name was Sue Collins. Her husband, Brian, was the gun shearer on my grandfather's farm, believe it or not, and we've stayed family friends all the way through. I remember Sue and I thank her for her commitment to Australia. Jaimie Varcoe died on the day of my maiden speech. Jaimie was a strong advocate for regional Australia. He was a great Australian. If you didn't agree with him, you knew it. If you agreed with him, you absolutely knew it. The constant phone calls, the inspiration and the feeling of energy that he gave to me in that very short period when we were together and I was in this office were fantastic, and I remember him in this contribution.
Lastly, I remember my dear friend Alida Viljoen, who passed away recently. She was a wonderful South African expat, with her husband Bassie. I love you very much.
Morrison Government
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (16:50): As we come to the end of this year it is a time for reflection for many of us. It's been a big year, and Australians have been extraordinary in their willingness to do what they are asked to do, time and time again. This is two years of them stepping up.
What strikes me, though, is that while they have stepped up the Prime Minister has stepped back. He has stepped away from taking responsibility for things—things where he could have made a difference. We all know that he doesn't hold a hose, but we needed him to step up and fight harder to make sure New South Wales delivered effectively on the funding that went to them to be distributed for bushfires. The government failed to do that. It handed over money and said, 'Not our problem anymore.' That's a failure, and that's affected my community.
The government has failed across a broad range of things. If you're someone who has a family member in aged care, you ask yourself, 'What is different now in aged care compared to where we were a year ago?' There's a report and there are recommendations. Very few have been legislated and even fewer have been implemented. The neglect that we have seen in aged-care facilities continues because of the failure of this government to act strongly, urgently and swiftly on the recommendations.
A lot of reports have been delivered, and of course we've had one this week—a report about setting the standards for behaviour to make sure this place recognises the equality that should exist between genders and to reduce the violence that has occurred and will continue to occur until systemic change is made. So far, we've seen a failure to act swiftly on those exceedingly important recommendations.
There's been a failure to actually do anything on climate change. There has been a pamphlet—a two-page pamphlet—which was Australia's contribution to a global discussion about something that affects not just our future but the future of our kids and our grandkids. People will look back and see that as one of the most abject failures of the Morrison government. There are failures in keeping people safe in my electorate. We still have failures of mobile and we still have NBN that doesn't work—total failures. We have failed profoundly to support, with long-term solutions, people who are without housing and are homeless. It was extraordinary to see governments of all levels step up momentarily when there was a health risk, but what we're failing to do is recognise that, every day people are without a secure roof over their heads, we are failing them and their health is at risk. These are things that an Albanese government will not just turn a blind eye to and not just put into the too-hard basket; we will step up, step forward and find a way to improve those situations.
There are so many failures it's hard to know which one is the biggest, but one that really strikes me as we get to the end of this year is the failure to see an anticorruption commission, because what that does is demonstrate that there is no commitment to ensuring that the decisions that are made by ministers in this place are in the very best interests of all Australians—that they are not just something for mates, something to win a marginal seat or something for a quick sugar hit, but that they are done with a view to really improving communities. We see that in my own electorate. The Hawkesbury has no headspace, something that would really improve the mental health outcomes for young people and their families. We don't see any commitment to improving the day-to-day life of people.
Let me talk about the roads in the Hawkesbury. There has been nothing done, except for a couple of little roundabouts, to improve the commute that people face every day through Bligh Park and South Windsor as they head to or from the city. There's nothing to keep pedestrians safer and nothing to improve the traffic flow. There's nothing across the river to make sure people can get to a fire station to tackle fires or an ambulance. They're just failures to keep looking ahead. In the Blue Mountains, they've failed. We have no flight paths. We still don't know where those planes are going to fly.
Morrison Government
Mr GOO DENOUGH (Moore) (16:55): In contributing to this adjournment debate, I wish to thank all members and senators for their cooperation in what has been a very challenging year for our nation. I would also like to thank my office staff and the staff in Parliament House, for their diligent service and contribution, the cleaners, the COMCAR drivers, the committee secretariat staff and all of the House of Representatives staff who have supported our work for our constituents.
As I return to my electorate to 14 days of forced quarantine, I look forward to emerging to spend time with my community. This year I would have spent a total of six weeks in quarantine, which has limited my ability to attend community events and functions. May I take this opportunity to thank the people of Moore for placing their trust in me as their representative and wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
This year has not been easy for many families, both socially and financially, with many facing hardships caused by the pandemic. Our government has provided support on a number of levels to help Australians get through. We have implemented an immunisation program which is free and accessible to all Australians. Close to 90 per cent of Australians have availed themselves of this essential health service, and many more may choose to do so over coming months. I'm not in favour of mandatory vaccinations, as imposed by the state governments. It is the federal government's position that vaccination is not compulsory, except in health and aged-care environments. However, we encourage a high level of immunisation to mitigate the risk to the health of our population.
As we turn our attention to the federal election, the focus must be on responsible government spending and prudent economic management in order to keep inflation under control and maintain low interest rates to ensure affordability for the many households paying off mortgages in the Moore electorate. Implementing policies which keep inflation under control helps keep the cost of living affordable for households in our community.
I realise that many families are doing it tough. That is why the government has also resisted adopting overzealous emissions targets that will add to the cost of production, create inflation, drive up interest rates and add to the cost of living. Labor and the Greens are reckless in this regard. A study by Augsburg University in Germany found that meat prices would rise by 146 per cent if the cost of emissions were included, whilst dairy prices would also increase by 91 per cent. The cost of fuel exceeding $2 per litre is not unrealistic with emissions taxes, nor is the price of $60 steaks with the cost impost of emissions levies on agricultural production.
Many of my constituents are employed in the mining and construction industries. Many are fly-in fly-out workers, tradespersons, contractors and small-business owners. It is incumbent on our government to ensure that their standard of living is not negatively impacted by international treaties which increase the cost of production. The Morrison government is taking measures to reduce emissions in a cost-effective way which does not constrain Australia's competitiveness or constrain our economic development.
Australia has been environmentally responsible in its approach on reducing emissions. It is important to ensure that all nations meet their international emissions commitments, and this must be enforceable, particularly among those populous nations which are large emitters, such as China and India. Australia acting on its own will have a negligible impact on global emissions.
In conclusion, not only is the health and wellbeing of my constituents a top priority but also their livelihoods and economic prosperity. Only a responsible approach to economic management, emissions reduction and government spending will stimulate the economic recovery, keep inflation under control and maintain affordable interest rates, which thousands of mortgage holders in Moore rely on. I wish you a very Merry Christmas.
House adjourned at 17:00
Federation Chamber
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Goodenough ) took the chair at 10:01.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Goodenough ) took the chair at 10:01.
CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Liberal Government
Mr HILL (Bruce) (10:01): I think it's true that we've all got our fingers crossed that today is the last sitting day of this parliament and this tired rotten, corrupt Liberal government over there. What we've seen in the last two weeks though is astounding: the chaos; the division; the loss of control by the Prime Minister over his own party and the parliament. Frankly, the Liberals now hate the Liberals—they're fighting; the Nationals hate the Nationals—well, that's nothing new; and the Liberals and the Nationals certainly hate each other. If you can't run your party room and you can't run this parliament, you cannot govern the country.
But the Prime Minister has plumbed new lows, new depths, in his behaviour in question time in the last two weeks. He's desperate. He's a desperate, failing man—he's a total grub. Now that's a funny word, isn't it? You're allowed to say 'grub' in the parliament; that's parliamentary. I couldn't call him a liar here, although I could do that outside the parliament. He's like the guy at 3 am at the end of the night in the pub just desperate for a fight with anyone because he ain't got nothing else going on for him now, has he? His behaviour in question time has been appalling. His entire strategy now, not just for his re-election but for the nation, is to make stuff up about Labor. That's it. That's all this government has left—tell lies: a pattern of mendacity and untruths about Labor.
Their most astounding nonsense is, after three years of failing to introduce a national anticorruption commission—look at them over there—there's no bill in the parliament. Their own MPs are losing patience and crossing the floor. And the Prime Minister's response: 'Oh well, it's all Labor's fault.' It's Labor's fault that this mob have been in power for almost a decade and haven't done their job—and that's somehow our fault. It's pathetic.
Fake fights and lies—that's all the government has left. Lies about the vaccination rollout: 'We're at the front of the queue.' Give me a break: we were last in the developed world. Lies about the economy: wages have gone backwards in last 12 months.
Mr HILL: Oh, the member for Chisholm's smiling!
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member for Bruce will withdraw the comments about using the word 'lie'.
Mr HILL: I'm allowed to say 'lies'; I'm not allowed to call someone a liar, Deputy Speaker Goodenough. That's very clear. But let's, for the sake of the chair, talk about the pattern of untruths, the pattern of mendacity, from the whole mob over there. The member for Chisholm is smiling over there about wages having gone backwards under the Liberals. Well done! You'll get what's coming to you at this election.
There are lies that are weird. About 'Shanghai Sam'—he says he didn't say it; it's on his own Facebook page. His failures are well-known, but what's really clear now is: this government has no agenda left. They can't bring on real legislation for a vote. They've created a fake fight on something that is deadly serious about social media trolls, because they haven't introduced a national anticorruption commission. And they've now cancelled parliament—five days of the Senate between tonight and 7 August; 10 of this House. Absolutely disgraceful. The Prime Minister's a fake, a fraud, and we deserve better in this country. (Time expired)
Reid Electorate: Community Services
Dr MARTIN (Reid) (10:04): It's a real honour and privilege to speak about my constituents in my constituency statement. As it is the last sitting day for 2021, I want to give a big shout-out to the incredible community organisations in my electorate, my great electorate of Reid. Whether it be the countless sporting groups, the church charities, the school P&Cs, the environmental groups, Reid is truly blessed to have some of the most amazing community organisations, and we know those organisations are only being made great by incredible people, the volunteers who give up their time to make a positive impact on our local community.
I was pleased to see that 31 organisations in Reid were the recipients of 2021 volunteer grants. I won't name all of the organisations, but it was great to see amongst the recipients the hardworking volunteers at 1st Yaralla Sea Scouts; the Australian Breastfeeding Association, Strathfield group; the little red hat association; the Breakfast Point Men's Shed; Briars at Greenlees; the City of Canada Bay Men's Shed; Concord High School P&C; St Merkorious church; the Drummoyne scouts; and the Chinese Australian Services Society. They all do incredible work, and the volunteers work so hard. They will all be supported with grants of up to $5,000.
The Morrison government is also delivering vital infrastructure to support local community organisations in Reid to keep their power bills low and lower emissions through the Powering Communities Program. It has been brilliant to see solar panels put on the roofs of our local community organisations over the past month. To give you just one example, St Paul's Anglican church in Burwood, a great local church run by Father Collins and his amazing team of volunteers, has just had solar panels installed on the community hall roof. Without the support of Powering Communities this would not have been able to be done. The volunteer team at St Paul's church have been working hard throughout the pandemic through their parish pantry, supporting literally thousands of people in need of support. These solar panels will help keep their power bills low but also, importantly, help to reduce emissions.
Sporting groups are also being supported in my local community through the Stronger Communities Program, which is delivering vital small capital projects to support them. Burwood Football Club has just installed their water station at Blair Park, and this will ensure there is less need for plastic bottles to be used during the team's games. Expressions of interest are open now for round 7 of the Stronger Communities Program, which will close tomorrow. I encourage organisations in Reid who are yet to put in an expression of interest to do so.
Since 2019 I have worked hard, working with our amazing community groups, and I am looking forward to getting out more, now that the lockdowns have ended, and seeing people face to face. Reid is doing great work.
New South Wales: Light Rail
Ms CATHERINE KING (Ballarat) (10:07): Built in Newcastle in the 1980s the oldest trains running on Sydney's metropolitan network today are the K sets. For 40 years now they've carried commuters and families without fail. They were refurbished in the late 1990s, but they are essentially the same trains that were built in Newcastle's Broadmeadow rail yards all those years ago—Australian workers building Australian trains for Australian commuters and doing a really good job at it. Let's compare that with some of the most recent rolling stock on New South Wales public transport networks, the Inner West and the Newcastle light rail. Rather than making trams here, the New South Wales Liberal government imported them from Spain—Spanish workers building Spanish trams for Australian commuters.
The Newcastle-built trains are 40 years old and running strong. The overseas-made trams, though, aren't even five years old and they are already out of service. To quote a representative of Transport for NSW: 'We drove it up and down the line, and you could see the cracks opening and closing on a normal straight bit of track, with no bumps or twists.' Cracks opening and closing on the trams. It isn't right. The only things that are meant to open and close on our trams are their doors, one would hope. It's particularly ironic that the same problems are being seen on the Newcastle light rail. Perhaps they could have made them locally.
It's fair to wonder why the New South Wales government made the decision to buy these Spanish-built trams, but I think we can guess the answer. It's in the Liberal's DNA to cut corners, to outsource and to abandon Australian manufacturing. The New South Wales government initially said that this network closure would have no cost to taxpayers, but today we learnt that the trams are actually out of warranty. How much does it cost to shut down light rail in New South Wales for at least 18 months?
The Victorian, Queensland and WA Labor governments have all shown a better approach, building here in Australia trains, trams and buses on our public networks—trains built in Perth, Maryborough, Dandenong and my home town of Ballarat; trains built by local workers, who shop at local businesses, send their kids to local schools and are part of their local community. Not only is it better for workers; it is better for commuters, who don't have to dodge gaping cracks as they make their way into the office. Of course, what those three states have in common is a Labor government keen to partner with local industry to secure local jobs and to ensure trains, trams, buses and ferries are made here in this country.
An Albanese Labor government will be part of that. An Albanese Labor government sees trains, trams, buses and ferries built in Australia to ensure that every dollar of federal funding spent on rail projects goes to local jobs and local industries, and will deliver a better deal for Australian workers and a better future for Australian commuters.
Neuroendocrine Cancer
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (10:10): As one of my final opportunities to speak in parliament this year, I wanted to raise awareness—
An honourable member: Are you retiring?
Mr CONAGHAN: No, I'm not retiring! I have much to do. I would like to raise awareness of neuroendocrine cancer. I must admit that I hadn't known about this particular cancer until one of my own constituents, Karen Binstap, got in contact with me. Unfortunately, she is suffering from this debilitating disease.
In 2018, Karen presented twice to emergency, suffering severe stomach pain and, after no obvious cause was found, she was referred to a local specialist in Port Macquarie for analysis. Eventually it was determined that she had multiple liver lesions, and, once operated on, they were found to be metastatic neuroendocrine tumours. This was not the primary source of the cancer, though, which was located in her small bowel. Her journey from there has included multiple operations, multiple hospital admissions, multiple specialists and ongoing treatment in an effort to keep pace with this advancing and aggressive disease. Each treatment and medication brought with it a new set of side effects and challenges, with consistent admissions and ongoing hospitalisation. Despite all this, Karen continues to strive to be positive, though not a day goes past that she isn't experiencing pain or dealing with the realisation that she'll likely have a shortened life.
The facts surrounding neuroendocrine tumours, or NETs, are startling. This year, over 5,100 Australians will be diagnosed with NETs, making it the seventh most diagnosed cancer in Australia. Seventy per cent more Australians are diagnosed with NETs than with ovarian cancer, yet we have extremely low community awareness of NETs. NETs affect men and women equally, from children to the elderly. Sadly, it takes an average of five to seven years for a correct diagnosis to be made for Australians who present. Currently, the survival rate five years after diagnosis is just 48 per cent.
Despite these statistics, I was surprised to learn that the current levels of support services and research into the disease are lower than for any other cancer. This needs to be changed, and I'd like to assist in changing this for Karen and others like her. NeuroEndocrine Cancer Australia has devised an action plan which includes what I believe to be reasonable requests for additional government assistance in providing resources and education, and research into the disease, and I will do everything I can to help Karen and people just like her.
Prime Minister
Mr KEOGH (Burt) (10:13): I rise today to say merry Christmas to all the good boys and girls out there in my community and across Australia. It's been a pretty rubbish year, one that we may prefer to forget, but we've stuck together and we've done alright. But not everyone has been a good boy or girl this year.
The Prime Minister has been a very naughty boy this year—telling lies, not doing what he's supposed to do and letting his government swindle taxpayers. The Prime Minister doesn't keep his promises. All the Prime Minister deserves in his Christmas stocking this year is a lump of coal. Actually, this Prime Minister quite likes coal.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Goodenough ): Order! I call on the member for Burt to withdraw the accusation of lying, which is unparliamentary.
Mr KEOGH: I withdraw. For a while, the character of this Prime Minister has been a bit funny, but now we realise it's beyond a joke. The Prime Minister said that no ineligible projects were funded through sports rorts. The Prime Minister said that all stranded Australians would come home by last Christmas. The Prime Minister said that Australia would be at the front of the queue for vaccines. Let's face it: the Prime Minister is never straight with the Australian people—or other international leaders, for that matter. Just ask his friend Emmanuel. He doesn't think; he knows.
Australians can't believe a word the Prime Minister says. These mistruths seem to come in many shapes and forms. There are misleading statements, evasions, equivocations and out-and-out untruths—in fact, we often see these mumbled during question time. But then there is the naughty boy's speciality—the blame-shifting. When things go well, the Prime Minister is always the first in line to take credit, but when things go poorly—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member for Lindsay?
Mrs McIntosh: I rise on a point of order: the use of that language to describe the Prime Minister was certainly unparliamentary.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes. Will the member please be careful of how he reflects on people's character.
Mr KEOGH: I'll withdraw. When things go poorly, the Prime Minister is the first to point the finger at somebody else. When he's being called out for his failures, he says anything—'It's not my job,' 'It's a matter for the states,' or 'I don't hold a hose.' Whether it's bushfires, robodebt, aged care or car park rorts, he never shows leadership, just more spin. He is no leader. This Prime Minister does not take responsibility. He always blames others for his failures, and he gets to have a protection racket in the front row on the other side.
The Prime Minister never intended to keep his 2019 promise to introduce a national anticorruption commission. It's now three long years since he promised it, and nothing has happened except endless rorts and more scandals. We need transparency and trust in government. Australians can't afford another three years of the rorts and waste we've seen and the attacks on wages, Medicare and superannuation. We need a better life for working families, more secure Australian jobs and a future made here in Australia, and that's what federal Labor will deliver.
Ginger Meggs
Mr LEESER (Berowra) (10:16): Ginger Meggs is part of every Australian's childhood. After five cartoonists and a hundred years, kids and grown-ups alike are still revelling in the adventures and comical capers of the redheaded larrikin kid who never gets old.
In creating this comic strip, Jimmy Bancks drew on his childhood experiences growing up in my electorate. Bancks's father, John, was a railway cleaner, and when Jimmy was three the family moved to a railway cottage at Hornsby.
Ginger Meggs first appeared in the comic strip Us Fellers a hundred years ago, in November 1921. Names and places of the old neighbourhood were used in his books without alteration. Frank Buckle, who became the first captain of the Northern District cricket team, scored a mention. So did George Lumby, a childhood friend who went on to operate a hardware store in Hornsby. Ginger and his mates frequently stole fruit from Fosters Orchard or Higgins Orchard, which were local landmarks. Ginger Meggs's character was based on the antics of Bancks's old neighbourhood friend Charlie Somerville. By the time the comic strip was appearing, however, Charles Somerville was no longer the boisterous boy of Bancks's creation. He was a war veteran, a businessman and a long-serving mayor of Hornsby Shire.
With his vivid red hair; his larrikin, boyish charms; and his never-ending ability to get himself into and out of trouble, Ginger Meggs is a mischievous character whose everyday escapades echo the experiences of million of Australian children. Throughout his lifetime, readers have seen Ginger Meggs evolve from the 1930s world of billycarts, wireless radios and cricket games played in the street to the computer drawn images of today in which Ginger Meggs laments the loss of his internet connection—which is sadly still a common experience for people in my electorate.
Occasionally, Ginger Meggs steps into the real world. He crossed the Harbour Bridge on its opening in 1932, the same year he met cricket legend Don Bradman. During World War II, Ginger was drawn on the sides of Australian aeroplanes and appeared in Army news, and he was used in a road safety campaign in the 1950s. Produced by the Road Safety Council of New South Wales, it covered school bus safety, road crossing, riding bicycles in the neighbourhood and playing in the street. It included sketches of Ginger getting into and out of accidents on his bike. Ginger Meggs, the movie, was released in 1982. It starred Garry McDonald and Drew Forsythe. The strip was also adapted into a stage musical which has been running since the early nineties.
Bancks wrote in an annual compendium of the comic strip:
I have tried to make Ginger a real boy, human, natural and for the most part worthy of sympathy and goodwill.
Bancks died in 1952. He was 63. The Ginger Meggs baton has been passed on to Ron Vivian, Lloyd Piper, James Kemsley and, today, Jason Chatfield. Ginger Meggs remains enormously popular and is still published in over 120 newspapers across the world.
While Hornsby has changed dramatically from the town of a century ago, the spirit of Ginger Meggs lives on in the hearts of many locals. In 1997, Hornsby council renamed the park in Valley Road where Bancks played as a boy as Ginger Meggs Park. It remains a popular park today.
I want to acknowledge Jimmy Bancks and everyone involved in contributing to the Ginger Meggs story over the last century for your contribution to Australia's unique cultural heritage. On behalf of us all, happy birthday, GingerMeggs.
Indigenous Health
M r HUSIC (Chifley) (10:19): I'm proud to represent in this place one of the largest urban based First Nations communities in the country. I take very seriously the job of representing all of them, as I do with all my constituents. In particular, one of the big things that needs to happen in this country is to finally show respect to our First Nations people and to do better—not just in practical terms, but also to respect and acknowledge their custodianship and the fact that we can do better.
More often than not, we sit in the chamber every year, usually around February—it was late this year—to hear a Closing the Gap address that talks about whether or not we're actually making concrete progress in improving the quality of life of First Nations people who have been let down so many times before. Invariably, we find that we are not doing well and that we do need to do better. What we also find, as a reason for that, is the fact that we do not allow for First Nations people to take control of the resources, the services and the things they need so that they can shape the way that service is delivered to them. We find that constantly.
In my area, despite all the fancy talk, I see it yet again on something as incredibly important as health, where an Aboriginal medical service in our area does not have the local community helping drive the way that it runs. I approached the minister for health on this very point, calling for local representation. I did this earlier in the year. I asked for the funding of this service, which is spread across several federal electorates, to be maintained for the area and that locals get an opportunity to run that service. The minister didn't even bother to respond. He flicked the response to someone else and said, 'This is exactly what's happening.' This is not what's happening. This service has now gone into administration. It is now unsure as to what its future will be, and there is no certainty about how people, local First Nations people, will be able to manage and run that service.
It's no surprise that this health minister gives no care for one of the biggest Aboriginal communities in our area. He only cares about whether or not he can make an announcement or whether or not he can use public health services in marginal seats to defend Liberal votes while locked down LGAs get treated shabbily. Frankly, I am happy that he is going. The only thing I'm upset about is that he will not be held accountable for one of the worst vaccine rollouts we've seen, where 60 per cent of the deaths in the lockdown happened in south-western and Western Sydney. They were only there to chase votes in seats like the member for Lindsay's seat.
Lindsay Electorate
Mrs McINTOSH (Lindsay) (10:23): I am incredibly proud to represent my community as the federal member for Lindsay, and this year has shown the best of us in the hardest times. For many local families and small businesses, they have experienced challenges—from the pandemic to the floods—and yet together we have achieved so much this year. Our community has worked incredibly hard to get us back to the Aussie lifestyle we love. Over 94 per cent of our community is fully vaccinated, helping to protect our loved ones and our neighbours from serious illness and death amid a global pandemic that has claimed over five million lives.
In my maiden speech to parliament, I promised I would not let my community down. Since that time, I've worked hard to deliver my election commitments and projects that make Lindsay an even better place to live, work and stay. I delivered $127 million to fully fund the Dunheved Road upgrade, and it's great to see Penrith City Council taking the necessary steps for this much needed project.
Across Lindsay we're investing around $8 billion to improve safety and ease congestion on our roads, and to build infrastructure that will get more people out of traffic and able to spend more time building their business or be at home with their families. Improving our public spaces and increasing accessibility to healthy, active living is part of my plan for Lindsay, and I'm proud to have delivered important upgrades to local sports facilities, new security infrastructure and CCTV at shopping centres areas in Werrington and St Marys. We are keeping our beautiful Nepean River healthy by supporting native vegetation and clearing weeds. There is a new $14 million adult Head to Health clinic to ensure local people have the highest quality mental health care and support when they need it most. We are supporting the Penrith Women's Health Centre with funding for additional domestic violence caseworkers and providing vital upgrades to our local community halls.
These projects and the Morrison government's economic support measures have helped small businesses get through the worst of the pandemic, emerge stronger and get back to doing what they do best: creating local jobs for local people. As we approach the holiday season, I know how much local families will be looking forward to gathering together and celebrating, and it's our community's hard work that has made this possible. I offer my most sincere appreciation for the unwavering efforts of the local people and organisations who have looked after each other, cared for our community and embodied the spirit that has seen us overcome every challenge. As this is the final parliamentary sitting day for 2021, I would like to wish everyone in my community a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
Morrison Government
Ms CLAYDON (Newcastle) (10:25): Today is the final sitting day of the year and perhaps even the last for the 46th Parliament, so I want to put on record my list of the top 10 ways in which this Morrison Liberal government has utterly failed the people of Newcastle. Starting off at No. 1, we have the vaccines. The Prime Minister told Australians that we were at the front of the global queue for vaccines, but that wasn't true; we were last in the developed world. Novocastrians will, of course, never forget the time that Newcastle's supply of Pfizer was stolen and sent to Sydney because this Prime Minister had not ordered enough vaccines for all in the first place.
At No. 2 we have the Building Better Regions Fund rorts, which saw terrific projects in my community, such as the expansion of the Newcastle Art Gallery, the restoration of the Victoria Theatre, and the Business Centre in Newcastle, totally dudded of funding in preference for less deserving projects in coalition held or targeted seats. This leads me to No. 3, sports rorts. How could anyone forget the Morrison government's shameless pork-barrelling of the Community Sport Infrastructure Grant Program? Sports rorts left the much-loved Newcastle Olympic Football Club without funding for a new grandstand or an upgrade of important facilities, despite being eligible.
Coming in at No. 4, we have the Morrison government's cruel and callous plan to control how pensioners spend their money. Despite having multiple opportunities, the Morrison government has refused to rule out plans to roll out the cashless debit card, seeking to punish and humiliate Australians in need of support. At No. 5 we have the Morrison government's relentless push to close the Mayfield and King Street Centrelink offices. We know that this government has been secretly axing Centrelink shopfronts across Australia, and it continues to hide its plans under the guise of commercial in confidence.
At No. 6 we have the Prime Minister's failure to adequately respond to women's safety. Following a massive public backlash at the Prime Minister's behaviour and under enormous public pressure from millions of women to act on the way in which this government has ignored women's safety for eight long years now, the Morrison government has hurried to announce new promises and appointments but has remained very light on delivery. Let's not forget—I'm not holding my breath—this Prime Minister could not even stick to his word and implement the 55 recommendations of the Respect@Work report.
At No. 7 we have the Morrison government's failure to address the national housing crisis. We know that the chronic shortage of social and affordable housing is forcing record levels of homelessness, but the Morrison government refuses to take any action, claiming that it's 'not our problem'. At No. 8 we have the container terminal at the port of Newcastle. If Scott Morrison were any friend of the Hunter, he would be working tirelessly to ensure a level playing field in the container trade and working with the New South Wales government to allow the port of Newcastle to realise its full potential.
At No. 9 is the failure to act on PEP 11 and at No. 10 is the cruel plan to cut our GP Access After Hours service in the Hunter. You don't deserve the support of any Australians. (Time expired)
Big Farmer Andy
Pointing, Mr Laurie
Mr LLEW O'BRIEN (Wide Bay—Deputy Speaker) (10:28): I rise to talk about two of Wide Bay's constituents who are using two very different types of media to communicate their important message. My good mate, big farmer Andy, a TikTok celebrity, who is passionate about rural and regional mental health, is using the newest form of social media, and my other friend, author Laurie Pointing, uses one of the oldest forms of communication, the conventional book, to tell the stories of Queensland's frontline police officers.
Big farmer Andy writes: 'Suicide is a serious issue in Australia, with roughly 65,000 Australians attempting suicide each year. Of those 178 Australians attempting suicide each day, nine are successful in their attempt. We lose nine Australians a day to suicide, more than double the road toll. Rural and regional Australians are hit hardest. They're two times more likely to die by suicide than those living in the urban areas. Limited access to mental health professionals is an issue raised often.
'The stigma surrounding mental ill health and speaking up about it has a massive impact on curbing the massively disproportionate number of Australians taking their own lives in rural Australia. Terrible phone service and poor internet connection are synonymous with country living. With improved connections, those Australians living outside the urban areas may have better access to much-needed telehealth, psychological and psychiatric services. This could be a game changer.
'Including mental health awareness in our national curriculum may slowly bring about a culture change and disrupt mental illness stigma. Educating Australian youth on the symptoms of and treatment for depression, anxiety and PTSD may save countless Australian lives. We live in a great nation built on mateship. Let's build on those foundations and reduce Australian suicide rates.'
Whilst since 2016 the Liberal-National government has funded new builds and upgrades for 18 base stations around Wide Bay, big farmer Andy is right: a lot more needs to be done.
Then there's Laurie Pointing, a retired senior police officer who has recorded more than 40 stories of police work. He'll launch his fourth book tomorrow. Importantly, it recognises the last two Indigenous police trackers in the gulf. All book royalties will go to the Queensland Police Legacy fund to help widows and children of police officers who have lost their life in the line of duty. I also pay tribute to Laurie Pointing's other work in the community. He is one of Wide Bay's true champions and is always looking out for the welfare of his fellow citizens.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Goodenough ): I understand it is the wish of the Federation Chamber that constituency statements continue for a further 30 minutes.
Whitlam Electorate: COVID-19
Whitlam Electorate: Hospitality Industry
Mr STEPHEN JONES (Whitlam) (10:32): It's been a tough year. Jobs have been lost, businesses have been smashed and households have been locked down. Much of this has been a lot worse than it needed to be because of the Prime Minister's and his government's mishandling of the pandemic—the hotel quarantine failures that they were warned about and the failure to do what was necessary to get a supply of vaccines in place as and when it was needed. In the face of all of this, Australians have responded magnificently. My constituents have responded magnificently. Too often in this place we hear the Prime Minister and his ministers taking credit for the work of other people. I want to use this opportunity to give a shout-out to the people who have actually done that work and thank them directly. To the staff of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, who have been on the front line of the pandemic response, who've been delivering the vaccines and providing health support and life support to those who've caught the disease: thank you for the magnificent support you've provided to our community.
I want to thank the staff of the Aboriginal medical service. A few months ago there was a 20 per cent lag in vaccination rates between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Due to the great work of the medical service, Illawarra health district staff and our general practitioners, we've closed that gap. We're not there but we're nearly there.
To our GPs and all of their staff, who've been delivering vaccines throughout this year: thank you. To our mental health workers; our domestic violence workers; our teachers; and our police force, who, when they signed up, never thought they were going to be the pandemic police but have had that as their reality for the last 12 months: thanks so much for all that you've done over the last 12 months.
As we go into Christmas, people are excited to get out. If they're going to come to the Illawarra, they want to ensure that when they visit a restaurant, cafe or hotel there are going to be staff there to serve them. That's why I've been working with my colleague Sharon Bird, the local jobs coordinator and Regional Development Australia staff to run a jobs drive for the hospitality industry. They are crying out for staff. We launched it a couple of weeks ago. It will come to its peak on 7 December between 10 and 2 pm. We'll have a hiring hall at Osborne Park on the Wollongong Harbour foreshore. But you don't have to wait till then. You can sign up. There are literally hundreds of jobs. Employers have been magnificent and saying, 'I need staff.' Whether you're a school leaver, a returning university student or somebody who wants another job, get in there and support our hospitality industry, and let's make the Illawarra a great place to visit this summer.
Brisbane Electorate: Christmas
Mr EVANS (Brisbane—Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management) (10:34): This year I received a record number of entries from students at primary schools across Brisbane in my annual Christmas card design competition. The winning students feature on the Christmas card that I send out to residents right across Brisbane and to many others around Australia. This year's theme was 'Christmas together', and the overall winner was Amelie Williams from Newmarket State School. The winner in the prep/year 1 category was Jasleen Kaur of Wilston State School, and the runner-up was Tom Palmer from Eagle Junction State School. The winner of the year 2 category was Amy Rankine of Eagle Junction State School, and the runner-up was Sophie Fussell of Holy Spirit School. The winner of the year 3 category was Juhi Pradeep from Kelvin Grove State School, and the runner-up was Jenna Wing of Newmarket State School. I want to congratulate and thank all the students who entered, for their colourful, artistic and cheerful entries. I would also like to thank the teachers who helped to get these entries organised and into my office and all the teachers across Brisbane for their hard work throughout the year and for rising to the challenges presented by the pandemic in recent times. I am confident that, through the recent lockdowns, many parents out there have a newfound appreciation and respect for the role played by our teachers every day.
Many of the students' Christmas art designs are a strong reminder that, despite tough times, the spirit of Christmas is very much alive in Brisbane. In that spirit, I really encourage Brisbane locals not only to spend time together again with their families and friends over the upcoming holidays but also to think about our wider community. Consider helping out a local charity or organisation over the break. When it comes to buying gifts for friends and families these holidays, I encourage everyone to shop local, to support the local small businesses that continue to be the backbone of our community. Everyone knows that our businesses—our small businesses, our family businesses—have been getting through incredibly challenging times recently. If we want them to continue to create over half of all the new jobs for Australians and, in particular, to provide many of the opportunities and skills needed by younger Australians and other Australians wanting to get a foot in the door of the workforce, we need to support those wonderful small and family businesses in our communities. So, in the spirit of Christmas, let's all remember to love our local community, love our local shops and #lovebrisbane. Merry Christmas to everyone.
Macquarie Electorate: Go Local First Campaign
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Special Broadcasting Service
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (10:37): As much as I love being here in Canberra representing my community, I can't wait to head home. I'm told it's nearly Christmas, which I love but haven't had a lot of time to think about yet. The next few weeks will give me a chance to do some Christmas shopping at some of the many local small businesses across my electorate. Ninety-eight point four per cent of all businesses in Australia are small businesses, and the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains have their fair share, contributing hugely to our local economy. But COVID, floods and bushfires hit many businesses hard, and we're still not seeing all the jobs come back.
Labor recognised how vital local businesses are during the GFC, and we injected money into the economy via small cash payments to pensioners and families that went straight back into the high street shops. We knew we needed to encourage people to go local first and give them something extra to spend. Heading to your local shops for your Christmas shopping and celebrations is exactly what is encouraged by the campaign that the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, COSBOA, is rolling out around the country and in Macquarie. I welcome this extension of the Go Local First campaign, urging people to buy from small businesses in our community, to strengthen the economy and create jobs. I'm already seeing the ads on TV and online asking people to go local first and see if that perfect present, perfect peach or perfect plant is available at your local shops. I'll be shopping from Wentworth Falls to Windsor, maybe even up to Wisemans—and everywhere nearby that doesn't start with a W! Look out for the Go Local First ads and keep an eye out for my posts of where I'm going local first.
Who can forget the Liberals' promise of 'No cuts to the ABC and SBS'? Of course it was another falsehood, and they immediately slashed their budgets and have launched repeated attacks on both these institutions. The ABC is a provider of essential news, and our community has relied on it through bushfires and floods. I depended on it in 2013 as my suburb was ablaze and I was certainly listening hard when the water was rising in the Hawkesbury recently. The ABC plays a vital role in keeping us a free and democratic nation where misinformation has the capacity to undermine public order, health and safety.
The ABC and SBS are trusted sources of news and information. I want people young and old to be entertained by Australian voices and Australian stories online, on TV and on radio. We need certainty that both SBS and the ABC will be there for us, and an Albanese Labor government will provide that with five-year funding terms. We'll also reverse the Prime Minister's cut of $83.7 million to the ABC and review options for delivering greater levels of financial stability for them as a safeguard against political interference. Only Labor will protect the ABC and SBS. (Time expired)
Capricornia Electorate: Infrastructure
Ms LANDRY (Capricornia—Assistant Minister for Children and Families and Assistant Minister for Regional Tourism) (10:40): The federal coalition government since 2013 have invested over $5.3 billion in Capricornia alone. With another year coming to an end, I want to take the opportunity to provide a recap of the major infrastructure milestones that have been achieved in 2021.
There's $25 million in funding for the Alliance Airlines repair and maintenance facility in Rockhampton as well as a loan of up to $30 million from NAIF. This project has the potential to create 225 jobs and inject $30 million into the local economy each year. The tendering process is open for the $1 billion Rockhampton ring-road, which will connect commuters to priority precincts and provide an alternative heavy-vehicle route. Construction is well underway for the $367 million Rookwood Weir, which will deliver 200 jobs and expand irrigated agricultural production into the lower Fitzroy River region by providing an additional 86,000 megalitres of water.
There's $8 million for the Fitzroy Community Hospice, which will provide access to comprehensive community based palliative care to Central Queensland. Funding is signed off for the $23 million Rocky sports stadium. Once complete, it will include grandstand seating for up to 7,500, an 800-seat ballroom and a multipurpose sports field. There's $20 million in funding signed off for the Keppel Bay Sailing Club, which will attract large corporate and sporting events to Central Queensland.
Construction is about to start on the $150 million Walkerston Bypass, which will become the designated heavy-vehicle route between the Bruce Highway and the Peak Downs Highway. There's $13 million for the Yeppoon Aquatic Centre upgrade—the same facility where many children, including my daughters, learnt to swim, and that tradition will now continue for future generations. There is a further $12.65 million towards the Urannah Dam business case and approvals. This proposed project would include a new 970-gigalitre dam built 50 kilometres from Collinsville. There's $3.2 million for stage 2 of the Clermont Saleyards upgrade to increase the capacity of the facility to service the sales demands of the CQ region. There is the opening of the $396,000 Sarina headspace, which has been delivering quality frontline support ensuring the best possible care for people who are at risk. So much has been achieved, but I'm going to continue working hard to deliver for our area.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in Capricornia a very merry Christmas and a safe and healthy new year. Going into Christmas, I ask everyone to please continue to support and cherish the people in your life, especially those who might be doing it tough. And, of course, as we think about Christmas presents, I urge everyone this festive season to buy local, shop local and support our local businesses. I can't wait to continue representing Capricornia into 2022 and beyond. Have a wonderful break over summer and please stay safe.
Werriwa Electorate
Ms STANLEY (Werriwa—Opposition Whip) (10:44): My contribution today is a tribute to the people in the community of south-west Sydney, especially those in the electorate of Werriwa that I proudly represent in this place. I am truly humbled to showcase the wonderful people of Werriwa and their tenacity and kindness, especially the kindness they have overwhelmingly shown every day in the last two years. We are a community from many backgrounds, some hailing from the First Fleet in the early days of settlement in Australia but many more with heritage of 60,000 years. I pay my respects to our First Nations residents and thank them for their custodianship of our area. In Werriwa, people speak over 130 languages from all parts of the world, and we have the most harmonious community. Throughout the pandemic we've seen all sorts of volunteer groups reach out to anyone who needed support—groups like Liverpool council, Marist Sydney Old Pupils Association, Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre, Turbans 4 Australia and so, so many more who stepped up into the void left by other levels of government to provide everyday support like food hampers and gift vouchers.
Principals and teachers and other school support staff organised home learning kits, laptops, iPads and internet connections so that all of our students got the best education support they could provide. I have 65 wonderful schools in my electorate providing opportunities to so many students. Unfortunately, this year, because of the continuing COVID exposures, I will not see many of you in person, so I take this opportunity to thank you all for what you do for our community and most especially our students. It has been wonderful to see, through the magic of Facebook, how ingenious schools have been to ensure that their students still get to make wonderful memories. I give a shout-out to Lurnea Public School's principal David Martin for all his work supporting his community over the last few months.
As we move into summer and a more relaxing time, I would encourage everyone to keep safe. Remember the risks around water, on the beach and in the sun. Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma, so get your skin checked, cover up and keep safe. The bushfire and storm season has also started, and I want to acknowledge the local SES and bushfire brigades at Casula and Middleton Grange, who have already been out assisting with fire and storm damage. More importantly, remember that COVID is still circulating in our community, so follow the health advice, get tested if you're feeling unwell, and follow up and get vaccinated if you need to.
Finally, I know that, for many, Christmas and the holidays are especially difficult. If you're missing someone in your festivities, support groups like Beyond Blue and Lifeline are available 24/7 over the Christmas break, so if you need someone to talk to, please reach out. Merry Christmas to everybody.
Layton, Ms Donna
Ryan, Ms Michelle
Hodges, Dr James
Mr HOGAN (Page—Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister and Assistant Minister for Local Government) (10:47): I'd like to acknowledge Donna Layton, who is the manager of the Notaras sawmill in Grafton. She's been working at the mill for 43 years and is one of few female sawmillers in the country. Donna lost her property to the 2019-20 bushfires. These bushfires also devastated the timber industry, causing a more than 40 per cent downturn and a major shortage of timber supply. Donna worked tirelessly to find a way to keep the business open and continue to pay people's wages. Because of her efforts, Donna was awarded the 2021 Shine Award in the dedication category. The Shine Awards aim to recognise regional and rural women who make a real difference to their communities. Donna, the dedication you have to the business is incredible, and I thank you for that. I know that Spiro is looking down on you and is very proud, as is the whole Notaras family.
I'd like to acknowledge Michelle Ryan, who has recently had her German-Australian Opera Grant extended for the 2021-22 season. Michelle grew up on a sugarcane farm at Harwood and went to school at Maclean. She wanted to be a pop singer, but after being introduced to opera by her singing teacher she fell in love with the art. Michelle was the recipient of the German-Australian Opera Grant in 2020 and was to fly to Germany in June; however, her plans were placed on hold for a number of months due to the pandemic. Michelle eventually flew over in August 2020 and has been there ever since. She is playing Gretel in Hansel and Gretel at the State Theatre in Wiesbaden. Congratulations, Michelle. I'm sure your parents, John and Pearl, and the rest of your family, Daniel, Brea and Will, are all incredibly proud of you.
I'd like to acknowledge Dr James Hodges from Grafton. James was recently highly commended in the 2020-21 Michelle Beets Award for Inspirational Paediatric Care. This award recognises the commitment and achievements of people who go above and beyond and inspire others to deliver the best possible care for children. James is a staff specialist paediatrician at the Grafton Base Hospital. He is also on the project team for The first 2000 days framework, which outlines the importance of the first 2,000 days of a child's life. During the pandemic, James identified the need for carers in out-of-home care to be prioritised for vaccination and advocated heavily for this. He also advocates mental health and counselling services for children in the Clarence Valley and has a strong focus on early intervention. Rosemaria Flaherty from Northern New South Wales Local Health District said that James has built trusting relationships also within Aboriginal communities and families in our region. He is highly regarded within the Yaegl carer community, and the kids are lucky to have him. Congratulations, James, on your nomination. I know that Linda and your children, Georgia and Nicholas, are very proud of you.
Commonwealth Integrity Commission
Ms MURPHY (Dunkley) (10:49): It's more than a thousand days since Prime Minister Morrison and the former Attorney-General promised Australians a federal anticorruption commission, but, like so much else, the Morrison government has failed to deliver it. It has stopped debate in this parliament when we've tried to talk about establishing a federal anticorruption commission. The Prime Minister hasn't even bothered to introduce legislation into the parliament to try to establish an ICAC. All the Morrison government has is a draft for a model that has no supporters, no friends at all, apart from within the Morrison government—a model which just would not properly hold federal politicians to account.
What have we seen under this Morrison government? Today we've heard reports that two of the Prime Minister's close friends were hand-picked to receive $80,000 from Home Affairs to set up their own quarantine business, but apparently no-one in the Morrison government knows anything about it. And that's just the latest scandal. There are some other legacies of this tired Morrison government. We've seen sport rorts. We've seen car park rorts. Kananook and Seaford were promised commuter car parks. The money has been taken away. Where's the promised car park for Frankston?
There were secret million-dollar donations; tipping off the media about AFP raids; robodebt. We've had 'grassgate', where there was a failure to declare a meeting with officials about critically endangered grasslands, when the minister apparently had a financial interest in a company that was under investigation for poisoning them. There was 'watergate'; using forged documents to attack political arrivals; the sale of the Leppington Triangle land, near Western Sydney Airport, for $30 million, although it was only worth $3 million; visas for au pairs for mates. There was 'reefgate'—$44 million of taxpayers' money going to a small foundation, without a competitive tender process or any applications for the money, for our critically endangered Great Barrier Reef. There was a $38,000 home internet bill a minister had to pay back for excessive data use. A company once registered to a beach shack on Kangaroo Island got awarded a $532 million contract—the Paladin affair—without a tender, to provide services on Manus Island.
There were jobs for mates—an Administrative Appeals Tribunal with 65 former Liberal staffers, former Liberal or National politicians, party donors, party members, unsuccessful Liberal candidates or Liberal government employees. There were safer seats rorts, round 3 of the Safer Communities Fund, with 90 per cent of funding ending up in government held, independent or marginal Labor seats, rejecting advice from government community safety experts and reducing funding for 19 safety projects across Australia.
Despite the Prime Minister's pretence and efforts to say that it's the opposition's fault that there's no ICAC, it is this government's failure to deliver a proper anticorruption commission that will be its legacy. You want to hold politicians to account, vote Labor.
Climate Change
Mr TIM WILSON (Goldstein—Assistant Minister to the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction) (10:53): Having recently been given the privilege of serving as Assistant Minister to the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction, I thought it opportune to outline the approach I'll be bringing to this role and how excited I am to fulfil it as part of getting Australia to carbon neutrality by 2050.
When members get elevated to these important offices, they obviously bring in some of their experience, and I've always taken a very long term interest in climate change policy. For instance, many years ago, when I was working in the space of intellectual property policy, I became particularly exercised by and interested in the attempts by the Greens, amongst others, to try and undermine investment and innovation in low-carbon technology, always understanding that technology was going to be the pathway for us to decouple economic growth from a dependence on fossil fuels and other carbon emissions. It took me particularly to the Copenhagen conference in 2009, where I heard firsthand from many green activist groups how they wanted to get rid of intellectual property on low-carbon technology and the terrifying impacts that would have for getting the world to a carbon-neutral future.
As a result of the discussions in this parliament related to an emissions trading scheme and carbon tax, I then went off and learned about carbon accounting at Swinburne University. Later, because I became interested in the science of climate change, I went and did postgraduate studies at Murdoch University, which were partly interrupted by my time as Australia's Human Rights Commissioner, but they did give me valuable insight into the science underpinning climate change. More recently, I went off to Cambridge and studied 'business to net zero' because it gave me insight into the challenges that businesses face and how we've got to be working with them. But, when you go through and unpack the issues, particularly through the 'business to net zero' approach, it outlined firstly the scale of the challenge that the world faces but, secondly, that what we need is a model based on cooperative leadership, working with industry, households and of course government, to be able to drive change and improve the health and welfare of our communities as well as our environmental legacy. What it backed up, more than anything else—and when you take the issue seriously—is that you need to understand that, critically, technology is going to be the solution to getting a decoupling. Compared with the approach of the Greens, who look to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through deindustrialisation, or the approach of Labor, who want to reduce them through a Malthusian constraint on the economy through taxes, a technology based approach takes the issue seriously, because there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution but one that is built on pillars and a cooperative approach.
Finally, nearly a decade ago now, in a book I edited, Turning left or right: values in modern politics, I wrote a chapter specifically on what the Liberal solution should be for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and it was to back in technology which drove economic growth. Frankly, we'd cut emissions even if we— (Time expired)
Bom Funk Dance Studio
Eden-Monaro Electorate: Small Business
Ms McBAIN (Eden-Monaro) (10:56): Yesterday I had the great pleasure of watching a performance by a junior national champion dance team. The young girls who make up Bom Funk Dance Studio's Rubies team were crowned national champions earlier this year. They're an incredibly talented group, but they didn't get to celebrate their competition win in the way you'd expect. In fact, they didn't even get to attend the competition in person and, instead, had to perform via Zoom. This is because these girls live and dance in Jerrabomberra. They go to school in Canberra and live their lives in the Canberra region, but, because they live in New South Wales, they were unable to travel to South Australia where the competition took place. Canberra based teams were able to travel, though.
Here we are at the end of 2021, and once again people are hoping this summer and next year will be different. In December 2020, we were all hoping 2021 would be better. Everyone remembers the memes that were shared on social media saying, 'It's only up from here,' and that 2021 couldn't possibly be worse than 2020. But then on New Year's Eve, before 2021 had even started, the Victorian border was snapped shut and thousands of people cut their holiday short as they fled to get across the Victorian border because of an outbreak on the northern shores of Sydney. Going into 2022, one thing is certain: we need a plan and we need a leader who will unite our country. People are sick of this state-versus-state rhetoric that has featured over the past two years. That's something that should only matter on the football field. People in my communities which border the ACT and Victoria are sick of having to be across three different sets of rules and restrictions. Going forward, we need leadership at the national level. My communities need one cohesive policy, and they need clarity and certainty around border closures and lockdowns.
I've been fortunate to have been able to travel across my electorate and talk with business owners and staff. They would not survive a third wave. Just yesterday two businesses in Jerrabomberra said the exact same thing. As we go into another summer, people are tentatively hoping this holiday period will be better. With the majority of the Eden-Monaro reliant on the tourist economy, businesses are hoping that tourists will not only return but come back and spend their money in our local stores, cafes and restaurants and do our different experiences. In Eden, they've once again erected a sign that says, 'Welcome back, Victorians.' Further up the coast there's a similar sign welcoming back Canberrans. Our communities are preparing to welcome tourists with open arms. So I encourage everyone to please go out and support them. It means the world to small and family businesses right across our region. A very merry Christmas to you all, and we hope for nothing more than a prosperous and happy 2022.
Forde Electorate: Windaroo Valley State High School
Forde Electorate: Marsden State High School
Mr VAN MANEN (Forde—Chief Government Whip) (10:59): I have some very bright and talented students in my electorate who work hard and dedicate themselves to their passions, each and every day. It gives me great pleasure to share with the House some of the accomplishments of these amazing students. Windaroo Valley State High School has qualified for the finals of the Australian space design competition, which will be held at the beginning of January next year. Only 10 schools across the nation have qualified for this competition. The Australian space design competition is an industry simulation experience that combines elements of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, with an emphasis on teamwork, marketing and human relations, to provide a unique challenge. It is designed for secondary school students with a passion for space or who are considering a future in STEM fields. The competition has been regarded as the premier STEM competition for high school students and is recognised by universities. Students are required to respond to an industry-level engineering request for tender and a design of a futuristic space settlement.
For the 2021 qualifying competition their coach, Mr Thrum, appointed Skyler Potter, a year 10 student, as president. Skyler has competed in the competition since its launch at Windaroo in 2019. The school submission was judged by a panel of industry and scholarly experts from groups such as Engineers Australia, universities, Boeing, the Australian Space Agency and Gilmour Space Technologies. Competing at the Australian Space Design Competition national finals provides the students with an opportunity to be selected to compete for Australia in the world championships of the International Space Settlement Design Competition in July 2022.
The students of Logan are not only academically outstanding but also host a large population of talented sportspeople. This week it was announced that Marsden State High School has been selected by the Brisbane Roar to host their junior skills training centre and academy base for their region-wide talent. Marsden State High School is one of the three largest state schools in the state with a strong sports focus. It is the perfect location for the Brisbane Roar to host their base, given its central location and state-of-the-art training facilities. The school has a progressive holistic philosophy towards player development and a proven track record of developing elite-level Queensland sporting talent. Marsden state high is also set to become Brisbane Roar's accredited high-performance football school, and these opportunities will give students the competitive edge they need when exploring a career at elite-level football. I thank the Brisbane Roar for their investment in our local community.
Congratulations to Windaroo State Valley High School and Marsden State High School, and I'm looking forward to their continued successes.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Dr Freelander ): In accordance with standing order 93 the time for constituency statements has concluded.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms Liu: I move:
That the Federation Chamber do now adjourn.
Macnamara Electorate: Childcare and Early Education Services
Mr BURNS (Macnamara) (11:02): A couple of years ago in the early stages of my term as the elected member for Macnamara, I joined with local parents, early educators, the Australian Services Union and the local community to oppose the City of Port Phillip's plan to sell off our council-run childcare and early education services. At that time we knew that to have high-quality affordable Childcare and Early Education Services available to the people and the families in my electorate mattered, and it still matters today. That's why I was so disappointed and, to be honest, a little frustrated to hear that the City of Port Phillip have now gone back to their plan to try and sell off assets and local childcare facilities.
Back then my friend and colleague the member for Albert Park and Victorian health minister Martin Foley and I stood shoulder to shoulder with the community, and we worked with then mayor Louise Crawford and the former mayor Bernadene Voss, whom I acknowledge, to turn the decision around and oppose it. The decision was reversed, and we call on the City of Port Phillip to once again go back to the drawing board and not sell off three community run childcare services—the Avenue Children's Centre and Kindergarten; the Eildon Road Childcare and Kindergarten; and Elwood Children's Centre.
To understand these services is to understand local high-quality community run childcare and early education services. These are beautiful old buildings. They don't just provide high-quality child care and early education; they also provide a sense of community. Young families who come into the electorate send their kids there, and they get to know other families with kids of similar ages. They build lifelong friendships and a sense of community. To live in the City of Port Phillip is a magical thing, but to have that sense of community on top of that—I've heard this from countless parents and countless community members—is so valuable and so important to them. That was part of the reason why the City of Port Phillip stopped and reversed their decision last time. They heard, loud and clear, how important our not-for-profit child care and our council- and community-run child care and early education services are.
Last night the City of Port Phillip had a meeting, and I want to thank the more than 20 local parents and community members who stood up and spoke against the proposal to sell off our three fantastic community run services. It took guts to turn up to council, but it also showed how important these services are to our local community. We are specifically asking council to go back to the drawing board. I understand there are some DDA compliance issues that we need to fix. There often are in old buildings, and I think it is important to address this and make sure these buildings are safe and DDA compliant. But I also think the council should not be looking for the path of least resistance here. The council should be fighting to keep these centres, not fighting to get rid of these centres. At the moment the emphasis is on the completely wrong spot. So I stand in this place and say to each and every councillor who understands the value of local, affordable, high-quality child care and early education and who is willing to listen to the community: slow this process down and look for other options.
The final point I will make on this is that we are coming out of the coronavirus, the pandemic—hopefully! Hopefully the vaccines are able to maintain a level of community protection and we are able to all return to some level of work and normality. But that is impossible if you don't have affordable, accessible local child care and early education. For women and working families who live in the City of Port Phillip, this is not just about child care and early education. This is not just about fostering and building communities in our local area. This is also about economic policy to ensure that our local area, which has been hard hit by the pandemic, is allowed to recover and prosper once again. So I say in this place: we have fought this before, and we will fight it again. To the new mayor, who I know has a different political persuasion to me: don't do this as your first act as mayor. Go back to the drawing board and protect our locally run child care and early education centres for the community and for our whole local area.
Chisholm Electorate: Volunteer Grants
Ms LIU (Chisholm) (11:07): In a huge boost for Chisholm's volunteers, our local community organisations and sports clubs will receive a share in more than $80 million as part of the Morrison government's 2021 volunteers grants. Volunteers are integral to many Australian organisations, with more than 8.7 million volunteers across the country giving their time for free to support their communities, without any expectation of reward. What is true of the country as a whole is certainly true of Chisolm, and I'm proud of the work undertaken by our local volunteers, particularly over the last two years as they have supported businesses and families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
I'm thrilled that our government is able to support their work in some small way through this fantastic funding system. The volunteer grants provide organisations with grants of $1,000 to $5,000 to help make important equipment purchases, as well as to help cover expenses such as those involved in training programs or in carrying out background-screening checks.
I would like to acknowledge a few of the more than 30 local groups receiving funding through the program and to recognise their fantastic work in our community. First, we have the Family Access Network in Box Hill, which does really important work in our community, responding to the diverse needs of homeless and at-risk young people and young families. Volunteer grants funding will be used to support training around youth mental health, first aid, dealing with conflict, and trauma informed practice. I had the pleasure of meeting client services manager Michelle Thompson earlier this year to talk through Family Access Network's plan. Prior to the pandemic, their work was already extremely important; now, it is bordering on critical.
Volunteer grants funding is also going to the Monash Men's Shed in Glen Waverley. I have spoken on a number of occasions in this and the other chamber about the work of this wonderful group of locals, as well as their misfortune recently when their shed was broken into. I'm proud that our program—our government—is able to assist them in some small way, in their overall mission of supporting isolated men in our community, by providing funding towards transport costs to bring those men to the shed itself.
The final organisation I will mention today is the Victorian Tamil Association. Volunteer grant funding is going to them to support their Glen Waverley Tamil school and training for their volunteers in child safety and child psychology. Funding has also been allocated towards the purchase of digital equipment, which has, as well we know, been so important for community organisations as they have adapted to the continuing challenges of remote interactions.
These are just some of the incredible local organisations we are supporting. Apart from those mentioned, we have cultural groups, neighbourhood houses, Scouts, churches and sports clubs. All of these groups deserve acknowledgement and recognition. I'm out of time today, but I promise I will be catching up with all of you in person as soon as I can. For now, my message to all our wonderful organisations and volunteers in Chisholm is thank you for all the work that you do, and I hope you have a fantastic holiday season. You earned it.
Women's Economic Security
Ms MURPHY (Dunkley) (11:12): Today, in what may be my last speech in this term of parliament, depending on when the Prime Minister decides to call the election, I want to talk about a vision for rebuilding our economy and coming out of the COVID pandemic. This is a vision that takes into account everyone in our society but particularly works to redress the undervaluation and underappreciation of the care economy and the people that work in it. Not all of those people are women, but they predominantly are women.
I want to note that I've benefited greatly from reading the Per Capita discussion paper put out, I think, last year. The author, Emma Dawson, says, and I concur with this 100 per cent:
As we rebuild our economy in the wake of COVID-19, we have the opportunity to fix broken systems, and to rethink what we value as a society, and what kind of country we want to be.
The Per Capita paper, written last year, argued for a care led recovery which focuses on the things that really matter to Australians: the health and wellbeing of their families and communities, the time they have to spend with one another, the security of their work and the recognition of the value we find in caring for one another. If those things aren't at the heart of the vision for what the country looks like as we come out of COVID and in the years and decades in the future, then we're doing a disservice to the men and women in our community.
We know that women, during COVID, were the most likely to lose paid work and were the most likely to bear more of the unpaid but essential work at home as we went through essential but very difficult public health restrictions and lockdowns. And we know from recent ABS data that women are more likely to be underemployed—wanting more work but not able to get it—than men are. Recently, I spoke with a constituent, Amy, who lives in Seaford and is a self-employed architect. Amy has two young children. She and her fiance work from home, and did so before the pandemic, but, because of the industries they work in, they were not classified as permitted workers during lockdown. It meant that they couldn't access child care for a large portion of the last two years. Someone had to look after the young children who could no longer go to child care, and, like in so many families in my community and across the country, that role fell to Amy. Amy is not unhappy about that, she's not complaining about it, but the reality for Amy, and for many women, is that to care for her children she had to give up work. This—I will quote Amy—'was heartbreaking for me. It has been devastating to watch my business slowly die.' She said:
… due to my situation with no access to childcare I had to turn … business away as I could not guarantee when I would be able to work again.
Amy made to me the observation that so many others have: sadly, it seems that the Morrison government hasn't heard, or doesn't understand, that the necessary health response to COVID, the lockdowns and restrictions, disproportionately impacted women, particularly women with children, and that still hasn't been properly addressed. It particularly impacted women who were sole traders, missed out on both state and federal support for their businesses and had to stop working. I couldn't put it any more clearly than Amy did when she said to me:
I'm concerned about the flow on effects of lost wages, lost super and lost opportunities for women with children as a result—
of COVID.
In her recent address to the Press Club, the indomitable Sam Mostyn, wearing, I think, her CEW hat—she has so many hats—put it like this:
We are now living with what Professor Elizabeth Hill … describes as a great weariness and whiplash for women across this country: the weariness and emotional havoc of paid and unpaid work during lockdown; the whiplash of disproportionate jobs and hours lost during COVID, where 55 per cent of the jobs lost during April 2020 were women's and, this year, 60 per cent of the job losses across Australia between June and September were jobs lost by women.
We know that feminised industries are paid less than male dominated industries. We know that there is a gender pay gap, we know that that has been exacerbated by what we've gone through, and we deserve a government that will deal with it. That will be an Albanese Labor government, which I will be proud to work in.
Morant, Lieutenant Harry (Breaker), Handcock, Lieutenant Peter, Witton, Lieutenant George
Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (11:17): Apart from the last sentence, I concur with the previous speaker. We should never have had lockdowns.
If justice were a meal, it would be better served cold than not served at all, and in a country where belief in a fair go is in our DNA the quest for justice should never fade. That's why, 120 years after the fact, there remains a strong desire amongst many people, some of my parliamentary colleagues included, for one of our national legends to receive long-overdue justice. In February it will be 120 years since the execution of Harry Morant—better known as Breaker Morant—and Peter Handcock, as well as the sentencing of their colleague George Witton to life imprisonment. Their trials and execution have been the subject of great conjecture in Australian history as well as the subject of stories, books, ballads, a screenplay and the 1980 movie titled Breaker Morant.
Harry Morant established himself as quite a character from very early on in life. He was undoubtedly an expert horseman, reportedly a womaniser and perhaps a little loose with the truth about his past and legendary exploits. Depending on which stories you believe, he may even have been a bit of a scoundrel. But being larger than life or, indeed, being a scoundrel does not make justice any less deserved. Even in times of conflict on foreign soil, everyone should be entitled to due process and equality before the law. Morant, Handcock and Witton were not tried in accordance with the military law of the time—1902 we're talking about. Their convictions were likely unlawful and their sentences likely illegal, as the men were not afforded an opportunity to appeal, which was a right enshrined in law in 1902. There was a failure to implement the courts martial recommendations of mercy, and there were denials of a proper opportunity to consult legal counsel before trial, the right to communicate with witnesses and next of kin and the right to communicate with the Australian government of 1902 to seek intervention and support.
Australians have always held in high regard the men and women putting their lives on the line by defending our freedoms on foreign soil. But not all Australians show the same respect today that they once did. There are those in the media and amongst the elites who despise our nation and those who fight to protect it. In 2016 some rumours were enough to launch an investigation conducted by New South Wales Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton to answer questions of unlawful conduct concerning the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan. What followed was a media and antimilitary pile-on besmirching not only the subjects of the rumours but an entire class of people. You might recall that Chinese foreign ministry official Lijian Zhao posted to Twitter a photoshopped image depicting an Australian soldier holding a knife to the neck of an Afghani child. When the Brereton report was released the entire Special Air Service's second squadron was completely disbanded, tarnishing the reputation of every single member, whether they were a subject of that report or not.
When you read the report, it found that the rumours, the allegations and the suspicions around 39 alleged incidents were 'not substantiated'. While the inquiry found 'credible information' about 23 incidents, it said about that credible information:
There can of course be credible information of a matter warranting further investigation, even if there is also credible information to the contrary. A finding that there is credible information of a matter is not a finding that the matter is proved …
But the trial by media and public persecution of our soldiers had already been conducted. A whole squadron was treated as if it were guilty and sentenced to a tarnished reputation, regardless of what outcomes may yet come out of any legal proceedings, so 120 years on we still have Australian soldiers being judged unfairly and not being afforded due process. But, as I said, justice is better served cold than never served at all. We can still afford Breaker Morant, Peter Handcock and George Witton the legal processes they deserved at that time. That's why I'm calling on the government to initiate an independent review into those allegations, the evidence, the trial and the legal processes to determine whether justice was properly served and whether those three Australian soldiers really were just scapegoats. I know many people have spoken about a pardon, and descendants of these men would be extremely happy to have their ancestors exonerated. At the very least we should give them the courtesy of proper due process and properly investigate the circumstances that led to the execution of Morant and Handcock. If an independent review finds grounds for an exoneration, then a pardon from the Australian government for those men who served their country in the Boer War would be the appropriate course of action.
Coalition Government
Mr ZAPPIA (Makin) (11:22): As we approach the end of this parliamentary term, the question that arises is: are Australians better off and is Australia now a better country to live in after eight years of coalition governments? For most Australians, the response would very likely be no. Every indicator points to Australians today being worse off than they were eight years ago, facing an uncertain future and having very little confidence that life will get better. There is no denying that COVID has disrupted life both in Australia and around the world and added to the difficulties of government, but Australia's slide predates COVID. The national health system is at breaking point. Ambulance ramping, unheard of years ago, has never been worse. In South Australia it has become a daily occurrence. Lives have been put at risk, and there are already claims that lives have actually been lost. Elective surgery waiting times are getting longer, with people now waiting years for urgently needed operations. Gap fees are rising and all too often causing people to avoid essential medical treatment. Private health insurance has become unaffordable for many people, and mental health services are unable to keep up with the surging demands for help.
The aged-care system is still in crisis. Even after the royal commission, little has changed, and disturbing stories of poor care are regularly reported. For people with a disability, the NDIS system has been woefully implemented and is a nightmare to navigate, and packages are now being heartlessly cut. Skyrocketing housing prices have put the great Australian dream of home ownership further out of reach for most young people, or anyone who is not earning an above-average income. As housing prices rise, so do rents, making life for those people renting even more difficult to make ends meet let alone save money to one day buy their own home.
Both net debt and gross debt have increased every year under coalition governments, with gross debt hovering around a trillion dollars. Wages are stagnant, and job security for many Australians is becoming a thing of the past. Even for dual-income households, life can be a struggle. Many Australians are now having to work multiple jobs just to get by.
On climate change, other than a statement about a 2050 target that is in 30 years time, we've had no direct action from the coalition government to what is rapidly becoming a race against time. In South Australia, the cancellation of the French submarine contract has left hundreds of workers and small businesses in limbo. Eight years and billions of dollars have been wasted. Meanwhile, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is once again under threat of being derailed by the National Party as we saw by attempts in this parliament earlier this year.
Rorting has become a hallmark of the whole Morrison government and, not surprisingly, we still do not have a National Integrity Commission. We have a coalition government racked by dysfunction, disunity and dishonesty; a government that is characterised by indecision, incompetence and scandal that does all that it can to avoid any form of scrutiny; and a government that has bungled the NBN rollout, presided over the billion-dollar robodebt fiasco, wasted over $13 billion in JobKeeper payments, mismanaged the Afghanistan withdrawal, racked up a trillion dollars in debt, refused to disclose the source of a million-dollar donation to the former Attorney-General, and, on Monday, released a calendar for next year's parliamentary sittings that lists a very likely 10 sitting days of parliament over the next eight months.
The Morrison government is unravelling, as we have seen in the last two weeks. It has become a shambolic government with no clear purpose. I don't pretend that getting Australia back on track, restoring confidence and bridging the inequality divide will be easy, but I believe that Australians can do so much better. That requires a change of government—a government that has the right priorities and treats all Australians as equals; has a real plan and is serious about climate change; strengthens the Australian economy; restores confidence in the national health system; invests in social housing and infrastructure; backs our education system, including our TAFEs and universities; fixes the national electricity grid; rebuilds Australian manufacturing; and respects our First Australians.
It is time to elect an Albanese-led Labor government and give Australians the security and confidence in the future that they deserve.
Higgins Electorate: Volunteers
Dr ALLEN (Higgins) (11:27): I think we can all agree on one thing: 2021 has been a very challenging year indeed—challenging not just because the world has had to navigate the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic but also because the flow-on effects to our local communities have been profound and in some cases devastating.
I've been heartened in Higgins by the enormous outpouring of support from our local community volunteer organisations. These groups have weathered the pandemic storm and been a beacon of light, supporting some of our most vulnerable in their darkest of times, and today I want to acknowledge them.
Each year I have the privilege of hosting the Higgins community volunteer awards to recognise the outstanding efforts of the local unsung heroes of the Higgins electorate—the men and women of our local sporting clubs, Rotarians, scout groups, churches, toy libraries and the many other local clubs who make our community great.
This year 30 individuals were recipients of the prestigious community volunteer awards and were acknowledged for their efforts by their peers at the award ceremony in November. The story of these community leaders touched my heart, and I want to thank all of those who submitted nominations this year. Collectively, our recipients contributed over 260 years of service to their local organisations, which speaks volumes to their ongoing commitment to our community.
I want to also place on record my sincere thanks to our extra special guest speaker, none other than three-time Olympic athlete, including the recent Tokyo Olympics, and bronze medallist at the Olympics, Anabelle Smith—who also happens to be a Higgins constituent. Anabelle shared with the volunteers her experience competing as a triple Olympian and her admiration for volunteerism in her sport. As an athlete, passionate sportswoman and local champion, Anabelle has spent her career surrounded by dedicated volunteers who've made an enormous contribution to her success. I want to thank her for joining us on the evening and for being so inspirational.
I want to take the opportunity to name for Hansard the following individuals, who are this year's recipients: Christine McKillop from the Great Valley Road community; Andrew Othen from Malvern Baseball Club; Geoff Colson from the Murrumbeena Park Bowls Club; Deborah Negri from the Currajong School; Ky Ngo and Pham Ho from the Vietnamese Senior Cultural Association; Gillian Manson from Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria; Heidi Sutherland from Prahran Cricket Club; Juanita Olding from the Malvern Special Needs Playgroup; Nigel Stanford from 13th Malvern scout group; Julie and Peter De Verceilli from Very Special Kids; Ros Crommelin from mecwacare Noel Miller Centre; Frances Clancy from Cabrini; Marcia Fyson from Inclusion Melbourne; Leigh Machin from the Probus Club of Malvern; Claire Valentine from Carnegie Toy Library; Piero Vasconi from JoCare; Herman and Heather Koppens from St James Anglican Church, as well as Elizabeth Hoath in the op shop; Elaine Hillier from Stonnington City Brass; David Purcell, Arnie and Judi Maskiell from the Self Help Addiction Resource Centre; Anita Rumba from Vision Australia; Rosie Potaznik from the Australian Friends of Tel Aviv University; Karlene Coker from the Ashburton Shopping Centre Traders Association; Ben Beccari from the VICSES Malvern; and finally Lil Barac-Macey from the Craig Family Centre. Congratulations to all for your efforts, not just during the pandemic but for some who have literally taken care of their community for decades.
The Morrison government will always support our hardworking volunteers, and it gave me great pleasure this week to notify 37 community groups across Higgins that they were recipients of federal funding for volunteer grants. A total of $130,945 will be shared across these groups in a huge boost that will mean they can continue to play their crucial role in society, especially as we move forward out of the pandemic. Volunteering helps to reduce marginalisation. It increases community participation. Importantly, but often not recognised, it provides many with a proven pathway to work. Well done to all our volunteers across Higgins. I look forward to celebrating with each of these recipients in person very soon, as we'll be hosting a morning tea, now that Melbourne is out of lockdown, early next year. I look forward to meeting all of them and saying congratulations in person.
Climate Change
Mr WILKIE (Clark) (11:32): After the global climate talks last month, surely the argument for keeping trees in the ground has never been more compelling, with Tasmanian forests in particular providing a powerful case for preserving our forests. Indeed, in Glasgow, Australia and over 100 other countries signed an agreement promising to end deforestation by 2030 in a landmark pact that, if put into practice, would play a critical role in slowing and preventing catastrophic climate change. This is, quite simply, because forests act like a carbon sink, sucking carbon from the atmosphere and stemming global warming. In fact, they're so good at it that the only reason the federal government can claim Australia has so far reached its emission targets is that we've stopped cutting trees down so fast.
The problem is, of course, that the research shows that, if you exclude the carbon stored in our forest and land, Australian emissions have actually increased in the last 15 years, putting us in breach of our own weak targets. In other words, it's forests that are doing the heavy lifting while the government flounders. Even that achievement is potentially a mirage, because once the intact forests are felled the carbon they store is released, possibly forever. Such irrecoverable carbon means that protecting our existing forests must be a top priority for all Australian governments, especially in my home state of Tasmania, where the forests are some of the most carbon dense in the world. In fact, we rely on them to draw down some 10 million tonnes of carbon per year—enough to offset all of the state's other emissions.
Indeed, this matter is so important that, by protecting half a million hectares of forest and halving the logging quota, Tasmania was able to go from being an emitting state to being the first jurisdiction in Australia to be carbon neutral. That is an amazing achievement not to be understated, although this is only part of the puzzle, because carbon sinks aren't an excuse for business as usual elsewhere and shouldn't be relied upon by state governments or the federal government to hide the fact that our real emissions aren't actually going down. This is certainly the case in Tassie where, despite achieving net zero, there has actually been little change in our emissions across other sectors. In fact, emissions have risen in many areas, such as transport and industry. In other words, just as at the federal level, the Tasmanian government is relying on the forests and other natural carbon sinks to bring down our numbers.
Of course, we can't offset our way to zero simply by relying on trees. We also must rapidly phase out coal, gas and oil and fast-track to 100 per cent renewables. There are just not enough trees to suck up all the filth we pump into the atmosphere. It's blindingly obvious to anyone following the science and anyone watching the weather that we need to actively reduce emissions across the country, in all sectors, and that goes for Tasmania too. The trouble is we have a federal government obsessed with fossil fuels that will try anything to keep polluting, including pouring money into fanciful distractions like carbon capture and storage, even though this technology remains an unproven, expensive furphy, peddled by polluting companies not only to justify their continued emissions but, in some cases, even to reach deeper stores of oil and gas that should instead be left in the ground.
That brings me back to trees and the fact that they're still the only way to capture carbon on a mass scale, and they're literally standing right in our backyards. We must protect them, because it's crucial we protect those natural carbon sinks which work to suck down and store our carbon emissions, especially now with the federal government claiming, on the international stage, to be committed to ending deforestation. We're already seeing the devastating impact of climate change in Australia and we know that every fraction of a degree of temperature rise we can avoid by reducing emissions really matters. But we also know that, even if we phase out fossil fuels immediately, there is already far too much greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, and somehow we've got to capture that. Fortunately forest ecosystems store more carbon than the atmosphere. Protecting our forests is a straightforward way to slow dangerous climate change. Across Australia, and particularly in Tasmania, it's quite simple. Forests soak up carbon, and cutting them down releases it. They are worth so much more standing.
Gippsland Electorate: Bushfire Recovery
Mr CHESTER (Gippsland) (11:36): It's with a heavy heart and a great deal of frustration—
A division having been called in the House of Representatives—
Sitting suspended from 11:3 8 to 11:49
Mr CHESTER: It's with a heavy heart and some level of frustration that I raise my concern about the failure of all levels of government to actually deliver the recovery we need in East Gippsland after the Black Summer bushfires. On the bright side, I do want to thank the workers and the volunteers who have actually done something to help, but we have such a long way to go. Next week, I'll be meeting with representatives of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency, and my advice to those staff members will be blunt and it will be straightforward: 'Grant-writing fatigue has set in, adding to the trauma in my community. You need to stop making excuses and you need to start meeting deadlines. You need to start listening to locals instead of state government bureaucrats. You need to develop a greater sense of urgency, across all levels of government, and you actually have to help get stuff done on the ground.'
Mr Deputy Speaker, it's been almost two years since the bushfires, and I'll just remind you of the scale of the impact in my seat of Gippsland. More than half of the East Gippsland local government area was burnt. More than 60,000 people are estimated to have evacuated in East Gippsland as a result of the warnings. Three people, tragically, died and 410 residential properties were destroyed. The cumulative impact of economic losses as a result of drought, bushfires and COVID-19 has entrenched the socioeconomic disadvantage experienced by one of the most vulnerable regional communities in Australia, yet this region has not received a fair share of funding, because the state government ran the grants program. The latest program, the $280 million Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants program, has not announced a single successful project, because of bureaucratic delays here in Canberra. We were promised these funds months ago but now we're being told to wait until next year.
I understand that East Gippsland community organisations have applied for more than $40 million worth of projects—much-needed projects—and that some bright spark gave us a notional allocation of just $4.5 million in the official grant guidelines documents. I've already pushed back on that idea, and now we're told that it's only an indicative amount and we could receive more. Sorry, Deputy Speaker, if on behalf of my community I call bulldust on that one. We don't need more empty promises. We need more money and we need a focus on delivery to help one of the most disadvantaged communities in Australia fully recover—socially, economically, environmentally and culturally.
I've received a letter from the Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience, Bridget McKenzie, claiming the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants program allocation to the region will not be capped at $4.5 million as was previously indicated. I've repeatedly called on my colleagues to ensure the funding is properly weighted to the regions which suffered actual fire damage and not just flow-on economic impacts. It defies logic that $27 million has been notionally allocated to six councils in north-east Victoria and just $4.5 million has been notionally allocated to East Gippsland Shire. To add insult to injury, the Canberra bureaucrats have allocated funding based on local government areas, which discriminates against Victoria because we have amalgamated our councils. In East Gippsland's case, four or five councils were amalgamated into one. Under this lazy Canberra bureaucratic approach, if East Gippsland Shire hadn't gone through the amalgamation process we'd be eligible for $22.5 million.
Thankfully, according to Senator McKenzie, the notional amount allocated in the grant guidelines is not a done deal. She's written to me:
The amount of funding that ends up going to projects in a LGA may be more or less than the guide amount, based on projects received, demonstrated need and the project merit.
I hope the minister's right. I'm not blaming her. I hope her bureaucrats don't let her down again. There is huge unmet demand for projects in my electorate, and it's going to take a lot more than $4.5 million to keep me happy and to keep my community happy.
East Gippslanders suffered more damage than people in any other part of Victoria did, and the go-slow by the state government in repairing or replacing assets on public lands means the private economy—the visitor economy—is not recovering as quickly as it should be. We are the custodians of a huge public land estate in East Gippsland, and we don't have the resources to properly look after that public land estate. We still have bridges, cabins and pathways that haven't been fixed because there are simply not enough boots on the ground. The state government does not hire enough outdoor workers to get the work done. We need more boots and less suits. We need more boots in Gippsland to get the practical environmental work done and less suits in the cities making excuses about why projects can't be completed in a more timely manner.
It's simply time to get stuff done. I have no intention of giving up the fight for a fair go for Gippslanders. I remind the National Recovery and Resilience Agency: stop making excuses. The grant-writing fatigue has set in. It's adding to the trauma of my community. Start making your own deadlines, start listening to locals, develop a greater sense of urgency and actually get stuff done on the ground.
Commonwealth Integrity Commission
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Voter Integrity) Bill 2021
Dr ALY (Cowan) (11:54): It's the final sitting week and the final sitting day for 2021. I came here—trekked across the country to Canberra—in the hope that I would be able to debate issues that were important to my community in the electorate of Cowan, not least the issue of a federal integrity commission. I've disclosed in this place before that my husband has had a long career as a public servant in corruption prevention at the state level. He and I often talk about how astounding it is that my state colleagues—state members of parliament and state public servants—can be investigated and held to account but there is nothing to hold me to account. There's nothing to hold anyone here in this place to account because of the lack of a federal integrity commission.
So I came to Canberra in this final week to debate these issues and was very much looking forward to seeing the much-promised federal integrity commission proposal that the government has been talking about for over 1,000 days. Instead, the Prime Minister, who said that the government needs to get out of people's lives, introduced a bill that this government had the gall to title a voter integrity bill.
Now, Deputy Speaker Zimmerman, don't get me wrong: I'm very happy that this bill has been defeated not just because it wasn't needed because it's sought to address a problem that didn't exist; and not just because that bill would have had adverse impacts on people in regional communities, on First Nations people and, indeed, on people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities—people like my parents and me who migrated in the 1960s and seventies and were forced to anglicise our names and now hold different forms of identification in different names. That bill would have had an adverse impact on people like that, and not only because that bill would have prevented people from participating in democracy, as is their right, as citizens of Australia.
I have to say: I find it the highest form of hypocrisy that a government that refuses to scrutinise its own integrity would dare to suggest that the integrity of the people they are elected to serve needs to be scrutinised. I find that incredibly hypocritical.
As I mentioned, it's been over 1,000 days since this government promised a federal integrity body and, to be honest, it's an abject failure on the part of this government that we still don't have one before the House which we can debate, which we can consider and hopefully deliver to the people of Australia. We cannot retain, regain or rebuild the trust in our political institutions in the absence of an effective federal integrity body. And, by effective, I don't mean a wishy-washy model that proposes that members of parliament have to refer themselves for investigation.
Over the past few years, we've seen sports rorts. We've seen pork-barrelling at an incredible rate. We've seen questions around the integrity of individual members of parliament. We've seen robodebt. We've seen a minister forge a document in order to attack a local mayor. We've seen a former Attorney-General refuse to disclose the source of $1 million worth of donations—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Zimmerman ): Order! The member for Cowan, I think that that was an unparliamentary remark and I'd ask you to withdraw it.
Dr ALY: I withdraw, Deputy Speaker, but can I ask which remark you were specifically referring to?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: When you referred to a minister and documents.
Dr ALY: I withdraw, Deputy Speaker. We've seen these things, but we have not seen any accountability—none.
The citizens and voters of Australia don't deserve to have their integrity questioned. They deserve a government that will act with integrity. They deserve a government that will bring on what this do-nothing Prime Minister won't do—that is, a federal integrity body that is effective, has teeth and means that we are under the same level of scrutiny as state members of parliament who are investigated by state bodies. (Time expired)
New South Wales: Regional Services
Wyangala Dam
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (11:59): 'NSW' stands for New South Wales. In the past, particularly in those 16 sorry years of Labor state government between 1995 and 2011, many in country New South Wales thought it represented merely Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong. When those terms of office overlapped with the Rudd-Gillard years of federal Labor, between 2007 and 2011, it spelt disaster for regional New South Wales. Country people in that state remember all too well the neglect. They talk of the 'Forgotten people', Menzies's famous Liberal Party founding speech. Well, I'll tell you who was forgotten during those dysfunctional, chaotic years of neglect when Labor was in power at both state and federal levels at the same time. It was country New South Wales people. These days, with Liberals and Nationals governing in Macquarie Street since 2011, things are different—vastly different.
I was speaking this morning to New South Wales Upper House member Bronnie Taylor, the Deputy Leader of The Nationals and Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women. She said: 'You only have to drive into a country city or town to see what we've done as far as education and health are concerned. New schools, new hospitals, updated schools, upgraded health facilities—they're everywhere.' The New South Wales coalition government has achieved great things, particularly for country people, on the back of record funding and support from the federal Liberal and Nationals government since 2013. The work done by Minister Taylor MLC, supported by federal initiatives such as headspace, has been exceptional and is of course ongoing. Efforts to ensure that country people, especially vulnerable regional youth, receive the right support where and when they need it are ongoing, and they must be.
I read with interest in the Daily Telegraph today of new New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet's intention to announce a new minister for cities when his cabinet is reshuffled later this month. The minister, according to the Telegraph, will have authority to 'rev the engines of Wollongong, Newcastle and the Central Coast as well as Greater Sydney'. As someone who announced funding for, turned the first sod on sites of or cut the ribbon for many Sydney projects, I am one regional minister—or was one regional minister!—who was welcome at these projects and in city electorates. Indeed, I refer specifically to Western Sydney's Nancy-Bird Walton international airport, the WestConnex M4 and M8, and the Botany rail duplication projects, to name just a few.
But what does concern me—and I do hope this is not right—is that the New South Wales government has not committed to the raising of the dam wall at Wyangala. Whilst the Premier was asked this in question time just the other day, he has not committed to it. Admittedly, he said that the business case needs to come forward, and that is true. He said, and other New South Wales ministers have argued, that biodiversity offsets need to be determined, and that is also correct. But I also appreciate that originally there was a loan applied for, and obviously given by the federal government, as far as water infrastructure is concerned. That loan was then requested to be a grant, and that was also provided for and allocated. Now the costs seem to have blown out from the order of $650 million to potentially more than $2 billion. Well, that might be so, but how much would that money save the community of Forbes, which, on average, gets flooded—and has since 1887—every seven years? The situation is appalling for those farmers and townspeople, who have to constantly rip up the carpet and replace floorboards. Farmers' crops are ruined, and that costs in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars. And it's a cost not just for the farmers but for the national economy, because when those farmers require assistance, when those farmers require support from the various levels of government, they're not paying taxes, and that then hurts us all.
It's time to get the costings done, and I urge and implore the New South Wales government to do just that. If it costs $2 billion, well, that is a down payment on water security. That is an investment in the future of not only Forbes but the Central West. It's an investment in the national economy. It's time to stop the talk, it's time to stop the procrastination and it's time to raise that dam wall by 10 metres.
Summit for Democracy
Mr WATTS (Gellibrand) (12:04): Australia's democracy is the foundation of our individual freedoms and our collective prosperity, and all of us in this place owe our positions to the institutions of Australian democracy. We're custodians of these democratic institutions, but all too often we take these institutions for granted. Every democratic norm that is ignored in this place and every principal that is bent in pursuit of short-term political gain weakens these institutions and undermines public trust and confidence in our democracy. This is a problem because around the world democratic principles are under pressure from rising populist and authoritarian forces, as much within our own societies as without. Our generation is being called on to fight for democracy in the face of this challenge.
Next week, US President Joe Biden is convening the Summit for Democracy, which will be attended by around 110 countries, including Australia. The aim of the summit is:
… to renew the spirit and shared purpose of the nations of the Free World.
It will:
… strengthen our democratic institutions, honestly confront … nations that are backsliding, and forge a common agenda …
It's an important challenge, and a welcome return to global leadership in service of democratic values from the United States.
We've seen democracies around the world under pressure from without and within in recent years. In the United States, we saw this most dramatically with the 6 January insurrection at the US Congress—an event that grew out of many years of attacks on democratic values and institutions in the United States under President Trump—and culminated in an attack on the most fundamental part of any democracy—a peaceful transition of power at the conclusion of free and fair elections. In this way, President Biden's summit for democracy is a welcome initiative, not because it seeks to lecture the world but because it encourages the democracies of the world to undertake the same kind of self-reflection that it is currently undertaking about the health of its democracy in the wake of the 6 January insurrection.
Australia should take up this invitation for self-reflection. Unfortunately, we're beginning to see a similar pattern play out in Australia under the current government. Although external threats remain in the form of increasing cyber-enabled foreign interference, the greatest threat for our democracy comes from within. It comes from those who undermine public confidence in our democracy by trashing the norms of our democratic institutions in pursuit of short-term political gain.
Recent years have seen a series of actions from this government that have been destructive to public confidence in our democracy. Secret donations to ministers. The countless Auditor-General reports into the rorting of billions of dollars of public funds, from sports rorts to car park rorts. Law enforcement raids on journalists' homes over leaked documents. Attacks on our universal franchise in attempts to import US-style voter suppression tactics to this country for the first time. Ministers and MPs suing their own citizens for defamation! The continuing failure of this government to establish a national integrity commission more than 1,000 days after it committed to doing so. And, most concerningly, a failure to unequivocally condemn rising authoritarianism in our political debate.
For too long this Prime Minister has shamefully pandered to extremists who have increasingly been introducing the threat of physical violence into our democracy. We've seen the consequences of this play out in the streets of our capital cities, with violent rhetoric and props of violence targeting elected representatives. I know that many members of parliament are facing the next federal election fearing for their physical safety and the physical safety of their families for the first time. All of this should prompt serious self-reflection about what every one of us is doing to help sustain the strength of our democracy.
The Summit for Democracy will seek commitments from participants to galvanise their own democracies under three themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption and promoting respect for human rights. There's plenty that the Australian government could commit to here for the sake of our democracy. I'm keen to do my bit, as an elected representative in this place, and I'm looking forward to participating in this conversation through the legislative track of the Summit for Democracy, hosted by the US Congress's House Democracy Partnership very early in the morning on Friday Australian time. The topics for this legislative track are well chosen: curbing authoritarianism through strong legislatures; the defence of democratic institutions and principles; and advancing integrity through parliament. There is plenty that the Australian government could do on this front too.
This summit underlines the way that Australia's alliance with the United States is far broader than simply a joint military defence alliance. It's an alliance founded on shared democratic values. It's an alliance founded on the common things that our elected representatives and all of the citizens of our respective democracies believe. It's a deep alliance; it's not a shallow one. Australia should rise to the challenge posed by our alliance partner and join in this fight for the future of democracy—not just internationally, not around the world, but, most importantly of all, at home.
Cybersafety
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (12:09): The last 20 years have been quite remarkable in the technological advancements we have seen. We've literally become the Jetsons, where you can look at your phone and talk to somebody in the United States, or anywhere around the world—or from Canberra to Port Macquarie, which is when I talk to my kids at night time. I think it would be fair to say that these technological advancements helped us through this pandemic in terms of our connections with people and, more importantly, in terms of running the economy. We were able to continue to operate, whereas, if this had happened some 20 or 30 years ago, I think we would have really struggled. So we should be pleased about and proud of those advancements over the last 20 years.
Having said that, with those advancements comes the filthy underbelly, with the rancid cesspools of cyberbullying, child-grooming, child exploitation and fraud. It's disappointing that, as humans do, when you discover something good, someone seems to be able to exploit it. It's a little ironic that when you have children, and I have kids and most of us here have kids, you spend the better part of your life wrapping them up in cotton wool and ensuring that they're protected—you take them by the hand as you walk them across the street, you ensure that they don't talk to strangers and you do everything you possibly can to protect them—yet we allow our children to get online without ever giving a thought to what they're entering into. It's very sad that society has that element and it's even sadder that, during the lockdowns, crimes against children increased by over 60 per cent on the internet.
What is very pleasing is that both sides of this House—it is bipartisan—are ensuring that we protect our children through legislation being drafted, and it has been drafted, to protect them. And I thank the AFP and all the agencies who work in that area who are attempting to bring down and lock up those offenders who target our children, because there is nothing worse than those who seek to harm our young ones. So I thank the AFP for the hard work they do.
But both sides of this House are working together not only in looking at protecting our children from online grooming and exploitation but also in calling out bullies—calling out those 'keyboard warriors'. Everyone in this place has seen them. Everyone, probably day after day, gets emails calling us the most offensive things. Without a doubt, everybody in this place is here for the right reasons and is here to better our country. So it is good that we are working together to ensure that we call out these people and make them accountable for the things that they say and the things that they do. We've seen examples such as Erin Molan reduced to tears by relentless online attacks. Many people in this place have had relentless online attacks. So I thank all members of this parliament for what we have done and what we are doing to call these people out.
To those people watching or who later see this, I urge you to go and look at the eSafety Commissioner's website to ensure that you know what to do and to get those tips on how to look after not only yourself but also your children and your friends when these things happen—and they will happen, whether it's to your teenage son or your teenage daughter, or whether it's in the workplace. They will happen, and you need to know what you can do about it, because it's unacceptable. Technology is a good thing, but unfortunately it comes with that ugly by-product. So I urge everyone to have a look at that website, and I and the rest of the members will continue to fight for you.
Griffith Electorate: Schools
Ms BUTLER (Griffith) (12:14): [by video link] In recent weeks, I've had the pleasure of visiting a number of local schools to present awards. I visited St Laurence's College, a Catholic college following Edmund Rice's vision of presence, compassion and liberation by 'acting justly, loving tenderly and walking humbly with God', where I presented the Terri Butler MP Griffith science award to Isaac Lagos. I visited Cannon Hill Anglican College, a school that is located amongst beautiful wetlands and educates in the Anglican tradition, where I presented the Terri Butler MP Griffith science award to Rebecca Leonard. And I visited Cavendish Road State High School, one of the Griffith electorate's largest public schools, which teaches philosophy, has outstanding academic results and focuses on sport and instrumental music academies, where I presented the Terri Butler MP Griffith science award to Isabella 'Izzy' Holland. I'm also lucky enough to be attending some year 6 graduations. Last night, I attended the awards night at Sts Peter and Paul's School, where I presented the Terri Butler MP leadership award to Emma Fraser and Kaitlin Smith. This week, I'll be going to my own daughter's year 6 graduation at one of our local public schools.
Let me also take this opportunity to acknowledge the following recipients of my local sponsored awards, most—but not all—of which are in recognition of achievement in science: at Balmoral State High School, Estelle Tonkin-Farr; St Oliver Plunkett Catholic Primary School, Maddy Primrose and Lilly Black; Cannon Hill Anglican College, Primary, Amelia Moss; Loreto College, Andrea Brouwers; Seton College, Gavin Angas-Johnson; San Sisto College, Laurel Harrison; Coorparoo Secondary College, Mirielle Mingoa; Whites Hill State College, Ethan Fegan; Brisbane School of Distance Education, Hillary Earle; Narbethong State Special School, Hannah Fisher; St Joseph's, Grace Bowden; Brisbane South State Secondary College, Hugo Craig; and Somerville House, Annabel Grosser. Annabel has written me a beautiful thankyou letter in which she tells me she hopes to study medicine or science at university and that she wants to use science to help people.
Camp Hill State Infants and Primary School have also announced their recipient, and there are a lot of further recipients to come. I'm looking forward to hearing about the recipients of other awards that I've sponsored at East Brisbane State School, Dutton Park State School, Buranda State School, Norman Park State School, Greenslopes State School, Holland Park State School, Coorparoo State School, Seville Road State School, St James Catholic Primary School, Villanova College, Carina State School, Brisbane State High School, Mayfield State School, Mount Gravatt State School, Lourdes Hill College, Cannon Hill State School, Bulimba State School, Seven Hills State School, Morningside State School and San Sisto College. The schools show some of the diversity of education available in our local area, with parents being able to pursue an independent, Catholic or public education. Whichever path is taken, all children should have the opportunities that come with access to a good education.
Next year, 2022, will mark 55 years since Gough Whitlam first became leader of the Labor Party, and 2023 will be the 50th anniversary of his Labor government's landmark schools funding laws. One of Gough's enduring legacies was to establish Commonwealth funding for government, Catholic and independent schools, on the basis of need. He said the choice for parents should be 'between systems and philosophies of education, not between standards and opportunities'. In 1983, Bob Hawke said:
If all Australian children are to enjoy equal educational opportunities - the funding of all schools - government and non-government - must be based on fairness and need.
In the 1980s and 90s, Labor oversaw improved school funding, and a rapid and dramatic increase in high school completions. More recently, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard oversaw significant improvements to support for schools. Today, Labor's national platform restates our commitment to school funding noting that it is 'unacceptable for anyone to miss out on developing that potential because of class, geography, disability or poor quality schooling'.
Recently, public school teachers have launched a new campaign for schools funding called Every School, Every Child. Labor is proud to support that campaign. Like parents and teachers around Australia, we want to see more support for public schools. I'm also proud that Labor supports genuine parent choice. Troy and I have chosen wonderful public schools for our children. Genuine choice implies making sure that no one system or school is a poor cousin to any of its counterparts. That means funding for all schools from all sectors. The Liberals, Nationals and Greens have all pursued funding cuts and freezes to schools. I don't support that. I want to see every school a terrific school for our future.
Mr BROADBENT (Monash) (12:19): on indulgence—While the member for Griffith is with us, at the completion of the valedictory by the Chief Opposition Whip, Chris Hayes, everybody in the room was getting a hug except the member for Griffiths. We send you a hug, Member for Griffith, and wish you merry Christmas.
Ms BUTLER (Griffith) (12:20): I thank the member for Monash. I certainly appreciate that and I was very pleased to be able to be at the valedictory, if only via video presence.
Parkes Electorate: Local Council Elections
Mr COULTON (Parkes) (12:20): This Saturday in New South Wales local government elections will be held, and I see the shadow local government minister is in the chamber with me. As the former local government minister, I firmly believe that probably one of the most important levels of government is local government. It's the level of government that's closest to the people and it's the level of government that can really steer and direct individual communities on to a greater and brighter future. Before I go on, I'd like to mention that I've got 18 local government areas across my electorate, plus the unincorporated area of New South Wales. Of those 18 councils, four of the mayors are not recontesting. Ray Donald from the Bogan shire, based in Nyngan, is not recontesting after a long, long career in local government. Ray has been a fierce advocate for Nyngan and the Bogan shire, and I've worked with him over the last 14 years on improving medical facilities, early childhood facilities and numerous other projects that Ray has fought very hard for to improve his community.
Phil 'Ocker' O'Connor is the mayor or Brewarrina. I've got to say Ocker is going to leave a huge legacy when he doesn't recontest and resigns. Brewarrina shire has a council that reflects the community, and 80 per cent of the employees of Brewarrina shire are Aboriginal people, including directors and the general manager. Ocker has firmly believed that he needs to support his own community, so as we speak today there are local people employed building roads right across his shire, rather than bringing in contractors from the outside. He's done an enormous amount for Bre and Goodooga and other areas of his large shire, which is in the northern part of New South Wales.
Katrina Humphries, a life-long friend of mine, has been the mayor of Moree for pretty well the whole time that I've been a member of parliament. Katrina is incredibly passionate in her work for her community. She's a staunch fighter for her community, and while Moree has the moniker of being the wealthiest agricultural shire in Australia, Katrina's embracing of the Inland Rail and the special activation precinct means we are going to see Moree become an even greater economic powerhouse with further economic developments based on the Inland Rail thanks to Katrina's support.
Stephen Lawrence is the mayor of Dubbo. While Stephen hasn't been mayor for very long, he's shown strong leadership in the recent pandemic. Dubbo at one stage had over 1,000 COVID-19 infections, and Stephen showed strong leadership to get his community through the pandemic. It could have been a much worse scenario than it was. Those four mayors go with my blessings and my good wishes. I wish them all the best in what comes next for them.
It's important on Saturday when people go to vote in the council elections that they vote for people for positive reasons, they vote for candidates that have a vision, they vote for candidates that have life experience and they vote for candidates that are going to lead and drive their communities into the future. Local government should not be a place to settle scores. Local government, I believe, should not be a place for party politics. I know it is in places, but I think it works better when party politics are not involved in local government. In regional Australia, in my part of the world, the outlook is the most positive that we have seen for a long, long time. The potential for regional Australia to grow and prosper is enormous. That goal will be maintained if each individual council is working collaboratively and positively towards a future that is going to secure the growth of its community.
Bendigo Electorate
Ms CHESTERS (Bendigo) (12:25): Many in this place are rising today, the last sitting day, to give their reflections on the year, to wish their electorates and their communities a merry Christmas. I'd like to do the same, but I also want to acknowledge that this year, like last year, has been tough. Many in my electorate would say that, in fact, 2021 has been harder than 2020. There is a level of frustration, too, that, particularly when we have leaders who are just trying to be merry, be happy, with our Prime Minister suggesting that it's going to be a great Christmas, for many it's not going to be. Whilst people will get together and have the opportunity to catch up, there is still going to be an element of sadness for so many. Because of the pandemic and the health restrictions, people have missed out on key events, key moments, in their lives. They did so to keep others safe. There are people who won't be at the Christmas table this year, people who have passed away. People might not have had the opportunity to go to their funeral and could only watch it via live link. They are the people that I'm thinking of this Christmas.
There are people as well in our community who will be meeting grandchildren, nieces and nephews for the first time. Children who have been born in 2021 might have relatives interstate, or even in Melbourne, who haven't been able to meet them until now. That's my story. My sister, who lives up in the Torres Strait, hasn't met my son yet. Little Charlie will be eight months next week. We're hoping to get together this Christmas. Our fingers are crossed. I really thank the people of Queensland for getting the jab, for their high vaccination rates, because it means that my family may be able to get together. My family is like many families. It's a story that is common throughout Australia. Whilst it will be a happy reunion, there will also be that sense of sadness because there were many months when my sister couldn't meet her nephew.
There are also the people that we've lost. That last lockdown in Melbourne, you may have heard from others, was particularly hard. There were people who just didn't make it through. The toll of the pandemic on mental health has been high, and it's important that we acknowledge that, whilst many have been kept safe because of the lockdowns, we will not know the long-term mental health toll for some time. I'm thinking of those families and want to say that we acknowledge that this Christmas is that bit harder for you because some of your loved ones have not made it through.
That is why this place is so important. Rather than just sending good wishes and saying, 'Let's come together and move on,' we need to acknowledge that we're still in the pandemic. We need to acknowledge that there is still a lot more work for this place to do, whether it be support, whether it be resourcing—health resourcing, mental health resourcing. Making sure that you can take time off work to care for your loved ones, whether they have COVID or not, is critical. People need to be allowed time to grieve if they have lost somebody. They may have delayed grief because they weren't able to grieve properly at the time of the person's passing. It's a time when we really need compassion and understanding, not celebrations and freedom days, not celebrations like the Prime Minister is trying to suggest. There needs to be a level of empathy.
I also want to give a shout-out to those in my community who are still in isolation. Despite people thinking the pandemic is over, it is not. The biggest COVID cluster at the moment is in my electorate. It's at the Holy Rosary Primary School. As you know, primary school children still are not eligible for the vaccine. Children aged nought to five are still not eligible for the vaccine. So, as long as our littlest Australians can still be exposed to this virus and potentially get very sick, their parents, their school communities and their teachers are still at risk. They have to of course isolate with their children, isolate if they've been exposed and isolate if they have the virus.
So we still have a long way to go in this pandemic, despite our high vaccination rates. I urge the Prime Minister and this government to not simply close the book and say, 'Job done.' We need to be investing more in our health resources, whether it be mental health or COVID recovery, to ensure that everybody has a safe and prosperous new year.
Queensland: Tourism Industry
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt) (12:30): To say that the Cairns and Far North Queensland tourism industry has been doing it tough lately is certainly an understatement. Given all the challenges that the industry has faced over the last 12 months or more, it was very pleasing to see Far North Queensland businesses recognised at the recent Queensland Tourism Industry Council awards in Brisbane.
Steve and Katrina Edmondson from Sailaway in Port Douglas won the Tour and/or Operators award in recognition of their world-class sailing and snorkelling adventures in the waters of Port Douglas. Steve and Katrina have more than three decades of experience in the marine tourism industry. In fact, Steve and Katrina were pioneers in sailing and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, and this award is certainly thoroughly deserved.
Mark and Judy Evans of Paronella Park received the people's choice award for experiences and services for their magnificent and historic park at Mena Creek, south of Cairns. Paronella Park has become a must-see attraction for visitors to Far North Queensland, and I would certainly urge anybody here today who might be thinking of a trip to my neck of the woods in the future to put Paronella Park on the top of your list of things to do. I can assure you you will not be disappointed.
One of the major awards of the night was presented to tourism pioneer, and a friend of mine, the late John Courtenay, who received the Marie Watson-Blake Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual, and rightly so. John was a true gentleman and the founder of the highly successful Savannah Guides. Savannah Guides was established in 1988 to provide access for tourists to unique natural features in Queensland gulf savannah and to train high-quality tourism guides. Since 1988, the network has expanded to support over 500 tour guides and tour operators across northern Australia. This award was fitting recognition of a lifetime's work.
I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the nominees and winners of the evening.
As we move towards 80 and 90 per cent vaccination rates in Queensland, there's a silver light on the horizon, albeit a very small one at this stage. Tourism and Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen has, sadly, informed me this week that consumer confidence is at an all-time low across Australia for travel to Cairns—and, unfortunately, some of that is a reflection of the recently announced South African COVID variant. This consumer confidence unfortunately will not return, they understand, until Easter 2022. Sadly, last weekend, with that uncertainty surrounding the omicron strain, countless forward bookings for the Christmas and New Year period were cancelled because of concerns about more state-enforced border closures. I've constantly said that Cairns and the Far North Queensland does not have a tourism problem; it has a confidence problem, and this confirms it. On the flipside, however, interest from international visitors is absolutely surging. Mr Olsen informs me that there are more than 50,000 inquiries a month from the UK alone, followed by Europe, the US and New Zealand, from people wanting to visit Cairns.
There's absolutely no doubt that Cairns and Far North Queensland remain Australia's premier international holiday destination, and it will be a key player in the nation's post-pandemic tourism recovery. Pre the pandemic, the Cairns and Far North Queensland tourism industry contributed $1 billion of tax revenue per annum and supported more than 25,000 jobs. I have no doubt at all, given the resilience of the area, that we will recover; it's just a matter of when. I know that a lot of the operators have been hanging on and very much appreciate the support that has been offered to them from the federal government, starting with JobKeeper and working its way through. We're starting to see some of these operators up there looking at new products and new experiences for the people who come, and I have no doubt at all that we will get back to those much higher levels, if not exceed those levels, in the future.
Sadly, in the short term, consumer confidence continues to be shattered by the Queensland government's border uncertainty—the constant roadblocks and the shifting of goalposts—and its excuses. I call on the government to seriously look at this impact as we get closer to achieving our vaccination goals. Please, start by giving us an end date and sticking to it.
Blaxland Electorate: COVID-19
Mr CLARE (Blaxland) (12:35): This is my last speech in this place for this year. I want to dedicate it to the many people in my local community who helped us to get through what has been a really tough year. The people whom I have the privilege to represent here in the Australian parliament were hit harder by the lockdown this year than those in any other part of Sydney. It's where more people than anywhere else lost their jobs, it's where more people than anywhere else got COVID and it's where more people than anywhere else died. I want to thank all of the doctors, nurses and pharmacists in my community for everything they did this year—and do every year—and everyone who works in our hospitals, everyone who worked at that constellation of COVID testing sites right across the city and everyone who lined up there to be tested.
I want to give a particularly big shout-out to my friend Dr Jamal Rifi. You might have seen Jamal on Australian Story a few months ago. Jamal is one of a kind. He turned his front yard into a COVID testing site this year. He set up vaccination clinics right across south-west Sydney. He even set up a drive-through vaccination hub. He and his team have vaccinated more than 32,000 people so far this year. Jamal himself has vaccinated more than 10,000 people at his surgery, at these clinics, on ships in the harbour and in people's homes. There are still doctors who do that, and Jamal is one of them. To Jamal I say: you're a bloody legend, mate. It is an honour to call you a friend. Thank you so much for everything that you've done and that you continue to do.
This weekend he's unveiling his latest idea. It's an inflatable vaccination clinic at a family fun day in Chester Hill. It's all designed to create a less scary place where little kids can potentially get vaccinated next year. Jamal, by the way, is supposed to be retired. He has bought a campervan. It's in the driveway. He should be travelling around Australia at the moment with his lovely wife, Lana, enjoying a well-earned retirement, but he keeps telling me it's not going anywhere at the moment. He tells me that until the pandemic is over he still has work to do. That's my friend Jamal. He honestly is the best of us.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in my electorate who lined up and got the jab this year. We were the epicentre of the outbreak in Sydney and we were massively exposed. At the start of the lockdown we had lower rates of vaccination than most of the rest of the country, but we turned that around and now more than 94 per cent of people in my electorate have had their first vaccination and 91 per cent are double vaxxed. Some people got vaccinated at the GP's, some at the pharmacy and some at those big hubs. Others got vaccinated at the mosque or the church or the local club. The Auburn Gallipoli Mosque and the Lakemba mosque both became vaccination hubs, so did Saint Charbel's and Our Lady of Lebanon, as well as Bankstown Sports Club and PCYC Bankstown. That really is community in action. When we were locked down and when they were shut down, these places, which are the heart and soul of our local community, opened back up as vaccination hubs. At the sports club alone, 20,000 people were vaccinated.
I also want to thank everyone who packed a food hamper, everyone who helped a neighbour and everyone who was there on the phone at Lifeline or on 1800RESPECT when someone needed help—people like the incredible Mariam Mourad and Jenny Ashwood and the whole team at the Bankstown Women's Health Centre.
Last but not least I really want to thank all of our teachers and all the mums and dads out there—all the mums and dads who didn't just have to make it through lockdown with their sanity intact but had the added pressure of homeschooling at the dinner table. In a community like mine, where English is a second language for so many mums and dads, that's really, really hard.
This time last year, as parliament wrapped up, we thought we were through the worst of it. It turns out we were wrong. Let's hope today, as we leave this place for Christmas, that it is finally true. Merry Christmas, everyone, and a happier new year!
Fairfax Electorate: Fairfax Award
Mr TED O'BRIEN (Fairfax) (12:40): In this our nation's parliament I am proudly the member for Fairfax, named after Ruth Fairfax, a wonderful community leader who founded the Country Women's Association in Queensland, no less, and somebody who truly valued other people and their contributions. It is also in Ruth Fairfax's name that each year I bestow the Fairfax Award on students across my electorate, and I want their names to be in the Hansard of our nation's parliament forever.
I'm happy to say that the recipient of the Fairfax Award this year from Suncoast Christian College was Louisa Finau. Congratulations, Louisa! Recipients of the Fairfax Award this year from Buderim Mountain State School were Ellie Muddiman and Xavier McFarlane. Congratulations! Recipients of this year's Fairfax Award from Bli Bli State School were Keira Staff, Ethan Ryan, Patrick Smith and Maxx Glen. Congratulations! Recipients of the Fairfax Award this year from Burnside State High School were Joshua Keeley and Silvia Nguyen. Congratulations! Recipients of the Fairfax Award this year from Eumundi State School were Finn Brimelow and Max Shaneman. Congratulations! The recipient of the Fairfax Award this year from North Arm State School was Mei Flood. Congratulations! Recipients of the Fairfax Award this year from Maroochydore State High School were Jacqui Cutelli, Raine Barr, Jade Hodkinson and Emma Adam. Congratulations! Recipients of the Fairfax Award this year from Mapleton State School were Rhys Kelly and Maddie Hawke-Atkin. Congratulations! Recipients of the Fairfax Award this year from Nambour State College were Jorgia-Rose Kwiatkowski, Ruby Campbell and Josie Foley. Congratulations! The recipient of the Fairfax Award this year from Sunshine Coast Grammar School was Isabella Powell. Congratulations! Recipients of the Fairfax Award this year from Mountain Creek State High School were Jenna Rushton, Harrison Roberts, Hayden Elliott, Sasha Maejima and Kirsty Lam. Congratulations! The recipient of this year's Fairfax Award from St Andrew's Anglican College was Martin Vesley. Congratulations! The recipient of the Fairfax Award this year from Coolum Beach Christian College was Daniel Bruckner. Congratulations! The recipient of this year's Fairfax Award from Peregian Springs State School was Jake Parkes. Congratulations! Recipients of the Fairfax Award this year from Brightwater State School were Joshua de Beer, Imogen Coleman and Amber Case. Congratulations!
Each of these students not just does their school proud but, indeed, does the Sunshine Coast community and the nation proud. To each of them I say: you have done the name of Ruth Fairfax proud. Thank you for what you do for your school community, your peers and the broader Sunshine Coast. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Question agreed to.
Federation Chamber adjourned at 12:45