The SPEAKER ( Hon. Milton Dick ) took the chair at 10:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
COMMITTEES
Petitions Committee
Report
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (10:01): I rise to speak as the new Chair of the Standing Committee on Petitions for the 47th Parliament. I present the first report of the Petitions Committee for the 47th Parliament.
PETITIONS
Presentation
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (10:01): I present the following petitions:
Parliamentary Standards
It is blatantly clear to many Australian's there is a broad and increasing issue relating to the lack of accountability, transparency and public disclosure coming from government members. The lack of accountability, transparency and relevant public disclosure is clearly allowing opportunities for some members to overtly withhold their true alliances, agendas and agreements.
We therefore ask the House to develop and install a Parliamentary Accountability, Transparency and Disclosures Act. The following proposed requirements will be within the act which will apply to all parliamentary members:
Declare any share or ownership of all private or family companies, businesses, partnerships, trusts or corporate entities which hold or deliver revenue above a suitably deemed amount.
Declare any private or family wealth increases of more than 150% whilst in a parliamentary position or within four years of leaving a position.
Declare any associations and or oaths made to any organisation, society or body, secret or otherwise.
Declare any private associations financial or otherwise made with any national or international corporations, non government organisations, charities, foundations, lobbyist bodies and any other entity deemed to seek influence within the Australian Parliament.
Declare all direct and indirect family associations and agreements financial or otherwise with any national or international corporations, non government organisations, charities, foundations, lobbyist bodies and any other entity deemed to seek influence within the Australian Parliament.
Publicly declare all significant government or private donations for which a member has approved or gifted.
Declared Information by members is to be made in a clear and easily accessible form to the Australian Public.
from 124 citizens (Petition No. EN4045)
Ukraine
The vile military attack on Ukraine by the Russian Federation has acquired the most brazen and cruel form.
The country, which is in the center of Europe, with no anti-missile defence, no protection and equipped shelters, is today subjected to massive ballistic missile attacks and air force bombing. Tanks are shooting at buildings. There are missile attacks on hospitals, schools, kindergartens.
This causes mortal danger to people who only yesterday were living a peaceful life. Today, many people are sitting in underground shelters with the internet offline due to the collapsed power grid infrastructure and avoiding airborne threats.
We all experience pain and, worst of all, a sense of hopelessness because we cannot influence this situation in any way. Many people are now applying for and receiving tourist visas for their parents. We are extremely grateful to the Australian government for the unprecedentedly fast processing times for these visas.
The tourist visa only delays the meeting with the inevitable ruined future. Thus, people, even reunited for a while with their relatives, will remain full of fear of having to return to the land occupied by the enemy.
We therefore ask the House to grant humanitarian visas to Ukrainians that will provide them with hope for the future, give them the opportunity to change their lives and feel safe, work, apply their skills for the benefit of themselves and community.
I urge the government to prioritize family reunification when processing visas from Ukrainian nationals.
from 16 citizens (Petition No. EN4046)
Sexual Consent Education
With the dawn of social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, young people across Australia have been victim of receiving unsolicited nudes and sexual content from other young people and sometimes even strangers or predators. In 2020, the AIHW published a study saying that over 2 million Australians had been sexually assaulted, and I believe that with mandatory consent education for all kids through all years of high school and even the last year of primary school, these numbers could decrease dramatically and put us on the track on having none.
We therefore ask the House to implement sexual consent education into the curriculum for all Year 6 and High School Students in Australia for every year of school.
from 14 citizens (Petition No. EN4047)
Natural Disasters
A devastating natural disaster has taken place, lives have been lost and homes destroyed and the government have done nothing to help. Every day civilians are risking their lives to save what they can. pregnant women, the elderly, children, the sick... are facing one of the largest emergencies the area has seen. The government has a responsibility to take action .
We therefore ask the House to send in military services, help create a co-ordinated rescue and recovery effort. Talk to the people who have been working for hours on end and see what is needed. provide water, shelter, relief. The basic human rights people are entitled to.
from 14 citizens (Petition No. EN4048)
Rural and Regional Radio
PHAZE Country Ballarat broadcasts on 87.6MHz. This frequency is subject to massive interference from another nearby broadcaster making it impossible to listen across much of Ballarat.
We therefore ask the House to make available 97.6MHz and 95.9MHz for allocation to other broadcasters, preferably PHAZE Broadcasting.
from 17 citizens (Petition No. EN4049)
Ukraine
On 24 February, Russia started a war with Ukraine. With each passing day, we see more civilian deaths, despicable war crimes, and a mounting humanitarian crisis. Ukraine does not have the resources to fight back on its own. Only with the help of strong democratic countries can Russian aggression be repelled.
We therefore ask the House to provide increased assistance for the people and government of Ukraine, whether that be:
- Financial assistance
- Military equipment
- Humanitarian aid
- Diplomatic efforts
The people of Ukraine are counting on the free world for assistance. Please help!
from 13 citizens (Petition No. EN4051)
Australian Constitution
This petition is to stop Government or agencies trying to erode "we the peoples" right to our constitution, the WHO, is trying to over ride ours, and many other nations peoples rights.
We therefore ask the House to not enter to any contracts with the WHO or other agencies without consent from the people via referendum.
from 546 citizens (Petition No. EN4053)
Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer is the deadliest cancer for those aged 25 to 44 years old. Currently, the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is for 50 years and over. This is missing the high risk age group. Bowel cancer diagnosis is rising in people under 50, while declining in those over 50. Those who are diagnosed with young onset bowel cancer are often diagnosed at a later stage, have their symptoms ignored or attributed to other things, with misdiagnosis delaying the treatment in young people.
Early detection is essential in the treatment and improvement of outcomes for patients of this deadly disease.
We therefore ask the House to lower the age of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program from 50, to 30 years and over. With immediate colonoscopies for those whose results show concerns.
from 2,495 citizens (Petition No. EN4055)
Lismore: Floods
Lismore a City of 40,000 people and district has been devastated by unusually big rains and storms to the degree that Businesses and Homes have been ruined to such an extent that it will take years if ever, be livable in. They need help NOW to clean up and have water and electricity put back in the City. NOW is the time for the ADF to get there and help these people get the City and their lives back to normal.
We therefore ask the House to petition our Government to urgently get hundreds of ADF members to Lismore and district to help the giant cleanup NOW.
from 20 citizens (Petition No. EN4058)
Telecommunications
Lucas, a suburb of the city of Ballarat in western Victoria, is one of the fastest growing suburbs in the region. It is located just 7km from the centre of Ballarat yet has extremely poor telephone and internet reception. Lucas has such poor reception that in some parts of the suburb, residents are unable to make or receive phone calls at all. Some have absolutely no reception inside their homes, while others have one or two "bars".
With the pandemic requiring a lot of people to work from home, this situation is unacceptable.
Lucas is attracting a high level of development, with many new housing estates and homes being built. The area's new primary school is in a telecommunications black spot—many parents are unable to get any reception there at all. There is barely any coverage at the Lucas shopping centre, where the main office of the Ballarat Community Health Centre, and the supermarket, petrol station, and other shops are located.
In this day and age, in a suburb of a major Victorian regional city, we should have exceptional coverage that allows all residents, businesses and organisations to conduct their professional and personal lives without issue.
Despite numerous commitments over several years from Telstra and Optus to instal new telecommunications towers to rectify the issue, this has not happened. We request the Parliament lobby the relevant telecommunications companies to fix the problem immediately.
We therefore ask the House to lobby the relevant telecommunications companies to fix the problem immediately.
from four citizens (Petition No. EN4060)
Nuclear Energy
Climate Change is an increasing threat to the health and security of the Australian people and our nation has a whole. Recent extreme bushfire and flooding events emphasise this increasing threat.
To mitigate climate change requires that we move away from fossil fuels which are contributing to climate change and toward clean energy sources such as solar, wind, and nuclear as identified by peak scientific bodies such as the IPCC.
Australia is the only G20 nation where nuclear power is banned by federal law. This legislation poses a barrier to Australia's transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean, reliable energy.
Australia is already a nuclear nation, operating a research reactor and a range of nuclear technologies, including the production of medical isotopes. Our nation is also an exporter of uranium and has the largest known reserves of uranium. It therefore makes little sense for us to maintain a ban on nuclear energy.
We therefore ask the House to repeal SECT 140A of the ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION ACT 1999, amend the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998, and repeal or amend any other legislation prohibiting the use of nuclear energy.
We ask that the house initiate the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) milestones approach to start Australia down the path of setting up the regulatory framework needed for nuclear power in Australia.
from 1,273 citizens (Petition No. EN4061)
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
A handful of well trained and respected Australian surgeons have been performing Vertebral Body Tethering (VBT) for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) in Private Hospitals for several years. When patients have Private Insurance, the majority of the costs are passed onto the insurer. The biggest cost for the procedure are for the implants, ICU and hospital beds and theatre facility fees. Without an MBS code, a procedure can not be performed utilising private health coverage at a private hospital.
The Medical Services Advice Committee (MSAC) has recommended that VBT be excluded from the current MBS item numbers being used to claim for the procedure. This is despite noting a clinical need for the procedure. It is not a common procedure, and the overall costs to the community are low.
We believe that we should have VBT as an option for treatment of scoliosis in Australia under private health coverage. If not, patients and their families will have to pay between $60,000 and $130,000 out for pocket for the procedure (single curve v 2 curve), even if they have private health coverage.
We therefore ask the House to encourage The Honourable Greg Hunt MP to maintain VBT on the current MBS item numbers being used to claim for the procedure to ensure all parents and carers have VBT as a treatment option for their children suffering from Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis and enjoy the benefits of reduced pain, deformity and an improved quality of life.
from 2,976 citizens (Petition No. EN4062)
Migration
I, like many other Australian settled families, wish to bring my parents to live with us in Australia. But because my parents have three children (one step-son in South Africa, one step-son in the UK and me in Australia) my parents would not pass the Balance of Family test and will be denied an application for a Parent Permanent Visa.
DoHA' states that "a parent meets the balance of family test if: at least half their children and stepchildren are eligible children, or there are more eligible children than children living in any other single country. Immigration does not currently waive this test, even in compelling or exceptional circumstances."
This test is unfair, discriminatory and out of date in modern times. Parents are being discriminated against for having more than 2 children. Parents are being discriminated against for re-marrying and adding step-children to the family unit.
No consideration is made for the Australian adult child having the closest family ties and connection to the parent or for the parents having no or limited relationship with their other overseas children. No consideration is made for the number of grandchildren.
This test is archaic and divisive and should be removed, if not completely overhauled, from the visa application process. Australian adult children and grandchildren should be allowed to live and grow with the people that love them the most, parents and grandparents.
We therefore ask the House to remove the Balance of Family test for Parent visas (permanent).
from 373 citizens (Petition No. EN4064)
Defence
As gender is just a social construct, it's far past time for gender parity in frontline combat roles.
If the beaches of Normandy were stormed with a fighting force that focused on gender parity and inclusivity, there would have been less casualties.
Let us update the military so that our cannon fodder can be comprised of all 76 genders.
Currently, as our military is overwhelmingly comprised of those who identify as "men", conscription should be brought back for those who identify as women/other only until we have gender parity.
We therefore ask the House to bring back conscription with a focus on gender parity, ensuring that all genders are accurately represented in frontline combat roles.
from three citizens (Petition No. EN4069)
Ukraine
National security
We therefore ask the House to ban representatives and persons associated with Ukrainian ultranationalist groups of "National Militia", "Azov movement", "The Right Sector" movement, "Aidar batalion", " Donbass batalion", "Dnepr batailon" from entering Australia as visitors or refugees.
from 33 citizens (Petition No. EN4071)
Fuel
Australians pay $0.44.2 cents per litre of fuel plus 10% GST. The current fuel prices in Australia have risen above $2.20 per litre increasing the cost of living for everyday Australians much more difficult. Countries like France and the Netherlands are reducing taxes and introducing rebates to their citizens to counteract the fuel inflation prices.
More than $49billion will have be collected in fuel taxes from 2020—2024. Australians need to have some of this money placed back in their pockets to help with the cost of living.
Australians have suffered for two years with lockdowns, loss of income and unnecessary mandates, and now we face excessively high fuel prices to be able to get to work, our children to school and to see loved ones that we have been kept from over the past two years.
Australians have suffered enough, suspend fuel taxes.
We therefore ask the House to suspend fuel taxes for 12 months.
from 17 citizens (Petition No. EN4074)
Fuel
I am raising the issue of the continuing rise in petrol costs. It effects all Australians and unless it gets addressed fuel companies will continue to increase prices till low income earning families will be pushed further into poverty.
We therefore ask the House to intervene in the growing prices of petrol or reduce the taxes on petrol for a fair period of time to counteract the increasing fuel prices.
from 15 citizens (Petition No. EN4075)
National Security
Switzerland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands have all banned wearing the burqa or any other covering that completely obscures the face in public spaces due to the obvious security concerns and have followed up these laws with on-the-spot fines and even jail time. It is time Australia does the same.
We therefore ask the House to make it illegal to wear a burqa, niqab or any other covering that makes it impossible to identify a person and follow this up with fines and/or jail time for those who break the law.
from 10 citizens (Petition No. EN4076)
COVID-19: Vaccination
Prevailing medical scientific research has repeatedly shown no significant difference in transmission and infection rates between Covid vaccinated and unvaccinated patients (The Lancet, BMJ).
Moreover, the Australian government is refusing to acknowledge the consistent proof showing that prior infection is equal to, if not greater than, the immunity provided by the current vaccines.
It is therefore unscientific to subject unvaccinated individuals to restrictions with international travel.
We therefore ask the House to review and remove the restrictions currently in place with the Department of Home Affairs for unvaccinated travellers to more scientifically reflect the available research.
from 205 citizens (Petition No. EN4083)
Parliamentarians' Superannuation
Federal Members of Parliament currently have a superannuation contribution of 11.5%. This should be decreased to 10% which will bring it inline with the contribution amount for all Australian workers.
The Australian public wants equity, with the same rights and privileges for all. All Australian workers are hard workers, irrespective of their occupation and there is no good reason that Members of Parliament should be entitled to a higher superannuation rate than everyone else.
We therefore ask the House to change the superannuation percentage of 11.5% to 10% and reflect the 10% that all Australian workers receive.
from 39 citizens (Petition No. EN4084)
Fuel
Current fuel prices on everyday households are unsustainable and government intervention is required.
We therefore ask the House to intervene at any level of the fuel chain and reduce the cost of fuel to households.
from 28 citizens (Petition No. EN4085)
Migration
Skilled immigrants and workers are unable to lodge their application despite meeting all the other eligibility requirements and having the required points for GSM due to expired skill assessment.
Having valid skill assessment is the basic eligibility criteria for skilled migration. And therefore, getting a skill re-assessment for trade occupations is complex and often next to impossible as getting a skill reassessment in trade occupations one is required to do a Job Ready Program or have 3 -5 years of work experience (which is not possible on student visa with limited work rights) unlike for occupations like accounting, nursing, and IT.
As we are aware that there has been a significant shortage in skilled labour across Australia specifically in trade occupations which has negatively impacted production, services, and supply chains.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia's skilled migration for trade occupations was on hold as both the State and Federal government considered only Healthcare and IT sectors. Due to this, the problem of skill shortage in these trade occupations has worsened with many businesses experiencing skill shortages.
Many of our clients who have the required skills in these trade occupations are suffering as they have their skill assessments which was valid for 3 years is now expired as for almost 2 years skilled migration in their occupations was on hold.
We therefore ask the House to amend the regulation for validity period of skills assessment and provide the concession period waiver to skilled immigrants.
from 1,326 citizens (Petition No. EN4086)
Abdominoplasty
Bring back abdominoplasty for mothers after childbirth In latter years on Medicare item no 10177
We therefore ask the House to reconsider this for mothers experiencing health issues from childbearing health
from 31 citizens (Petition No. EN4087)
United Russia
United Russia is a major Russian political party which backs Vladimir Putin and is responsible for legislative approval of numerous laws attacking freedom of speech and personal freedoms, free and fair electoral process, undermining rights of LGBTQ and national minorities and persecution of political opposition. The Party's members are involved in aggressive anti-western rhetoric and responsible for legislative enactment of the military invasions of Ukraine and Georgia, as well as financial support of the Belarus authoritative leader Alexander Lukashenko and multiple far right groups and parties in other countries.
We therefore ask the House to the responsible authorities to
- designate United Russia Party as a terrorist organisation given their history of anti-western rhetoric, approval of the legislation that attacks personal and political rights, their support to the brutal style of governance in the Russian Federation, their continued display of atrocities against sovereign states and their legislative and moral support of the military aggression against Ukraine and recognise that it's activities are incompatible with the shared values of the Australian Community;
- We ask also to ban entry to Australia to the members of the United Russia Party, freeze their assets in international jurisdictions and nominate the Ukrainian humanitarian aid organization as a benefactor of such assets' transfer in consultation with the Ukrainian-Australian community.
from 893 citizens (Petition No. EN4088)
Workplace Relations
Request for house:
As you are aware that a large number of government contracts that are serviced by private companies.
Although there are channels available for employees working for private companies in these government contracts, they are scared to report any matters of significance. This includes corruption, bullying, racism, harassment, intimidation and any other unlawful behavior. This has created imbalance of power. This is because of power of money these organisations have resulting from the amount of money they make from government contracts. This is also resulting in suffering of employees who do not afford to stand up to these organisations because of lack of resources and expertise. These companies are aware that they afford to hire best lawyers to find loopholes in the system and get away with unlawful behavior.
We therefore ask the House to make it mandatory for all government contracts to send out internal surveys, the results of which are only accessible by government.
These surveys should be sent to all employees working for private companies in a government contract.
Employees who are scared to report their employers can then do it through these surveys anonymously.
I strongly believe that this will result into private companies working within the legislation. This will also save those employees who are harassed, bullied and are a victim of racism and discrimination from further suffering. It will save these employees from the mental agony which will result in better performance and less pressure on the government health care system.
from 14 citizens (Petition No. EN4089)
Personal Information and Privacy
The proposed Digital Identity Legislation is a threat to every Australians privacy and security. We the undersigned vigorously oppose and do not consent to this proposed legislation being passed. We express our overwhelming concern for the following:
• Use and sharing of our personal or biometric information to third parties.
• The lack of clarity about how the private sector will and will not be able to use the scheme.
• The ability to gather detailed profiles of individual Australians.
• Potential misuse, identity fraud and contribution to discriminatory practices, even if indirectly.
• A Western version of China's 'social credit' scheme emerging.
With all the global talks of imminent cyber-attacks, including the QR Code data breaches in Victoria and NSW, it is evident that Australians personal information will not be kept safe within a digital identity framework.
We therefore ask the House to stay with the status quo MyGov as our one and only digital identity in Australia. We as Australians, have the right to private life, home and correspondence as a protection, the right to trade freely within the Commonwealth, the right to be free from discrimination and the compliance and compatibility of all acts, bills and legislations with our Human Rights.
We trust that you will do the right thing by all Australian's including for our children and all future generations by not passing the Digital Identity Legislation, so we can continue to live in a country where our privacy and freedoms are protected and celebrated.
from 46,232 citizens (Petition No. EN4090)
Migration
Due to persecution by Chinese government against Chinese family (house) churches, and forced closure of Christian educational organizations, members of Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church (SHRC), which includes 29 adults (2 of whom are pregnant) and 31 children, were forced into exile on Jeju Island, Korea at the end of 2019.
These 31 children studied in the school established by SHRC, but the school was forced to close by the government.
These members of SHRC gave up their normal life in China and are working casually in farms on Jeju Island. They are called "The New Mayflower" internationally.
However, due to the fact that the Korean government doesn't have many previous precedents to provide asylum to non-Korean refugees, Kwangju Superior Court of Korea dismissed SHRC members' final appeal for asylum. Now members of SHRC are faced with forced deportation back to China.
If members of SHRC are deported back to China, they will face severe persecution by the Chinese government. Some members who stayed in China and didn't go to Jeju Island were interrogated, monitored, even put under home arrest.
The relatives of members who went to Jeju Island have also experienced threats, interrogation and harassments.
Australia is a democratic country with a great history of supporting persecuted people.
Therefore, we request that the Australian government (or Parliament) provide humanitarian support to these 60 members of SHRC who are now exile in Jeju Island, Korea.
We therefore ask the House to issue contingent visas to them so they can find shelter in Australia.
from 40 citizens (Petition No. EN4091)
Public Sector Governance
Should Australian public officials, such as politicians and bureaucrats be subject to consequences, under Commonwealth and State laws, such as investigation and prosecution, if they are found to be breaking the law, in the same way as any other Australian citizen would be? If so, please sign the petition.
Much has been said about the need for a Federal Independent Anti-Corruption Commission; the Morrison government even has some draft legislation that's never been debated. All this fails to recognize that the instruments of integrity and accountability already exist within the current framework.
These instruments begin with the PUBLIC SERVICE ACT 1999, Section 13; The APS Code of Conduct. Then there is the Office of Prime Minister & Cabinet's (the Australian government's) Statement of Ministerial Standards. Both of these instruments have an enormous amount to say about principles, values, integrity, fairness, accountability, the public interest etc. They should, in fact have all of this well-and-truly covered within the existing framework. Although most of us understand that none of these instruments are actually applied in real day-to-day practice.
Most frighteningly of all, these 'special' (as opposed to 'ordinary') Australians are allowed to carry out their business, above and beyond any scrutiny from our LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, so these special Australians are protected within a lawless bubble, where any & all serious allegations of criminal misconduct are ignored, brushed aside and treated with contempt.
We therefore ask the House to insist that existing Codes, Standards and Laws are equally enforced—even against your special Australians.
from 85 citizens (Petition No. EN4095)
Gold Holdings
Recent international events such as the freezing of Russia's foreign held currency and gold reserves, and the Bank of England refusing to return Venezuela's gold reserve, highlight the counter party risk of continuing to physically store Australia's 80 tonnes of gold at the Bank of England in London. Despite our ties to the UK via Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and her heirs as set out in the Constitution of Australia, and despite any legal agreement entered with the Bank of England, there may come a day in the future whereby the UK Government does not recognise an Australian Government and thereby does not respect the sovereignty of Australia's gold held at the Bank of England, with resultant risk of our gold being effectively seized by the UK. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia is on the public record as stating that there is no requirement for Australia's gold to be physically moved in order for it to be leased, audited, or otherwise dealt with. Therefore we put forth that there is no benefit to Australia in continuing to store its gold reserves at the Bank of England and that to continue to do so risks Australia's sovereignty and independence. The UK has demonstrated in the past to have acted contrary to Australia's interest/s and there is a risk of it doing so again in the future.
We therefore ask the House to BRING HOME OUR GOLD!
from 66 citizens (Petition No. EN4096)
Social Media
It has been well documented that Mark Zuckerberg (Meta/Facebook/Instagram/WhatsAp) meddled in the 2020 USA Presidential Election and now many media outlets are reporting that META are now planning to "help train Australian political candidates on aspects of cyber security and coach influencers to stop the spread of misinformation in a bid to boost the integrity of an upcoming election," according to a Reuters report.
We therefore ask the House to BAN the company META (Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook/Instagram/WhatsAp) from Australia PERMANENTLY and list them as a danger to Australia's integrity.
WE do not want their meddling in our elections with their censorship and misinformation.
from 218 citizens (Petition No. EN4097)
Parliamentary Standards
Globally, democratic norms are suffering duress through corporate manipulation and an erosion of government accountability.
Australia must strengthen its democratic institutions if it is to remain a healthy, liberal democracy.
We therefore ask the House to legislate to implement:
1. The Uluru Statement from the Heart. As a former colonial country, Australia will only be entitled to consider itself a healthy democracy after it's fully made its peace with its First Nations' People.
2. A national Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) with the appropriate legal authority to prosecute all forms of political corruption.
3. A redrafting of Australia's media ownership laws to end monopoly control across all media platforms. Diversity of informed opinion is the lifeblood of any healthy democracy.
4. A system to ensure that Parliamentary elections become fully government funded.
5. The removal of all corporate money and influence from elections. Individual donations to political parties should not exceed $1000 with requirements that the public donations' record is made fully transparent & up-dated monthly.
6. A ban on all corporate lobbying and the expulsion of the 800+ corporate lobbyists currently manipulating the political process in Canberra for the sole purpose of benefiting corporations' profitability.
7. The creation of an independent Parliamentary Commission to ensure the on-going protection of, and funding for, the 11 existing, key democratic accountability bodies (the AEC, ABC, ANAO, etc.)
8. A Parliamentary Accountability Body with sufficient legal powers to enforce respectful & decent behaviour from all Parliamentary Members and public servants.
from 319 citizens (Petition No. EN4099)
Standards Australia
Currently Australian Standards are restricted to professionals, tradesmen and organisations through a private entity. These standards are becoming increasingly expensive and the restrictions on accessibility are increasing. These standards are essential to ensure the safety and operability of our infrastructure and our services to the public. For a single task or service, a number of these standards may be required. These standards are also constantly being revised so new versions are required. Some standards are mandated by legislation. Many of the people that require these standards are in small organisations or even sole traders that cannot support these overheads. This in essence will force small organisations and sole traders out of business or necessitate services being performed without having access to these standards. The existing model is unsustainable and will potentially lead to incidents, inoperability and disruption to operational infrastructure. An example: A small electrical engineering company with 10 people that perform electrical design may need access to 100s of standards on a single project. The cost of these is greater then the profit margin on this project.
We therefore ask the House to provide stronger oversight and/or mandates to the organisations controlling access to Australian Standards to make these readily available for free or at a reasonable cost to all people in Australia who require these standards to perform their duties.
from 22,526 citizens (Petition No. EN4101)
Illicit Drugs: Cannabis
Cannabis is used legally and illegally by approximately 60% of the population. There is a significant overlap between recreational and medicinal use.
Legalisation would allow for a regulated market that increases safety to consumers, improved safeguarding of minors, reduces criminality, and can provide significant tax income to state and federal governments.
Legalisation would allow for the development of a cannabis industry which can benefit the economy. Industries that would benefit include natural supplement companies, tourism, and the hospitality industry.
Positive benefits would include reduced costs related to policing, court costs, and incarceration costs.
We therefore ask the House to legalise cannabis.
from 1,477 citizens (Petition No. EN4102)
Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Kangaroos are protected but under a government management plan they can be culled if populations are considered in plague proportions. Therefore being considered a pest to the farmer and there livelihood. I question how the government calculates the kangaroo populations and to the accuracy of the prediction. I question how the Kangaroo is also considered a viable sustainable resource. How does conservation and commercial culling of a species go together when considered a sustainable resource. I question the price the government is putting on the kangaroo's heads and are they over commercialising on our national icon. A icon that appears on Australian Coat of Arms. Are professional shooters managing to get their quota's or are Kangaroos becoming hard to find. This happened to our crocodiles before they became protected and no longer able to be shot. It is a national tragedy waiting to happen like our Koala's that are now on the endangered list.
We therefore ask the House to take the Kangaroo off our Coat of Arms as it is no longer being loved but treated as a commercial asset to the government. Under the pretence of being in plague proportions. Considered a pest! Should there be a pest on the Australian Coat of Arms.
from 13 citizens (Petition No. EN3952)
First Aid Training
Following the death of five-year-old Lucas Latouche Mazzei, it has become evidently eye opening how important it is for students within a teachers care to be safe and protected.
We therefore ask the House to mandate first aid training so that teachers can fulfil their duty of care by recognising and responding effectively to students in need of first aid treatment. Students are with their teacher for approximately 7 hours a day, it is so imperative that they understand the basic and necessary skills that could save a child's life, or even a colleague. Parents drop their loved ones at school trusting that they will be looked after, this is the bare minimum that students deserve.
It is mandatory in every state except for SA and WA. I kindly urge you to please look into this.
from 15 citizens (Petition No. EN3955)
Jobseeker
The current Jobseeker amount is $629.50 for a Single person and Rent assistance $142.80.
We therefore ask the House to Annually Economically evaluate (without considering sharehouse bulking 2-6 single people per rooms which lessens averages) the Centrelink Governance of respectful and responsible Cost of Living all Centrelink payments. It is estimated the average Quality of Life amount should be an extra $200+ fortnight 2022. Legislation is requested to ensure homelessness and neglect is not possible with annual economic management.
from 20 citizens (Petition No. EN3957)
Migration
Why rules in Australia to call to your parents permanently is so harsh as compared to Canada and US?
Subclass 143, The fee is AUD47,825 for 1 parent and time frame is 2-5 years with no pension given for first 10 years.
Subclass 103 processing time is 30 -50 years which is not realistic.
How is it expected from the parents who are already at the retirement age to wait for that long or pay $96,000 come to australia then find a job, work for 10 years, pay taxes and healthcare and afford everything?
Also, for a tourist visa they can only stay for 3 months max, and get 1 year visa for which they have 100s of documents to collect submit and apply.
This issue has to be addressed.
We therefore ask the House to allow parents of Australian citizens to have the ability to apply for PR visa and reduce the timeframe to max 2 years not 30 years.
Visa fees should be realistic and reduced to an amount people can afford and if you are charging them $96,000 them they should receive pension from day 1 not wait for 10 years.
Tourist visa like other countries should be given for atleast 10 years so our parents don't have to go through the hassle everytime and waste their money.
from three citizens (Petition No. EN3960)
Migration
For work, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia inline retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain.
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid 19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN3962)
Migration
For work, study, paying taxes, support local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathways to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia is uncertain
from one citizen (Petition No. EN3963)
Migration
For work, paying taxes ,supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain.
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid 19 pandemic.
from two citizens (Petition No. EN3964)
Migration
For work, paying taxes ,supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain.
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent residents for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during covid 19 pandemic.
from one citizen (Petition No. EN3965)
Migration
For work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid 19 pandemic.
from one citizen (Petition No. EN3966)
Migration
For work, study, paying taxes,supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain.
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathways to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid 19 pandemic
from two citizens (Petition No. EN3967)
Migration
For work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from two citizens (Petition No. EN3968)
Migration
For work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN3969)
Migration
For work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN3970)
Migration
For work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN3971)
Migration
For work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc. disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain.
We therefore ask the House to to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN3988)
Gender and Sexual Orientation
Conversion therapy has been proven to be extremely harmful to all LGBTQ+ people, regardless of age, sexuality or gender.
With research showing that after conversion therapy, LGBTQ+ people are 8x more likely to attempt suicide, 6x higher levels of depression and/or other mental disorders, such as PTSD, 3x more likely to turn to drug/alcohol usage, and 3x more likely to catch AIDS or another type of STD.
We therefore ask the House to criminalise the act of conversion therapy, under the basis of protecting Australians from life lasting trauma and mental health issues.
from 52 citizens (Petition No. EN3989)
Migration
work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN3993)
Migration
work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN3997)
Migration
work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN4000)
Pensions and Benefits
Single parents, disability pensioners, old age pensioners and job seekers who owned their own homes prior to finding themselves in a position to be forced to claim Centrelink are disadvantaged by their previous success. They miss out on up to $189.70 per fortnight in "rent assistance", which makes them have to try to survive even further below the Australian Poverty Line than if they happened to be renting. Multiple peer reviewed studies have shown that increased social welfare payments leads to a boosted economy and lower crime rates. Currently, these recipients who have mortgages and property expenses that are often higher than rent have to choose whether to pay their mortgage or feed themselves and their children. The Australian government is forcing its own citizens and children to live in poverty.
We therefore ask the House to change "rent assistance" to "Accommodation Assistance" when Centrelink recipients can show proof of a mortgage, life lease or other on-going costs that are the equivalent to rent, so that all recipients receive a fair amount towards their accommodation costs, without being discriminated against for being able to have purchased their home previously.
from 116 citizens (Petition No. EN4007)
COVID-19: Vaccinations
Australia's international vaccine certificate is not accepted in most European countries. In fact, it is worthless currently. It won't get you into a museum, a seat in a restaurant, or a train from Venice to Vienna. The so-called EU DCC is only available to non-European citizens vaccinated outside the EU provided their country is a member of the EU's Digital COVID Certificate Program.
We therefore ask the House to sign up for the EU DCC program—EU Digital COVID Certificate Program
from six citizens (Petition No. EN4008)
Migration
Paediatric Physiotherapy is an entirely different career to Physiotherapy. Paediatric physiotherapists treats children with disabilities to prevent deterioration, reduce pain, and promote independence and community inclusion that can only be achieved with therapy. Currently there is a huge shortage of this skill set which is not being regonized due to the career being put under Physiotherapy. Skilled migrants are having to leave the country due to not being invited for permanent residency as Physiotherapy isn't on the priority list. Nurses have seperate specialities listed- and so should Physiotherapists. Children are already facing long waitlists or are travelling across Australia to find paediatric physiotherapists with the skills to treat disability. Without this skill set children will miss out on therapy during critical parts of their life which can lead to deterioration, surgical intervention, and even death. These paediatric physios have stayed in the country during the pandemic and provided this essential service throughout- and yet will be forced to leave the country as it's not a "priority" career. It's time to recognise the importance of this career and save the Australian children.
We therefore ask the House to seperate Paediatric Physiotherapy from Physiotherapy and list under the critical skills shortage- priority list for permanent residency. Those that have stayed and worked during the pandemic should get priority for residency so they can stay in the country providing continuity of care and expertise to the children of Australia.
from 156 citizens (Petition No. EN4011)
Migration
work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN4013)
Migration
work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN4014)
Migration
work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN4015)
Migration
work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic
from one citizen (Petition No. EN4016)
Migration
work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to
establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in australia and supported its economy during the covid-19
from three citizens (Petition No. EN4018)
Migration
For work, study, paying taxes, supporting local businesses and Australia online retailers, etc. disruption by completing for migration program during pandemic couple limited unattainable pathways to permanent residency mean that the future for many temporary residents in Australia is uncertain
We therefore ask the House to to establish a pathway to permanent resident for temporary resident who live in Australia and supported its economy during the covid-19 pandemic.
from five citizens (Petition No. EN4022)
Kashmir
TO THE HONOURABLE THE SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, in respect of peaceful gathering at King George Square on 26th February 2022 to show solidarity with Kashmiri victims of Human Rights abuse and remembrance of mass rape survivors of Kunan & Poshpara on the night of 23rd Feb 1991 (Remembered as Kashmiri Women's Resistance Day), It draws to the attention of the House, following facts:
- Kashmiris are facing extrajudicial killings, collective punishments, enforced disappearances, abduction of children, use of pellet guns, and molestation of women and girls during the raids of Indian Security Forces. (Well reported by UNHCR and renowned Human Rights bodies)
- The demographics of the indigenous people of Kashmir are getting changed after the Indian Government's abolition of Article 370.
- Kashmir remains one of the most heavily militarized (900,000 Indian military personals, 1 for 10 members of community) areas in the world
Millions of Kashmiris are suffering daily while Australian Government does not raise and put pressure on the Indian Govt for inhumane human rights abuse.
We therefore ask the House to
- Call on India to lift the inhuman military siege and withdraw 900,000 troops
- End use of pellet guns and hold India accountable for Human Rights violations
- Stop the demographic change of indigenous people and reinstate Article 370
- Release Kashmiri Journalist Fahad Shah Immediately.
- Allow freedom of speech, end harassment of political activists, human rights activists & journalist.
- Australia should call on India to uphold UNSC resolutions on IIOJK
from 825 citizens (Petition No. EN4023)
Chronic Pain
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicated that 1 in 5 Australians (19% or 1.6 million) aged 45 years and over experience chronic pain; a common, complex condition characterised by persistent pain experienced most days of the week (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, May 2020, 'Chronic Pain in Australia'). The cost to the Australian economy through quality of life and productivity loss is estimated to be $139 billion. The long term cost of chronic pain is significantly increased as additional long-term health conditions are experienced concurrently. The Commonwealth government recently made a decision to make fundamental changes to the Medicare Benefits Scheme ("MBS") that will come into effect on 1 March 2022, critically impacting every chronic pain sufferer in Australia. The Federal Government sought limited or no feedback and consultation on the proposed changes. Feedback by the Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaethetists was completely ignored. These proposed changes include a change to the item numbers allowing patients to have substantial costs covered under the MBS and private health insurers for a total of 3 times from any region within a 12 month period. Current practice allows for up to 8 joints per treatment session. Treatment costs will blow out to a point where chronic pain sufferers can no longer afford treatment, increasing short and long-term health crises as well as the loss to Australia's economy.
We therefore ask the House to comprehensively risk assess these standards and consequences more prior to implementation.
from 332 citizens (Petition No. EN4024)
Education Workforce
Approx one in ten students who successfully completed degree requirements are unable to graduate because of LANTITE. As long as they are willing to improve their literacy and numeracy skills. they should be able to continue sitting the exams to prove their skills.
In order to improve teaching standards, the government extended the initial teacher programme for one year, both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and added the requirement to pass LANTITE. Now, we are facing a teacher shortage crisis.
The government has started importing NZ teachers. They are paid a large amount of relocation fee. However, there is no LANTITE in NZ and the initial teacher programme is shorter than our current programme.
We have unfortunately put the cart before the horse. Now is the time to fix it. Remove the maximum attempts for LANTITE.
We therefore ask the House to remove the maximum attempts for LANTITE
from 293 citizens (Petition No. EN4025)
COVID-19: Vaccination
COVID vaccination has become available and free to the public.
If one opts not to get vaccinated, she must be held responsible for her decision, i.e. the cost of medical treatment if diagnosed with COVID. Otherwise it would be as the tax payers are charged twice for these people: once to provide them with vaccine and then again to treat them if diagnosed positive.
We therefore ask the House to oblige those who refused vaccination pay for their COVID treatment.
from 16 citizens (Petition No. EN4028)
Gold Holdings
The gold reserves are the property and wealth of the People of the Commonwealth of Australia.
The world is facing great uncertainty and world economies are no longer trustworthy. Our gold is current held in England where it is out of our control and rarely audited.
We therefore ask the House to repatriate our tangible assets. We request this act of financial prudence and sovereignty be undertaken immediately.
from 106 citizens (Petition No. EN4029)
Ukraine
In solidarity for the people of Ukraine and as a show of absolute rejection of Russia's unlawful invasion.
We therefore ask the House to with immediate effect cancel any current visas of any type held by members of the Russian Duma or their families and freeze any assets they may hold in Australia.
from 19 citizens (Petition No. EN4031)
Ukraine
On the 24th of February 2022 Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, declared a "special military operation" to "demilitarise" the sovereign country Ukraine. Russian troops invaded Ukraine and proceeded to bomb and attack military and civilian areas of numerous cities and towns across the entire country. A large amount of civilians and troops are wounded or dead. The goal of this petition is to demand further immediate actions in support of Ukraine. The last time Ukraine experienced this level of attack was during WW2 and we need to act now. The Russian regime is a threat to all of Europe and the world.
We therefore ask the House to provide all humanitarian support possible to help the millions of people who are in immediate danger within the country. Innocent civilians have been displaced in order to escape from Russian attacks.
- Ukraine needs all the weapons that you can possibly provide to defend itself and the future of Europe.
- Ukraine needs humanitarian support such as medical supplies and shelters.
- The many displaced Ukrainians who have fled need immediate refugee status and visa support for entry to Australia.
- We demand the punishment of world leaders who have supported Russia's attack of Ukraine.
from 16 citizens (Petition No. EN4032)
Ukraine
Military invasion of Russia to the territory of Ukraine
We therefore ask the House to grant Humanitarian pathway to Ukrainian citizens, include Ukraine in the list of countries eligible for refugee/humanitarian visas, assist with evacuation of peaceful population from Ukraine
from 180 citizens (Petition No. EN4034)
Media
Advertisements on Australian radio often use sirens and similar sounds in a cheap ploy to grab the attention of listeners.
This distracting and deceiving tactic can adversely affect the ability of drivers on Australian roads to make correctly informed decisions and maintain safe driving behaviours when hearing a siren suddenly. This has potential to impact not only the driver listeners, but those around them.
Please sign to request the banning of the use of sirens and similar siren-mimicking sounds by advertisements on Australian radio.
We therefore ask the House to move to ban the use of all sirens and similar sounds by radio stations and radio station advertisements.
from 31 citizens (Petition No. EN4036)
International Relations
Those in government continue to sacrifice our lives, freedoms, livelihoods, land, prosperity, assets and wealth to foreign nations, organisations and companies. The coronavirus situation has made this very clear and obvious to us. These actions are not in the interest of the People of the Commonwealth of Australia and we hereby declare that we reject all treasonous legislation that allows foreign companies, organisations, countries or people any form of control over our country and any party to these crimes.
Unelected global players seek to have total control over the lives of we the people, and the government continues to sign away our sovereignty powers to them.
We therefore ask the House to start representing our interests and reject the globalist companies and organisations that wish to have control over the people of our country. We are a sovereign nation and demand that the government only make agreements in the best interest of the people of this land.
We reject any legislation that gives power to the World Health Organisation, the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, the Bank of International Settlements, GAVI and any other similar organisations, companies, or global players.
We demand that the government immediately withdraw our country from all agreements made with the above, particularly the International Health Regulations.
Our will be done!
from 350 citizens (Petition No. EN4037)
COVID-19
In response to the 'Coronavirus Pandemic', and in contravention of International Human Rights Law, the Government of Australia has allowed unprecedented attacks by State Governments on the inalienable human right of bodily autonomy, in the form of mandated experimental biological substances masquerading as vaccines.
Reports from the NIH and elsewhere have clearly stated that there is currently 'no known prophylactic' that prevents contracting and spreading the SARS-CoV-2 virus, nor any of its variants.
The benefit purported to be derived from injection with these experimental substances is a reduced risk of death, which is a personal benefit and does nothing to control the spread of the virus through the general population; therefore forced injection via State or Commonwealth Government mandates CANNOT be justified as a mitigation tool in controlling the 'pandemic'.
As millions of Australians have now lost faith in our State Governments to respect, and act in accordance with our Internationally recognised Human Rights, it is the responsibility of the Commonwealth Government to enact legislation to protect Australian Citizens now, and into the future.
The Petitioners rely on Article 6 of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights; and in particular, Articles 4 & 7 of the ICCPR which is a legally binding agreement for Australia, being a Signatory Member State of the United Nations.
We therefore ask the House to pass and enact into legislation the 'No Requirement for Medical Treatment (Including Experimental Injections) Without Consent (Implementing Article 6 of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights) Bill 2021',
from 194 citizens (Petition No. EN4039)
Ukraine
Russia declared war on Ukraine and committed a crime against humanity.
We therefore ask the House to condemn an act of aggression against Ukraine, recognise it as a war crime and confirm that any organisation or individual that supports this act of aggression against Ukraine can be recognised as incompatible with the shared values of the Australian community, thus demonstrating that they have severed the bond with Australia and repudiated their allegiance to Australia.
from 229 citizens (Petition No. EN4041)
Ukraine
In response to the effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Australian Government should commit to a particular intake of up to 20,000 refugees. This war is creating the largest displacement crisis since World War II, and we should offer tangible support to those undergoing this terrible injustice.
We therefore ask the House to commit to a particular intake of 20,000 refugees from Ukraine.
from 270 citizens (Petition No. EN4042)
Immigration Detention
Approximately 200 sick refugees and asylum seekers, brought from Nauru and PNG for medical treatment, are being detained in hotels and detention centres throughout
Australia. Some have been detained for more than one year after enduring many years of detention in Australian run offshore detention centres. Some are separated from families living in the Australian community. This prolonged detention is not helping their recovery. Request: Immediately release them into the community.
from 221 citizens (Petition No. PN0536)
Immigration Detention
Approximately 51 sick refugees and asylum seekers, bought from Nauru and PNG for medical treatment, are being detained in hotels and detention centres throughout Australia. Some have been detained for more than two years after enduring many years of detention in Australian run offshore detention centres. This prolonged detention is not helping their recovery. Request: We therefore ask the House to immediately release them into the community.
from 30 citizens (Petition No. PN0538)
Migration
Seul Yi Cheong, an Australia citizen with intellectual and physical disabilities, faces harm and continuing hardship as her parents—Ji In Kim and Byeong Cheong have been directed to leave the country Request: Request the House to compassionately consider the ministerial appeal for Ji In Kim and Byeong Cheong.
from 841 citizens (Petition No. PN0539)
Petitions received.
PETITIONS
Responses
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (10:01): I present the following ministerial responses to petitions previously presented:
Foreign Investment
Dear Chair,
I refer to your email of 13 May 2021 regarding petition number EN2468 to investigate the claims of Keswick Island residents and cancel the lease of the Chinese company China Bloom. I regret the delay in responding.
The Government recognises the important role foreign investment plays in supporting our economic wellbeing. Australia, as a very large country with a relatively small population, has always relied on foreign investment to create jobs, provide revenues, and support export opportunities for Australian businesses. As Australia moves towards economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, our openness to international trade and investment remains vital. This is especially the case in regions such as North Queensland, which were disproportionately impacted by the closure of Australia's international borders.
The Government has a rigorous regime in place to ensure all foreign investment is in the national interest. This includes agricultural, commercial and residential property. The Government has introduced registers of foreign ownership of residential and agricultural land to provide greater transparency to foreign ownership of these assets.
It is important to note that just because Australia accepts foreign investment, it doesn't mean we lose the ability to set the rules with which all companies, domestic and foreign-owned, must comply. All companies are subject to Australian legislation and regulations, be it our taxation laws, our environmental and safety standards, and our labour market requirements.
I am aware that the Queensland Government has recently established a parliamentary inquiry to examine island resort management across Queensland, including Keswick Island. The Queensland Government's Transport and Resources Committee is now inviting submissions addressing any aspect of the inquiry from all interested parties. I commend that process to all concerned residents of Keswick Island.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Mr Tehan
Parents and Carers
Dear Chair,
Thank you for your email of 9 August 2021 to the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care concerning petition number EN2738 'protection of parents during pregnancy, childbirth and infancy of children'. As the issues raised fall within my portfolio responsibilities as the Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, your email was referred to me for reply. I apologise for the delayed response.
Protections under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth)
The Australian Government is committed to eliminating discrimination against parents in their work life and in the arrangements they make for accommodation. The federal Sex Discrimination Act 1984 makes it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of sex, marital or relationship status, pregnancy or potential pregnancy, breastfeeding and family responsibilities in ce1iain areas of public life, including employment and accommodation.
If anyone believes they have been unlawfully discriminated against, they can contact the Australian Human Rights Commission. The Commission has the power to investigate and attempt to conciliate complaints of discrimination. If a conciliation is unsuccessful or a complaint is terminated, in ce1iain circumstances a complainant may commence legal proceedings regarding the complaint in the Federal Court of Australia or the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Information on the Commission's complaint handling process is available online at: www.humamights.gov.au/complaints-information.
Protections under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth)
Additionally, the Fair Work Act 2009 (Fair Work Act) provides a range of minimum entitlements and protections for employees who are pregnant or are parents of children. Many employers provide additional entitlements above the minimum standards set out in the Fair Work Act, through enterprise agreements or individual contracts.
Unpaid parental leave
Under the National Employment Standards (NES) in the Fair Work Act, parental leave and related entitlements provide minimum leave entitlements for all employees. The core component of parental leave is the right to up to 52 weeks of unpaid parental leave for eligible employees, with a right to request an additional 12 months of unpaid parental leave with a limit of 24 months of leave per employed couple.
Employees who have taken unpaid parental leave are entitled to return to their job following their leave or, if their position no longer exists, an available position they are qualified for and suited nearest in status and pay to their pre-parental leave position.
You may be aware that in 2020, the Government passed the Fair Work Amendment (Improving Unpaid Parental Leave for Parents of Stillborn Babies and Other Measures) Act. This legislation provides improved support to families experiencing the trauma of stillbirth, premature birth and the death of an infant in the first 24 months of life. For parents of premature babies, or newborns that experience birth-related complications that result in immediate hospitalisation following birth, these measures provide families a choice if they wish to put their unpaid parental leave on hold, return to work by agreement with their employer while their baby remains in hospital, and resume unpaid parental leave on a later date. The legislation also allows employee parents to take up to 30 days of their existing unpaid parental leave entitlement on a flexible (including day-at-a-time) basis to complement the changes to the Government's 18-week Paid Parental Leave Scheme to give parents greater flexibility around how they access their Parental Leave Payment.
Transfer to a safejob and no safejob leave
The NES includes entitlements that promote the safety of pregnant employees. All pregnant employees who are unable to safely perform their job are entitled to move to a safe job if one is available at the same the same pay rate, hours of work and with entitlements they receive in their normal job. The employee and the employer can agree on different working hours however the employee will stay in the safe job position until it is safe for them to go back to their normal job, or until they give birth. The employee will need to give the employer evidence that the employee can work but cannot do their normal job (including why the normal job is not safe), and how long the employee should not work in the normal job. The employer can ask for a medical certificate from the employee as evidence.
A pregnant employee who is entitled to move to a safe job but there is no safe job available, will be entitled to no safe job leave. If the employee is entitled to unpaid parental leave, their no safe job leave will be paid at their base rate of pay for ordinary hours of work. Employees who are not entitled to unpaid parental leave can take unpaid no safe job leave.
Flexible work arrangements
Under the NES, eligible employees also have the right to request flexible working arrangements in a range of circumstances. This includes employees who are parents or have responsibility for the care of a child who is school-aged or younger. New working arrangements can include changes to hours, patterns and locations of work. Employees must be a permanent employee with at least 12 months' continuous service, or a long-term casual employee with a reasonable expectation of continuing employment with their employer on a regular and systematic basis.
Protection from discrimination
The Fair Work Act also protects employees and prospective employees in the national industrial relations system from discrimination at work.
Under the general protections provisions, employers must not take adverse action against employees or prospective employees because of a protected attribute (including, for example, dismissing or discriminating against an employee because of their pregnancy or family or carer responsibilities). This is the case unless the adverse action falls within a relevant exception, including if the action is taken because of the inherent requirements of the particular position concerned. These provisions provide an appropriate balance between workplace protections and certainty for employers.
Further information about entitlements and protections in the Fair Work Act, including advice tailored to specific· circumstances, can be found through the Fair Work Ombudsman at www.fairwork.gov.au or via phone on 13 13 94.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, Senator Michaelia Cash
Beauty Industry
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence of 9 August 2021 to my predecessor concerning Petition EN2758, requesting financial support for the beauty industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic, bushfires, and floods have had a significant impact on small businesses across the country. As such, a priority for the new Government is to address the needs of small businesses in times of crisis, giving the confidence and certainty to grow and plan for the future. The Government will work closely with states, territories, industry groups and communities to end the uncertainty that surrounds the support small businesses are able to access in a crisis.
I would also encourage small owners who need support to access the Australian Government's primary assistance channel, available at www.business.gov.au. This service is also available by phone on: 13 28 46, operating seven days per week from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm across Australia, or through an online enquiry form or web chat. This simple and streamlined service includes expert operators who are experienced at running small businesses and able to help with topics such as obtaining finance, managing cash flow, taxation, small business counselling and information technology.
I trust this information will be of assistance to those who submitted the petition.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Small Business, MsCollins
COVID-19: International Travel
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 18 October 2021, enclosing Petition EN2957 with 23 signatures, seeking to allow international travel for vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents.
Australia's international border settings have played a critical role in protecting the health of Australians. The Australian Government continues to take proactive steps to ensure the safe reopening of the border at a scale supported by health advice, and in a manner consistent with the National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID-19 Response (National Plan).
As of 21 February 2022, all fully vaccinated visa holders, including those with a visitor visa, will be able to enter Australia without a travel exemption. This further re-opening of our international border will ensure we protect the health of Australians, while we continue to secure our economic recovery.
The Australian Border Force Commissioner's travel exemption system will remain in place for unvaccinated travellers. Visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will still require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements.
The most up-to-date announcements and information on who can travel to Australia, and the requirements that apply can be found at: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN2957 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Andrews
National Day of Prayer
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your letter dated 18 October 2021 to the Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, relating to a petition about a National Day of Prayer in Parliament (Petition no. EN3152). The Prime Minister has asked me to respond on his behalf. I sincerely apologise for the delay in responding.
As you would be aware, Order 38 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives provides that at the beginning of each sitting, the Speaker shall make an acknowledgment of country and then read the prayer set out in the order (known as the 'Lord's prayer'). Similar provision is made by Order 50 of the Standing Orders of the Senate. This has been the practice of the Parliament over a number of years.
It is important that everyone has an opportunity to have their say about the issues that matter to them. The constituents' views on this particular issue have been carefully noted and will be taken into account.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Mr Morton
NT Working Women's Centre
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 18 October to Senator the Hon Jane Hume regarding a petition that requests ongoing funding for Northern Territory Working Women's Centre (NTWWC). As this issue falls within my portfolio 2021 responsibilities as the Attorney- General and Minister for Industrial Relations, your correspondence was referred to me for reply.
As part of the Australian Government's response to recommendation 49 of the Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (the Respect@Work Report), the Government is providing a further $175,000 in 2021-22 to support the continued operation of the NTWWC, bringing the total commitment to the NTWWC in 2021-22 to $275,000. The Attorney-General's Department advised the NTWWC on 14 February 2022 that it will receive an additional $175,000 from the Government in 2021-22 bringing the total amount of funding in 2021-22 to $550,000.
As announced in the 2022-23 Budget, the Government is also providing a further $1.8 million over three years from 2022-23 to fund the delivery of critical information, advice and assistance to women who experience workplace sexual harassment, and other workplace issues. This funding will be provided through a grant opportunity made available to NTWWC and Working Women Queensland. NTWWC has been invited to apply for a grant of up to $350,000 per year from 1 July 2022 to 31December 2024. This equates to 50 per cent of the identified annual funding need of $700,000 for NTWWC, noting that that recommendation 49 of the Respect@Work Report was directed to all governments (Commonwealth and states and territories) and funding these services is a shared responsibility.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, Senator Michaelia Cash
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence concerning petition number EN3239 requesting the House to enact a bill to adopt and implement the use of rapid antigen testing across Australia. I regret the delay in responding.
Supply of rapid antigen test (RAT) kits is an urgent and immediate focus of National Cabinet. The Australian Government has provided authority, and approved additional funding, to ensure consistent supply of RAT kits to high-need areas to manage health impacts, protect vulnerable Australians and minimise disruption to daily life.
To date the Department has procured over 95 million RATs for use in areas of Commonwealth responsibility, currently including aged care, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), and GP-led Respiratory Clinics (GRPCs).
Over 40 million have been supplied to residential aged care facilities, ACCHOs, Supported Independent Living (SIL) services and GRPCs, including 11 million to states and territories. RATs have also been procured for SIL residents and workers through the NDIS.
The direct supply of test kits to these settings is in addition to previously announced measures including free RATs as part of the COVID-19 Rapid Test Concessional Access (CRTCA) Program. As part of winter preparedness, the Commonwealth extended the CRTCA Program until 31 July 2022, in partnership with the states.
The Government has worked closely in partnership with the pharmacy sector, including the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and pharmacy groups, to design, agree and implement the CRTCA Program rules and remuneration structure.
Under the CRTCA Program rules, pharmacies participating in the CRTCA Program are currently reimbursed $10 plus GST per test (based on the average wholesale price of RATs) supplied, and a handling and administration fee of$4.30 per supply transaction processed under this scheme.
The renumeration structure of the CRTCA Program has been informed by industry information and discussed and agreed with key pharmacy stakeholders as an appropriate level of reimbursement for this time-limited program.
As of 18 March 2022, participating pharmacies have provided more than 23 million RAT kits to over 3.8 million eligible Concession Card holders since the CRTCA Program commenced on 24 January 2022.
In addition to this, the first payment under the CRTCA Program was made by the Pharmacy Programs Administrator and was processed on Tuesday 15 February 2022—nearly two weeks earlier than initially indicated in the CRTCA Program rules.
Please note that polymerase chain reaction and rapid antigen testing for COVID-19 remains free for people who are suspected to have COVID-19 or who are close contacts, through Government-run testing clinics.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
Compensation for Detriment Caused by Defective Administration Scheme
Dear Mr O'Dowd
I am writing in response to your letter of 22 November 2021 to the Attorney-General, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, seeking a response to petition number EN3251. Your letter was referred to me as I have policy responsibility for the Scheme for Compensation for Detriment caused by Defective Administration (CDDA Scheme).
The CDDA Scheme has operated since 1997 and was established to deliver an easily accessible administrative scheme to enable complaints about defective administration by the Commonwealth to be considered and resolved. The CDDA Scheme operates on the basis of authority provided to individual portfolio ministers under the executive power of sections 61 and 64 of the Constitution and senior officials authorised by a minister.
A minister has a very broad discretion to authorise payments in compensation for defective administration. It would be very difficult to legislate a CDDA Scheme without potentially limiting the broad discretion currently available to ministers.
The Department of Finance issues policy guidance for agencies and individuals in Resource Management Guide 409: Scheme for Compensation caused by Defective Administration (RMG 409), which is published on the Department of Finance website, www.finance.gov.au.
RMG 409 sets out a range of matters to be considered by agencies in deciding a CDDA Scheme claim. This includes requirements to ensure the claimant is provided with procedural fairness (paragraph 39) and to provide an adequate explanation of the reasons for a decision (paragraph 78).
CDDA decisions made by delegated senior officials are open to review by the Commonwealth Ombudsman. As the petition has identified, CDDA Scheme decisions are not made under an enactment or law, so decisions are not amenable to judicial review under the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977. However, CDDA Scheme decisions may be subject to judicial review under section 75 of the Constitution or section 39B(l) of the Judiciary Act 1903 (RMG 409, paragraph 92).
Given the above I am not satisfied that there is a need to legislate the CDDA Scheme or to provide access to a formal external merits review process as outlined in the petition.
I have copied this letter to the Attorney-General.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Finance, Mr Birmingham
Veterans
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 22 November 2021 concerning Petition No EN3361 seeking amendments to the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to require the Repatriation Medical Authority to insert a factor in Statements of Principles providing a link to service for the worsening of a medical condition caused by "a failure to be provided appropriate clinical management" for the medical condition (for said injury or disease) where the evidence indicates a factor for "an inability to obtain appropriate clinical management".
The Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 establishes the Repatriation Medical Authority whose function is to determine Statements of Principles which are legislative instruments setting out the factors which connect particular medical conditions, be they injuries or diseases, with the circumstances of military service. The Statements of Principles are the point of reference in assessing whether any claimed hypothesis connecting a medical condition to service is reasonable or whether a decision-maker can be reasonably satisfied about the connection between a medical condition and service (see sections 120A and 120B of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 and section 338 and section 339 of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004).
Since its inception, the Repatriation Medical Authority has generally included a factor in its Statements of Principles for a service related inability to obtain medical treatment for the relevant condition where that inability has caused or contributed to the worsening of the disease or injury. That factor currently refers to "an inability to obtain appropriate clinical management".
The matter of such an inability related to service has been the subject of judicial consideration, most notably by the Full Court of the Federal Court in Repatriation Commission v Money (2009) 173 FCR 410 where Justices Finn and Edmonds held that:
the expression "appropriate clinical management" goes beyond positive treatment of an injury or disease and includes advice that could be given to a patient such as to desist from certain activities or to take other steps as measures to preclude aggravation or exacerbation of an injury or disease (at [43]); and the inability to obtain appropriate clinical management must occasion the material contribution to, or aggravation of the injury or disease (at [42] and [59]).
The link to service here is provided by the reference to a service related 'inability'. It is interpreted generously. For example, section 1968(14)(b) provides that a factor for a disease is relevantly 'related to service' if it 'was attributable to, that service'. In Repatriation Commission v Money, the Court found that the test of attribution was satisfied when there was a 'systems failure of the Navy's medical management structure' which resulted in Mr Money's lung disease (idiopathic fibrosing alveolitis) not being diagnosed.
Here however, the petitioner seeks an amendment, presumably to section 1968(14) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, to have any 'failure to be provided appropriate clinical management' specified as being 'related to service' thereby eliminating the requirement to show such an inability.
Given the approach to assessment of inability outlined in Money v Repatriation Commission such a change would be of marginal benefit to claimants, if any. It would, however, have at least three effects thereby changing the nature of the compensation system:
Such an amendment is predicated on a change in the current understanding as to how factors are 'related to service' as outlined in Repatriation Commission v Money and would effectively abolish the requirement for a direct or contributory relationship.
The proposed amendment would introduce a specific link to service for a 'failure to be provided appropriate clinical management' in section 1968(14) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 when the other provisions are general in nature.
This change would lead to a change in focus in the presentation and assessment of a compensation claim from the circumstances of the claimant to an examination of alleged deficiencies in any clinical management by Defence whether that was occasioned by any inability of the claimant or not.
This change would considerably enlarge the timeframes needed to assess claims.
The Productivity Commission in its review of veterans' compensation, A Better Way to Support Veterans endorsed the Statement of Principles system as 'robust and effective' and noted the widespread support for it. It said the system:
promotes consistency, predictability and transparency and draws a clear line between accepted and non-accepted conditions, based on sound medical scientific evidence'. [p.349]
In my view the petitioner's proposed change would not enhance this outcome. Thank you for bringing this petition to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Mr Gee
Veterans
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 16 December 2021 regarding Petition number EN3362, which requests the House to initiate processes to require the Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs to conform with section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 and cease the practice of including 'other material' and 'other information' in reports provided to the Veterans' Review Board under that provision. The Petition suggests that this will 'return natural justice to the decision review processes'.
This Petition raises very similar issues to Petition EN3399 and EN3037, about which I have written to you separately.
As previously discussed, section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 applies when a veteran seeks review by the Veterans' Review Board of a decision of the Repatriation Commission in respect of a claim for a pension or other benefit under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986. Under section 137, the Secretary must arrange for a report to be prepared which refers to the 'evidence' that is under the control of the Department of Veterans' Affairs that is relevant to the Veterans' Review Board's review of the claim.
The Secretary adopts a broad interpretation of 'evidence' when preparing a report under section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986. This helps ensure that all relevant material is provided for the Veterans' Review Board's consideration when it is undertaking a review.
As Petition EN3362 notes, the Repatriation Commission, rather than the Secretary, also has the power under section 138 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to make available to the Veterans' Review Board other material the Repatriation Commission considers may be of assistance to the Veterans' Review Board in relation to its review.
The reference to 'other material' in section 138 extends beyond 'evidence' relating to a particular claim. This would include, amongst other things, policy documents and guidance materials of general relevance, rather than material that is relevant only to a specific claim. This is reinforced by the Explanatory Memorandum to the Veterans' Entitlements Bill 1985, which outlined that the provision would allow the Repatriation Commission to make available to the Veterans' Review Board 'material which may aid in encouraging consistency in decision making but will not be able to direct the Veterans Review Board in the consideration of a particular review'. It therefore goes beyond material that is only relevant to the particular claim under review.
Contrary to the Petition's assertion, I consider that a failure to provide all material that is relevant to a review under section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 may undermine natural justice, because a veteran has the opportunity to comment on that material before it is provided to the Veterans' Review Board. It would not be in the interests of veterans for such material to be withheld until some later point in time. Nor would it assist the Veterans' Review Board to achieve its statutory objective of providing a mechanism of review that is 'fair, just, economical, informal and quick'.
Accordingly, there are no plans to require the Secretary to adopt a narrower approach to preparing a report under section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
Thank you for bringing the concerns set out in Petition number EN3362 to my attention. I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Mr Gee
Veterans
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 22 November 2021 regarding Petition number EN3367, which requests the House to initiate processes to require the Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (OVA) to comply with what is stated to be the statutory intent of section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, by ceasing the practice of compiling 'evidence reports', which are provided to the Veterans' Review Board for the purposes of a review, by including evidence from multiple matters.
Section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 applies when a veteran seeks review by the Veterans' Review Board of a decision of the Repatriation Commission or Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission in respect of a claim for a pension or other benefit. Under section 137, the Secretary must arrange for a report to be prepared which refers to the 'evidence' that is under the control of OVA that is 'relevant' to the Veterans' Review Board's review of the claim (section 137 report). Section 137 is a procedural provision intended to ensure OVA provides all relevant documents for a veteran appeal to the Veterans' Review Board.
The Petition challenges the practice of preparing section 137 reports where there are multiple applications for review in respect of a single decision. The current practice is, where multiple applications for review relating to a single decision are lodged within days of one another, the documents relevant to all applications for review are combined into one section 137 report. If, however, a subsequent application for review is received after a section 137 report has been already been issued for the previous application(s) for review, then a separate section 137 report is prepared.
The purpose of this practice is for the Secretary to provide all relevant information to the Veterans' Review Board and to do so in the most practical and efficient way. This practice is also important to provide full context to the decision under review in order to ensure the Veterans' Review Board has a complete picture of the issue(s) before it.
The Petition states where a veteran withdraws an application for review, irrelevant information will be before the Veterans' Review Board. I agree this may occur in some cases. However, this does not override the need to ensure all relevant documents are relevant to a review are before the Veterans' Review Board in the first instance. Further, what is relevant to the review may change as the matter progresses. A failure to provide relevant documents at the earliest opportunity would affect the ability of the Veterans' Review Board to properly conduct its review, and to achieve its statutory objective of providing a mechanism of review that is 'fair, just, economical, informal and quick'.
DVA has drafted guidelines entitled 'Compilation of Section 137 reports', which set out the procedures in relation to the documents a decision-maker must lodge with the Veterans' Review Board under this section. Following the Federal Court decision of Shafran v Repatriation Commission [2019] FCA 1833 (Shafran), operational changes to the process pursuant to section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 were made in order to address the issues identified in that judgment. The operational changes are intended to establish a clear process for the provision of material relevant to a review. One of the actions taken include a comprehensive review of, and update to, the policy guidelines. The revised guidelines, entitled 'Compliance with section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, are currently being finalised and are expected to be published shortly. They will provide more detailed guidance, including on what documents ought to be included in a section 137 report.
The Shafran decision also identified practice changes were required in order to allow the opportunity for veterans to make comments before the section 137 report is provided to the Veterans' Review Board. Pursuant to section 137(3) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, a veteran has 28 days to respond to or make comments on the section 137 report, or to request an extension of time within which to do so. This gives a veteran the opportunity to ask that any document be removed from a section 137 report if they do not consider it is not relevant to the review.
Overall, the current practice by DVA is to include documents in a section 137 report that are considered to be relevant to the Veterans' Review Board's review. Where appropriate, DVA will try to narrow the scope of the material that is included in the section 137 report if the veteran identifies that they only take issue with certain aspects of a decision (where more than one issue is covered in the same decision). In all cases, a forensic decision is made as to what documents are relevant for the purposes of the review. Accordingly, there are no plans to require the Secretary to initiate a different process.
Thank you for bringing the concerns set out in Petition number EN3399 to my attention.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Mr Gee
Electric Vehicles
Dear Secretary
In the previous Parliament, the then Chair of the Standing Committee on Petitions, Mr Ken O'Dowd MP, wrote to the then Treasurer concerning Petition EN3386 on electric cars. That petition has been referred to me for response.
The Government has committed to introducing an Electric Car Discount (the Discount) to make electric vehicles cheaper so that more families who want them can afford them, and to reduce emissions. The Discount will remove import tariffs and the fringe benefits tax from eligible electric vehicles below the luxury car tax (LCT) threshold for fuel efficient vehicles. To support the Discount, the Government has also committed to work with industry, unions, states and consumers to develop Australia's first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, which will further consider measures to increase electric vehicles take up.
In relation to the LCT specifically, fuel-efficient vehicles, including electric vehicles, already receive beneficial treatment to encourage take-up. The LCT is applied at a rate of 33 per cent of the OST-inclusive price of vehicles which exceed the LCT threshold. The 2022-23 threshold is $71,849 for ordinary vehicles and $84,916 for fuel-efficient vehicles.
The Government has no plans to change how the LCT applies to electric vehicles. The Government uses the revenue from the LCT to fund essential services that all Australians benefit from such as health, education and defence. The cost of electric vehicle technology is rapidly declining, with many vehicles coming on to the Australian market already priced below the fuel efficient LCT threshold. These vehicles will not attract any LCT.
In addition, a number of state and territories provide incentives for the uptake of electric vehicles, such as reduced stamp duty and vehicle registration fees. Another factor that encourages take-up is that drivers of electric vehicles do not pay fuel excise for the ongoing operation of their vehicles.
I trust this information will be of assistance to you.
Yours sincerely
from the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Mr Jones
Veterans
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your email of 22 November 2021 regarding Petition number EN3399, which requests the House to initiate processes to require the Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (OVA) to comply with what is stated to be the statutory intent of section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, by only including 'evidence' rather than 'other material' in reports provided to the Veterans' Review Board for the purposes of a review.
Section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 applies when a veteran seeks review by the Veterans' Review Board of a decision of the Repatriation Commission in respect of a claim for a pension or other benefit under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986. Under section 137, the Secretary must arrange for a report to be prepared which refers to the 'evidence' that is under the control of OVA that is relevant to the Veterans' Review Board's review of the claim. In circumstances where the term 'evidence' is not defined in the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, the Secretary adopts the ordinary meaning of 'evidence' for the purposes of preparing a section 137 report—that is, 'anything that you see, experience, read, or are told that causes you to believe that something is true or has really happened' (Collins Dictionary).
It is well established that an administrative decision maker can have regard to a wide range of materials in making a decision. This is particularly so where the Veterans' Review Board itself is not bound by the rules of evidence (see section 138 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986). Therefore, it is appropriate that the Secretary adopts a broad interpretation of 'evidence' when preparing a report under section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act1986. This helps ensure that all relevant material is provided for the Veterans' Review Board's consideration when it is undertaking a review.
As Petition EN3399 notes, the Repatriation Commission, rather than the Secretary, also has the power under section 138(2) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to make available to the Veterans' Review Board statements of principles applied by the Repatriation Commission in determining and reviewing claims, along with any other material the Repatriation Commission considers may be of assistance to the Veterans' Review Board in relation to its review. The reference to 'other material' in section 138(2)(b) extends beyond 'evidence' relating to a particular claim. This would include, amongst other things, policy documents and guidance materials of general relevance, rather than material that is relevant only to a specific claim. The permissive rather than mandatory powers afforded to the Repatriation Commission under section 138(2) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 cannot be taken to limit what the Secretary is required to do under section 137.
It is in the interests of veterans that all relevant material is provided to the Veterans' Review Board at the earliest opportunity, to help the Veterans' Review Board achieve its statutory objective of providing a mechanism of review that is 'fair, just, economical, informal and quick'. Accordingly, there are no plans to require the Secretary to adopt a narrow or restrictive interpretation of 'evidence' for the purposes of preparing a report under section 137 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
Thank you for bringing the concerns set out in Petition number EN3399 to my attention. I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Mr Gee
Veterans
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 22 November 2021 concerning Petition No EN3423 seeking amendments to the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to require the Repatriation Medical Authority to amend the definition of 'tooth wear' in the Statement of Principles for Tooth Wear (Nos 52 and 53 of 2017) so any depletion of the enamel of a tooth is deemed to be an 'injury' within section 50 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 and compensable under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 or the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004.
The Repatriation Medical Authority has determined a comprehensive set of Statements of Principles dealing with injury or disease relating to the teeth and gums including Tooth Wear, Loss of Teeth (Nos 124 and 125 of 2015), Dental Caries (Nos 122 and 123 of 2015), Dental Malocclusion (Nos 19 and 20 of 2019), as well as the associated diseases such as Periodontitis (Nos 47 and 48 of 2013), Periodontal Abscess (Nos 49 and 50 of 2013), Bruxism (Nos 91 and 92 of 2016), Dental Pulp and Periapical Disease (Nos 99 and 100 of 2021) and Gingivitis (Nos 45 and 46 of 2013).
The factors in these Statements of Principles connect these medical conditions, be they injuries or diseases, with the circumstances of military service given the tests set out in section 1968(14) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 that effectively require service to be a direct or contributory cause in order for a factor to be 'related to service'.
It is correct that the definition of tooth wear in those Statements of Principles excludes 'mild tooth wear which is confined to the enamel'. However, loss of tooth enamel is incorporated into other Statements of Principles in manner consistent with the statutory requirements. For example, the Statements of Principles for dental caries deals with tooth decay including loss of enamel and provides factors linking decay with military service including being 'exposed to fermentable dietary carbohydrates'. That factor links sugars or heat-processed starch which can be converted by oral bacteria to acids to loss of enamel.
By requiring any change in tooth enamel occurring during service to be considered as an injury related to service, the petitioner's proposed change would effectively abolish any limitations on the service relationship as outlined in section 1968(14) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986. It would mean a mere temporal link between service and injury would result in compensation for the disease or injury without there being any direct or contributory cause.
The current Statement of Principles system has wide support amongst the veteran community and its use is expanding. The Productivity Commission in its review of veterans' compensation, A Better Way to Support Veterans, noted that support for that system and endorsed it as 'robust and effective' concluding that:-
"it promotes consistency, predictability and transparency and draws a clear line between accepted and non-accepted conditions, based on sound medical scientific evidence". [p.349]
Under an arrangement with the Australian Government, the Statements of Principles are now specifically referred to in the New Zealand Veterans' Support Act 2014 and otherwise are used extensively by the Canadian Veterans Review and Appeal Board.
In my view the petitioner's complaint provides no basis for its alteration. Thank you for bringing this petition to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Mr Gee
Veterans
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 22 November 2021 regarding Petition number EN3494, which requests the House to initiate processes to return section 137(1) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to what is stated to be its statutory intent—that is, to ensure the Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (OVA) prepares section 137 reports and the Repatriation Commission ceases the practice of conducting internal reviews of decisions under section 31 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 until after it has received a section 148 notice from the Veterans' Review Board.
The Petition refers to a Repatriation Commission guideline which sets out a strategy for the extended use of the internal review powers under section 31 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, to examine all the available evidence on file when Veterans' Review Board appeals are received and to undertake a review on own motion wherever possible. If that matter cannot be resolved at that early stage, the section 137 report would be prepared and the matter would proceed to the Veterans' Review Board for its review.
Under section 31 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, the Repatriation Commission (or its delegate) may, in its discretion, review a decision at any time before the Veterans' Review Board determines the outcome of an appeal. The relevant Repatriation Commission Guideline sets out the following strategy for the extended use of section 31 review powers:
to examine all the available evidence on file in relation to Veterans' Review Board appeals and conduct a section 31 review wherever possible or prepare a section 137 report within 42 days,
to conduct section 31 reviews upon request by a veteran, and
to make appropriate contact with the veteran or their representative where a specific request for review under section 31 has been made, to address such matters as explanation of the original decision, clarify the basis of the request for section 31 review and allow for further evidence to be presented.
The stated aim of the strategy is to make the right decisions at the primary level (including section 31 review) and reduce the flow of applications to the Veterans' Review Board and Administrative Appeals Tribunal. This is intended to ensure if a review can positively resolve a claim prior to a Veterans' Review Board hearing this be done in order to reduce the impost on the veteran. This Repatriation Commission Guideline was introduced at the request of a number of Ex-Service organisations who consider this to be a positive and beneficial approach for veterans.
Under section 137, the Secretary must arrange for a report to be prepared which refers to the evidence that is under the control of OVA that is relevant to the Veterans' Review Board's review of a Repatriation Commission decision. This process runs in tandem with the Repatriation Commission's consideration of whether a review of the decision should be undertaken under section 31 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986. The Repatriation Commission Guideline is concerned with the conduct of the section 31 review and does not state the Repatriation Commission will prepare the section 137 report.
Section 148 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 provides once relevant documents are provided to the Veterans' Review Board for the purposes of its review, the Principal Member (of the Veterans' Review Board) must issue a notice to both the veteran and the Repatriation Commission advising a review will be undertaken and asking them to confirm whether they wish to appear at a hearing in relation to the review, either in person or by way of a representative. This does not impact on the Repatriation Commission's power to undertake its own review under section 31 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986. As noted above, the Repatriation Commission is entitled to do so any time before the Veterans' Review Board makes a decision in relation to the appeal.
Where claims are capable of being resolved, it is in the interests of veterans this occurs at the earliest possible stage. There are therefore no plans to limit the current review powers of the Repatriation Commission under section 31 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
Thank you for bringing the concerns set out in Petition number EN3494 to my attention. I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Mr Gee
International Relations
Dear Chair
Thank you for your email regarding Australia's funding to multilateral organisations.
I agree that it is important that the UN and other multilateral institutions deliver for Australians. This is why we continue to advocate for improved performance of multilateral organisations and to protect and promote rules, standards and values that benefit our constituents.
The pandemic has highlighted the major role that international institutions play in coordinating a global response to a global problem, and shows that our international order is as important as ever. It has exposed the serious consequences Australia faces, should we fail to ensure these institutions are fit for purpose, accountable to member states, and free from undue influence.
Australia's contributions to multilateral organisations, including the UN agencies, means they can deliver outcomes vital to Australia's national interests, contributing to security and prosperity in our region, and for Australia.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Payne
Iran
Dear Chair
Thank you for your letter regarding the petition (EN3550) for an international Commission of Inquiry into the 1988 execution of Iranian political prisoners.
Iran's human rights record has been a longstanding and serious concern for Australia, and we regularly raise these concerns directly with Iran, and in multilateral fora.
In addition to routinely co-sponsoring the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on the situation of human rights in Iran, Australia frequently condemns Iran's continued use of the death penalty, most recently in our statement to the UNGA on 25 October 2021 and to the UN Human Rights Council on 10 March 2021. Australian officials also make direct representations to the Iranian Government regarding executions, including on 11 and 26 November 2021 in Canberra, and 9 January 2022 in Tehran.
Australia opposes the death penalty in every circumstance, and reports of the events in 1988 are deeply disturbing. We will continue to follow closely the human rights situation in Iran and voice our concerns as appropriate.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Payne
Waste Management and Recycling
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence regarding petition (EN3558) 'Ban the production and use of all non-recyclable and new plastics in Australia—tackling plastic pollution at its sources'.
The Australian Government takes the issue of plastic waste and its impacts on the environment very seriously. Our National Waste Policy Action Plan includes seven ambitious national targets to make Australia a world leader in resource management and recovery. Under the Plan, we are acting on plastic waste by banning exports of unprocessed plastic waste and phasing-out problematic and unnecessary plastics through sustainable design, innovation or the introduction of sustainable alternatives by 2025.
The government also launched the nation's first National Plastics Plan on 4 March 2021.
We are attacking the plastic problem on five key fronts: legislation, investment, industry targets, research and development and community education. You can read more about the Plan at environment.gov.au/plastics-plan.
Following the commitments in the National Waste Policy Action Plan and National Plastics Plan, on 15 April 2021, Australian Environment Ministers identified eight 'problematic and unnecessary' plastic product types for industry to phase out nationally by 2025 (or sooner in some cases). These are lightweight plastic bags, plastic products misleadingly termed as 'degradable', plastic straws, plastic bowls and plates, plastic utensils and stirrers, expanded polystyrene, commonly known as EPS, consumer food containers (e.g. cups and clamshells), EPS consumer goods packaging (loose fill and moulded) and microbeads in personal health care products. For example, 99.3 per cent of plastic microbeads and products containing them have been successfully removed from rinse off cosmetic, personal care and cleaning products.
State and territory governments are responsible for legislating the phase out of problematic single use plastics or regulating specific products. The Australian Government continues to work with the jurisdictions to harmonise phaseouts where possible, and will consider options to expand the scope of these product types in the future.
To help reduce the production of further plastic waste, the government is supporting the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation's work with industry to deliver the 2025 National Packaging Targets. The Targets will drive improved product design to ensure 100 per cent of packaging in Australia is recyclable, reusable, or compostable and 70 per cent of plastic packaging is recycled or composted by 2025 or earlier.
As the waste export ban is phased in, Australia must also shift to recycling 645,000 tonnes each year, of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres domestically. Additional recycling infrastructure is required to achieve this. We are driving a $1 billion transformation of our waste and recycling industry. The government's $280 million Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) is supercharging investment in recycling infrastructure so that Australia can take responsibility for its own waste, including plastic waste.
The government is delivering the RMF in partnership with states and territories and industry and it is on track to leverage over $1 billion in new investment in Australia's recycling industry. We have recently expanded the RMF by $60 million to target state of the art advanced and innovative plastic recycling technology for hard-to-recycle plastics. This will help increase the collection of plastics for recycling, including soft plastics, boost plastic recycling rates and increase the availability of recycled plastics for reuse in plastic products, including in food grade packaging. This will help us reduce our use of new plastics and will drive progress on the National Packaging Targets.
Australian consumers also play an important role in preventing plastic pollution, which is why the government is supporting the Australasian Recycling label (ARL). The ARL can be found on many supermarket products and packaging, provides clear and easy-to-understand instructions on how to correctly dispose of all parts of a product's packaging. By looking out for the ARL on packaging, consumers can better understand whether the products they are buying are recyclable, non-recyclable or whether they need to take extra steps to make sure the item is recycled. In May 2021 the government announced a 2021-2022 budget commitment of $5 million to support 20,000 small-to-medium enterprise businesses to adopt the ARL.
In addition to our domestic actions on plastic waste, the government recognises that an urgent global response is needed to reduce and eliminate the discharge of plastic pollution into our environment. That is why at the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, Australia supported the adoption of a resolution to launch negotiations on a new international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
I hope this serves to demonstrate that tackling plastic pollution is a priority for the government. We are undertaking a comprehensive and ambitious program to address this significant national challenge in close collaboration with industry and state and territory governments.
Thank you again for bringing this petition to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Mr Evans
Employment
Dear Chair
Thank you for your email of 14 February 2022 to the Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, the Hon Michaelia Cash MP, referring petition EN3566, which asks for body modifications to be made a protected attribute under Commonwealth workplace laws.
As the petition states, under the Fair Work Act 2009, physical appearance is not a protected attribute and employers can implement dress codes and other workplace policies governing physical appearance, including tattoos, piercings and other body modifications. However, such policies must be reasonable, and must not result in unfair treatment or discrimination on the basis of a protected attribute (e.g. race, colour, sex, sexual orientation or age). Prospective employees should also have the policy explained to them during the recruitment process. This approach is consistent with Commonwealth anti-discrimination laws, which don't protect body modifications.
There may also be legitimate health and safety concerns that are relevant to the requirements of the job, and which an employer must consider. However, this will depend on the type of job and body modification.
Noting the above, the Government is of the view that the existing legislative framework strikes an appropriate balance between protecting employers' rights to make decisions about the appearance of employees who work at and represent their business, and the protection of employees from discrimination.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, Senator Michaelia Cash
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence of 14 February 2022 to the Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Karen Andrews MP concerning Petition EN3567 asking, among other issues for the House to continue to recognise COVID-19 vaccines approved overseas for entry into Australia. Minister Andrews has asked me to respond as responsibility for COVID-19 vaccine recognition falls within my Portfolio. I regret the delay in responding.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), part of my Department, supports the Australian Government's objective of opening international borders by implementing an independent risk-based approach to COVID-19 vaccine recognition that is intended to protect the community in Australia. Vaccine recognition is based on an assessment of available scientific evidence regarding COVID-19 vaccines that have been used overseas and whether they provide a level of protection against infection and severe disease that is comparable to the protection provided by the COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved for use in Australia.
The TGA currently recognises ten COVID-19 vaccines, including those approved for marketing in Australia. This includes the eight vaccines that have been recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) under its Emergency Usage Listing, as well as two-dose Sputnik V. The list of vaccines that are recognised by the TGA is comparable with those recognised as conferring full vaccination status for entry into Canada, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
The TGA will continue to assess COVID-19 vaccines that have been used overseas in order to recognise new products when there is data to demonstrate that they provide adequate protection from COVID-19. This process is dependent on the availability of studies in the international peer-reviewed literature, whether manufacturers are able to provide additional data, and whether agencies such as the WHO can share their assessments. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of published or otherwise available studies for vaccines which have not been widely used.
The vaccination status of incoming travellers is only one part of Australia's border protection measures. People can travel to Australia regardless of their vaccination status, with the proviso that they may have to follow additional COVID-19 protection measures for a short time following their arrival.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
Parliamentarians
Dear Chair
Thank you for your letter of 14 February requesting a response to petition EN3574 relating to a proposal to score speeches made in the House of Representatives on the basis of relevance and other criteria.
Under the standing orders, during most debates Members must speak only on the subject matter of a question under discussion (standing order 76). A requirement for 'direct relevance' applies to answers to questions without notice (standing order 104). As Speaker, I am regularly called on to rule on relevance from the Chair. While it can be a complex task requiring consideration of the subject, the context and relevant precedents, I believe it is appropriate to address questions of relevance at the time they arise. These rulings guide Members who were not being relevant to return to the matter at hand if they continue to speak.
It is open to anyone to form their own assessment of what Members say in the House. The proceedings of parliament are made publicly available in a variety of formats. The Hansard record of parliamentary debates is published after each sitting, along with the Votes and Proceedings. Members of the public may also view proceedings live or play them back through the www.aph.gov.au/Watch_Read_Listen web page. Proceedings of both Houses are broadcast on the radio and on television in accordance with the Parliamentary Proceedings Broadcasting Act 1946. Further, people may also watch the House and the Federation Chamber from the public galleries, public health considerations permitting. The parliament also facilitates media access to proceedings. Through these different avenues, Members' contributions can be considered by members of the public. Members are ultimately accountable to their constituents, with their performance assessed at the ballot box.
For these reasons, I do not consider that it is appropriate or necessary to establish the type of 'scoring' system requested by the petitioners as a formal mechanism of the House. Such a system could also be complex for the House to administer and may be open to real or perceived partisanship or political point-scoring. As I outline above, anyone can watch, listen to or read the proceedings of parliament and examine Members' speeches and other contributions. Indeed, I encourage them to do so.
Yours sincerely
from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Wallace
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence concerning petition number EN3577 requesting funding and support to make the COVAX-19 vaccine available to the Australian public. I regret the delay in responding.
The Australian Government remains committed to providing access to free and effective COVID-19 vaccines to everyone living in Australia. To support this aim, the Government has invested in a diverse portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines that use a variety of technical platforms, securing supply for all eligible populations within Australia.
The safety of the Australian population has always been the highest priority of the Government. It is working closely with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), who has responsibility for formally assessing the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines, including vaccines, prior to their approval for use in Australia. All vaccines must pass the TGA's rigorous assessment and approval processes, after being tested in large clinical trials on thousands of people. The process for application and approval ofCOVID-19 vaccines can be found on the TGA website at: www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccine-approval-process.
The TGA granted provisional determination to Vaxine Pty Ltd for their COVAX-19 COVID-19 vaccine on 15 December 2021. Provisional Determination is the first step in the process that enables the sponsor to apply to the TGA for provisional registration in the
Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). As for all provisional determinations, it is for six months and so will expire in mid-June 2022.
Provisional determination does not mean that an application has or will be made, or that the vaccine will be provisionally approved for inclusion in the ARTG. Registration and supply in Australia will only commence should the vaccine be approved as safe and effective by the TGA.
Vaxine Pty Ltd, the company developing Flinders University's COVID-19 vaccine candidate 'COVAX-19®' was funded $1 million through the Government's Biomedical Translation Bridge Program, an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund. Vaxine Pty Ltd has not yet submitted an application for provisional registration. However, a limited amount of preliminary clinical data was submitted to the TGA to support the provisional determination application.
From publicly available information, it appears that the COVAX-19 vaccine has been tested in Phase II and III clinical trials in Iran in collaboration with Iranian biotechnology company CinnaGen. Details of the clinical trials underway for the COVAX-19 vaccine can be found on the COVID-19 vaccine tracker at: www.covid19.trackvaccines.org/vaccines/8.
The TGA has not been provided with a copy of the submission made to the Iranian regulator and as the Iranian regulator is not a member of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Agencies, we have very little information on Iranian regulatory requirements for these products.
For individuals looking to be vaccinated with a more traditional, protein-based vaccine option, the Novavax vaccine is now available for administration in Australia to those aged 18 years and over following approval by the TGA and recommendation by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
The Novavax vaccine is a protein subunit vaccine. Protein vaccines use a non-infectious component found on the surface of the virus and are manufactured in cells in a laboratory. After vaccination, immune cells recognise the vaccine protein as foreign and launch an immune response against it. The vaccine was subject to the same rigorous TGA assessment and approval process, with ATAGI noting it was been demonstrated to be highly effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in adults.
The Government has also finalised an agreement with global pharmaceutical company Moderna that secures the production of up to 100 million Australian made messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) doses every year and hundreds of manufacturing jobs too.
The strategic partnership will ensure Australia can meet its ongoing COVID-19 vaccine needs, and any other new and innovative respiratory mRNA vaccines. It will also make Australia a critical regional hub for mRNA technology development and production, bolstering our local biotechnology sector.
It is important for Australians to have access to credible and timely information about COVID-19 vaccines. I strongly encourage everyone to stay up to date on all news and announcements, by regularly checking my Department's website 1;1t: www.health.gov.au.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence concerning petition EN3581 on COVID-19 vaccination. I regret the delay in responding.
The Australian Government is a strong supporter of immunisation as a safe and effective public health measure to prevent the spread of many diseases in the community that can cause hospitalisation, serious ongoing health conditions, or even death.
At the same time, the Government's position on COVID-19 vaccination is that it is voluntary, as are all vaccinations in Australia. Everyone maintains the option to choose.
However, the Government has made it mandatory for those working in residential aged care to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, which was advised by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and accepted by the National Cabinet. This is enforced through state and territory public-health orders, effective 17 September 2021.
As the COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, states and territories, who have primary responsibility for public health, are managing the pandemic in their respective jurisdictions based on health advice. States and territories have issued public health orders which require COVID-19 vaccination for people in high-risk workplaces and sectors, and for some community activities. Further information about public health orders may be found on state or territory government websites.
All vaccines are thoroughly tested for safety before they are approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for use in Australia. The TGA is part of my Department, and is responsible for regulating therapeutic goods, including prescription medicines, vaccines, sunscreens, vitamins and minerals, medical devices, blood and blood products.
Testing includes carefully analysing clinical trial data, ingredients, chemistry, manufacturing, and other factors. Even after an individual receives a vaccine, it is still monitored for safety.
If an individual has any questions about vaccination they should talk to their doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional. Their healthcare professional can then give feedback to the TGA about any side effects, even if they are minor. This will help the regulator in overseeing the safety of vaccines. In the unlikely event that a safety risk develops, the TGA will inform healthcare providers, the community, and the Government as soon as possible.
The Petitions Committee can be assured that the Government, along with the states and territories, is taking an evidence-based approach to COVID-19 and is committed to protecting the health of Australians.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence concerning petition number EN3586 requesting financial support to ensure availability of the COVAX-19 vaccine in Australia. I regret the delay in responding.
The Australian Government remains committed to providing access to free and effective COVID-19 vaccines to everyone living in Australia. To support this aim, the Government has invested in a diverse portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines that use a variety of technical platforms, securing supply for all eligible populations within Australia.
The safety of the Australian population has always been the highest priority of the Government. It is working closely with the Therapeutic Goods Administration {TGA), who has responsibility for formally assessing the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines, including vaccines, prior to their approval for use in Australia. All vaccines must pass the TGA's rigorous assessment and approval processes, after being tested in large clinical trials on thousands of people. The process for application and approval of COVID-19 vaccines can be found on the TGA website at: www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccine-approval-process.
The TGA granted provisional determination to Vaxine Pty Ltd for their COVAX-19 COVID-19 vaccine on 15 December 2021. Provisional Determination is the first step in the process that enables the sponsor to apply to the TGA for provisional registration in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). As for all provisional determinations, it is for six months and so will expire in mid-June 2022.
Provisional determination does not mean that an application has or will be made, or that the vaccine will be provisionally approved for inclusion in the ARTG. Registration and supply in Australia will only commence should the vaccine be approved as safe and by the TGA.
Vaxine Pty Ltd, the company developing Flinders University's COVID-19 vaccine candidate 'COVAX-19®' was funded $1 million through the Government's Biomedical Translation Bridge Program, an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund. Vaxine Pty Ltd has not yet submitted an application for provisional registration. However, a limited amount of preliminary clinical data was submitted to the TGA to support the provisional determination application.
From publicly available information, it appears that the COVAX-19 vaccine has been tested in Phase II and III clinical trials in Iran in collaboration with Iranian biotechnology company CinnaGen. Details of the clinical trials underway for the COVAX-19 vaccine can be found on the COVID-19 vaccine tracker at: www.covid19.trackvaccines.org/vaccines/8.
The TGA has not been provided with a copy of the submission made to the Iranian regulator and as the Iranian regulator is not a member of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Agencies, we have very little information on Iranian regulatory requirements for these products. However, Adjunct Professor John Skerritt of the TGA wrote to the Iranian Ambassador in Canberra in February 2022 to seek their assistance in this regard should an application from Vaxine Pty Ltd be made.
For individuals looking to be vaccinated with a more traditional, protein-based vaccine option, the Novavax vaccine is now available for administration in Australia to those aged 18 years and over following approval by the TGA and recommendation by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
The Novavax vaccine is a protein subunit vaccine. Protein vaccines use a non-infectious component found on the surface of the virus and are manufactured in cells in a laboratory. After vaccination, immune cells recognise the vaccine protein as foreign and launch an immune response against it. The vaccine was subject to the same rigorous TGA assessment and approval process, with ATAGI noting it was been demonstrated to be highly effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in adults.
The Government has also finalised an agreement with global pharmaceutical company Moderna that secures the production of up to 100 million Australian made messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) doses every year and hundreds of manufacturing jobs too.
The strategic partnership will ensure Australia can meet its ongoing COVID-19 vaccine needs, and any other new and innovative respiratory mRNA vaccines. It will also make Australia a critical regional hub for mRNA technology development and production, bolstering our local biotechnology sector.
It is important for Australians to have access to credible and timely information about COVID-19 vaccines. I strongly encourage everyone to stay up to date on all news and announcements, by regularly checking my Department's website at: www.health.gov.au.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
Social Media
Dear Chair
Thank you for your letter dated 14 February 2022, on behalf of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Petitions, concerning Petition EN3599—requesting the implementation of a Bill requiring media and social media platforms to state where an individual's appearance had been digitally altered.
The Australian Government understand the concerns raised in the petition regarding the impact digitally altered images can have on the health and wellbeing of vulnerable Australians, particularly impressionable young people.
The eSafety website www.esafety.gov.au provides a wide range of online safety advice and education materials including resources that cover media literacy, distinguishing real imagery from altered imagery and ways to minimise your exposure and risk of body image issues.
A range of resources are also available through the eSafety parents and carers portal, to educate parents about potential online risks and how to help their children manage negative situations online. The portal can be found at www.esafety.gov.au/parents.
Thank you for bringing the concerns of this petition to my attention. I hope the information in this letter is of some help.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities & the Arts, Mr Fletcher
Migration
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022, enclosing Petition EN3600 with 3 signatures, regarding the Australian Government's immigration policies.
Australia has a universal, non-discriminatory visa system, which focuses on the contribution a person can make to Australia rather than their ethnicity, gender, race, nationality or religious beliefs. Australia enjoys high levels of social cohesion and broad public support for its migration programs and this is, in part based on confidence in well-managed non-discriminatory migration.
Each application for migration to Australia is assessed on its merits against Australian law set out in the Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3600 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Mr Hawke
COVID-19: Schools
Dear Chair
I refer to correspondence of 14 February 2022 regarding Petition Number EN3602.
The Australian Government recognises that the past 2 years have been hard for all Australians, especially students. They have missed out on some of the simple joys of growing up-school camps, team sports and playground friendships. The Government holds the position that it is vital that all students continue to engage with a high-quality education and progress through their year levels throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government is committed to making sure our schools are safe places for students to learn with investments in school upgrades and mental health that will make sure every student can get back on track and benefit from a world class education.
The Government has announced a $240 million School Upgrade Fund. This will provide $40 million for Australian schools, government and non-government, with access to grants in 2022 to improve air quality with measures such as better ventilation, building more outdoor classrooms, replacing boarded-up windows and doors, and buying air purifiers as they move to COVID-normal settings. Secondly, in 2023, $200 million will be provided to states and territories for government schools for new buildings, facilities and refurbishments.
Additionally, government and non-government schools can access Commonwealth recurrent funding. This can be used for the purchase of capital equipment, construction, or capital improvements to a school-such as ventilation and air quality monitoring systems.
While the Australian Government takes a leadership role in matters of national education policy, state and territory governments and non-government education authorities are responsible for managing and making operational decisions for their schools. Decisions regarding the response to COVID-19 in the schooling sector continue to be informed by expert, national, and state-based public health advice. More broadly, states and territories have already put in place a range of initiatives to support well-ventilated classrooms, which consider their differing local circumstances.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Education, Mr Clare
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to correspondence to the former Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Karen Andrews MP, regarding Petition EN3619 requesting that the House consider recognising the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine administered overseas to people over 60 years of age for entry into Australia. That correspondence was referred to the former Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt as responsibility for COVID-19 vaccine recognition falls within the Health Portfolio. I am responding as the Minister for Health and Aged Care.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), part of the Department of Health, has continued to conduct assessments of information regarding COVID 19 vaccines that have been used globally as it has become available. This information helps inform decisions at Australia's international border with respect to incoming travellers, and this work continues to be an important element in allowing Australia to re-open its international borders.
In general, COVID-19 vaccines are recognised for the purpose of inbound travel if they provide comparable protection against infection and severe infection/hospitalisation to those COVID-19 vaccines approved and used in Australia. Ideally, demonstrated efficacy against infection should be over 65%, and efficacy against severe infection/hospitalisation should be over 85%.
TGA's initial assessment of data regarding BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) vaccine found the maximum severe infection/hospitalisation rate was 79% (6% lower than the ideal minimum of 85%), with estimates from one large study being even lower. The World Health Organization also noted the limitations of the scientific information regarding efficacy for those over 60 years of age in relation to the Sinopharm vaccine.
As a result of TGA's initial assessment, in November 2021, the TGA recognised the
Sinopharm vaccine for the purposes of inbound travel for people under 60 years of age because of the lower absolute risk of severe infection/hospitalisation in younger people.
This was a risk-based decision taking into account the fact that age is a major factor affecting progression to severe disease with COVID-19 infection.
The TGA has continued to monitor the scientific literature, including results of real-world evidence and ongoing trials assessing the effectiveness of the Sinopharm vaccine, and as a result of recently published data on 10 May 2022, amended its decision and removed the age limit (e.g. <60 years of age).
This decision means the Sinopharm vaccine is a recognised vaccine for the purposes of inbound travel for travellers of all ages.
The TGA's assessment of this additional data can be found on the TGA's website at www.tga.gov.au using the search term 'international vaccine recognition'.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence concerning petition number EN3625 regarding vaccination for children aged 5 to 12 years. I regret the delay in responding.
People eligible for vaccination have been identified considering the current supply of vaccines and public health, medical and epidemiological evidence on who would be most at risk of contracting COVID-19, or of serious illness if they contracted COVID-19.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration {TGA) completes a full and thorough assessment of COVID-19 vaccines and will only register and approve a COVID-19 vaccine, if it is found to be safe and effective. No part of the process has been rushed, and there was no emergency authorisation granted.
All vaccines must pass the TGA's rigorous assessment and approval processes including clinical trials. Technical experts analyse the three phases of clinical trials test for safety at every phase, as well as how effective the vaccine is at protecting against infection and/or disease.
The TGA requires robust scientific data before supporting a vaccine candidate and will only register and approve a COVID-19 vaccine if it is found to be safe and effective, following its complete assessment of data.
The TGA is also part of a network of international regulators that meet regularly to discuss the development of COVID-19 vaccines. This information, together with the potential to use already established work-sharing arrangements and collaboration with other international regulators, is assisting the TGA to expedite the evaluation of any new vaccines without compromising on strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
COVID-19 vaccination in the 5 to 11-year-old age group commenced on 10 January 2022, with two vaccine options recommended for children under the age of 12. The paediatric Pfizer vaccine is recommended by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation for 5 to 11-year-olds and the Moderna vaccine is recommended for 6 to 11-year-olds. Both vaccines have been subject to the TGA's rigorous assessment and approval process and continue to provide free, effective protection for children in this age group, their families and communities.
Vaccination is the best way to help prevent children from getting sick, particularly those at greater risk from underlying medical conditions. Vaccination may also give indirect benefits to children by preventing disruptions to school and extracurricular activities and reducing the spread of the virus through the community. Further information is available at: www.health.gov.au using the search term 'is it true'.
The Standing Committee on Petitions can be assured that the Australian Government, along with the states and territories, is taking an evidence-based approach to COVID-19 and is committed to protecting the health of Australians.
Thank you for bringing the constituents' concerns to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
Diwali
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your letter dated 14 February 2022 regarding Petition Ministerial Referral (EN3626)—declaring Diwali as a public holiday.
The Australian Government recognises the cultural significance of Diwali, the annual Festival of Light, as a special celebration for people of many faiths.
Australia is one of the most successful multicultural societies in the world. We have achieved this success by welcoming and integrating people from many cultures from all parts of the world. Our diversity has played an important role in our prosperity, enriching Australia and deepening our connections with the region and wider world.
The celebration of Diwali in many forms both, publically and privately across Australia, demonstrates the importance of freedom of faith and freedom of association in Australia. The Australian Government is committed to protecting these values, and ensuring that people in Australia can continue to come together to celebrate events like Diwali into the future.
The declaration of public holidays is the responsibility of the states and territories. Where a public holiday has been recognised nationally this has been agreed by the National Cabinet. The proclamation of 'days of national observance' by the Governor-General is just one of a number of ways to promote the observation of days of celebration or commemoration.
National days and culturally significant events may be observed without a proclamation or intervention by the Australian Government. A number of days throughout the year have gained community acceptance as the dates on which particular events are celebrated or commemorated. Mothers' Day and Harmony Day are among the many examples of days throughout the year that have gained community acceptance as the dates on which particular events are celebrated or commemorated, without government involvement.
Thank you again for writing to me on this important matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Prime Minister, Mr Morrison
Disability Services
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence of 14 February 2022 on behalf of the Standing Committee on Petitions concerning petition number EN3627.
Australia's health system is one of the best in the world and strives to provide safe and affordable high quality care for every Australian. In keeping with this, the Australian Government is committed to ensuring all Australians are able to access high quality, affordable health care by providing both free and subsidised healthcare services.
The Government believes a mixed model of private and public health services is integral to the provision of these services. All Australian residents, regardless of whether they hold private health insurance, are eligible to be treated free of charge as public patients under the universal health system, Medicare.
Australian private health insurers are required to offer community-rated health insurance. Community rating ensures the premium paid by consumers for a private health insurance policy does not vary based on health status, age, or whether the person has a disability. This prevents private health insurers from discriminating between people, including those who may require more services and are more vulnerable to health expenses.
The Government maintains its commitment to providing access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to everyone in Australia. Vaccination against COVID-19 is one of the most effective ways to reduce severe illness and death from infection, however, individuals maintain the option to choose to vaccinate.
Alongside the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, the Government has implemented a claims scheme for people who suffer a moderate to significant impact following an adverse reaction to a Therapeutic Goods Administration approved COVID-19 vaccine. Information about the scheme, including advice on how to claim is available on my Department's website at: www.health.gov.au by searching for 'COVID-19 vaccine claims scheme'.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
Australian Sign Language
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 to the Minister for Education and Youth, regarding Petition EN3636 that was presented to the House of Representatives on the teaching of Auslan in Australian schools. As the Acting Minister for Education and Youth, your correspondence has been provided to me for response.
The petition requests that the House of Representatives make Auslan available early on in public schools across Australia and that it encourages private schools to do the same.
The Australian Government plays a leadership role and provides funding for areas of national educational importance; however it does not have a direct role in the operation of schools.
Decisions relating to the teaching and availability of Auslan as a language of formal study in schools are a matter for the State and Teritory education authorities, and, in some cases, individual schools.
The Government acknowledges the importance of providing young Australians with the opportunity to learn Auslan at school. The addition of Auslan to the Foundation—Year 10 Australian Curriculum (the Curriculum) in 20 l 6 represented a significant achievement to this end, in systematising provision in Australian schools, serving both deaf and hearing student populations, and rightfully acknowledging the place of Auslan in Australian society.
Further information about Auslan's place in the nationally agreed curriculum, which sets the expectations for what all young Australians across the country should be taught regardless of where they live or their background, is available at www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/languages/auslan.
More broadly, the Government has funded the Australian Federation of Modem Languages Teachers Associations (AFMLTA) to undertake research to inform the development of recommendations for increasing participation in languages learning in Australian schools. As part of this research, the AFMLTA conducted a national stakeholder forum in mid-2021.
This was followed by a series of focus groups with language teachers across Australia to discuss jurisdiction-specific issues, with one focus group dedicated to Auslan. Initial feedback indicates increased interest in Learning Auslan as an additional language and the importance of qualified and experienced teachers, noting the final research report will be delivered in mid-2022. The Government will consider these recommendations and approp1iate next steps once the final report is delivered. Further information on the project is available at www.afmlta.asn.au.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Acting Minister for Education and Youth, Mr Robert
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence concerning petition number EN3646 requesting a fast track of the Novavax vaccine. I regret the delay in responding.
The safety of the Australian population has always been the Australian Government's highest priority. For this reason, decisions regarding COVID-19 vaccines have been, and continue to be, based on the expert medical advice of the both the Therapeutic Goods Administration {TGA) and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
I am pleased to confirm that Australians aged 18 years and over now have access to the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine after the Government accepted advice from ATAGI that it be included in the rollout program. The recommendations from ATAGI follow Australia's medicines regulator, the TGA, provisionally approving the Novavax vaccine for use in Australia. ATAGI has recommended the Novavax vaccine be given in two doses, at least three weeks apart.
Administration of the vaccine began in the week of 21 February 2022 following batch testing. Australians can access a Novavax vaccine through general practices, community pharmacies, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, Commonwealth vaccination centres, and state and territory clinics.
Novavax is a protein subunit vaccine. Protein vaccines use a non-infectious component found on the surface of the virus and are manufactured in cells in a laboratory. After vaccination, immune cells recognise the vaccine protein as foreign and launch an immune response against it. This vaccine provides a further option to those who may have been hesitant to use the current available options.
ATAGI notes that the vaccine has been demonstrated to be highly effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in adults. It can also be administered to pregnant and breastfeeding women and for people who are severely immunocompromised, who are recommended to receive three doses for their primary course of vaccination.
The ATAGI advises that Novavax can also be used as a booster dose if no other COVID-19 vaccine brand is suitable for that individual.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
Centrelink
Dear Mr O'Dowd
I refer to your correspondence and petition with 144 signatures, concerning the closure of Services Australia's (the Agency's) Benalla Visiting Service and the request for the Minister for Government Services to review this decision and to re-open the Benalla Centrelink Office as a matter of urgency.
The Benalla Visiting Service was suspended on 6 April 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, and did not reopen. The Visiting Service transitioned to an Agent service from 28 June 2021 located at 85 Nunn Street, Benalla, Victoria.
Since the Agent Service opened, the Benalla community has had reliable and consistent access to Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support services. The locally based Agent is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 3.30pm, offering a face-to-face service for 30 hours a week, up from 24 hours a week offered through the visiting service.
Agents are provided with extensive training to ensure they can support customers to conduct their business with the Agency. Agents offer access to services such as phones, printing and internet enabled computers, and help customers register for and use digital self-serve channels, including myGov. Free Wi-Fi is available for community members to complete their government business online. The Agent service can also connect local residents with more complex enquiries directly to an Agency staff member via a dedicated phone line.
Benalla residents continue to have access to the Wangaratta Service Centre at 25 Faithfull Street, Wangaratta where they can choose to book an appointment at a time suitable to them. Booking an appointment means customers won't need to wait in a queue. These appointments can also be completed by telephone, reducing the need to travel to Wangaratta Service Centre and wait for assistance. Customers can book these services by telephoning the Agency's regular payment lines. The agency's Mobile Service Centre continues to visit Benalla annually.
Since July 2021, the staff at the BenaJ.la Agent have worked closely with the staff at the Wangaratta Service Centre to coordinate additional and specialised support for vulnerable customers where required. The Benalla Agent promotes Appointment Based Servicing appointments as an option available to Benalla customers, and maintains strong links to the
Wangaratta Service Centre. This has enabled seamless referrals for vulnerable customers attending the Benalla Agent.
As a further support, the Agency is providing specialist staff to visit the Benalla community for the period 24 January 2022—15 April 2022. This was planned to commence earlier however due to COVID-19 restrictions, this was not possible. After this three-month period, the specialist servicing arrangements will be reviewed based on customer demand.
The Agency has also hosted two digital learning events in Benalla. The first event was held in July 2021 and the second in December 2021. These events provide the Agency the opportunity to talk to the community about self-managed services, build digital engagement, and promote the Agent Service. Community feedback from these events has been positive.
I acknowledge the concerns raised and would like to provide reassurance that the Agent Service, now in place in Benalla, will continue to assist customers to engage with the Agency.
I trust this information is of assistance to you.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister For Government Services, Senator Reynolds
COVID-19: International Travel
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3649 with 10 signatures, concerning international travel by Australian citizens to South Africa.
Since 1 November 2021, fully vaccinated Australians, permanent residents and their families have been able to leave Australia and return without needing an exemption. Further, on 15 December 2021, the international border was reopened to skilled workers, working holiday-makers, refugee, humanitarian, temporary and provisional family visa holders.
On 21 February 2022, Australia's international border was reopened to all remaining fully vaccinated visa holders. Unvaccinated visa holders continue to require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and all incoming travellers still need to comply with the quarantine and testing requirements of the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territory to which they plan to travel.
Australians can be reassured the Australian Government, as it has done throughout the pandemic, is acting on the best medical advice available to protect the community. The phased and careful reopening of Australia's international border has been achieved due to the discipline of Australians throughout the vaccine rollout and implementation of the National Plan. This has resulted in Australia having amongst the lowest fatalities in the world from COVID-19.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3649 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Andrews
China
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3654, with 31 signatures. I appreciate the time you have taken to bring this matter to my attention.
The Australian Government takes the threat of foreign interference seriously.
The Government has put a number of measures and legislative reforms in place to counter the threat. Some of those measures and legislative reforms are detailed below.
In 2018, the Government appointed the first National Counter Foreign Interference Coordinator to coordinate Australia's whole of government efforts to respond to acts of foreign interference. These relevantly included administering the Counter Foreign Interference Strategy, and enhancing engagement with culturally and linguistically diverse communities to strengthen their ability to challenge manipulation and coercion from foreign actors. The Coordinator is supported by the Counter Foreign Interference Coordination Centre.
In 2018, the Government also passed the National Security Legislation Amendment (Espionage and Foreign Interference) Act 2018(Cth) which introduced landmark foreign interference offences into the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). These offences target those who engage in covert, deceptive or coercive conduct to interfere with the exercise of Australian political or democratic rights, or Australia's democratic systems and processes, on behalf of a foreign principal. These reforms are due to be reviewed by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor. There will be an opportunity for interested Australians to engage in that review once it is formally established.
In 2018, the Australian Government also established the Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce (EIAT) to respond to threats to democracy through malicious cyber activity, physical means, electoral fraud, foreign interference and disinformation. The EIAT is focused on the upcoming Federal election, and will also be providing support to state, territory and local government elections across the country. The EIAT is made up of a number of Commonwealth agencies and is supported by the National Intelligence Community.
In 2019, the Government established a Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce (CFI Taskforce) that discovers, tracks and disrupts foreign interference in Australia. The CFI Taskforce is led by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, and has access to investigative functions and powers including telecommunications interception and surveillance. Part of the CFI Taskforce's remit includes responding
to allegations made by members of a diaspora community who fear that they may be being subject to interference by a foreign principal or its proxy.
The Government is in the process of reforming Australia's electronic surveillance legislative framework. In response to the findings of the Comprehensive Review of the Legal Framework of the National Intelligence Community, the Government has committed to repealing and replacing the existing framework currently divided across the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Cth), Surveillance Devices Act 2004 (Cth), and relevant parts of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 (Cth) with one modernised, streamlined and consolidated Act. As part of this reform, the Government is considering existing prohibitions on surveillance activities in Australia.
Thank you for raising this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Andrews
COVID-19: International Travel
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3661 with 49 signatures, requesting consideration of quarantine-free travel arrangements with Malaysia and other south-east Asian countries with high levels of vaccination.
Australia's travel restriction policy has played a key foundational role underpinning management of COVID-19's impact on public health in Australia and was implemented on the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. In accordance with the National Plan to Transition Australia's National COVID-19 Response, Australia is reopening its international border in a phased and careful way.
As of 21 February 2022, all fully vaccinated visa holders, including those with a visitor visa, will be able to enter Australia without a travel exemption. This further re-opening of our international border will ensure we protect the health of Australians, while we continue to secure our economic recovery.
The Australian Border Force Commissioner's travel exemption system will remain in place for unvaccinated travellers. Visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will still require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements.
The most up-to-date announcements and information on who can travel to Australia, and the requirements that apply can be found at: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3661 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Andrews
Global Talent Visa Program
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3662, with 11 signatures, concerning the Global Talent Visa application for Mr Ahmed Abdelwahed Saied Nasreldin.
The Global Talent Visa Program aims to attract individuals who can contribute to Australia's economy or global standing in priority sectors, and for whom there is not a more appropriate visa pathway.
Candidates must demonstrate an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in one of the designated priority sectors. They must also demonstrate the ability to earn an income at the Fair Work High Income Threshold.
Applicants with exceptional and outstanding achievements include senior executives in internationally competitive organisations and those with commercially viable patents or internationally recognised awards.
I note that Mr Nasreldin has an Employer Nomination (subclass 186) visa application currently before the Department of Home Affairs, and that he holds a valid bridging visa to remain in Australia pending finalisation of that application. He is not required to leave Australia while that application is being processed.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3662 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Hawke
COVID-19: International Travel
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing petition EN3663 with six signatures, concerning the return of international students and temporary visa holders from overseas.
I recognise the significant impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on many Australians and the lives and plans of visa holders, including international students wishing to study in Australia.
Australia's travel restriction policy has played a key foundational role underpinning management of COVID-19's impact on public health in Australia and was implemented on the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. In accordance with the National Plan to Transition Australia's National COVID-19 Response, Australia is reopening its international border in a phased and careful way.
This graduated and safe reopening is a result of the success Australia and Australians have achieved through the vaccine rollout and in implementing the National Transition Plan.
As interested parties may be aware, from 15 December 2021, eligible visa holders, including international students, who are fully vaccinated in accordance with Australia's international border entry requirements became eligible to travel to Australia without seeking a travel exemption. Other eligible visa holders included Working Holiday maker visa holders, as well as other priority temporary visa cohorts.
Having supported the reunion of families, and Australia's economic recovery through the return to skilled and unskilled migration, and international students, Australia has now reopened to all remaining, fully vaccinated visa holders. From 21 February 2022, all visa holders who are fully vaccinated in accordance with Australia's international border entry requirements are able to travel to Australia without needing to obtain a travel exemption.
The changes from 21 February 2022 take into account the different levels of access that many countries have to vaccines, and the rate of the rollout of booster vaccines globally. The changes also take into account the evolving epidemiological situation in Australia, where our current vaccination rates are amongst the highest in the world.
Unvaccinated visa holders will still require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and all incoming travellers will still need to comply with the quarantine requirements of the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territory to which they plan to travel.
I recommend that interested parties keep up to date with the information and further detail available on the Department of Home Affairs website as well as other Australian Government websites.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3663 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Mr Hawke
COVID-19: International Travel
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3666 with 13 signatures, concerning the reopening of Australia's international border to travellers from countries currently experiencing significant viral outbreaks.
The petitioners requested the establishment of a triage system for travellers based on risk, as well as expressing specific concern for the wellbeing of Indigenous populations within Australia.
Australia's international border settings have played a key foundational role in underpinning the management of COVID-19's impact on public health in Australia. Australia has been opening in a staged and careful way. The path to reopening the international border has continually aligned with the National Plan to Transition Australia's National Response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and has always been based on the most up to date, expert, health advice. The Commonwealth has also worked closely with state and territory governments, who have established health controls and quarantine requirements in relation to post-border arrangements.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and associated subcommittees, the Infection Control Expert Group (ICEG) and the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA), provide expert medical advice to inform policies relating to public health measures, including Australia's international border settings. In addition, state and territory governments have put in place additional public health measures, consistent with health advice, to manage COVID-19 within the specific context of their jurisdiction.
I note that the petition refers to unequal levels of vaccination across Australia and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including those in remote communities, are at greater risk from COVID-19, particularly young people.
As at 7 March 2022, as reported in the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), 83.6% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 16 and over have received their first dose, and 78.9% have received their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. While these figures are lower than the national average of 96.5% and 94.6% respectively, I note that Indigenous identification to the AIR is voluntary, so it only reflects people who have chosen to identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
Recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and those in remote communities are at greater risk from COVID-19, the Government has made it a priority to provide access to vaccines and resources on how communities can be kept safe. The Commonwealth continues to work with state and territory Governments to ensure that vulnerable cohorts are protected from COVID-19 and has made it clear that the greatest protection available is through vaccination.
As you are aware, on 7 February 2022, the Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, announced that from 21 February 2022, all visa holders who are fully-vaccinated in accordance with Australia's international border entry requirements will be able to travel to Australia without needing a travel exemption.
All international arrivals are required to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) before boarding a flight to Australia. The DPD collects information on the passenger's vaccination status, 14 day travel history, and a declaration that they have had a negative COVID-19 test prior to travelling to Australia. Information from passengers is provided to State and Territory health officials prior to arrival to enable triaging of passengers through post-border arrangements (including quarantine) based on risk.
On arrival in Australia, officers from the Australia Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Home Affairs undertake assurance activities to confirm the information provided by passengers on their DPD is genuine, such as checking evidence when medical contraindication to a COVID-19 vaccine is claimed as a reason for not being vaccinated. There is also the ability for all arrivals to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccine when in Australia if they choose to do so.
Once cleared by ABF officers to enter Australia, unvaccinated passengers (including those who have been vaccinated within the last seven days) are directed to state and territory health officials, and are subject to domestic health controls relevant to that jurisdiction's risk settings.
Passenger caps and quarantine requirements for unvaccinated travellers currently remain in effect, and all incoming travellers will still need to comply with the quarantine requirements of the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territory to which they plan to travel. This precaution continues to protect our health system's capacity to manage those seriously ill with COVID-19 while also supporting the provision of other essential health care. These requirements remain while supported by health advice.
Australia's economy is already rebounding back from the height of the pandemic, and future steps forward will further accelerate our recovery. While this change will make a significant impact across the entire economy, it will provide a particularly crucial boost to the tourism sector. However, all decisions regarding changes to border settings will be taken with health impacts as a primary concern.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3666 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Andrews
COVID-19: International Travel
Dear Chair
Thank you for your email of 14 February 2022 regarding Petition EN3668, which requests the establishment of a federal anti-corruption body. I welcome the opportunity to respond to this petition.
The Australian Government remains committed to establishing the Commonwealth Integrity Commission (CIC) to ensure our federal' integrity framework is as robust as possible. The Government committed ongoing funding to the CIC in the 2019-20 Budget. Total funding over the next four financial years from 2022-23 would be $168.3 million, noting the establishment of the CIC is subject to the passage of legislation.
The CIC will be an independent investigative agency with strong powers to target the most serious types of criminal conduct that threaten good public administration. The CIC will have broad jurisdiction over all Commonwealth entities, including law enforcement and public sector agencies, parliamentarians and their offices, higher education providers and research bodies. It will complement, rather than duplicate, other mechanisms which already exist to deal with issues of misconduct at the Commonwealth level.
This is a significant reform that must be implemented effectively, both because of the scale of the reform and because it is vital that Australians can have confidence that the CIC will operate fairly and effectively.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Attorney-General, Senator Michaelia Cash
Climate Change
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your letter of 14 February regarding petition EN3672 which asks the House to introduce legislation to implement a blanket advertising ban on internal combustion engine vehicles, modelled on the successful ban on tobacco advertising.
Advertising regulation in Australia is intended to strike a balance between legitimate commercial interests and appropriate community safeguards. The content of advertisements in Australia is subject to predominantly self-regulatory arrangements, underpinned by platform-neutral codes of practice developed by the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), the advertising industry peak body, including the AANA Code of Ethics. The self-regulatory framework reflects that it is ultimately advertisers who bear the primary responsibility for the content of their advertisements. The advertising self-regulatory arrangements, including the handling of complaints, are administered by Ad Standards.
The Australian Government does not intend to implement a ban on advertising for internal combustion engine vehicles. Doing so could also prevent advertising for more fuel efficient vehicles including hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles and also prevent advertising of internal combustion engine vehicles with enhanced safety features.
The Australian Government is committed to enabling consumer choice for new vehicle and fuel technologies, ensuring Australian motorists can choose the vehicle that is right for them—be that petrol, diesel, hydrogen or electric powered.
The Australian Government will continue to partner with the private sector to create the enabling environment needed to support the increasing number of consumers choosing low emission vehicle technologies. The Future Fuels and Vehicles Strategy, released in November 2021, sets out how the Australian Government will support a technology-led approach to reducing transport emissions.
The Australian Government has now committed $2.1 billion to partner with industry to support uptake of low and zero emission vehicles. This includes the expanded $250 million Future Fuels Fund (up from $71.9 million), to support businesses to integrate new technology vehicles into their fleets, and deliver battery charging and refuelling infrastructure across capital cities and key regional centres, helping to improve motorist confidence.
Through the implementation of the Future Fuels and Vehicles Strategy, we are focusing on five priority initiatives that will make the most difference:
Electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure where it's needed;
Early focus on commercial fleets;
Improving information for motorists and fleets;
Integrating electric vehicles into the electricity grid; and
Supporting Australian innovation and manufacturing.
More information on how the Australian Government is enabling consumer choice for new vehicle and fuel technologies can be found at www.industry.gov.au/data-and- publications/future-fuels-and-vehicles-strategy
Thank you for raising this matter with me.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Mr Joyce
COVID-19: International Travel
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3673 with 6 signatures, concerning the ability of those departing from Singapore to travel to Australia, despite their circumstances falling outside the terms of the Singaporean travel bubble.
Australia's travel restriction policy has played a key foundational role underpinning management of COVID-19's impact on public health in Australia and was implemented on the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. In accordance with the National Plan to Transition Australia's National COVID-19 Response, Australia is reopening its international border in a phased and careful way.
As of 21 February 2022, all fully vaccinated visa holders, including those with a visitor visa, will be able to enter Australia without a travel exemption. This further re-opening of our international border will ensure we protect the health of Australians, while we continue to secure our economic recovery.
The Australian Border Force Commissioner's travel exemption system will remain in place for unvaccinated travellers. Visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will still require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements.
The most up-to-date announcements and information on who can travel to Australia, and the requirements that apply can be found at: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3673 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Andrews
Citizenship
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3675 with 230 signatures, concerning a request to speed up the Citizenship application process, in particular, in Victoria. I appreciate the time you have taken to bring this matter to my attention.
The Australian Government is committed to maintaining public confidence in the Citizenship Program and ensuring a prosperous, secure and united Australia.
Citizenship test appointments have recommenced in all of the Department of Home Affairs' offices. Appointments have also recommenced in regional sites, managed by Services Australia.
Most applicants need to attend an appointment and sit the Australian citizenship test in-person. COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 disrupted test appointments in different locations.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on face-to-face client services, including appointments to sit the Australian citizenship test, means processing times are currently highly variable across the country, with applicants in Victoria waiting significantly longer for a test appointment, currently more than 12-months.
A key factor to the longer wait times in Victoria is due to public health orders, which caused the Department's office in Melbourne to be closed for a total of 56 weeks between March 2020 and January 2022. This was the longest service delivery disruption across all of the Department's offices.
To return to nationally consistent processing times, the Department has implemented a range of measures to deliver increased face-to-face client services and to provide the greatest possible processing efficiency while still maintaining COVIDSafe arrangements and the integrity of the Citizenship Program.
Where possible, the Department is offering extended operating hours to increase availability of test appointments, supported by additional client service counters in the largest processing locations, in particular, in Melbourne. The Department is also working closely with Services Australia to increase the number of appointments being provided to applicants in non-metropolitan areas. Further opportunities for the Department to draw upon the Services Australia network and to expand operations to support citizenship outcomes are under investigation. These initiatives are expected to help alleviate the client wait times in Victoria in due course.
Despite the impacts of COVID-19, from 1 July 2021 to 31 January 2022, there were 68,286 Australian citizenship tests administered and 79,479 people acquired Australian citizenship at ceremonies (38,135 people through online ceremonies and 41,344 people through in-person ceremonies).
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3675 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Mr Hawke
Skilled Migration Program
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3676 with 831 signatures, concerning Ms Evgeniya Stukalova and her daughter,
Ms Angelina Stukalova's request for Ministerial Intervention under section 351 of the Migration Act 1958 (the Act).
Section 351 of the Act provides me with the power to substitute a decision of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal with a more favourable decision, if I think it is in the public interest to do so. This is a non-compellable power and I am not obliged to consider a case or to intervene in a case.
A large number of requests for Ministerial Intervention are received and the Department of Home Affairs has been provided with guidelines on ministerial powers (s351, s417, s501J) regarding which cases should be referred for Ministerial consideration.
I can confirm Ms Stukalova and her daughter's request for Ministerial Intervention has been received by the Department. Requests for Ministerial Intervention are assessed on a case by case basis and processing timeframes vary due to individual circumstances.
Please be assured that the petition has been noted and the information provided will be taken into consideration when assessing their case.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3676 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Mr Hawke
COVID-19: International Travel
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3686, with 230 signatures, concerning bridging visa holders leaving and re-entering Australia.
Australia's reopening of its international border to additional cohorts of travellers has been undertaken as a part of our phased reopening to the world.
As of 21 February 2022, all fully vaccinated visa holders, including those with a visitor visa, will be able to enter Australia without a travel exemption. This decision applies to all visa holders, and includes bridging visa B holders, business travellers, tourists and other visitors. This further re-opening of our international border will ensure we protect the health of Australians, while we continue to secure our economic recovery.
Bridging visa B holders who are outside Australia and unable to return before their bridging visa B validity ceases, will need to apply for and be granted a new visa to travel to Australia.
The Australian Border Force Commissioner's travel exemption system will remain in place for unvaccinated travellers. Visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will still require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements.
The most up-to-date announcements and information on who can travel to Australia, and the requirements that apply can be found at: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3686 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Andrews
Emerging Technologies
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 to the Minister for Science and Technology, the Hon Melissa Price MP, enclosing Petition EN3687 with 52 signatures, concerning emerging technologies such as biometrics and RFID. Your correspondence has been referred to me as the Minister for Home Affairs as the matter falls within my portfolio responsibilities.
The Australian Government is committed to keeping Australians and their personal information safe. This includes the lawful, appropriate and ethical use of biometrics such as face images and fingerprints. The Government collects, uses and discloses biometrics as enabled under legislation such as the Privacy Act 1988 (the Privacy Act) and other legislation such as the Migration Act 1958 and the Passports Act 2005.
The Government does not engage in mass surveillance. The Government is not contemplating genetic testing of humans, or mandated implantation of microchips or radio-frequency identification devices, for the purpose of surveillance.
In October 2020, the Attorney-General's Department commenced a broad review of the Privacy Act (the Review). The Review is considering the adequacy of the Privacy Act in light of new and emerging technologies and whether the Privacy Act remains fit-for-purpose in the digital age.
In response to 200 submissions received on an Issues Paper, the Review released a Discussion Paper in October 2021, detailing proposals for reform of the Privacy Act. The Discussion Paper put forward a number of proposals that respond to the risks posed by new and emerging technologies. In particular, the Discussion Paper put forward options to expand the definition of personal information, strengthen protections for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information and enhance individual rights.
The Review has received 233 submissions in response to the Discussion Paper which will inform a final report to Government. This final report will propose reforms to the Privacy Act and will be made public following government consideration.
I have copied this letter to the Attorney-General, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, and the Minister for Science and Technology, the Hon Melissa Price MP.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3687 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Andrews
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence of 14 February 2022 concerning Petition EN3688 asking the House to request a Royal Commission be established to review the conduct of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the Australian Health Practitioners Registration Authority (AHPRA) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that Australians have access to, and delivery of, safe and effective vaccines and treatment options for COVID-19 as soon as they are available, through our COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Strategy.
From the outset, I refute the call that there is a requirement to establish a Royal Commission into the conduct of the TGA, which is part of my Department, and reject the claim that the TGA has mishandled the evaluation of CQVID-9 vaccines and treatments. The role of the TGA, as the national medicines regulator, is to ensure that all therapeutic goods available on the Australian market are safe, of high quality and effective for their intended use, consistent with the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.
I have full confidence that the TGA acts with integrity and within the requirements of this Act when evaluating the suitability of all therapeutic goods, including COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, for the Australian market. I also reject the petition's statement that the TGA has influence over AHPRA decision making. The TGA does not regulate the use of therapeutic goods, and how a therapeutic good is used or prescribed in medical practice is also outside the scope of the TGA's regulatory role.
I have provided information below in response to the issues raised in Petition EN3688.
Alleged restrictions on COVID-19 treatments
I also strongly reject the petition's assertion that the Government and/ or the TGA have imposed artificial and unnecessary restrictions on any treatments for COVID-19. I presume this allegation is based on the restrictions on prescribing oral ivermectin.
Ivermectin has not received regulatory approval in Australia, or by other comparable international regulators, for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. More evidence is required before ivermectin could be considered a safe and effective treatment option for routine use for this indication. This is the consensus view of international regulators and top- tier medical journals.
The restrictions on prescribing oral ivermectin were introduced by the TGA on 10 September 2021 on the advice of the Advisory Committee for Medicines Scheduling, an independent advisory committee comprised of medical and pharmaceutical experts from across Australia and representatives of the state and territory health departments. These changes were introduced following concerns about prescribing of oral ivermectin for the claimed prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in the context of insufficient evidence and potential for harm if an individual uses ivermectin in place of an approved treatment or vaccination.
GPs can continue to prescribe ivermectin for TOA-approved indications. Certain specialists including infectious disease physicians, dermatologists, gastroenterologists, and hepatologists may also prescribe ivermectin for other unapproved indications if they believe it is appropriate for a particular patient.
I also note that if a sponsor holds the appropriate evidence, they can make an application to the TGA at any time to register a new COVID-19 treatment or vaccine on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). However, the Government cannot compel a sponsor to make an application for registration of a new medicine or a new indication for an approved medicine. In the absence of a formal application the TGA does not have the legal ability to grant approval, nor initiate an evaluation of the product.
Evidence supporting COVID-19 vaccines
I strongly refute the petition's statement that the COVID-19 vaccines being supplied in Australia were approved on the basis of scant evidence. The Standing Committee can be reassured that the TGA's review process of all vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, is rigorous. The TGA has found that the AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Biocelect (Novavax}and Janssen COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for use in adults over 18 years of age. Similarly, the Pfizer (Comirnaty) and Moderna (Spikevax) COVID-19 vaccines have been found to be safe and effective for use in adults, adolescents and children.
Due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, all COVID-19 vaccines have been approved via the provisional approval pathway. Applications for provisional registration must include a comprehensive data package to support the medicine's safety, quality, and efficacy, as well as a source of product manufactured to pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice requirements. Decisions on provisional registrations are also informed by expert advice from the Advisory Committee on Vaccines, an independent committee with expertise in scientific, medical and clinical fields including consumer representation.
The data submitted to support the quality, safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines showed a highly positive benefit-risk ratio. Waiting for data to establish the duration of protection would not have allowed these vaccines to have been available for mush of 2021. Continued approval is dependent upon the evidence of longer-term efficacy and safety from ongoing clinical trials and post-market assessment.
The TGA has published a range of documents relating to the provisional approval of each COVID-19 vaccine, which provide detailed information regarding the evaluation process and the data that were considered. These include the Australian Public Assessment Report (AusPAR), the Product Information and the Consumer Medicine Information.
The TGA has also published several documents in response to previous FOI requests at: www.tga.gov.au/foi-disclosure-log. These documents offer a useful summary and analysis of the data submitted to the TGA for the purposes of making a regulatory decision regarding the provisional approval of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Safety
The TGA closely monitors vaccine adverse events in Australia to identify trends and take regulatory action if needed. If a safety concern is identified it will be rapidly communicated to the public.
The TGA has robust procedures in place to detect and investigate signals for potential safety concerns with COVID-19 vaccines. If the TGA detects a safety concern, rapid action will be taken to address the safety issue and promptly provide information to the public. The TGA also undertakes an independent quality assessment of every batch of vaccine supplied in Australia. The TGA has robust procedures in place to detect and investigate signals for potential safety concerns with COVID-19 vaccines.
The TGA publishes information about its investigations of emerging safety signals, and the resulting regulatory actions, in the COVID-19 vaccine weekly safety report, which is available on its website at: www.tga.gov.au/periodic/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-safety-report.
Allegations of fraud in the Pfizer trials
Concerning allegations of fraud in the Pfizer vaccine clinical trials, Australians who have received the Pfizer vaccine should not be concerned about the issues raised in the British Medical Journal's (BMJ) article, available at:
.www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n2635.
The safety and efficacy of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated in clinical trials has been thoroughly substantiated by real-world use in many millions of people worldwide.
I can confirm that the TGA did contact Pfizer to further clarify the issues raised in the BMJ article. The allegations raised by a former staff member at a clinical trial site in the United States are not fraud but rather relate to poor clinical trial practices at a small trial site.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials were conducted in over 150 sites in multiple countries. The allegations raised in the BMJ article pertain to three sites (approximately 2% of the trial population) in the United States and there is no suggestion that other sites may be implicated. The overall results are therefore not expected to be impacted.
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this petition.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
Social Media
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence relating to Petition EN3718, which concerns the passage of the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill 2022 (the Bill) and was referred to me as the responsible Minister. I acknowledge the concerns that signatories to the petition have raised about the Bill.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring the safety of all Australians online, including in relation to defamatory material posted anonymously on social media.
Broadly speaking, the Bill seeks to achieve two outcomes. First, the Bill clarifies who is a publisher for the purposes of defamation law, following the High Court's recent decision in Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Voller (2021] HCA 27 (Voller). Second, the Bill creates new mechanisms for Australians to ascertain whether potentially defamatory material on social media was posted in Australia and, if so, to obtain the poster's relevant contact details in appropriate circumstances for the purposes of instituting defamation proceedings.
The impact of the Bill on privacy is reasonable, necessary and proportionate to achieve the Bill's objective, to support Australians to identify, and bring legal proceedings against, anonymous users who post defamatory material on social media. Further, the Bill includes a number of limitations and safeguards to minimise the impact on privacy as much as possible.
The Bill has been the subject of broad consultation and scrutiny, including through a House Select Committee inquiry into social media and online safety and the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee. Where appropriate, the Bill has been amended to address concerns that have been raised.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Attorney-General, Senator Michaelia Cash
Pensions and Benefits
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your email dated 14 February 2022 to the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC, concerning petition EN3719 regarding the qualification criteria for the Disability Support Pension (DSP) and Carer Payment.
The petition was referred to me as the matters raised fall within my portfolio responsibilities.
DSP is designed to support people if they have a permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairment which attracts at least 20 points under the Tables for the assessment of work-related impairment for Disability Support Pension (the Impairment Tables). When applying for DSP, the person must also be assessed as being unable to work for 15 or more hours per week, for at least the next two years, because of their impairment.
There is a rigorous claims process in place for DSP. Eligibility for DSP is based on functional impairment and ability to work, not on diagnosis or specific medical conditions alone. People claiming DSP are required to provide details about their medical condition(s) and ability to work as part of the claim process. They are required to provide medical evidence from their treating doctor, which includes information about their diagnosis, clinical features and symptoms, treatment and stability. Additional information from treating specialists and other health professionals may also be provided in support of the claim.
Most DSP claimants are referred for a Job Capacity Assessment. This assessment provides expert advice about the impairment rating and the impact of medical condition(s) on the person's capacity to work. An Assessor who is a health or allied health professional employed by Services Australia conducts the Job Capacity Assessment. All Assessors are appropriately qualified and trained.
In addition, claimants found to be medically eligible for DSP by an Assessor are required to undertake a Disability Medical Assessment, which is conducted by a Government contracted doctor. All Government contracted doctors are independent, qualified and trained to carry out these assessments.
Carer Payment is an income support payment paid to individuals who, because of the constant care they provide to a person with a disability or severe medical condition, are unable to support themselves through paid employment. 'Constant care' is the provision of personal care on a daily basis, for at least the equivalent of a normal working day.
The assessment process for Carer Payment considers the amount of help a person requires to undertake activities of daily living, such as communication, showering, toileting, grooming, dressing, feeding, mobility and a range of cognitive and behavioural activities. While this care can be active, supervisory or monitoring, only carers who are providing constant care will qualify for Carer Payment.
Thank you again for raising this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Families and Social Services, Ms Ruston
Australian Citizenship Act
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3723 with 203 signatures, requesting that any recognised spouse of an Australian Defence Force (ADF) member, who is authorised to accompany that ADF member on an overseas posting should have the time spent accompanying the member at the posting locality treated as time spent in Australia for residency purposes.
The Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (the Act) sets out the legal requirements for Australian citizenship. Most applicants for Australian citizenship apply for citizenship through the conferral pathway. Applicants seeking to be approved under the conferral pathway are required to satisfy either the general residence requirement in section 22 of the Act, the special residence requirement (persons engaging in activities that are of benefit to Australia) in section 22A of the Act, the special residence requirement (persons engaged in particular kinds of work requiring regular travel outside Australia) in section 22B of the Act, or the defence service requirement in section 23 of the Act.
The majority of applicants for citizenship by conferral seek to meet the general residence requirement. Subsection 22(9) of the Act provides for Ministerial discretion to be applied to assist an applicant to meet the general residence requirement in certain circumstances, including where the person is the spouse, de facto partner or surviving spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen at the time the application is made.
This allows the Minister to treat a period spent overseas as if the person was present in Australia if:
the applicant was a spouse or de facto partner of the Australian citizen during the period; and
the applicant was not present in Australia during that period; and
the applicant was a permanent resident during that period; and
the Minister is satisfied that the person had a close and continuing association with Australia during that period.
Additionally, in recognition of the critical role of the ADF, the section 23 defence service requirement provides an alternate residence period for ADF lateral recruits, to support their undertaking to become Australian citizens. In 2021, the defence service requirement was extended to immediate family members of ADF personnel in the following specified circumstances:
the defence person was granted, on or after 1 July 2007, a Labour Agreement (Migrant) visa (class AU), a Labour Agreement (Residence) visa (class BV), an Employer Nomination (Permanent) visa (class EN); or a Regional Employer Nomination (Permanent) visa (class RN); and
the defence person was appointed, enlisted or transferred into any of the permanent forces or reserves of the Commonwealth of Australia and have served 90 days in the permanent forces; and has served a total of 90 paid service days in the navy, army or air force reserve; and was discharged from defence service as medically unfit for service as a result of that service; and
the applicant was a member of the family unit of the defence person when the defence person was granted the visa; and
the applicant holds a visa of that kind because they are a member of the family unit of the defence person.
Residency requirements for Australian citizenship applicants can be found on the Department of Home Affairs website at: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship/become-a-citizen/permanent-resident. The Department considers each case on its merits and would be happy to consider individual cases following from the advice provided above.
Where an individual's circumstances fall outside the legislative parameters under the Act, any amendments will require a bill to be tabled and considered by Parliament.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3723 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Mr Hawke
Religious Discrimination Bill
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3724 concerning the passage of the Religious Discrimination Bill.
Australia's anti-discrimination laws play an essential role in protecting the liberty of our citizens, each as individual human beings.
The Commonwealth has a Sex Discrimination Act, a Racial Discrimination Act, a Disability Discrimination Act and an Age Discrimination Act.
However, there is no standalone legislation to protect people of religion, or faith, against discrimination. Or indeed for those who choose not to have a faith or religion.
Recently, the Prime Minister introduced legislation to the Parliament to address this gap. The Religious Discrimination Bill included the recommendations of the Expe1i Panel on
Religious Freedom and followed an extensive public and stakeholder consultation process over a number of years.
The Bill, as introduced, ensured that:
discrimination on the ground of religious belief or activity would be unlawful in specified areas of public life (e.g. employment, education and the provision of goods and services), consistent with anti-discrimination laws;
religious schools would be free to hire teachers who share their faith; and
making a statement of belief (which would include sharing religious texts and prayer) would not be unduly restricted under state and territory law, provided it was done in good faith and did not cause harm to others.
It is also important to protect our children. That is why the Government also sought to amend existing provisions in the Sex Discrimination Act to ensure that children could not be expelled because of their sexual orientation, and proposed for the Australian Law Reform Commission to carefully review and consult on other exemptions in that act.
The government sought to pass these laws with the support of the Labor Party and crossbench.
Unfortunately, a number of amendments to this legislation, supported by the Labor Party in the House of Representatives, have compromised the core tenants of the legislation.
I want to assure you that protecting Australians from discrimination on the basis of their faith and beliefs remains a priority for our Government and we will continue to pursue these important reforms in the next parliament.
Please contact my office if you would like to discuss this important issue with me. I will be more than happy to do so.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Attorney-General, Senator Michaelia Cash
Migration Act
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3726 with two signatures, which seeks the formation of, and direction to an independent third party to investigate and itemise costs associated with the removal of unlawful non- citizens (UNC) from Australia to the United Kingdom; justification for the continual handcuffing of the UNC for the duration of a flight from Australia to the United Kingdom, and whether this constitutes any violation of human rights.
In accordance with the Migration Act 1958, the Australian Border Force (ABF) must, in certain circumstances, remove an UNC from Australia as soon as reasonably practicable.
To enable the removal of UNCs, the ABF utilise a suite of options, including unescorted removals via commercial flights when the detainee does not require security, medical or welfare escorts, escorted removals on commercial or charter flights using contracted security personnel and escorted removals on commercial flights using airline supplied security escorts.
The ABF is required to ensure that, when required by law or as a result of a risk assessment, security escorts are present during removal. The requirement for and role of security escorts in the aviation environment is governed by the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004, the Aviation Transport Security Regulations 2005 (ATSR) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) convention framework.
The following factors may determine a removee's need to be escorted:
the removee has a medical condition which requires support;
the removee has a mental health condition (including history of self-harm) which requires support;
the removee does not meet the definition of 'dangerous person' in the ATSR but is rated as a high risk and is assessed as requiring a security escort;
there are risks associated with the travel route or destination of removal; or
the removee fits the ATSR definition of 'dangerous person'.
Under the ATSR, a person who is in custody and determined to be a dangerous person must be escorted during removal from Australia. A dangerous person is defined as someone who:
is likely to attempt to commit an unlawful interference with aircraft; or
likely to attempt to escape; or
has been charged with an offence against a person or involving actual or threatened damage to property; and the offence is punishable by imprisonment for 5 years or more; and the charge is still to be resolved; or
the person has been convicted of an offence against a person or actual or threatened damage to property and the offence is punishable by imprisonment for 5 years or more.
Escort duties are performed by highly trained experts and come at a considerable additional cost to non-escorted removals.
A person who is removed from Australia, other than a person who came to Australia on a criminal justice visa, is liable to pay the Commonwealth the costs of his or her removal. Where a person has a debt to the Commonwealth, they will be unable to be granted another Australian visa unless appropriate arrangements have been made for the payment of the debt.
The use of restraints on an removee whilst in transit for the purposes of removal from Australia is at the discretion of the Department of Home Affairs' contracted Facilities and Detainee Services Provider, based on a thorough risk assessment and in line with departmental policies and procedures.
Before any escorted removal proceeds, the removee's risk assessment is provided to the airline provider as part of uplift approval. The airline provider considers the assessment and balances the potential risk of harm to the removee, other passengers, and crew, and damage to the aircraft, and determines if restraints can or must be utilised and under what circumstances.
Once the UNC and any escorts enter an aircraft, and the aircraft door is closed, the provisions of the ICAO convention framework apply, specifically the Convention on International Civil Aviation (the Chicago Convention) and the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed On Board Aircraft (the Tokyo Convention). These conventions enable escorts to use force and to restrain UNCs being removed on commercial international flights and on charter aircraft if required.
The Tokyo Convention stipulates that if the pilot has reasonable grounds to believe that a person (including a removee) has committed or is about to commit, on board the aircraft, an offence against penal law or an act that may jeopardise the safety, good order or discipline on board the aircraft, they can impose on that person reasonable measures, including restraint, necessary to protect the safety of the aircraft or persons or property on board the aircraft. The Tokyo Convention also allows for any passenger (including an escort) to take reasonable preventive measures without the authorisation of the pilot if they have reasonable grounds to believe action is immediately necessary to protect the safety of the aircraft or persons or property on board the aircraft.
Departmental policy states that security escorts may only use restraints in exceptional circumstances, as a last resort, where the actions of the removee deem it necessary to achieve a safe removal, and for the minimum time required. Escorts must take all reasonable action to ensure that the removee does not suffer from physical harm whilst restrained.
Plastic flexi cuffs are generally used rather than handcuffs during removal activity as they are less restrictive and more comfortable for the removee. Security escorts must apply restraints appropriately and as comfortably as practicable and should not use them in a manner that is likely to cause injury, serious discomfort or potential danger to the removee. The use of restraints must be reasonable and proportionate to the perceived threat. The use of restraints during the removal process, to the extent that it is lawful, necessary, reasonable and proportionate, does not constitute a violation of a removee's human rights.
I am confident that Australia is committed to complying with its obligations under the ICAO convention framework provisions. Responsibility for the ICAO sits with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.
Any commentary on whether the costs associated with removal should be subject to an investigation cannot be made by National Removals or North and Detention Group. This part of the petition needs to be dealt with by another area—perhaps those responsible for the Financial Management Framework or commentary from Parliamentary Coordination regarding how to address such a petition.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3726 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Andrews
Skilled Migration Program
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3733 with 185 signatures, relating to permanent residency in Australia for New Zealand Citizens. I appreciate the time you have taken to bring this petition to my attention.
On 28 February 2020, Prime Ministers, the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and the Hon Scott Morrison MP jointly announced the pathway to permanent residency for New Zealand citizens living in Australia will be reviewed in 2022. The petition will be considered as part of this review along with other submissions to determine whether further improvements should be made to the pathway.
I note the Australian Government responded to support New Zealand citizens living in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Social security settings were adjusted enabling access to the Job Keeper wage subsidy and the criteria for the Skilled Independent (New Zealand stream) permanent pathway was adjusted exempting the 2019-20 or 2020-21 income requirement for applicants whose taxable income was impacted by COVID-19.
Thank you for bringing this petition to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Mr Hawke
Diabetes
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 concerning petition EN3757 requesting the reinstatement of Lantus® (insulin glargine) to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
I note the petition signatories requesting the relisting of Lantus® on the PBS for type 1 diabetes. Lantus® was replaced by biosimilar products on the PBS.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC)—an independent and expert advisory body, comprising doctors, other health professionals and consumer representatives—makes recommendations to the Australian Government about PBS listings. Under legislation, the Government cannot list a new medicine (or amend an existing listing) on the PBS unless the PBAC makes a recommendation to do so.
Changes were made to PBS listings for insulin glargine from 1 July 2020, under the 'Biosimilars on the PBS' framework. The brands Lantus® and Lantus SoloStar® are subsequently no longer available on the PBS. Information about these changes can be found on the Biosimilars on the PBS web page at: www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/ Content/biosimilar-awareness-initiative.
Prior to biosimilar product changes, the Government is required to receive advice from the PBAC. A new biosimilar medicine is listed when the original reference medicine is already listed for the same population, and equivalence has been demonstrated. When it evaluates a medicine for PBS subsidy, the PBAC is required by legislation to take into account the effectiveness and cost by comparison to other alternative treatments.
The Biosimilar Awareness Initiative was intended to support awareness of, and confidence in, the use of biosimilar medicines for consumers and health care professionals. Prior to the delisting of Lantus® and Lantus SoloStar®, biosimilar equivalents were PBS listed from 1 January 2020.
A biosimilar medicine is highly similar to a 'reference biological medicine'. The reference biological medicine is the first brand to market. Biological medicines, including biosimilars, are used to treat serious diseases, such as diabetes.
Introduction of biosimilar medicines encourages competition in our Australian market.
This will lead to reduction in cost of medicines, resulting in savings to the health care system. These lower prices improve affordability and access to new treatments for seriously ill patients.
Biosimilar medicines are tested in Australia, and also checked for safety and health outcome equivalence by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia's regulator of medicines and other therapeutic goods. Medicines are not generally made available on the PBS to treat conditions or patients that have not been approved by the TGA.
Biosimilar medicines have been used for over 10 years and are now used in over 60 countries. Lower costs and increased access to medicines has been demonstrated internationally.
All biological medicines currently listed on the PBS can be found on the PBS website at:
.www.pbs.gov.au/info/browse/biological-medicines-currently-listed-on-the-pbs#I.
Insulin products should automatically appear, but if not, they can be found under 'I', near the top of the page.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
Water Safety
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence of 14 February 2022 concerning petition number EN3769 calling for a Nationwide Intensive School Swimming and Water Safety Program for primary and secondary school children.
The Australian Government has a longstanding history of supporting water safety initiatives and is committed to improving opportunities for community participation in sport and recreation in safe environments.
From 1 July 2021, the Government is providing an additional $39.1 million over three years to support national organisations through the Water and Snow Safety Program (Program). The Program supports activities and projects to protect lives and educate Australians, and international visitors, on the importance of safety in aquatic and alpine environments.
The funding is provided to key water safety organisations, such as Royal Life Saving Society Australia, Surf Life Saving Australia, AUSTSWIM and Laurie Lawrence Swimming Enterprises to deliver water safety outcomes. These organisations play a vital role in educating the Australian community about the risks of the water and deliver a range of targeted water safety initiatives, including swimming and water safety programs for children.
Thank you for raising this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Sport, Senator Colbeck
Child Nutrition
Dear Chair
I refer to correspondence of 14 February 2022 regarding petition EN3792.
The Australian Government takes the wellbeing and safety of children and young people very seriously and works in partnership with jurisdictions to support safe and supportive learning environments that promote wellbeing, resilience and learning outcomes for children and young people. The Australian Government also plays a leadership role in both schools and early childhood education.
The Education and Care Services National Law Act (National Law) and National Regulations sets a national standard for children's education and care., The National Quality Framework (NQF) provides a national approach to regulation, assessment and quality improvement for early childhood education and care and outside school hours care services across Australia.
More information on the NQF is available at www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/about and more information on National Law is available at www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-law- regulations.
The aim of Quality Area 2 under the National Quality Standard is to safeguard and promote children's health and safety, minimise risks and protect children from harm, injury and infection: Acknowledging that good nutrition is essential to healthy living and enables children to be active participants in play and leisure, education and care services must ensure healthy eating and physical activity are promoted and appropriate for each child.
Education and care services are encouraged to provide food that is consistent with the Australian Government guidelines Get Up & Grow: Healthy Eating and Physical Activity for Early Childhood (www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/get-up-grow-resource-collection), and the Australian Dietary Guidelines (www.eatforhealth,gov.au/guidelines). The provision of food should also be in line with advice provided by families about their child's dietary requirements, and any other requirements families have regarding their child's nutrition.
In schools education, while the Australian Government plays a leadership role in setting and advocating for national priorities for school education, and provides significant funding for schools and school systems, the management and delivery of school education is the responsibility of state and territory education authorities. This includes ensuring that appropriate measures such as school nursing programs are in place to support the health and wellbeing needs of school communities. In some instances, decisions about issues such as healthy eating may occur at the school level.
I have copied this letter to the Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care. I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth, Dr Aly
COVID-19: Testing
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence regarding Petition number EN3796, which requests the House enact a bill to subsidise and make rapid antigen tests (RATs), both oral and nasal, free to everyone across Australia.
The Australian Government continues to make RATs available to people in high-risk priority groups to manage health impacts and protect vulnerable Australians, particularly those at risk of severe disease. This includes people in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), Aboriginal and Community Controlled Health Services and GP-led Respiratory Clinics particularly in remote and rural communities where there is limited access to testing.
RATs continue to be distributed to RACFs to prevent outbreaks through screening of workers, and to limit outbreaks when they occur by testing residents and workers. Polymerase chain reaction tests (PCR) and RATs remain free through Government-run testing clinics, for people who are suspected to have COVID-19.
Whilst there was limited supply of RATs both internationally and in Australia in early 2022, these supply challenges have now been resolved, resulting in pharmacies, supermarkets and other retail settings now having sufficient stock to meet consumer demand within Australia.
As you may be aware, COVID-19 tests (including PCR and RATs) are tax deductible for Australians who are required to conduct testing for work-related purposes. This change took effect from the beginning of the 2021-22 tax year and will be in place permanently.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
Lefevre Peninsula
Dear Chair
Thank you for your email of 14 February 2022 regarding a petition seeking the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to develop a Community Safety and Liveability Plan for communities around the Lefevre Peninsula, in South Australia (EN3797). I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring all Australians can safely enjoy the benefits of rural living, particularly communities who reside close to industrial land and freight rail corridors. I agree that contamination on public or private land must be appropriately managed to ensure the safety of nearby communities. Maintaining the safety and habitability of communities along the Lefevre Peninsula, including public land adjacent to the Outer Harbour freight rail corridor, is the responsibility of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield local government area. This responsibility includes any future development of a Community, Safety and Liveability Plan.
The ARTC is responsible for the Outer Harbour freight corridor that runs along the Lefevre Peninsula and terminates at Pelican Point Road. The passenger rail line is managed by the South Australian Government through Adelaide Metro. Rail owners and operators, including the ARTC, must undertake periodic maintenance activities across the rail network to ensure continued safe track operation. This work is essential to maintain the rail network and complementary trackside infrastructure. Control measures include regular track inspections, annual vegetation control, pest control programs and safety reviews. Maintenance works are undertaken where appropriate.
As an Australian Government Business Enterprise, the ARTC was created with specific obligations for maintaining the rail corridor. These obligations must be undertaken in accordance with the relevant state or territory lease arrangement. These arrangements also stipulate the ARTC is responsible for monitoring and maintaining the existing perimeter fences.
The ARTC is not required to develop a Community, Safety and Liveability Plan or undertake maintenance or upgrades that are not part of these lease agreements. Managing vegetation can be challenging due to the complexities of protected species protection, land holder concerns and relevant environmental legislation. In response to this growing challenge, the ARTC continues to increase their annual vegetation management spending. The ARTC's current year to date estimates indicate vegetation management spending has n:iore than doubled in comparison to the previous year.
In accordance with the ARTC's Annual Vegetation Management Plan, scheduled track inspections are undertaken. A community feedback line, managed by the ARTC, enables train controllers or the general public to report vegetation management issues. Specialist contractors are procured to deliver the required remedial works. Since 2013, the ARTC has responded and resolved eleven community resident enquiries regarding overgrown vegetation, illegal dumping, maintenance of fencing and train speed/noise along the Lefevre Peninsula.
In South Australia, the ARTC is required to comply with the Environment Protection Act 1993 (SA) and the South Australian Environmental Protection Agency (SA EPA) requirements. The ARTC operations are licensed by the SA EPA under licence 10555. There are no operational noise requirements outlined within the licence.
In 2012, the ARTC undertook noise monitoring on the Lefevre Peninsula and found noise levels were consistent with normal operational rail noise. The number and type of trains has not changed substantially since this date.
The ARTC invite the parties to the petition to contact Lincoln Carter through the ARTC Enviroline via: enviroline@artc.com.au or 1300 550 402, to arrange a meeting to discuss their concerns. The ARTC representatives from the ARTC Lefevre Peninsula/South Australia Operations team, Adrian Oorloff, Corridor Manager, and Paul Thalassinos, Area Manager, are available from the week commencing 25 April 2022.
Thank you again for bringing this petition to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Mr Joyce
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
Thank you for your email of 14 February 2022 regarding the COVID-19 vaccination of aviation staff (EN3806).
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has advised me that no aviation safety incidents related to the COVID-19 pandemic or COVID-19 vaccinations have been reported to them, and they are not aware of any adverse events or impacts on the medical status for any aviation staff in Australia due to the COVID-19 vaccine.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Mr Joyce
Asylum Seekers
Dear Mr O'Dowd
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 February 2022 enclosing Petition EN3807 with 31 signatures, concerning the release of immigration detainees to assist with labour shortages resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Your petition has been referred to me as the Minister for Home Affairs as the matter falls within my portfolio of responsibilities.
To respond to labour shortages brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Government implemented a range of temporary measures to allow migrants to lawfully extend their stay and work in Australia.
The Government is committed to upholding the integrity of the migration program and protecting Australia from non-citizens who pose a risk to the safety and good order of the community. Non-citizens visiting or living in Australia are expected to abide by their visa conditions and the law. Immigration detention is part of strong border control. Non-compliance and visa integrity issues are managed in the community where possible and immigration detention is a measure of last resort. Therefore, the Government does not support granting of visas to immigration detainees en masse to fulfill labour shortages.
Thank you for bringing Petition EN3807 to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Andrews
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence concerning petition number EN3812 on COVID-19 vaccination. I regret the delay in responding.
Vaccination is a safe and effective means of preventing the spread and development of diseases such as COVID-19 in the community. The Australian Government encourages everyone to be vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.
When enough people in the community are immunised, it becomes more difficult for the virus to spread. This helps to protect people who are at greater risk of getting the disease, including unvaccinated members of the community.
Evidence from recent scientific research demonstrates that vaccination helps to protect against severe illness, hospitalisation and death from SARS-CoV-2 infection. The 'COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report-week 11' at:
.www.assets.publishing.service.gov.uk provides current research on ongoing monitoring of vaccine effectiveness and population impact in the United Kingdom. 'Effectiveness of mRNA vaccination in preventing COVID-19-associated invasive mechanical ventilation and death—United States, March 2021-January 2022' in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report at: www.cdc.gov provides updated information on COVID-19 messenger ribonucleic acid vaccine protection against hospitalisation in adults.
People who are unvaccinated are at greater risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Vaccination is especially important when it comes to protecting Australians who are at greater risk of severe illness, such as people over 70 years old, with pre-existing health conditions and weakened immune systems.
The emergence of new variants and the ability of variants to evade immunity from past infection or vaccination contributes to breakthrough infections. Vaccination has helped protect people with breakthrough infections from serious illness, hospitalisation and death.
The Petitions Committee can be assured that the Government, along with the states and territories, is taking an evidence-based approach to COVID-19 and is committed to protecting the health of Australians.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Precinct
Dear Chair
Thank you for your email of 14 February 2022 notifying me of petition EN3818 to the House of Representatives, which seeks a reversal of the Australian Government's decision to establish the Ngurra Cultural Precinct.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are recognised and celebrated by all Australians.
Australia is home to the oldest continuing living cultures in the world. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have existed and cared for Country for more than 65,000 years.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples come from many diverse nations across the Australian continent, each with their own distinct customs, language and lore.
Today, Australia's national cultural institutions all play a part in telling our national story, which has millennia of Indigenous heritage at its foundation. The establishment of the Ngurra Cultural Precinct will be the realisation of a long-held desire to have a home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures at the heart of our nation. All Australians and visitors to our nation will be able to gain a deeper appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' diversity and cultures, and the richness this offers our country.
The Precinct will include a National Resting Place. For more than 200 years the remains of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were removed from Country and placed in museums, universities, and private collections in Australia and overseas. The Government supports repatriation of ancestral remains to their communities of origin. The National Resting Place will address the lack of a holistic facility to perform the functions of housing and caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains repatriated to Australia from overseas with limited or unknown provenance.
The Precinct will also include a learning and knowledge centre and a new home for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). AIA TSIS is Australia's only national institution focused exclusively on the diverse history, cultures and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. It maintains a collection of more than one million items, which will now be more accessible to the public.
Importantly, the Ngurra Cultural Precinct will provide a new perspective and opportunities for engagement with our shared history. I am confident it will become a national landmark, standing proudly for us all to celebrate, educate, reflect and commemorate.
Thank you for raising this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Mr Wyatt
COVID-19: International Travel
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt, regarding petition EN3822 requesting that the House of Representatives legislate to stop the entry of any non-citizen who has not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and to not allow any exceptions from this proposed requirement.
From 6 July 2022, the majority of COVID-19-related Australian border restrictions were removed. These restrictions have served Australia well and were based on expert medical advice and reviewed ·regularly. They helped Australia to avoid much of the human and economic harm experienced around the world, but as we move to the next phase of the pandemic, they have now served their purpose.
From 6 July 2022, people have been able to travel to and from Australia without being required to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status. Wearing masks remains a current requirement on international flights to Australia. We encourage all travellers to be vaccinated for their own protection.
All incoming travellers will need to comply with relevant state and territory testing requirements, where applicable. It is the responsibility of incoming travellers to check testing requirements for the state or territory they are visiting.
The Australian Government will continue to be guided by medical advice, monitor global developments and adjust international border controls, where required.
Everyone has an important role to play in minimising the risk of COVID-19 and we encourage all visitors to Australia to practice COVID safe behaviours. Travellers are still encouraged to wear a mask in indoor settings, particularly where physical distancing is not possible.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
Invictus Games
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence regarding Petition EN3865 to the former Minister for Sport, Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck. As the outcome of the election is now known, I will respond as the current Minister for Sport regarding the eligibility criteria for Australian Sports Medal recipients. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Australian Sports Medal was created to recognise the efforts of Australians who made our country a nation of sporting excellence. The Australian Sports Medal was awarded during the year 2000, the year in which Sydney hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was awarded to current and former competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and individuals who maintained sporting facilities and services.
On 4 December 2020, amendments were made to the regulations for the Australian Sports Medal to mean the medal will be able to be awarded for Australian sporting participation in multi-sports events, including the lnvictus Games from 2018. I understand and appreciate it is the wish of the 108 signatories to Petition EN3865, that participants, carers, and support staff of the 2014, 2016, and 2017 Australian lnvictus Games Teams also be eligible to receive this award.
Details regarding the eligibility criteria, administration and application process, as well as any future amendments to the Australian Sports Medal will be published at www.pmc.gov.au/government/its-honour/australian-sports-medal.
The achievements of the Australian lnvictus teams have inspired many since the event's inception in London 2014, and the Australian lnvictus team members are to be commended for the sacrifices they have made in the pursuit of excellence and for their service to our country.
Thank you for raising this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Sport, Ms Wells
National Diabetes Services Scheme
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence of 31 March 2022 to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care regarding petition EN3885, requesting the expansion of free access to glucose monitoring technology through the National Diabetes Services Scheme (scheme) to include all adults living with cystic fibrosis related diabetes.
From 1 July 2022, the Australian Government will be significantly expanding access to subsidised Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) products, in this instance to adults with type 1 diabetes.
Following implementation of this expansion, the government will continue to monitor the operation of the scheme. This will inform government consideration of any further expansion of the scheme to adults with other forms of diabetes.
Information about the CGM Initiative and the expanded eligibility criteria, are available on the scheme website at www.ndss.com.au.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
Commonwealth Integrity Commission
Dear Chair
I refer to correspondence of 31 March 2022 from Mr Ken O'Dowd MP, in his then capacity as Chair of the Standing Committee on Petitions, regarding Petition EN3893. The petition expresses concern about Australia's 2020 ranking on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index and calls for the establishment of a federal anti-corruption body. I welcome the opportunity to provide a response to this petition for consideration by the Committee in the 4 7th Parliament.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring integrity and accountability in the federal government by legislating a powerful, transparent and independent National
Anti-Corruption Commission. The Government intends to legislate by the end of 2022 to enable the Commission to become operational in 2023.
The Government has publicly released seven design principles, based on the advice of experts, that will ensure the Commission operates effectively. The Commission will be empowered to investigate serious or systemic corruption involving Commonwealth ministers, public servants, statutory officer holders, government agencies and contractors, parliamentarians, and staff of politicians, and may investigate both criminal and non- criminal corrupt conduct. It will be able to commence inquiries on its own initiative or in response to referrals from any person and will have the power to hold public hearings where it is in the public interest to do so.
The legislation will implement these design principles and also draw on lessons from the operation of state and territory anti-corruption commissions.
Establishing a national agency with a dedicated focus on detecting and investigating serious or systemic corruption will strengthen Australia's integrity framework. The Commission will form a central pillar of Australia's integrity framework and will help to improve perceptions of the integrity of our public institutions.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus
Housing Affordability
Dear Secretary
Thank you for your correspondence concerning Petition EN3904 on affordable housing rental prices. Your correspondence has been referred to me for response.
The Albanese Government has made building more social housing, upgrading existing housing and making home ownership achievable for more Australians a particular policy priority. We want every Australian to know the security of having a roof over their head.
As you may be aware, the Government has announced that it will establish a $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund. This will support the construction of 30,000 new social and affordable housing properties in its first five years. Each year investment returns from the Fund will be transferred to the Government's National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) to pay for social and affordable housing projects. Investment returns will also fund acute housing needs (such as for remote Indigenous communities, those impacted by domestic violence and those facing homelessness) on an ongoing basis.
The Government will also establish a National Supply and Affordability Council to ensure the Commonwealth plays a greater leadership role in increasing housing supply and improving housing affordability. The Council will have a key role in setting targets, making available housing data and research, and providing advice on planning, supply and affordability. The Council will help develop and implement the new National Housing and Homelessness Plan. This will set out the key short, medium and long-term reforms needed to make it easier for Australians to buy a home, easier to rent, and put a roof over the heads of more homeless Australians.
In 2022-23 the Australian Government expects to spend around $7.2 billion to improve housing and homelessness outcomes. This includes an expected $5 billion in Commonwealth Rent Assistance to help eligible Australians on welfare payments pay their rent and around $1.6 billion a year through the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA) to states. Commonwealth Rent Assistance has a considerable impact on reducing rental stress. In 2020, the proportion of Commonwealth Rent Assistance recipients facing rental stress was 29 per cent, compared to 55 per cent if this cohort were not receiving Commonwealth Rent Assistance.
Finally, the Government's National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation is supporting the provision of more social and affordable housing through its administration of the Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator (AHBA) and the National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF). The AHBA provides cheaper, long-term finance for community housing providers (CHPs), while the NHIF provides finance for critical infrastructure underpinning housing supply, particularly affordable housing. Since its commencement in 2018, the NHFIC Board has approved over $2.9 billion of loans to CHPs under the AHBA to date, supporting over 15,000 new and existing homes; and over $427 million in NHIF transactions supporting the delivery of more than 6,900 new social, affordable and market dwellings.
I trust this information will be of assistance to you.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Housing, MsCollins
Private Health Insurance
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence of 31 March 2022 to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt, concerning petition number EN3906. This matter has been referred to me as the Minister for Health and Aged Care.
The Australian Government has a range of processes in place to ensure new migrants are made aware of their entitlements and responsibilities as new Australian citizens.
When new migrants to Australia apply for permanent residency and enrol in Medicare, whether on an Interim or Permanent basis, they are informed about Lifetime Health Cover (LHC). Additionally, when an individual receives their Medicare card, they are advised about the potential consequences of not having private health insurance, including LHC. The responsible Government agency, Services Australia, provides information about Medicare arrangements in a range of languages, including online, via phone, or in-person interpreter and translation services.
The Government also undertakes an annual LHC mailout. This correspondence is directed to all Australian residents who do not hold domestic private health hospital cover and may be approaching the date at which LHC will apply to them. This mailout provides information as to why a recipient is receiving the letter, what type of hospital cover they need to purchase, and by when they need to purchase domestic private health insurance hospital cover to avoid an LHC loading.
For migrants who move to Australia after their 30th birthday, this reminder letter is provided as they approach the 12-month anniversary of their initial enrolment in Medicare.
There is no discretion within the. Private Health Insurance Act (2007) which allows for an exemption to LHC loading to be granted under any circumstances. However, given the importance of LHC in encouraging people to take out and maintain private health hospital cover, the 2020-21 Budget included funding for an independent actuarial study of its effectiveness. This study will inform any future adjustments to how LHC is applied.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
Illicit Drugs
Dear Chair
I refer to correspondence from the Chair of the Standing Committee on Petitions regarding petition EN3916, which seeks to decriminalise possession of cannabis and allow two cannabis plants to be grown at one time.
In relation to the matters presented in this petition, I would like to assure you that the Australian Government is committed to preventing and minimising the harms associated with the use of illicit drugs, including cannabis, on individuals, families, and communities. This is being achieved through the implementation of a broad range of evidence-based demand, supply and harm reduction strategies that are aligned to Australia's National Drug Strategy (Strategy) to deliver a balanced approach between health and law enforcement.
The Strategy identifies cannabis as a priority substance for action and outlines a range of evidence-based approaches to minimise harms associated with its use. The potential harms from cannabis use depend on the age of the person, pattern of use and other risky behaviours and health concerns.
While many Australians may view cannabis as harmless, approximately 20% of Australia's drug and alcohol treatment services are being provided to people identifying cannabis as their principal drug of concern. It is also important to note that the use of any illicit drug in any quantity is a high-risk activity that has the potential to cause significant health, social and economic harms
State and territory governments largely have responsibility for matters relating to the legalisation and/or decriminalisation of illicit drugs in their respective jurisdiction. As such, the petitioner may like to also raise this matter with their relevant state or territory government. Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: International Travel
Dear Chair
I refer to correspondence of 31 March 2022 to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt, regarding petition EN3921 requesting that the House of Representatives allow inbound arrivals for all vaccinated persons without quarantine. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The human biosecurity emergency period under the Biosecurity Act 2015, was declared on 18 March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and lapsed on 17 April 2022 as the Australia transitioned to living with the virus. Since 18 April 2022 international travellers entering Australia have not been required to present a negative pre-departure test at check-in to their flights.
On 3 July 2022, I announced additional changes to the requirements of travellers at Australia's international borders at www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/changes-to-requirements-for-international-arrivals.
From 6 July 2022, travellers have able to travel to and from Australia without being required to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status. Wearing masks remains a current requirement on international flights to Australia.
Airlines and cruise lines may also have specific vaccination, testing or mask-wearing requirements. All passengers are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with these requirements by contacting their airline or cruise ship operator directly.
Travellers are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure they meet the requirements of the airline they are travelling with and any countries they transit through.
Further information regarding international travel and COVID-19 is available on the Department of Health and Aged Care at www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/international-travel and Department of Home Affairs at
.www.homeaffairs.gov.au/covid19 websites.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence regarding petition number EN3926, requesting that there be no mandate or law or compulsory requirement for vaccination of any Australian person.
I apologise for the delay in responding.
Immunisation is a safe and effective health measure to prevent the spread of many diseases in the community that can cause hospitalisation, morbidity, or mortality. Immunisation is not compulsory in Australia, and people maintain the right to choose whether to vaccinate themselves and their family.
Vaccines available in Australia have been rigorously tested, evaluated and approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to ensure they meet stringent safety and efficacy guidelines. Vaccines continue to be tested after their introduction via additional clinical trials, surveillance and monitoring of vaccine adverse events.
Vaccines, like any other medicines can have side effects, however all vaccines used within Australia provide benefits which greatly outweigh their risks. Various organisations, including the Australian Academy of Science, have documented this evidence and found that vaccinating against diseases is safer and more effective than being infected with those diseases.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) is constantly reviewing information included in the Australian Immunisation Handbook (Handbook), which provides clinical advice for health professionals on the safest and most effective use of vaccines in their practice. You can find further information concerning vaccine safety on the Department of Health website at www.health.gov.au/health-topics/immunisation/about-immunisation/are- vaccines-safe.
States and territories have primary responsibility for public-health measures in their respective jurisdictions based on health advice. Some states and territories have public-health orders which require vaccination for people in high-risk workplaces and sectors. Further information about these public-health orders can be found on state or territory government websites.
Some employers have mandated vaccinations for their employees. For individual businesses not covered by a public-health order, whether to require vaccinations for employees needs careful consideration, taking into account the relevant employment, discrimination, work health and safety, and privacy laws, and the circumstances of the particular workplace. The employers and employees are encouraged to work together on workplace vaccination arrangements.
Some individuals are unable to receive vaccines due to having a severe allergy or illness. Where vaccination has been made mandatory, there are exemptions in place for people who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons.
Medical contraindications to vaccination are rare. The medical basis for a medical contraindication is clinical guidance from ATAGI and the Handbook. Immunisation medical contraindications can be granted for one or more vaccines on a permanent or temporary basis.
Individuals with a medical contraindication to vaccines can ask their GP, or other eligible health professional, to report a medical contraindication to the Australian Immunisation Register.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
National Disability Insurance Scheme
Dear Mr O'Dowd
I refer to your email of 31 March 2022 concerning Petition EN3931 to the House of Representatives to allow National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding to be released to families to help pay for costs associated with a sudden death of a participant.
The death of a loved one is always difficult and especially so when the death is unexpected or that of a child. I give my condolences to all those who have experienced this grief, particularly to the family of Caleb who created this petition.
As you may be aware, the NDIS was designed to support Australians with permanent and significant disability to access and receive funding to meet the cost of their specialist disability support needs. Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, a person ceases to be an NDIS participant when they die and at this point their plan ends.
The Government recognises the death of a family member can cause emotional distress and financial hardship. To this end, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has a dedicated Bereavement Team to provide support to families and carers. The Bereavement Team is the single point of contact after the NDIA is notified of a participant's death. The Bereavement Team offers assistance to the families and carers of deceased participants to finalise all aspects of the plan and/or provide guidance for them to finalise the plan.
The NDIA can help with:
notifying service providers to cease providing supports and requesting the finalisation of all outstanding invoices for services delivered;
where required, liaising with Supported Independent Living or Specialist Disability Accommodation providers for the removal of personal items and/or modifications;
finalising service bookings after providers have processed all outstanding claims; and
discussing options relating to any assistive technology or home modifications purchased through the participant's NDIS plan.
The NDIS does not fund funeral expenses as it is designed to complement, and not replace, existing mainstream, community and family supports. Mainstream supports are those available to everyone in each state or territory, or across Australia, whether or not they have a disability.
There are various mainstream bereavement supports available to people in Australia, including those offered by Australian governments.
When a care receiver dies, recipients of Carer Payment will continue to receive their payment for 14 weeks. This continuation of Carer Payment recognises the carer will require some time to adjust their lifestyle from that of a caring role and may need to seek employment or another form of income support.
In addition to the 14-week payment continuation, a lump sum Bereavement Payment may also be payable for both Carer Payment and Carer Allowance. The purpose of bereavement payments is to assist with settling the care receiver's financial affairs.
It is through these arrangements the Government assists families to pay for the costs associated with the unexpected loss of a loved one, including people who were receiving support through the NDIS at the time of their death.
I trust this information clarifies the matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Senator Reynolds
Centrelink
Dear Chair
Thank you for the email from the Committee dated 31 March 2022 concerning petition EN3938, which requests an increase to the rate of income support payments in response to rising cost of living pressures. The email was referred to the former Minister for Families and Social Services and Minister for Women's Safety, Senator the Hon Anne Ruston, as this matter fell within her former portfolio responsibilities. This matter now falls within my portfolio responsibilities as the Minister for Social Services.
The Prime Minister has stated that the Government does not have a plan to increase the rate of income support payments in the Government's first Budget, noting the importance of acting in a fiscally responsible manner. He further stated that the Government would consider the rates of payments in future Budgets and do what it can to help those in need.
The Government recognises that living on income support payments is challenging, and that it is important that the rate of payments keep up with the cost of living. To address the effects of inflation on the cost of living for those on a payment, income support payments are increased each year in March and September in line with the Consumer Price Index.
When people on an income support payment have additional expenses, supplementary payments are available to support them. These payments include Rent Assistance for recipients in the rental market and Family Tax Benefit to assist with the cost of raising children. Other supplementary benefits include Carer Allowance, Pharmaceutical Allowance, Mobility Allowance, Remote Area Allowance, Telephone Allowance and access to a concession card.
I appreciate you bringing this matter to my attention.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Social Services, Ms Rishworth
Women's Sanitary Products in Public Hospitals
Dear Chair
I refer to correspondence of 30 March 2022 from the former Minister for Health regarding petition EN3939 which requests the Australian Government mandate the provision of free period products and maternity pads in public hospitals.
The importance of patients' dignity and privacy being maintained during health care provision has been recognised by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (Commission). The Commission's Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights describes the key rights patients and health consumers can expect when receiving health care, including a patient's right to be treated with dignity and respect.
Through the National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA), the government provides significant funding to assist states and territories with the costs of delivering public hospital services. The NHRA, however, recognises that state and territory governments are the system managers of their public hospital systems, responsible for the day-to-day administration of their public hospitals.
Decisions regarding the provision of free period products and maternity pads in public hospitals therefore rest with the state or territory governments and individual hospitals involved. The Australian Government does not have the power to mandate that states and territories provide these products free of charge to patients. As such, the petitioners may wish to contact their respective state or territory Health Ministers, regarding the issues raised in this petition.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
Medicare
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence of 31 March 2022 concerning petition EN3941 seeking public funding through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) for patients to have areola tattooing after undergoing breast augmentation surgery as a result of breast cancer.
The Australian Government supports Australians to access high-quality health care by providing both free and subsidised health care services. This includes providing Medicare benefits (rebates) for privately rendered services listed on the MBS, and funding to state and territory governments for free hospital services for public patients in public hospitals.
The MBS is a list of the medical services for which the Government provides a rebate, to provide patients with financial assistance towards the costs of the medical services.
Under the MBS, an areola tattoo is classified as cosmetic surgery. The MBS explicitly states that non-therapeutic cosmetic surgery services do not attract Medicare benefits.
There are surgical options for nipple and/or areola reconstruction and intradermal colouration provided in hospital, for which an MBS rebate is available under MBS items 45545 and 45546. Further information about these options can be found online at www.mbsonline.gov.au by searching these item numbers.
The Department of Health relies on the sound clinical judgement of medical practitioners to determine whether a patient meets the eligibility criteria for accessing services on the MBS. For a new medical service to be publicly funded through the MBS, it must first be assessed by the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC). The MSAC is an independent expert committee comprising individuals with expertise in clinical medicine, health economics and consumer health.
The MSAC appraises new medical services and provides advice to Government on whether they should be publicly funded based on an assessment of its comparative safety, clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness, using the best available evidence. These processes ensure Australians have access to medical services and medicines that have been shown to be safe and clinically effective, as well as representing value for money for both patients and taxpayers.
Anyone is able to submit an application to MSAC, however due to the level of evidence that would be required, a medical professional group is generally best placed to provide the necessary research and trial data. More information about the MSAC process is available at: www.msac.gov.au.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
Diabetes
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence of 31 March 2022 to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care regarding petition EN3942, requesting that the Australian Government fully subsidise continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology for all people living with type 1 diabetes.
I am pleased to advise that from 1 July 2022, all Australians with type 1 diabetes will have access to subsidised CGM products through the National Diabetes Services Scheme.
The Department of Health is working closely with key stakeholders to support this change. Details of implementation arrangements, including advice on how to apply for access to the expanded CGM Initiative, will be provided before 1 July 2022 on the National Diabetes Services Scheme website at www.ndss.com.au.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence of 31 March 2022 concerning petition number EN3948 requesting extending access to cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators such as Trikafta® (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor), on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for the treatment of cystic fibrosis associated with a broader range of mutations.
Trikafta® was recently listed on the PBS from 1 April 2022. This listing will provide subsidised access for patients with cystic fibrosis aged 12 years and older, who have at least one F508del mutation in the CFTR gene.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC)—an independent expert body comprising doctors, other health professional and consumer representatives—makes recommendations to the Australian Government about PBS listings. Under legislation, the Government cannot list a new medicine on the PBS unless the PBAC makes a recommendation in favour of its listing.
The pharmaceutical company responsible for Trikafta®, and the other CFTR modulators Symdeko® (tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor), Orkambi® (lumacaftor/ivacaftor) and Kalydeco® (ivacaftor), Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Australia) Pty Ltd, has not made an application to the PBAC for a broader listing of these medicines.
Further, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia's regulator of medicines and other therapeutic goods, has not approved Trikafta® for broader clinical use in Australia.
Medicines typically are not listed on the PBS for clinical uses that have not been approved by the TGA.
Consideration of a medicine for TGA registration and PBS listing is generally initiated by the sponsor making applications to the TGA and PBAC, respectively. Pharmaceutical companies have access to the scientific· data and other information necessary to inform the PBAC's consideration.
The PBAC would welcome further applications related to the use of Trikafta® or other CFTR modulators at any time.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Hunt
Australian Research Council
Dear Chair
I refer to correspondence of 31 March 2022 regarding Petition Number EN3949.
I note the concerns expressed by petitioners regarding the vetoing of 6 ARC Discovery Project grants in late 2021 by the Hon Stuart Robert MP, former Acting Minister for Education and Youth.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring the integrity and transparency of the Australian Research Council's grant assessment processes. It is currently considering the recommendations of the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee's Inquiry into the Australian Research Council Amendment (Ensuring Research Independence) Bill contained in its Report dated 21 March 2022.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Education, Mr Clare
Taxation
Dear Ms Templeman
I refer to petition EN2640 on removing late tax return lodgement penalties for the year 2019/2020, originally sent on 22 June 2021 to the then Treasurer, the Hon Josh Frydenberg MP. Following the election this correspondence has been referred to me as the matter falls within my portfolio responsibilities. I appreciate the concerns raised in the petition about the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Australians as well as the financial impact of late lodgement penalties. Penalties for failure to lodge on time are important in encouraging taxpayers to lodge their tax returns on time. 1hese incentives help to ensure that there is no delay or uncertainty in revenue collections, as this revenue helps to deliver public services, social safety nets and reliable infrastructure for all Australians. Incentives to lodge on time would be weakened if the Government retrospectively repealed late lodgement penalties.
I understand though that sometimes people don't meet their lodgment obligations on time, even with the best intentions. Generally, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) does not apply penalties in isolated cases of late lodgement, and in the first instance will provide a warning. If a penalty notice is received for failing to lodge on time, a taxpayer can ask for it to be remitted if there are extenuating circumstances. The ATO will consider remitting interest and penalties incurred after 23 January 2020 for taxpayers that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
If interest and penalties were incurred before 23 January 2020, taxpayers should still contact the ATO as they can consider their circumstances.
Yours sincerely
from the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Mr Jones
Internet Content
Social Media
Dear Committee Secretary
I write with regard to two petitions, EN2662 and EN3731, which fall within my Portfolio responsibilities.
On 21 June 2021, the former Committee Chair, Mr Ken O'Dowd MP, wrote to my predecessor, the then Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, to refer Petition EN2662 under Standing Order 209(a) and (b). On 14 February 2022, the former Chair referred Petition 3731 to the former Minister under the same Standing Orders. As the former Minister did not provide a response before the dissolution of the 46th Parliament, I am now writing to do so.
Both petitions include proposals to restrict children's access to adult content online. Petition EN2662 calls for legislation to ban free-to-view adult content. Petition EN3731 calls for legislation to require international websites hosting adult material to require proof of age for access. The Australian Government understands the concerns raised in these petitions, and work is underway to protect Australian children from viewing adult content online.
Age verif ication
The Government supports technological solutions to prevent children from accessing online pornography. In September 2019, the Social Policy and Legal Affairs Committee launched an inquiry into the effectiveness of age verification systems on pornographic and gambling websites. The Committee's final report, Protecting the Age of Innocence, was released on 5 March 2020. The Committee found that age verification would establish a significant barrier to protect young people and children from harmful online content, and made recommendations to support the implementation of age verification systems in Australia.
The eSafety Commissioner is now developing a roadmap for consideration in late 2022, which will advise on how to implement a proportionate, effective, and feasible age verification system in Australia to restrict children's access to online pornography. You can find more information about the roadmap at www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/consultation-cooperation/age-verification.
The Online Safety Act 2021
Under the Online Safety Act 2021 (the Act), the eSafety Commissioner has powers to request or require takedown of illegal and restricted online content. Most pornographic content will fall under the Commissioner's powers to respond to material that is, or is likely to be, classified as X18+ or R18+ material under the Online Content Scheme. This is 'class 2 material'. The eSafety Commissioner can respond to X 18+ material by issuing a removal notice to the service provider if the material is provided from Australia, and to R 18+ by requiring that the material provided from Australia can only be accessed by adults by placing the content behind a Restricted Access System.
Class 1 material is more serious material that is, or would likely be, refused classification (including child sexual exploitation material). The Commissioner has a stronger set of powers to requiring the removal of this material no matter where it is hosted.
Under the Act, industry is being expected to do more to keep its users safe, particularly children. The Act requires that online service providers develop updated industry codes to address online harms relating to class 1 and class 2 materials. The updated codes will place the onus on industry to give consumers the option of subscribing to a filtered internet service, and will require that industry provide families with technological solutions to help limit their access to harmful online content (including pornography). Work on industry codes is currently underway.
The Government, on behalf of the Australian community, has also developed the Online Safety (Basic Online Safety Expectations) Determination 2022 to articulate the proactive steps industry should take to address unlawful and harmful material and activity. Expectations include that service providers must take reasonable steps to ensure that technological or other measures are in effect to prevent access to adult materials (like pornography) by children.
Service providers are required to report to the eSafety Commissioner on what they are doing to meet their expectations. The eSafety Commissioner can report publicly on service providers that are not meeting the Australian community's expectations.
The eSafety Commissioner's website (www.esafety.gov.au) contains useful information on what Australians can do to keep their children safe online.
Thank you for taking the time to write to me on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Communications, Ms Rowlands
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence regarding petition number EN3555, requesting to fast track the approval of the COVAX-19 vaccine in Australia. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Australian Government remains committed to providing access to free and effective COVID-19 vaccines to everyone living in Australia. The Government has invested in a diverse portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines that use a variety of technical platforms, securing supply for all eligible populations within Australia.
The safety of the Australian population has always been the highest priority of the Government. The Government is working closely with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which has responsibility for formally assessing the safety, quality, and efficacy of medicines, including vaccines, prior to their approval for use and inclusion in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). This formal regulatory approval means that the vaccines can be lawfully supplied in Australia.
Provisional registration process
Due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, all COVID-19 vaccines have been approved via the provisional approval pathway. Applications for provisional registration must include a comprehensive data package to support the medicine's safety, quality, and efficacy, as well as a source of product manufactured to pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice requirements. Decisions on provisional registrations are also informed by expert advice from the Advisory Committee on Vaccines, an independent committee with expertise in scientific, medical, and clinical fields including consumer representation. Vaccines are provisionally approved only if the TGA's rigorous assessment process is completed, and the benefits of the vaccine are considered to be greater than any potential risks.
Even though the decision to provisionally approve these vaccines was made on the basis of short-term efficacy and safety data, the data submitted to support the quality, safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines showed a positive benefit-risk ratio. Waiting for data to establish the duration of protection would not have allowed these vaccines to have been available. The short-term efficacy of these vaccines has been proven, with the six-month protection period preventing many hospitalisations and death.
Continued approval is dependent upon the evidence of longer-term efficacy and safety from ongoing clinical trials and post-market assessment. As part of the provisional approval, sponsors are required to continue to submit longer-term evidence to the TGA. As this implies, these studies are continuing to gather data on longer-term safety and effectiveness to complement post-market monitoring and spontaneous adverse event data. It is anticipated that these will be completed between late 2021 and mid-2024, which, depending on the vaccine, may coincide with a sponsor's application to transition to full registration. Further information about this process can be found on the TGA website at www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccine-approval-process.
The COVAX-19 vaccine
Vaxine Pty Ltd, the company developing Flinders University's COVID-19 vaccine candidate "COVAX-19®" was funded $1 million through the Australian Government's Biomedical Translation Bridge Program, an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund. Vaxine Pty Ltd has not yet submitted an application for provisional registration. However, a limited amount of preliminary clinical data was submitted to the TGA to support the provisional determination application.
On 15 December 2021 the TGA granted provisional determination to Vaxine Pty Ltd for their COViD-19 vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 rS (Vax-S-dTM-W1) (SPIKOGEN VACCINE), which is also known as COVAX-19.. Provisional Determination is the first step in the provisional registration process. Importantly, provisional determination does not mean that an application has or will be made, or that the vaccine will be provisionally approved for inclusion in the ARTG. Registration and supply in Australia will only commence should the vaccine be approved as safe and effective by the TGA. In May 2022, the provisional determination for this vaccine candidate was extended and will now lapse on 14 December 2022.
The TGA has not received an application from Vaxine Pty Ltd to provisionally register COVAX-19 for use in Australia. Therefore, this vaccine candidate cannot be evaluated or approved for use in Australia. To date, COVAX-19 has only received regulatory approval from the Iranian Food and Drug Administration for use in Iran. However, if the sponsor holds the appropriate evidence, they are welcome at any time to make an application to the TGA to register their vaccine in the ARTG. If an application for a COVID-19 vaccine is received, it will be treated with the greatest priority.
The TGA has not been provided with a copy of the submission made to the Iranian regulator. The Iranian regulator is not considered by OECD country regulators, nor the global peak group of regulators [the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Agencies (ICMRA)], as a 'comparable' regulator. Therefore, we have very little information on Iranian regulatory requirements for these products. However, in February 2022, the TGA's Deputy Secretary, Adjunct Professor Skerritt, wrote to the Iranian Ambassador in Canberra to outline the TGA's requirements should an application from Vaxine Pty Ltd be made. On 4 August 2022 Professor Skerritt also met with the Ambassador and discussed these requirements.
As explained above, to be registered in the ARTG, a sponsor must submit an application containing a comprehensive dossier to support the vaccine. The results of overseas clinical trials, such as those from the Phase Ill clinical trial undertaken by Vaxine Pty Ltd in collaboration with Iranian biotechnology company CinnaGen in Iran, can be used to support the sponsor's future application to the TGA. Details of the clinical trials underway for the COVAX-19 vaccine can be found on the COVID-19 vaccine tracker at www.covid19.trackvaccines.orgLvaccines/8/.
Other COVID-19 vaccine candidates
The Moderna (SPIKEVAX), Pfizer (COMIRNATY), AstraZeneca (VAXZEVRIA) and Novavax (NUVAXOVID) vaccines, which are currently available in Australia as part of the national rollout, have been provisionally registered by the TGA. Australians can have confidence that these vaccines have met the high safety, efficacy and quality standards required for use in Australia.
For individuals looking to be vaccinated with a more traditional, protein-based vaccine option, NUVAXOVID is now available for administration in Australia to those aged 18 years and older. Protein vaccines use a non-infectious component found on the surface of the coronavirus and are manufactured in cells in a laboratory. After vaccination, immune cells recognise the vaccine protein as foreign and launch an immune response against it. The vaccine was subject to the TGA's rigorous assessment and approval process, and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has noted that NUVAXOVID is highly effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in adults.
On 22 July 2022, the TGA granted provisional approval to extend the use of NUVAXOVID for use in individuals aged 12-17 years. The potential use of this vaccine in the national COVID-19 vaccination·program in this age group is being considered by ATAGI who will provide advice to the Government in the coming weeks.
The Government has also finalised an agreement with global pharmaceutical company Moderna that secures the production of up to 100 million Australian made mRNA doses every year and in addition, provides hundreds of manufacturing jobs. The strategic partnership will ensure Australia can meet its ongoing COVID-19 vaccine needs, and any other new and innovative respiratory mRNA vaccines. It will also make Australia a critical regional hub for mRNA technology development and production, bolstering our local biotechnology sector.
It is important for Australians to have access to credible and timely information about COVID-19 vaccines. I strongly encourage everyone to stay up to date on all news and announcements, by regularly checking the Department's website at www.health.gov.au.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence regarding petition number EN3565, requesting funding and approval for Vaxine Pty Ltd and their COVAX-19 vaccine. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Australian Government remains committed to providing access to free and effective COVID-19 vaccines to everyone living in Australia. To support this aim, the Government has invested in a diverse portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines that use a variety of technical platforms, securing supply for all eligible populations within Australia.
The safety of the Australian population has always been the highest priority of the Government. The Government is working closely with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which has responsibility for formally assessing the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines, including vaccines, prior to their approval for use and inclusion in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods {ARTG). This formal regulatory approval means that the vaccines can be lawfully supplied in Australia.
Provisional registration process
Due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, all COVID-19 vaccines have been approved via the provisional approval pathway. Applications for provisional registration must include a comprehensive data package to support the medicine's safety, quality, and efficacy, as well as a source of product manufactured to pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice requirements. Decisions on provisional registrations are also informed by expert advice from the Advisory Committee on Vaccines, an independent committee with expertise in scientific, medical and clinical fields including consumer representation. Vaccines are provisionally approved only if the TGA's rigorous assessment process is completed and the benefits of the vaccine are considered to be greater than any potential risks.
Even though the decision to provisionally approve these vaccines was made on the basis of short-term efficacy and safety data, the data submitted to support the quality, safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines showed a positive benefit-risk ratio. Waiting for data to establish the duration of protection would not have allowed these vaccines to have been available. The short-term efficacy of these vaccines has been proven, with the six-month protection period preventing many hospitalisations and death.
Continued approval is dependent upon the evidence of longer-term efficacy and safety from ongoing clinical trials and post-market assessment. As part of the provisional approval, sponsors are required to continue to submit longer-term evidence to the TGA. As this implies, these studies are continuing to gather data on longer-term safety and effectiveness to complement post-market monitoring and spontaneous adverse event data. It is anticipated that these will be completed between late 2021and mid-2024, which, depending on the vaccine, may coincide with a sponsor's application to transition to full registration.
Further information about this process can be found on the TGA website at www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccine-approval-process.
The COVAX-19 vaccine
Vaxine Pty Ltd, the company developing Flinders University's COVID-19 vaccine candidate "COVAX-19®" was funded $1 million through the Australian Government's Biomedical Translation Bridge Program, an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund. Vaxine Pty Ltd has not yet submitted an application for provisional registration. However, a limited amount of preliminary clinical data was submitted to the TGA to support the provisional determination application.
On 15 December 2021 the TGA granted provisional determination to Vaxine Pty Ltd for their COVID-19 vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 rS (Vax-S-dTM-Wl) (SPIKOGEN VACCINE), which is also known as COVAX-19. Provisional Determination is the first step in the provisional registration process. Importantly, provisional determination does not mean that an application has or will be made, or that the vaccine will be provisionally approved for inclusion in the ARTG. Registration and supply in Australia will only commence should the vaccine be approved as safe and effective by the TGA. In May 2022, the provisional determination for this vaccine candidate was extended and will now lapse on 14 December 2022.
The TGA has not received an application from Vaxine Pty Ltd to provisionally register COVAX-19 for use in Australia. Therefore, this vaccine candidate cannot be evaluated or approved for use in Australia. To date, COVAX-19 has only received regulatory approval from the Iranian Food and Drug Administration for use in Iran. However, if the sponsor holds the appropriate evidence, they are welcome at any time to make an application to the TGA to register their vaccine in the ARTG. If an application for a COVID-19 vaccine is received, it will be treated with the greatest priority.
The TGA has not been provided with a copy of the submission made to the Iranian regulator. The Iranian regulator is not considered by OECD country regulators, nor the global peak group of regulators [the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Agencies (ICMRA)], as a 'comparable' regulator. Therefore, we have very little information on Iranian regulatory requirements for these products. However, in February 2022, the TGA's Deputy Secretary, Adjunct Professor Skerritt, wrote to the Iranian Ambassador in Canberra to outline the TGA's requirements should an application from Vaxine Pty Ltd be made. On 4 August 2022 Professor Skerritt also met with the Ambassador and discussed these requirements.
As explained above, to be registered in the ARTG, a sponsor must submit an application containing a comprehensive dossier to support the vaccine. The results of overseas clinical trials, such as those from the Phase Ill clinical trial undertaken by Vaxine Pty Ltd in collaboration with Iranian biotechnology company CinnaGen in Iran, can be used to support the sponsor's future application to the TGA. Details of the clinical trials underway for the COVAX-19 vaccine can be found on the COVID-19 vaccine tracker at www.covid19.trackvaccines.org/vaccines/8/.
For individuals looking to be vaccinated with a more traditional, protein-based vaccine option, NUVAXOVID is now available for administration in Australia to those aged 18 years and older. Protein vaccines use a non-infectious component found on the surface of the coronavirus and are manufactured in cells in a laboratory. After vaccination, immune cells recognise the vaccine protein as foreign and launch an immune response against it. The vaccine was subject to the TGA's rigorous assessment and approval process, and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has noted that NUVAXOVID is highly effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in adults.
It is important for Australians to have access to credible and timely information about COVID-19 vaccines. It is a large and complex project, and the information may _change over time. I strongly encourage everyone to stay up to date on all news and announcements, by regularly checking the Department of Health and Aged Care website at www.health.gov.au.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt concerning petition number EN3587 requesting the implementation of a policy restricting financial benefits to vaccinated individuals. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Australian Government is a strong supporter of immunisation as a safe and effective public- health measure to prevent the spread of many diseases in the community that can cause hospitalisation, serious ongoing health conditions, or even death. Whilst COVID-19 vaccination is voluntary, as are all vaccinations in Australia, everyone is encouraged to get vaccinated but still maintains the option to choose.
The advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation continues to be that vaccination against COVID-19 is the most effective way to reduce death and severe illness associated with COVID-19 infection.
Medicare is Australia's universal health insurance scheme. It guarantees all Australians (and some overseas visitors) access to a wide range of health and hospital services at low or no cost.
Eligibility for Medicare is defined in the Health Insurance Act 1973 available at:
.www.legislation.gov.au/Series/C2004A00101 and is generally limited to persons who reside in Australia and are either Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens, permanent residents or, in certain circumstances, applicants for permanent residence. Eligibility for Medicare is not dependant on a person's vaccination status.
Australians can access credible and timely information about COVID-19 vaccines, news and announcements on the Department of Health's website at: www.health.gov.au.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care concerning petition number EN3595 requesting assistance with funding and other support for the production of a new SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
The Australian Government is committed to investing in health and medical research that makes a difference to the lives of Australians. To date the Government has invested $130 million from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to support research on vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, as well as further preparedness.
Of this, a total of $24.1 million has been made available for the development of nine vaccine candidates against COVID-19. This research will also support the advancement of new vaccine technology platforms to protect Australians from future pandemics.
Funding for research for the vaccine being developed by EngenelC, raised in the petition, is best progressed through peer-reviewed contestable processes to ensure the integrity of research design, quality, and safety for patients. There are two distinct, but complementary funds available to support health and medical research: the MRFF, which funds priority research; and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), focusing on investigator-led research.
Information on all open MRFF and NHMRC grant opportunities is available on the Government's GrantConnect website. I strongly encourage EngenelC or the petitioners to register with GrantConnect at www.grants.gov.au to ensure they do not miss out on any funding opportunities.
In addition, other Commonwealth support for medical research and medical innovation includes Research Block Grants to Universities, funding for research through the Australian Research Council, the Biomedical Translation Fund which supports the commercialisation of innovative biotechnology, the National Critical Research Infrastructure Strategy, and Cooperative Research Centres. Information on grant opportunities is also available on the Government's GrantConnect website.
I would also like to draw your attention to the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine which has been made available to Australians aged 18 and over since 21 February 2022. Novavax is a protein subunit vaccine. Protein vaccines use a non-infectious component found on the surface of the virus and are manufactured in cells in a laboratory. After vaccination, immune cells recognise the vaccine protein as foreign and launch an immune response against it.
This vaccine provides a further option to those who may have been hesitant to use the other available options. Further information is available on the Department of Health and Aged Care website at www.health.gov.au using the search term 'Novavax'.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
Taxation
Dear Committee Secretary
I refer to Petition EN3614 concerning income statements being sent to myGov.
myGov is an online digital service run by Services Australia, on behalf of the Australian Government. It is not compulsory to have a myGov account. By having a myGov account, a user agrees to be bound by the terms of use. Services Australia is responsible for ensuring the security of personal information collected, stored, or passing through myGov and handling information in accordance with the privacy law. myGov is a secure way to access government services, including the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), in one place.
The ATO is authorised under the tax law to collect, hold, use and disclose a wide range of personal information to administer the taxation and superannuation laws. The tax secrecy laws generally prohibit tax officers from disclosing protected taxpayer information to third-parties. However, limited exceptions to this general prohibition exist that allow disclosure to certain entities for specific purposes (e.g. to a court or tribunal for the purpose of administering a taxation law). Exceptions are generally limited in scope and internal to Government.
Yours sincerely
from the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Mr Jones
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I have received your correspondence to the former Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, regarding petition number EN3620, requesting funding and the immediate Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval for the COVAX-19 vaccine. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Australian Government is committed to providing access to free and effective COVID-19 vaccines to everyone living in Australia who is eligible. To do so, the Government has invested in a diverse portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines that use a variety of technical platforms, securing supply for all eligible populations within Australia.
The safety of the Australian population has always been the highest priority of the Government. The Government is working closely with the TGA, which has responsibility for formally assessing the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines, including vaccines, prior to their approval for use and inclusion in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). This formal regulatory approval means that the vaccines can be lawfully supplied in Australia.
Provisional registration. process
Due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, all COVID-19 vaccines have been approved via the provisional approval pathway. Applications for provisional registration must include a comprehensive data package to support the medicine's safety, quality, and efficacy, as well as a source of product manufactured to pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice requirements. Decisions on provisional registrations are also informed by expert advice from the Advisory Committee on Vaccines, an independent committee with expertise in scientific, medical and clinical fields including consumer representation. Vaccines are provisionally approved only if the TGA's rigorous assessment process is completed and the benefits of the vaccine are considered to be greater than any potential risks.
Continued approval is dependent upon the evidence of longer-term efficacy and safety from ongoing clinical trials and post-market assessment. As part of the provisional approval, sponsors are required to continue to submit longer-term evidence to the TGA. As this implies, these studies are continuing to gather data on longer-term safety and effectiveness to complement post-market monitoring and spontaneous adverse event data. It is anticipated that these will be completed between late 2021 and mid-2024, which, depending on the vaccine, may coincide with a sponsor's application to transition to full registration.
Further information about this process can be found on the TGA website at www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccine-approval-process.
The COVAX- 19 vaccine
Vaxine Pty Ltd, the company developing Flinders University's COVID-19 vaccine candidate "COVAX-19®" was funded $1 million through the Australian Government's Biomedical Translation Bridge Program, an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund. Vaxine Pty Ltd has not yet submitted an application for provisional registration. However, a limited amount of preliminary clinical data was submitted to the TGA to support the provisional determination application.
On 15 December 2021 the TGA granted provisional determination to Vaxine Pty Ltd for their COVID-19 vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 rS (Vax-S-dTM-Wl) (SPIKOGEN VACCINE), which is also known as COVAX-19. Provisional Determination is the first step in the provisional registration process. Importantly, provisional determination does not mean that an application has or will be made, or that the vaccine will be provisionally approved for inclusion in the ARTG. Registration and supply in Australia will only commence should the vaccine be approved as safe and effective by the TGA. In May 2022, the provisional determination for this vaccine candidate was extended and will now lapse on 14 December 2022.
The TGA has not received an application from Vaxine Pty Ltd to provisionally register COVAX-19 for use in Australia. Therefore, this vaccine candidate cannot be evaluated or approved for use in Australia. To date, COVAX-19 has only received regulatory approval from the Iranian Food and Drug Administration for use in Iran. However, if the sponsor holds the appropriate evidence, they are welcome at any time to make an application to the TGA to register their vaccine in the ARTG. If an application for a COVID-19 vaccine is received, it will be treated with the greatest priority.
The TGA has not been provided with a copy of the submission made to the Iranian regulator. The Iranian regulator is not considered by OECD country regulators, nor the global peak group of regulators [the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Agencies (ICMRA)], as a 'comparable' regulator. Therefore, we have very little information on Iranian regulatory requirements for these products. However, in February 2022, the TGA's Deputy Secretary, Adjunct Professor Skerritt, wrote to the Iranian Ambassador in Canberra to outline the TGA's requirements should an application from Vaxine Pty Ltd be made. On 4 August 2022 Professor Skerritt also met with the Ambassador and discussed these requirements.
As explained above, to be registered in the ARTG, a sponsor must submit an application containing a comprehensive dossier to support the vaccine. The results of overseas clinical trials, such as those from the Phase Ill clinical trial undertaken by Vaxine Pty Ltd in collaboration with Iranian biotechnology company CinnaGen in Iran, can be used to support the sponsor's future application to the TGA. Details of the clinical trials underway for the COVAX-19 vaccine can be found on the COVID-19 vaccine tracker at www.covid19.trackvaccines.org/vaccines/8/
Other COVID-19 vaccine candidates
The Moderna (SPIKEVAX), Pfizer (Comirnaty), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) and Novavax (Nuvaxovid) vaccines, which are currently available in Australia as part of the national rollout, have been provisionally registered by the TGA. Australians can have confidence that these vaccines have met the high safety, efficacy and quality standards required for use in Australia.
For individuals looking to be vaccinated with a more traditional, protein-based vaccine option, NUVAXOVID is now available for administration in Australia to those aged 18 years and older. Protein vaccines use a non-infectious component found on the surface of the coronavirus and are manufactured in cells in a laboratory. After vaccination, immune cells recognise the vaccine protein as foreign and launch an immune response against it. The vaccine was subject to the TGA's rigorous assessment and approval process, and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has noted that NUVAXOVID is highly effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in adults.
On 22 July 2022, the TGA granted provisional approval to extend the use of NUVAXOVID for use in individuals aged 12-17 years. The potential use of this vaccine in the national COVID- 19 vaccination program in this age group is being considered by ATAGI who will provide advice to the Government in the coming weeks.
The Government has also finalised an agreement with global pharmaceutical company Moderna that secures the production of up to 100 million Australian made mRNA doses every year and in addition, hundreds of manufacturing jobs. The strategic partnership will ensure Australia can meet its ongoing COVID-19 vaccine needs, and any other new and innovative respiratory mRNA vaccines. It will also make Australia a critical regional hub for mRNA technology development and production, bolstering our local biotechnology sector.
It is important for Australians to have access to credible and timely information about COVID-19 vaccines. I strongly encourage everyone to stay up to date on all news and announcements, by regularly checking the Department of Health and Aged Care website at: www.health.gov.au.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt regarding petition number EN3623, requesting an investigation into COVID-19 vaccine side effects. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The safety of the Australian population has always been the highest priority of the Australian Government. That is why it is working closely with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and all state and territory health departments to ensure that monitoring of COVID-19 vaccine safety is of the highest possible standard in Australia.
Australians can be assured that the TGA has comprehensively evaluated each of the provisionally registered COVID-19 vaccines available in Australia to ensure that they meet Australia's high standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.
The TGA has long-established processes, pathways, and data requirements for the evaluation of vaccines in Australia based on internationally recognised guidelines. A large team of technical and clinical experts at the TGA carefully review the data submitted by the sponsor, which includes clinical trial data conducted from thousands of participants, to ensure that strict safety and efficacy thresholds are met and seek expert advice from the Advisory Committee on Vaccines, an independent clinical expert committee, prior to a senior medical officer making a regulatory decision under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.
A vaccine is only provisionally approved by the TGA if this rigorous process is completed, and the benefits of the vaccine are considered to be much greater than any potential risks. As part of the provisional approval, sponsors are also required to continue to submit longer-term evidence to the TGA on efficacy, safety from ongoing clinical trials and post-market assessment.
The TGA has published a range of regulatory documents relating to the provisional approval of each COVID-19 vaccine, which provide detailed information about the evaluation process and the data that were considered. These include the Australian Public Assessment Report, the Product Information and the Consumer Medicine Information documents, which are available at www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccines.
As with every vaccine or medication, there is a small risk that some people who have the COVID-19 vaccine may experience rare side effects. Vaccination adverse effects and safety are monitored by the TGA and AusVaxSafety, a Government funded active safety surveillance system that complements the work of the TGA.
Gathering adverse event reports is just the first step in determining whether a suspected side effect is related to the vaccine. The TGA has a well-established and effective system in place to detect and investigate potential new safety issues relating to vaccines. Many of these processes have been enhanced dramatically for COVID-19 vaccines, making this the most intense safety monitoring of therapeutic goods ever conducted in Australia.
The TGA works closely with other regulators around the world and shares information from vaccination programs with reliable adverse events data covering hundreds of millions of people and continually analysing the latest evidence regarding COVID-19 vaccines. With vaccination programs being rolled out across the globe, regulators have access to enormous amounts of real-world data from a variety of sources to add to what we have learned from the initial clinical trials and subsequent follow-up studies.
Should the TGA suspect there is a safety issue with a vaccine, they will immediately conduct a thorough investigation of the issue. If the TGA determines that a report of a significant adverse event may impact the benefit-risk balance for the vaccine, the report is referred to a Vaccine Safety Investigation Group. This is a panel of independent medical and vaccine experts who undertake a detailed causality assessment using a structed approach recommended by the World Health Organisation. If they determine that the safety concern is significant,·they will respond appropriately, including communication to the Australian public through the TGA.
In-depth information on the TGA's safety monitoring role, the COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring plan and weekly safety reports can be found on the TGA website at www.tga.gov.au using the search terms 'COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring and reporting'. Survey results collected from over 6 million Australians can also be viewed on the AusVaxSafety website at www.ausvaxsafety.org.au/safety-data/covid-19-vaccines.
With these processes in place, the health advice from the TGA and the ATAGI remains that the protective benefits of COVID-19 vaccination far outweigh any potential risks. Vaccination against COVID-19 is still the most effective way to reduce deaths and severe illness associated with infection.
It is important for Australians to have access to credible and timely information about COVID-19 vaccines. Australians can learn more about the rollout on the Department of Health and Aged Care website at www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/operation-covid-shield.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
I refer to your correspondence to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt concerning petition EN3659 on COVID-19 vaccination mandates. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Australian Government is a strong supporter of immunisation as a safe and effective public health measure to prevent the spread of many diseases in the community that can cause hospitalisation, serious ongoing health conditions, or even death.
At the same time, the Government's position on COVID-19 vaccination is that it is voluntary, as are all vaccinations in Australia. Everyone maintains the option to choose.
The Government has made it mandatory for those working in residential aged care to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, which was advised by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and accepted by National Cabinet. This is enforced through state and territory public health orders, effective 17 September 2021.
As the COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, states and territories, who have primary responsibility for public health, are managing the pandemic in their respective jurisdictions based on health advice. States and territories have issued public health orders which require COVID-19 vaccination for people in high-risk workplaces and sectors, and for some community activities. Further information about public health orders may be found on state or territory government websites.
All vaccines are thoroughly tested for safety before they are approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for use in Australia. The TGA is part of the Department of Health and Aged Care, and is responsible for regulating therapeutic goods, including prescription medicines, vaccines, sunscreens, vitamins and minerals, medical devices, blood and blood products.
Testing includes carefully analysing clinical trial data, ingredients, chemistry, manufacturing, and other factors. Even after an individual receives a vaccine, it is still monitored for safety. If an individual has any questions about vaccination they should talk to their doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional. Their healthcare professional can then give feedback to the TGA about any side effects, even if they are minor.
This will help the regulator in overseeing the safety of vaccines. In the unlikely event that a safety risk develops, the TGA will inform healthcare providers, the community, and the Government as soon as possible.
The Standing Committee on Petitions can be assured that the Government, along with the states and territories, is taking an evidence-based approach to COVID-19 and is committed to protecting the health of Australians.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt regarding petition EN3736 requesting strengthening of reporting requirements for adverse events. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The safety of the Australian population has always been the highest priority for the Australian Government. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and all state and territory health departments work together to ensure that monitoring of COVID-19 vaccine safety is of the highest possible standard in Australia.
A vaccine is only provisionally approved by the TGA if a rigorous process of evaluation of the vaccine's safety is completed, and the benefits of the vaccine are considered to be much greater than any potential risks. As part of the provisional approval, sponsors are also required to continue to submit longer-term evidence to the TGA.
As with every vaccine or medication, there is a small risk that some people who have a COVID-19 vaccine may experience serious side effects. Vaccination adverse effects and safety are monitored by the TGA and AusVaxSafety, a Government funded active safety surveillance system that complements the work of the TGA.
Gathering adverse event reports is just the first step in determining whether a suspected side effect is related to the vaccine. The TGA has a well-established and effective system in place to detect and investigate potential new safety issues relating to vaccines. Many of these processes have been enhanced dramatically for COVID-19 vaccines, making this the most intense safety monitoring of therapeutic goods ever conducted in Australia.
Reporting of an adverse event to the TGA does not mean that a doctor considers that it was caused by a vaccine. The TGA encourages reporting of significant health events after vaccination, even if there is only a small chance that the· vaccine caused the event. Every report contributes to the TGA's safety monitoring. Reporting of adverse events following immunisation is mandatory for health professionals under state and territory regulations in New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. These reports are shared with the TGA in a timely manner through the existing and long-standing information sharing arrangements.
It is not correct to state that the TGA has recorded hundreds of deaths related to COVID-19 vaccines. To date, the TGA has identified 13 reports where the cause of death was linked to vaccination from 910 reports received and reviewed. The TGA reviews reports of death following COVID-19 vaccination to assess whether the clinical conditions that caused death (as determined by the relevant health professional or coroner) could represent new safety information about the vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring plan and weekly safety reports can be found on the TGA website at www.tga.gov.au using the search terms 'COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring and reporting'.
The TGA requests further information about individuals' medical histories if needed to make an assessment. If the TGA determines that a report of a significant adverse event or death may impact the benefit-risk balance for the vaccine, the report is referred to a Vaccine Safety Investigation Group, which is a panel of independent medical and vaccine experts who undertake a detailed causality assessment using a structured approach recommended by the World Health Organisation.
The TGA also works closely with other regulators around the world and shares information from vaccination programs with reliable adverse events data covering hundreds of millions of people and continually analysing the latest evidence regarding COVID-19 vaccines. With vaccination programs being rolled out across the globe, regulators have access to enormous amounts of real-world data from a variety of sources to add to what we have learned from the initial clinical trials and subsequent follow-up studies.
In depth information on the TGA's safety monitoring role, the COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring plan and weekly safety reports can be found on the TGA website at www.tga.gov:au using the search terms 'COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring and reporting'. You can also view survey results collected from over 6 million Australians from the AusVaxSafety website at www.ausvaxsafety.org.au/safety-data/covid-19-vaccines.
Please be assured that if the TGA suspects there is a safety issue with a vaccine, they will immediately conduct a thorough investigation of the issue. If they determine that the safety concern is significant, they will respond appropriately, including communication to the Australian public.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt regarding petition number EN3857 requesting freedom of choice from COVID-19 vaccine mandates. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Australian Government is a strong supporter of immunisation as a safe and effective public-health measure to prevent the spread of many diseases in the community that can cause hospitalisation, serious ongoing health conditions, or even death. Whilst COVID-19 vaccination is voluntary, Australians are encouraged to get vaccinated. However, everyone maintains the option to choose.
As the COVID-19 pandemic is a public-health emergency, states and territories, who have primary responsibility for public-health are managing the pandemic in their respective jurisdictions based on health advice. In line with this, some states and territories have issued public-health orders which require COVID-19 vaccination for people in high-risk workplaces and sectors, and for-some community activities. Further information about these public- health orders can be found on state or territory government websites.
Some employers have also started to mandate vaccinations for their employees. For individual businesses not covered by a public-health order, whether to require COVID-19 vaccinations for employees needs careful consideration, taking into account the relevant employment, discrimination, work health and safety, and privacy laws, and the circumstances of the particular workplace. The employers and employees are encouraged to work together on workplace vaccination for COVID-19.
Where COVID-19 vaccination has been made mandatory, there are exemptions in place for people who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons. States and territories may also accept other categories of exemptions.
The Government has made it mandatory for those working in residential aged care to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, which was advised by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and accepted by the National Cabinet. This is also enforced through state and territory public health orders, effective 17 September 2021.
As with recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination, the medical basis for vaccination exemption is based on guidance from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
Past infection with COVID-19 is not a contraindication to vaccination and ATAGI emphasises individuals who have previously been infected with COVID-19, irrespective of which variant it may have been, should continue to receive recommended vaccine doses, after an interval of three months, as prior infection alone will not provide sufficient protection against severe disease.
This updated advice reflects the lower risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant within the first three months following a confirmed infection, particularly if prior COVID-19 vaccine doses have been received. It also recognises Omicron has become the dominant variant circulating in Australia in the past three months, displacing the Delta variant. This advice may change if future variants emerge.
Please note that medical contraindications to vaccination are rare. ATAGl's clinical guidance contains information about contraindications to COVID-19 vaccines, both generally and to the specific vaccines that are currently available in Australia. People with a medical contraindication to one COVID-19 vaccine (such as Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca)) are usually able to access another COVID 19 vaccine (such as Pfizer). However, in some cases, individuals may have contraindications to all available COVID-19 vaccines. People in these circumstances can ask their GP, or other eligible health professional, to report a medical contraindication to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). Individuals who have a medical contraindication reported to the AIR for all COVID-19 vaccines (available for use in Australia) will be able to generate vaccination evidence such as the COVID-19 Digital Certificate. The information will also appear on their Immunisation History Statement.
As there is evidence that suggests protection from the primary vaccination course, and COVID-19 infection wanes over time, the booster dose aims to maximise protection against infection and severe disease. I would like to emphasise the importance of being up to date with immunisation, particularly for those at higher risk of severe disease including health care and aged care settings. Evidence shows boosters increase direct protection against infection with the Omicron variant, with some indirect protection through reduced transmission also expected.
This winter, we are experiencing significant community transmission of both COVID-19 and Influenza, which is placing stress on our community and health systems. If all Australians continue to work together, through early and collective actions, the impact of the BA.4/BA.5 wave can be reduced. Now is the time for all of us to act to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and those who are most at risk and the broader community.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt regarding petition number EN3871—Corbevax vaccine. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) has not received an application to register the Corbevax COVID-19 vaccine. Before a COVID-19 vaccine can be lawfully supplied in Australia, it must be rigorously evaluated by the TGA and included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).
If a sponsor holds the appropriate evidence, they are welcome to make an application at any time to the TGA to register their medicine or vaccine on the ARTG. It is important to note that the Australian Government is unable to compel a sponsor to make an application for registration and the TGA cannot evaluate a product without an application.
For a COVID-19 vaccine to be provisionally registered in Australia, the TGA must establish the acceptable safety, quality and efficacy of the vaccine based on comprehensive evaluation of a wide range of information. This includes clinical studies conducted in humans, non-clinical toxicology studies, and chemistry, risk management, and manufacturing information.
A large team of clinical and scientific experts at the TGA carefully review these data and seek advice from the Advisory Committee on Vaccines—an independent clinical expert committee—prior to a senior medical officer making a regulatory decision under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989. The decision to approve a new medicine or vaccine is always made by the TGA on the basis that the benefits outweigh the risks for the intended population. To keep up to date with COVID-19 vaccines under evaluation please visit: www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccines-undergoing-evaluation.
Currently, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer (Comirnaty), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) and Novavax (Nuvaxovid) vaccines are available in Australia as part of the national rollout. All these vaccines have been provisionally registered by the TGA following this robust process. Australians can have confidence that these vaccines have met the high safety, efficacy and quality standards required for use in Australia.
Novavax is a protein subunit vaccine. Protein vaccines use a non-infectious component found on the surface of the virus and are manufactured in cells in a laboratory. After vaccination, immune cells recognise the vaccine protein as foreign and launch an immune response against it.
Novavax is currently available for use in a primary COVID-19 vaccination course in people aged 18 years or older. This vaccine provides a further option to those who may have been hesitant to use the mRNA vaccine options.
I encourage you to keep up to date on COVID-19 vaccine developments on the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care website at www.health.gov.au.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
COVID-19: Vaccination
Dear Chair
Thank you for your correspondence to the former Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt regarding petition number EN3886 requesting to end vaccine mandates in Australia. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Australian Government is a strong supporter of immunisation as a safe and effective public- health measure to prevent the spread of many diseases in the community that can cause hospitalisation, serious ongoing health conditions, or even death. Whilst COVID-19 vaccination is voluntary, Australians are encouraged to get vaccinated.
As the COVID-19 pandemic is a public-health emergency, states and territories, who have primary responsibility for public health, are managing the pandemic in their respective jurisdictions based on health advice. In line with this, some states and territories issued public-health orders which require COVID-19 vaccination for people in high-risk workplaces and sectors, and for some community activities. Further information about public-health orders may be found on state or territory government websites.
Where COVID-19 vaccination has been made mandatory, there are exemptions in place for people who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons. State and territories may also accept other categories of exemptions.
I note that the Therapeutic Goods Administration {TGA) has conducted a rigorous assessment of all available data prior to approving COVID-19 vaccines used in the rollout in Australia. The TGA will only register and approve a COVID-19 vaccine if it is safe and effective, with the benefits greatly outweighing any potential risks. No part of the process has been rushed, and there was no emergency authorisation granted as the TGA does not have an 'Emergency Use Authorisation' pathway for COVID-19 vaccines as some other countries do.
The TGA has published a range of regulatory documents relating to the provisional approval of each COVID-19 vaccine, which provide detailed information about the evaluation process and the data that were considered. These include the Australian Public Assessment Report, the Product Information and the Consumer Medicine Information documents, which are available at www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccines. This includes full ingredient listings.
The TGA monitors vaccination adverse events and safety along with AusVaxSafety, a Government funded active safety surveillance system that complements the work of the TGA. The TGA has a well-established and effective system in place to detect and investigate potential new safety issues relating to vaccines. Many of these processes have been enhanced dramatically for COVID-19 vaccines, making this the most intense safety monitoring of therapeutic goods ever conducted in Australia.
Please be assured that if the TGA suspects there is a safety issue with a vaccine, they will immediately conduct a thorough investigation of the issue. If they determine that the safety concern is significant, they will respond appropriately, including communication to the Australian public.
In depth information on the TGA's safety monitoring role, the COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring plan and weekly safety reports can be found on the TGA website at www.tga.gov.au using the search terms 'COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring and reporting'.
The primary purpose of COVID-19 vaccines is to prevent individuals from developing severe disease and death from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. There is promising evidence that in addition to substantially reducing an individual's chance of getting sick, there is a significant reduction in the chance of transmitting the virus to others.
Data from studies in the United Kingdom showed that both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines were effective in preventing onward transmission of the virus to close contacts in case of breakthrough infections. In one study among the general population in the United Kingdom, the effectiveness against transmission from breakthrough infections to household contacts from 21days after the first dose was approximately 47% for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and around 49% for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Another study from the United Kingdom reported that, among healthcare workers, who predominantly received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, vaccination was associated with a 30% reduction in transmission of COVID-19 to household contacts.
Preliminary data from Finland also suggest that there was an indirect effect of both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines on close contacts of vaccine recipients. More information regarding the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines can be found at www.health.gov.au using the search terms "COVID-19 vaccine information".
When reviewing all the available data and adverse event reports, the health advice from the TGA and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation remains that the protective benefits of COVID-19 vaccination far outweigh any potential risks. Vaccination against COVID-19 is still the most effective way to reduce deaths and severe illness associated with infection.
Thank you for writing on this matter.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mr Butler
PETITIONS
Statements
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (10:01): As in the previous parliament, the Petitions Committee started with a large workload that built up during the election period. The popularity of petitions with the public is continuing to grow. Despite the sitting break for the election, 703 petitions were presented in the year ending 30 June 2022, compared to 628 in the previous year and 498 in the year before.
Australians are enthusiastically using the electronic petitions system established in the 45th Parliament, with the overwhelming majority of petitions now being submitted through the parliament's website. The petitioning system is one of the few direct ways that members of the public can reach our parliament. Although petitioning parliament in the United Kingdom has a history dating back to the 12th century, it has readily adapted to the modern era and remains one of the most frequently used ways for voters to interact with their elected representatives.
Although most of our petitions are now electronic, I'd like to mention one paper petition that was considered by the committee. This is the everyday climate crisis visual petition that was tabled in the House by the member for Canberra and referred to the committee for consideration. The visual petition contains over 1,200 photographs showing the impact of climate change. The photographs were crowdsourced from women and non-binary photographers across Australia. Together the photographs form a body of work that is both politically important and a delight to look at.
The committee did, however, conclude that a petition containing only photographs doesn't comply with the requirements of the standing orders, and the petition will not be taken further. Nevertheless, I thank the member for Canberra for tabling this document and thank all those who contributed. We're ensuring it remains in the custody of the House.
I look forward to presenting many more petitions to the House in the 47th Parliament.
BILLS
Crimes Legislation Amendment (Ransomware Action Plan) Bill 2022
First Reading
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mrs Andrews.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mrs ANDREWS (McPherson) (10:04): I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Ransomware Action Plan) Bill 2022 proposes criminal law reforms to implement a new standalone offence for all forms of cyberextortion and tougher penalties for those who prey on the vulnerable online.
As the current government flounders in search of a plan on a range of issues facing our nation, the coalition stands ready to advocate for and support sensible legislation in the national interest.
In this case we are putting forward legislation that is ready to go.
This legislation will ensure cybercriminals found guilty of using ransomware face an increased maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and those targeting Australia's critical infrastructure will receive a maximum penalty of 25 years imprisonment.
It's designed to disrupt and deter cybercriminals who engage in ransomware and cyberextortion activities targeting Australians and Australian businesses.
This bill is not new to the parliament—it was introduced in February this year to address an urgent need to combat the rising scourge of ransomware and cybercrime.
Unfortunately, time for debate and passage was not forthcoming and the bill lapsed with the dissolution of the last parliament.
As well as the standalone offence and penalties I mentioned earlier, this bill introduces an aggravated offence for buying and selling malware for the purpose of committing a computer offence and dealing with stolen data, with a maximum penalty of 10 years.
This is designed to halt the effectiveness of the ransomware business model.
Further, it ensures that law enforcement can monitor and freeze cybercriminals' ill-gotten gains by extending current powers that cover financial institutions to digital currency exchanges.
It ensures that the powers to seize digital assets, including cryptocurrency, reflect the operational environment and that confiscated funds are available for action under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
In simple terms, it hits the cybercriminals where it hurts them most, and that's in their hip pockets.
These are all sensible measures that will create a greater deterrence and therefore reduce the incidence of ransomware attacks on individuals and businesses.
I am not suggesting that this bill on its own is the solution to all challenges relating to cybercrime. Indeed, it was just part of a suite of reforms that we were planning to introduce to build even stronger cybersecurity and law enforcement capabilities to protect Australian businesses and communities.
But it is a step in the right direction. It is a positive move. And certainly in the last parliament there appeared to be bipartisan support for these measures.
So, today, I implore those opposite to support this bill.
It is literally ready to go. It has not been significantly altered in any way—it has been carefully crafted by government legislators.
In opposition, the Labor Party repeatedly called for legislation to address the threat of ransomware. They said it was urgent. But I did not see any mention of ransomware legislation in their first 100 days, and certainly no legislation on it has been presented in this place.
There have been plenty of reviews and summits, but where is the sensible, practical action?
The most sensible thing they can do today is to put their pride and ideology aside and support this bill in the national interest.
Let's achieve something together.
This bill has no budgetary impact. It's literally about giving law enforcement agencies the tools they need to pursue and prosecute ransomware gangs and track, freeze and seize their illegally and dishonestly acquired gains.
While Labor waits to come up with a plan, cybercriminals are coming up with new ways every day to use malware and, specifically, ransomware to do us real and long-lasting harm.
I note with great regret that the government have indicated that they are basically 'tearing up' the Cyber Security Strategy 2020, which was a $1.67 billion investment over 10 years.
Whilst they're in government, it is their call to do so.
But why would you cast uncertainty over a range of cybersecurity programs?
Why would you say that you're getting rid of something when you don't know what you're going to replace it with?
Where's the policy detail? Because it wasn't in the one-paragraph 'policy' Labor had before the election, which contained a motherhood statement about 'lifting cyber-resilience across the whole nation' and 'appointing a dedicated cybersecurity minister'.
That was the extent of their cyberpolicy. So, I guess that they consider that giving the Minister for Home Affairs a secondary ministry title delivers that promise.
But, as we all know, that is just symbolism—it doesn't stop a single cyberattack.
Now, I put to those opposite that there is something positive and tangible that they can do right now that can help stop cyberattacks—they can support this bill and they can do so in the best national interests.
In the brief time that is left to speak on this bill, I would like to give the member for Fisher the opportunity to speak, and, in doing so, I take the opportunity to congratulate him on his election to the very important role of Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
The SPEAKER: Is the motion seconded?
Mr WALLACE (Fisher) (10:10): I second the bill and I'm pleased to do so for this bill that's been introduced by the shadow minister for home affairs. Like many bills which I've spoken in support of in this 47th Parliament, this bill is coalition policy which, because of the effluxion of time, was unable to be passed in the 46th Parliament. Last year, the coalition launched our ransomware action plan, a practical response to the menace of ransomware attacks which affect Australian families and their businesses and, indeed, communities the world over.
Technology is advancing beyond measure, and both organised crime and sophisticated state actors continue to wreak havoc with our global rules based order. It is essential that the Australian government do what it takes to protect our critical infrastructure.
Ransomware attacks have affected some of our most important services on the Sunshine Coast—and I'm referring to, for example, Uniting Care's Buderim Private Hospital, which is just a stone's throw from my electorate. We are seeing attacks on construction, health care, manufacturing and media. And just last week there was an attack, which we're all aware of, on Optus and its nine million Australian customers.
One in three organisations around the world were affected by ransomware attacks in 2021, costing the global economy over $30.3 billion. This is tipped to rise to $402 billion by 2031. And Australia is not immune, with an estimated cost of as much as $2.59 billion lost each year.
It's vital that our law enforcement agencies are empowered to detect, disrupt and deter cybercriminals and foreign state actors who seek to do us harm. That is why the coalition introduced this bill, and, but for the lack of time, it might well have already been law. I want to congratulate the shadow home affairs minister on this initiative—on going onto the front foot in the absence of a credible, or in fact any, bill from the government. This is a bill that, as the shadow minister has pointed out, was introduced in the last parliament. It's ready to go. This is a bill that, for all intents and purposes, the government were prepared to accept and work with us on, in a bipartisan manner. Well, they haven't taken the initiative. The opposition have, at the behest of the shadow home affairs minister. Now, the government—having essentially agreed to the bill's contents whilst they were in opposition—have nowhere to go. This a bill that they should be supporting, and it will be very telling whether they stand up in this place and support this comprehensive bill.
This bill is not going to fix everything—as the shadow minister said, it is just one step in the right direction. But I urge all members to support this bill and call on the government to build on our work, both in defence and in security. Don't dismantle what we are seeking to build for the benefit of Australians and the Australian community and Australian businesses.
The SPEAKER: The question is that this bill now be read a second time. The time allocated for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and resumption of the debate will be an order of the day for the next sitting.
NOTICES
Withdrawal
The SPEAKER (10:14): I inform the House that, pursuant to standing order 110, the honourable member for Kooyong has withdrawn notice No. 2 standing in her name. The order of precedence of remaining private members' business notices, as determined by the Selection Committee's report adopted by the House on 7 September 2022, remains unchanged.
MOTIONS
Aged Care
Ms COKER (Corangamite) (10:15): I move:
That this House:
(1) notes the Government's commitment to fix the mess the former Government made of aged care and that this is a priority for the Government;
(2) acknowledges the Government's support for a pay rise for Australia's aged care workers as recommended by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety; and
(3) recommits to delivering a better standard of care for Australians in aged care.
The Albanese government has made an important commitment to all Australians: we will take better care of your loved ones in aged care, and to do this we will also better support the workers who are crucial to their care. We are now delivering on those promises. After nine years of neglect, reform in aged care has finally begun.
The Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill implements several urgent reforms that were key recommendations of the royal commission into aged care: care, dignity and respect. We know that funding cuts, inadequate staff-to-patient ratios, low wages and a casualised workforce have all led to an aged-care system buckling under intense pressure. This was happening before the pandemic but became a full-blown crisis during the pandemic. The former government's neglect and failure to prepare and plan contributed to residents being locked down, isolated and disorientated. Who could forget TV footage of an aged-care residents with dementia who was regularly tied to his chair with a lap belt, sometimes for a total of 14 hours a day, heavily sedated with psychotic drugs? Our fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunties and uncles deserve better in their aged care. Such stories are appalling and have rightly shocked the community.
Severely neglected, underfunded and poorly resourced, the aged-care sector's reputation has dropped to an all-time low. Over recent years I've hosted forums about aged care. Sad, tragic stories were commonplace. Tears flowed as family members, care workers and aged-care residents told the stories. Aged-care workers do some of the most important and compassionate work in our communities and yet many get paid $21 an hour, less than someone who stacks shelves at a supermarket. This must change if we are to retain and attract skilled aged-care workers in the sector.
I met earlier this year with nurses from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation who were incensed about what has happened in aged care. They told me harrowing stories that illustrate the crisis. They spoke of being overworked and overstretched and understaffed. They spoke of the devastation of not being able to provide the quality of care that they want to give to the elderly. But it isn't all bad. I believe that aged-care workers and providers are genuinely trying their best to give high-quality care to residents, and our government will support them. But it shouldn't be a game of chance. That's why, as part of a package of wider reform, this bill implements the government's most urgent election commitments.
From July next year, the bill will introduce a responsibility for approved providers of residential care and of specified kinds of flexible care to have a registered nurse on site, on duty, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is a fundamental change that will save thousands of stressful, expensive and ultimately unnecessary trips to hospital emergency departments. Importantly, it will ensure older Australians living in residential aged care have access to the nursing care they deserve.
The bill also delivers on the government's commitment to cap the amount that can be charged for admin and management. The royal commission heard that up to 50 per cent of some home-care packages were being eaten up in fees. That's money that should be spent on care. The government is also committed to improving integrity and accountability in aged care and providing greater transparency on what and where aged-care providers spend Commonwealth funding. The bill requires the secretary of the department to make information on residential aged-care services and provider expenditure publicly available. That includes information about labour, care, food, nutrition, cleaning, administration, maintenance and profit or loss.
Labor is committed to moving quickly to reform aged care. This bill, coming early in the life of the Albanese government, gives faith to that commitment. Older Australians have worked hard all their lives contributing to their community and to our nation. They deserve the best. They deserve to be supported in their frailer years with dignity and humanity. This bill is about respect for older Australians. It ushes in a new standard of respect for those in aged care and for the workers who care for them.
The SPEAKER: Is the motion seconded?
Ms Byrnes: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.
Ms SHARKIE (Mayo) (10:20): I want to thank the member for this motion. Aged care is so important. I'm very pleased that the government has already committed so much in this early term of parliament and for its interest and investment in aged care. I welcome the passage of the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022. I think about the private members' bills that I have brought into this House and that they also form part of this bill. That's really the point of what we do in here; that we lean on each other and work collectively.
I want to talk about aged-care workers. We don't talk enough in this chamber about the good people working in aged care on very low wages, as the member quite rightly pointed out. So I support the Fair Work Commission's application to lift their pay because working in aged care is backbreaking work, and it's work that tears on the heartstrings of those who work in this area and care very deeply for the people they support. Every time I stand and talk in this place about where I see the need to make changes with respect to aged care, it's important that we also talk about the good things in aged care, and at the top are the people who care and work for those in aged care.
I want to reflect on some of the wonderful events I have attended at some of the aged-care facilities in my electorate. You could see how the workers, particularly the care staff, the nurses and the cooks, had gone over and above to make those events special for the residents. Whether recognising Melbourne Cup or International Women's Day, the work that the aged-care workers do is extraordinary. Many of them do it for love; they certainly don't do it for money. It's critical that we make sure that we lift, along with staffing ratios, the number of people who are working in aged care. Six minutes is not enough time to get someone out of bed, showered and ready for breakfast. In many cases, workers are working beyond their shift hours to get this done.
I also want to talk about the fact that we don't talk about working in aged care as a career. I think that government policy can do a lot more—and it was in Pollaers' report—to support people who work in aged care to be part of the broader allied health profession, to encourage people to see working in aged care as a career and to make sure there's career progression in aged care. We lose too many good people out of the system due to being burnt out or going and working in the NDIS space or, indeed, going to work in the hospital system or other allied health areas. This is because the pay is so much better. I don't think we can talk about career progression and the value of aged-care workers until we pay them a wage that is attractive and appropriate for their enormous hard work. Often they are the last person to hold a person's hand before they say goodbye and depart this world. People in aged care do extraordinary work. I thank them for all the work they do in my community, including in-home care, and I thank the member for this wonderful motion.
Ms BYRNES (Cunningham) (10:24): The aged-care system in Australia is in desperate need of repair. For almost 10 years, those opposite wasted opportunities to fix our aged-care crisis, and now, as always, it is up to a Labor government to deliver the big reforms needed to ensure our ageing Australians are looked after. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety brought to light some of the worst atrocities older Australians have faced. The findings reflected failures of public policy—failures that hurt real people seeking care in our communities. For years, older Australians have been calling on the government to act, to help them, to ensure they receive the care that they need—care that they deserve after building modern Australia, a country we are so lucky to call home.
With the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022, Labor has begun the necessary work to fix our aged-care system. This reform makes three urgent changes to restore security, dignity, quality and humanity to aged care.
The first of these changes brings registered nurses on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in residential care and specified kinds of flexible care from 1 July 2023. This is such an important reform because it will save thousands of unnecessary trips to hospital. This will help to ease the pressure on our strained hospitals, which are providing incredible service in extremely difficult times. It will also reduce unnecessary stress on both the patients and the aged-care workers looking after them.
Aged-care workers are so important to our society. They look after our elderly, helping them with day-to-day tasks like shopping, bathing and preparing meals, and assisting with mobility and countless other tasks. They also provide social interaction—human connection that is vital to good health. But, as is the case in so many female dominated industries, these workers are overworked and underpaid.
Labor knows this, and this is why we have supported a significant, meaningful pay rise for aged-care workers. We have written to the Fair Work Commission in support of a pay increase for aged-care workers, because it is only Labor that has the will to look out for working Australians.
During the election campaign, I visited an elderly gentleman in one of our aged-care homes in the Illawarra. He loved where he lived, but he was worried about the staff and their workload. As the member for Mayo has indicated, we have heard reports of staff being allocated six minutes to help elderly residents get out of bed, help them shower, help them with medication, help them with their breakfast and help them with a cup of tea. There is no way I could do that in six minutes. We have committed to fund the Fair Work Commission's decision because, unlike those opposite, we know that, if you want to attract and retain aged-care workers, you need to pay them more. It is fair and it is right. Quality aged care is worth the investment.
The second change implemented in this reform places a cap on administration and management fees for people receiving home-care packages and removes exit amounts entirely. This is good for older Australians, and it is good for the aged-care providers who are trying to do the right thing. As the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety heard, up to 50 per cent of some home-care packages was consumed by administration and management costs. This change will ensure that more of the money spent on care goes directly into care. It is what consumers expect and what good providers are already doing.
Lastly, we are increasing transparency and accountability in the aged-care sector. The bill will require the secretary of the department to publish information online about residential aged-care services, including provider expenditure breakdowns. This will help older Australians and their families make better informed decisions about their care. This will create healthier competition amongst providers as it rewards good practice and increases transparency. This bill will change lives for the better by repairing a sector that has been crying out for help for far too long.
For too long, older Australians were neglected by the previous government. For too long, the workers who care for older Australians were left behind and forgotten. For too long, those opposite buried their heads in the sand as Australians suffered. But this bill brings positive change to a system in crisis and will start the healing process for the aged-care sector and for so many Australians let down by the previous government. Labor is listening. We are listening to older Australians and their families. We are listening to workers and their representatives. We are listening to the peak bodies and the smaller providers, and we are taking action to develop effective and evidence based policy.
Ms LANDRY (Capricornia) (10:30): I'd like to speak against the motion moved by the member for Corangamite, that the coalition are responsible for the mess the aged-care sector is currently in. The coalition's 2022-23 budget delivered $522 million in funding for aged-care reform. This is on top of the funding contained in the 2021-22 budget.
The coalition delivered record investment across the aged-care sector during its time in government. To paint a very clear picture, the coalition committed $30.1 billion in 2022-23—compared to $13.3 billion committed by the Labor government in 2012-13—a growth of 126 per cent. The total investment made by the coalition, in response to the final report of the royal commission, exceeded more than $19.1 billion. By 2025-26, funding in aged care was estimated to grow to $34. 7 billion per year under the coalition.
Speaking to this bill is very close to home for me. At the age of 86, my father is currently in the aged-care system. This has given me an acute understanding of the issues families face. The aged-care staff who care for my father work tirelessly, and I wish to thank them. But, while visiting him, families of other residents have grabbed me in the corridors to share their own experiences. They've asked for my help to find doctors for their parents or their elderly loved ones.
In my electorate of Capricornia I met recently with the CEO of Benevolent Aged Care, Alison Moss. Alison told me they are struggling to provide quality care due to a lack of staffing. Benevolent Aged Care have 22 beds available in their newly built state-of-the-art facility. Sadly, these beds remain vacant because of struggles with staffing and a shortage of doctors and nurses. There is potential to put on qualified nurses from overseas, but the hoops that providers have to jump through, to recruit this staff, are prohibitive and time consuming for all.
I was notified recently that Access Aged Care, who provide clinical services to residential aged-care facilities, will soon be withdrawing services from Rockhampton. Sadly, even with a vigorous and far-reaching recruitment effort, Access Aged Care have been unable to secure the services of a GP in Rockhampton and will no longer be providing services. A knock-on effect of this is the impact on the already-stretched emergency department of Rockhampton Base Hospital. This hospital currently has one of the worst ambulance ramping rates in Queensland, sitting at a rate of 45 per cent. The dedicated hardworking staff are now further stressed as elderly patients are being sent to A&E for scripts or check-ups that would normally be done by a GP in a nursing home.
The election mantra from this new federal Labor government was 'Medicare, aged care, we care'. During the recent election I heard this over and over again. The public were told that a federal Labor government would listen, they would consult and they would care. As far as issues of a bipartisan nature are concerned, surely fixing the aged-care system is one. I will soon be hosting an aged-care forum, in my electorate of Capricornia, and have written to the Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, to invite her along. I've also written to Minister Wells on many occasions about the situation with aged care in Capricornia and about Access Aged Care pulling out of the Primary Health Network.
In our time in government we engaged in generational reform of the aged-care system, and I'm urging the new federal Labor government to continue this reform for the benefit of all older Australians and their families. I am proud of the coalition's record funding in the area of aged care, but there is still much work to be done. We remain committed to providing older Australians with support to live in their own homes for longer. It is imperative that this new government continue our work to support the aged-care sector.
Finally, I'd like to thank all the workers in the aged-care sector for going above and beyond what is in their job description, from what I have observed. They are so dedicated and amazing people. I look forward to working with the government so we can make the system better for everyone.
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (10:34): I want to thank the member for Corangamite for putting forward this motion. Like me, she cares deeply about the residents and workers in aged care and wants to see the essential, significant changes which we have already begun. I want to start today by speaking about the need for a pay rise for Australian aged-care workers. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommended the government contribute to the case before the Fair Work Commission that aims to raise workers' wages. Unlike the previous Liberal-National government, we are doing just that. We are speaking out in support of the workers. The government made a submission to the Fair Work Commission that unequivocally supports a significant wage increase for aged-care workers. Our submission reiterates the government's commitment to fund any increase to award wages made by the independent commission in this case. This is absolutely crucial to bring workers back to the aged-care sector and to keep them there and help fill the shortages created by nine years of neglect. We need more staff in aged care, and a pay rise is the start of seeing workers being rewarded for the absolutely crucial role they play.
Of course, whatever the decision by the Fair Work Commission, that on its own won't be enough. So we've established a wide range of programs to attract staff and support retention, including a program with 1,300 transition-to-practice places in aged care for newly graduated nurses, 1,900 scholarships, support for 5,250 clinical placements and the nurses' retention payment. That has to happen so we can lift the standard of care for Australians in aged care.
It's well known that, until his recent death, my father spent two years in aged care. So I've seen firsthand through one of the most difficult times in history the reality of care in aged care. What I've seen reinforces what unions, media coverage and the royal commission told us, which is that good people working in the sector don't have the time they want and need to provide the care that residents deserve. I acknowledge how challenging the current situation remains for residential care in my own community, where Anglicare has decided to close the Carol Allen facility in Richmond. Other facilities are sharing with me their concerns, having faced such a difficult few years. I will continue to advocate for these facilities, some of them quite small, that provide a really important home for locals who don't want to be, in their last years, a distance away from family and friends.
Change is going to take time, but we have to remain committed to it. Our Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill, which implements three of our government's urgent election commitments, puts security, dignity, quality and humanity back into aged care. From 1 July next year, the bill will require approved providers of residential care to have a registered nurse on site and on duty at each residential facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There's obviously a cost to this, but there's also a saving. It will save thousands of stressful, expensive and ultimately unnecessary trips to hospital emergency departments and ensure that older Australians living in residential aged care have access to the nursing care they need in their homes. There's also the ability for smaller facilities in regional and remote areas to have temporary exemptions in recognition of the fact that it can be hard to find the RNs they need. This is a sensible measure, but I want to note that 80 per cent of residential facilities already have a registered nurse on site 24/7, including many in my electorate. All of that should be standard.
We've also acted to make information about aged care more transparent. We're making sure information on the services and provider expenditure is publicly available, including information about the workforce, the care that's delivered, food and nutrition, cleaning, administration, maintenance and profits and losses. All of that is published online so people can make more informed decisions. It will also incentivise good practice. I know only too well how hard it is to compare like for like when you're seeking a place for a family member.
I also want to talk briefly about home care. This is a preference for many people. In the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains, there remain challenges, but I'm pleased to see the cap on admin because no-one should be paying more for admin than for the care that they receive. We will change this.
Mr STEVENS (Sturt) (10:39): In speaking to this motion, can I start by saying that I'm sure everyone in this chamber has very personal experiences with the aged-care system. It's important to absolutely every Australian. Three of my four grandparents have gone through residential aged care. One, thankfully, is still with us—he's in a residential care facility at the moment—and my two grandmothers both had excellent care in the aged-care system. I really want to start by saying, despite some of the issues in the royal commission et cetera, how amazing the care that has been given to members of my family was and is.
It's certainly my judgement that, by and large, the people that work in the aged-care system do such an amazing job in caring for older Australians, and I really hope that no-one who works in the aged-care system feels that they are unfairly maligned for the great work that they do because of some bad examples that have been—and should have been—highlighted by the royal commission. It's important that we use the opportunity of the royal commission to make changes and to improve some terrible circumstances that were discovered through that process. Like all members of parliament, I visit a lot of aged-care facilities in my electorate. It's been a little bit more difficult over the last couple of years with COVID, but I'm always so impressed and grateful for the amazing work that people do in our community to look after older Australians, as do any of those that work in the care sector and as is certainly the case in the aged-care facilities that I visit in my electorate.
Yes, the royal commission highlighted some important areas of reform. It's also worth remembering when we talk about the royal commission and about reform in aged care that, probably not surprisingly, the royal commissioners weren't unanimous in the recommendations that they made in that royal commission. That really underscores that it is quite legitimate and quite reasonable for people to have different perspectives on what reform and what change needs to occur in our aged-care system. The fact is that, with all of the resourcing and the very comprehensive inquiries that were undertaken by that royal commission and by two very eminent people as royal commissioners, they weren't in unanimity on all of the recommendations that they made. That probably underscores some of the real challenges that we have in reform.
Other speakers have touched on the challenges in workforce. They are particularly significant in aged care and, frankly, across the care sector and across the economy right now. We all understand that. That's why it's really important that we get past the political bluster in some of these debates. This is a motion in this chamber, but, when we're talking about bills and reforms, we need to understand what some of those serious issues are. Workforce is going to be one of the most significant challenges, in this sector and many others, for this government to address and to look at what they are doing.
The government could probably take, frankly, a much broader view of workforce challenges than just the aged-care sector. We've got concerning issues in the broader care sector. In South Australia, for example, there's something in the media today about nurses being lured from the state of South Australia to the state of Victoria because of certain inducements that are being provided by the Victorian government, who are addressing their own workforce challenges regarding nurses. Well, us losing our nurses to the state of Victoria because of a program that the Victorian state government has put in place is not the kind of equity we want in our health system and the care system more broadly. That's one of the issues we're going to have with aged-care reform as well: how do we make sure that we're increasing the workforce, not seeing people move from one part of the workforce to another part of the workforce and therefore having a benefit in one part of a particular sector at the cost of a loss of those resources somewhere else?
We just need more people. I don't think anyone is debating that. I think we all understand that. It's very important that we as a parliament are working together on that challenge, because there are some important things we can do together to help improve how we're providing a workforce that is only going to be even more substantial, needs wise, into the future. With those comments, I'd reiterate how grateful we are for the people that work in the aged-care sector and what they're doing to care for some very cherished members of our own families and our society. I commend the work that they do.
Ms SWANSON (Paterson) (10:44): I thank the member for Corangamite for putting forward this motion and giving us the opportunity to speak on aged care. My mother passed away at the age of 90 in March of this year. She spent the last eight months of her life at an aged-care facility in our home town of Kurri Kurri, and she had a very, very good time at that facility. In fact, yesterday I was cleaning out some of mum's things—you might think that taking from March until September to do it is quite a while, but I'd had them at my house, and sometimes you just can't do these things so quickly. I came across a very small, simple Christmas card and it said: 'Dear Joy, it is such a pleasure to care for you.' Mum had kept that card. It was from one of the staff at the nursing home that mum was at, and I knew that it must have meant a lot for her to have kept it. She had it tucked in with her 90th birthday cards. I knew that mum had received many more Christmas cards than just that one, but she'd kept that one. To me, that spoke volumes, not only about my mother's sentimentality but also about the fact that an aged-care worker, on a very meagre income, would go to the trouble, in a busy life, of penning a note to my mum saying, 'I love caring for you. You're such a pleasure to be with and care for.'
And I think that speaks so much to aged care in Australia at the moment: there are people who love their jobs—they enjoy caring for our older Australians—and they say that it's a far richer experience than the money they're paid, and that they don't do it for the money, but it would be better if they were paid more. That was the overriding sentiment that I got when I talked to many of the staff at the facility where my mum spent the last eight months of her life. They were good people, highly trained and doing an incredible job under incredible pressure.
There are always lots of buzzes and beeps and whistles in healthcare facilities. I can tell you that when monitored patients in an aged-care facility are wanting to have a shower or have had a fall out of a bed, those beeps and those monitors are going off continually, and the person who is responsible for those people at that time is constantly having to prioritise, 'Who do I go to next?', and 'How do I make this all fit in?' That's where that care time—those minutes of care, and having those increased—is so important, as is increasing the wages of aged-care workers, because, at the end of the day, they are doing a very important job. Yes, we all want to be cared for professionally and well in our last days. But not only that: it's a hard job, and they should be recompensed appropriately for it. And we in the Albanese government are not wasting a minute. We said that we couldn't have a royal commission report titled Neglect and not turn our focus to it straightaway, and that's what we're doing.
In my electorate of Paterson, we have a very high population of older Australians. In fact, when I was last in a nursing home a very lovely gentleman said, 'Meryl, welcome to God's waiting room, darling.' It's affectionately known that way, especially up in Port Stephens. We say it in jest but it is true.
It is critically important that we ensure that people are being cared for adequately, and our bill, the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022, will ensure that registered nurses are in aged-care facilities 24/7, unless those facilities are in very small towns where it's just not possible. There will be provision for that. The bill also introduces a new responsibility for approved providers of residential care and specific kinds of flexible care to have those registered nurses on site and on duty at each facility, so it works for them. This is such a critical point, because we need to be taking the pressure off our emergency rooms, and, not only that, we need to be taking the pressure off our older Australians. For someone like my mum, who was getting pretty frail in the end, to have to be put into a patient care transport unit or an ambulance and be taken off to emergency because there is not a registered nurse or a doctor at the facility. It is traumatic, and it takes away so many resources, because usually someone will have to travel with them. If we can at least take some of that pressure off our older Australians, that is a good move. I commend this motion to the House.
Debate adjourned.
Police Week
Mrs ANDREWS (McPherson) (10:50): I move:
That this House:
(1) recognises that 17 September 2022 is the start of National Police Week, which culminates with National Police Remembrance Day on 29 September 2022;
(2) acknowledges the crucial, and often challenging and dangerous, work that the men and women of our state and federal police do on a daily basis;
(3) remembers those police who have lost their lives in the line of duty, and their families who are forever impacted; and
(4) thanks the men and women of our state and federal police for their ongoing dedication to keeping Australian communities safe and maintaining the rule of law.
Our heroic police officers sacrifice much for our safety, most notably their own safety. Each day, thousands of police personnel go to work with the great duty of sacrifice to keep our communities safe and to keep the law and order that we cherish in this country. We often don't notice just how much our officers are willing to sacrifice for us, but we feel the impact when they do. National Police Remembrance Day is 29 September and is where we as a country acknowledge, remember and honour those who have died serving the community in the line of duty. It's a day of great reflection for many in our police forces who have been confronted with the deaths of their co-workers, their brothers and sisters.
This year, we have lost one serving police officer in the line of duty. On Friday, 8 April 2022, Senior Constable Bria Joyce was tragically killed in the line of duty at just 25 years of age. Bria had been in the police force for just six years and had risen to the rank of senior constable. She had a great passion for the service and she had incredible potential. Whilst on her patrol in the country Victorian town of Red Cliffs, a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction veered into her lane, resulting in a head-on collision. The result of this terrible tragedy will be felt long into the future. For her service and her sacrifice, we thank Bria and extend our sympathies to her family and close friends, still grappling with the loss of a bright soul.
Leading Senior Constable Thomas Kinnane was with Senior Constable Joyce on the night of 8 April during their regular patrol. The devastating physical and mental toll that night has had on him is unimaginable, and today we thank Constable Kinnane and all other police personnel for the sacrifices that they have made.
Of course, in the face of such tragedy, we must renew our national gratitude for the police men and women that serve every single day. We must stand by our police officers, who stand in the face of danger, who work tirelessly to uphold law and order and who keep us safe. It's a duty bound like no other, with commitments incomparable to most lines of work. For police officers and their related agencies, we as a parliament must continue to prioritise the protection of our values and laws in this country. We are a proud liberal democracy that prides itself on community. At the heart of that is the need to preserve it and ultimately support those who selflessly do.
The 29th of September 2022 marks 33 years of commemorating National Police Remembrance Day. Since 1989 we have experienced much change within our communities and country alike. While society may have shifted over the past three decades, the police force's dedication to serving our community has not. They will always continue to support us in our communities, and for that we do all thank them.
In my time as Minister for Home Affairs I saw firsthand the work that our law enforcement agencies and their personnel carry out. That covers the whole range of work. It includes the work that's done by our offices to protect those who are affected by domestic and family violence. It's those officers who work on local crime and it's the whole spectrum, right the way through to those officers who are engaged in tackling serious and organised crime. Much of the work of our police officers is unnoticed by our community, but we are very grateful and very thankful for their work. I wish to convey the House's gratitude to our police force, who keep and preserve peace across our great country. To those who serve as police officers and protective services officers and to those who work in the likes of family violence units, we thank you.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Dr Freelander ): Is the motion seconded?
Mr DAVID SMITH (Bean—Government Whip) (10:55): I second the motion. On 29 September it will be the 33rd anniversary of the first National Police Remembrance Day. The day holds a special significance for police throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the Solomon Islands. It is a day to remember the crucial role police officers play in our local communities and to honour the lives and memories of those police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the course of their duty. We also pay tribute to the families and friends of police officers who have been killed in the line of duty throughout our nation's history. We are forever indebted to those who choose to wear the police uniform in their commitment to ensuring the peace, safety and wellbeing of our communities.
Throughout the pandemic, police officers displayed extraordinary resilience and patience. Taken away from their core duties, they were put on the front line to control state borders and enforce hotel quarantine, stay-at-home orders and other COVID related measures. At times, their response included crowd control at various protests where they were directly in harm's way. Sadly, at times they were personally attacked for just doing their duty. Assigned with additional duties in response to the pandemic, police officers were often stretched in their capacity to attend to other public needs and victim related crime. Nevertheless, their dedication and commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our communities never faulted. At times, police officers compromised much-needed planned leave to meet the increased workload. I would like to acknowledge and thank police officers across Australia for their service throughout the pandemic and assure them that it has not been unnoticed or taken for granted.
Frequently our police officers are first responders, delivering the initial response in emergency situations involving serious injury or death, or a threat to life, safety or property. They do this in circumstances where their own safety is often at significant risk. Often facing long hours and fatigued, they need to make critical decisions under time pressure. Compounded over years, the traumatic events and pressure first responders are exposed to increase the risk of serious ongoing stress and can impact their mental health. It is a risk that most of us will never have to encounter, and it takes an inspiring amount of courage to undertake such a challenging career to help and protect our communities.
I would like to acknowledge the police unions, the Police Federation of Australia and my old workplace the Australian Federal Police Association for the extraordinary work that they do to support police members and their families. I would also like to acknowledge the work of my friend Chris Hayes, the former member for Fowler, in advocating for better recognition of policing work. Colleagues, take the opportunity to join with me and the member for Wide Bay, Llew O'Brien, as members of the Parliamentary Friends of Policing.
Many of the events leading up to National Police Remembrance Day have gone ahead this year with a remarkable display of support from the public. Police Week kicked off across the country, starting with the 13th annual Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance, a major fundraising event for police legacy. Hundreds of riders participated, and an outstanding $188,000 was raised. To all the police officers who've made the ultimate sacrifice, to their families and friends who've dealt with this ongoing loss, and to all members of the police force past and present, this parliament honours your courage and commitment, and we sincerely thank you for your service.
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (10:59): I'm very pleased to be able to rise to speak on this motion, and I thank the member for McPherson for acknowledging the significance of National Police Remembrance Day. It's been 27 years since the murders of senior constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears while they were on duty at Crescent Head on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Both men were only 36 years old, with wives and children waiting for them at home.
Senior Constable Addison had been in the Police Force for eight years, and Senior Constable Spears was a 14-year veteran. On 9 July 1995, the two police officers from Kempsey Police Station—the same police station where I worked—were called to an address on Walker Street in Crescent Head at 12.35 am to investigate a domestic violence report. They arrived at the house just after 1 am, at which time they were targeted by gunfire from a heavily intoxicated offender, crouching in wait in the dark near the property's carport. The gunman, whose name shall not be preserved in this place, was at the time dressed in camouflage gear and carrying a high-powered Ruger rifle, with clear intent to do harm to the attending officers.
Senior Constables Addison and Spears attempted to return fire with their inferior standard-issue weapons and scrambled to find cover behind their police car, at which point Senior Constable Addison attempted to call for backup at a neighbouring property. Unfortunately, that property did not have a functioning telephone. At the same moment, just after 1.20 am, Senior Constable Spears was shot and fatally wounded. In a continued brave attempt to call for help for his fallen colleague, Senior Constable Addison then attempted to run to a second neighbouring property but was shot and killed by the gunman before he could reach it. The offender then turned the gun on himself.
A month after their deaths, in August 1995, the pair were rightfully awarded the police force's highest honour, the Commissioner's Valour Award. These officers died in an attempt to protect and serve. They answered the call, they stood their ground and they defended themselves and their community from a cowardly offender. Together, they made the ultimate sacrifice, and they should not be forgotten for it.
As a direct result of this incident and loss of life, the lives of future police officers would become better protected. Following this tragedy, major reforms to frontline policing in the New South Wales Police Force were introduced, including the transition from revolvers to semiautomatic pistols, the introduction of ballistic vests as standard use and improved radio communications. Tactical training routines were also updated and rolled out across the state to better prepare officers for situations like this.
The families of both senior constables would go on to be bonded together not only by their loss but, remarkably, by the marriage of their children Glen Addison and Jade Spears, who were 16 and 15 at the time of their fathers' deaths. From a truly tragic event came positive changes, and that legacy lives on today. National Police Remembrance Day, observed on 29 September each year, is our opportunity to reflect on and honour the memory of the brave Australian police who have given their lives in service of the community. Sadly, this year, we've added another name, Senior Constable Bria Joyce, who was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident while on duty. Our thoughts and our prayers are with her family, her friends and her colleagues.
I would like to thank all members—sworn and unsworn, past and present—of all our police forces around the nation for your service. Thanks must also go to your families for their own sacrifice in enabling you to do your jobs every single day. Thank you for your service.
Ms STAN LEY (Werriwa—Government Whip) (11:04): I acknowledge the member for Cowper and the story he told in the House this morning. I can imagine that serving with these men was a very difficult time for you.
September is the designated month to recognise police forces all around the country and the men and women who serve our community. Australia-wide, there are in excess of 66,000 serving police officers who put their lives on the line to serve their community and keep us all safe. They risk their lives every day, and their commitment to our community is unwavering. We are eternally grateful for their sacrifice and service.
Being a police officer is a unique profession. They can be confronted with dangerous situations hourly and often respond to the most distressing moments in people's lives. They show leadership, patience, integrity and empathy. It is the police officer who often makes the difference in how a person responds and recovers in the future after a traumatic event.
When our community of Werriwa were hit by floods four times this year, police officers were important in keeping us all safe and ensuring roads were closed. They put their lives at risk to ensure our community can get safely home to their families. Thank you does not seem enough to recognise police forces for what they do every day.
Recently, I was present at the 2022 Liverpool Police Officer of the Year Awards. The Liverpool awards are the second longest police awards in New South Wales and recognise the outstanding commitment and dedication of the Liverpool command to the people of south-west Sydney.
The awards have been held for over 20 years, with Mrs June Young as the passionate and tenacious organiser. June unfortunately was not able to attend the night due to illness, which, quite frankly, was really the only thing that would keep her from this event. June was missed, and all speakers recognised her organisational abilities and friendship. Over the years, it's been June and her committee who have rightly ensured that police have been recognised for the work they do.
This year's event was the first one held since COVID, with last year's awards being presented at the command instead of in person. In Werriwa, we are served by three highly skilled commands: Fairfield, Campbelltown and Liverpool. The awards at this event were for the Liverpool command. Chief Superintendent Whyte spoke about the work that they have been doing, especially over the last few years. He noted their work in lockdown. Police didn't just make sure that order was kept; they also assisted in delivering food packages, welfare checks and making sure the community were isolating as required. He noted how much our community came together to ensure the safety of each individual during COVID and how well everyone worked together.
The awards recognised both sworn and unsworn officers and their commitment to our community. Team One and Officer Lauchlan Kaye were the overall winners on the night. The hard work of police in our area can be seen in the excellent results with arrests, and all crime statistics in our part of the world are the envy of the rest of New South Wales. The Liverpool command is a very busy command, but the results in the area are a reflection of the hard work and professionalism of the officers and the leadership of Superintendent Whyte.
I also want to acknowledge the families of our police officers. I can only imagine how difficult and stressful it is to support police officers and worry about them every day as they go to work. Family and friends support officers in doing their difficult and sometimes distressing work. They are the ones who help them debrief. Since the 1800s, more than 700 police officers have lost their lives in the line of duty, and they are all commemorated at the National Memorial in Canberra. National Police Remembrance Day is one of the most significant days in the police calendar. As a nation, we should pause to remember those officers who have lost their lives fulfilling their duty to protect our community and honour their courage and commitment.
I also want to acknowledge Police Legacy, which provides financial and emotional support to the loved ones left behind. They ensure families have someone to help them. Police Legacy provides financial support so that children can still receive the education and opportunities they would have had if their family member had not died. Again, I acknowledge the police officers who serve our local community, Superintendent Whyte and his team for their dedication and for keeping us safe.
Mrs MARINO (Forrest) (11:09): I acknowledge and thank the member for McPherson for bringing this very important motion to the House. It is with the deepest respect that I rise to speak on Police Remembrance Day, 29 September, to honour police officers who have given their lives serving our local communities. There are 86 names listed on the WA Police Force Honour Roll. They died in the line of duty. Behind each one of these is a loving, grieving family and friends. I thank those families as well in this speech today. I also recognise and thank all officers, past and present, for the work they do and have done day and night, providing critical and often life-saving selfless service every day of the year.
In my electorate in the south-west of Western Australia, at the very moving service held outside the South-West Police Complex in Bunbury we focused on the loss of Senior Constable Jamie Pearson, who was killed in a traffic crash near Capel in 2004 while on duty. His passenger and work colleague, Senior Constable Lindsay Harding, survived the accident but sustained serious injuries. The naming of the Pearson Room is a respectful recognition of Jamie.
Day in and day out our police officers are our first responders. They are the first into some of the most risky and tragic situations. They are the ones who have to knock on the doors of families to break heartbreaking news. These are often families within their own communities. They work closely with the communities they serve and they often have to deal with some of the most aggressive and extremely violent behaviour. At times that is directed at the officers themselves. They help out in bushfires, floods and every emergency. When those of us are at our greatest risk or in genuine fear of our lives, the arrival of the police can be not only life-saving but so reassuring to desperate people.
In my home town of Harvey this year we saw an outstanding police response. An elderly couple towing a caravan lost control. The car and caravan rolled and the couple were trapped inside. The car caught fire—there were 125 litres of petrol in it and there were two gas bottles in the caravan. Senior Constable Kylie Jones and Probationary Constable Reece Josemans were quickly on the scene and worked out how to help the couple. They cut the seatbelts and dragged them out of the wrecked car, which exploded very quickly afterwards. Four officers, including Joe Dainty and Wayne Byram, did an incredible job that day, putting their own lives at risk to save others and working with assistance from local volunteer services, emergency services and people at the scene.
Each time I attend the service in Bunbury I'm profoundly moved by the respect shown for our fallen officers. There is the touching of the rock memorial in the forecourt and the reciting of the police prayer, which I would like to read today. The police prayer is:
God of all people, we know it is from you that we have learned what goodness and justice are. You have given us the task of maintaining law and order in our community.
We seek the strength to meet the many challenges encountered in this endeavour.
Give us the courage and the resolution to do our duty at all times, and such a respect and love for justice that neither promise nor threat will ever make us depart from it.
Help us with your guidance to be the Guardian and the Friend of the whole community; a friend to children, an example to youth, a counsellor and adviser to all citizens.
Grant us the skill, and the wisdom, to make us always stronger in protecting and supporting the community.
Guide us in knowing when to enforce and when to relax the letter of the law.
Help us to be a personal example of the honesty, the goodness, and the justice which it is our duty to maintain, and grant that our actions will inspire in our community confidence in its police officers.
We make our prayer to you, confident of your love and your compassion.
Amen
That police prayer says it all about our current and past serving police officers.
I also thank each local police officer, wherever they are in Australia right at this moment. We know what they face every day. We know the courage and selfless approach they have to their work. I want to focus again back on how much comfort they bring to the community. They are the first into every situation wherever there is threat and risk. They help ordinary people every day, and they do it quietly and often unseen. I take this opportunity, as others have today, to honour and thank them for the service they provide, helping us in our communities to stay safe every single day. I thank the member for McPherson for this motion before the House.
Mr ZAPPIA (Makin) (11:14): 29 September is National Police Remembrance Day in Australia, New Zealand and the south-west Pacific. In Australia alone, around 800 police officers have died on duty; the day commemorates them. Over 60 of them were from my home state of South Australia. For all of those who have died, many more have sustained and been left with serious lifelong physical and psychological injuries from their service.
Here in Canberra there is a wall of remembrance with the names of all those officers who died on duty. It took many years, and persistence, to have the memorial approved, funded and constructed, and it was eventually dedicated on 29 September 2006. The memorial finally provided important national recognition to those officers who had died, as do national Police Week and National Police Remembrance Day. However, the over 65,000 police who serve our country need and deserve more than recognition if, whilst they are on duty, they are badly injured in the course of their work, or, particularly, if their life is cut short, and so do their families.
Police work can be rewarding, but it can also be unpredictable, dangerous and traumatic. As first responders, police are always there when tragedy comes. Horrific road accidents, violent assaults, gruesome killings—these events eventually take their toll on officers and their families. I quote a submission made by former AFP officer Grant Edwards which describes police work so well:
What other job requires you to be in a constant state of hyper vigilance and alertness yet at the same time be a counsellor, a social worker, a lawyer, or a prison warden. What other profession authorizes you to take a person's liberty, or potentially use deadly force, but then mandates that you attempt to save the person's life that has just tried to kill you? What job causes you to wonder whether you will come home to your loved ones after you bid them farewell each and every day as you head off to work?
So, when injury or death occurs, our police officers should be supported. Regrettably, that is not always the case, with each jurisdiction having their own set of support rules. I note that, in the lead-up to the May federal election, the AFP prepared a policy paper, referred to as Operation Recognition, calling for a range of measures that would ensure more support for police officers. The AFP submission very likely equally applies to all other police jurisdictions, and I trust it will be given the consideration it deserves.
In recognising our police today, I particularly acknowledge and thank Superintendent Guy Buckley and all of the officers under his command in the northern district of Adelaide. They have always been incredibly professional and helpful in their interactions with my office, as have been all other police with whom I have had cause to interact over the many years I have been in public life.
I conclude by reading verse IV of a seven-verse poem about policing by Vince Pannell APM of the AFP, written back in 1995. It talks about the fallen and brings perspective to National Police Remembrance Day. I don't know if he was related, but back in 1957 there was a Constable Harold Rae Pannell who was killed whilst on duty in South Australia. Of that poem, I will read only verse IV—I would've loved to have read the whole poem, but time will not permit me—and it says:
I died in Walsh street and Russell,
and then at Crescent Head;
I have died before so often,
for sworn oath such I've bled;
I ask no retribution,
no hurtful anger dealt;
Just guard for me my family,
hold my children, such loss now felt;
And of my grieving sweetheart,
comfort for now alone,
explain in words of kindness,
no more will I be home.
I think that verse of that poem really sums up what we are commemorating today, and I commend the motion to the House.
Mr WOOD (La Trobe) (11:19): I also rise to speak on this motion regarding National Police Week, and I very much thank the member for McPherson for bringing this motion forward and also for her role previously in Home Affairs, in particular for looking after the Australian Federal Police.
National Police Week started on 17 September, and we also have National Police Remembrance Day on 29 September. I want to pay tribute to the Police Federation of Australia and its Chief Executive Officer, Scott Webber, as well as to all the presidents and secretaries of all the police associations right around Australia for their work. I very much thank them for the tie they provide me as a former Victoria police officer. I also acknowledge Wayne Gatt, the president from Victoria. We worked together a number of years ago providing $5 million of federal funding to BlueHub to help police members in Victoria suffering from the duties they have been involved in—and obviously we want to do this right around the country.
The difference between a police officer and most other occupations is that, when you have a bad day at work, you have a really bad day at work. Anything can happen. You could be on the divisional band, and in one minute it's all quiet and in the next minute you're going to a domestic. The saddest thing is that occasions like Christmas Eve, which you think would be really celebrated occasions, are actually the worst time for family violence and domestics. I really want to thank all the men and women right across the country for the work they do every day—putting on the uniform and going out there to protect others. It is a really, really tough job.
On National Police Remembrance Day we remember the 823 police members who, sadly, have been killed in action—their name, their rank and their jurisdiction. When there is a death in the police force, it really has an overwhelming impact on police members. I didn't know Constable Angela Taylor, who, in 1986, died in the Russell Street bombing, but that's a name I will never forget in honour of her. That was such an awful incident.
In the Walsh Street shootings, in 1988, Constable Steven Tynan, aged 22, and Constable Damian Eyre, aged 20, were murdered. In actual fact, I did know Constable Steven. We were in sister squads when we went through the police academy. He was an incredibly nice guy, someone you realised would be the nicest police officer ever, and he was caught up in this ambush and subsequently murdered. The impact on his family, his colleagues and even the wider police community has been huge.
On 16 August 1998, there were the Silk and Miller murders. Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rodney Miller died on Cochran's Road. All they were actually doing was a stakeout. I think it was Bandali Debs who ended up being charged with their murders. He opened fire on them. This is one thing sometimes people don't understand when it comes to law enforcement—and this is what the bad guys have made very clear to us in the past: the police have to be bound by rules. They cannot actually just go out there and shoot someone if they think they have a weapon. In actual fact, in a number of these police killings, the police waited to see the response from the criminal. And, sadly, over time so many police officers have lost their lives.
I pay tribute to and thank all the men and women who are out there every day protecting us. They're doing a great job. It has been really tough over the past couple of years, in Victoria in particularly; some of the duties that the rank-and-file police have had to do during the COVID pandemic were really tough. They've always upheld themselves with honour and integrity. My 17 years in the Victorian police force are something I will always be very proud of. I was a constable at Boronia police station and then I went into the organised crime squad and the counterterrorism unit. I thank all my former colleagues, who always SMS me with tips on what the government should be doing. Again, I thank the member for McPherson for bringing this motion forward. We must honour our police members and never forget the families of those officers who have died.
Mrs ELLIOT (Richmond—Assistant Minister for Social Services and Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence) (11:24): I also rise to support the motion, and I acknowledge all of the previous speakers. Police Week 2022 commenced across Australia on Saturday 17 September with the 13th annual Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance. This Thursday, 29 September, National Police Remembrance Day will be observed. As a former police officer myself, I'd like to thank and recognise all police right across the nation for the incredible work that they do. Police Remembrance Day commemorates police officers from all Australian police services who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our community. The day is a time for us all to reflect and remember the very real risks that our police officers face on a day-to-day basis. It's also a time when we pause and honour the lives and memories of police who have had their lives tragically cut short in their work protecting us. It is also a very solemn day and an important day for police officers, their loved ones and the wider police family. I'd also like to pay tribute to the very enduring work of NSW Police Legacy, an incredible organisation providing services to police legatees right across my state of New South Wales. On this day we pay tribute to the men and women of the service who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Together we must all ensure their legacies are preserved.
As a former general duties police officer myself, I've seen firsthand some of the situations, challenges and complexities that police officers face day in, day out while serving their communities. They often have to face confronting, dangerous situations and also have to attend fatal incidents and horrific tragedies. There are also many other challenges specific to policing, particularly in regional areas like mine, on the New South Wales North Coast. As I've publicly said many times and commented on before, I continue to stand with my community in calling for more police and more resources to ensure regional police and communities remain safe.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my newly elected colleague the member for Tangney. The member for Tangney was born in Malaysia and emigrated with his family to Australia in 2002. The member for Tangney was a member of the Royal Malaysia Police and, upon coming to Australia, he joined the Western Australia Police Academy in 2006. He was recognised as police officer of the year in 2020 for his work with multicultural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as the member for Tangney, he serves his community in our federal parliament and joins the ranks of many current and former members of parliament who have proudly served as members of police services: welcome.
As this motion states, we acknowledge the crucial and often challenging and dangerous work that the men and women of our state and federal police do on a daily basis. I'd also like to take the opportunity to especially mention Tweed-Byron Police District Superintendent Dave Roptell APM. Superintendent Roptell took command of the district in 2019 and has served in the NSW Police Force for over 30 years. Mr Roptell has greatly assisted our community on the New South Wales North Coast through many challenging and difficult times since he took that command—notably, of course, the public health orders in response to the pandemic, and also the coordination of the emergency responses at the height of our devastating floods earlier this year. Most recently, Superintendent Roptell was recognised for his more than 30 years of service to the NSW Police Force as part of the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours list, being awarded the Australian Police Medal. I'd like to take this opportunity in our federal parliament to congratulate and commend Superintendent Roptell APM for this award and acknowledge his commitment to our community's safety.
I'd also like to make a special mention of all the police associations and police unions and the Police Federation of Australia for their tireless work in representing the interests of Australian police officers. In my electorate of Richmond, I pay respect to our local police, who serve and protect our community. I know firsthand the outstanding work that they do.
On Police Remembrance Day I encourage locals in my area and right across the country to take the time to think about the role that police officers play within our community, in our state and right throughout the nation. Thursday 29 September is an occasion for us all to recognise these services and acknowledge the work the police are doing to keep us safe and, particularly on this day, to remember those police who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our community. I commend the motion to the House.
Mr WILLCOX (Dawson) (11:29): I rise today to speak on the motion put forward by the honourable member for McPherson, and I thank her for giving me the opportunity to highlight the importance of our national Police Week, which was last week from 17 to 29 September. The week is a reminder to all Australians to acknowledge the work and dedication of the brave men and women in the police force. These courageous officers should hold their heads high for the way they respond to their challenging and often dangerous roles. Their services require them to be prepared for all things, both physically and mentally. We should do everything we can to support their mental health. While I can only speak on behalf of my electorate of Dawson, I hope that we will all stop and give thanks for the police women and men across the nation, as theirs can often be a thankless job.
It is the police who run towards an act of violence when we run the other way. It is the police who deal in situations with an unknown factor every day. It is the police who, more often than not, are the first on the scene of accidents and witness people dying in front of them, and it is the police who are the ones to deliver the horrible news to a family of the death of loved ones and watch those families deal with the immediate grief. I also believe it is important that we should thank all the families of the officers for their support and the sacrifice that they make.
It is also National Police Remembrance Day this Thursday 29 September. This day gives everyone the opportunity to remember and honour those officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty to keep us safe. When we go to sleep at night, there are thousands of officers around the country patrolling the streets, often through places we would not dare to tread.
During my time as Mayor of the Whitsunday Regional Council, I was fortunate to develop strong relationships with the local police in my region, and I would like to mention a couple in this place: Senior Sergeant Craig Shepherd and Sergeant Craig McConnell of Bowen police; Nathan Blain of Whitsunday police; Mark Flynn of Proserpine police; and the Superintendent of the whole region, Mr Glenn Morris. There were moments when I would call upon these fine gentlemen and ask for advice, and they would give me frank and fearless advice. I could always trust the information that I received.
During my time, the Whitsunday region suffered through and was decimated by one of the largest and most fierce cyclones in Australian history, Tropical Cyclone Debbie. Having open and clear lines of communication with the police and their leaders across the region in the lead-up to, the course of and the aftermath of this horrific event, I believe, is what helped keep my region safe. It is not every day that you ask how many body bags are in stock or instruct people to leave their homes in order to keep them out of harm's way, preparing for the worst and praying for the best.
Up my way now, we have a different kind of disaster ripping through our communities, only this time it is not a weather event. Young criminals are destroying our once-peaceful way of life. In the beautiful city of Townsville and across the Dawson region, squads of kids, some as young as nine and 10, are breaking into our homes and our cars, taking what they can and trashing what they can't. People are scared to walk down their own streets, and the police are frustrated and have had their hands tied for too long. It is important that we give the police any and all resources that they need to do their job properly.
This is what National Police Week is all about: understanding, recognising, thanking and reflecting. Candlelight vigils and Police Remembrance Day ceremonies will be held in my electorate of Dawson and right across our nation. I would encourage all Australians to attend one of these ceremonies where possible, and I urge all members of parliament to show their thanks and gratitude to our police force. To the police men and women: I salute you.
Mr LIM (Tangney) (11:34): Thank you, Member for Richmond, for your kind words just now. I spent more than 15 years in the WA Police Force as a frontline police officer. I retired as a sergeant this May after I got elected. I'm also honoured to have worked alongside many wonderful people in the police force.
Police officers face many challenges in doing their job. Police operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they must work in many different shift patterns: morning shifts, afternoon shifts, night shifts. Everyone knows shift work is unhealthy to your body clock and also to your family life, but as police officers we have to do it. When we are on duty, we never know what situation will arise and what we will be called to attend. It may be serious family violence, a fatal traffic crash, a group fight, an armed robbery, a sudden death or many more things.
Almost every day, police officers must attend to aggressive and confrontational situations and handle angry people where someone needs to be arrested. No-one likes to be handcuffed or escorted to the police van. As a result, our police officers are often verbally abused, kicked, punched, bitten and spat on. One of my female police officers, when she was trying to arrest a female drug addict, was needled by a black syringe. As a result, she and her husband were not able to live together for almost one year, because they were in fear of transmission of bloodborne disease.
My brothers and sisters in blue attended from job to job, often thanklessly. They may be tired and affected by what they have encountered, but, whenever they receive a call, they turn up and do their job professionally, without complaining. Then, at the end of the day, they return home to their families, keeping a brave face of normality from what they have experienced. The next day, it is time to start the process all over again.
Many police officers have experienced bad things while doing their job. For me, I can clearly remember the first dead body I picked up, some 15 years ago. While I am saying this, the smell of that dead body is still in my nose now. Over 15 years as a police officer, I attended many sudden death cases and picked up many dead bodies. This is just part of our daily jobs as frontline police officers.
One of my colleagues worked as a police officer for 35 years. He resigned from the police force when I was working in a country station. Later I met him in one of the Bunnings stores in Perth. I was happy to see him and I greeted him with a cheerful smile, but he looked into my eyes and walked away, without even wanting to speak to me. I was puzzled at the time, but three years later I met up with his wife, and she told me my friend had been forced to resign because of his mental health issues. He had suffered from PTSD as a result of his work. After his resignation, every time he drove past a police station or saw a police van pass his car, he would start shaking and shivering and would be unable to handle himself. He does not like to see any of his police friends, because it refreshes his memory as a police officer. My friend and his family have not received enough support from the police force or the government, and the community has no idea how much a police officer has to go through while performing their daily duties.
Police are only human. Police officers have put their lives on the line to serve and protect their communities. All of us respect the Defence Force because they fight for our country. Police officers are our guardian angels, protecting our life and property from harm and danger and keeping our communities safe: they deserve our appreciation too. This week is the national Police Week. I want to say thanks to all police officers from the bottom of my heart: thank you, thank you, thank you.
Mr WALLACE (Fisher) (11:40): I rise to speak on this very important motion, and I want to acknowledge the member for Tangney and a great speech from the heart. I'm not too sure of members on the opposite side, but I also want to acknowledge members on our side of the chamber: the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Wide Bay, the member for Cowper and the member for La Trobe—and to any others that I may have missed, I apologise—for their services to policing in this country. It's a tough job. I've never served as a police officer, but I have a nephew that's currently serving. I want to pass on my acknowledgement and thanks for the great work that they do. Our police personnel are exceptional, but their work is essential.
I recently visited the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation in Brisbane as part of my continuing work to keep kids safe, particularly with the emerging threats posed by advancing technology. The extent of the risks faced by vulnerable Australians, and particularly kids, highlights the crucial role police and law enforcement have to play in making our communities safer. But I want to come at this from a slightly different angle. We talk about mental health a lot in this place. We talk about mental health particularly in relation to veterans, and that's very important. But from my experience as an ex-barrister and in my dealings with police officers, I know that a lot of police officers and emergency service personnel suffer terribly from PTSD. The member for Tangney touched on this a moment ago from his own personal experience.
It's right that we acknowledge our veterans from the Defence Force and the work that they do and the risks that they run. But the average Australian emergency service personnel will more than likely see far more death and carnage than many of our serving personnel will see, especially in peacetime. And yet we so very rarely talk about the mental health of our emergency service personnel, particularly our police. These are the men and women who will come out to your house when there is a call-out in relation to a domestic violence dispute, when the house is being burgled, when there is an accident on the highway—there are all sorts of reasons why we pick up that phone and ring triple 0. They don't sit and draw lots as to who's going to go out. They do it. They do it because of a sense of duty, and, by and large, they do it extremely well.
This country is indebted to our police services, both at state and territory level and at federal level, and it's important that we have this conversation around police wellbeing. That's why I was very proud to advocate for and see Fortem share in $11½ million in response to the Black Summer bushfires. And, again, I was delighted that an additional $1.4 million was provided in the 2022-23 federal budget for Fortem Australia, the organisation that was launched to do for law enforcement and emergency service workers what Soldier On has done for our defence personnel. And it is extraordinary work. A project in my electorate which I've been proud to support and in part secure is the National PTSD Research Centre, to be housed in my electorate, thanks to $8.3 million secured under the coalition. The centre is the first of its kind in this country. It deals with the research and treatment of emergency service personnel and defence personnel who suffer from PTSD.
I want to give a big shout-out to the University of the Sunshine Coast team for their leadership in this sector. They are doing tremendous work with the Thompson Institute, and I salute them. Their work is making a difference right across the country, and I couldn't be prouder of our coalition for providing, when we were in government, in excess of $20 million to the Thompson Institute for this sort of research. Thanks to their efforts, ably supported by the former coalition government, law enforcement agencies seized 39 tonnes of drugs and chemical precursors in 2021 alone and we saw mandatory minimum sentencing and tougher penalties for drug and illegal firearms trafficking. We will stand by the great work that our police services continue to do and we are very, very proud of the work that they do. Looking after them is the least we can do.
Mr STEVENS (Sturt) (11:45): I very much appreciate the opportunity the member for McPherson has provided for us to put on the record our appreciation for our law enforcement personnel in this country, and I commend comments made by a number of previous speakers. It is obviously an issue that the House views unanimously.
I want to touch on two areas. The first is what we've seen over the last couple of years from our police and other law enforcement agencies who have supported our society through the challenges of the COVID pandemic. It reminds us of what a police force is there to do. Most of us hope not to have too much to do with the police force if we can help it, because sometimes, instinctively, we think policing is really about finding people that are doing the wrong thing, and, of course, our police force do exactly that. But through COVID we saw the breadth of the sorts of things that police officers do in our society.
I am from the state of South Australia. We had a border closure and a number of directives that were in place. Our police commissioner, Grant Stevens, who is of no relation to me, was the dedicated person under the Emergency Management Act. As the State Coordinator, he had to take the lead in the response to COVID and all the measures that were put in place. The police force that he leads and led through that period of time, with a lead agency, had to deal with a whole range of things that had never occurred before, like border measures et cetera. So a lot of us came into contact with the police force in new and different ways and saw exactly their dedication, how much they do in our society and the value of the work they do.
Other members have talked about how taxing it is as a career. They talked about the shiftwork, the horrendous experiences and the things that police officers see and the mental health pressures that that brings to bear on them—as it would for anyone who goes through those experiences. The member for Fisher mentioned the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and the work that they do. It's obviously a terrible, terrible area of policing, where you're dealing with some of the most horrendous, awful, disgusting human beings on the planet—people who seek to exploit children and, particularly, sexually abuse them. The people that are engaged in tracking down this scum, finding them, stopping them and bringing them to justice are great heroes in our society. Imagine what sort of a mental toll that would take on you when you're having to look at some of the most disturbing images and you have to investigate some of the most disturbing circumstances of child abuse and child exploitation. We don't often think of it because it's 'out of sight, out of mind', but there are people that are doing such emotionally draining and mentally straining tasks. They work in our police forces to protect us from some of the worst people in society.
National Police Week is an opportunity to reflect on the contribution of police officers, what they do for our society, the very hard work they do and the risk to them. Other speakers have talked about injuries and at times death in the line of duty. That is something that we should always acknowledge and take an opportunity to be very grateful for as a nation. We have that opportunity in this motion.
Looking at National Police Week from the point of view of not only the service that our law enforcement officers provide but also the risks that they take and the pressure and toll it puts on them and their families, I'm very grateful for all the police—in my electorate and in my state of South Australia and in the other law enforcement branches like the Federal Police, who look after us in this building—and the way in which they work together to keep all Australians safe and to properly police the laws of the land and also for the broader work that they do, which of course is extremely taxing. We appreciate their service, we acknowledge their service and we thank them very much for what they do to keep us safe.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next setting.
BILLS
Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022
Assent
Messages from the Governor-General reported informing the House of assent to the bills.
Jobs and Skills Australia Bill 2022
Consideration in Detail
Bill—by leave—taken as a whole.
Mr O'CONNOR (Gorton—Minister for Skills and Training) (11:51): I present a supplementary explanatory memorandum to the bill and move the government amendment as circulated:
(1) Clause 9, page 4 (after line 16), at the end of paragraph (a), add:
(iv) issues relating to skills and training, and workforce needs, in regional, rural and remote Australia;
(v) pathways into VET and pathways between VET and higher education;
(vi) opportunities to improve employment, VET and higher education outcomes for cohorts of individuals that have historically experienced labour market disadvantage and exclusion;
Can I firstly indicate that, as the government made clear, this is an important piece of legislation. It was the first bill to be introduced into the parliament in this parliamentary term, and that's because we are looking to effectively respond to skills shortages across the economy and labour market and to do so in an effective manner. We believe that having a body such as Jobs and Skills Australia will provide that device, or will certainly contribute to a more precise understanding of labour shortages and skills requirements, and will more precisely anticipate the emerging areas of demand in a fast-changing economy. For that reason, we want to have this legislation enacted as soon as possible. It is the interim step, but it is an important piece of public policy, which responds to the needs of the workforce—of employers and workers of our labour market and economy.
I start by thanking the members for Indi, Kennedy and Goldstein; and Senators Faruqi and Barbara Pocock, on behalf of the Australian Greens, for their proposed amendments to the Jobs and skills Australia Bill 2022. We've had very significant engagement with members and senators who have a considered interest in these issues, and they sometimes come from different standpoints, but I think they all agree that we need to do better in terms of investing in skills and ensuring we invest in areas where there are skills shortages.
But we also need to provide more advice and better advice to government, employers and industry, generally, that will enable greater access to the labour market for people that miss out, whether it's workers in regional or remote Australia; whether it's women who have been locked out or limited in accessing the labour market; whether it's people with disability who have had great challenges in seeking to be just treated fairly when it comes to employment participation; whether it's First Nations people who have experienced entrenched disadvantage and discrimination historically—and that still exists today. We know we can do better. I'd also add to that list a very significant part of our society: the over-55s, a group of people who, again, have often been subject to discrimination.
The advice of this proposed body is to, yes, look generically at skills shortages and, indeed, to more precisely forecast areas of emerging demand when it comes to skills and labour. It's also looking to find solutions to impediments to employment for many, many Australians. I'd like to thank the previous senators and members that I mentioned. Through those discussions, they allowed me to move this amendment, which goes some way to expressing their concerns. I also think it's important to foreshadow that there'll be another engagement with this place and the other place, with more legislation to come so that we can finalise this body. We believe we need to move very rapidly to enact an interim body to supersede the National Skills Commission. We do think there's further work to be done, and I make this pledge to the opposition and to the crossbench: we will engage with them genuinely and fully in ensuring we get those reforms in place as well.
The government has accepted, effectively, the substance of these amendments, and they will be proposed as government amendments. The amendments recognise the distinct circumstances faced, as I said earlier, by people living in regional, rural and remote Australia and those that have historically experienced labour market disadvantage and exclusion. The revised explanatory memorandum notes that those more marginalised, whether by way of age, health, gender or background, are among the cohorts the body's analysis will assist. The revised explanatory materials will also clarify that, when consulting with other persons or bodies, these may include, for example, bodies representing the university sector; persons from regional, rural or remote Australia; First Nations persons; and recent migrants. This revised explanatory memorandum will be tabled in the Senate.
The amendments being moved will also ensure that, as the responsible minister and together with the Secretary of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, I can be provided with advice by the JSA in relation to additional matters that will help to improve employment opportunities for individuals and strengthen Australia's economy. These important government amendments will add to the functions of Jobs and Skills Australia and its responsibility for providing advice on issues relating to skills and training and to workforce needs in regional, rural and remote Australia, pathways into VET and pathways between VET and higher education, opportunities to improve employment, and VET and higher education outcomes for cohorts that having story that historically experienced labour market disadvantage and exclusion.
This amendment also clarifies that the advice Jobs and Skills Australia develops from its analysis will allow consideration of governments and potentially industry to improve access to training and employment outcomes and clarifies that Jobs and Skills Summit Australia analysis will also ensure the experiences of priority cohorts are better understood in order to enable governments to develop targeted policy improvement to address access and equity in the jobs and skills system. (Extension of time granted) These amendments, together with the feedback received from over 55 submissions to the Senate committee inquiry into this bill and across the two day Jobs and Skills Summit, reinforce the importance of establishing Jobs and Skills Australia urgently so it can begin its important work in addressing the skills and workforce needs of the country.
Dr HAINES (Indi) (11:59): I rise today to speak in support of this amendment to the Jobs and Skills Australia Bill 2022 and the new subsection (4), which adopts the amendment circulated. This amendment adds an additional function to Jobs and Skills Australia to provide advice to the minister and secretary in relation to skills and training and workforce needs in regional, rural and remote Australia. I'm grateful for the input and support of the member for Kennedy, who also represents a large regional electorate and will speak to this amendment as well.
This bill started off repeating a mistake from the initial National Skills Commission Bill, which overlooked the unique skills and workforce needs of regional, rural and remote Australia. I also moved a regional focus amendment to the previous bill, which was voted down by the former coalition government, astonishingly including the National Party, which claims to represent the interests of regional Australia. It was eventually rebranded as a government amendment and became law, which I supported. So I'm very pleased to stand today and support this amendment, as it's a significant enhancement to an important statutory body.
I'd like to thank the minister for working constructively with me as I've sought to address a blind spot in this legislation. This oversight has too often been the experience of policymaking regarding rural and regional communities, which is so often an afterthought rather than a key player in the economic prosperity of this country. We cannot lose sight of the unique needs and opportunities in regional Australia in developing labour markets, skills, training needs and VET training. My electorate is ready to go. We're ready to thrive and prosper and want to take up the jobs of the future and contribute to our country's economic growth. We don't want just fly-in fly-out; we're ready to grow our own.
Increasing VET places in TAFE is an Admiral goal, but our TAFEs are struggling with ageing infrastructure. We can't train our young people for the jobs of the future when their facilities are stuck in the 1970s. My electorate is at the forefront of the regional transition to renewables. But how do we train engineers to install renewable energy facilities and mechanics to service electric vehicles when the facilities are still only appropriate for petrol engines? We simply can't train them to their full potential, so I want the government to be looking at this.
Access is another unique barrier faced by rural, regional and remote Australians. We shouldn't need to move away to gain secure employment or the right training opportunities We all know the transformative effect of education. But, for many rural and regional people, it comes at too high a cost if they need to leave their family and community for that step up in their careers, and they often don't return. In this context, I believe the time is right for a regional Australia white paper. This was a central recommendation of the 2018 Regions at the ready report. This would involve a comprehensive consultation process and a look at improving education and training of young people, and the development of a national regional higher education strategy—both aims relate to the goals of this bill. We owe it to the millions of Australians who live outside the capitals to do better than the decades-long piecemeal approach that does justice to no-one.
In closing, I will keep speaking out for rural, regional and remote Australia so that we attract the best candidates, offer the best jobs and provide our people with the skills and training for the jobs of the future.
Mr KATTER (Kennedy) (12:03): God bless the member for Indi for her perspicacity and initiative, and I thank the minister for his enlightenment. We were told it was going to be a reasonable government, and this is a good example. I say that with all sincerity because previous governments have not listened to a good idea and incorporated it. They've been too arrogant and obfuscating. I'll leave it at that.
I have a meeting this afternoon with the minister for the army. We cannot get 10 truck drivers to simply take the sugar cane from Mareeba to the Mosman mill. If we can't find those truck drivers, then that cane will rot in the field and not only will the farmer lose his income from that cane for this year, but he will also have the cost of disposing of that cane. Many of them have been now 15 years below cost of production, and they're not going to survive. That's one example, we can't get 10 truck drivers. It's been on the national news. Doctors: we have no doctor at Mission Beach, we have no doctor at Julia Creek and we have no doctor at Cardwell. We're in a desperate situation. Two of our leading medical practices where people are over 70 years of age are not going to continue much longer. Then there are fruit pickers. I saw half a kilometre long of mangoes almost up to my waist. They just can't get pickers. The bloke who owns it—and he's 83 years of age—and his son are down there picking mangoes. It's one of the biggest operations in Australia. There are avocados on the ground all over Australia. We can't get pickers.
I pulled up at a roadhouse because I was dying of hunger and we needed petrol in the car. The roadhouses were all closed because they couldn't get anyone to work there. Roadhouses are now being closed because we can't get people to work there.
A lady came over to me in Mount Isa the other day saying they were desperate for chemists. They simply can't get them. And I have a tiny job for a steel fabricator. I have been to seven of them and they say that they can't get anyone to work in steel fabrication.
There are two Australias: the honourable member for Indi and I represent one of those Australias—I call it the golden Australia—and there is the other Australia. Of course, in New South Wales you know that NSW stands for Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong and nothing else. In Queensland there's South-East Queensland, and the rest of us simply do not exist. In the democratic system the winner takes all. If you have the majority, you have the power and the minority gets nothing. That's the nature of democracy and it's one of the shortcomings.
Guess where the coal is? We export only two things now: iron ore and coal. We're going to close the coal industry down, which rather intrigues me. But guess where the iron ore and coal are? They are two-thirds of our entire exports. There are the two big ones up there and sort of nothing underneath. What's underneath that? There is aluminium and cattle maybe. Iron ore, coal, silver, lead, zinc, copper, aluminium and cattle are all in the golden Australia.
In every single redistribution in Australia we lose a seat from rural Australia. So the 1.2 million people who are on 95 per cent of the continent are leaving. Do you think that the world accepts a vacuum? No, it doesn't. Some 265 years ago Australians said: 'We don't need populating. We don't need an army. We don't need any of those things.' I don't think we Australians have changed very much. The colour of our faces might have a bit, but nothing else has changed.
So the initiative taken by the member for Indi is very good. I commend her and I commend the minister for accepting these proposals, because this is the only way that we can address these problems. I will give you one example before I sit down—the United Kingdom backpackers. We desperately need them. They were the biggest group of backpackers we had. The government said that backpackers from the United Kingdom don't have to go to rural areas anymore, so now we have no fruit pickers and no backpackers. They're not coming back. That's the nature of it. Hopefully, this will address those problems.
Ms DANIEL (Goldstein) (12:08): I rise to speak in support of this amendment. I appreciate the consideration given to me by the minister and his office and the inclusion in this amendment of gender in the context of labour market disadvantage and exclusion. This amendment may seem a small step for women, but it should have significant implications. I hope that, apart from anything else, it's a sign that this government will be taking every possible step to enhance women's participation in the workforce for the sake of not only productivity and our prosperity but also gender equity.
As I said at the time of the Jobs and Skills Summit, the government must not become bedazzled by the high-viz side of the workforce, leaving the pink workforce at home yet again. As has previously been said, employers are bemoaning labour shortages in many sectors of the economy. For example, a survey of 6½ thousand mainly female retail workers conducted by the University of New South Wales found that 35 per cent of mothers surveyed would work more hours if the rosters were more predictable. The SDA estimates that there is a pool of at least 40,000 underemployed, mainly female, retail workers, and it's much the same story in aged care.
Empowering women to work must be central to all legislation and all policy. I've said in this place that all legislation should include a gender impact statement, and this amendment to the legislation and the explanatory memorandum effectively does that. It means that Jobs and Skills Australia and its commissioner should have a laser focus on empowering women to enter the workforce, because women are done with being secondary.
At a time when we have chronic workforce shortages, there is no more appropriate moment to shift the dial. Businesses large and small, across my electorate of Goldstein, are crying out for staff. It is crimping their ability to recover from the ravages of the COVID pandemic, inhibiting their ability to contribute to our return to a high-growth economy. While I welcome employers and unions joining forces to promote more support for apprentices, we all know that with few exceptions, like hairdressing, trades are overwhelmingly male dominated.
Highly feminised industries must be revalued. This means closing the gender wage gap and providing ready opportunities for enhancing skills to recognise the importance of their jobs. It means providing cheap, affordable, accessible child care and early childhood education so that women and children—and, indeed, families—can thrive. It means supporting the proposals of the member for Warringah, in her motion today, to provide at least 26 weeks of paid parental leave, to set the beginning of next year as the start date for lowering the cost of early childhood education.
A decade ago, the Grattan Institute found that an extra six per cent of women in the workforce would increase GDP by $25 billion. KPMG modelling in 2018 found that halving the gap between male and female workforce participation would increase GDP by $60 billion by 2038. What are we waiting for? It's a question of priorities. As Grattan's Danielle Wood put it:
… if untapped women's workforce participation was a massive ore deposit, we would have governments lining up to … get it out of the ground.
It's time to finally ensure that women get the opportunities they want and we as a parliament do everything possible to make sure they do.
This amendment is one small but effective step and I look forward to the parliament doing much more. I thank the minister, once again, for his consideration and I commend the amendment to the House.
Mr O'CONNOR (Gorton—Minister for Skills and Training) (12:12): I want to briefly respond to the members who have contributed to this discussion around the amendment that's been moved by the government as a result of discussions with the members for Indi, Kennedy and Goldstein and others, and senators as well.
It is certainly, I think, an improvement to the bill. I want to make it clear the government did believe and has always believed that remote and regional Australia matters. But having it expressed in this way improves it and clarifies, if there was any clarification required, the intent of the government to ensure that we do things in a way that will provide support to communities beyond our major cities.
So too is the need to ensure that women have better opportunities. The engagement with the member for Goldstein was an important discussion. The member impressed upon the government that it would be good to make clear how important this vehicle would be in providing more opportunities for women in the workforce, for women wanting to increase their participation or gain access to participation in the labour market. That's an absolutely vital role for the government and, therefore, for Jobs and Skills Australia. Important too were the member for Kennedy's concerns about regional and remote Australia.
This amendment goes a long way to ensuring that the concerns of the members engaged with the government are met. We want to continue discussions not just on the full maturation of Jobs and Skills Australia but on these issues generally. We believe governments should play a more proactive role in providing opportunities, whether it's for prospective workers in a remote community or women who have found that there are too many impediments to accessing work that they merit. For that reason, we'll continue those discussions with subsequent policies. That will contribute, I believe, to improving both our economy and our inclusive approach to our society and labour market more generally.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Vasta ): The question is that the amendment be agreed to.
Question agreed to.
Bill, as amended, agreed to.
Third Reading
Mr O'CONNOR (Gorton—Minister for Skills and Training) (12:15): by leave—I move:
That this bill be now read a third time.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a third time.
Jobs and Skills Australia (National Skills Commissioner Repeal) Bill 2022
Third Reading
Mr O'CONNOR (Gorton—Minister for Skills and Training) (12:17): I move:
That this bill be now read a third time.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a third time.
Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 2) Bill 2022
Second Reading
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That this bill be now read a second time.
to which the following amendment was moved:
That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House:
(1) notes this bill delivers a Liberal Party election commitment adopted by the Labor Party, namely the downsizer contribution, adding to the list of Liberal Party economic policies adopted by the Labor Party, such as the stage three tax cuts; and
(2) calls on the Labor government to stop adopting taxation measures that will increase inequality and instead ease cost of living pressures by getting dental into Medicare, making childcare free, wiping student debt and freezing rents".
Mr BANDT (Melbourne—Leader of the Australian Greens) (12:18): I rise to speak on this bill, the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 2) Bill 2022, and in particular the very important amendment moved by the member for Griffith. We are in a cost-of-living crisis. Wages are going backwards in real terms for millions of people in this country. We've seen energy bills—because of the reliance on expensive and outdated fossil fuels, and their unregulated nature around many parts of this country—going through the roof. We've seen rents rise by seven times as much as wages, putting people in a massive, massive housing crisis to the point where we now have, in this wealthy country of ours, people sleeping with their kids in cars because they can't get a place to rent—let alone buy a house, which is now out of reach, potentially, for a whole generation. The massive cost-of-living crisis that is hitting people right now is something that governments can do something about. The government can't keep saying, 'It's up to the so-called independent Reserve Bank. They set the interest rates; there's nothing we can do about it.' It can't keep saying, 'It's up to the Fair Work Commission because they set the rate of minimum wages.' It can't keep saying, 'Housing is all in the private market and that's up to the landlords.' There are things the government can do about it and can do about it right now to deal with the crisis that we are facing. We know that because during the pandemic, when we were faced with another crisis, we saw governments in places like Victoria step in and say, 'We are going to freeze rent.' We saw governments step in and say, 'We are going to do things to make sure that no-one in this wealthy country of ours lives in poverty in the crisis.' The crisis we are facing now is making a massive difference to many people's lives and making many people's lives unliveable. We can and we should do something about it right now.
The government could step in and put dental care into Medicare. The average Australian household spends about $900 a year on dental bills. Medicare makes it affordable for many people to go and get health care in a way that they otherwise wouldn't. One of the great things about this country is that we have the system of Medicare, which means people can go to the doctor—if you can get an appointment, and in many places that is difficult. But we have a country where, unlike in the US, if you get sick they don't check your credit card. If you have a Medicare card you can get the health care you deserve. But dental care is not in Medicare, and that means many people are putting off the treatment they need. When the average cost to a household is about $900 a year and we are dealing with wages going backwards and the rising cost of energy and the rising cost of housing, one thing the government could do now that would make a difference to people's lives and help them deal with the cost-of-living crisis is put dental into Medicare.
The government could also make child care free. We could make child care free in this country and start thinking about child care the way that we think about primary school or secondary school. You should be able to send your child there and know that they are going to be able to be there as long as they need to be and that you can do it without it hitting your hip pocket. The Greens have long campaigned against those so-called voluntary fees in public schools, and we need to do more to stop the rising out-of-pocket costs in public schools. But child care is massively expensive. The government says, to its credit, that it's an area that needs reform. So why not go the whole hog and start thinking about child care and early childhood education the way that we think about primary and secondary schools and make it free.
If we did those things—made child care free, brought dental into Medicare plus built affordable housing—it would make a huge difference to everyday people during the cost-of-living crisis we are facing at the moment. Why isn't the government doing that? It's because they are taking $244 billion dollars out of the budget to spend on tax cuts for politicians and billionaires, instead of doing things that would make everyday people's lives easier, like making child care free, getting dental into Medicare and building affordable housing. It's going to cost the public $244 billion to give tax cuts to politicians and billionaires, who frankly don't need it and don't deserve it. Nine thousand dollars a year is how much politicians and billionaires are going to be better off as a result of Labor's stage 3 tax cuts—$9,000 a year! While everyday people in this country are struggling to put a roof over their head or afford health care or child care, Labor's priority is to give a $9,000-a-year tax cut to politicians and billionaires. It has to stop.
This bill before us today is about amending a number of tax measures and about dealing with some financial matters. The most important thing that this government could do is deal with the financial crisis that is facing so many people around this country and ditch the unfair stage 3 tax cuts. With these stage 3 tax cuts, the top one per cent of income earners in this country will get as much as the bottom 65 per cent combined. It is going to turbocharge inequality. Australia is already at risk of going down the road of becoming a US style society, where the gap between the haves and the have-nots grows. The stage III tax cuts will turbocharge that. It will make gender inequality in this country worse, because men will get twice as much of the benefit as women. Men will get twice as much of this $244 billion as women, and the average tax cut for men will be twice as much as that for women. So, on the one hand, the government is saying that it wants to bring in legislation to this place to close the gender pay gap—which is an ambition that needs to be supported—but, on the other hand, is saying, 'We can rip $244 billion out of the budget to make the gender pay gap worse by giving twice as much to men as we will to women.'
There is no excuse for not making child care free and getting dental into Medicare because, when the government says, 'Where are you going to get the money to pay for it,' the answer is simple: don't give tax cuts to politicians and billionaires. Don't spend $244 billion when that amount of money would fund free child care, get dental into Medicare and build affordable homes in this country. The money is there, if we have the courage to stand up to the powerful, to the billionaires, and say, 'You don't need more money, but the average person in this country needs better services.
It comes back to the central point of the member for Griffith's amendment, which is that, when the government says to you, 'All of this is in the hands of the market, all of this is in the hands of others; there's nothing we can do about the massive pressures that you are under,' that is simply not true. There are things the government could do right now that would make a difference to people's lives. We know that the Medicare system works. We have already got line items in there for dental care. Let's just put dental in as part of it so you can use your Medicaid card when you go to the dentist. We know that we can have free child care in this country, because we had it during the pandemic. We've got a system in place for funding child care and early childhood education in this country. Let's make child care free on an ongoing basis. How are we going to fund it? Well, don't give Clive Palmer a tax cut and don't give politicians a tax cut. If you ask most people in this country, 'Do you think it is fair that Labor wants to give $9,000 a year to billionaires and politicians but nothing to someone on the minimum wage?' most people will say, 'No, there are better things to spend the money on than that.' We have an opportunity here to address the cost-of-living crisis and make this country more equal, and we can fund that by not giving tax cuts to politicians and billionaires. I support the member for Griffith's amendment.
Mr KATTER (Kennedy) (12:28): After spending 48 years in parliaments, I find that we have reached a stage in Australia where government bears no relationship to reality. I couldn't agree more with the previous speaker, the Leader of the Greens, in his comments. What sort of a country sells all of its gas for six cents a unit and then buys it back, its own Australian gas, at current prices of around $32—not the six cents we sold it for but $32? Qatar produces the same amount of gas that we do and exports the same amount of gas. It gets $29,000 million for its people from its gas and the moronic governments of Australia get $600 million. So if we want to do the sorts of things that the previous speaker, the Leader of the Greens, spoke about, well, there is one answer straightaway. The only country on earth that has no import charges is Australia. In fact, the first act of significance of this government was to subsidise imports of motor vehicles.
We have discussed moving forward on electric vehicles. Even though a troglodyte like me is going along on this one, they're going to subsidise their introduction to Australia. In sharp contrast, the crossbenchers want them to be built here in Australia. If you're going to put out money then put out money to have them built here in this country. Why wouldn't you do that? Are you so locked into the primitive laissez-faire capitalism of 1800s? Didn't they teach you in school that little children worked for 20 hours a day, believe it or not, at the ages of 8, 10 and 12 in factories. That's what laissez-faire capitalism delivered to you. We may not be as dramatic at this stage, but there are a lot of people, even in North Queensland, now living in the streets. In the wealthiest country on earth, there are people in the streets.
You gave away all of your mining companies. Four of the big five are Australian owned. The price of metals has gone up 300 per cent. What do Australians get out of it? We get nothing because we don't own the mining companies. You let them all be sold to foreigners, so all of our mineral resources are foreign owned. We don't get any benefit from the huge surge in mineral prices. In fact, we have to get much more aggressive. My own trade union—I am a great supporter of the CFMMEU. We must get more aggressive because our wages have actually gone down. We've gone down in the coalmining industry from close to $200,000 to close to $125,000. They've actually pushed our wages down in mining thanks to their FIFOs, their labour-hire companies and their section 457 workers—all initiatives of ALP governments. They provided the levers that have pushed our wages down in mining, and our blokes have got to get much more aggressive. I serve notice to foreign mining companies that we're not going to sit back and watch our wages be driven down through the floor while your incomes go up 300 per cent.
As for the cost of living, I live in a town called Charters Towers, and we were under the Mining Act, as was Mareeba, another big town in my electorate, and as was Mount Isa. Under the Mining Act, if I went out, bought a piece of land and wanted to subdivide it, a bloke called Michael Power signed a document. My wife and I had 20 acres and weren't wealthy enough to complete our demountable house that we bought, so we had to subdivide the 20 acres into two. It took my wife about 15 or 20 minutes to fill out the form. Michael Power stamped it and signed it, and she walked out and sold that block for $3,000 the next day.
Now, Malcolm Turnbull, no less, and an Australian professor who teaches at Oxford, in Britain, did a report on why housing costs are so enormous in Australia. It's because we can't get at the land. Your subdivisional impositions upon the people have skyrocketed the land in Charters Towers, a good example to use. We had no restrictions. It was one person, a local bloke, that made the decisions, and he made good decisions, as most local blokes do. The land went from $7,000 a housing block to $72,000. Government intervention in the marketplace, imposing ridiculous conditions that were impossible to meet, drove the price of land straight up through the roof.
Malcolm Turnbull and the Oxford professor said the average cost of land in Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong is now $890,000. You can get a good demountable house for about $140,000. So where's the land? In a big, empty land—125 kilometres from Sydney you can buy land for $5,000 an acre. Divide that into quarter-acre blocks and you've got a piece of land for 20 grand with a few add-ons, I suppose. You try to get a block of land to build a house on within an hour's drive of Sydney for that money. The government is also required to build high-speed highways, spoke roads, that will enable us to do 120 kilometres an hour so we can get to work within an hour. They should be designed and in there now. Of course, it's not taken place.
There is no country on earth that has anything like the centralisation of market power in food as Australia. There are only two people to sell food to and only two people to buy food from in Australia. So is it any surprise that when they deregulated the sugar industry the price of sugar on the shelf went up 300 or 400 per cent? When they deregulated the price of milk, the price of milk on the shelf went up 200 per cent—and the price to the farmer went down 30 per cent. Potato farmers were getting paid about 52 cents the last time I looked for a kilogram of potatoes. In Cairns I saw them for $3.90. That's less than they were down here, in Canberra, at $4.20. How about that for a mark-up! What's the most staple element of your diet? Potatoes. As far as milk goes, Coles said, 'We sell two litres and it's so cheap.' Check out how many two-litre volumes of milk are on the shelf. It's one-fifteenth. Yes, they brought the price down for one-fifteenth of the milk sales—and doubled the price for the rest.
In the meantime, the farmers are out there shooting themselves. That's literally true. I had the most centralised dairy area in Australia, and the highest suicide rates in Australia were in that area: the Atherton Tableland. We had 248 dairy farmers, the biggest dairy farmers in Australia, on average, about 400 or 500 milkers. I said the other day that we're now down to 54. A state member of parliament corrected me and said it was 48. Then a lady there corrected him and said it was 32. Thirty-two is all that's left. And 6,000 went in Victoria. What? To make Woolworths and Coles rich?
As the honourable member said, what are the heads of these corporations paying themselves? The head of Qantas pays himself $25 million a year; therefore, Woolworths and Coles think they should pay themselves $25 million a year. Instead of coming to grips with the monopoly powers of foreign mining corporations and giant supermarket corporations and giving Australians a fair go, and taking away your stupid restrictions on land to subdivisions in an empty country, what are you doing? You're giving a tax break to the super rich, to the boys on $10 million a year. They get a tax break. That's your initiative. This new government's two major initiatives are to give a tax break and to subsidise imports.
Every pub in Australia—not that we've got many left. I always reflect upon the first thing the revolutionaries did in France. Their revolutions were made in the coffee houses, and the minute they took power the first thing they did was close down the coffee houses. Every revolution in Australia has been made in the pub, and they're desperately trying to close the pubs down! There are a few of them left. If you go into them, you'll realise that every single one of you in this place is a laughing stock. They have nothing but contempt for you. You've gone down to the second lowest ranking of respectable people in this country, and you deserve it.
We can't afford to buy food. We can't afford to buy a house. We can't afford to buy a car. We subsidise the import of cars. But I hope that we on the crossbench are a little bit more reactive in listening to the people. We'll be bringing forward legislation that will reduce, at least, the cost of fuel in this country and will also do something for lowering CO2 emissions, which is more than I can say the government and the last government have done for Australia or the planet.
Mr JONES (Whitlam—Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services) (12:40): I'd like to thank all of the honourable members who have contributed to this debate, particularly the last. Schedule 1 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 2) Bill 2022 makes it easier for businesses struggling with their record-keeping obligations. If a business does not comply with their record-keeping obligations, the Commissioner of Taxation will be allowed to offer them a choice to undertake a record-keeping course rather than pay financial penalties. Something that may have been lost in some of the debate is that this choice will not be available to businesses who are disengaged from the tax system or who are deliberately avoiding their obligations.
I'll turn quickly to schedule 2, which didn't get as much focus during the parliamentary debate, but it is important. Schedule 2 extends the existing third-party reporting requirements to operators of electronic platforms, market platforms in particular. Platform operators will be required to report to the Australian Taxation Office information regarding certain transactions that occur on their platforms to ensure they are meeting tax obligations and to ensure that there is not an unfair advantage over the majority of other businesses in the economy that are already complying with their reporting obligations.
Schedule 3 of the bill before the House reduces compliance costs for individuals claiming self-education deductions by removing the exclusion of the first $250 of deductions for prescribed education courses. This will be of particular benefit to small businesses and their staff.
Schedule 4 of the bill allows small businesses to seek orders from the Administrative Appeals Tribunal that stay or otherwise affect the ATO's debt recovery actions while the small business is in the process of disputing the underlying tax assessment in the Small Business Taxation Division of the AAT. Applying to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal rather than having to go through a court is going to save small business both time—as much as 60 days of waiting for a decision to be made—and, just as importantly, money in court and legal fees. These orders will be subject to integrity checks intended to prevent aggressive taxpayers without genuine disputes from receiving stay orders with the intention of merely frustrating the inevitable tax recovery of debts.
Schedule 5 to the bill expands eligibility for those aged 55 years and over to make downsizer contributions to their superannuation. This will allow more Australians to consider downsizing to a home that better suits their needs, thereby increasing the availability of suitable housing for Australian families quite simply by adding to the supply of housing. Older Australians moving into more suitable, smaller housing will free up larger houses to be purchased by another family, adding to the supply and, by its very nature, putting downward pressure on housing prices. With those comments, in summing up, I'd like to commend the bill to the House.
The SPEAKER: The question is that the amendment be disagreed to.
The House divided. [12:48]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)
Consideration in Detail
Bill—by leave—taken as a whole.
Debate adjourned.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS
Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide
Mr KEOGH (Burt—Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel) (12:56): by leave—I present a copy of the government response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide interim report. When a person enlists in the Australian Defence Force, they are signing up to be something more than themselves—they are signing up to serve their country, to serve the people of Australia.
The rate of veteran suicide in Australia is a national tragedy; it is a rate that is significantly higher than across the general Australian population. It is devastating that Australia has lost more serving and former serving personnel to suicide over the last 20 years than through operations over the same period in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a great tragedy that the Australian government, successive Australian governments, have failed those who have served our nation. Governments have also failed the families of those people, families who have carried a heavy burden of their own through the pain and suffering they have experienced.
This is why the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide needed to happen. This government called for this royal commission when we were in opposition. That is why, when the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide provided its interim report to the government on 11 August, the Albanese government saw that it was tabled in parliament and made public that same day. That day, on behalf of the Australian government, I welcomed the report and provided the government's initial response. Today, I am following through on the Albanese government's commitment that the government would provide its formal response to the Royal Commission's interim report as soon as possible, which I do here now today.
As a nation, we have an obligation to ensure that all defence personnel are kept safe mentally and physically, here and abroad. When a person joins the ADF, they undertake a commitment of service to our country, a commitment that may place their life, their health, their wellbeing in harm's way. Families join them on this journey. It is our duty to meet their commitment in kind, through looking after our service members and their families, during and after their time in the ADF.
The interim report of the royal commission makes clear that while there have been improvements in Defence and Veterans' Affairs processes, with a greater recognition of the importance of good mental as well as physical health, some systems and approaches across Defence and DVA are not sufficient or fit for purpose. I have, in my short time as minister, met with senior leadership in Defence and DVA and also been out visiting ADF rehabilitation facilities, transition centres, Defence Member and Family Support offices, and regional DVA offices. The staff working in those roles are dedicated and committed to doing their jobs well, and to helping serving personnel, veterans and families as best they can with the resources available to them—and I thank them.
It is clear, however, that the lived experiences of people interacting with Defence and DVA can vary dramatically, whether in relation to decision making and processes or in how serving personnel, veterans and families are engaged with at a human level. Unfortunately, in some cases, the policies, processes and cultures that have evolved in Defence and DVA over time have been counterproductive, causing distress to our defence and veteran communities. The royal commission's interim report is replete with examples. It is clear that things are not right. On behalf of the Australian government, I say sorry.
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is a pivotal opportunity to give those impacted by defence and veteran suicide an opportunity to share their story, to honour their loved ones and to highlight how approaches can be improved, and to enable leaders to come forward to acknowledge mistakes, explain improvements made and outline ways to make things right. I want to thank the royal commissioners, their counsel assisting and their teams for their work to date. Thank you also to the royal commission teams across Commonwealth agencies, including in Defence, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Attorney-General's Department and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, for your tireless work as you assist the royal commission. Thank you also to the state and territory government agencies who have provided their ongoing support.
Many stood together to fight for this royal commission—families who never expected, never imagined, finding themselves in a situation where this was a fight they needed to be having. I want to give a special mention to Julie-Ann Finney and Karen Bird, who both lost their sons—men who proudly served our nation in our ADF—to suicide. Thank you for your and your families' unwavering determination and to everyone involved in the campaign who worked tirelessly to bring us to this point.
Finally, thank you to each and every person who has provided evidence to the royal commission. It's through your bravery in coming forward, that the royal commissioners have been able to make their recommendations. I encourage anyone who has information to give, to come forward and give evidence—publicly or in private session. The royal commission wants to hear from you and the nation needs them to hear from you. Submissions remain open until 13 October 2023.
Today, the Australian government provides its formal response to the recommendations in the royal commission's interim report. This Albanese Labor government is a responsible government. We will take the necessary action. I said on the day that we received this report, the same day the report was handed to the Governor-General, the government, the parliament, the media and made publicly available, 'No doubt some of these recommendations will be easier and quicker to implement than others.' As the royal commissioners themselves tell us: 'Whole systems for serving and ex-serving members need to be re-imagined and re-engineered.' We have quite a task ahead. To quote further, the royal commissioners, in their interim report, said:
It is clear to us that Australia's veteran compensation and rehabilitation legislative system is so complicated that it adversely affects the mental health of some veterans—both serving and ex-serving ADF members—and can be a contributing factor to suicidality.
Indeed, as the Law Council of Australia points out, the first principal of the rule of law is that 'the law must be both readily known and available, and certain and clear.' In this regard, we have much work to do.
The government agrees to recommendation 1. We will develop a pathway for simplification and harmonisation of veteran compensation and rehabilitation legislation. Funding will be considered in the context of budget processes and fiscal constraints. The timing of implementation will be informed by what is required for necessary consultation and the passage of legislation.
Recommendation 2 goes to eliminating the claims backlog. The government agrees to this recommendation. Far too many veterans and personnel are waiting far too long for their claims to be processed. The current backlog is unacceptable, and that is why at the last election we committed to employing 500 additional staff for DVA. This recruitment process is already underway. We are already seeing positive results. It is the aim of this government to have the claims backlog cleared before the end of 2023.
Recommendation 3 seeks to improve the administration of the claims system. The government agrees to this recommendation. There is no doubt some veterans and families have not had a good experience and have not been able to access the support they deserve. For that, we are sorry. We are looking to improve veterans' experience of the claims system, remove complexity and enhance efficiency in supporting veterans and families as they navigate the current system. Work is already underway, with the employment of additional staff to support claims processing, as well as internal system changes and upgrades—but there is more to be done.
The fourth recommendation is that the Department of Veterans' Affairs provide, on a regular basis, advice to government on its funding needs. The government agrees to this recommendation.
Recommendation 5 suggests removing the Department of Veterans' Affairs average staffing level cap. As a Labor government, we know the importance of secure work. That's why at the recent election we committed to abolishing the artificial staffing cap across the Public Service. The work that DVA undertakes is complex. We need the best-trained individuals to work on processing claims and supporting veterans, yet the cap resulted in a counterproductive reliance on labour hire arrangements, with higher staff turnover and higher costs. The cap is now removed. This means staff have job security. It will also mean that staff are processing claims more efficiently as they build their own knowledge base in a complex system.
Recommendation 6 calls for increased protections for people who engage with the royal commission. The government will take forward suggested legislative reforms to the Royal Commissions Act 1902, widely consulting on the drafting of those amendments. The government will also work with the royal commission to ensure serving and ex-serving ADF members have protections to communicate information to the inquiry without breaching general secrecy offences in the Criminal Code. To achieve this, the government welcomes continued engagement with the royal commission.
We note recommendation 7, recognising the importance of royal commissions being able to thoroughly investigate and provide recommendations in relation to their terms of reference while protecting the freedom of speech in parliament. Parliamentary privilege is a well-established concept that many royal commissions have engaged with in the past without coming into conflict with the Parliamentary Privileges Act. There are alternative approaches available to the royal commission to engaging with materials to which parliamentary privilege might apply.
We also note recommendation 8, recognising the need for royal commissions to have access to information they need to ensure their work is effective and efficient. The government will improve policies and practices to streamline and introduce additional rigour around the use of public interest immunity claims in royal commissions.
Recommendations 9 to 13 all relate to improving the release by Defence and DVA of information to families about a deceased family member. The government agrees to these recommendations. There is no doubt that the communication between Defence, DVA and impacted families has left a lot to be desired. This has been raised by many families in their evidence to the royal commission. This has also been acknowledged by the agencies.
We must improve how Defence and DVA communicate with veterans and families, including and facilitating access to information about their loved ones. Work on this has already begun. Defence and DVA will: work together to produce guidelines for improved administrative release of information; embed trauma-informed practices in information access; co-design targeted education materials on ways to access information and how redactions of personal information apply; and prompt the regular updating of consent information from ADF members.
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is an important opportunity to strengthen our approach to the mental health and welfare of ADF personnel, veterans and their families into the future. There's no doubt that there are things that are, and things that are not, working in Defence, Veterans' Affairs and the supports for veterans, serving personnel and families.
We are taking action today. We have already removed the ASL cap and have begun the recruitment of 500 additional staff for the Department of Veterans' Affairs. We will roll out 10 additional veterans and families hubs across the country. We will boost home ownership for defence personnel and veterans by expanding the eligibility criteria for the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme. We've started work on delivering a comprehensive Veterans' Employment Program, to better support defence personnel as they transition to civilian life. We will deliver a defence and veteran family engagement and support strategy to provide greater support to our military families. And we will provide more emergency housing for veterans experiencing homelessness through Labor's Housing Australia Future Fund.
Our government is committed to the task of saving lives and ensuring a better future for our defence and veterans communities. As we engage on all these important issues and tasks ahead, I wish to emphasise that all veterans are 'not broken'. As the royal commissioners themselves identify, the majority of veterans go on to lead productive, fulfilling civilian lives. After leaving service, most veterans have a smooth transition to new employment and civilian life. For the most part, veterans have education equal to or higher than the general population, and ex-serving personnel generally have higher weekly personal incomes, and are more likely to be employed.
However, it is also the case that many veterans find the process of leaving the ADF and reintegrating into civilian society to be a significant and challenging life event, particularly for those who don't make that transition by choice. It can be a difficult and disrupting time for veterans' families. While the transition process is improving, we must continue to work to improve understanding and knowledge of the process so people better understand what to expect and what is available for them when leaving the ADF. We must ensure the best supports and services are made available to transitioning personnel, including in relation to employment, health and wellbeing, submitting compensation claims and rehabilitation, to deliver a seamless transition for veterans and families. Those individuals have excellent contributions to make to our community. We need to set them up for that success.
Families are central to supporting the health and wellbeing of serving and ex-serving ADF members—I cannot stress that enough. As Ms Deborah McKenner said, while giving evidence of her own personal experience to the Royal Commissioners:
A soldier may receive the pay cheque, only in the Australian Defence Force the whole family is employed by the Government. It's our family lifestyle, our legacy.
We need to make sure families receive support too, as their health and wellbeing is important in its own right, and can also significantly impact ADF members and veterans. The royal commissioners have spelt this out in their interim report:
Family support can … mean the difference between life and death.
… … …
Families matter. The welfare of the family matters.
Many people, extraordinarily, are unaware of the supports available to them, in service and following. One ex-serving ADF member told the royal commission:
I went 24 years not knowing that I was even eligible for DVA assistance. There was no education to help me transition out of the Army … It was only the advice of my fellow Veterans that told me about DVA.
That's not good enough.
The royal commission, and the government's response, is an opportunity to shine a light on the supports that are available and we will continue to improve the promotion of them into all corners of the defence, veterans and families community.
After years of reports, too many deaths, too many lives changed for the worse and endless discussion, it's time to get on with it. That is the clear message from the royal commission.
Our government is committed to the task of saving lives and ensuring a better future for our defence and veterans communities. The measures outlined in the Australian government's formal response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide's Interim Report recommendations, as tabled today, are a key part of how we can begin delivering on that better future.
Can I conclude by saying to those listening today: if you are a currently serving member of our ADF or family member, you can reach out to the ADF All-hours Support Line, available 24/7 on 1800628036. If you are a veteran or family member you can access Open Arms veterans and families counselling service on 1800011046.
I thank the House.
Mr JOYCE (New England) (13:14): I'd like to thank the minister for his presentation. Most importantly, I'd like to acknowledge both Karen and Julie-Ann, who are in the gallery today, and note the tragic loss of Jesse and David. I'll have you know that this House remembers them and their service to our nation. They will not be forgotten. Lest we forget. I'd also like to acknowledge those who have served here. We have so many people who are ex-service men and women. I acknowledge the member for Herbert, the member for Canning, the member for the Gold Coast, the member for Braddon and the member for Solomon—who was here earlier—who have all served our nation so well. I also acknowledge all those on both sides who have served our nation.
You may not think that veterans affairs is something that is pertinent to everybody, but it actually is pertinent to the tapestry of our nation. After the Boer War, the best you got was two service medals. It was in 1917 that a senator from this place, Sir Edward Millen, worked on the process of setting up the repatriation body, which then started. At that point in time, there were about 160,000 people still in Europe at the end of the First World War, and Sir John Monash was instrumental in making sure that people made that transition back to civvy street with some sense of dignity and that they were moved into a process of education.
What you saw across this nation was the tapestry of returned servicemen, and now returned service men and women, as no better noted in so many areas but repatriation in the form of soldier settler blocks. You mightn't think it's part of your area, but, if you were the member for Cowper, you'd be very aware of soldier settler blocks at Dorrigo. If you were the member for Riverina, you'd be very aware of soldier settler blocks at Tarcutta. If you were the member for Flynn, you would know all about the soldier settler blocks in the Boyne Valley. If you were the member for Kennedy, you would know about the soldier settler blocks at El Arish, and you would know about the soldier settler blocks around Mildura, of which there are a number. This is part and parcel of a nation's purpose to bring people back to civvy street with a sense of dignity. At that stage we failed miserably. Of those people who went back to soldier settler blocks, around 35 per cent of them had gone within five or six years.
I acknowledge the work that my family did back then. Both my grandfathers were returned servicemen. One of them, who was from Adelong, had a meeting with then Labor minister Sheahan to say: 'We cannot create those starvation blocks like we did for the First World War. The people coming back from the Second World War must receive a proper capacity to have a crack at it.' So the Second World War soldier settler blocks were better. But the task goes on. Things change.
In 1976, we changed from the repatriation body to the Department of Veterans' Affairs. And the advent of the Vietnam War and the circumstances of people returning presented new challenges which had to be dealt with, and this goes on now. Right now, we have about 340,000 veterans who are basically circulating and need our assistance. The Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing did a study and presented its report in 2021. Something is terribly wrong with the fact that you are 50 per cent less like to die—especially with the tragic issue of suicide—if you are a serving member and slightly less likely but still likely if you are a reservist. But if you were taken out of service, especially involuntarily, for medical reasons, it's massively higher. If you are a woman, it's massively higher. This is an issue we must address. It is the essence. It is a tragedy. It rips us to our being, especially with having Karen and Julie-Ann here today. There are so many good people who have lost their lives being at home, being away from harm. We must do something. This is it.
I want to acknowledge the work of people such as the member for Wide Bay, the member for Braddon, the member for Herbert and the member for Canning in their stance to bring about the royal commission and to fight for the royal commission. I was part of the coalition backbench for defence, and we wanted to make sure we brought this thing about. I must admit that I don't concur with the sense of partisanship in thinking that this is on one side of the House or the other. We treasure the lives of other people just like you do. There's no differentiation on that, and we want to make sure that we do our part.
With regard to the 13 recommendations of the interim report, I would say, in deference to my backbench, who I correspond with, communicate with and negotiate with, I don't see any real problem with where your position is compared to where ours is. I can't see any major gulf. I understand too that the issues we had were pertinent to parliamentary privilege. That was of concern to us and, obviously, as has been noted, it was of concern for you. There are ways around this, and we want to be able to do that.
All the way through, we gave more money into veterans affairs. I want to acknowledge the work done by former veterans affairs ministers. I can see former veterans affairs minister Tehan, former veterans affairs minister Stuart Robert and former veterans affairs minister Michael McCormack. On secondment now in the United States is former veterans affairs minister Darren Chester. And we have the former veterans affairs minister, the member for Calare, Andrew Gee. I'd like to acknowledge the work they did to try and make sure that we brought this about. We were putting money towards this right until before the election. I know; I was there and part of some very involved discussions to make sure that we got more money to deal with the backlogs.
One of the reasons we have backlogs is that we have made it vastly more accessible for people to get access to support. I think in 2016 and 2017 there were 47,000 people or thereabouts in the application process. In 2021 there were about 137,000. That is about 2½ the times the number of people needing access. The number went through the roof and the resources we had to put towards it had to go up as well. Each year we were putting more and more money towards it. In the last coalition budget, $22.8 million was provided for the next two years for additional resources—additional. That was one of the last things we did before the election was called. We were trying to make sure that we got into this process, understood the issues before us and understood how we had to get through that backlog. I know that's one of the seminal points of the royal commission.
Wellbeing centres are incredibly important to us. We put in the budget and paid for 14 wellbeing centres. I want to acknowledge the member for Cowper. I was up in his neck of the woods at Sawtell with Louise and Robert Freebairn and Richard Kelloway. There they have a hub-and-spoke arrangement. I note that during the election campaign you said that we had gone from 14 wellbeing centres down to 10. We should take it back to 14, because it is in the budget. Don't cut that the expenditure. Make sure those wellbeing centres are there. Sawtell is more of a hub-and-spoke arrangement. You noted in your campaign that you're going to have one on the North Coast in the Tweed. But we need something for Coffs Harbour. We've got to look after people in places like Coffs Harbour, Sawtell and Nambucca Heads. There's another one in the member for Riverina's electorate at Kapooka, with HMAS Penguin. And what's the air force base?
Mr McCormack: Albatross.
Mr JOYCE: Albatross. The Riverina should have a wellbeing centre. If there's ever a place that should have a wellbeing centre, it's the Riverina—it's Wagga. For all the people who've been through Kapooka—one training group Wacol; not quite Kapooka but within sight—these are incredibly important. You haven't got anything for the Riverina—and we should have something for the Riverina. You should go from 10 to 14. Just match it up and make it work. Go to 14.
This is incredibly important. Noting what the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare is saying about suicide rates amongst regs, reservists, the general population and people coming home, my personal belief is that we've got to give people that step back into civvy street. It can't be 'out the door and onto the street'. There has to be a step back into a reserve unit. That's a big one. And reserve units should be where people can access them. They should be kitted out in such a way that they look like an authentic reserve unit. People should go back to Tamworth, Rockhampton or where I was—the depot at Roma, but it has gone now. There should be that position because we know that helps.
We also should make sure that people have an understanding of what military service is about. This is why I think in the start we have to look also at cadet units so that people understand what they're doing. As I said, my father was buried the other day. He was repatriated, so I get this. He was smashed up. There has to be that step back into civvy street that is less abrupt than what we have. We know that the longer people have an engagement with the military the less likely they are to cause harm to themselves. We have to make sure that that engagement goes over a longer period of time.
I don't want to detain the House. You should never speak longer than the minister because that's impolite, but I do want to say one thing. I thank you, first of all, for your engagement with me. As much as possible we on this side want to bring about outcomes. We're not looking for blues; we are looking for outcomes. But you should be on the front bench, mate.
Honourable members interjecting—
Mr JOYCE: You almost got the votes then. A couple more and you've got it. This is important. This is a royal commission. There are 340,000 veterans out there. People's lives are on the line. They demand that you have that section on the cabinet table. You have to go in there. The Prime Minister should not have removed veterans affairs from the front bench. It should be there in cabinet. I ask politely that you get reappointed because as this goes forward it's going to get more complicated and you will need to have the capacity to bring things immediately into the cabinet room, so you have to be there.
I close where I started. I close by saying to Karen and Julie-Ann: 'We thank your sons for their service, but the cross you have to carry with Jesse and David will be for the rest your life, absolutely forevermore. We can't for one second start to mimic, understand or give some implication of comparability of the pain that goes through your hearts, your lives and your head every night when you put your head on the pillow, but know that, no matter what side we're on, we care and we remember the service they gave. We know our nation is safer because of Jesse and David. We know that they did their bit. You are families of honour forevermore, and our nation will always remember you. We will remember not only the service your sons gave but also the service you give by right of your attachment to them every night. Thank you very much.'
For all those who have served and paid the supreme sacrifice: you are always in our hearts. Lest we forget.
Mr KEOGH (Burt—Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel) (13:29): I move:
That the House take note of the document.
Debate adjourned.
Reference to Federation Chamber
Mr KEOGH (Burt—Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel) (13:30): by leave—I move:
That the order of the day be referred to the Federation Chamber for debate.
Question agreed to.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): It being 1.30, it is time for members' statements.
STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS
Marsden State High School
Mr VAN MANEN (Forde—Chief Opposition Whip) (13:31): I rise today to bring to the House's attention the outstanding performance of Marsden State High School in my fabulous electorate of Forde. I wish to express my congratulations to the teachers, support staff, students and parents of Marsden State High School, who have walked away with top honours at the 2022 Australian Education Awards. Marsden State High was named Secondary School of the Year and Best Professional Learning Program. Alison Fahlbusch was also awarded School Principal of the Year at the awards ceremony in Sydney in August. It was the third year running that the school has taken out the top gong for Principal of the Year, with Kylie Steinhardt winning in 2021 and Executive Principal Andrew Peach winning in 2020. Marsden State High School is Australia's largest school, with more than 3,600 students, and has now taken home the title of Secondary School of the Year twice in the last three years.
These awards are recognition of the hard work and dedication of the entire school community and their commitment to striving for excellence, and should be a great source of pride for the school and the entire Logan region. Marsden has also been able to strike a balance as an academic and sporting powerhouse, with NRL legend Cameron Smith and cross-code footballer Israel Folau amongst its students. On behalf of the constituents of Forde, can I once again say to everyone at Marsden State High School: congratulations, and I wish you all the best for the future.
Flynn, Ms Deirdre
Ms MILLER-FROST (Boothby) (13:32): I rise to congratulate Deirdre Flynn, client services manager of Catherine House, for her Backbone Award at the SA Woman Awards over the weekend. Deirdre is a social worker by trade, and she has worked at Catherine House since 1999—23 years of making a difference to the lives of women experiencing homelessness in South Australia. Deirdre's one of those quiet achievers that our society depends upon, with her understanding of the issues affecting women experiencing homelessness and her knowledge of the services and the ways that women can rebuild their lives so that they not only exit homelessness but also exit permanently. Countless women have found housing, addressed health issues and addressed legal issues. Some, having left high school, now find themselves with university scholarships. They've reunited with family and with children, set up businesses and rebuilt their lives. We know that women account for 43 per cent of people experiencing homelessness and that women 55 and over are the fastest growing demographic experiencing homelessness in Australia.
Deirdre and the team at Catherine House are part of the solution, one woman at a time, that is changing lives and rebuilding lives. SA Woman Awards are community based awards, with community nominations and votes. It's fantastic to see someone who truly makes a difference in the lives of others being recognised in this way.
Lilydale Croquet Club
Mr VIOLI (Casey) (13:34): Last weekend, I was pleased to attend the Lilydale Croquet Club official season launch for the coming summer season. It was the first opportunity for the club to launch the season since 2019. I was warmly welcomed by club president John Thomson, club secretary Craig McCracken and all the members. We enjoyed the sunshine while the Australian flag was raised over the pavilion and participated in the running of the hoops. I was pleased to have Victorian state MP Bridget Vallance join me in officially declaring the season open.
Having never played croquet before, I was given expert coaching and enjoyed the opportunity to play with club members Glenn, Patrick, Dawn and Wendy. I enjoyed myself so much I found myself staying for lunch and playing a second game. The popularity and membership of the Lilydale Croquet Club had been enjoying steady growth before COVID hit, and they are now eager to bring the sport to the wider Lilydale community. There are exciting plans to build new clubrooms and a second playing court, and I'm looking forward to working with John and Craig to see this achieved.
As I've said before in this House, sporting clubs hold a significant place in our local community in Casey. They provide the opportunity for friendships and fitness, which are incredibly important to both the mental health and the physical health of all of us. I was pleased to join the Lilydale Croquet Club and I look forward to supporting all sporting clubs in Casey.
Human Rights: Iran
Mr ZAPPIA (Makin) (13:35): The death of young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini whilst in police custody in Iran has understandably caused widespread condemnation and protest against Iranian authorities across both Iran and the world. Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iranian morality police for not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards. She subsequently died, with the cause of death reported as a skull fracture resulting from severe trauma. Since her death, dozens more people in Iran have died from the ensuing protests and riots. Iranian authorities are scrambling to deny any responsibility for Mahsa's death and are now threatening more force to quell the protesters.
Australia must join the international response in condemnation of Mahsa's death. I appreciate that Australia cannot interfere in the laws of other nations; however, the suppression of fundamental human rights, particularly those of women, and the use of brutality cannot be ignored. I join in the condemnation of such brutality and urge the government to take whatever diplomatic measures are available to express Australia's condemnation of Mahsa Amini's death and to bring to justice those responsible for her death.
Uniforms 4 Kids
Mr LLEW O'BRIEN (Wide Bay) (13:37): Uniforms 4 Kids is a charity which repurposes emergency services uniforms and other uniforms into bright and beautiful clothes for kids. As their volunteers in Cooroy know, too many kids go without. Uniforms 4 Kids volunteers have stitched and sewed old uniforms into 37,000 articles of children's clothing. For some children, Uniforms 4 Kids clothes are their only clothes, such as the little girl in the domestic violence shelter whose mother had no time to pack, so they fled with only the clothes on their backs; the children who lost everything in the Tongan earthquake; or the children who were born with nothing in a Port Moresby orphanage. For others, such as the rural boy playing soccer in rags, it's the only new set of clothes that they've ever had.
These clothes are handmade, mostly by Australian grandmothers, who make them with the same love they made their own children's and grandchildren's clothes with, upcycling old police uniforms and handcrafting them into unique, quality designs. Uniforms 4 Kids volunteers love what they do and the community that they have found in rooms of sewing machines, scrap fabric and thread. At Uniforms 4 Kids, a police officer isn't just donating an old shirt and a grandmother isn't just sewing shorts. Together, they are giving the gift of self-esteem, dignity, warmth and self-worth to a child who needs it most.
East African Women's Foundation
Daughters of the West
Dr MULINO (Fraser) (13:38): I would like to pay tribute to some extraordinary women from my vibrant electorate of Fraser: the dedicated staff and volunteers of the East African Women's Foundation. Under the leadership of Fartun Farah, the foundation has provided support for women for over 15 years. Their care has helped women recover from the trauma of war and political upheaval. They run social groups for the newly arrived to counter the isolation as they adjust to life in Australia; they help women establish businesses to start them on their journey to financial independence; they run programs to help young people develop their skills and confidence; and they run forums to improve relationships between the community and police.
Last week I had the honour of attending one of the many health initiatives they support. For five years, the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation has run the Daughters of the West program, which provides education on mental and physical wellbeing and physical activity and helps women build valuable social networks. Wednesday night's ceremony celebrated the newest Daughters of the West, women from the East African community who completed a pilot program developed in partnership with Victoria University and supported by both foundations. It was a joyous occasion with plenty of laughter and guests were treated to a traditional Somali dance. As Fartun said, look after the woman and you look after the family.
Clark Electorate: Arts and Culture
Mr WILKIE (Clark) (13:40): Arts, culture and creativity enrich the lives of all Australians, yet decades of underinvestment and bad policies by a succession of federal governments have weakened many sectors of the creative industries to the point of ruin.
For example, in the Clark electorate, Blue Rocket, a much loved children's production studio, was forced to close last year because of cuts to children's local content quotas. Another organisation, Wide Angle, will shut its doors soon if it doesn't receive a significant funding boost. Compounding problems is that creative industries in regional and remote areas simply don't enjoy the same benefits as their counterparts in big cities. This hits Tasmania hard, as evidenced by Wide Angle's predicament and their observation that Tassie filmmakers receive just a fraction of Screen Australia and free-to-air TV opportunities.
Yes, the federal government is developing a national cultural policy, but the government needs to show it's truly committed to reform with equitable and effective investment and long-term stable funding, and it's got to drill down and get the detail right. For instance, the government must ensure Australian stories are heard, by reinstating local content quotas and ensuring global streaming sites are investing at least 20 per cent of their revenue on Australian content. Anything less would be too little to save struggling production companies and resurrect wonderful ventures like Blue Rocket.
Kiaps
Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (13:41): I welcome the guest-of-government visit by Prime Minister James Marape this weekend. Papua New Guinea is one of Australia's most important partners and we are proud to be an economic, security and defence partner of choice for PNG. Our strong people-to-people links with PNG were, in part, forged by a brave group of forgotten Australians called the kiaps. Kiaps were Commonwealth patrol officers who helped administer Papua and New Guinea on behalf of, first, Great Britain and, later, the League of Nations and the United Nations from 1878 through two 1978.
The mortality rate of kiaps doing their duty for our nation was high: 4.25 per cent compared to just over one per cent in Vietnam. It was dangerous work. Of the 2,000 kiaps who served, 88 died from violence, disease, drowning or executions by the Japanese during World War II. Their remains were not repatriated by the Australian government. PNG leaders, including former prime ministers Sir Julius Chan and Sir Michael Somare, have recognised the kiaps' contribution to nation-building, and it's time that Australia did the same. The kiaps deserve recognition for their work such as through a national monument at Lake Burley Griffin, which the kiaps support.
Economy
Mr KATTER (Kennedy) (13:43): One hundred and seventy billion dollars a year goes into superannuation in Australia. More than half of that money goes into shares. So what we have is a giant Ponzi scheme. The young people who are investing this money have absolutely no idea what they're doing. I'm from a mining background. I started my own mining company. I went into parliament. These people know absolutely nothing, yet that money is going into mining companies they know absolutely nothing about.
One hundred and seventy billion dollars is going into speculation—a roulette wheel, John Maynard Keynes called it. I'll hold up this map of Australia, with the narrow coastal belt and Victoria taken out—no-one would miss Victoria, I suppose. In 95 per cent of Australia there are 1.2 million people. It's empty! Worse still, it's continuing to empty. If a very small amount, like one per cent, of that money that's been wasted on a roulette wheel, a Ponzi scheme, was put in national development as it was up to 1995, we could produce—North Queensland could give you $100 billion a year of extra income for this nation.
International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
Mr JOSH WILSON (Fremantle) (13:44): Today is not only my wife, Georgia's, birthday; it's also the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, and I care about both very much. In recent years we've been given more and more reasons to be concerned about the existence of nuclear weapons and the potential for their use. This year the Russian President has made multiple references to the use of such weapons, which without doubt present a serious threat to human existence. Article six of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons states:
Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.
Unfortunately, very little has occurred on this front and in fact there has been a general deterioration in the existing architecture on arms control and disarmament. The exception, of course, has been the emergence of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, an achievement built on an extraordinary global civil society effort through ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, born in Melbourne. It is very welcome that under this government Australia sent an observer, the member for Macquarie, to the first meeting of the TPNW state parties, in Vienna in June.
We cannot tell ourselves that eliminating nuclear weapons is impossible. We must instead continue to wholeheartedly pursue all opportunities to achieve exactly that.
Generation Innovation
Mr TED O'BRIEN (Fairfax) (13:46): Age is no determinant for the value of people's commercial ideas. Indeed, there are so many young people across Australia who have the most extraordinary ideas. If only they could get them to market. But, the younger a person is, the more they typically lack three things: a business network, business experience and capital to get a good idea off the ground. That is why eight years ago I started a not-for-profit called Generation Innovation, which aims to unleash the innovation of young people.
We run the annual GI Challenge on the Sunshine Coast. The GI Challenge is coming to its final stage, and we have three finalists, three entrepreneurs, in this year's mix: Josie Pacey, whose business is Keola Surfwax, a natural, female centred surf wax; Bailey Page, with Zip Zap Chargers, magnetic, cordless portable phone chargers; and Eliza Blumke, with SpeechPal, an app to assist people with speech and communication difficulties. There can be only one winner, and we'll find out on 12 October who will be the 2022 GI Challenge champion and take out the prize, valued at $10,000. But they are all winners. They're all entrepreneurs. Congratulations.
Iran: Human Rights
Mr BURNS (Macnamara) (13:47): Today I rise to talk about the events in Iran after the death and custody of Mahsa Amini. The images we've seen have been both distressing and inspiring—distressing because we see the Iranian regime killing dozens of young demonstrators in the streets, inspiring because we can see the people of Iran, particularly young people and women, protesting against the regime which has oppressed them more than 40 years. We have seen them taking to the street, singing, dancing, cutting their hair and displaying great courage. Tragically, today we learned that Hadis Najafi, a young woman who had become well known on social media as a symbol of resistance, was also shot and killed by Iranian authorities.
The Iranian people are famous for their intellect, their architecture and their rich history. They should be making a great contribution to the world. Instead they are being cruelly held back. The Iranian regime not only denies freedom at home but also sponsors terrorism abroad and threatens the security of the whole region by developing nuclear weapons. The Iranian regime's ongoing denial of women's rights continues to raise significant questions about their position on the UN Commission on the Status of Women. From Australia we acknowledge the bravery of those protesting. We say at this time, 'We see you and we support your right to protest.'
Rural Road Safety Month
Mr PASIN (Barker) (13:49): September is Rural Road Safety Month. Sadly, 2022 has been a terrible year on Australian roads. In fact, last year's national road toll was exceeded by July this year. Each year, rural and regional road deaths account for almost two-thirds of the national road toll. Unfortunately this includes constituents of mine in Barker, such as Izzy Hancock, who was taken from us far too soon. Izzy was to celebrate her 19th birthday on the day following the incident that claimed her life on a rural road just east of Bordertown in South Australia's south-east. My sincerest condolences are with Izzy's family and friends, who are grieving their unimaginable loss.
But it's a sobering reminder to all of us to take road safety seriously. Unfortunately, South Australia's rural and regional road toll stands at 31 so far this year, while young drivers account for 13 of the state's total road toll of 54 so far this year. Young road users aged 16 to 24 living in regional Australia are around three times more likely to be involved in a crash in which they lose their life or are seriously injured, compared with metropolitan residents of the same age. As Rural Road Safety Month draws to a close, I pledge not only to be a safe driver on the roads but also to continue to advocate for road funding to make our roads safer.
Police Week
Ms ROBERTS (Pearce) (13:51): My heartfelt thanks are extended to our policemen and women, heroes in the eyes of many within our communities. One of my team members is the wife of a hardworking, proud, long-serving local police officer. She has previously written these words and has given me permission to share them today: 'My darling husband, I see you. At two am I see you reach for that same shirt you only took off a few hours ago. I hear the front door gently close so as not to wake me or the kids, even though you know I can hear you and will hear you again when you return. I see you leave to rescue someone from a mangled car, from a violence-filled home, from a complete stranger, from themselves. I love that you just go. You cast no judgement. I imagine their relief when they see the blue lights flashing and they hear your firm hands on their front door. I can see you through their eyes, and you make me so proud. I see you when you come home many hours later, sometimes days, weary and torn. I know every fibre in your body aches for our bed, but our boys want their daddy, and your mind is not ready for sleep after what you have just seen. Your everydays are other people's nightmares. I see you come home and breathe our children in. I see your grateful heart and shining eyes. I can only imagine what you see every day. I'm so grateful that you shield me from so much of what you see and know. Thank you for that. But please know that my shoulders are wide, and I can share your sorrow and pain too, even if it is just to hold you and let you know that I see you.'
Sunrise Christian School
Mr RAMSEY (Grey—Opposition Whip) (13:52): Just last Friday I was given the privilege of opening the new administration building and four classrooms at Sunrise Christian School in Whyalla. The expansion was helped by a $700,000 grant from the Capital Grants Program, but I make the point that the school community contributed two-thirds of the $2.1 million project. Congratulations to the principal and the team at Sunrise Christian College. They are providing a significantly good environment for kids to grow up and learn in. They started only 13 years ago with 36 students, and they now have over 300. Obviously, they have a lot of new facilities that have been assisted by the Commonwealth government along the way but the school community has also worked very hard for those facilities. They deliver schooling from reception to year 10, and whether or not they'll consider delivering the full secondary sphere I guess is yet to be determined. But they are certainly providing an opportunity in Whyalla that the public is looking for. I'm a great supporter of the public school system, but I'm also a great supporter of choice. And people are making choices for reasons: they like the stability, they like the religious ethic or they like the place that their children grow up and are nurtured in. Congratulations to Sunrise.
Pakistan: Floods
Ms THWAITES (Jagajaga) (13:54): The current humanitarian crisis caused by devastating flooding in Pakistan is heartbreaking. Floods now cover one-third of the country, and they're estimated to have killed at least 1,400 people. Many tens of millions of people more have lost their homes and livelihoods. As ever in crises like these, women and children are being disproportionately affected. Aid agencies have reported that children are going hungry and that many people lack access to clean water and sanitation. Pregnant women are being crowded into relief camps, and many people are unable to access life-saving medicines.
Having previously worked as part of international humanitarian efforts, I know that local and international agencies would now be doing all they can to address immediate needs and provide clean water, sanitation, shelter, food and safety. But the task is huge, and it is vitally important that Australia is part of these efforts. With our recent contribution of a further $3 million in emergency humanitarian assistance, our government has now committed $5 million to Pakistan, because we do take our role as a good global citizen seriously.
The severity of these floods also highlights how important it is that our government continues our efforts to address the climate crisis. Climate change is making disasters like these floods more severe, leaving more people at risk of suffering, often in countries that have not been the main contributors to climate change. So this is an effort for us and for people across the world.
Bowman Electorate: Mental Health
Mr PIKE (Bowman) (13:55): A new mental health service planned for Redland Bay in my electorate of Bowman is in jeopardy due to the change of federal government. The former Liberal and Nationals government committed $3.4 million over four years to establish and operate a Head to Health mental health service for the Redland Satellite Hospital, which is currently under construction by the state government. Head to Health are a new network of community based mental health centres which are being rolled out across Australia as part of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan. Mental health issues are a growing concern in all Australian communities, but those in the field are telling me that my community is severely underserviced when it comes to all levels of support.
I recently wrote to the health minister to confirm that the new government was committed to this important project, and the response was extremely worrying. The new government has refused to confirm the funding for the new facility and is refusing to be drawn on the time frame for a decision. The letter indicates that the government is going back to the drawing board to ask the state government and primary health networks to resubmit their proposals, which will undergo a whole new assessment. This is despite the fact that the Redland Bay location was already selected after a rigorous process of assessment based on local needs. If this investment gets taken out of the Redlands and magically appears in a Labor held electorate, I will be calling it out. I'm putting the government on notice not to play politics with this important project for the Redlands.
AFL Grand Final 2022
Ms COKER (Corangamite) (13:57): In case people didn't know, 2022 is now officially the year of the Cats. For those who were in a cocoon on Saturday, the Geelong Football Club, the mighty Cats, had a thumping win. Commiserations go to those of you who are Sydney Swans supporters. It just wasn't your day. But any team in the league would have struggled against the onslaught the Cats delivered on Saturday. The streets of Geelong were jumping on Saturday night, flooded with jubilant supporters, with blue and white flags and streamers everywhere. Geelong Footy Club is truly an extension of the community, and that's no accident.
Leadership on and off the field has long been their hallmark, and no player has shown more leadership than Geelong captain Joel Selwood. Joel led by example. On Saturday he was a warrior on and off the field. Selwood began the day by carrying former premier teammate Gary Ablett's son, Levi, through the banner. After the game, he gave his boots to the Auskick kid who presented him with his medallion, and he acknowledged the contributions of one of the club's young water boys. These were acts of humility and respect. There's no more inspiring leader than Joel Selwood.
On Saturday, the Cats were a show of strength. They were rewarded for their perseverance and commitment through tough COVID times. It was a reward for the fiercely loyal Cats supporters too. Go Cats!
Superannuation
Mr ROBERT (Fadden) (13:58): The first act of any minister tells and determines the priorities of that minister. That's why we're disappointed that the Assistant Treasurer's first move was to water down transparency for the reporting, at annual member meetings, of expenditure by super funds.
To give an example, CSC—and I commend the finance minister for it—has fully reported all of its expenditure: $364,000 in partnerships for the year, and $698,000 in marketing expenditure. Let's look at AustralianSuper: $140 million of expenditure not outlined—$30 million in aggregate promotion and aggregate marketing; $12 million in aggregate remuneration; and $109 million in aggregate related-party payments. The AFR tells us, through an FOI, that in the last five years the super fund industry paid $85 million in non-donation payments to political entities, mostly Labor aligned, and none of it disclosed.
If we are going to have a conversation this week about transparency and integrity, and if it matters to this House, then how could the first action of the government on this be to roll back transparency of super payments? Senator Pocock will seek to disallow these changes in the Senate, and I'm looking forward to both houses regaining transparency when it comes to super. (Time expired)
The SPEAKER: In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.
MINISTRY
Temporary Arrangements
Mr MARLES (Corio—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence) (14:00): I inform the House that the Prime Minister will be absent from question time today and tomorrow as he is in Japan attending the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. I will answer questions on behalf of the Prime Minister. The member for Barton will also be absent from question time today, and questions relating to the Indigenous Australians portfolio will be answered by the member for Kingston.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Cost of Living
Taxation
Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Leader of the Opposition) (14:01): My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Acting Prime Minister, Australians are suffering under your government in relation to rising cost-of-living pressures, at the supermarket, in their electricity bills, in their gas bills, at the bowser, when they renovate their homes and certainly in relation to the increasing mortgage payments that they have to make under your government. With these increasing pressures on Australian households, will the government rule out tax increases, which would further increase cost-of-living pressures, in the upcoming budget?
Mr MARLES (Corio—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence) (14:01): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. Our position on tax, as we took it to the election, is well known, and there have been no changes to that position since the election.
It's ironic, though, that we get this question from the opposition, because one of the great myths of Australian politics is that the Liberals will always tax less, when in fact the truth of the matter is that the highest-taxing government in Australia's history was the Howard government and the second-highest-taxing government in Australia's history was the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government. Those opposite are the ones who go for higher taxes. In fact, when you think about it, over the last 10 years, if you'd been a Menzian Liberal and you'd imagined that you were going to support a party which was about low taxes and small government and small spending, and you looked at this lot—it says everything about why Kooyong is no longer in their pile.
Now, we are absolutely committed to—
The SPEAKER: Order! I'll just ask the Acting Prime Minister to resume his seat.
Opposition members interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my right! The leader will be heard in silence. I give the call to the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr Dutton: Mr Speaker, it's on relevance: the Acting Prime Minister is saying nothing to the hurting households across the country in this arrogant contribution that he's making, which is based on fiction not fact.
The SPEAKER: The leader will resume his seat. The Leader of the House.
Mr Burke: Just a point of order: you've previously made rulings about the Leader of the Opposition misusing points of order in that way. He raised a point of order at the beginning and then went on to just a general rant, which should not be allowed.
The SPEAKER: I call the Acting Prime Minister to remain relevant to the question. He is talking about taxation rates, and I ask him to return to the question.
Mr MARLES: We do understand the pressure that many households are facing with their budgets with increasing interest rates, and easing the pressure on the cost of living is one of the first priorities of this government. It's why we've increased the minimum wage. It's why, this week, we have two bills in the parliament which are about making medicines cheaper and child care more affordable.
But let me make this point. In terms of the pressures that people are facing in managing their household budgets, a critical pressure is in relation to energy prices, and that is in no small part due to a lost decade of economic reform when it comes to dealing with the question of energy, where they had 22 different energy policies and failed to land one of them.
Now, dealing with the cost of living is core business for this government. Our position on tax is very clear; it hasn't changed. But what Australians know is that, in this government, they have a government which is going to fight for their household budget.
Cost of Living
Ms COKER (Corangamite) (14:04): My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to ease the cost of living for Australian families, and is the Acting Prime Minister aware of any alternative policies?
Mr MARLES (Corio—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence) (14:05): I thank the member for Corangamite for her question. She and I are partners in this place in representing the great city of Geelong, which, as of about three o'clock on Saturday afternoon, I can reliably inform the House, is literally the happiest place on earth.
Our government is committed to investments in skills, in technology, in education, which are about trying to build a high-value, high-productivity, high-wage economy. But the issue which is front of mind for every Australian right now is the question of the cost of living. As I said, we understand the pressures that people feel with rising interest rates on their household budgets. It's why easing that pressure is the No. 1 priority of this government. Almost the first act of this government was to seek a real wage increase for the lowest paid. Last week, we saw the biggest increase in the pension in more than a decade. This week, we are dealing with two pieces of legislation which continue this work. The National Health Amendment (General Co-payment) Bill will see a reduction in the maximum co-payment for medicines to $30, which will make medicines cheaper. The Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Cheaper Child Care) Bill will, for 96 per cent of users, make child care less expensive.
But I'm asked whether there are any other alternatives, a question of which those opposite used to be particularly fond. Yesterday, the shadow finance minister gave a particularly succinct answer to that question. She said: 'We're in opposition. We don't have policies.' Can you believe that? Although, given the last 10 years, it's surprising that the Liberal Party feel they need to qualify that statement with the word 'opposition' because in government they had no policies on skills, no policies on productivity, no policies on wages. They did, to be fair, have a whole lot of policies on energy. It's just that they didn't have any that they could agree on. But it does have to be said that in the statement from the shadow minister for finance there was, compared to the last three years, a very commendable and refreshing outbreak of honesty.
After 10 long years, government under Labor is back in the business of economic management. Under the leadership of the Treasurer and finance minister, we will be putting a budget to this House, in about a month, that is going to build a much stronger economy for every Australian.
Economy
Mr TAYLOR (Hume) (14:08): My question is to the Treasurer. Last week, in an interview on Sky News, the Minister for Finance refused to rule out changes to franking credits and changes to negative gearing, and refused to rule out scrapping stage 3 tax cuts. Will the Treasurer rule out changes to franking credits, negative gearing and scrapping stage 3 tax cuts?
Dr CHALMERS (Rankin—Treasurer) (14:08): Every time the member for Hume opens his mouth, he reminds us why, in the 15 seasons of Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell, there has never been a funnier character than when the member for Hume played himself on Wednesday night. You can see why Shaun Micallef tapped out after 15 seasons: you cannot top the comedic performance of the member for Hume being interviewed by Laura Jayes! The very idea, as the Acting Prime Minister said before, that these characters opposite would have the nerve to ask us about tax and about the cost of living after the wasted decade that they have just presided over. We made our position on tax very clear. What we have said is our priority when it comes to tax reform is multinational taxes. We took to the election, and we will implement in the October budget, a plan to ensure that multinationals pay a fairer share of the tax where they make their profits so that we can fund the services that we desperately need to fund. That's our position. And, as the Acting Prime Minister rightly pointed out, you would think that the dregs of the former government would know better than to come up to this dispatch box—having spent a decade taxing more, borrowing more and spending more but delivering much, much less than its Labor predecessors—and ask us about tax and the cost of living.
As the Acting Prime Minister mentioned a moment ago, those opposite have absolutely no idea, they have absolutely no credibility and, as the Shadow Minister for Finance said, they have absolutely no alternatives to the proposals that we will fund in the budget in October.
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order.
Mr Dutton: The point of order is on relevance. The question was, 'Will the Treasurer rule out changes to franking credits, superannuation, negative gearing and stage 3 tax cuts?' He has gone no way to answering that question.
The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is in order. He is referring to tax policy, and I asked him to return to the balance of the question.
Dr CHALMERS: I've made the government's priorities clear when it comes to tax reform, and those are multinational taxes. As people would have read in the Fin today, there is a measure before the House on franking credits, proposed by the former Treasurer—a fellow called Scott Morrison—in 2016. There's a proposal before the parliament to finish that job that he managed in the MYEFO of 2016.
As the Shadow Minister for Finance has said, those opposite have absolutely no alternatives to what we're proposing in the budget. The member for Hume is already a laughing-stock in this place, the Shadow Minister for Finance is determined to outdo him, and the Leader of the Nationals is no better, talking about the little present that they left the Australian people when the government changed hands. The present that those opposite left the Australian people when government changed hands was skyrocketing inflation, falling real wages and a trillion dollars in debt which is becoming more and more costly for the Australian people to service.
Cybersecurity
Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (14:12): My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs and for Cyber Security. What action is the Australian government taking as a result of the Optus data breach?
Ms O'NEIL (Hotham—Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security) (14:12): I thank the member for Gilmore for this very important question. On Wednesday 21 September the Australian government was advised by Optus of a significant cybersecurity breach. Optus have advised that this breach has revealed some personal data of 9.8 million Australians. Of those, 2.8 million Australians have had significant amounts of their personal data taken. Responsibility for this security breach rests with Optus, and I note that the breach is of a nature that we should not expect to see in a large telecommunications provider in this country. Very substantial support has been provided by the Australian government, and I credit the work of the Australian Signals Directorate, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Australian Federal Police in that support.
For the Australian government more broadly, our focus now is on doing whatever we can to help protect Australians who are affected by this breach. This is a very large, multi-agency effort which has seen many hundreds of public servants work through recent public holidays, through the night and straight through the weekend, and the Albanese government thanks them for their efforts. The Australian government, the ACCC and APRA are engaging with the banking sector to see what additional steps can be taken to protect customers. This is complex. It's legally and technically complex, but we are working on a solution. We will also be providing additional protections on government platforms such as myGov.
We expect Optus to continue to do everything that they can to support their customers and former customers. One way that they can do this is by providing free credit-monitoring to impacted customers. It will help protect those customers against identity theft, and I call on Optus to make that commitment today. Put yourselves in the shoes of the customer—you might be one of the member for Gilmore's constituents living in Bateman's Bay or Nowra, you might be a pensioner whose information has been stolen. This is a time of intense anxiety, and I say to Optus: you can do something about this problem today, and we ask you to do that.
A very substantial reform task is going to emerge from a breach of this scale and size, and there are a number of policy issues that I think that the public will soon become quite aware of. One significant question is whether the cybersecurity requirements that we place on large telecommunications providers in this country are fit for purpose. I also note that in other jurisdictions a data breach of this size would result in fines amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. I really hope that this reform task is something that we can work on collaboratively across the parliament. I will speak in coming days about how we will work through those issues in conjunction with other members of parliament.
National Anti-Corruption Commission
Ms DANIEL (Goldstein) (14:15): My question is to the Attorney-General. There are reports that the government has cut a deal with the opposition to weaken national corruption commission legislation to get it passed. Can you reassure the public—many of whom voted for integrity—that, should third parties, including unions, business and lobbyists, seek to corrupt government, they could be investigated and that the commission could investigate serious pork-barrelling, as Labor proposed during the election campaign?
Mr DREYFUS (Isaacs—Attorney-General and Cabinet Secretary) (14:16): I thank the member for Goldstein for her question and I thank her for her constructive engagement throughout my extensive consultation on the national anti-corruption commission. This is a major piece of reform to Australia's integrity framework, and I've consulted across the parliament, including the opposition and the crossbench in both houses, on the formation of the legislation. I look forward to introducing the legislation for a national anti-corruption commission this week.
The Australian people believe in integrity. The Australian people voted for a government which would deliver a powerful, transparent and independent national anti-corruption commission. The commission will have jurisdiction to investigate serious or systemic corruption and will form a central pillar in the integrity framework of our country. It will help restore trust and enforce standards of integrity and accountability in our federal government system.
The government publicly released design principles based on the advice of experts that will ensure the commission operates effectively. The legislation will reflect the principles set out in our design principles. In relation to third parties, the commission will have broad powers to investigate allegations of serious or systemic corruption of or by a public official. The commission will be able to investigate a corruption issue that could involve serious or systemic conduct by any person that could adversely affect the honesty or impartiality of a public official's conduct.
In relation to pork-barrelling, decisions about the allocation of public funds should, of course, be made in the public interest. The government will not be instructing the commission on what particular matters it can and cannot investigate. It will be up to the commission to decide what matters it investigates. To be clear, if the commission considers that the administration of a particular discretionary grants program gives rise to a serious or systemic corruption issue, then the commissioner will have the ability to investigate that issue. I hope all members of this parliament can recognise the importance of this significant reform and support the bill.
Budget
Ms MASCARENHAS (Swan) (14:18): My question is to the Treasurer. What are some of the pressures currently facing the budget, and what are some of the options to help Australians deal with the cost of living?
Dr CHALMERS (Rankin—Treasurer) (14:18): I thank the member for Swan for her question about the budget and the cost of living. When the parliament next sits after this week, it will be to hand down the October budget. What we have tried to do is to level with Australians about the serious challenges facing the economy, global and domestic, and the substantial pressures which are hitting the budget as a consequence of that.
One of the biggest pressures on the budget is the interest costs on the trillion dollars of debt that we inherited from those opposite when they were in office. With higher interest rates, that debt will now cost the budget more and more to service over the years. To give the House a sense of what we're looking at, the interest bill on the pre-election projections for government debt will be around $16 billion higher over the forward estimates and $125 billion higher over the next decade from higher bond yields alone. What that means, to give honourable members an example, is that the interest bill in 2025-26 is expected to now be about $34 billion; the interest bill in 2032 will be about $65 billion.
We'll update those figures in the usual way in our October budget, in line with the revised budget and economic forecast, with all of the conditions that exist at budget time. But it does underscore that the pressure on the budget from this interest bill on the trillion dollars of debt that those opposite racked up will only intensify over time. That's on top of the areas we need to fund that were due to expire under the previous government, weren't budgeted for or weren't delivered on time—for example, the additional $1.4 billion to continue our COVID-19 response that the health minister announced last week; more than $3.5 billion that hasn't been spent for road and rail projects that have been delayed in my colleague's portfolio here; and what will likely amount to around $2 billion or more in support of flood affected communities.
Just as there's pressure on the Commonwealth budget, there is pressure on Australians as well from the skyrocketing cost of living, falling real wages and rising interest rates. That's why, within the budget constraints that I've just run through for the benefit of the House, the task of the budget will be to provide responsible cost-of-living relief that has an economic dividend. That's why cheaper child care is so important with an economic dividend, as are cheaper TAFE fees, cheaper medicines and getting wages moving again, beginning with the lowest paid Australians. That's why this is so important. I think Australians understand that the new government are doing what they can to responsibly provide cost-of-living relief to Australians. They know that the mess that those opposite left us can't be fixed in one budget alone.
Pensions and Benefits
Ms LEY (Farrer—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): My question is to the acting Prime Minister, and I refer to the government's decision to scrap the cashless debit card, which the Alice Springs mayor has said will increase domestic violence. Kununurra local, Kenneth Green, called the card a 'lifesaver' and Wongatha elder Janice Scott said:
The biggest difference was for the kids. Suddenly they had food, they had clothing …
Given the warnings from local Indigenous communities, can the Acting Prime Minister guarantee there will be no increase in domestic violence or neglect of children as a result of scrapping the cashless debit card?
Mr MARLES (Corio—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence) (14:22): I thank the member for her question and acknowledge that Indigenous communities around this country have had to endure a sad history of broken promises and failed programs when it comes to making a real difference in areas like domestic violence, housing and keeping children in schools. But, in seeking to help Indigenous communities in this country, we don't do that by stripping them of their dignity. The cashless debit card seeks to do exactly that, and that's why at the last election we promised to scrap that—and we will. What it did was strip people of their dignity.
What we need to be doing is working with Indigenous communities to empower them. That is why we announced, over the course of the weekend, $50 million to provide additional drug and alcohol services in cashless debit card sites. That's why we've committed $16 million towards community led economic development services in CDC sites. All of these are measures which are about working with Indigenous communities to empower them.
Since the election, both the Minister for Social Services and the Minister for Indigenous Australians have been visiting Indigenous communities across the breadth of this country to work with them about the ways in which we can deal with the critical issues which are affecting their communities. The cashless debit card did none of that. But they can be assured that in this government they will have a partner in improving their lives.
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
Mr GEORGANAS (Adelaide) (14:24): My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to change policy to make medicines more affordable and list life-changing medicines on the PBS?
Mr BUTLER (Hindmarsh—Minister for Health and Aged Care and Deputy Leader of the House) (14:25): I thank my South Australian colleague, the member for Adelaide, for that question. At this year's election Labor promised to strengthen Medicare and to cut the cost of medicines, and we're getting on with delivering those promises. Cutting the cost of Medicare is good not only for households who are dealing with unprecedented cost-of-living pressures but also for the health of the nation. We know from the Bureau of Statistics that every year as many as 900,000 Australians go without the medicines that their doctors have said are important for their health simply because they cannot afford them. This week legislation will be debated in this House to deliver the biggest cut to the cost of medicines in the 75-year history of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, cutting the general patient maximum co-contribution from $42.50 to just $30, and support for that legislation across the parliament will help us deliver those cuts on 1st January as we promised.
But I'm also pleased to report that Australians will see additional price relief for medicines even sooner than that. This Saturday, on 1st October, the government will deliver reductions in the prices of more than 2,000 different brands of medicines, delivering $130 million in price relief into the pockets of ordinary Australians and $930 million back to the budget that can be invested in new, innovative, state-of-the-art medicines. For example, 500,000 Australians use esomeprazole for the treatment of stomach ulcers, and after this Saturday each script for those 500,000 Australians will be about $7 cheaper. About 60,000 Australians use quetiapine for the treatment of bipolar and similar disorders, and each script for that drug will be about $6 cheaper next week than this week. On Saturday we'll also deliver six new and amended listings to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The well-known immunotherapy Keytruda will be extended to head and neck cancers. About 500 patients will have access to that life-saving medicine that otherwise would cost $135,000 per course of treatment. After this listing, it will go down to $42.50 per script and from 1st January to just $30. Avelumab will be extended to the treatment of bladder cancers for 400 patients every year who would be paying about $106,000 for each course of treatment. Not only will the Albanese government's plans for cheaper medicines deliver much needed cost-of-living relief at this time of unprecedented pressure; they will also mean that no-one in this country need go without medicines because they can't afford them.
Energy
Dr WEBSTER (Mallee) (14:28): My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Due to record energy prices, businesses in my electorate of Mallee are considering closing, potentially leaving hundreds unemployed. One such business, a brick manufacturer in Stawell, announced it was closing after 80 years in business. When will businesses in my electorate receive the promised $275 energy bill relief?
Mr MARLES (Corio—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence) (14:28): I thank the member for her question. We certainly acknowledge the pressure associated with increases of prices that is being placed on household budgets and, in this case, businesses. As I said earlier, our core business, the No. 1 priority for the government, is about easing the cost of living. And that also goes to the question of reducing energy prices. One of the real differences now compared to when I first entered parliament in 2007 is that cheap energy in this country is renewable energy and that the way in which we get energy prices down is improving our energy grid and having policy certainty which allows people to invest in renewable energy and have that renewable energy be able to be received by the grid. But the problem is that we've had a lost decade when it comes to energy policy. Those opposite had 22 different energy policies. They failed to have a situation where there was policy certainty and that's why we have not seen the investment in renewable energy that we should have seen. On this side of the House, we have done more in the last 15 weeks of this government than those opposite did in the last 10 years. Their inaction on energy has been absolutely shameful, but the height of that shame was what we saw from the shadow Treasurer, the former Minister for Energy, when he sought to change the law in order to mean that he did not have to tell the Australian people—
The SPEAKER: The Acting Prime Minister will take a break, and I will hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.
Mr Fletcher: Mr Speaker, we have a precedent on the question of relevance that was established by Speaker Jenkins on the importance of ministers having to be directly relevant. I think it would assist the House if this convention were upheld, and I ask you to ask the Acting Prime Minister to bring his answer back to being directly relevant to a very specific question.
The SPEAKER: The Acting Prime Minister is in order, and I give him the call now.
Mr MARLES: The height of the shame of the former government was when the former energy minister sought to change the law so that he didn't have to tell the Australian people about an increase in the default retail price for electricity before the election. Can you imagine a more venal or a more pathetic conversation than that which the former minister must have had with his department when he sought advice about what he needed to do in order to make sure that he didn't have to tell the Australian people about his failure and the failure of his government? The shame in that is the very reason that we now have the energy issues that we face. But what you've got on this side of the parliament is a government—
The SPEAKER: The Acting Prime Minister will pause. Deputy Leader of the Opposition, a point of order on relevance has already been made. I give you the call.
Ms Ley: I seek leave to table a document: Labor's Powering Australia document, which refers to the $275 energy price cuts.
The SPEAKER: The deputy leader will resume her seat. It's not the time to do that. If you wish to table a document, wait until the Acting Prime Minister has concluded his answer. I give the—
Honourable member s interjecting—
The SPEAKER: When the House comes to order—I call the Acting Prime Minister.
Mr MARLES: In contrast to the complete ineptitude of those opposite, what we now have is a government which is actually going to have settled policy on energy, which will see a reduction in energy prices.
The SPEAKER: Is the deputy leader seeking to table a document?
Ms Ley: Yes, Mr Speaker, Labor's Powering Australia document which explains—
The SPEAKER: Wait just a moment, Deputy Leader. I give the call to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Ms Ley: I seek leave to table a document, Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER: Deputy Leader, I don't know what the document is, and the government doesn't know what the document is simply by your holding it up. Are you seeking to table a document? If so, can you explain to the House what the document is?
Ms Ley: The document is the Powering Australia policy—Labor's plan to cut power bills by $275, explained at least 15 times in this document.
Mr Burke: We're not going to grant leave to table the internet—not the internet.
Child Care
Mr LAXALE (Bennelong) (14:34): My question is to the Minister for Education. How is the Albanese Labor government changing policy to make child care more affordable for Australians families?
Mr CLARE (Blaxland—Minister for Education) (14:34): I thank the member for Bennelong for his question and wish him well in his first speech in just about half an hour's time. Anyone that has children in child care knows how expensive it is. It's gone up by 41 per cent just in the last eight years. One of the most important commitments that we made at the election was to cut the cost of child care. This week, I'll introduce legislation to implement that commitment. It will cut the cost of child care for more than one million Australian families. That's good for children, it's good for parents and it's good for our economy.
For our children, it will mean they are better prepared for school. For parents, for mums in particular, it will make it easier to do more paid work if they want to. A lot of Australians want to work more, but, if they do, a lot of that pay is gobbled up in childcare costs, so it means that it's not worth it. This helps explain why 60 per cent of mums with children under the age of six are working part time rather than full time. If you make child care cheaper, that helps parents who want to work to work more hours and more days. For our economy, that means thousands more skilled workers. Treasury estimates that this will add up to 37,000 extra full-time workers to the economy in 2023-24. During the election, we also promised to get the ACCC to conduct an inquiry into childcare costs, and last week the Treasurer and I announced that this inquiry will start on 1 January. The ACCC will provide its interim findings before 1 July next year and it will deliver its final report by the end of next year.
Finally, the legislation that I'll introduce this week will also include another important measure. Last year, for the first time ever, progress towards the Closing the Gap target for school readiness for Indigenous children went backwards. The gap is getting bigger, not smaller. We've got to turn this around. We all know how important access to early childhood education is in making sure that our children are ready for school.
Mr Tudge: Why isn't Anne Aly answering this? She's the childcare minister. She's been sidelined.
The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Aston will cease interjecting.
Mr CLARE: That's why, as part of the legislation that I will introduce this week, all Indigenous children will be able to access 36 hours of subsidised child care a fortnight. These are important reforms. They're good for children, they're good for parents and they're good for our economy.
Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility
Mr WILLCOX (Dawson) (14:37): My question is to the Minister for Northern Australia. I refer to the government's changes to insert its emissions reduction target into the program criteria for projects in the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility pipeline. Has the minister received any advice from her department that this will lead to gas supply or coal projects in the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility pipeline being cancelled, restricted or delayed?
Mr Littleproud interjecting—
Ms MADELEINE KING (Brand—Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia) (14:38): Thanks to the leader of the Nats for that unhelpful comment. I thank the member for their question. What is happening with the recent legislation in this country is that it is aligning all parts of government behind a united aim to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and reduce our targets to 43 per cent. This is something the Australian people voted for, right across Northern Australia, right across Western Australia and right across Queensland and Victoria. All states in this nation voted for a net zero position. That is a fact, and that is what we are doing.
We are making sure that all policy areas align with this government's very ambitious direction to get to net zero emissions by 2050. That aligns with the rest of the world. That is something which we must be enormously proud of and which only this government will deliver. Those opposite put their heads in the sand for the last 10 years and brought us back down behind everyone else in the climate fight. We need to be able to resist global warming in this country and around the world. We will work with our international partners. We know that our international partners, such as Japan and Korea, who we sell gas to and have been selling gas to for a long time, will rely on gas as part of their net zero emissions goals. So we will keep providing gas supply and we will have supply in this country into the future.
What those opposite need to know is that the Climate Change Bill has aligned this country with the rest of the world. I'm very proud of that, and I'm very proud that Northern Australia will be doing it as well. In fact, the only interference that has been made in the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility was from those opposite, when they banned a wind farm that would have created hundreds of jobs in Cairns. So those opposite can talk about that all they like, but they are the ones who have interfered in the NAIF consistently, and always we are the ones who will support northern Australia and gas into the future.
Housing
Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (14:40): My question is to the Minister for Housing. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to improve the housing affordability challenges confronting Australia?
Ms COLLINS (Franklin—Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness and Minister for Small Business) (14:40): I want to thank the member for Hunter. I know that he's very engaged in making sure that more of his constituents have a safe and affordable place to call home, because those of us on this side of the House—and, I'm sure, some on the other side—understand that safe and affordable housing is central to the security and dignity of all Australians. We're also aware, of course, that rising interest rates and costs and supply issues have impacted on housing affordability right across the country. Indeed, far too many Australians are being hit by increasing rents, far too many Australians are struggling to afford to be able to buy a home and, sadly, far too many Australians are at risk of experiencing homelessness or are experiencing homelessness.
We know that there are no quick solutions, but that's why our government has hit the ground running to deliver on our ambitious housing reform agenda with immediate action alongside our medium- and long-term goals. We've acted very quickly, by widening the remit of the National Housing Infrastructure Facility to allow it to invest in social and affordable housing by unlocking up to $575 million. This support will build on our commitment to build 30,000 new social and affordable housing properties through a $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund. We've had two meetings of state and territory housing ministers, and that first meeting was our first in almost five years, because, of course, those on the other side deemed this not necessary. And our second meeting was at the end of the last sitting week.
We've also brought forward the regional first home buyer guarantee to this weekend. So, from 1 October, eligible Australians in regional areas will be assisted into homeownership sooner. By helping regional Australians get into their first home with a deposit as little as five per cent, our commitment will help cut down one of the biggest burdens potential homebuyers face and will bring the great Australian dream back into the reach of many. ANZ CoreLogic is saying that the average homebuyer in regional Australia now has to save for over 11 years for a deposit to get into the current housing market. We need to make it easier for those people who want to be able to live and work in our regions. We know, of course, that more Australians are also having trouble with rent, because they've been unable to buy their own home, and that these measures will help ease pressures for those trying to find a home in the tight rental market.
We're also going to introduce our National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, to ensure that the Commonwealth plays a leadership role in increasing housing supply and improving affordability. We've hit the ground running, as I said. We want to bring new national leadership to housing. We want to get more homes on the ground sooner, for more Australians to have a safe and affordable place to call home. Given over the weekend the opposition over there confirmed that they don't have any policies, I look forward to their support for delivering on our ambitious agenda so that more Australians have a safe place to call home. (Time expired)
Commonwealth Integrity Commission
Ms SPEND ER (Wentworth) (14:43): My question is to the Attorney-General, the member for Isaacs. The Labor Party went to the election with a commitment to legislating a national anticorruption commission. One of the design principles in this policy was that the NACC would have the power to hold public hearings. Could the Attorney please explain why public hearings are essential requirements for an integrity commission and rule out any deals which remove that power?
Mr DREYFUS (Isaacs—Attorney-General and Cabinet Secretary) (14:44): I thank the member for Wentworth for her question and thank her for the constructive engagement that she has shown with me during the extensive consultation that I have had with the whole of the parliament, including the opposition and the crossbench in both houses, on the formation of this legislation. I do look forward to introducing the legislation for a national anticorruption commission this week.
I say again: the Australian people believe in integrity. The Australian people voted for a government which will deliver a powerful, transparent and independent national anticorruption commission. It's a commission that will have jurisdiction to investigate serious or systemic corruption and will deliver a central pillar of the integrity framework in this country. It will help restore trust and enforce standards of integrity and accountability in our federal government system.
Some three years ago Labor released design principles based on the advice of experts, which will ensure that the commission operates effectively. The legislation we are bringing to the parliament will reflect these principles and go to the specific matter raised by the member for Wentworth—the holding of public hearings. One of the deficiencies of the model that was put forward by the former government, who of course never brought legislation to the parliament, was that public hearings would not be available in respect of allegations made against ministers or allegations made against members of parliament. As I said repeatedly during public debate about the model that the former government had put forward, that was wrong. We have made clear in our design principles that public hearings must be available to this commission because the experience of the eight existing state and territory commissions has shown us that, in order for an anticorruption commission such as we proposing to be effective, there must be the possibility of public hearings, and that's what the parliament will see in the legislation we bring to the parliament later this week.
Energy
Ms THWAITES (Jagajaga) (14:47): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. What policies are being adopted by the Albanese Labor government to futureproof our energy network and put downward pressure on energy costs? What will this mean for Australian consumers and why is action so important?
Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Climate Change and Energy) (14:47): I thank the honourable member for her question and recognise her leadership on matters of climate change. This is the first question time that has been held since the government's Climate Change Act passed both houses of parliament and received royal assent. Of course, the important thing about the Climate Change Act is that it sends the message to investors around the world that Australia is open for business in relation to renewable energy, transmission and storage. I'm pleased to report to the House that that message has been received around the world. Last week in the United States I received indications from companies like J&J, Amazon and Google that they are considering major investments in renewable energy in this country—up to $2.9 billion worth of job-creating investment in this country. This is the importance of certainty in policy frameworks. This is the importance of one set of rules.
Part of our approach to the certainty framework is our engagement in international agreements. I heard it said yesterday that the opposition don't have any policies, which I thought was very unfair to the opposition because in some ways they over there are an ideas factory. We had one last week from the member for Hinkler. The member for Hinkler last week had the great idea of leaving the Paris Agreement. That was his suggestion for the opposition.
The opposition would take us into an elite group famous for their investment certainty and their economic robustness in the regime. This elite group that the opposition want to take us into consists of Libya, Eritrea, Iran and Yemen. They're the countries that aren't in the Paris Agreement. There are only four, but there would be five if we joined that great group of countries where they have great investment certainty in that regime.
On this side of the House, we understand that the cheapest form of energy is renewable energy. The CSIRO knows it. AEMO knows it. AEMO said, 'Renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy by a country mile.' But the opposition say, 'No, we know better.' The Paris Agreement is good enough for Russia and Saudi Arabia. It's good enough for North Korea! But it's not good enough, apparently, for the Leader of the Opposition.
Cybersecurity
Mr HASTIE (Canning) (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Cyber Security. Has the minister spoken personally to the Optus CEO about the company providing customers with credit monitoring or the other measures she spoke about in her answer?
Ms O'NEIL (Hotham—Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security) (14:50): The answer is yes.
Jobs and Skills Australia Bill 2022
Mr BURNELL (Spence) (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Skills and Training. What policy changes are the Albanese Labor government making to tackle labour shortages and provide opportunities for Australians, including through Jobs and Skills Australia?
Mr O'CONNOR (Gorton—Minister for Skills and Training) (14:51): I thank the member for Spence for his question and, of course, his long advocacy for training in the transport sector and representing workers in that field. Today, this chamber passed the Jobs and Skills Australia Bill. It's a very important bill. It wasn't coincidental that the Prime Minister and this government sought to have that bill be the first introduced into the parliament this parliamentary term. It's because we know how important it is for us to find the right vehicle to advise government and, indeed, advise industry to supply the skills that are in demand now but also to forecast more precisely the areas of emerging demand. We believe that JSA will provide that vehicle, and that's really important.
While I'm on my feet responding to the question from the member for Spence, I'd like to thank the members for Indi, Kennedy and Goldstein. They engaged with me and my office about the bill, and in fact we moved an amendment today reflecting those discussions, which was passed on the voices in this chamber. I did engage with the opposition and we did engage with the crossbench. We do so because we're a government that want to actually engage with the parliament and get things right. When we said we wanted to create a body, we wanted to do so but have a proper level of engagement in this chamber and in the other place, and that's what we're doing—implementing the policies we promised before the last election and doing so in a considered fashion. If a member in this chamber has a good proposition for a bill that I've introduced, I'm very happy to engage with that member. That's what's happened here today, improving a bill to ensure that we emphasise the need not only to identify skills shortages in our economy but also to think of ways in which we can prevent people from being impeded from access to the labour market, whether they be First Nations people, people with disability or people over 55, who have often been discriminated against in this country. In particular, we need to do better to provide opportunities for women to access the labour market, or provide more opportunities within the labour market. JSA can play a role in assisting government and industry to do that as well.
This is an important bill. We want this bill to be discussed and debated in the other place, and we'd like to see it enacted soon. We inherited a very significant, acute skills shortage in this nation. We need to supply the skills that employers are crying out for, that workers need for secure employment and that our economy needs, which, of course, will benefit from a skilled and knowledgeable workforce; that will make it a more productive economy and, indeed, a more successful country.
Income Tax
Mr CHANDLER-MATHER (Griffith) (14:54): My question is to the Acting Prime Minister, and it is on Labor's stage 3 tax cuts. Can you explain the economic benefit of giving a federal politician, or anyone else earning more than $200,000 a year, an extra $9,000 a year off on their tax while someone on the minimum wage gets nothing?
Dr CHALMERS (Rankin—Treasurer) (14:54): I thank the honourable member for his question. As the honourable member knows and appreciates, I'm sure, the government's position on stage 3 tax cuts hasn't changed, for all of the reasons that we've talked about all of the other times that we've been asked in this place and elsewhere.
I know that the Leader of the Greens put out a press release in the last 24 hours, saying that, were we to go down the path that the Greens are proposing, there would be an opportunity to provide more funds in important areas like child care and health care. I'm very pleased to inform the Greens, and the parliament as well, that there will be in the budget in October game-changing investments in health care and in child care. We are especially proud of the fact that the biggest new investment in the budget that I will hand down from this dispatch box next month will be that game-changing investment in child care, because cheaper child care is cost-of-living relief with an economic dividend. Australian parents deserve to have that option—which the minister was talking about before and which other colleagues have talked about on other occasions—to work more and earn more if they want to, and we want the childcare system to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem in that regard.
So there will be game-changing investments in child care. There will be the investments in health care that the health minister ran through before. They will be important elements of the budget. But our position on the tax cuts that the member asked me about hasn't changed.
Environment
Mr BURNS (Macnamara) (14:56): My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water. How is the Albanese Labor government showing leadership on the environment, both nationally and internationally, after a decade of neglect?
Ms PLIBERSEK (Sydney—Minister for the Environment and Water) (14:56): I want to thank the member for Macnamara for that question. He is one of the strongest advocates in this place for real action on climate change and for real action to protect our beautiful environment.
I was delighted this week when our Prime Minister signed the Leaders Pledge for Nature at the United Nations. This was an important commitment, joining Australia to the global effort to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. This is a document that commits us as a nation to working with other nations on stronger global efforts to reduce deforestation; stop unsustainable fishing practices; provide more sustainable food systems; and promote the circular economy and recycling—not so controversial, really.
But those opposite refused the opportunity to sign up in 2020, because the Morrison government said, in a moment of real honesty, that this didn't fit; it was inconsistent with their policies. So they rejected the offer made by those dangerous greenies like Angela Merkel, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, Jacinda Ardern and Justin Trudeau, who invited us to be part of this international effort. And I tell you: they were right that this was inconsistent with their policies, because their policies over the last nine years saw them cut environment funding by 40 per cent, axe climate laws and sabotage the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, tying it up with brown tape. Those opposite failed to fix Australia's broken environmental laws. They hid the State of the environment report. They had it for months and never released it when they were in government, because it tells the story that Australia's environment is bad and getting worse.
The SP EAKER: The minister will pause. I call the Manager of Opposition Business.
Mr Fletcher: Mr Speaker, on previous occasions you have directed a minister back to the question following a preamble. We had about 15 seconds on the question, and then it's been a general spray at the opposition's record, so I ask you to follow your own precedent and direct the minister back to the question.
The SPEAKER: I thank the manager. The question was specific about a decade of neglect. The minister is in order: she is referring to the past decade.
Ms PLIBERSEK: I won't talk about the fact that they set recycling targets with no way of achieving them. I won't talk about the fact that they halved the areas of marine park under high conservation. Instead I will talk about our priorities, which are: legislating more ambitious emissions reduction targets; rewriting our environmental laws to build trust, integrity and efficiency into the system; growing the national estate so that 30 per cent of our land and 30 per cent of our seas will be protected by 2030; protecting our Great Barrier Reef with a $1.2 billion investment; delivering on the promises made and broken on Kakadu National Park by those opposite; establishing a world-leading nature market; investing to better protect threatened species—Australians are so dismayed by the fact that our koalas are now endangered along the eastern seaboard; doubling the number of Indigenous rangers; and adding to Indigenous protected areas. It is only ever under Labor that the environment is protected. (Time expired)
Attorney-General
Mr FLETCHER (Bradfield—Manager of Opposition Business) (15:00): My question is to the Attorney-General. I refer to the fact that the largest shareholder in Omni Bridgeway, Australia's largest litigation funding business, is Greencape Capital Pty Ltd, the manager of the Greencape Broadcap Fund, a fund in which the Attorney-General has disclosed a holding. Has the Attorney-General disclosed this underlying holding to the Prime Minister under clause 3.12 of the ministerial code of conduct, which requires an immediate notification where an investment in a company might give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest?
Mr DREYFUS (Isaacs—Attorney-General and Cabinet Secretary) (15:00): I thank the member for his question. I have complied with the ministerial code of conduct at all times.
PacificAus Sports
Mr PERRETT (Moreton) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for International Development and the Pacific. How are the Albanese Labor government's Pacific sporting programs improving Australia's Pacific relationships and supporting Pacific aspirations?
Mr CONROY (Shortland—Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for International Development and the Pacific) (15:01): I thank the member for Moreton for his excellent question. There is no greater champion of sport in this place than the member for Morton. If there's a parliamentary sport to be played, he is there.
Sport brings the Pacific together. It's symbolic of our shared values, our history and our people-to-people connections. Some people in this House might have thought the most important sporting event of the weekend was in Melbourne on Saturday night. But, sadly, they are wrong. The most important sporting event was the Prime Minister's XXIII games in Brisbane last night between the Australian and PNG women's and men's teams. It was a great night. Prime Ministers Albanese and Marape were there, along with six PNG ministers and Minister Wells and I. The Leader of the Opposition was also there, and I thank him for his presence, demonstrating the bipartisan commitment in this place to the Pacific.
Prior to that game I had the privilege of announcing $2.3 million in funding to support the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League high-performance strategy. This is all about growing and empowering rugby league in the Pacific, and in Papua New Guinea in particular. It's all about generating the next Justin Olam and the next Elsie Albert, to bring them on into the rugby league competition. This is an example of the broader support for Pacific sports within this government, started by the Keating government in 1994 and now continued under the $15 million per annum PacificAus Sports program. This supports the most popular sports in the Pacific—netball, rugby league, rugby union and football—throughout the six nations of PNG, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga. It's all about using sport to improve the lives of people and especially to empower women and girls.
Sports brings the Pacific family together. You just have to watch the joy of the Fijian Drua team when they won the women's Super Pacific Rugby cup. It was evident last night, when I'm sad to say 95 per cent of the crowd was going for Papua New Guinea! And it will be evident on Sunday night coming up, where we see Penrith play Parramatta in the NRL grand final, where 50 per cent of NRL players are of Pasifika origin. That's great for our country and it's great for the region. Sports cooperation or sports diplomacy brings the Pacific together. It's a critical part of Australia's engagement with the Pacific, it's a critical advantage we have in remaining the partner of choice for the Pacific family, and it was great to see Prime Ministers Marape and Albanese there last night, celebrating Pacific sports together.
Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Leader of the Opposition) (15:04): On indulgence, Mr Speaker, just quickly: I want to thank the minister for his answer and thank him for the recognition of what was a very significant event last night. Obviously, he's a Sydney Swans supporter, which is why he was happy to move on from the other event on the weekend—for some reason he didn't like that game! Last night was a celebration of the friendship between our two countries and there is no more important period in history where our two countries need to come together, and James Marape is a particularly dear friend of our country. Bryan Kramer and other ministers were there last night, and we've worked very closely with all of them over a long period of time. The fact that our Prime Minister has extended an opportunity for Prime Minister Marape to travel with him to Tokyo for Mr Abe's funeral is to be recognised as well. The depth of the friendship is necessary. And through sport, as the minister points out, it is a common language and an opportunity for us to develop and grow even further the relationship between our two countries. It was a great night. It was a little one-sided by about 70 to four in the results in each of the games, but, nonetheless, it was a celebration of a great friendship.
Cost of Living
Mrs ARCHER (Bass) (15:05): My question is to the Treasurer. Since its election, this government has failed to take any practical action to address rising costs of living, and over the next few weeks, Tasmanian families will see a 25c-a-litre jump in fuel prices. Does the Treasurer expect my constituents to wait until he delivers his budget in a month for any sign of additional relief, or will this government do its job and produce a plan for addressing this cost of living crisis?
Dr CHALMERS (Rankin—Treasurer) (15:05): I say respectfully to the member for Bass that if those opposite didn't want the fuel excise relief to end on Wednesday night, why did they legislate that before the government changed hands? I find it very concerning that those opposite are either being dishonest about that or don't understand that that's the legislation that they put into this parliament, that the fuel excise relief will stop on Wednesday night of this week. We've been very upfront with people—before the election, during the election and after the election—that, when you inherit a budget which is heaving with a trillion dollars in Liberal Party debt from those opposite spraying money around to their mates, giving money out to everyone who comes through the door, that necessitates some difficult decisions on this side of the House. We could do what those opposite have done and pretend away these fiscal pressures which are damaging the budget and making it harder for us to provide cost-of-living relief to Australians right around the country—
Mr Pasin interjecting —
The SPEAKER: The member for Barker is warned.
Dr Chalmers: and we're not prepared to do that. We've been upfront about the future of the fuel excise relief that will come off on Wednesday night for all the reasons we've been saying since before the election. It's consistent with the legislation that those opposite proposed and passed through this House. When people hear those opposite playing politics with that petrol excise relief, they understand that it's those opposite who legislated it to finish on Wednesday night.
When it comes to the broader costs of living, you'd think that, after a decade of deliberate wage stagnation and deliberate wage suppression, those opposite would be too ashamed of themselves to come in here and talk about the cost of living. If it hadn't been for a government that said that a deliberate design feature of their economic policy was to keep wages low, then Australians would find it easier to deal with these costs of living, which are skyrocketing as a consequence of some international factors as well as some domestic factors. What we've said since the election, before the election and during the election campaign itself is that we will provide responsible cost-of-living relief. We'll make child care cheaper, we'll make medicines cheaper, we'll make TAFE fees cheaper, and we'll get wages moving again after that wasted decade of deliberate wage stagnation and wage suppression. The difference between this side of the House is that we will always do what's right for working people in this country who are dealing with these cost-of-living pressures. Those opposite spent a decade making people's lives harder by going after their wages and working conditions.
Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide
Ms LAWRENCE (Hasluck) (15:08): My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. How is the Albanese Labor government responding to the interim report from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide?
Mr KEOGH (Burt—Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel) (15:08): I thank the member for Hasluck for her very important question and for her service as part of Unit 109 Signals Army Reserve as well. When a person enlists in ADF, they are signing up to serve their country, to serve the people of Australia, but the rate of veteran suicide in Australia is a national tragedy. It is a rate that is significantly higher than across the general Australian population. Indeed, Australia has lost more serving and former serving personnel to suicide over the last 20 years than it did over the same period of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. That is why the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide needed to happen. This government called for that royal commission when we were in opposition. It's why, when the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide provided its interim report to the government on 11 August, this government saw that it was tabled in parliament and made public that same day. That day, on behalf of the government, I welcomed the report and provided the government's initial response. Today I followed through on our commitment then to formally respond to the report as soon as possible, today presenting our formal response.
We have a lot of work to do, but we are a responsible government that will take action. We are doing that from today, and the interim report's 13 recommendations fall into three key themes: improving claims processing, administration of the royal commission and access to information by loved ones. The government has already implemented one of those recommendations. We have agreed to nine, we have agreed in principle to one and we have noted two others. We have agreed to develop a pathway to simplify and harmonise veterans compensation and rehabilitation legislation. We will work to eliminate the claims backlog and improve the veterans' experience of the administration of the claims system. We're liaising with the Department of Veterans' Affairs on their funding needs on a regular basis. We have removed the Department of Veterans' Affairs average staffing cap.
We agree in principle to work to increase the protections for people who engage with the royal commission. We've noted the importance of access to information whilst protecting the freedom of speech in this parliament and the need for the royal commissioners to have access to the information they need and will improve policies and practices around public interest immunity. We have also agreed to recommendations 9 through 13 to improve the release of information from Defence and DVA to family about a deceased family member.
A lot of work is already underway, but we are under no illusion. There is a lot more work to do. The royal commission and the government's response is also an opportunity to shine a light on the supports that are available, and we will continue to improve promotion of them into all corners of the community of defence families and veterans and their families. Our government is committed to the task of saving lives and ensuring a better future for our defence and veteran communities.
Mr JOYCE (New England) (15:11): on indulgence—I concur in my remarks on the observation of the interim report. In listening to the minister's statement, I see no great gulf between our two positions. Our endeavours are absolutely focused on making sure we deal with the tragedy of veteran suicide. It's a travesty that one of the safest places you can be with regard to suicide is in the full-time service or in the reserves but some of the most afflicted groups are ex-servicemen on their way out of the services—one of the highest suicide rates—and those who by reason of medical discharge have gone out of the services. We want to make sure that civvie street is as safe as the barracks, and we on this side are very proud of having brought about the royal commission. Once more I commend the efforts of the member for Wide Bay, the member for Braddon, the member for Herbert and the member for Canning on their efforts to bring about the royal commission. Those who have served our nation and especially those who have paid the supreme sacrifice deserve no less from us than our greatest endeavours to make sure that our people are safe and those who have served our nation are treated with respect and live a fulsome life that is warranted to them and to the honour of their families, who have given so much for the protection of our land.
Mr Marles: I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.
DOCUMENTS
Presentation
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (15:13): 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.
Commonwealth Ombudsman
Presentation
The SPEAKER (15:13): I present the Commonwealth Ombudsman's quarterly reports under section 712F(6) of the Fair Work Act 2009 for the periods 1 January to 31 March 2022 and 1 April to 30 June 2022.
The documents were made parliamentary papers.
AUDITOR-GENERAL'S REPORTS
Reports Nos 4 to 5 of 2022-23
The SPEAKER (15:14): I present the Auditor-General's Audit reports Nos 4 and 5 for 2022-23 entitled Australian government implementation of the National Waste Policy Action Plan: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water; and Digital Transformation Agency's procurement of ICT-related services: Digital Transformation Agency.
Documents made parliamentary papers.
BUSINESS
Leave of Absence
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (15:14): I move:
That leave of absence until the remainder of the current period of sittings be given to Ms Murphy and Mr Chester on the ground of public business overseas.
Question agreed to.
GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH
Address in Reply
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That the following Address in Reply to the speech of His Excellency the Governor-General be agreed to:
May it please Your Excellency:
We, the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, in Parliament assembled, express our loyalty to the Sovereign, and thank Your Excellency for the speech which you have been pleased to address to Parliament.
The SPEAKER (15:15): The question is that the address be agreed to. Before I call the honourable member for Bennelong, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech and I ask the House to extend to them the usual courtesies. I give the call to the honourable member for Bennelong.
Mr LAXALE (Bennelong) (15:15): I begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land we meet on today, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, and pay respect to their continuing culture and their ongoing contribution to this region.
I also acknowledge Bennelong's traditional custodians, the Wallumedegal, who lived for generations in a rich environment of river flats, mangrove swamps and creeks. Their land is called Wallumetta and it is a rich sandstone basin oasis. The Wallumedegal fished with pronged spears and handlines; they gathered shellfish and hunted birds and small game. Wallumetta was their home—until it wasn't. European settlement dispossessed the Wallumedegal, while an earthwork fort at Parramatta forced them to move down the river to The Flats, located near Meadowbank.
In 1789, a devastating smallpox epidemic swept through Sydney and Wallumetta. Many deaths, particularly senior knowledge-holders and women, caused an unprecedented demographic upheaval. It is believed that the epidemic killed so many of the Wallumedegal that there are now no known descendants left.
Invasion and dispossession destroyed the Wallumedegal. As we acknowledge them, their tragic history must be known as we continue along the path of reconciliation and truth-telling.
Bennelong is also home to its namesake. Woollarawarre Bennelong is buried locally with his wife, Boorong. He is remembered as courageous, intelligent and good with children.
There's something special in the fact that, both times Labor has held Bennelong, we have worked with the Indigenous community to deliver long-overdue action and reform. In 2007, it was the Apology to the Stolen Generations, and, in this term, a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Modern-day Bennelong is home to those who wish to be welcomed and those who want to contribute. It is home for those who love our country and want it to succeed. It's a melting pot of stories, cultures and people who collectively want to make our nation better, stronger and safer. Bennelong is home to the modern Australia. We are a vibrant, culturally diverse, entrepreneurial community that strives for success. We want it for our families and our friends, for our local economy and for our nation.
Bennelong is the Lane Cove River to the north and the Parramatta River to the south. It is the bustling town centres of Eastwood, West Ryde, Ermington, Putney, Gladesville, Epping and Carlingford, and it is the economic powerhouse of Macquarie Park, Australia's eighth-largest economy and home to some of the most innovative businesses in the country and the world. It's the tranquil cul de sacs, our new vertical suburbs, the pockets of protected urban forests and the weekend whistles at netball courts and soccer fields.
And, for the last 16 years, Bennelong has been my home. It's where my kids go to school, where I live with my partner, Jo, and where I work. It's where I go to the pub to grab a beer and where I choose to treat myself when I decide to go out for dinner. Bennelong is where I've lived the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. My connection to Bennelong and its community defines who I am. You've heard it all before, but to be here, in this place, representing my home, is something that I'll forever be thankful for.
Special thanks to my predecessor, John Alexander, for his 12 years of service to the parliament and to Bennelong. He is a good man and was a great local member. I had the pleasure of working with Mr Alexander in my former capacity as Mayor of the City of Ryde. We shared a common interest in sport, high-speed rail and the delivery of affordable housing.
I also pay tribute to former member Maxine McKew, who paved the way for Labor to believe it could win Bennelong. Her campaign was the very first federal campaign I volunteered for, alongside the member for Reid, and it's such an honour to repeat her extraordinary feat 15 years on. And, of course, thank you to the people of Bennelong for their faith in me and their trust in our new Prime Minister.
Here's a little bit of trivia for you, Mr Speaker: there have been more former members of Bennelong called John than there have been members from the Labor Party. Bennelong only chooses Labor in the most exceptional of circumstances. Colleagues, I recognise the magnitude of our win and acknowledge the weight of my community's expectations on me to deliver. And I'll deliver for them. My priority throughout my time in this place will be to do as I have done in my 10 years in public office. I will work hard and be available to my community.
I would not be here without the support of a village. There are too many to name them all, but, naturally, I'd like to single out a few. First to the Prime Minister—no, I'm not sucking up. I genuinely would not have been here if it were not for him. He persisted and persisted and on his third attempt convinced me to run. At one stage, I believe, he was the only person in Australia that believed I could win Bennelong—turns out he was right. Thank you, Mr Prime Minister, for this fantastic opportunity to serve in the government you lead.
To my wonderful campaign team—to Michael Butterworth, James Gibson, Madelaine Knight, Jananie Janarthana and Oliver Plunket—thank you for your help throughout my time in public life and for tirelessly managing our ever-growing team during our 56-day campaign and sprint to the finish line.
Thank you to my mentor, former New South Wales Deputy Premier and member for Ryde John Watkins. When I was a first-time candidate, he gave me advice that I still use to this day: 'Stay active and be yourself; you never know what surprises politics will serve up.' How right he was.
Thanks also to Evan Hughes; Gerard Hayes at the Health Services Union; Mel Gatfield and the United Workers Union; and Julia Angrisano and Nik Singh from the Financial Services Union for their support.
To my good friend and colleague George Simon, a self-confessed 'Bennelong agnostic': thank you for your guidance and support and for trusting the polling.
To our local party and branch members: your support over the last decade has been unflinching. From the ups and downs, the wins and the losses, thank you for your loyalty to the party and for continuing to support me as your local candidate.
Special thanks to my parents, Alain and Roselyne; their partners, LC and Allen; and my step-siblings, Julyanne and Eric.
To my partner, Jo, and her wonderful kids, Alfie and Will, thank you for welcoming me into your home and for letting me store A-frames in your garage. Jo, after a few rough years for us both, I'm so happy that you're here as my partner.
Lastly, to my amazing and wonderful children, Madeline, Amelie and Harry—over there, give a wave—thank you for being you and for reminding me every day to live life to its fullest. I'm sorry that my face ends up plastered on your school fence every now and then. I'd like to use the floor of parliament to let you all know how much you mean to me and that my life is made better because of you all. I'm truly grateful for your love and support, and I hope that during my time in this place I can make you proud.
Few people see or understand the toll marginal seat candidacy takes on those closest to us. It is, and has been, incredibly difficult. The late nights, the way that this job consumes the everyday and, of course, the unbelievable public scrutiny have all left scar tissue on my family. This is not the politics that I believe Australia values, and it is terrible that it's what we have come to expect. I'll do all I can in the decisions that I make to drag politics out of the gutter and into the real world.
Recently, I celebrated 10 years in public life: first as a councillor, then as Labor's only second ever Mayor in the City of Ryde—and, for five years, its longest-serving. I cherished my time in local government as we transformed a sleepy conservative council into a progressive powerhouse. We set a 100 per cent net renewable energy target by 2030 and achieved it eight years early, in 2022. We led the way with a compassionate and visionary affordable housing policy, delivering, in a few short years, around 30 homes owned by the council in perpetuity and leased at affordable rates to key workers. Ryde is projected to own 600 affordable rental homes due to this policy. And, of course, we implemented huge investments in parks and playgrounds for a growing and changing city. I thank my colleagues Councillors Penny Pedersen, Charles Song, Katie O'Reilly and Bernard Purcell for their support over the years on the council and for their hard work to get me here today.
Throughout my public life and my years in the private sector, I've been asked two questions: 'Why politics?' and, 'Why the Labor Party?' I think about these questions a lot.
Like 66 per cent of those who live in Bennelong, both my parents were born overseas. When they moved to Australia, they didn't speak a word of English. My father, originally from Mauritius, a small island off the eastern coast of Africa, came here at 13 years old. The Laxale family, all nine of them, crammed into a two-bedroom home in Darling Street in Balmain. Balmain back then was a bit different from how it is now! My grandfather ran a fruit shop, and my grandmother became a nurse. Dad never went to school in Australia. At the age of 13, he began a life of work and continues to have a work ethic that astounds me to this day. My mother, from Ile de la Reunion, a French department and an even smaller island off the eastern coast of Africa, met my father on a holiday. She settled here in the eighties, and my parents set up a home in Western Sydney.
My family always remind me of quirky stories of fitting into a new way of life and how their cultures would sometimes clash with that of their new home. The nights that Dad and his Mauritian mates played dominos while Mum and her friends played cards, which would then turn into a party with nearly everyone dancing the sega, which is a popular Mauritian folk dance—look it up—were all part of my experience growing up. My father told me that his father, upon his arrival in Australia, was greeted at the airport by an Aussie customs officer. When asked, 'Did you come here today?' my grandfather paused, then replied, sheepishly, 'To day? No, I came here to live.'
I pay tribute to all those families who left their home, a place with cultures and accents they understood, to set up a new life here in Australia. May Australia always be a destination that welcomes those who are seeking to unlock the hope and promise of this land and our people.
Like 58 per cent of families in Bennelong, our household spoke a language other than English at home. We spoke a mixture of French and Mauritian Creole. While Dad quickly learned English on the job, my mum learned how to speak English by watching game shows on TV. And, though I was born here, I'm told that when I started school I didn't know a word of English. Des foix, quand je veux garder quelque chose un peu prive, je parle en francais avec mes parents et de temps en temps mo ca pav parler un tigit Kreole Moricien. You'll need to translate that if you want to know what I said!
Schooled in Seven Hills, then Parramatta, I made friends with people of all backgrounds. I'd spend my weeknights and weekends at homes where a different language was spoken in nearly every setting: Mauritian Creole in one room, French and English in the other; Cantonese and Mandarin at a friend's place; and a fruit salad of languages when I was out and about at the shops. Every day at school and every weekend at home, I lived in the multicultural miracle that is Australia. It broadened my mind, it taught me to embrace the different and it has instilled in me an understanding of the value that diversity brings to our nation. Australian multiculturalism is truly magical. The way we live alongside one another and respect each other is our defining characteristic as a young federation.
Like many migrant families, my parents not only brought their language, cuisine and culture to Australia; they also brought their hunger to succeed. They worked so hard—firstly for others, then for themselves. Dad borrowed $1,000 from my grandfather and set up a small business from the back of a van. Both my parents worked incredibly long hours, growing their business and providing for their family.
What is fascinating about Bennelong is that, despite it being a community of incredible diversity, you'll hear strikingly similar stories. Just like the Lims, whose family started a small business in Eastwood 30 years ago—they too made sacrifices and worked hard for their family and their loyal customers. Then there are the Lees, who risked it all to set up Eastwood's first Chinese supermarket in the 1990s. It is now a hive of local activity, employing scores of locals and supporting the local economy in the now transformed Eastwood town centre. Then there's Karma, an extraordinary local businesswoman and a proud member of Bennelong's local Persian community: a hard worker, a strong mother and someone who I know to be fiercely pro small business.
What I find extraordinary about these three and so many I've met in my 16 years living in Bennelong is that we are a community that seeks and values personal success but also one that yearns for good government and a country that cares for its people. In the Bennelong I know, compassion is always in fashion. Bennelong is full of families who work hard for their personal success but who also want success for our community and nation. This mentality has defined who I am. It's the reason why I'm here and it's the reason why I'm a member of the Labor Party. I'm here because I want our tradies, IT technicians, frontline workers and small-business owners to have success. But I'm also here because I don't believe that personal success should be at the expense of others.
There aren't many professions where one decision can help transform someone's life. A decision to build and invest in affordable housing can change the trajectory of someone's life forever. A cheap, safe, warm roof over your head means just so much. It can break the shackles of generational poverty and inequality that still exist in our nation. The decision to take action on climate change and to put the environment back as a priority will save lives, create jobs, create certainty for emerging industries and protect species across our nation. Decisions to drive wage growth, to provide a First Nations voice to parliament, to fund cheaper child care, to boost skilled immigration, to allow more people to become citizens and permanent residents, to fix the National Disability Insurance Scheme, to make it easier to see a doctor, to make new medicines affordable, to embrace the latest in medical technology, to repair our international relationships, and to fix aged care are all decisions that will transform the lives of people throughout our nation. And some said we had a small-target strategy! Well, like many of you, I'm not here to be part of a small-target government.
I'm in this place because I want it to be the home of good government. I'm here to make decisions that will help industry grow, while also ensuring that workers and their wages are not left behind. I'm here to make sure every government protects communities from racial vilification and discrimination, instead of playing politics with national security in the search for cheap votes. I'm here because I want to push the government to be ambitious on matters that matter to Bennelong and to the nation.
Whilst I'm incredibly proud to be in a parliament that has finally taken action on climate change, I know the science tells us that we need to go further. The drivers of climate change must be acknowledged frankly and fearlessly. We need to work with the big emitters, but we cannot be a government that delivers their talking points and presents their solutions in response to our climate crisis. I would like to use what precious time we have in government to continue to drive down emissions over and above the 43 per cent that this House legislated. This isn't a small ask, but it's very achievable. As we did during the pandemic, on climate change and emissions reduction, we need to trust the experts and we need to trust the science.
We also need to grow our economy so that my kids and their kids aren't burdened with repaying the former government's debt. Businesses big and small right across the nation are not operating at capacity due to a mixture of low unemployment, once-in-a generation skills shortages, and outdated migration policies that do not meet the needs of our modern, agile and diverse economy. I'm so proud that our government has already used the levers it has to skill up local workers and has shifted the conversation from temporary to permanent migration. The Australian economic miracle was built on the back of successful, skilled and permanent migration. We should encourage workers to come here, to contribute to growing our economy and to become Australian citizens, just like my parents did.
I also think we need to have a conversation about how the Commonwealth funds schools. I proudly send my kids to amazing local public schools, but I'd like to share with you today that I went to one of the country's most prestigious private schools. Yes, believe it or not, even these types of schools can produce Labor MPs! Recently I asked my dad why he sent me there, and he said, 'Son, I left school at 13 and I've been working my whole life. I drove past this school, saw its grandeur and prestige and said, "I want the best education for my family.''' He confessed that when he enrolled me he didn't earn enough money to pay for the fees. My parents both worked incredibly hard and made extraordinary sacrifices to send me to that school, and I don't begrudge them for doing it. That's what parents do. It was a great school, and I received an excellent education. Private and faith based education should and will always be part of our system, but they should not be the sole choice when someone aspires for the best education. The best education should be available to all at all schools, public and private, and, to that end, the Commonwealth funding must be fair and it must have strings attached. We now have public schools that are scrambling to fix old toilets, where some private schools are scrambling to build new pavilions. I find this to be unfair, unsustainable and not in the national interest.
I'm proud to be here as the first member for Bennelong with a non-English-speaking background and a funny-sounding name. I'm here as someone with small business in my blood, as someone who is entrepreneurial and aspirational, just like those in my electorate. And I'm here as a proud member of the Australian Labor Party.
Having a dig at party politics is all the rage right now, and, while I concur that there's always room for improvement, I'm one of those that believe in the potential of a united, disciplined and strong political party. I mean, just take a look at this side of the chamber. We're a collective of workers, doctors, economists, academics, engineers, unionists, frontline workers and shooters. We represent some of the richest electorates across the nation and some of the most disadvantaged. We are a party that is increasingly more diverse, with a growing cohort of First Nations MPs and senators.
I've learnt in my years in public life and in the Labor Party that you do not need to be a Greens to care for the environment or a Liberal to care about economic growth, nor do you need to be an Independent to be a true voice for your community. I'm here because I care about the environment. I'm here because I want our economy to grow. And I'm here because Bennelong needs a strong voice in Canberra.
As one voice, I might have influence, but, with 76 voices, I'm part of a government, and I know that this government won't waste a day. During my time here, I'll try to help individuals succeed, while ensuring that fairness and equality remain rooted in our national fabric. I'll work hard, be accessible and be ambitious for our nation. And, while I do, I hope you see in me, my history and how those closest to me have helped me get here. In me you'll see my father, Jean-Marc Yvan Alain, who taught me to work hard and to never give up. You'll see in me my mother, Reine-Marie Roselyne, who taught me to be unassuming, patient and to always dress well. You'll also see in me my partner, Joanne Mary, who has taught me to be passionate, caring and committed. And I hope in me you'll see me my kids, Madeline, Amelie and Harry, who are a constant reminder to me not to take myself too seriously and to make sure I have fun along the way.
Colleagues, I'm here for my family and for my community. And, for as long as I am in this place, I'll do my very best. I thank the House.
The SPEAKER: Before I call the honourable member for Flinders, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech, and I ask the House to extend to her the usual courtesies.
Ms McKENZIE (Flinders) (15:38): I rise to give my first speech to the 47th Parliament, representing the great electorate of Flinders. Like those who proceeded me, my speech takes the form of a reply to the opening address by the Governor-General. When His Excellency gave that address on 26 July in the other place, he did so on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Unlike most of my colleagues in the class of 2022, I stand here at the dawn of the new Carolean era, in the early days of the reign of King Charles III. As a parliament, we have spent the last weeks reflecting on the second Elizabethan age, the only age any of us here has ever known. Queen Elizabeth's reign was a time of great stability, constitutional fortitude and decency. She demonstrated a pure and enduring loyalty to her people, even in places which turned away from the monarchy during her reign. Those of us who stand here in this place at this time will have influence over the continued success or otherwise of the constitutional monarchy of Australia, which has served us so well for over a century.
As one of the first to speak in the Carolean era, I am honoured to join the 1,240 Australians who have become a member of this House of Representatives. But I feel I am by far the luckiest, for I come here with my pockets and my socks filled with the sand, the sea salt, the twigs, trees and rich soils of Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. I come here with her grapes and green vegetables in my belly; the squeals of her soccer, netball, basketball and footy teams in my ears; the endeavours of her small and family businesses and her tradies in my heart; and the breathtaking beauty of her hills, her beaches and her waters in my eyes.
As those of you who have been fortunate enough to visit the electorate of Flinders will know, it is a remarkably special place. I still have to pinch myself every time I drive from one end to the other, as I do most days, from my office in Somerville to my home in Sorrento—a place so good that my friend, the great Australian Tina Arena, wrote a song about it. I thank the good folk of Flinders for the privilege they have bestowed on me, the trust they have placed in me, in sharing their stories, their hopes, their fears and their needs to preserve the remarkable quality of life in such a precious part of this great nation.
Like so many in this place, I am the product of my parents or, in my case, my parent—my mother, Ann Shanahan. A cardiothoracic surgeon and later also simultaneously a practising lawyer, Mum brought me up on stories of politics and history rather than fairytales. On the weekends, as I accompanied her on her patient rounds, she would tell me the stories of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Nazi Germany. She would talk to me of her political heroes: Margaret Thatcher, Robert Menzies, Malcolm Fraser and above all John Howard, always John Howard—a man I would later come to know well and now call a friend.
Yet Mum's leitmotif was borrowed from Fraser: 'Life wasn't meant to be easy.' When she said it to me, as she often would, she did not mean it in a cruel or miserly way. She meant, 'You better get ready to work hard, young lady, because it is in being useful to others that you will find life's greatest satisfaction.' Mum led by example and feared nothing and no-one, and it is her values and work ethic which underpin my approach to this place.
Mum's life wasn't particularly easy, but her hard work meant that my childhood, relatively, was. She grew up in Gippsland, completed high school in Melbourne and placed second in her medical degree to the man she married after graduation, whose name I proudly carry. Between them, they won almost every scholarship and bursary on offer at the time and undertook postgraduate study and practice in North America in a period of enormous political turmoil.
Just as Mum was about to start her thoracic training, she conceived me. Finding herself in a career from which it was impossible to step aside and retain one's professional standing, she enticed the head nurse at the Royal Children's Hospital to become my mothercraft nurse, a profession long lost to the Australian vocabulary. Basically, she was someone employed to make sure I didn't die while Mum worked a 12-hour day—a task my mothercraft nurse, Molly, performed to perfection.
I didn't realise it then, but Mum and Molly were a formidable team in a changing time. It was only a decade or so ago that I learnt there had been a practice of removing newborns from single mothers which continued in this country well into the 1980s. Mum was technically married, but from the word 'go' she was fiercely determined to raise me on her own, and that put us precariously close—even if only in her anxious imagination—to an ongoing practice of facilitated, encouraged and in some cases forced adoption of so-called 'fatherless children'.
So Molly was my second parent, and she was with me every day until I turned five, whereupon she went on with her own life. And despite all my efforts to find her, she only reappeared a few years ago, in the last stages of advanced melanoma—a cancer I too had developed but had survived a few years earlier. I spent hours with Molly in her final weeks, hearing the glorious stories of my 1970s upbringing, including the one experience I will lord over all others who come to this place and try to tell me that they had a blessed childhood. You see, Molly took me to the ABBA concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 1977!
But there was something else that that reunion with Molly gave me: how proud she was of my mum and how thrilled she was to be part of a professional female super-duo raising a largely unaware little girl. One afternoon, Molly shared a shoebox of photos from my childhood that she had carried through her life for over 40 years. Flicking through them, I shrieked at one photo of me as a two-year-old, dressed in a hideous psychedelic orange-and-purple jumpsuit that looked a lot like a moving sleeping bag with some protruding feet. 'Your mum made that for you,' Molly said. When I quizzed her further she added, 'Didn't you know your mum would get home from work at 8 pm, she'd bathe and put you to bed and then she'd start making your clothes?' Finding Molly in those last months of her life gave me a whole new understanding of what it meant for my mother to raise me as a single parent while ascending to the top of her career. You will have noticed, Mum, since Molly told me that story that I no longer chastise you for not knowing how to make fairy bread.
But the story of my parenting would not be complete without my other 'parents' on the other side of the world, where, as a schoolgirl, mum sent me in stonewash jeans and an impossibly new and unquestionably ridiculous Akubra hat to live with a family in rural France. My French 'parents', Guy and Ginette Allard—profoundly socialist, schoolteachers in science, alpinists, scuba divers, cross-country skiers, cave explorers and overall planetary adventurers—gave me new eyes through which to see life. With my French 'sister', Catherine, and 'brother', Julien, they taught me what it means to be part of a family—training which came in handy when I landed in my own instant family when Rodrigo, Estela, Rafael and Gabriel came into my life.
Guy and Ginette can't be here with us today, but they are represented by my dear friend Francois Romanet, who recently walked up their cobbled driveway in their tiny village in Ardeche to check in and tell them how much I miss them and wished they could be here today. Et pour ca, je te remercie de tout mon coeur mon cher ami, Francois.
In preparation for this moment I looked back over previous maiden speeches to see how the great men of Flinders who precede me approached their first words in this place. They all captured a moment in Australia's history and the spirit of the good folk of Flinders. While it is unfair to summarise those contributions in a sentence or two, I will.
I was taken with Greg Hunt's love letter for the people of Flinders with whom he grew up; Peter Reith's plea for an easier life for those whose industriousness he saw as frustrated by unnecessary red tape; and, indeed, Bob Chynoweth's forecast of the Cold War cascading into nuclear conflict and his fear of 'the decaying and rotting corpses' across the beautiful countryside of Flinders. Phillip Lynch, who came to this place in 1966, described his time as 'an age of revolutionary change, rapid, radical and cumulative, in which the rate of change itself has accelerated faster than men had ever dreamed possible'. I cannot help but see my generation of parliamentarians perched above a similar precipice of accelerated change for the reasons I will go on to explain.
Like my predecessors, I am focused on the times in which we live. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown much of life in Flinders into chaos. Our businesses are crying out for staff, our supply chains are frustrated and our children have missed the better part of two years of their education. As in the city, many of our local businesses are in mutation, and no-one knows what the workplace will look like when the pandemic music finally stops.
I come to this place as a former industrial relations lawyer. While I haven't practised for a while, I do know that trying to shoehorn today's workplaces into a 1983 framework is not the approach we need now. For some time I have been watching a new Labor government laud the ways of the past—facilitating heavy-handed union input into IR reform, even though that movement represents no more than 15 per cent of Australia's workers today, as opposed to 50 per cent in the 1980s.
The recent push to provide paid leave for casual staff at both state and federal levels will weigh heavily on the shoulders of small business in my electorate, many of whom have been keeping their doors open by increasing the home mortgage and putting the family to work. The reintroduction of pattern bargaining—or multi-employer bargaining, as we're now supposed to call it—suggests a rapid return to the industrial wars of my childhood: weeks and months of strikes, costing billions of dollars for business.
My party's own efforts to modernise the industrial relations system have failed in recent years. Our party room is now surprisingly short on IR lawyers and practitioners, but Australia's business community, particularly its small-business community, needs us to step up and fight for common sense, especially as concerns the digital economy. The modern and rapidly evolving Australian economy requires a flexible workplace, and those who work in it highly value choice and independence.
In an excellent piece of work undertaken in 2019 by AlphaBeta, led at the time by my classmate the member for Parramatta, the need for regulatory freedom was highlit. The report said:
Around 1.2 million Australians want more flexible work … Many of these people are juggling study, parenting or caring responsibilities. Others may have side-businesses, health constraints, second jobs or travel plans. All of these workers value flexibility; many could not work without it.
AlphaBeta put it simply: 'The modern workforce wants more flexibility, not less.' It is important to remember that this report was completed before the pandemic which demonstrated to us all just how flexible and digitally facilitated work can be.
Our current IR system is no longer fit for purpose, neither for the nature of modern work nor for the way our current or future generations want to work. The increasingly digitally native workforce want many careers, sometimes at the same time, to suit their ambitions for travel, hobbies, rest, wellness and family. This parliament should be concerned with ensuring minimum standards, a safety net, for such adaptable work, rather than trying to stifle it with heavy-handed prescription and the straitjacket of one-size-fits-all pattern bargaining.
Our future workplaces will be manned by an increasingly digital generation. As my much-loved but overly interrogated stepchildren will tell you, I am obsessed with the differences between their digital generation that has grown up with a smartphone beside the stroller and my generation, so imbued with deferred gratification. After all, it was a seven-day wait between episodes of Countdown. My kids' generation is intrinsically digital. Their social lives are lived online, their activities are scheduled online, their next shift at the local cafe is rostered and remunerated online, footy and rugby is watched online, their Friday dinner is ordered online and their homework is communicated and corrected online. Their access to information is limitless. The world's knowledge sits at the edge of the keyboard in their back pocket. In physical terms, their digital life is one of relative safety. They are injured less. They get drunk and smoke cigarettes less. They fall pregnant as teenagers less. They are careful drivers—that is, if they ever get their drivers licence.
The 262 days of lockdown in metro Melbourne, in which the Mornington Peninsula found itself bafflingly included, further embedded their generation's relationship with screens, social media and other online content. Whatever systems our households had in place to balance online time with offline time in the form of study, sports, sleep or social activity collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Worse still, the school system became the dealer of the digital drug, putting laptops and tablets into every lounge or bedroom.
This may seem a strange digression from someone who spent the last three years as the director of the NBN; however, I was the only parent of teenage children within the board and, as such, I viewed the product through fundamentally different eyes. Like so many women of my age, my lockdown fantasy was not a trip to Fiji but a broadband service which prioritised the download speed to my work devices and throttled the datapipe to my children's devices and their daily diet of YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok. We could not live without technology. We will not progress without technology. I could not give this speech without technology. But, increasingly, data shows us that today's adolescents, 24/7 connected to devices, addled by algorithms and autoplay, are showing signs of stress and, indeed, in some cases, distress. Self-control difficulties, impulsivity, family conflict, sleep disturbance, inactivity, concentration impairment and poor language development are often observed among those children whose technology use is above the recommended two hours a day. Of highest concern is the well-documented epidemic of anxiety and depression in teenage girls, which we know correlates with high use of social media.
OECD analysis reveals the vast majority of boys and almost half of our girls only read if they have to. In 2018 nearly 40 per cent of boys admitted, 'For me, reading is a waste of time.' A study conducted by the University of Melbourne last year found lockdown dislodged books in favour of devices, especially among teenage boys, so our reading and literacy results in the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA, are likely to be worse next year, not better, despite record spending on education at federal and state levels. Everyone here should be concerned for a generation which will one day take its place on these green leather benches without having read The Lord of the Flies, 1984, If This is a Man and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Outside this place, we should be even more concerned by a generation a quarter of whom will be insufficiently literate to participate effectively and productively in life by 2030, according to Learning First. We are charged with making public policy to suit the needs and capabilities of this deeply digital generation. We must ensure technology contributes to their fitness for life, not detracts from it. We must help parents who are parenting in digital darkness. We must help educators understand how to support children and adolescents as they engage with the ever-increasing array of highly stimulating devices and social platforms.
In this parliament, I will work with technology companies, designers and educators to ensure these tools and innovations can be applied to help young people become productive and purposeful, independent and critical thinkers, and lead contributive lives, sustaining and building the prosperous nation which we have the good fortune to call home.
On my journey to this spot, I have so many people to thank. I have worked with many great Liberal minds in this place who have shown me:
There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit.
I thank those I have worked with in this place in another time, especially George Brandis, Andrew Robb and Brendan Nelson, from whom I have learnt so much about friendship and leadership in this place. I express my deep gratitude to those who have been a source of good judgement, guidance and inspiration over many years, to whom I owe so much: Mathias Cormann and Greg Hunt.
I thank my friends who serve or have served on the opposite side of this chamber, who have helped me to see and appreciate their priorities and their world view and have remained my friend even though I steadfastly hope, for the sake of the nation, that you lose all future elections!
I am grateful for the unrestrained good advice of Senator James Paterson, Senator Jane Hume, Tony Nutt, Andrew Hirst, Mark Textor, Justine Sywak, Simon Berger, Michael Kapel, Aldo Borgu and, of course, David Luff. I thank Deb Kwasnicki, Kate Fielding, Anna Campbell, Perry Sperling and Sue Robertson for their towering lioness wisdom and golden friendship through life.
I am in awe of the best campaign team a candidate could ever have, led by the Great Georgie Silverwood, together with James Radford, Julia Doyle, Andrew Barrett, Kathy Casey, Marshall Grande, Jan Hazell and Tom Burgess. They were complemented by the technical expertise of David Kitchen and the formidable fundraising team of Will Morgan and Lucy and Emma Nicholson. To them, together with the members and supporters of the Liberal Party in Flinders, led by my friend Martin Dixon, I attribute much of our outcome achieving an improved margin against a ferocious tide.
I thank our donors, those who believe in us and our potential to shape this nation, from the most generous to the person who gave me $5. She was so furious my campaign car had been defaced with foul graffiti and she thought it might help. It may not have covered the costs of cleaning the car, but by golly she made a huge deposit in my faith in humanity.
But above all, I say thank you to the most remarkable and brilliant man I know, Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez. A magnificent strategic mind, more importantly, Rodrigo is my co-adventurer in life, my best friend above and below the water, the person who has taught me to see my country and my contribution to it through different eyes and who, above everyone else, put me here by knowing me better than I know myself, believing in me when I was exhausted and standing beside me throughout it. Te quiero Guapo, hasta el cielo.
I thank the House for its indulgence.
COMMITTEES
Intelligence and Security Joint Committee
Report
Mr KHALIL (Wills) (16:00): I'm pleased to rise today to present the first report of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security for the 47th Parliament on the committee's review of regulations listing and relisting eight organisations as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code 1995.
Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).
Mr KHALIL: by leave—under the Criminal Code, regulations may be made specifying an organisation as a terrorist organisation for a three-year period. If the government assesses that the organisation directly or indirectly engages in terrorism, or advocates the doing of terrorist acts, listing an organisation gives rise to criminal offences for being a member of that organisation or supporting or associating with it in various ways.
The review examined eight such regulations made in February and March 2022. It was commenced by the previous Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security in the 46th Parliament and completed this month by the new committee. The committee has supported the listing of Hamas and the National Socialist Order and the relisting of Abu Sayyaf Group, al-Qa'ida, al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, Hurras al-Din and Jemaah Islamiyah as terrorist organisations under Australia's Criminal Code.
In March 2022, the whole organisation of Hamas was listed as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code for the first time. Previously, this listing had been limited to Hamas's paramilitary wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The previous government made the decision to list the entirety of Hamas following a recommendation by the PJCIS in October 2021 and after its own consideration and analysis. In reviewing this listing, the committee concluded that the previous government was within its powers to make that assessment and followed the appropriate processes in doing so.
The committee has also endorsed, for the first time, the listing of the National Socialist Order, formerly known as Atomwaffen Division. NSO is a racist and nationalist violent extremist group which encourages terror attacks and other acts of violence and has significant global reach. The National Socialist Order is the third white supremacist group to be listed as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code, following the listings of Sonnenkrieg Division and the Base in 2021.
The committee agrees that, in the interest of protecting Australians and Australia's national security, it is appropriate to list all of these as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code. I commend the report to the House.
STATEMENTS
Personal Explanation
Mr PITT (Hinkler) (16:03): I wish to make a personal explanation.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): Does the member claim to be misrepresented?
Mr PITT: Most grievously.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Go ahead, Member for Hinkler.
Mr PITT: In question time today, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy made a specific statement about me which was a very selective part of the statement. The statement in full is: 'Reality is going to strike very quickly, and Labor's plan is going to increase the cost of everything, and the Australian people won't wear that. If you look at what is happening in Europe, where reality is biting right now, we don't want to see Australia turn to that. We should take whatever action is in the national interest, including leaving the Paris Agreement if that is what is necessary.' Clearly, the minister was not interested in the national interest.
COMMITTEES
Intelligence and Security Joint Committee
Report
Mr WALLACE (Fisher) (16:04): by leave—Protecting Australians and their interests, at home and abroad, is the core duty of any parliament and parliamentarian. I have strived to do this in each delegation, committee and office that I have been honoured to serve in. In my capacity as deputy chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I'm committed to doing just that alongside my colleagues from across the political aisle.
The scourge of terrorism continues to threaten the global rules-based order on every continent. Terrorism is used as a tool to instil fear, destabilise democratic institutions, sew discord and divide civilised societies. Those who commits acts of terror such as those we have seen in Australia and in neighbouring nations such as New Zealand and Indonesia are planning, scheming and radicalising as we speak. Every waking hour those who would do us harm are at work, often in the darkest corners of the web. That's why I'm proud to take these steps today to protect our nation, work which began under the previous coalition government. Those on all sides of this place can agree that national security is beyond personalities, parties and politics.
Today we see the tabling of the PJCIS report into the then home affairs minister's listing of eight terror groups listed as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code. Some of these names are well-known. I won't pretend to have the great pronunciation of the member for Wills but I will give them a crack. These include Hamas, whose unmitigated violence and hatred against the Jewish people, the state of Israel and her allies has continued for over 33 years; al-Qa'ida and its counterpart al-Qa'ida in the lands of the Islamic Maghred in North Africa; and Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesian based Islamic State proponent responsible for the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings, the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and the 2009 hotel bombings in Jakarta.
But there are lesser-known organisations who pose just as great a risk to Australians at home and abroad: the National Socialist Order, which is a violent white nationalist group with a global reach; Hurras al-Din, a Syrian Islamist group; Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a similar group seeking to impose a 'salvation government' in Idlib province; and Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic state proponent operating in the southern Philippines and eastern Malaysia. These organisations seek to dismantle Western civilisation, divide our communities and alliances, and destroy the values and the principles we hold dear. They are malicious. They are murderous. They are barbaric. I am proud to be part of a bipartisanship approach, along with the member for Wills and all members of the PJCIS, in our efforts to name them, shame them and decimate their influence at home and abroad.
BILLS
Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 2) Bill 2022
Third Reading
Mr JONES (Whitlam—Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services) (16:08): I move:
That this bill be now read a third time.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a third time.
Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill 2022
Second Reading
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (16:09): I present the explanatory memorandum to this bill and move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
Today I am introducing the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill 2022, which amends the social security law and related elements of the veterans and family laws. This will make clear that the law operates in the same way when participants access self-employment services through the Self-Employment Assistance program as through the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, or NEIS.
Small businesses are a vital part of the Australian economy, with 2.4 million small businesses actively trading and employing around 4.7 million people. Supporting and encouraging the development of new small businesses can give Australians the opportunity to be their own boss and own a business that offers them secure work and financial independence.
Self-employment is an excellent alternative to traditional employment for Australians who want to use their existing skills and experience in a work environment of their choice. It also assists Australians who struggle to apply their skills in other labour market settings to use those skills and succeed. That's why people with disability—who still face significant challenges having their skills recognised by employers—are more than 40 per cent more likely to be self-employed than the general population.
The Labor government has a strong history of supporting new small businesses. It was the Hawke government that launched the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, or NEIS program, in 1985 to help unemployed Australians create their own employment opportunities. Since then, NEIS has successfully helped over 198,000 Australians to start and run small businesses.
NEIS achieved excellent outcomes for the diverse range of participants who accessed its services. Three months after exiting the program 82 per cent of participants remained in employment and 68 per cent were still running their businesses. More than half of the participants who accessed NEIS over the past seven years were women.
Since the onset of COVID, NEIS helped many businesses pivot to deliver services in new and innovative ways and to remain viable. This demonstrated that government can play a key role in helping businesses adapt in uncertain times.
The services available under NEIS were expanded when it was replaced by the new Self-Employment Assistance program on 1 July 2022.
Eligible people interested in self-employment will be able to receive free help to generate and validate business ideas, so they can make informed decisions about whether self-employment is a good fit for them and their families.
Participants in the program who want to develop their skills and prepare their business can access free accredited training and help to prepare a comprehensive business plan.
Eligible business owners who have recently started trading, or who need help to adapt their business in a changing economic environment, will be able to access appropriate business mentoring and advice.
As was the case under NEIS, eligible income support recipients who access the program can receive a self-employment allowance from the government. This helps supplement the income a participant earns from their business, so they can reinvest their business's earnings back into the business.
Self-Employment Assistance is building on the NEIS program's legacy of success by continuing its valuable support, but through more flexible services that help a wider range of people secure their future.
This bill will update the social security, veterans' and family laws to make clear that Self-Employment Assistance payments will be treated in the same way by the law as other NEIS payments. The same will apply if the employment secretary notifies a different name for Self-Employment Assistance. The bill will therefore provide increased clarity for participants as they support themselves while establishing their businesses.
Self-employment continues to be a viable pathway for many to help them move off income support, earn their own income and contribute economically to their communities. However, it takes time and other support to establish a small business, including financial support.
To support and foster self-employment opportunities we bring this bill to the parliament.
The bill also makes a small number of minor technical amendments to clarify or remove redundant material from the social security law, consequent to the recent streamlined participation requirements act.
I commend this bill to the chamber.
Mr FLETCHER (Bradfield—Manager of Opposition Business) (16:13): I rise to speak in support of the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill 2022. The former coalition government transformed the way employment services are being delivered with the introduction of Workforce Australia. From 4 July 2022, Workforce Australia has brought together all of the Department of Education, Skills and Employment's workforce, employment and skills initiatives under one single identity. Workforce Australia replaced jobactive and the current employment services network. The New Employment Services Model, also known as Workforce Australia, is now in place and is providing more personalised services to better target jobseeker needs, invest in those jobseekers who need it and make greater use of digital technology. This bill is a result of that change. It is a technical bill that effects changes in the name of the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, NEIS—as a result of the change to Workforce Australia—to the Self-Employment Assistance program, to ensure that payments made under it are treated in the same way as for other NEIS payments.
The coalition is passionate about Australians getting off welfare and into work. When we left office in May 2022, the unemployment rate was 3.9 per cent—an almost 50-year low. This did not happen by dissent. Getting people off welfare and into work was at the forefront of every decision the previous government made. The coalition government's previous employment services system, jobactive, saw nearly two million placements since it was established in 2015. The success of this system was a key factor in keeping our unemployment rate low.
The new employment services model, Workforce Australia, was developed by the previous coalition government over a number of years and commenced on 4 July 2022. The new model seeks to build on the success of jobactive and give jobseekers the best opportunity to find employment through a tailor-made approach. The former coalition government spent a number of years working with jobseekers, providers, peak bodies and employers on developing a model that works for all and supports a pathway for Australians off welfare and into work. It will eventually become a one-stop shop for Australians and Australian businesses to find work, retrain and find access to other government initiatives in employment and skills. This bill continues the realisation of that policy scheme and architecture and will assist in achieving the intentions of that scheme.
The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, known as NEIS, has helped almost 200,000 people start their own business since it commenced in 1985, many of whom may otherwise have continued to rely on social security or veterans entitlements payments. The program helps people move off income support by creating their own job. In turn, many of these businesses have created work for additional people.
The Self-Employment Assistance program commenced on 1 July 2022 to replace NEIS assistance throughout Australia. There is one exception, which is Norfolk Island, where NEIS will continue because there is an existing deed in place that does not expire until 2023.
Turning to the detail of the bill, in addition to the assistance available to help participants start and maintain their own viable small business, such as small business training, coaching, mentoring and other support, Self-Employment Assistance and other NEIS participants can receive a fortnightly payment of $642.70—equal to the single no children rate of Jobseeker payment—for 39 weeks and, if eligible, rent assistance for up to 26 weeks.
The main amendments in the bill in schedule 1 will make clear that the family, social security and veterans entitlements laws operate in the same way in relation to Self-Employment Assistance payments as for other NEIS payments. This is necessary because of the name change. These changes are primarily in sections relating to the treatment of entitlements, and they clarify in legislation that the Self-Employment Assistance payments are to be treated in the same way as for other NEIS payments. For example, the Family Law Act 1975 defines 'income tested pension, allowance or benefit' as a pension allowance or benefit prescribed by the Family Law Regulations. For that purpose, those regulations refer to payments made under NEIS so that such payments are included within the definition. This must be changed to reflect the Self-Employment Assistance program. This is an appropriate change, as Self-Employment Assistance is similar to other NEIS assistance, the difference being that Self-Employment Assistance participants will have more flexibility in choosing and accessing the support that best suits their circumstances.
Schedule 1 also means that, if Self-Employment Assistance is given a different name, the family, social security and veterans entitlements laws will continue to operate in the same way—provided that the employment secretary makes a notifiable instrument giving notice of the change—without the need for a future bill. This is worthwhile because it means we can spend less of the chamber's time with bills like this and focus more on further measures to support employment in Australia.
With the new employment services model in place, it builds on work done by the former coalition government in getting more Australians into employment. Indeed, the record of the former coalition government's investment in Australia's workforce had the consequence of reducing Australia's level of welfare dependency to the lowest level in 30 years. Under the former coalition government Australia was successfully brought through the pandemic, and with that came historic low-unemployment rates. The unemployment figure of 3.5 per cent is a testament to that. From the time our Liberal-National coalition came to government in 2013 to the May election in 2022, some 1.8 million Australians came into work with the benefit of the policy frameworks that we established.
We were determined, from being first elected in 2013, to put in place strong economic policies and labour market programs to stimulate a recovery of the economy and to support Australians into work. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the strong economic management of the previous coalition government had supported the creation of over 1.5 million jobs. The economy was growing, Australia had a record labour force participation, the unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent in March 2022 and the budget was in balance for the first time in 11 years. The then government's long-term plan for jobs and growth meant that we entered the COVID-19 crisis from a position of economic strength.
Our former employment services programs played an essential role in supporting economic recovery by increasing labour force participation and helping workers transition to new jobs. These programs, which included jobactive, Youth Jobs PaTH Program, Transition to Work and ParentsNext, are working and they helped to ensure that Australia bounced back from COVID-19 and that we saw more Australians getting into work. Thanks to these programs, hundreds of thousands of Australians have been assisted to improve their employability and to gain employment, with jobactive having supported over two million job placements since its introduction in 2015.
To assist Australians back into work after this once-in-a-century pandemic, we improved services for the most affected regions and the most disadvantaged jobseekers. Across 25 regions we established a presence with the local jobs program, with a funding of $62.8 million. Employment facilitators developed local jobs plans in 25 regions, in collaboration with local stakeholders, employers and training organisations.
The New Employment Services Model, known as Workforce Australia, is now in place and is providing more personalised services to better target jobseeker needs, invest in those jobseekers who need it and make greater use of digital technology. Workforce Australia was the biggest reform to employment services since the Howard government's reforms in the 1990s. This is a strong demonstration of the previous government's commitment to helping Australians into work and to modernising one of the most significant expenditure areas of government. That is a record which this side of the House takes pride in, and we continue to work, if now from opposition, on supporting the provision of increased employment opportunities.
I want to briefly highlight, as part of this policy architecture, some of the other significant achievements. The Morrison government funded $6.2 million for 26 jobs fairs from June 2021 to June 2022. There were 47 jobs fairs held between July 2019 and December 2021. We introduced the Employer Reporting Line for businesses to report instances where individuals were not meeting their responsibility to seek work and not taking that responsibility seriously—for example, through submitting inappropriate job applications, failing to attend job interviews or refusing a suitable offer of employment.
ParentsNext is a pre-employment program that helps parents plan and prepare for work before their youngest child starts school. The former coalition government expanded ParentsNext, so more Australian parents will be in a position to access vital assistance to help them prepare for or return to work, providing a $24.7 million boost, as a result, to employment services.
This bill builds on a policy architecture established and championed by the previous coalition government with a view to getting more Australians into work, and it's been a very successful program.
Ms SHARKIE (Mayo) (16:24): Small businesses play an integral role in the Australian economy, with almost half of the employment in the private non-financial sector and over a third of production, and certainly in my community it is small business that holds up our community. In regional areas, like my electorate, small businesses count for approximately 35 per cent of all business types and, on average, employ around 10 people. Of these small businesses, those with one to four employees are likely to expand, and those with no employees are likely to employ staff as they grow. The importance of small business, particularly in the regions, cannot be understated. In this context, as a member with a large regional electorate, I support and encourage any incentives that assist individuals to start up businesses.
The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme has helped over 198,000 people start their own businesses since it commenced in 1985. Consistent with the scheme's intent, many of those who used the scheme would have otherwise continued to rely on social security or veterans' entitlements payments. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website heralds the success of the program and provides some individual success stories. For example, there's the story of Mostafa, an immigrant from Iran with a degree in computer skills. Mostafa started a business in Sydney called MAZ3D, a 'stretch ceilings' business that prints high-resolution images directly onto ceilings. Mostafa would not have started his own business if it wasn't for the scheme. Similarly, designer Simone began producing face masks for her community in Melbourne when it went into lockdown, which was a departure from her existing clothing business. These are just two of the many success stories that you can find on the department's website.
The scheme has demonstrated success in providing a pathway to nearly 200,000 Australians to move off government assistance and into their own employment. At the same time I've got to say that, while this scheme has been operating for a very long time—since 1985—very few people actually know about the scheme. If you calculate it out, it averages out at just over 5,000 participants per year—5,351 to be precise. And so I pose the question to government: how are we marketing this scheme? When I talk to people who are Centrelink recipients, people who are creative, people who could really do well with their own business, they have no idea about this scheme at all. Similarly, when I talk to small businesses and say, 'How did you start?', particularly those that are just beginning and in that first year of business, they too have no idea about this scheme. I do wonder whether perhaps, in the jobactive world, providers didn't encourage people to consider this scheme. But I really hope that under the new Workforce Australia, and as we move forward, we can get the message out there: that you too can own your own business, and, if you are creative and if you have ideas for a business, as many people do, this is an excellent program to help you flourish and to help you turn that dream into a reality.
In closing, I extend my support for this bill and for the scheme. But I urge government to find a way for us to really amplify this scheme and to encourage more Australians to be like Mostafa and Simone and pursue their own economic independence, particularly in our regions.
Mr STEVENS (Sturt) (16:28): I rise to speak on the second reading of this bill, the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill, specifically on the NEIS program. Just to put some context at the beginning of my contribution: we live in a remarkable time, with such low unemployment in this country. We are hearing, month after month, ABS statistics talking about records being broken going back into the 1970s. It's a truly remarkable time. We recognise that there are some external factors that have contributed to the extremely low unemployment rate. Of course, COVID-19 clearly had a significant impact on the supply side of the workforce with the closing of the international border, which meant we were unable to maintain our migration program for a two-year period.
There was an initial good dividend from that in the sense that clearly we've got unemployment to a remarkably low figure—in fact, lower than, when I studied economics, some of the members of academia said unemployment could get to. Five per cent used to be the notional full-employment proposition, taking into account transitions et cetera in the labour market. To have unemployment in the threes is truly remarkable, and that's been a great outcome for all those people that might not have had a job were it not for the circumstances we're in right now, but it's equally putting an enormous amount of pressure on businesses who desperately need more workers and can't get them at the moment. We do feel for those businesses with those challenge. The precarious situation we're in right now with such remarkably low unemployment will potentially lead some businesses to make the kinds of decisions we do not want them to make—that is, perhaps scaling down production, perhaps not being able to maintain output at the levels they would otherwise if they were able to get the employees they need.
This is, of course, impacting different sectors and different geographical regions of the country. These challenges are not always the same everywhere around the country. Far from it; they tend to have unique challenges depending on the skills that are required and the geographical region of where our businesses are located. Obviously we're in a beautiful and enormous continent, and it's not so easy in this country for people to relocate vast distances to satisfy a high demand for jobs. Equally, we don't have a situation where there's particularly high unemployment anywhere in this country at the moment. So there's not a circumstance where people are looking to leave any part of the country because they can't find work. That's a good thing, but it brings about those challenges.
The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme has been around since 1985, with the Hawke government. Previous speakers have talked about how there has been around 200,000 participants in that scheme over that 37-year period. Yes, I suppose when you divide that by 37 years, it would be nice for that annual number to be higher. Nonetheless, not many of these schemes survive multiple changes of government and are still here 37 years later, and that probably reflects the fact that all sides of politics have seen value in the NEIS scheme—though it's perhaps to be known by a different name once we've finished debating this legislation.
The member for Mayo mentioned that it's not a very well-known or understood scheme. I've known about it for a long, long time. My mother happened to work in the federal department in this very program about 20 or 25 years ago, so maybe I know it particularly well because of that reason. Nonetheless, it's something that all sides of politics are supporting to continue into the future. We in the Liberal Party particularly want to support it and do anything we can to help people start a business and create a job. Having just made comments about the challenges that businesses have at the moment in employing people, that doesn't detract at all from the value of someone creating a new job in our economy and a new business in our economy. Let's be honest: unemployment is most probably not going to have a three in front of it into the future; we can't count on that, and we want to see every lever being pulled that allows us to increase the size of our labour market.
To do that, what we say on this side of the chamber is that we want to see more businesses created. We want to see the economic pie and the employment pie get larger. That's nothing against people like, frankly, all of us in this chamber, who are employees—and very proudly—but we really need to do everything we can to back someone who wants to be self-employed, to back someone who sees some value in the independence that you get from starting your own business. Of course, there are many, many people in this chamber that have started a business and that have certainly had all of the exhilaration and stress that comes with starting a business. Yes, there is the independence of being in command of your own destiny, but, of course, there is the stress of not having the salary, the pay packet that you can absolutely count on. There is the stress of knowing that you've got to be out and hoping that the customers are going to be there into the future, hopefully, growing your business but certainly maintaining it at a level that ensures that you're earning the income that you need. Those are the economic heroes of this country: people who take that risk to start their own business, hopefully for that business to succeed and grow and, in fact, for them not just to be self-employed but themselves in that business to employ lot more people in that business as they grow it into the future.
We all know the statistics. There are successful businesses, but 30 per cent of businesses—it's certainly been the case in the past—fail in the first 12 months, 70 per cent in the first three years. So it's a huge risk that people take when they go to start a business. Of course, at the moment, in a environment of such low unemployment, it is probably more and more tempting than ever for people to decide to take a job rather than create a new business. And we know that, for the years and decades into the future, it's people making the decision today to start a new business and maybe—certainly hopefully—for them to not be amongst the statistics of those businesses that don't succeed in the first year or in the first three years but in fact create a business that gets through those first few years and grows in the years after, perhaps in 5 or 10 years becoming the sort of business that went from something that someone established as a sole proprietor to a business that is employing a handful, if not a dozen, if not tens or hundreds of Australians. Those businesses need to be created now, even in a time when unemployment is low, because they'll be paying a real dividend when, perhaps, unemployment won't be so low. Certainly, hopefully, we want to keep unemployment low continuously, but we also want our economy increasing. We want more jobs being created in our economy, and to do that we need people to start businesses.
That's what NEIS has done. It's been there since 1985 to support people who are unemployed and see an idea or an opportunity for them to start a business and need help and support to get off the ground. By enrolling in NEIS and getting the financial support through there along with the other elements of the program, that, hopefully, puts them in the best place we can put them in to back them for their business to be successful.
It's not just financial assistance, of course, through NEIS and its future incarnation. We also know that people do need a lot of support around the skills to start a business. You might have a skill for the business that you want to establish and run, but just having that skill isn't enough to run a successful business. You of course also need the skills of running a business: some basic bookkeeping and accounting skills, the ability to develop a business plan and understanding what the government rules and regulations are around the particular going concern that you are planning to launch as your own enterprise.
I know that over the years NEIS has done a lot and been a good way of putting people in the program in touch with other supports that government has to make sure people are equipped with those skills. Despite the difficulty in succeeding when you start a business—or probably because of that difficulty—we want to support people, giving them the best chance possible for their idea and for that business that they want to pursue as a self-employed person. That means having the financial support payments in place and, of course, having other support structures from government in place to support them is hopefully going to give them the best chance of them being successful not only to employ themselves but, of course, to grow a business that might, in fact, employ a lot more Australians.
We in the coalition are very proud of the record specific to business creation but also just generally the number of jobs that were created that the shadow minister talked about, with 1.8 million jobs created between the time we came to government in 2013 and the recent May election. Governments obviously do a lot of very important things, but creating 1.8 million jobs is a tremendous legacy of our nine years in government. If we hadn't created those 1.8 million jobs, we would be facing a very different set of challenges right now. That's 1.8 million more people in work. That's 1.8 million more people paying income tax, contributing to the economic growth of this nation and helping us to weather some very significant economic challenges that are coming our way at the moment. Those 1.8 million people, coupled with the entirety of a very strong labour market that, again, we left, meant at the election in May we had put this country in one of the strongest positions of any country in the world.
We have global challenges coming our way. They are many, varied and significant, unfortunately. We're seeing a manifestation of those already, with interest rates going up. We hope it won't be the case but do fear just what impact these interest rate rises are going to have on all Australians that borrow money, that own their home and owe a lot of money to the bank. When we think about this legislation and this program, with people starting a business and how challenging it is, when you look at your business plan you'll suddenly realise, if you are borrowing money to start that business, what your interest rate was going to be six months ago, what you were counting on it being, and now what it is likely you will need to count on it being into the future. Of course, we don't know how much further interest rates will go up beyond the increases that have already been announced over the last few months by the Reserve Bank, but these are some of the challenges that will befall the Australian economy in the not-too-distant future.
We're all here to work as hard as we can to look after our economy, in particular. It's things like creating 1.8 million jobs in a nine-year period of time that put us, the coalition, in a position to be able to say, 'We certainly used those nine years to continue to do what coalition governments do best, and that is grow our economy and keep improving the wealth of this nation and the economic security of the people that live in this nation.' That's the position we find ourselves in, going into difficult times.
This bill to facilitate transitions into the future for the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme is one that I'm very pleased to support, as the coalition are pleased to support it. It is part of a framework that we left behind to this new government of strong, robust systems to help people start businesses and, by starting those businesses, grow our economy to the benefit of all Australians. I commend the bill to the House.
Mr VIOLI (Casey) (16:43): I rise to speak in support of the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill 2022. The former coalition government was transformative in respect to the way employment services were being delivered Australia-wide, most notably with the introduction of Workforce Australia. From July of this year, Workforce Australia has brought together the Department of Education, Skills and Employment's workforce employment skills initiatives under one single identity, replacing jobactive and the current employment services network. Workforce Australia is now in place, providing more personalised services to better target jobseeker needs, investing in those jobseekers who need it and making greater use of digital technology. This bill is a result of that change. Changing the name of the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme to the Self-Employment Assistance program serves an important purpose in ensuring that payments made under it are treated in the same way as other NEIS payments.
The coalition cares about getting Australians off welfare and into work. The unemployment rate sat at an almost 50-year low when we left government in May 2022, with just 3.9 per cent of Australians unemployed. This was not an accident. Getting people off welfare and into work was at the crux of the previous coalition government's policy. The government's previous employment services system, jobactive, saw nearly two million placements since it was established in 2015. The success of this system was a key factor in keeping our unemployment rate low.
The new Workforce Australia model seeks to build on the success of jobactive, giving jobseekers the best opportunity to find employment through a tailor-made approach. The former coalition government spent several years working with jobseekers, providers, peak bodies and employers on developing a model that works for all and supports a pathway for Australians off welfare and into work. This model was informed by all key stakeholders and is the culmination of much reflection and advice on how to best serve Australians wanting to re-enter the workforce. In the future, Workforce Australia will be the one-stop shop for Australians and Australian businesses to find work and retrain.
The bill itself is merely technical, allowing streamlined efficiency and ensuring access to payments. Schedule 1 of the bill ensures that the Social Security Act and the Veterans' Entitlements Act operate in the same way in relation to self-employment assistance payments as other NEIS payments. This schedule also ensures any name changes of these acts will not require future bills, streamlining the legislative process. Schedule 2 of the bill simply makes more minor technical amendments to the social security law, removing redundant notes and simplifying complexities that merely function as confusing red tape. I stress that this bill is technical in nature but, importantly, it streamlines policy and ensures funds keep getting paid to Australians on support payments.
Prior to the pandemic hitting, the coalition government had reduced welfare dependency to its lowest level in 30 years, getting Australians into jobs. From entering and exiting government, we helped 1.8 million Australians into work. For a moment, let us not think about the abstract numbers; let us think about the reality for Australians. Let us think about the unimaginable number of people now working towards their futures not reliant on government support. Let us think of the freedom they have in employment, the independence reached for so many more Australians. That is why these numbers matter. We were determined from when we were first elected to government in 2013 to put in place the strong economic policies and labour market programs that allowed the economy to recover and support Australians into work.
The previous government's long-term plan for jobs and growth meant that we entered the pandemic crisis from a position of economic strength. Our former employment services program played an essential role in supporting economic recovery by increasing labour force participation and helping workers transition to new jobs. These programs, including jobactive, the Youth Jobs PaTH, Transition to Work and ParentsNext, are working and have ensured that we bounce back from COVID-19 and continue the pathway of getting more Australians back into work. These programs have aided hundreds of thousands of Australians to improve their employability and gain employment, with jobactive having supported over two million job placements since its introduction in 2015.
There was $62.8 million invested in supporting employment in 25 regions through our Local Jobs Program. We coordinated the Workforce Australia reform, the biggest reform to employment services since the Howard government's reforms in the 1990s. In the coalition's last three years in government, 73 job fairs were funded which attracted tens of thousands of jobseekers and thousands of exhibitors. With social security being such a large expenditure area for the government, the previous coalition government recognised the need for scrutiny, careful planning and, importantly, thoughtful execution. At every step of the way, our government improved employee opportunities and we'll continue to do that, even if now from opposition.
The former coalition government's commitment to employment services was strong and focused, isolating those service where government expenditure would be most efficient and most socially beneficial to Australians. When Labor last left office, the youth unemployment rate was 12.7 per cent. In January 2020 under a coalition government the youth unemployment rate was nine per cent, 2.6 points lower than pre-COVID levels in March 2020. Youth unemployment is such an important number to drive down, because we know that by investing in jobs for young people we are supporting them today and also supporting them and our communities into the future. This is testament to the former coalition government's concerted investment to give young Australians the right assistance and encouragement to develop new skills; to become work-ready; to get a job or look at another job or a better job through the pathway; and to stay in a job.
The former coalition government's Youth Jobs PaTH program helps young people gain the skills and work experience needed to get and keep a job. It also supports businesses to trial young people in the workplace and offers a financial incentive when they hire them, which is so crucial, because we know businesses and small businesses want to support young people and they want to invest in their communities. But we also know that young people don't have that experience that older employees have. So it's important that we encourage business to invest in those young people, and they can learn those skills on the job. What we have seen is that this program is working, with 67 per cent of completed internships resulting in immediate employment for those young people, and a further eight per cent recording a job placement within three months.
Transition to Work participants receive intensive pre-employment support to develop practical skills to get a job; to connect them with educational training if that is what they need; and, really importantly, to find local job opportunities to connect them with jobs that are suited to them in their area. In Casey, we have a thriving agricultural industry, but, like many industries, it also has many skills shortages. Transition to Work participants will be trained and pushed into opportunities that align with the agricultural industry of Casey, which is one practical example of how this program works. And part of that is to connect them with the relevant local community services—because we know that local community services are in touch with local industries in their area—to find those jobs, providing great opportunities for those on the program and also for local businesses and local communities. Since its commencement, over 64,000 young people have found job placements—that's 64,000 young people finding their feet in the workforce and working for themselves and for their community and for their country. And, as I said, these 64,000 young people are not just finding jobs for today. These are jobs that they will have for the future, so it's an investment now and in the future. When we invest in our young people, we're investing in the short term and the long term of our communities. The former coalition government gave immense focus to what is so crucial to our country: the success of our young people.
My electorate of Casey has had remarkable success in recent years regarding work outcomes. We are fortunate that Casey has over the years of the previous coalition government consistently tracked lower in the unemployment rates when compared to greater Melbourne, Victoria and Australia. On top of this our gross regional product has steadily risen, even considering the decrease in population in our area. This hallmark of productivity is another example of the success of the former coalition government's policies, with the median weekly incomes for all the individuals, families and households of my electorate of Casey beating those for Victoria and Australia. However, while these numbers are positive, more needs to be done.
Like many areas, Casey is struggling with skill shortages. We have opportunities to continue to upskill our young people. I'll continue to advocate and work with our local providers in this regard. We also need to look at immigration and understand that by investing in targeted immigration we're creating new jobs for Australians, because the biggest handbrake on business in Casey is a lack of workers. Forever and a day a business will invest in a new market and grow, and they will add employees after the fact. I was talking to a business—and this was the first time I've heard this in 15 years in business—and that business said they will not grow a new market before employing people. Now they look to employ a person and then create the demand. It is staggering and unprecedented in business for someone to look at that. It shows the challenges we face with the skill shortages. It also shows the long-term impacts and challenges that our economy will have because if business is not prepared to grow and look at those opportunities for growth then it will hurt jobs in the long term. If businesses aren't hiring, because they've decided to be conservative, then as more young people come into the workforce we'll be in a lot of trouble. These skill shortages link to the outcomes we're talking about today.
We can talk about the millions in funding and how the averages of certain metrics have risen or fallen, but ultimately we cannot find ourselves lost in discussions of numbers. This discussion is about people—people once reliant on social security finding their footing in the workplace, feeling the freedom of being in control of what they do and earning money for all their efforts. There truly is dignity in work.
I am proud to support this bill and I commend this bill to the House.
Mr VAN MANEN (Forde—Chief Opposition Whip) (16:57): I thank the member for Casey for his contribution. In rising to speak on the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill 2022 I firstly want to recognise the history of this scheme, going back to 1985. Some 200,000 people have taken the opportunity to start their own business since its commencement. Many of them would otherwise have continued to rely on social security or veterans entitlements payments.
I say at the outset that nothing pleases me more than seeing somebody who has gone through some struggles in life, and maybe been on a social security payment of some sort, be able to find their way back into the workforce or start their own business. I say that because we well know the impact of long-term unemployment on people's health and welfare. As we look at some of those impacts it's important to bear in mind, as a number of speakers have already mentioned in this debate, that at the end of the day we're talking about a program and at the end of that program are people. Those people might be individuals or they might have a wife and kids, they might have a family. Ultimately what we're seeking to do with all of these programs is give these people a hand up to be able to live to their full potential.
That is why I support programs such as this and other programs like the Australian Small Business Advisory Service and the mentoring and support we provide to small business through those programs. We know that, if people are long-term unemployed or disconnected from the workforce, there are a range of impacts on their lives: loss of income, most evident; for some of them, social exclusion and loss of freedom in that they don't have the capacity to do what they used to be able to do; loss of skills; for some, psychological harm; and, for some, ill health and loss of motivation. It can impair or undermine relationships in the family and in the broader community. Certainly I've seen situations in my community where kids were playing in local sporting teams and, sadly, one of their parents became unemployed and those kids were no longer playing sport and no longer connected to those support groups that help them grow and become better people. They're just some of the issues that you can see quite readily with people on long-term unemployment.
Programs like NEIS are so vital in helping those who have a motivation to start their own business take that step—and it is a big step. It is certainly not for the faint hearted. There are plenty in this chamber who have run their own small business over the years. As I talk to many of my small businesses around my electorate, I hear of the challenges that they face every day: getting new employees or working with their existing staff; being paid by suppliers or by customers on time, depending on the business that they're in; dealing with supply chain constraints, as we are seeing at the moment; and dealing with the impact of COVID over the last couple of years. For many of these small businesses their house is on the line each and every day and so is their family's future and welfare. I'm pleased to say that, when we were last in government as a coalition government, we had a tremendous track record in this space, seeing not only the growth of small business across our country through programs such as NEIS but also more generally and, more importantly, the additional number of people in our workforce as a result of our policies—some 1.8 million people.
In addition to that, the coalition government transformed the way employment services are being delivered across the country, with the introduction of Workforce Australia. This commenced on 4 July this year. Workforce Australia brought together the Department of Education, Skills and Employment's workforce, employment and skills initiatives under one single identity. I was recently talking to one of my new local Workforce Australia providers, and I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of their clients who they'd successfully placed into work locally. Both of them were tremendous success stories. They had been long-term unemployed for a significant period of time and had worked with previous employment service providers with not a lot of success. Since coming on board with Workways they had both obtained new jobs and were very appreciative of that opportunity that was being provided.
That's so important in terms of the measures that were implemented by the former coalition government that I, and my colleagues here on this side, were part of. At the end of the day, we were passionate about getting Australians off welfare and into work, for many of the reasons I outlined earlier. We've seen that that brings an enormous benefit to our society as a whole. The other day, the finance minister and the Treasurer reflected on the budget bottom line improvement, because the government's paying out less in welfare payments than were budgeted for. That's a direct result of the former coalition government's work across the economy but particularly in the employment space. We saw the unemployment rate in May 2022, when we left government, at 3.9 percent—a 50-year low. That doesn't happen by accident. It happens by supporting people to build their skills and capability to enter into work or to start their own business and giving them the confidence to do so. The coalition government's previous employment services system saw nearly two million placements since it was established in 2015. The success of this system was a key to getting our unemployment rate so low.
In addition, a couple of speakers have reflected that, in part, this also reflects the fact that, during the COVID period, our borders were closed and we didn't have the overseas migration that we had had, and our businesses had to increasingly turn to the locally available workforce. I acknowledge also the comments of the members for Casey and Sturt—and I know the member for Barker is here in the chamber, too—in relation to the issues that that has provided for our agricultural sector and the workforce shortages and difficulties they face. Equally I've had that discussion with businesses in my electorate.
As I reflect on the discussion I had recently at a committee hearing with the Reserve Bank Governor, I remember well the day when I started in the workforce—and, in those days, businesses trained staff. Now, we talk a lot in this place about training packages and skills incentives and a whole range of things. I don't remember many of those being in place when I started in the workforce—some 40 years ago, roughly. I would say—and even the Reserve Bank Governor reflected on this in our hearing the other day—that it is incumbent on the business sector to be prepared to start training its workforce again. We can't just have a situation where employers continue to pinch staff from another employer or rely on the people that they need for their workforce being in the market. They need to start training within their businesses again.
Now, can we fill some of those gaps with a considered, thoughtful, immigration process? Absolutely. But we also need to take into account the other impacts that is going to have. I acknowledge, as the member for Sturt said, that labour mobility is an issue when you have house prices at the level you do, rents at the level you do and rental vacancies at the low levels you do; it is also hard for people to move to areas around our country to take on job opportunities that may be there. So all of these things need to be looked at as we move forward.
To return to the bill: the bill makes some consequential amendments, but, importantly, it keeps the program in place and ensures that it's consistent across the board. But I'll go back to my earlier comments: it is the former coalition government that set up the systems and the processes that we now have in place that underpin our record low rates of unemployment. I would like to see those rates continue to fall as we continue to see people trained and encouraged to enter into the workforce and fill the jobs and skills gaps that we presently have—because we still have some 1.3 million Australians that are unemployed or underemployed. You can't tell me there are not the skills and the capabilities in many of those people to fill the many jobs we have on offer in this country.
So am I calling on the government to continue to do and to build on the work that we did when we were in government? Absolutely, because we've demonstrated in the figures that what we put in place works. But I'm also issuing a challenge to the business community to take up the mantle and the challenge: to start training their workforce, to fill some of these gaps, to create the skilled workforce we need for the future. But I commend this bill to the House.
Mr BROADBENT (Monash) (17:09): Workforce Australia is the latest program that governments of both persuasions have now accepted. This was conceived by the previous government, and it has been accepted by the new government, as another iteration of the Commonwealth Employment Service, which I can trace back all the way to when I first came into this parliament.
This is about getting people who wouldn't otherwise get into a job get into a job. Everyone needs a little bit of help, a little bit of a push, a little bit of education, a little bit of training and a little bit of support sometimes. Governments of all persuasions since 1990, when I came here, have had a view that, if we can help these people along the way, just a little bit, we can get them into a job and change their lives. It's a life-changing experience to go from long-term unemployment, or generational unemployment, into a job. It does change people's lives because they have socialisation and they have the income to do the things they need to do. We also know that, once somebody's in a job, they can get a better job. If you're in a job, you can get a better job because you're employed.
I had a young woman come to me one day when I ran a small business, and she said: 'Look, Mr Broadbent, I can't get a job because I haven't got a CV. I'll come and work far you for nothing so I can get a CV to say that I've been in work.' Of course, my business always paid over the award, and, because of her enthusiasm, we put her on. She worked for us for a long time and then went on to do other things, with her CV in her hand and my recommendation for the next job.
I had another person whose mum came to me and said: 'Look, my daughter has just failed VCE'—no names, no pack drill—'and she's just at home doing nothing. She's lost all her confidence.' I said, 'Bring her in.' We gave her a job. She went on to manage businesses like mine all over our district. She had the talent, but there had just been a glitch along the way.
A lot of these people who we're talking about now are people who are that close to getting into work. The difficulty is that—from the old Commonwealth Employment Service all the way through every iteration of government and what they've done—for the people it's hard to get into work we don't always put the effort in that we should. They're the ones that are on the margins of our society. They're living on a razor's edge. They're the ones who really, really struggle.
Sometimes, as I said before, it's generational and it's about family—'We don't work in our family.' For families like mine and lots of others, like the member for Barker and all the members who have spoken, we were in the fields at 15. We didn't get a choice; in the school holidays you went to work. That was it—finished. You had to find a way. I remember bringing my first cheque home to my father, and he said, 'I can't believe that you've done this much work.' I was cutting and packing swedes—I was cutting my fingers more than I was cutting the swedes!—and I got a great appreciation for just how brilliant these workers in the field were and what they could do. I can remember—and I don't want to get off track here—starting my row of digging up these swedes and the guy working next to me, after I'd gone 10 feet up the row, had finished his row. These people could really work.
Every government has wanted to find a way to help people into work. This legislation is actually born out of quite a few years of investment in how we can do this better. That's what the previous government wanted to do. It asked, 'How can we do this better so we can literally find a job for these people or encourage them?' There are a number of different ways that have been outlined by every speaker on how we might do that. It doesn't matter whether you want to change from unemployment to start your own small business, which this helps through, which we've had all the way along. Some 200,000 people have created their own business and gone on to employ other people in that business. So that's been a worthwhile investment by government.
Has every dollar we've spent meant that we got an outcome? No. There are people in our community who find it really hard. Another person I ran across a while ago had been very well employed for a long time. Then she fell on difficult times, through some mental challenges and other issues around family and things that she needed to do. Then when it came time to getting back into work she found she'd lost all her skills, she'd lost her confidence and she'd lost her ability to interact in a workplace. She thought she should get a better job than those that were on offer. So the period of non-employment went on and on—until the point, I dare say, when she became unemployable. But, because of some of the programs that we've got in place, she's now training for a brand new job, and she will go on and do great things. She'll go on and be very good at what she does.
I want to pay tribute to the Public Service here, who are putting in an enormous amount of work. This is a technical bill to advance and confirm and introduce the program put in place, Workforce Australia—it's new name—and the technical things around it to get Workforce Australia as part of the conversation. The Public Service have had the people that this helps in their focus. Importantly, whilst politicians may set the parameters of what we desire, we rely on our public servants to deliver on this. An enormous amount of consideration has gone into Workforce Australia, by the previous government and accepted by this government, as a program to take us forward.
I think it's good legislation. I think it will make quite a difference to the numbers of people. When you're down to 3½ per cent unemployment in this country there are a lot of jobs out there, and we need our communities to fill the positions that are there. We're not getting the opportunities from backpackers to fill up all the agricultural jobs in my electorate. We're not getting very high immigration, at this time, because of COVID and the things that have happened. We're not getting the normal opportunities that come through and allow people to stay unemployed because they can't compete in the workplace. These people can now compete in the workplace, because there are employers out there that are desperate for employees.
There's not one member that can stand up in this House and say there are not loads of vacancies in their electorates. Cafe after cafe has a sign at the door saying, 'We need staff.' It's everywhere you go. Why are some of our cafes and hospitality venues closing on Monday and Tuesday? Pubs closing on Monday and Tuesday! Have you ever heard anything like it? It's because they can't get the staff to open more than the days that they have.
There's a lot of incentive for government to pour a lot of energy into those on the margins. For every iteration of this, only four per cent of employers are coming to Workforce Australia. They're finding other ways to entice employees. They're paying over the award. They're giving upfront cash incentives to people to come to work for them. They're giving them special rosters so that they can come and work for them. Every employer's done that over the years. If you've got a good employee and you want to keep that employee, you will bend over backwards to fit in with their needs and their lifestyle.
With all of these jobactive centres, which it was previously but is now Workforce Australia, we're putting in place something that should make a difference to somebody who was on the margins and needs a job. We want them to live a full, active and participating life in the Australian community.
I think there are some things that we could do that wouldn't be acceptable to a lot of people, like give some refugees out there who are not allowed to work an opportunity to work. I would be giving them an opportunity to work today if it were up to me. There are refugees here on certain classes of visa where they can't work. We need those people. Right now, we need those people. We've made concessions during COVID. We've made all sorts of concessions on immigration and citizenship. We've made concessions all over the place because of COVID. I think we can say Australia now has a real need to extend its employment base with any opportunity it can.
The other thing is that there is a whole lot of emphasis here on a skilled workforce coming in. As far as I'm concerned, we need an unskilled workforce coming in! We need any workforce coming in. If we're going to bring people into the country, we need a workforce coming in. People say, 'They'd be a burden on the community.' No, they would get a job straightaway. More than that, their children and their children's children will be of great benefit to this country, as was the case for the people who came after the war. I don't think people that came from your country, Deputy Speaker Georganas, had a whole lot of skills when they arrived here and they didn't have much money, but—by gee!—they've done pretty well since, haven't they? I think there is a real opportunity for us to look very carefully at our immigration program. But that's only one part of it.
This is all about people who are actually in this country today and the opportunities we want to give them. All of the legislation, all the way through, is focused straight out on the people who haven't got a job today, who may need some training and skills. There are a number of opportunities within this legislation to give effect to Workforce Australia. Workforce Australia, as I said before, has been born out of people considering, 'How can we as a nation do something better?' That's why we're supporting this bill. How can we do something better? How can we get that one person who is missing out on the opportunities of life because they are not participating within the workforce? That participation is crucial to the health and wellbeing of them, their families and their communities.
I find around footy clubs, cricket clubs, tennis clubs, soccer clubs—whatever the sporting club is—there's not much unemployment. Do you know why? It's because Johnny says: 'Dad's got a bit of a job out at the farm. Can you come in?' They learn to be participants within the workforce. Once they are participants within the workforce, they have the discipline. They know where to go. They know how to go about it. I find there is far less drug use and far less delinquency if they are connected to a sporting club or somehow based in the community. I member lots of kids in Pakenham working for Evergreen Turf or McDonald's. That would be their start. Someone would say, 'I'm at McDonald's; you should come to McDonald's, too.' That would be their start. They go to work for Hungry Jacks. That is one whole area of major activity. They are usually kids who haven't had a stumble, haven't had a fall. They come from working families. We need, and we always will, to help those people that come from Struggle Street or who come from families that are not as supportive as they could be and need government help. I think that is where government help should come in. That is what Workforce Australia will do. I believe it's of great benefit to Australia.
I've got plenty in my community who would say, 'Take their benefits away and they'll soon get a job.' It doesn't work like that for everybody. One of my responsibilities as a member of parliament is to always remember those that I represent who can't help themselves and need a helping hand. I remember that, always. I would expect every other member of parliament has those. Within a family, for the kids that are doing well, Dad lets them go and Mum lets them go. The kids that are not doing well get all the support. Our communities are no different. Workforce Australia goes a long way towards helping the kid in the family that's not doing that well. So I commend this bill to the House, and I hope that all the allocation of funds here and all the effort that has gone into this will be hugely successful.
Mr PASIN (Barker) (17:25): Before I begin my contribution on the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill 2022, I want to say what a blessing it was to hear the member for Monash, someone who's been in this place on and off since 1990, speak about what is very much the long view. I don't know whether he will thank me for this—and I expect the member for Burt has an even more exaggerated example, given that I think he might be younger than me.
Mr Gorman interjecting—
Mr PASIN: Oh, it's changed, has it? The member for Monash entered the place in 1990. I experienced some change in 1990 as well, the member for Monash might be interested to learn. I moved from primary school to high school in that year. That is how long the member for Monash has been in this place. It underscores one thing, and that is that the long view is important in politics. It is important in life, but it is particularly important in politics—and I want to talk a little bit more about the long view.
There are a couple of other things. I think the member for Monash said that I might have been in the field at 15. If only, Member for Monash! At eight I was driving a tractor, albeit I drove it through a fence and got scolded by my father. I will never forget the dressing down I got. I think the words were: 'That's what you get when you ask a boy to do a man's job.' Indeed, at about 10 or 12 when I was in the packing shed and I triumphantly told him that I could lift a 20 kilogram bag of onions, he said, 'Great; stand there and do it all day.'
So you are right: many of us have been privileged to be early adopters when it comes to employment. I say 'privileged' in the sense that I wouldn't exchange for anything any of those experiences I had with my father in his various businesses on the farm and engaging with people. Indeed, I credit having worked in our packing shed over a number of years for my subsequent career in criminal law, because almost everyone who worked for us was on bail. It was an element in society who, back then, could only find that kind of employment. My dad was particularly enthusiastic about employing people who were down on their luck. It was those experiences which led me to not be scared, if you like, when it came to practising in that law.
But I spoke about the long view, and I want to take the opportunity to wind back the clock a little bit. It's 2013 and I am a candidate for election. The then Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, and the coalition had determined a plan. I am sure, Mr Deputy Speaker Georganas, that you would have been across this document and perhaps reading it with a more critical eye than I. I was effectively trying to rote learn it in the event that I might be asked questions about the document and be unable to answer them. That was a famous example that I wasn't keen to repeat.
I particularly remember reading one of the elements of that plan, which back then I thought was a ridiculous stretch target. For perhaps the member for Groom and the member for Menzies, who weren't in the place or involved in that campaign, it was a statement made before the 2000 election as follows: 'We will generate one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs within a decade by growing a bigger, more productive and prosperous economy.' I remember reading that in my office and thinking, 'My goodness; there's no way any government would be able to achieve the creation of a million jobs in five years and definitely not two million within 10 years.' In any event, the Abbott government was elected in 2013, and we know that subsequently that administration became the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments.
I might take this opportunity to reflect on the question: how did we go relative to that stretch target? I will start with the five-year goal. The answer to that question is that it was achieved almost to the day: a million jobs in five years. That was a credit as much to the Australian people as it was to the government of the day, but I will say, as someone who sat in countless party rooms and countless committee meetings, during those years there was a steely focus on getting Australians into jobs. We were often mocked for saying the best form of welfare is, of course, a job, but in any event we achieved that million-job target.
The next question was: could we dream of achieving two million within 10 years? Of course, at the point of the pandemic, we had reached 1.5 million new jobs, three-quarters of the way to that target. On leaving government some 8½ years after coming to government, we had achieved 1.8 million new jobs towards a target of two million in 10 years, so I suggest to you that it was on target, notwithstanding that you would have expected that, given the pandemic, we would have been blown substantially off course.
The point about that is that you might end the conversation there and say 1.8 million jobs were on track, but I will rush forward to today. It's estimated that there are 400,000 unfilled jobs in the economy today. When you realise that those estimates are borne of statistics that came out of our metropolitan centres and electorates like mine, member for Groom's, the member for Durack's or the member for Nicholls—all the job vacancies that you're talking to your employers about aren't included in those statistics, so I think we can comfortably accept that there are at least another 400,000, if not more, jobs. There are probably 800,000 unfilled places in the economy today. As we heard from the member for Monash, not one person in this place would dare suggest they've never had an employer tell them they don't have unfilled jobs. We all do; we hear it everyday. I'm sure you hear, like I do, the collateral issue with availability of accommodation in our respective communities.
So, if you add the 1.8 million to the 800,000 our nation has created some 2.6 million jobs—albeit not all of them filled, because we are having some trouble filling them. That's a hell of an achievement and one which I hope for those opposite will be a legacy that they can continue. Why do I say I hope they can continue it? Because each and every one of those jobs filled is a real Australian in a real family better for that job.
One of the high points of my career wasn't an acquittal, wasn't well-drafted submissions in the High Court, the Supreme Court or these things but in fact occurred one afternoon in the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court. I'd just made submissions on behalf of a client of mine who had been, let's say, naughty. An employer in the region who sat in the back of the room and heard my submission knew me and said, 'Tony, any chance I could have a chat to your client about a job?' I said, 'Absolutely, he'd love a job, but are you sure?' 'Yes, I am. But I tell you what: he'll need to get to a particular post office on Monday. This is in a remote centre'—this is a pastoralist—'and if he gets there on Monday at eight o'clock, I will be there picking up my mail. I'll take him with me and he'll have a job.' The highlight wasn't the fact that that was arranged but the fact that, about two years later, he came back into my office having worked remotely for those two years for the employer mentioned. He came into my office and said: 'Tony, I've worked for two years for Employer X. What do I do with all the money?' He was asking me for financial advice—probably the worst person he could seek any guidance from in that regard! And so I directed him to someone who could provide him with some advice about his savings. I sat back in my chair and thought to myself, 'What a difference one job had made to this man, his wife, his children'—and it was an opportunity. It was an opportunity that employer provided to him—in an unusual setting; I'm not sure too many employers sit in the back of courtrooms waiting for people to walk out of the dock and offering them employment.
You see, that's what we do in this place: we build opportunities. We build environments in which employers can prosper so that they can offer opportunities to employees—opportunities potentially to improve their life, to turn their lives around or simply to go to a better, more skilled, higher paying job. That's why I rise in support of this bill. It's a bill that continues, if you like, the continuum of work, which is a bill that was conceived by those of us in this place and effectively adopted by those opposite. It continues that long journey, one that has been navigated by various governments in various parliaments, towards getting as many Australians as practicable into employment.
I want to make it very clear: an unemployment rate below four per cent in this nation is something we should celebrate. The fact that we're in such a strong position is a product in no small measure of the work of the former government, which stood us in good stead vis-a-vis the pandemic. But I want those opposite to be under no illusion. When your unemployment rate is at around four per cent—and the natural rate of unemployment probably sits at around four per cent—there is a lot of work to do to shift those remaining Australians into employment, notwithstanding the close-to-one-million jobs that are available. Many of those jobs are in my electorate. Anyone who is keen for a job—my staff hate it when I do this—can reach out to my office; I'm happy to put you in touch with employers who will take you on. I do it from time to time. My staff go, 'Oh, no,' but then all we end up getting are employers asking to be put on my list for if anyone actually does call.
In any event, I want to be clear for those opposite: it's a difficult challenge. We need to get as many of these Australians into employment as possible, for their benefit, mostly. I think it's fair to say that, when you're operating at a rate at or below the natural rate of unemployment, the return on investment by government in terms of placing someone in employment—long-term unemployed people or people with particular difficulties—and the cost associated with doing that at that rate is a challenge, but it's one we need to accept and work towards, because ultimately it's about making a difference for those particular Australians.
I reasonably anticipate that the individual I spoke about, had it not been for this particular employer who for some reason found it in his heart to offer this young lad a chance, would have spent every day from that day in court to today unemployed. Instead, he has gone about his life and worked in a setting that suits him, supporting his family, and he did that because someone was prepared to take a punt. This bill is about providing the requisite supports to ensure that people can transition from those very difficult settings into employment or into employment via self-employment, which of course is another important pathway, particularly when—I remind the House—there are many hundreds of thousands of small businesses and microbusinesses that operate successfully and in increasing numbers.
My final contribution is to remind the House that not only is it a particularly good thing for the individuals involved to find themselves in employment but it's also an age-old measure: if we can get people into employment, they go from being someone who is in receipt of a welfare payment, a transfer payment from government, to someone who's making a contribution to general revenue. We've just come out of the back end of the AFL grand final. It's the best example you'll find in civic life, in the industrial relations space, of a two-goal turnaround. Instead of someone taking a transfer payment via a payment from welfare, they're making a contribution. It's the fact we got 1.8 million Australians over the last term of government into employment which has meant we are in such a strong position to deal with the pandemic.
Mr BIRRELL (Nicholls—Deputy Nationals Whip) (17:40): I rise to speak in support of the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill 2022. This legislation is about creating opportunity and fostering entrepreneurial spirit, which should be encouraged wherever possible—and opportunity was the theme of my maiden speech. The prosperity of my own electorate of Nicholls is founded on that great Australian ideal of having a go. Sometimes it's also about getting a go—or, as our egalitarian streak demands, getting a fair go. And the coalition believes in a fair go. We transformed the way employment services are delivered with the introduction of Workforce Australia bringing together the Department of Education, Skills and Employment's workforce employment skills initiatives under one single identity. Workforce Australia replaced jobactive and the current employment services network and has delivered more personalised services to better target jobseeker needs, investing in those jobseekers who need it and making greater use of digital technology.
The bill, which I'm happy to support, is a result of that change led by the previous coalition government. 'Jobs, jobs, jobs' was the mantra for the coalition government and it remains the case of us in opposition. We are passionate about getting Australians off welfare and into work, so much so that when we left office in May 2022 the unemployment rate nationally was at a 50-year low, just 3.9 per cent. It has since fallen to 3.5 per cent, irrefutable proof that the new government inherited a strong economy that on so many measures had already returned to, or exceeded, pre-pandemic levels. During its time in government the coalition helped 1.8 million Australians into work, with 1.5 million able to find work by March 2020 when the nation faced the unprecedented challenge of the global pandemic.
It's worth reflecting that, when the pandemic struck, Australia had record labour force participation. The unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent in March 2020, and the budget was in balance for the first time in 11 years. The pandemic required an enormous response and many sacrifices. It required a government willing to step up and support Australians through the social and economic turmoil, which it did through the JobKeeper program. The coalition had in place long-term plans for jobs and growth, and, as a result, our recovery from the pandemic has been extremely strong. We entered the crisis from a position of economic strength, and our policies have played an essential role in supporting economic recovery by increasing labour force participation and helping workers transition into new jobs. The coalition worked hard to assist Australians back into work after the pandemic, including targeted support for our most affected regions and our most disadvantaged jobseekers.
Twenty-five regions were able to support employment through our $62.8 million local jobs program. Employment facilitators developed local jobs plans in 25 regions in collaboration with local stakeholders, employers and training organisations. When collaboration happens between government and people in local areas—and I see this all the time in regional areas—you get success. When it's dictated to from the top, from Canberra, sometimes the success is limited.
The Goulburn-Murray Employment Region, which takes in the electorate of Nicholls, was a beneficiary. The Goulburn-Murray local jobs plan sought to address barriers to employment, including adequacy of public transport connections across the region; lack of affordable housing, in part driven by the pandemic; the impact of the pandemic on the seasonal workforce; and the shift of workers away from the hospitality and tourism sectors to jobs that were less likely to be impacted by COVID. Brokering opportunities for youth skill development and employment including apprenticeships, traineeship, micro-credentialing, work experience and work placement is part of the plan we put in place. Maximising the extent to which local positions were filled by local jobseekers was part of that plan, and it is helping reinvigorate the local economy and industry post pandemic. Boosting employment and training opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jobseekers, in collaboration with local Indigenous organisations—and I emphasise the collaboration—was part of the plan. Identifying pathways for local jobseekers to be upskilled to meet the needs of major projects, including the infrastructure works planned through the region—much of that infrastructure delivered by the coalition government—was also part of that plan. So, too, was supporting jobseekers—in particular people with disabilities, culturally and linguistically diverse cohorts, those of mature age and youth—to align with our local labour needs. Workforce Australia was the biggest reform to employment services since the Howard government's reforms in the nineties, and it continues to serve the nation well. As I said earlier, this bill is a result of that change.
The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, known as the NEIS, had helped almost 200,000 people start their own business since it commenced in 1985, many of whom may otherwise have had to continue to rely on social security or veterans' entitlements payments. Under the scheme, people moved off income support by creating their own job. In turn, many of these businesses have created work for other people. The Self-Employment Assistance program commenced on 1 July 2022 to replace NEIS assistance through Australia. In addition to the assistance available to help participants start and maintain their own viable small business, Self-Employment Assistance and other NEIS participants can receive a fortnightly payment of $642.70, equal to the single, no children, rate of JobSeeker payment for 39 weeks and, if eligible, rent assistance for up to 26 weeks. This bill makes it simpler to align these payments with family, social security and veterans' entitlement laws.
I go back to the theme of opportunity—that thing I talked about in my maiden speech. It's something that's so important to me. It's important to the Nationals. And it's important to the electorate of Nicholls.
One of Australia's most successful business owners, Visy Industries' founder, Richard Pratt, started his life in Australia in Nicholls in 1938. He embraced the opportunity that Australia had offered. Richard Pratt was educated at Grahamvale Primary School and Shepparton high school, before going on to University High School and then a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Melbourne in 1953. In 1965, following the death of his father, Leon, Richard took over the cardboard corrugation company which, at the time, had an annual turnover of $5 million. Over the next 40 years, he build Visy into one of the world's largest packaging companies, with revenue of more than $3 billion—amazing success, born in the heart of Nicholls.
I won't be so bold as to predict that a business of such proportion will emerge from this scheme. But I can assure the House that, without opportunity—without the chance to have a go and the government supporting people who have a go—it definitely won't happen.
Many of the people who do take up this scheme will have more modest ambitions, at least initially. They'll want to create for themselves the opportunity to create business and to be financially independent.
Nichols is a great electorate, filled with examples of people who started with very little and forged a path in business. The furphy is not unfamiliar in this place, but you might not be as well acquainted with Australia's oldest continuously-operating family business, which now operates as J Furphy & Sons and Furphy Foundry. From time to time, maybe there are a few furphies told in this place! But let me tell you about the Furphies from Shepparton, after whom that expression, 'the furphy', was named. Both of those divisions—J Furphy & Sons and Furphy Foundry—are owned by fifth-generation descendants of the company founder, John Furphy. Furphy was 22 when he began his blacksmith and wheelwright business, servicing the needs of the small agricultural community of Kyneton and later moving to Shepparton.
John Furphy would invent, produce and market agricultural equipment, including the famous Furphy water cart, which led to the 'furphy' becoming part of our language, because that's where the World War I soldiers gathered to exchange gossip, around the water cooler, which was the Furphy tank. Or Mawson's, another family business that started in 1927 when Barney Mawson decided to invest in a 1.5-tonne, four-cylinder, petrol-powered Chevrolet truck. The truck replaced the wood drays delivering firewood to the Cohuna Butter Factory, and, over the years, the family business grew, carting produce to market, and firewood. After World War II, it expanded into construction, quarrying and roadmaking. Today Mawson's, through its construction and concrete and quarries divisions, is a major employer in Nicholls. It has played a significant role in building the infrastructure that supports our great industries.
Around 35 per cent of all heavy transport vehicles registered in Victoria are registered in the electorate of Nicholls. Many of those businesses have grown from the opportunity provided by agriculture and food processing. Many started with a single truck, often one of the cheap and plentiful army surplus supply vehicles made available after the Second World War. Many were migrant families who settled in the region and started growing fruit before recognising there was also a need to transport it. They have been over many decades early adopters of new technology and clever innovators.
The region continues to foster opportunities, including Cannatrak, which is establishing a state-of-the-art medicinal cannabis supply chain in Shepparton, which will dramatically decrease our reliance on imported products. The pandemic demonstrated the vulnerability of global supply chains and the need to bolster domestic capability, something the coalition government was very quick to recognise and act on. Where would Australia have been in those early months of the pandemic without Med-Con, a small entrepreneurial company based in Shepparton that was the nation's only surgical mask manufacturer at the time? Med-Con began in 1989 with machinery designed and developed locally with government support and was able to ramp up production to produce personal protective equipment for Australia, which we so desperately needed during the pandemic. Med-Con successfully created a niche market before the pandemic based on quality and reliability despite intense competition from cheaper imported masks. As the global demand skyrocketed, it quickly became the only reliable supplier.
As the member for Nicholls, I haven't forgotten—and I will never forget—the critical role Med-Con played in helping us with our mask supplies during the pandemic when we couldn't get supplies from overseas. But, unfortunately, many large customers, including the Victorian government, have again started sourcing from overseas. This is both disappointing and short-sighted. Business can be tough, and we're all familiar with the statistic that 20 per cent of start-ups fail in the first year and 60 per cent within three years, but that's not a reason not to try or a reason not to provide opportunity. That percentage would be better if we could partner with people who are having a crack on their own, look after them, and try to give them every chance to succeed. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Many who initially fail take those learnings and try again and ultimately succeed. Often all it takes is a good idea and determination.
I am really pleased to support this legislation and the opportunity it gives Australians to create secure work for themselves and financial independence by starting their own business.
Ms PRICE (Durack—Opposition Whip) (17:53): I rise to speak in support of the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill 2022. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our shores, the threat to businesses across Australia and in my seat of Durack were seen as potentially devastating. From the small businesses on the main streets in Broome and Geraldton to the smaller strips throughout the Wheatbelt, together with the large mining giants of the Pilbara, it seemed that no one was safe.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the coalition's strong economic management had supported the creation of over 1.5 million jobs, and, as my friend and colleague the member for Barker reminded us in this place earlier, perhaps it was more like 1.8 million. We saw that the economy was growing. Australia had record labour force participation and in March 2022 unemployment was 5.2 per cent.
We were determined when first elected to government in 2013 to put in place the strong economic policies and labour market programs that would allow our economy to bounce back and, most importantly. support Australians into work. We have to remind ourselves sometimes of exactly what the coalition inherited when we first came into government in 2013. When Labor left office, the youth unemployment rate was 12.7 per cent. In January 2022, the youth unemployment rate was at nine per cent, some 2.6 points lower than pre-COVID levels. Before the pandemic, welfare dependency had fallen to its lowest level in 30 years, from 16.5 per cent under Labor to 13.5 per cent in June 2019 under the coalition government. We reduced the tax rate for small businesses from 30 per cent to 25 per cent, the lowest rate in 50 years. But potentially our most significant achievement in government was balancing the budget in 2018-19 for the first time in 11 years. This was significant, considering the debt we had inherited from those opposite.
The coalition's long-term plan for jobs and growth meant that we entered the pandemic from a position of economic strength, and this is something that we should be incredibly proud of. The alternative had Labor been in power and able to continue with their economically damaging policies, as we saw during the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era, may have left Australia in an incredibly vulnerable position. When we left office in May 2022, the unemployment rate was at 3.9 per cent, an almost 50-year low. The Albanese government also has us to thank for the current unemployment rate of 3.5 per cent, a rate that I sincerely hope that we are able to maintain. But this did not happen by accident. Getting people off welfare and into work was a priority of the coalition whilst we were in government. After all, as we have said many times, the best form of welfare is a job. It is not just a saying; it's true. It has also been a core value of mine that the best way to support my vulnerable constituents throughout my electorate of Durack is to create opportunities for independence and self-reliance. It is not always easy to lift yourself out of difficult circumstances, and this is where government can make a tangible difference by providing a helping hand.
The coalition government transformed the way that employment services are being delivered, with the introduction of Workforce Australia. Earlier this year Workforce Australia brought together all of the relevant departments under one single identity, replacing jobactive and the current employment services network. This new model is now in place and is providing more personalised services to better target jobseeker needs, invest in those jobseekers who need it and make greater use of digital technology. We spent a number of years working with jobseekers, providers, peak bodies and employers on developing a model that works for all and supports a pathway for Australians to get off welfare and get into a job. The new model seeks to build on the success of jobactive and give jobseekers the best opportunity to find employment through a tailor-made approach. This bill is a result of that change and will ensure the intentions of making Workforce Australia a one-stop shop for Australians and Australian businesses to find work, retain work and find access to other government initiatives in employment and skills.
Due to the introduction of Workforce Australia, which came into effect on 4 July, this bill effects changes in the name of the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, or NEIS, program, ensuring that payments made under it are treated in the same way as for other NEIS payments. The main amendments in the bill will make sure that the family, social security and veterans entitlements laws operate in the same way in relation to self-employment assistance payments as for other NEIS payments because of the name change. Since it commenced in 1985, NEIS has helped almost 200,000 people start their own businesses and move off income support by creating their own jobs. Importantly, many of these people have then gone on to create employment opportunities for additional people. What a remarkable achievement that must be!
The Self-Employment Assistance program commenced on 1 July 2022 to replace NEIS assistance throughout Australia. Self-Employment Assistance program and NEIS participants can now receive a fortnightly payment of $642.70 for 39 weeks and, if eligible, rent assistance for up to 26 weeks. Workforce Australia was the biggest reform to employment services since the Howard government's reforms in the 1990s. It shows our commitment to help Australians into work and modernises one of the biggest expenditure areas of government. It was reform like this that allowed the coalition government to leave behind a strong legacy that the Albanese government, quite frankly, are very lucky to have inherited. I'm very proud to stand on that record and continue to work where I can on improving employment opportunities for constituents in my electorate of Durack and for Australians more broadly. I commend the bill to the House.
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (18:01): I want to reflect on the contribution of the member for Monash and the member for Barker's comment. The member for Monash came here in 1990, and the member for Barker started high school at that time. In 1990, I was an 11-year-old child working onsite for my father as a concreter—something I wouldn't recommend to other children out there! But, in rising to speak in support of the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill 2022, I think back to that time, and it really highlights why this is something that is very important to me.
Although I can assure you that I didn't really appreciate having to work with my father every weekend or every holiday—it was simply the expectation of a small business that I'd be there pushing a wheelbarrow, helping along—I look back at it, and I realise just how lucky I was to get that take-off ramp into employment from an early age. I was lucky to understand at a very, very early age—before I could possibly articulate it—the value that I could bring to others and to a community by being involved in the workforce. There were probably even values that I was building in myself.
I was doing nothing more than pushing a wheelbarrow half filled with concrete—if that—alongside my father, trying to prove that I was a big and strong concreter like him and the rest of the gentlemen there. But what I was really doing was getting an understanding of reward for effort at an early age. I don't know what I was first paid. In fact, I don't think I was paid early on, and I'm probably getting my father into trouble in some sort of IR form here, but that was how we worked. We got on, and, as time went by, I was able to maintain a wage. I'm paying small tribute here to my father, but that ability to understand that at such an early age was vital to everything that's followed for me. I know that, if I spoke to many others in this place or in the good electorate of Groom, there would be other people who had that benefit.
As grateful as I am for that, my father was also an employer of many other people, and I remember working side by side with a gentleman by the name of Dean Bachelor. He was a country lad who came up from Warialda looking for a job. He was 18, and my father decided to teach him how to be a concreter. Back then there was pretty good money to be made in concreting, and I understand there's pretty good money to be made now. It wasn't a bad job. Dean was able to learn the skills of the trade not just to be able to be a labourer but to be able to finish jobs. He progressed and he came up. He went from being a guy who had a lot of energy and enthusiasm to being someone who had skills and the ability to earn money and to keep a family, and he went on, actually, to take that. After working for my father, he worked in excavator equipment hire and became quite a good truck driver. I'll be down later on this year to see him at the Lights on the Hill monument, in your very electorate. I recall the values that first job provided him. It's so important to focus on them.
The third anecdote I'd add to this trilogy is how important, how crucial, work can be to someone. I was at the Oakey mine, the New Acland Coal Mine, recently talking to a dear old friend, Dave O'Dwyer, the general manager out there. He reminds me how different life was when we both graduated as mining engineers. There were no jobs for mining engineers at the time. The cycle was in its nadir. It was fantastic to watch him get the opportunity to become a general manager—not through direct employment. He became a truck driver. That was the job available to him. By taking that job, it gave him a world of experience he wouldn't have had otherwise. It broadened his capabilities and was a key stepping stone on his path to assuming the role that he has.
In all these ways, this bill speaks very much to the heart of these coalition values that we hold so dear, that the best form of welfare is a job. The best thing we can do for someone is to teach them how to fish and to give them the understanding of their value as a person. I think that's an important point to make. When we talk about employment, we talk about what we're able to achieve by helping people into employment. We're not talking about businesses or employment figures; we're talking about the impact on people, on their lives, their families.
I would reflect that this is not just an Australian trait. I had the pleasure of sitting with quite a few leaders of the local Syrian community who've chosen to make Toowoomba their home. What astounds me is that the first thing they want to tell me, when they come in, is how many of them are employed. It's a joy. You see the pride on their faces, talking about how their community has come in, got jobs in Australia, and they're committing. They want to be part of this great opportunity that's before them. Whether it's young children coming in or Syrians having to change their jobs to fit the opportunities here in Australia, they're so proud of this opportunity to build their lives, to become strong, contributing members of society.
A job is what gives a person dignity, a sense of purpose, a way of providing for themselves and their family. I think it's a value for us, to have some humility in that and understanding that, when we talk about people who need this little bit of help that these programs provide, we're talking about people who are but a hair's-breadth away from us, in many cases. I gave the example of how fortunate I was to have that early job. But that opportunity isn't for everybody. I acknowledge that, and I think we should all have a sense of humility. I think it's important that we provide that assistance to help people come into employment, to reap the benefits of it.
It's quite right that we have programs like this that are built upon so much work from both sides of the House. Previous governments of either persuasion have seen fit to pour energy, effort and thought into this. What we're trying to do here is to continue this, because it is so vitally important. It is probably the issue on the lips of most Australians at the moment. Addressing costs of living is clearly there, but it's also about how we provide enough workers for our workforce to see through these challenging times in front of us.
I was recently at the Cambooya pub, the Bull and Barley, talking to staff there about how difficult it was to get someone to run the pizza ovens. It seems like that would be such an easy thing to fill, and it simply isn't. Just finding people to come out and do that work is incredibly difficult right now. That extends everywhere. I think the member for Barker made the point on immigration. We often talk about skilled immigration. Seen in a broader context, there are entry levels, ramps, into employment at every level at the moment. We need to see that provided, and I'm encouraged by the government's statements on this that this is an area where we can provide some relief.
The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme is helping people go beyond just securing employment, supporting them to move off income support by creating their own jobs. What we're seeing is the opportunity here to provide the market with more options. Of course, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution for people who are looking to come out of unemployment, be it short term or long term. It's fantastic to think that the ability to start a job creates the ability then to employ others—to give others the opportunity and the benefit of employment.
I want to speak to why this is so important to me. I've seen the impacts of long-term unemployment. I was in the UK during the GFC, and I watched the impacts that played out across a number of sectors. Entire industries floundered and fell apart. People who had every reason to expect long-term employment had it taken away from them by factors completely beyond their control. I know we saw that in Australia; I'd argue there was a stronger impact in the UK. The comparison I would make is to anyone who's had the unfortunate experience of having to do mass lay-offs on a mine site and seen very good workers being told there's no longer a job for them. It's very, very difficult. I think back on my own workforces and the impact on mental health and physical health that follows periods of long-term unemployment. It's very, very important for us to address that and make sure that we're doing everything we can to help people out of that.
It would be appropriate to give some praise to a group in my electorate, Base Services, a wonderful initiative run by Nat and Tiff Spary. The entire focus of Base Services is helping people who may have had some challenging backgrounds—who may have had a lack of educational opportunities, who in some cases have come out of prison and in some cases have had drug abuse issues—and giving them a pathway back into employment. I've been absolutely blessed in my time as the member for Groom to be provided the opportunity to sit and speak with these groups as they go through their training. Just the other night, I was at the graduation ceremony for their hospitality cert I students. It's a starting point for these guys to come into employment. What Base Services does is absolutely fantastic. It doesn't just give them training; it gets them on the job and gets them into employment immediately, so they come out the other side with a diverse range of skills. Of the 15 people who went into the program at the start of this year, 14 have graduated. At the graduation ceremony the other night, 12 of those already had jobs. It's a great example of how investing in people works.
Even better, at the graduation ceremony I had the opportunity to talk with a young man—I won't mention his name—who had entered the program having come out of prison previously. He talked about what employment meant to him—how it had changed his life. One of the things he'd been worried about was that, coming into employment, he'd have to leave Toowoomba, where his former associates were, to start a new life. But what he found was that with employment he was surrounding himself with like-minded people. He was giving himself the opportunity to very much take control of his own life. It was absolutely fantastic to hear him talk about how he'd been able to find accommodation, how he'd been able to set himself up with a car and how, through employment, he'd been able to provide further educational opportunities for himself.
I think this is why we on this side of the House hold these truths to be so important. What we're talking about is what our American cousins would label the pursuit of happiness—the ability for people to find value in themselves, to build value in themselves and to seek reward for effort from that. I'll draw my contribution to a close at that point.
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (18:14): For the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Self-Employment Programs and Other Measures) Bill 2022, as I said when I introduced it, the programs have already had their names changed from New Enterprise Incentive Scheme to the Self-Employment Assistance program. That hadn't been corrected in a number of bills, and this legislation will correct that in those other bills. I commend it to the House.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Third Reading
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (18:15): by leave—I move:
That this bill be now read a third time.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a third time.
GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH
Address-in-Reply
Consideration resumed of the motion:
May it please Your Excellency:
We, the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, in Parliament assembled, express our loyalty to the Sovereign, and thank Your Excellency for the speech which you have been pleased to address to Parliament—
Mr CONROY (Shortland—Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for International Development and the Pacific) (18:16): I want to congratulate you, Deputy Speaker Buchholz, in continuing on the Speaker's panel. Your knowledge and experience in this chamber is an asset to all of us. Your cooperation across the chamber when occasionally things don't go smoothly is appreciated.
I'm pleased to make this contribution on the Governor-General's address-in-reply. This is the fourth time after an election I've had an opportunity to do so, and I want to begin by sincerely thank the people of Shortland for giving me the honour and privilege of continuing to be their advocate in this house for them and their families. The trust they continue to place in me to be their voice is something I'm truly humbled by, and it remains and will ever remain the greatest privilege of my life to represent the 150,000 people who live in my community. This is my fourth term in the House of Representatives and I must say that so far it's a tremendous improvement to be speaking from this side of the House and I hope I continue to feel that privilege.
It's been some months since I've had the opportunity to update the House on what is happening in Shortland, and I'm thrilled to be able to use my contribution on the Governor-General's address-in-reply to provide a Shortland update. I will begin with the floods that have plagued our community over the last few months. Like much of New South Wales, the Central Coast and Hunter regions have been impacted over the past months by severe storms and subsequent flooding from them. Some communities in the electorate of my neighbour, the member for Hunter, have been particularly impacted by these natural disasters. I'd like to thank my colleague the Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Murray Watt, for swiftly including both the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie local government areas in eligibility for disaster payments for affected households. I also note the remarks of the Premier of New South Wales commending the Albanese government for the swiftness with which these decisions were made. At times of natural disasters, there is no place for party politics, and both the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments have worked collaboratively to address this terrible situation.
Unfortunately, we have been warned for many years now that more severe and frequent weather events are a consequence of climate change, and that's why I'm proud to be part of the Albanese Labor government, which takes climate change seriously and is implementing policies that will both reduce emissions and lower power prices.
I'm very proud of the ambitious commitments Labor made to the people of Shortland and I look forward to working on them to see them come to fruition. Labor's commitments included funding health services that had been cut by the previous Liberal government, including restoring our much-cherished GP Access After Hours service and classifying the region as a distribution priority area for GPs. It also included the Lake Macquarie Economic Development Package, which will unlock over $1.8 billion of economic benefits and help create over 12,000 jobs. This package includes $20 million for a much-needed permanent dredge for the Swansea Channel and extending the Newcastle grouting fund to the Lake Macquarie local government area. Sadly, the people of Lake Macquarie have been neglected for over a decade by the New South Wales government regarding a permanent dredge. The Albanese government will provide funding to Lake Macquarie City Council for the purchase of a dredge. I particularly want to acknowledge the advocacy of Phil Donoghoe and the Bring Blacksmiths Back group and thank them for their support.
Lake Macquarie is the largest saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere. It is one of the jewels of Australia and it is very under-utilised because of the issues around sand build-up blocking channels and causing boats to be stranded on sandbanks. So the provision of a permanent dredge will be a hit from both an economic point of view in terms of opening up the areas for tourism and helping with environmental factors so that we can enjoy this beautiful lake so much more. A part of our commitment is that we will be talking to Lake Macquarie City Council to allow the use of the dredge for neighbouring Central Coast lakes when it's not needed in Lake Macquarie.
The Albanese government will also co-invest with telecommunications companies to install mobile phone towers in some of Shortland's worst black spots, to cover areas such as Lake Munmorah, Budgewoi, Halekulani, Eleebana, Jewells and Redhead. Again, the refusal of the last federal government to provide this much-needed infrastructure was a sad indictment on them, and I'm proud that Labor is acting on the concerns of my constituents. The fact that my area was excluded from the Mobile Black Spot Program was a disgrace. The fact that half the funds from that pool of money was being returned to Treasury each year demonstrated that that program was not working effectively and was failing to meet the needs of constituents of mine in regional areas. I'm very anxious to see these services restored.
I'm also very keen to work hard and keep the pressure on Optus, Telstra and Vodafone to fulfil their commitments around improving mobile phone reception in the Windale-Mount Hutton area. It's a disgrace that, even after a tower was constructed at Lake Macquarie Square, the Mount Hutton shops, mobile phone reception is still poor. I accept that Optus are trying to do their best, but my constituents deserve to be able to use mobile phones when they are only 15 minutes from the seventh-largest city in the country and only a 90-minute drive from the largest city in Australia.
Another of our commitments it was $2.5 million to construct up to three digital television broadcast towers. Again, for a regional area in such close proximity to our global city to not have free-to-air digital television reception is just incomprehensible in the year 2022. Access to free-to-air television is essential not only for entertainment but also for accessing news and current affairs so that our citizens can make informed choices and exercise their democratic rights. So these commitments are very, very important.
Today I'm also pleased to report that the Albanese Labor government is already delivering on its health policy commitments made to the people of Shortland. Recently I was pleased to announce that the Hunter and Central Coast regions have been classified as distribution priority areas. This policy will have a significantly positive impact in addressing the GP crisis that is affecting my region. Finding a bulk-billing doctor is becoming even harder in Shortland, but this change will enable medical practices to now employ what are now called Commonwealth bonded doctors and doctors trained overseas. Incomprehensibly, both these sorts of doctors were prevented by the previous Liberal government from practising in my community. When this issue gets raised in the chamber, I note that there are some objections from some of the National Party MPs, saying that somehow my electorate getting access to GPs is to their disadvantage. That is not true. There are specific incentives for remote and rural areas. The last government prevented bonded doctors and overseas trained doctors working in my community, which meant that my region, which is very fast growing, was effectively being prohibited from getting access to very significant pools of general practitioners.
Our commitment to restore the region's GP Access After Hours service is well underway. I can report to the House that the Department of Health and Aged Care is working with the Hunter Primary Care Network, which runs this vital service, to reverse the cuts. This service is the absolute bedrock of the Hunter community. It is a service that most, if not every family, in the Hunter have had cause to use. It provides bulk-billing doctors out of hours and it gives families peace of mind. It relieves massive pressure on our emergency departments, which are overstretched already. It's essential that this funding is restored. Importantly, when the Liberals cut funding to this service on Christmas Eve we saw an immediate jump in waiting times in our emergency departments. Some nights the waiting time went from 2½ hours to six hours, so this is an important commitment that we are delivering on.
Today I'd also like to acknowledge and pay tribute to my constituents who have been recognised in the Queen's Birthday honours list. Francis Kitcher was awarded an OAM for his services to tennis and rugby league. Janelle Shakespeare also received an OAM for her service to medical research institutions. Fiona Leatham was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to the city of Newcastle during the COVID pandemic. James Wright received the Emergency Services Medal. On behalf of all the people of Shortland I pay tribute to these recipients for their dedication and service to our community.
One of the highlights of the year is the annual June Independence Day Dinner hosted by the Filipino-Australian Society of the Hunter Valley, which also marked the 41st anniversary of FASHVI and the 161st birthday of Philippine national hero Dr Rizal. I've been involved with FASHVI since my time as the member for Charlton. I have been proud to support their work. I thank Bob Bell, Rebecca MacDonald and their team for always making me and my wife, Keara, so welcome. I look forward to continuing to work with them in the years ahead.
After the election but before parliament resumed I was fortunate to attend the 75th anniversary for the Lakes United rugby league club. Lakes is one of the premier teams in the real NRL—the Newcastle rugby league competition—and it has produced many greats that have played not just locally but in the national rugby league and on the international stage. They include Paul Harragon, Brett Kimmorley and Adam Muir. It has a proud history. I'm so glad that the Albanese government will be providing funding to upgrade facilities at their home ground of Cahill Oval. I wish the Seagulls all the very best for their next 75 years.
Importantly, that funding will make sure that the club and the sport will be much more open to female rugby league players. I was at an event yesterday where the CEO of the NRL, Andrew Abdo, made the point that over the last few years the number of women and girls registered to play rugby league has exploded from 10,000 to 40,000. It is the fastest-growing part of rugby league, and it's something we should be doing everything to support.
I always have great confidence in our future because of the youth of Shortland. I take this opportunity to recognise two local sporting legends and sisters: Erika and Mikayla Enderby. Erika, who is 15, competed in the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Portugal in July. She started orienteering at the age of six and has received multiple state and Australian titles, alongside winning the women's 10 at the 2015 Oceania Orienteering Championships. Mikayla competed in the 18s division. This is an incredible achievement for the Enderby sisters. I wish them all the best in their future sporting endeavours. They are certainly two athletes to keep an eye on.
NAIDOC Week is a very special time of year for Australia. There was much to celebrate in Shortland. I take this opportunity to say how proud I am to be a member of the Albanese Labor government, which is implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Prime Minister in a very powerful speech at the Garma festival outlined the way forward in establishing an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
In June I visited Redhead Public School to participate in their NAIDOC Week celebrations. Over the last few years students and the Redhead community have been busy creating the Awabakal Learning Space, which features a yarning circle with native plants and Australian animal mosaics made by students in 2019. Kiel Crofts and Marley Smithfrom Bahtabah land council performed the smoking ceremony. I would like to thank Redhead Public School, their teachers, their student leaders and the broader school population for having me participate in such a special occasion.
While I can't recognise all the NAIDOC celebrations, I do want to highlight a few. The suburb of Windale is one of the most disadvantaged communities in the country, and it has a large Indigenous population. It is a special place and a wonderful community. Windale Public School's NAIDOC celebration included wise words from local elders, singing and dancing. Swansea Public School also recognised NAIDOC Week in a special way. In line with this year's NAIDOC theme, Swansea students are getting up, standing up and creating a better future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. NAIDOC Week celebrations are central to us celebrating the fact that we live in a land with the oldest continuing civilisation on earth, and I take this opportunity to pay my respects to the Awabakal and Darkinjung people of my home region and pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.
Over the weekend, it was a pleasure to be back at the Living Smart Festival at Speers Point Park. It was the first time in three years that this was able to be held, because of COVID. It was brilliant to see thousands of people attend this event focused on sustainable living. The ABC's gardening guru, Costa, was certainly popular with those who attended. On the second day, the event became the Living Together Festival, celebrating our community's diversity and the wonder that is multicultural Australia. This is a great festival, and I pay tribute to all the organisers of it, especially Lake Macquarie City Council. Some of the messages that I received at the stall—I was there from nine o'clock to 2 pm in the afternoon, when the festival closed for the day—were about the importance of Labor delivering on its election commitments, particularly around climate change, a national integrity commission and a mature, adult government that will think before it acts and not use megaphone diplomacy.
In the time remaining, I'd like to thank a few people who were instrumental in helping me get re-elected. First off, I'd like to thank my family. To my wife, Keara, and kids, Rachel and Mikey: thank you for all your support. I could not be here without you. One of the privileges of being a member of the House of Representatives and, at the moment, a minister is the requirement to be away from my community, my home, for so many weeks of the year. So I want to thank Keara, Michael and Rachel for your unstinting support, your belief in what we are doing here and your support for a progressive agenda for our nation to improve our country and the world. Thank you very much, Keara, Rachel and Michael.
I'd also like to honour the Labor branch members. I would not be here without them. I am their proud delegate in this place. I'm proud to have been selected by the rank-and-file members of the Australian Labor Party. It was they who worked tirelessly to support me to win re-election, so I want to thank them for their hard work and their dedication during the campaign. For the first time in almost a decade, they now have a Labor member who is part of a Labor government, and I look forward to working with them over the next three years to deliver Labor's progressive agenda. I say to each of them that I value their guidance and counsel, and I know this will be forthcoming over this term of parliament.
I'd also like to thank the many volunteers who weren't members of the Labor Party who got so involved in the campaign, from doorknocking to phone banking to helping on street stalls. This was a community campaign that was critical and instrumental in us winning re-election, so I'm particularly proud of the grassroots campaign we ran. I want to thank my campaign manager, Lisa Piefke, and my volunteer coordinator, India Jones, for organising the most engaged and energised campaign I've been involved in.
I'd like to conclude my remarks by saying that the Albanese Labor government has a strong and progressive agenda, as exemplified in the Governor-General's address to open the parliament. It's incredibly important that we deliver on the commitments we've made. We've already done that, and we are working hard and smart to deliver on those commitments to fulfil the honour that the Australian people have given us by granting us the privilege of government. We intend to maintain that trust and deliver for all Australia. Thank you.
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (18:34): I am very happy to be here making my speech on the address-in-reply. I would like to congratulate all those who have made their maiden speeches today. It's a fantastic feeling to come in here and lay yourself bare, to be open, to tell people what it is you are about and what it is you want to do. It has been fantastic to see them here with their friends and families. I was here on the weekend watching all the visitors coming through Parliament House. I make these reflections because when I came in to parliament much of that wasn't the case. I came in during the middle of the pandemic. The gallery was almost as bare as it is now when I gave my maiden speech. I think about eight people were allowed in at the time. I think back upon that now and much has changed. It's great sign that Australia and our parliament is returning to a more normal state of affairs.
I am very privileged to have the chance to address the chamber today in what is still the first flush of this, the 47th parliament. I think it is appropriate in this speech to speak, firstly, as an Australian and to congratulate the Prime Minister and to wish him good health during his term in that role. First and foremost, I am an Australian and I hope this government succeeds and looks after the nation to the best of its capabilities. It is an honour to be here representing the people of Groom, who have placed their trust if me for a second time. I think it is very important to talk about what an honour it is to be here as their elected representative. It is quite a humbling experience when someone from your electorate comes to you and asks for your help and wants you to help them overcome some issue and you realise that that is entirely the job: helping people. It's fantastic when you get the opportunity to do that. So it is wonderful to be here in what is my second term reinvigorated and looking forward to the opportunity to do that more.
It may seem quite an obvious statement, but success in a federal election campaign is never guaranteed nor an easy feat, so I would very much like to thank those who stood beside me and supported me during the election campaign. Of course, I start with the party members of whom I always consider myself first and foremost to be one. It is a very strong party group we have in Groom. It is built upon the fantastic FDCs of Toowoomba North, Toowoomba South and Condamine. I am very grateful for the activity that they undertake to ensure that we continue to have strong support and good representation here. I'm truly humbled to be their representative.
I think back to the conditions in Toowoomba on the day of the election. It was probably one of the worst election campaign days since the 2016 Toowoomba South by-election for Dave Janetzki which some party members remind me of often. It started out cold, wet and miserable and it just got worse and worse as the day went on. But so many of our wonderful party faithful came out and were there on the ground doing the hard work of electioneering on that day. There are too many to thank, but I do want to thank particularly my FDC executive, Isaac Moody, Bronwyn Evans and Jim Curtis, for all their hard work, and the campaign manager, Bec Anderson, for her tireless efforts.
I would like to pay special tribute to Mr Alan Travers, who sadly passed away earlier this month after a battle with cancer. Alan and his wife, Louise, were key contributors to my campaign, standing out on the Toowoomba City prepoll in what can only be described as terrible conditions in between doctors appointments and mandated rest breaks. By the day of the election, Alan could really only speak in whispers, but he still managed to stay there, handing out hundreds of how-to-vote cards to Toowoomba residents. I want to make it very, very clear I don't take the support of people like Alan lightly, and I don't think anyone in this House does. When you have a party member who's there because they believe in something, they believe in values that drive them to contribute, they have a vision for Australia, they want to see you continue to improve on the path that you've been going down, you know they are not there just for you; they are there to support you and they want you to succeed, but they are there because they believe in something. It's fantastic to think that you could share that belief with someone like Alan, who was willing to contribute so much of his time in such a difficult period of his life. I very much thank Louise for everything she has done.
During this term I've also lost two other party members who contributed significantly and made a big difference to my time as a party member: Mr John Redmond and Mr Boyd Schuber. Boyd was the cheekiest how-to-vote card giver outer. Even if someone didn't want a card, they were going to get one from Boyd. He had a magic way of ensuring people walked in with one. It was almost a challenge to him, and I remember his contributions fondly.
I'd also, of course, like to thank my family. An election campaign is not something you can do without seeing the impacts on your family. My children saw very little of me, and my wife probably even less. I thank them for their contribution, and I acknowledge their full support. I'd also like to thank my staff, who continuously go above and beyond in supporting me. It's a fantastic thing to have good people around you.
I will also quickly mention that you don't come into politics expecting to find friends, but to find people with whom you can deal, whom you know you are working with truly towards the betterment of the nation, is very, very important. I've found many of those, and, given that he's here, I'll thank the member for Fraser for the collegiate way we've been able to work together so far on the economics committee. I hope that 'so far' is a very long far; I'm sure it will be.
While I now represent my community from the opposition benches, I promise to continue fighting for the wonderful local opportunities and projects I outlined in my maiden speech, whether it's Inland Rail, improved trade partnerships or building our local defence force. I can't reiterate enough how important Inland Rail will be to Toowoomba. This is what sets us up as a distribution hub for South-East Queensland. It's a critical piece of infrastructure that has been so long in the planning, and it has been fantastic to see the enabling works happening in Groom over the last couple of weeks on the site of InterLinkSQ. The project is now so close and the opportunities it will present are so close to our region. I commit myself fully to ensuring that we see the full benefit of those opportunities coming into Toowoomba. It's something I strongly believe will set us up for generations to come.
I also want to see us capitalise on the railway parklands project. I was successful working with the chamber of commerce, working with council, to achieve funding for it under the SEQ city deal. This is a crucial piece of infrastructure that will address two very key issues that Toowoomba faces. One is, of course, what so many places face, which is the housing crisis. This provides the options for medium-density housing right in the centre of Toowoomba's CBD. What that does is address the other issue we have, which is revitalising our CBD, providing vital foot traffic, something that our CBD was built on over 100 years ago and now needs care and attention again to ensure that those local stores have that work and that business coming through. So this is a vital project to see delivered, and I remain very much committed to that.
If anything, I'm motivated more than ever to fight for our community. Over my first term as the member for Groom I've been lucky enough to see and meet so many more people, community groups and businesses who have strengthened for me the vision of what our community wants and needs. Just last week I was at Oakey with one of these local community leaders who do so much good—Katerina Medland. She works with the Oakey PCYC, providing a place for Oakey kids to enjoy themselves. With fitness and mental health goals, it's fantastic. I linger on this point because Oakey is a part of my electorate that has a special place in my heart. It's a town that has faced and overcome a lot of challenges in recent times, be it with PFAS, the closure of the mine or the uncertainty around future of its defence base. It has faced these challenges and it's coming through; things are starting to turn around. It's been a very, very resilient town filled with very, very resilient people, and it's great to see that mine coming back. Whether it's over kindly-offered cups of tea after door-knocking or a quiet word after a community meeting, I've enjoyed listening to the hopes and needs of our community. I thank all those who offer me a cup of tea when I'm out door-knocking. It's a wonderful experience as a member when someone wants to invite you in and really lay out for you what they want and their vision for their local community. I'm very grateful for every one of those opportunities. As I led off with in my maiden speech, our region is a place of strong community values that is proud both of its ambitions for the future and of its history.
We saw some great figures come out today from the Toowoomba Regional Council about the strength of our local economy, and I think it's important to touch on that. There's $13.1 billion in planned infrastructure projects or major projects going on in our region, both private and public. We've seen this great flood of investment, and it follows on from previous investments, like the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, which did so much for us. But where it leaves us is that the Toowoomba regional economy is the second-largest in Queensland outside of the metropolitan areas. We're growing, we're growing stronger and we're growing more and more diverse. Our top five industries are health care, mining, manufacturing, education and training, and construction. But what's fantastic is, following behind that, the growth of newer industries that maybe weren't so traditional in a regional setting. Our financial and insurance services are following hot on the heels of those other industries and are growing and expanding. Of course we've long had Heritage Bank, but we're seeing smaller institutions coming in and continuing to invest and grow, and it's absolutely fantastic.
But what this has solidified for me is the view that we have yet to really realise the benefits of the hub-and-spoke model that people talk about for regional service delivery. I think for a long time we've had this view of Toowoomba as being the hub and—unfortunately—during my time, quite frankly, I've seen that challenged. I was at a hospital visit at St Andrew's listening to staff there tell me that their radiologists who provide breast cancer screening all travel up from Brisbane each day. It's such a vital service and such an important thing for us to have in our community—and yet we're reliant upon people driving up and down from Brisbane. I think for me what the hub-and-spoke model means is that we have that latency—that we're the ones providing that out from Toowoomba. That's what the end of the golf swing looks like: when we're able to have that support and provide it out to the smaller communities around us. So I have an increased impetus to see us deliver on that model.
A large part of that will be in improving our health services, and I very much welcome the state government's forward commitment to funding a new Toowoomba hospital, and I acknowledge the tremendous advocacy for this that's come from the member for Toowoomba North, Trevor Watts, and the member for Toowoomba South, David Janetzki. This has been a long fight, and it's something that has been fully embraced—be it by the council, the chamber or TSBE. We've had every community group get behind this and it's a fantastic win to see for our region. But it's vital we put a firm date on the commencement of construction as soon as possible, and we need to see that happening now, because we know that the facilities we have are already past their use-by date.
The new hospital will not only service the existing needs of our region but also provide specialist staff and—as we're seeing increasingly—couple with the education sector to provide a new pathway for kids from the Toowoomba region who see a future in health care. Since I first started in this role, and I'm coming up to two years, a pathway has been created so that children can go through school, study medicine, train in a medical field, and then go on to practice—all within the Toowoomba region. That's a new development for us, and it's absolutely fantastic. For such a long time we've been known as the healthcare provider, not just for South West Queensland but also for northern New South Wales. We know that we can now address the issue of how we get medical professionals to come out to the region: we know that if they train in Toowoomba, they're more likely to stay in Toowoomba. That development is a great result of the work of the previous government. It's something we will see the benefits of, not immediately, but it will build and build and build. I look forward to watching that.
We're seeing a lot of other exciting new opportunities for kids emerging as well. I always pinch myself when I talk about Toowoomba becoming a centre of excellence for space engineering, for space research. Who would have thought that a town built on the dairy industry would be a place that now leads the conversation in Australia in this field? It's extraordinary. Yet, that's where we stand. And it's not just a one-off investment that has done this. There has been a lot of work by a lot of people who have come together over a long time. And, yes, there has been government support.
I was very proud to have worked with both the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland to fight to get Trailblazer funding under the last government. It's was an absolutely fantastic success story, because that funding wasn't given as a starting point for them to build space engineering as a new subject; it was topping up all the work that they had done. I thank Professor Peter Schubel and his team and staff for all the hard work they've done to build that up. We're already seeing that being supported by local industry. We've seen investment from Boeing, with the Loyal Wingman program coming into our region. Just the other day we heard that Virgin Orbit signed a contract to do their test launches out of the Wellcamp Airport, just down the road from UniSQ. This is a fantastic combination. We're seeing industry come in; we're seeing research. We know that this will work together. I guess the bit that excites me even more is that, when I think about the defence capabilities that have long been in our region—and, of course, space engineering and space research will have so much crossover with defence—I think about the opportunity that it provides us to grow and to build upon that hard work.
I thank very much and throw a quick shout-out to Trent Groves at Oakey for all he does for the local community and at Cabarlah. I note the member for Braddon is here with me, and I reflect upon his previous experience at 7SIG, and I thank the boys from the 7SIG rugby team for always finding five minutes of time to allow me to come and play with them. They're great contributors to our local community. It's such an important industry for us to grow and build upon.
If we can secure this specialised industry in Toowoomba, we can make our region a space and defence hub for the nation. That's where we can go. Of course, at its most basic level, the advancement of the Toowoomba region will rest on roads and water infrastructure. We need a second road to Highfields to support our western growth corridor. It is a part of Toowoomba that is growing at an exceptional rate. We need a proper fix for the Gore Highway, which seems to wash away every time it rains. Those incredible black soil fields that stretch out west of Toowoomba provide us with a challenge. We need a new dam to draw from to ensure our growth is never limited again, as it was during the millennium drought. It's important for us to focus on that, that we are in a competitive market. We need to grow and show that we are ready to grow and that we want to invest in growth if we want to continue to see that government investment.
My core role as a member will be to ensure we get our fair share. These important projects will remain front of mind of this government. It's important that, during my first term, what has crystallised very clearly is my vision for our region. I speak to the city of Toowoomba. The idea that we could provide inner-city living in a regional location is something we should aspire to, that we can go beyond just being a country town that has the things we need but becoming a city that has everything that you would want. That's where we can go to. It fills me with enthusiasm and excitement that this is a vision that is shared across our region. The stronger we can make Toowoomba, the stronger we can make that hub and the better our entire region will be.
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Social Services) (17:54): It was an absolute honour just a few months ago to be sworn in as the member for Kingston in the 47th Parliament for the sixth time. I am very, very grateful and humbled by the confidence that my local community has again placed in me to represent them in this place. I remain deeply committed to listening to the views and priorities of my community and making sure that they have a voice in this place, as I have done for almost the last 15 years.
The previous speaker spoke about the privilege it is to be invited into people's lives and homes, and I have to say that I continue, every day, to be absolutely astounded by the graciousness and kindness shown to me by so many people who want to raise concerns, wish me luck or give me encouragement in this role. Through the election campaign it was no different and I continued to really appreciate the hopes and dreams of so many of my electors being shared with me. I can commit to them that I will continue to make sure that their hopes and dreams are not only shared in this place but that I work every day to realise those hopes and dreams for them.
Not only was it an absolute privilege to be elected as the member for Kingston again, but also it was a huge privilege to be elected as part of the Albanese government. During the election campaign, there was a lot of angst and a lot of frustration about the chaotic years of the former government. What came back to me, time and time again, is that the people in my electorate—and, indeed, people around Australia—wanted a plan for the future. They wanted confidence that decision-making would be based on evidence and consultation and done in the best interests of the Australian people. So I am very, very pleased that I have been not only re-elected but re-elected as part of the Albanese Labor government.
Through the most recent election the Australian people have chosen a better future, because our government will stand up for working people. We do want to provide secure local jobs and support Australians living with the challenges of the cost of living, particularly in the areas of child care and of medicines. These were some of the key issues that were raised through the election campaign. But of course, in addition, things like health and education were also regularly raised with me, and I am so pleased that our government had some serious commitments in these areas that will be delivered to the Australian people.
I would like to particularly congratulate our now Prime Minister on his election victory. I think his leadership, during the three years but also during the election campaign and since becoming Prime Minister, has really reinforced to me what good leadership is. In good leadership, you make decisions based on the evidence before you, but for the greater good—not about yourself, but for others. And I think he's shown that. He takes advice, he listens, but he also makes decisions that are in the best interests of the Australian people.
I have to say that, in the last few months, as I've gone around my electorate, one saying has seemed to come up over and over again, and it is: 'It feels like the adults are back in charge.' That is what my electors are saying to me. I can tell them that I, certainly, along with the government, intend to continue to make thoughtful, thought-out policy that delivers for them.
Of course, it's been wonderful to share this new parliamentary term with so many new members of parliament. I would particularly like to make mention of the new member for Spence and the new member for Boothby, who have joined us in this place from South Australia.
But it was an absolute privilege for me—during the election campaign, and in the lead-up, I must say—to go round and visit so many of our wonderful candidates. I was always in awe of the passion, the commitment and the drive that each and every one of those candidates on our side of politics had. Sometimes you forget just how hard it can be to balance an election campaign when it's not your full-time job. You don't have incumbency and you don't have the resources, but you go door to door and person to person, changing hearts and minds. It was such a privilege to join so many of our candidates right across the country. Whether they won or lost, the passion was there, the commitment was there and the values were there. It was an absolute privilege for me to join them.
Since the election, I've also been extremely humbled and proud to be appointed as Minister for Social Services. The portfolio of Social Services touches everyone's life in every corner of this country. When I got briefed about all the programs and payments, I found every single payment and program touched my community. That is the extent of the portfolio of Social Services. And every one of those programs has, I think, a very important mission, and that is to make a difference in disadvantage—to try and shift the dial when it comes to disadvantage to make sure that everyone in society gets a fair go and, of course, gets the opportunity to live a fulfilling life and participate in their community. So I take it as a huge privilege, and I'm very humbled that I am able now to contribute as the minister in this portfolio.
It has been a busy time since I've been in this portfolio. We have three pieces of legislation already in the parliament and another piece of legislation to be introduced this week. All of these things are incredibly important to delivering on our election commitments and making sure that we're supporting people when they need it. I would also note in my speech that there's a lot of work to do in my portfolio. There is a lot of work to do, and there are a lot of things that need careful attention. I really look forward to delivering on those as well, particularly the Draft National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children. The previous 10-year plan came to an end in July this year, and I've certainly made it an absolute priority to make sure that we're getting on with the job of delivering that and bringing the country together to drive investment across the Commonwealth, states and territories in a way that makes a difference.
In addition, we have also delivered on our commitment to have a Jobs and Skills Summit, making sure that we are looking at some of the barriers to workforce participation. I would like to thank everyone that participated in the Jobs and Skills Summit. I'm a bit biased—I think that the panel that I convened was probably the best. That's not because I convened it, I might say, but because we had the lived experience of those that have faced barriers in the workforce: those that are carers, those that have been in out-of-home care, those that have been discriminated against because of their ethnicity and those that have a disability and have had artificial barriers. I think it was really powerful for everyone in that room to hear about those barriers and think about what we can do. Of course, we have already announced that we will introduce an extra work incentive bonus to support pensioners to take up more work. We've also announced that we will enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Business Council of Australia to look at how we drive some of those barriers away so that those living with a disability who want to work are able to fully participate.
In addition, we also looked at how we would support people with a disability in the visitor economy through the Visitor Economy Disability Pilot. This is a really important area, where many would recognise there are huge skills shortages, and there are those living with a disability that want to participate in these types of jobs and are looking at how we drive that.
We've also announced that we want to provide a framework to support employers become better places of work for those with caring responsibilities. Very clearly, at the Jobs and Skills Summit, we heard that there are people with caring responsibilities that do want to work. It gives them a feeling of purpose, in addition to their caring responsibilities. At times it makes them feel like they're contributing in a range of different ways, and making sure that happens is critically important.
We've been delivering on our election commitments, in my portfolio, but we've been delivering right across the election commitments. I would say this election was a significant call to arms for action on climate change. I mentioned this is my sixth term. I feel like I have been having this false debate about whether or not climate change is real. We on this side of the House have recognised it for a long time. In fact—I've said this many times in this place—I learnt about how climate change works at school. That shows how long this debate has been going on! But the fact that we have now had a resolution of this issue, that this government has a plan in place to deliver on what it said it would do to tackle climate change but also make sure that we see the jobs benefit that comes with it, is so important.
In my local area, and it always comes back to local politics, I look forward to delivering on a number of local commitments that I made during the election, particularly the investment in Flinders hospital. Flinders hospital is an important tertiary hospital that services my electorate. I might be a bit biased—I was born there—but it is a very important hospital and we are looking at how we invest in that hospital, along with making sure that we have an urgent care clinic that will support our community.
This was, at times, ridiculed by those opposite. In my electorate it was incredibly warmly welcomed, because people understood that you don't want everyone that needs to see a doctor having to turn up at the emergency department. Indeed, in the lead-up to the election campaign that was me: my son broke his arm. We tried not to go to the hospital. We tried to go to the GP clinic. Unfortunately, they couldn't do an X-ray of his arm. So after trying a number of options we had to go back up to the tertiary hospital and be added to the waiting list. His arm was broken, and he was quickly attended to after a wait. But we should have other healthcare options in our community.
We made commitments to ensure there was an on-off exit ramp onto Majors Road, critical in connecting the southern suburbs, particularly Hallett Cove, Trott Park, Sheidow Park and Flagstaff Hill, onto the Southern Expressway to make sure there's easy access both further into the south and to the north. We made commitments to Christies Beach High School and the All Saints primary school. These were really important to support them deliver a great education. There is our investment in the urban rivers of Pedler Creek conservation park, Serpentine Creek, Panalatinga and the Fountain Valley Reserve, important investments in our local urban environment. And there is investment in our playgroups, being very clear that the informal learning, as children move to formal learning, is critically important. Supporting parents and children around play is so important, and our investment in playgroups was widely welcomed.
As always—and we've heard it in first speeches, and I've said it many times in my addresses-in-reply—you don't get there on your own. We don't get their on our own. We are there on the backs of so many people who put so much hard work into our campaigns. There are so many people who once again bought into the Labor campaign for Kingston, so many people who worked so hard.
I wanted to single out a particular person to start off with: Jordan Mumford, who was my campaign manager. He is an exceptional young man who has a very bright future. He took on my campaign with gusto, with ideas, started to talk to me about direct messaging and tree messaging, SMS trees and a whole range of things. He brought modern into the Kingston campaign. Of course there are Ella Shaw, Kylie and Alastair Douglas, Caelin, Bonny, Nathan, Dante and Alex who also worked very hard. We had over 300 volunteers who contributed to the campaign with so much community support I can't name all 300 here right now, but I would like to recognise John Spur, Marc McEwen, Jeanette Forstein, Bill and Maxine Watson, Jim Phillips, Naomi Piper, John Gorsey, Bill Patterson, Vic Phyllis, Phil and Joe Giles, Jordan Fell, Chrissy Sales, Peter Czebowski, Fiona Broadbent, Della Price and John Nailor. They were really critically important and helped out so much.
We all have, if we have been in this place for awhile, some amazing staff, and my electorate office staff—and I've said this not just at election time but every day—put the people of Kingston first. They give the people care, give them support, give them help sometimes at their most difficult. And so I would like to acknowledge my electorate staff, particularly Esme Langie, Jordan O'Reilly, Grace Langville, Connor Watson, Alison Taylor—and, of course, in the portfolio area, I had some amazing support from Tara Ferte, Gemma Slevig and Owen Torpey, who worked incredibly hard to make sure that we had the platform in early childhood to convince the Australian people about.
I would also like to thank my good friend Josh Peak—and I'm so pleased that he is in the gallery right now—from the SDA union. He is the secretary of the South Australian-NT union. And I thank Sonia Romeo. Both of them are stalwarts of the union movement. Josh has brought a level of enthusiasm and inspiration to the retail union, and it's hard for most people to keep up. He has been an incredible supporter. He was an old campaigner many years ago but now is a great supporter, and I thank him and his union for that support along with Ian Smith, from the TWU; Peter Lamps, from the AWU; Nick Townsend, from the CWU; John Adley, from the ETU; Jason Hall, from the FSU; and Jamie Newlyn, from the MUA. In my final moments, I would like to say that the Labor movement has an industrial wing. We don't shy away from that. We believe that the rights of working people deserve a voice in this place, and I'm proud to have had the support of those unions.
Finally, the party machinery is so critically important. To people that work behind the scenes I would like to say a big thank you: Reggie Martin, who was the then state secretary of the ALP in South Australia and then passed it over to Aemon Burke, who has a huge future ahead of him driving the ALP in South Australia; Paul Erickson and, of course, Peter Malinauskas and the SA Labor team. As a newly elected government, our Premier was very supportive of the election of an Albanese government, because he knew you could do things better together.
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (19:14): It is an honour and a privilege to be re-elected to the federal parliament for a fifth term, and I thank the people of the Riverina for bestowing upon me that great privilege. I will certainly not let you down. I've worked hard over four terms to ensure that the trust and the faith that you've placed in me is rewarded, and I will certainly do my very best, albeit in opposition. But you can still achieve things from opposition. I'm just glad that when I was the Deputy Prime Minister, for three and a bit years, my door was always open to every member of parliament. I've got a good relationship with most if not all members on the government benches and look forward to working with them and, of course, my colleagues on this side, to build a better Australia. At the end of the day, that's what we're all here to do. Sometimes we do it in a very bipartisan way, and sometimes not. But every member of this place, all 151 members of the House of Representatives are sent here by their communities to do a job. People in Australia want, need, expect and deserve those members they send to Canberra to do the job on their behalf. And I will earnestly and honestly represent them as best I can, as I've always done.
On election night, just before the election was called, I made this comment to the wonderful volunteers who served the National Party so well: 'I also want to thank tonight those many, many volunteers of the National Party, those yellow-shirted warriors who have stood out, in two weeks of pre-poll, in some circumstances from 8 am to 8 pm. They've handed out on cold cement, they've handed out on early mornings and chilly mornings, and they've handed out in the dark of night—and they've done it because they believe in the National Party. They believe in what the National Party represents and they know that the National Party delivers. And I'm very proud and very, very humbled by the fact that those National Party people always turn up and they are always behind me and they are always magnificent people. We have some people with health issues and other things, but they've still managed to find the time to turn up—for 12 hours today in some cases—and hand out for the National Party, and I owe them a debt of gratitude. Not only that, at pre-poll they've also handed out across the 84 booths across the Riverina and Central West. We've had every single booth supported by National Party people handing out, and giving people that choice to maintain the National Party representation here in the Riverina. And I have to say, as the member for Riverina now going into a fifth term, I'm very humbled by the fact that I have people who are so keen, so dedicated and so committed to the National Party cause. And that is one of the reasons why we keep getting re-elected. But we also keep getting re-elected because people believe in the National Party.'
I mentioned the National Party there a lot. But also I do want to thank the other candidates who stood and represented their parties, and in one case an Independent, for putting their hands up too, because it takes courage to put your hand up for election. It takes courage to put your name on a ballot paper. And this is what democracy is about. It is about giving people choice. I'm just glad that the people of the Riverina have reaffirmed their faith in me and, as I say, I will do the very best job for them. I also want to thank my family, my wife Catherine, my wife of almost 36 years, for being alongside me for all of those 36 years, including the 12 years I've been a member for parliament, and to thank our children, Georgina—who's about to get married in a couple of months time—Alexander and Nicholas for also being very supportive. You cannot do this job unless you have backing of your loved ones. I'm very thankful and grateful for the support they have always shown me.
The government that did not win office at the May election was, I believe, a good government. I know it was a good government. And we did a lot of good things for Australia and Australians. Yes, the electorates across the nation decided on something else. They went for the Labor Party, and good luck to the Labor Party. That is democracy. We decide our elections without violence and without people getting hurt, and that has to be seen as a good thing. But I note that the media has been in a rush to gush about the new government. I wish the Prime Minister well in his role. He's been a long time in the waiting to fulfil this lifelong ambition he has had to be in the Lodge. I do hope in one sense that he succeeds, because his success means Australia's success and, certainly, we want our nation to succeed. No matter what partisan beliefs we have, we do want our nation to succeed.
But we also want to make sure that the government does what it says it's going to do. We also want to make sure that the legacy of the last government is not trashed by the Labor Party, who have shown a wont to talk about the trillion dollars of debt. The debt that has been incurred enabled the nation to keep people safe, to keep people alive and to keep people in jobs in the worst pandemic in 100 years. It was a global pandemic. This wasn't just an Australian thing. This wasn't just something that had just occurred in our area of the globe, in our corner of the world. This was something which beset the whole world.
I was at those meetings with the then Treasurer, the former member for Kooyong—and I'm so, so sad that he is no longer in the parliament—the then Prime Minister and the then health minister, who did such an outstanding job. I wish the previous member for Flinders all the very best in his future endeavours. There was also the then defence minister, now opposition leader, the then foreign affairs minister, Senator Marise Payne and others from time to time. Those meetings were to work out a framework around what we were going to do when the Chief Medical Officer and the chief of defence looked across at us from around that table with the National Security Committee and spelled out the disaster that COVID-19 had the potential to be. I well remember the rapid action of the then Prime Minister, the member for Cook, to close the borders to China. I well remember the swift action that we all took to ensure that our nation was kept safe.
These were not easy times. Whilst now we're still having COVID deaths, you don't see them reported on the news on a nightly basis. Let's remember that we were reporting on cases, not deaths, and only a handful of them in those early stages when other nations with very good health systems were reporting on deaths. Let's take the United States of America, for example, where they were burying people in almost mass graves on Manhattan island. They were going to all sorts of measures. The morgues in Italy, another country with a good health system, were filled to overflowing. They were using churches and there were coffins stacked upon one another because they couldn't bury the people who were dying from COVID quickly enough.
Those images, which were being beamed into living rooms across Australia and across the world, made for some panic. We all remember how everybody thought they needed 10 rolls of toilet paper every time they went to the toilet. We remember how people were reacting. I won't tell you I'm a folder, not a scruncher! The parliament needed to know that, didn't it? But, indeed, these were panicked times. People were hoarding food. People were going to extraordinary lengths. I can remember well how a fire-ravaged supermarket at Batlow was stripped bare by people on a bus who turned up and took every single item on the shelves. Legislation had to be put in place. The same happened at Parkes, but the Batlow community had been ravaged by fire, which made it worse. We had to put emergency legislation in place to stop those food stores and vital protein from leaving our shores.
This was something that we hadn't seen in 100 years. Action needed to be taken. The Treasurer formed JobKeeper. JobKeeper saved at least millions of jobs. There's no question how many businesses it saved. How many businesses would now have their doors shut and employees out on the street but for that JobKeeper assistance which was provided? The figure is 700,000 jobs saved through that measure alone, let alone the indirect jobs which also would have doubtlessly gone to hundreds of thousands, hence my 'millions' figure. This was a time of crisis, and the government acted responsibly, it acted quickly and it acted practically. It saved jobs and saved people's lives and livelihoods.
I know there was a lot of criticism at the time of the number of people in aged care who were lost, yet now the number of deaths in aged care would far exceed those which occurred at that heightened time of crisis. I know how much criticism there was of the supposed slow rollout of the vaccines. That's not the case. The vaccines were on order, but it was felt at the time that Europe, where the vaccines were made, wanted to keep their own store of the manufactured vaccines because people were dying in Europe in the order of tens of thousands each week. We felt as a government that that was probably necessary—that they needed them at the time perhaps more than Australia did, given the fact that our case rates—not our death rates but our case rates—were being controlled.
Of course, we've come a long way since 1 March 2020, when James Kwan was the first who died from COVID. We've now lost many thousands of people, 14,500, but nowhere near the order of what was first being suggested—upwards of 50,000 to 55,000. There were food queues and jobless queues in the order of what we saw when the Spanish flu occurred after World War I, when the soldiers started coming back in 1919 and 1920. We thought we were going to go down the same sorry path in 2020 and 2021, but we didn't, because of the Morrison government's quick action to save people—to protect their jobs and to save their lives.
Some of the things that we did were quite extraordinary. There was a record high number of trade apprentices—220,000—and one in four homes had rooftop solar. I know those opposite decry our climate action policies, but we had one in four homes with rooftop solar—the highest rate in the world. We had a 20 per cent reduction in emissions since 2005. So we were not only meeting but beating the targets and the promises that we made in Paris all those years ago. We not only met them but beat them. That is what a responsible government does. But we did that without costing tens of thousands of jobs in the mining industry and without putting power prices for farmers up, far in excess of what they would expect to be able to do. Our farmers are the world's best environmentalists. I see the member for Parkes in the chamber supporting my remarks, and I'm sure that, when he decides that his parliamentary career is over, he will return to the farm at Warialda and do a darn good job, just like every other farmer in this nation. We thank him and every other farmer for growing the world's best food and fibre and for being the world's best environmentalists, because they are.
When it comes to what we did and our response to COVID-19, I have to say that the world-recognised Johns Hopkins GHS index ranked us No. 2. Australia was ranked No. 2 in the world for pandemic preparedness. That is something that we should be proud of. That is something we should be extolling. Every member of this place should say, 'I had a hand in doing that,' but what we hear from those opposite all too often is the old line from the talking points about a trillion dollars worth of Liberal debt. Well, that's not true. What we did was make sure that we kept people's jobs, and we made sure that we ensured people's lives. I was very proud to be a member of those important meetings as Deputy Prime Minister of this country and to help make some of those decisions which saved people's lives and saved people's jobs.
More than that, we had more than half a million people on the NDIS. Now, when we came to government nine years ago—yes, I will give Julia Gillard and the Labor government credit for the NDIS, but did they put a cent towards it? No. Did we? Yes. We not only backed it but also made sure Australia's most vulnerable were being looked after, because that's what a responsible coalition government does.
Debate interrupted.
ADJOURNMENT
The SPEAKER: It being 7.30 pm, I propose the question:
That the House do now adjourn.
Capricornia Electorate: Infrastructure
Ms LANDRY (Capricornia) (19:30): I would like to take the opportunity to update the House on three major projects the coalition had committed to, prior to the new government being elected, that are within my electorate of Capricornia. These projects are in the budget, and I have major concerns that the new federal Labor government will pull the funding. The wealth of the nation comes from regions like Capricornia, and we expect a fair share of funding.
The coalition government committed $14.4 million to replace the Phillips Creek Bridge on Saraji Road. Consistent with the usual funding arrangements for regional projects, this $18 million project will need the Queensland government to fund the remaining 20 per cent, which is $3.6 million. Saraji Road is a key link between Dysart and Moranbah, north-west of Rockhampton. Mining businesses in the region rely heavily on the route to get their products to market. A replacement bridge will make the highway safer and more flood resilient and keep motorists, coal and agricultural produce moving.
The coalition put money on the table because we know how important this project is to motorists, businesses and the economy. When the trucks stop, so do the royalties. They pay for all the services all Australians rely on. And that's why we're pushing to get this project done. This project will also provide an important economic boost for local communities, supporting an expected 42 jobs during construction.
The coalition will always support our resources sector, but the importance of these businesses to our economy seems lost on the Labor state government, which has so far shown no interest in this vital project. I am calling on the Labor government to provide $3.6 million for the Phillips Creek Bridge replacement. I'm also calling on them to do so to ensure the safety of motorists and miners alike.
I would also like to mention the Nebo Showgrounds Masterplan in the Isaac Region, another project located in my electorate of Capricornia. As the federal member for Capricornia, I made a commitment of $2.8 million towards the funding of this essential upgrade. The first stage of this project includes primary infrastructure upgrades, construction of heavy vehicle access, general camping upgrades and car parking. The Nebo Showgrounds are one of the Isaac Region's most utilised recreation facilities. They are home to Australia's biggest one-day rodeo, attracting 5,000 people from across regional Australia. The showgrounds are hired for more than 80 days of the year, to cater for over 20,000 people, and deliver an estimated local economic return of $1.2 million.
This investment in the Nebo Showgrounds has the potential to attract a higher level of visitation from neighbouring regions and across the country. The national events held in Nebo, like the Nebo Rodeo, play a vital role in supporting the agriculture sector. Communities in regional Australia are built on places like the Nebo Showgrounds. The upgrade of the Nebo Showgrounds is an important project for the residents of Nebo and the surrounding areas. The federal Labor government needs to deliver on this funding and recognise the value and economic potential the Nebo Showgrounds deliver to the region.
Finally, I would like to update the House on the $100,000 in funding I committed to the Collinsville Queensland Country Women's Association, the QCWA. The coalition delivered a commitment of $325,000 in 2019 to build a new hall. The initial builder has pulled out, with building costs on the rise. The project costs have increased significantly. The ongoing effects of COVID and the strain it has created within the building sector have also contributed to the increased cost.
A new QCWA hall will provide a meeting place for the community, for everything from dancing lessons to local business and organisations, and, of course, for the QCWA to utilise. The entire community will benefit from a newly constructed QCWA hall.
The QCWA has enabled communities to connect and provide invaluable networks and initiatives that have worked for the common good across Australia since it started. The federal Labor government needs to recognise the invaluable role the QCWA has played in Australian regional and rural communities and deliver on the funding needed to complete this project.
To not deliver on funding for these vital projects would serve as an example of the lack of real understanding Labor have of the livelihood and essential services regional areas deserve. It is time for the federal Labor government to stand up for Australia's regional and rural communities and commit to delivering on these important projects that will contribute to the future economic growth of regional Australia.
Climate Change: Electric Vehicles
Mr GEORGANAS (Adelaide) (19:34): I am listening to my electorate and will continue to stand up for my electorate and for action on climate change, because future generations—our children, our grandchildren—will judge us for what we do right now in this place. Science tells us that we have a small window to reverse the damage before it can no longer be reversed, so we must transform our energy industry and transport, food, agriculture and forestry systems to ensure that we can limit global temperature rises. I, for one, will not waste the opportunity that I have as a member of parliament to raise this urgency. We are fortunate that we now have a government that sees and understands this urgency.
We recently successfully legislated our climate change targets. This means we have enshrined into law our emissions reduction target of 43 per cent by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. This is historical and important for many reasons, but primarily because it gives businesses, industries and investors certainty—certainty to invest in renewable energy, new clean technologies and storage. And, after a decade of uncertainty caused by the previous government's denial, division and scaremongering, this certainty cannot come soon enough.
But that is not the only thing we are doing. Passenger cars make up almost 10 per cent of Australia's CO2 emissions, and it's imperative that we begin to change that. This is why we have a positive policy to increase the uptake of electric vehicles, for example. This is, once again, desperately needed, because Australia lags the world in the take-up of electricity cars—and why is that? It's because the previous government also ran a scare campaign against electric vehicles. We heard about the lost weekends—that our weekends would be gone once electric vehicles came in. Who can forget the former Prime Minister telling the nation that electric vehicles were going to destroy the Australian weekend? And the other day we heard, 'there goes your ute, because there are no electric utes'. And the following day the minister for climate change proved the shadow minister wrong by producing photographs of utes that were electric-powered. Currently in Australia just 1.5 per cent of cars sold are electric or plug-in hybrid. This is compared with 17 per cent in the UK and 85 per cent in Norway. There are only around 24,000 registered electric vehicles on Australian roads, out of a total of around 15 million cars.
Australians, from what we hear, are saying that they want to buy electric cars but that they remain unaffordable for most people. This is why the government is introducing the electric car discount: to make electric cars or electric vehicles cheaper, so that more families who want to buy them can afford them. And this will reduce emissions. The government is committed to a range of discounts that will make electric vehicles more affordable and this includes exempting many electric cars from import tariffs. In addition, there's an exemption on fringe benefits tax on electric vehicles that are provided through work for private use. These exemptions are offered for vehicles valued under the luxury car threshold. The idea is that car manufacturers will be encouraged to import and supply more affordable electric models in Australia. We're also working with industry, unions, states and consumers to develop Australia's first national EV or electric vehicle strategy. This will include further measures to increase electric car sales and infrastructure. We will also explore policy settings to encourage Australian manufacturing of electric vehicle components, especially batteries—this is an area we know we can contribute to—and possibly cars themselves. We'll also investigate ways to address the policy implications of declining fuel excise.
These are just some examples of the ways that we're taking real action to address climate change. I could also point to the growth in renewables storage and growing our battery industry. Many of us on this side of the House are proud to be a part of a government that is finally taking climate action with the urgency it deserves, with the urgency that this planet deserves, and with the urgency that the next generation of Australians deserve—that is, our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I, for one, don't want to be in this place and have my great-grandchildren say, 'What did you do when you were in parliament?' and have nothing to show for it.
Fall of Kabul
Mr THOMPSON (Herbert) (19:39): Earlier today I moved a motion in the Federation Chamber about the mission of the Australian Defence Force to rescue Australians and those who supported our nation throughout the war on terror from Kabul as it was taken by the Taliban just over a year ago. I want to put on record that the Taliban are an illegitimate government; they are a terrorist organisation, and what we have seen come out of Afghanistan prior, during and after the fall highlight that the Taliban are no friend of democracy, no friend of women and no friend of Australia.
I would like to acknowledge those brave men and women who answered the call and who stood shoulder to shoulder with our partners and went into Afghanistan knowing that their nation was behind them and knowing that they had one of the most important roles of our life time—and that was to go into the belly of the beast where there was no support, there was no QRF, there was 'no call up if you need a hand'. It was by themselves. When I was in Afghanistan, we had the support of a quick reaction force. We had the support of those that were close to help us whether it was a medical evacuation or if we were in contact to come bolster numbers, but they didn't have this.
I want to acknowledge the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and the other military attachments that were there with the appropriate battle honours to highlight the unique operation that was conducted in the most hazardous, chaotic and challenging circumstances. What you've done is save countless lives, with the more than 4,100 people evacuated owing their lives to our Australian Defence Force.
I didn't want to speak on their behalf; I wanted them to speak for themselves, so I got soldiers who were deployed to Afghanistan to write stories and tell me what they did. One RAF soldier told me: 'People we had brought through the wire into the airport would be held in an assembly area with the relative safety of about 50 metres from the wire so DFAT could process them, and we would move them to down further to AMK9 if they had been cleared to go. Not all people would be cleared to go down to AMK9, and those people were to be placed back outside the wire where we had just dragged them from through a somewhat hidden side gate. This became a very difficult task. I had been told three women, maybe in their late teens or earlies twenties, didn't have documentation and were to go back outside. I had myself and two others to assist with this task. Leading these women back to the hell that was outside the wire is a prominent memory. The weight of one of the women dragging on my body armour and her begging for her life is something I won't forget. Her fear of death and rape by the Taliban and her emotional cries skewed my moral compass. We did eventually, reluctantly, get them out, and I won't ever know her fate. Along with her, there were plenty more people that didn't have correct documentation—a mother begging for her own death by our hand in front of her two young boys; a father abandoning his son, who he had no documentation for, so he could secure a trip out of the country, with his son left behind; and countless families with women and children rejected, all of which carry a heavy psychological burden.'
Another member spoke of a place they called 'heartbreak gate'. This is what they told me: 'Heartbreak gate doesn't need much more explanation than its name. Due to miscommunications, some people were brought through the gates that didn't have the proper documentation or didn't meet the criteria to come to Australia. This meant that, if no other country would take them, we had to take them back out the gate. This heartbreak gate was separate to the entry. It was set up so that people only had one way to go, which was out. Throughout the time we were there we had to take multiple families out those gates, often splitting up big families. I think everyone will remember the look on people's faces and their pleas for you not to send them out once they realised they were getting close to the gate. I distinctly remember a woman looking into my eyes and telling me to shoot her there and then because what was waiting for her on the outside was far worse. I won't ever forget that.'
The people of 1RAR and the attachments deserve recognition, and they need to be supported by the opposition, by the government, by the parliament and by the people of Australia.
Northern Territory: Defence Exercises
Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (19:45): I will quickly associate myself with the previous member and his words around those difficult times in Afghanistan—unnecessarily difficult times, I might add, because of the way that whole evacuation was handled. However, I did speak earlier, in the Federation Chamber, echoing our country's admiration for the members of the 1st Battalion and attachments for the work they did during that difficult time. I want to talk about the last four months in the Northern Territory, where we've proudly hosted the air forces of 17 allied and partner nations based out of RAAF bases in Darwin and Tindal as well as in Amberley, Queensland.
In May and June of this year we hosted Exercise Diamond Storm, which included three integration exercises: Diamond Seas, Diamond Shield and Diamond Storm. The aim was to develop expert air warfare instructors. As the exercise director Group Captain Matt Harper said, 'We could not do this without the understanding and support of the Northern Territory community.' Also, 2,500 personnel took part in the biennial Exercise Pitch Black 2022, which saw 100 aircraft, jet fighters, practising tactics in realistic air combat scenarios over the Northern Territory's vast ranges. This brought to 14,500 the total number of Australian, allied and partner troops deployed to the north in recent months.
This year's exercises saw a number of firsts. Five Japanese Mitsubishi F-2 fighter jets and eight KF-16 Fighting Falcons from South Korea's air force made their debut, demonstrating our strengthening defence ties with those countries. US and Australian F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters made their first appearance in Pitch Black. Germany's 6 Eurofighter Typhoons and other planes also saw their first appearances in these multinational exercises. The Luftwaffe was also there, deploying planes to the Indo-Pacific in 24 hours, which was truly remarkable, and included a lot of air-to-air refuelling. These German pilots flew alongside our strong defence partners of the UK, France, India, Indonesia and Singapore. I know the member for Ford, who was on the ADF parliamentary program, was very impressed with these countries and what he saw.
I'd really like to thank the people of Darwin and Palmerston and the rural area—Territorians generally—for their forbearance during this year's exercises. I've spoken to the Minister for Defence about this. These were three very large-scale exercises with more aircraft noise than usual, so I really thank our community for their understanding. Those F-35s are pretty loud when they take off. I also want to thank the Department of Defence for the measures they put in place to reduce the noise and disruption to local people's lives, such as reducing the number of daily flights, reducing the afterburners and increasing flight altitude to 2,000 feet. Thanks for those efforts on Pitch Black, which really showcases our strong relationships and the high value we place on regional security and fostering closer ties throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
It's an opportunity to test the ADF's force integration on one of the largest training air space areas available in the world. There's been a lot happening in the air space. But we also had Exercise Kakadu 2022, which concluded last Friday, after it was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID. It is the Royal Australian Navy's largest international engagement in Australian waters. There were 3,000 personnel, 19 vessels and 34 aircraft from 25 participating navies. It was huge!
This year's was the biggest Exercise Kakadu in history. If that's not enough, we've also got Talisman Sabre. You get the picture, Mr Speaker: there's a lot going on in the north. We've got excellent training areas, we love working with our partner security countries, and the more we work together the better we'll fight together should that be needed.
Forde Electorate: Business Distinction Awards
Mr VAN MANEN (Forde—Chief Opposition Whip) (19:50): I wish to associate myself with the remarks of the member for Solomon. We had a thoroughly fantastic week as part of the ADF Parliamentary Program at Exercise Pitch Black. It was just another terrific example of the quality of the work that our service men and women do, particularly, this time, in the RAAF. It was greatly appreciated.
Today I rise to praise the entrepreneurial spirit of the businesspeople of my electorate of Forde and of Logan more generally. Several weeks ago, we had the Logan Chamber of Commerce 2022 Business Distinction Awards. I never cease to be amazed at the calibre of not only the winners but also the many finalists in the various categories. Firstly, I will take this opportunity to thank Stewart Fleming and his committee at the Logan Chamber of Commerce for their tireless efforts to put these awards together, ably supported by Kerrie Saverin and her team at the Beenleigh Yatala Chamber of Commerce and by Chyerl Pridham and her team at the Logan Regional Chamber of Commerce.
To all of the finalists: congratulations on being nominated. Sadly, for each category there can only be one winner, but you have all demonstrated tremendous achievement and initiative in building your businesses to what they are today such that they can feature in the Business Distinction Awards. Any business owner knows how hard things can be, particularly during the tough times that we've had over the past couple of years. We've seen people suffer through the COVID-19 pandemic, floods earlier this year, and now significant and growing pressures in business from supply chain restrictions, staffing issues and rising interest rates, to name a few. I believe that these busy, creative, entrepreneurial business owners have demonstrated an enormous capacity to thrive and survive despite these obstacles, and they deserve to be recognised and honoured for their achievements.
The 2022 Logan Chamber of Commerce business of the year is B&C Plastics, a plastic injection moulding business based in Meadowbrook, just outside of my electorate. It happens to be in the Treasurer's electorate of Rankin. The winner of the new and emerging business award was The Picket Fence, a successful photography service started by two airline pilots who lost their jobs during the pandemic. Taking out the automotive and transport industry awards was Browns Plains Mazda, which sells more than 900 new and 350 used vehicles a year and services more than 400 cars a month. If you've gone out to the western part of Logan over the years, you will have seen the enormous growth out that way. BathCalm makes the claim that your bath relaxation will be 'taken to the next level'. They were winners of the beauty, health and wellbeing award. The education, employment and training award was split into three categories, Marsden State High School winning the large award, YMCA Vocational School winning the medium, and Karen Anne Lonsdale, a musician, music educator and consultant, taking home the small award. Big Swing Golf, an indoor golf and hospitality venue at Underwood, won the event services award.
I would also like to take the time to mention a number of other award winners. The financial services award went to the Bank of Queensland at Jimboomba. The for-purpose charity and not-for-profit award went to the YMCA Vocational School. The large hospitality award went to the White House of Waterford, a fantastic business on the Logan River. The small hospitality award went to Devon Pixies, specialists in bridal showers and birthday celebrations. The manufacturing and construction award went to Snapfresh. If you've ever eaten a meal on a plane, it was probably a Snapfresh meal. They are based at Crestmead and have done a wonderful job over the years. The media and advertising award went to Rebel Connect, a great family owned local media business. The veterinary services award went to Daisy Hill Veterinary Clinic. And there were many others. They are a tremendous testament to the great work that is done across the city of Logan. Congratulations to all the finalists. (Time expired)
Migration
Mr HILL (Bruce) (19:55): Another day, another adjournment—you hear them all. I've got the very last spot for today, I'm the last speaker, and I might pick up where I left off in my last adjournment speech. Last time, I went through a roll call of failures of the previous government, trying to pick the biggest mess or the biggest stuff-up that we were left. We talked about the aged-care crisis, the state of the budget, a trillion dollars of Liberal debt and the energy and climate crisis—you had 22 plans and you didn't implement any of them, because you couldn't agree on one of them. But without a doubt, for me and my community, the biggest mess is the mess in the visa and citizenship processing area. The Department of Home Affairs is a black hole of carnage, human misery and economic damage. It's a broken system.
There's good news and bad news for the government of which I'm a member. I'm pleased to note that the government announced 500 new staff at the Jobs and Skills Summit to start to deal with the backlog. That's having an impact. The minister had about a million visas on hand that he inherited from this incompetent mob. Instead of processing the visas, they wasted $92 million of taxpayer money trying to privatise the visa system. They didn't get anywhere with that and crab-walked away. The reason they couldn't award the tender, of course, was that they couldn't find a tenderer who wasn't a mate of the former Prime Minister. They couldn't get through the probity. That was their agenda, though. But we've got a long way to go. The thing we need to watch is that those 500 staff so far, I think, are only there for nine months, so we're going to have to wait and see. I'll hold our government to account for what happens in next year's budget, because we're going to need more ongoing staff.
But not everything is getting better, and I want to call out the mess of partner visas. In June this year, the average waiting times were between 20 and 32 months for 309 visas. Now they are between 29 and 38 months. So, despite all these resources, things are actually still going backwards. It's not good enough. The Department of Home Affairs needs to lift its game. It's a function of four things: there's the so-called planning level, which is how many visas the government says it's going to issue each year. If you don't get that high enough in the migration program, things will keep slowing down because Australians still fall in love, and we get more applications in. There's the resourcing, which we're dealing with. There's discrimination still in the program. To his credit, the minister has finally said that he's going to deal with that, but we still discriminate against people, particularly from Afghanistan, who are pushing those numbers up. Thousands of people in my community have been waiting five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 years—missing their children growing up! It is not good enough for our government or anyone else that these numbers keep going in the wrong direction.
There's also the culture and management in that department. I'm absolutely delighted, as I said, that the minister is reviewing Ministerial Direction 80 and that discriminatory provision that former ministers over there have left. I do call out the department, though. They now have what I think is a racist procedure, where, if I want to raise something on behalf of one of my constituents from Afghanistan, they won't deal with it. I can't email the department if my constituent is from Afghanistan. Even if it's about a partner visa of an Australian citizen, you have to fill out this stupid web form that no-one replies to. I understand that the department cannot respond to queries on the more than 220,000 people who have applied for humanitarian visas. I do understand that, but it is not acceptable to condemn to a web form Australian citizens who are inquiring about their husbands, wives and children from Afghanistan. They need to be treated like everyone else. That's one for the secretary if he's listening at home.
On the partner visas, I do believe that our government must not continue the approach of the past, and I commend the Minister for Home Affairs for initiating substantive review of migration. Partner visas need to be uncoupled from the annual migration program. We have to stop this farce. Twice the parliament, under Prime Minister Hawke and Prime Minister Howard, tried to get legislation through the Senate to give the minister the power to cap partner visas, and on both occasions the Senate rejected it, so no government has the power to cap partner visas. They should be demand driven.
Australians should have a right to fall in love with someone from overseas and bring their husband, wife or partner here in a reasonable time. They should not have to wait three or four or five or six or seven years if they fall in love with someone. We have about the highest fee in the world—$8,000—if you want to bring your loved one here. We make a lot of money off that fee, so surely we can do better than three years. I look forward to the migration review and to seeing us finally make some proper changes that will get these waiting times back down to where they were—roughly around a year—when we were last in government and left office, before the Liberals created this appalling mess. I commend the ministers on the actions that they're now starting to take to clean up the mess, but we need to keep doing better.
House adjourned at 20:00
NOTICES
The following notices were given:
MS MCBAIN to move:
That, in accordance with section 5 of the Parliament Act 1974, the House approve the following proposal for work in the Parliamentary Zone, which was presented to the House on 5 September 2022, namely: West Block new construction and refurbishment works.
MR CLARE to present a Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to family assistance, and for related purposes. (Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Cheaper Child Care) Bill 2022)
MR DREYFUS to present a Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to discrimination, human rights and gender equality, and for other purposes. (Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Bill 2022)
MS STANLEY to move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) Australia's unemployment rate sits at the lowest level since 1974 at 3.4 per cent;
(b) large sectors of the economy are facing jobs and skills shortages due to the tight labour market;
(c) the record low unemployment rate is not translating to significant and strong wages growth in line with inflation and real wages have declined as a consequence; and
(d) the gender pay gap has remained high and has increased in the past 6 months to 14.1 per cent;
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) the gender pay gap is a major concern socially and economically;
(b) the Government's Jobs and Skills Summit worked collaboratively with all stakeholders—unions, business, and advocacy groups to find solutions to skill shortages and close the gender pay gap;
(c) the Jobs and Skills Summit has identified 36 initiatives that can be taken immediately to alleviate skills shortages;
(d) areas of reform in the industrial relations system have been identified to spur wages growth for workers; and
(e) the sectors that will benefit the most from industrial relations reform are undervalued areas such as childcare, aged care and disability support. These sectors are female-dominated and are less likely to collectively bargain;
(3) supports further consultation with all groups to solve Australia's economic issues and to set Australia up for further decades of economic and social growth; and
(4) expresses concern over the increase in the gender pay gap and the decline of real wages and supports any efforts to alleviate these issues.
MS STANLEY to move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) according to Volunteering Australia's Key Volunteering Statistics, volunteers contributed almost 600 million hours of voluntary work to local communities in 2019;
(b) the Australian Bureau of Statistic's General Social Survey estimates that 30 per cent of Australians, aged 15 and over, participated in volunteer work in 2019 dropping to 25 per cent in 2020; and
(c) volunteering contributes billions of dollars in economic value to the economy as well as substantial social and community value;
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the recruitment efforts and operational ability of many local and national charity organisations;
(b) volunteering rates decreased substantially in 2020 and the 2021 Census showed a 19 per cent decrease in volunteering compared to the 2016 data;
(c) people in our community rely on the critical role of volunteers and any decrease in volunteering numbers impacts the most vulnerable in our community;
(d) the Government is continuing to provide support through grant programs for organisations;
(e) Australia needs a new approach to encourage people to participate with a greater focus on younger people; and
(f) the 'National Strategy for Volunteering' by Volunteering Australia is an important process in modernising Australia's volunteering systems
(3) encourages all Australians to volunteer for the betterment of their local communities; and
(4) expresses support for the organisations and individuals who dedicate their time for the betterment of our communities.
MS THWAITES to move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the commitment of the Government to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full;
(2) recognises the progress made by the Government, particularly the Minister for Indigenous Australians, in preparing for a referendum to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament in our Constitution;
(3) notes the important role local leaders, organisations and others will play in engaging with their communities on the referendum and how the Voice to Parliament is a nation-building project; and
(4) commends the interest and engagement of many Australians in progress on the Voice to Parliament, and truth-telling and treaty negotiations across various jurisdictions.
MS THWAITES to move:
That this House:
(1) welcomes the recent increase in pensions, following the largest indexation increase in 12 years;
(2) notes that in a time of cost of living pressures, this increase is a welcome support for pensioners across Australia;
(3) commends the commitment of the Government to support older Australians, who have worked hard all their lives and built this country; and
(4) acknowledges that it was the previous Labor Government that commissioned a review into pension payments, and ultimately adopted the recommendation to upgrade indexation requirements to support greater pension increases.
Federation Chamber
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ) took the chair at 10:30.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ) took the chair at 10:30.
CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Lilley Electorate: Nundah Festival
Ms WELLS (Lilley—Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Sport) (10:30): As soon as Australians woke to the news that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had passed away, constituents in my electorate of Lilley began queuing outside the door of my electorate office in Nundah. Some were seeking a portrait of the Queen to have something to remember her by. Others sought to express their condolences and pay their respects by writing a message in our condolence book. All expressed their disbelief and grief over the loss of a figurehead whose presence and influence has spanned multiple generations of Australian families. That day my office received scores of calls from constituents requesting a portrait of Queen Elizabeth—so many, in fact, that our stocks were exhausted within hours. Another 100 requests quickly filled the waiting list.
Two days later the Lilley community turned out in force for this year's Nundah Festival, an annual celebration that has been cruelled twice by COVID. I give congratulations yet again to the Nundah Festival organisers on another great festival, and to the organising committee for its continued success. Thousands of northsiders attended the festival this year with their families on a beautiful sunny day. I know that local northside families like mine mark the progress of our families by the photos we take each year at Nundah Festival, and it's a very special community tradition that I am looking forward to us continuing.
In the midst of the Nundah Festival atmosphere, many more northsiders signed the condolence book that I have brought with me to Canberra this week to be sent on to Buckingham Palace. Lara Meyers from Nundah wrote: 'Thank you for your service. You have been my queen for my lifetime, and for the rest of my life there will be kings. It was amazing that you were able to forge the way for what female leadership can be and an inspiration for us all. An authentic person, true to your nature and forever true to your duty and service to your people. Thank you, and rest in peace'. Lisa Harris from Aspley wrote: 'My sincerest condolences for the passing of this unique lady who has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. I admire that Her Majesty has been an immaculate sentinel for the truest of values and unswervingly held them to the end. If Sir Thomas More was a man for all seasons, Her Majesty was a lady for all times and all people, and I will miss her.' Taurean Lea from Stafford said: 'Deepest condolences to the royal family during a time of mourning. May God bless the Commonwealth of Australia.'
It is heartening to see our community come together in this time of grief but it's not a surprise. Whether it be through grief, loss or natural disaster—my electorate was based in the February floods this year—the residents of Lilley join together, drawing on our shared strength, and we can help each other to move forward.
With my remaining 23 seconds, let me congratulate the North Devils on back-to-back premierships, which they celebrated on Saturday. It was an amazing achievement for them to do that back-to-back, particularly against the Redcliffe Dolphins. I'm sad the member for Petrie isn't here to join me in congratulating the North Devils on this monumental achievement. Congratulations, lads, and the whole Devils community that works so hard each year.
Health Care
Ms SPENDER (Wentworth) (10:33): Australia has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. We have some of the best health professionals, the best health researchers and some of the best facilities. But all that counts for nothing if Australians can't access the healthcare system, and this begins with seeing a GP. If you can't see a GP, you can't have minor concerns resolved, you can't get a prescription and you can't get referred to a specialist. If you can't see a GP, the health system is basically Google and a pharmacy. Access to GPs is absolutely critical for the health and wellbeing of Australians. But for the residents of Wentworth access to a GP is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive.
This affects everyone, but particularly lower-income residents. Those members of the community depend on bulk-billed services. They often cannot afford out-of-pocket costs, especially if they need regular consultations. So many residents raised these concerns that I asked my team to survey clinics in the community. The results were deeply concerning. Of the 49 GP clinics in Wentworth, just four offer exclusive bulk-billing services. Another 20 offer mixed bulk-billing and full-fee services, but five of those told us that bulk-billing was offered only at the doctor's discretion. A number of others have restricted eligibility, such as limiting access to children or pensioners. This really worries me. But I'm worried that this number is also shrinking rapidly. So far this year, at least seven clinics have shifted from being bulk-billed to mixed-fee practices. I know others are considering this. But most worrying is that some of the GPs who offer bulk-billed care at the moment are nearing retirement. When they go, there may not be another GP to replace them, certainly not one who bulk-bills.
For those who have to go to full-fee clinics, the out-of-pocket costs can be significant. Half the clinics charge patients between $50 and $80 for a standard consultation. Many charge more. At least six clinics have already raised their fees this year. Many will follow. I have spoken to local GPs about this. They understand it makes it difficult to access care, but they say it's not viable to operate bulk-billed clinics anymore in Wentworth. What they receive from Medicare is not enough to cover their costs. At the same time, we are facing an acute shortage of GPs around the country and an acute shortage of GP training. This is fast becoming a crisis for Wentworth, as it is for communities all around the country. I have shared my concerns directly with the minister. I urge him and government to act on these concerns urgently and ensure that Medicare remains the effective, respected and accessible system it was intended to be, and that we are training and developing and retaining the GPs we need to meet community needs.
Robertson Electorate: 3 Villages Community Group
Dr REID (Robertson) (10:36): Brisbane Water is the beating heart of Robertson. Our towns, our villages, snake along this body of water, and our history owes much to the prosperity it has provided over many years. No matter where you are in Robertson, you are sure to have a view of this waterway or be only a short drive away. Brisbane Water influences the lifestyles that we enjoy in Robertson. Its waterways provide ideal environments for activities like sailing, kayaking, swimming or simply enjoying a peaceful walk along the water's edge. I personally enjoy walking this beautiful area, taking in the natural beauty and serenity.
The unique and charming coastal villages that surround Brisbane Water are complemented by friendly and community-minded people, whom I am very honoured to represent. The villages of Yattalunga, Saratoga and Davistown, also referred to as the three villages, are especially committed to ensuring their suburbs are well looked after. These villages are home to the 3 Villages Community Group, which is an assembly of passionate residents that advocate on behalf of the wider community that calls these three suburbs home. I recently met with the 3 Villages Community Group to learn more about what they would like for their communities and how I can provide my support for their causes. It was instructive to listen to them talk about projects that they have been a part of, including the upgrades to Jirramba Reserve playground in Saratoga and the work that they are now involved with to upgrade the Lynton Street Public Wharf and associated car parking.
It is also very important to note that the group compose and publish a monthly newsletter that is distributed by volunteers to every household in the three-villages area. It is an outstanding community service that must be applauded. I look forward to supporting and working with the 3 Villages Community Group. My special thanks and appreciation go to Taia Sansom, Monique Roy, Stephanie Blower and all the volunteers that help contribute to making the 3 Villages Community Group an effective and successful residents organisation on the New South Wales Central Coast.
Bowman Electorate: Aircraft Noise
Mr PIKE (Bowman) (10:38): I've been making a lot of noise recently about aircraft noise. There's been a push to divert more Brisbane Airport flights away from inner-city Brisbane and over the bayside community that I represent. I've been working to make sure that my constituents are aware of these proposed changes and to make their objections known before these plans take off. The Trax review of Brisbane Airport flight paths, commissioned by Airservices Australia and released in mid-August, recommends options be considered, including redirecting existing departure routes towards the Redlands. Airservices Australia have now formally accepted these recommendations and are preparing a final decision on the future of Brisbane's flight paths. I've called for more consultation with the Redlands in relation to these proposals, noting that shifting the problem of aircraft noise onto our bayside suburbs is not a fair or evidence based solution. Following my request, Airservices Australia kindly relocated one of their consultation workshops to within my electorate and, although it was held at very short notice, it was one of the best attended. The attendees were very clear in their opposition to these proposed changes. The review process will be ongoing and there will be an array of community consultation to come, but my message will be clear: I will not accept any erosion in the amenity of the Redlands.
I've been accused by Brisbane based activists of trying to drive a wedge between communities. If I am dividing opinion by seeking to have my community consulted and our voice listened to, then so be it. My constituents chose to live in the Redlands for a quieter lifestyle, while inner-city residents chose to live under existing flight paths for more convenience and the hustle and bustle. While local residents are already complaining of more aircraft noise following the adoption of simultaneous opposite-direction parallel runways operations in February, which has resulted in more planes over the bay and the bayside suburbs, it is critical that Redlanders mobilise against these proposals now, rather than wait for decisions to be made over the next 12 months. I've launched a community petition to demonstrate the level of local opposition to these proposals, and I encourage locals to visit my website and lend their support to my campaign. I'll be keeping an extremely close eye on this situation on behalf of my community and will push back strongly against any proposals that are not in the best interests of the Redlands.
Holt Electorate: Mental Health
Ms FERNANDO (Holt) (10:41): Last week I was pleased to organise a street stall, along with the member for Bruce, in the suburb of Narre Warren South. That morning, many raised the difficulty in accessing mental health support in my electorate of Holt, an issue that has resurfaced since my campaign as a Labor candidate for Holt. Mental health is a crucial factor for every other aspect of our lives, and mental health issues affect a person's overall wellbeing and livelihood. As the representative of the youngest federal electorate in Victoria, I am particularly focused on ensuring every young person in my electorate, and across Australia, has access to the mental health care they need and deserve.
Numerous surveys and reports note my electorate's acute shortage of mental health support. Research by the City of Casey observes that Narre Warren headspace centre, the closest one to my electorate, received a case load twice that of the national average. The high case load inevitably results in considerable stress on the council's mental health services, which cater to residents of all ages. The South-Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network annual needs assessment 2022-25 also found that the City of Casey's significant distress rates were above the state and national averages. The Salvation Army's Social justice stocktake reflected the difficulties in accessing mental health support, noting 60 per cent of respondents in my electorate reported mental health as their primary issue of concern. I am proud the Albanese Labor government is committed to improving mental health outcomes. In such a short period, the leadership of the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, and the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride, has resulted in better access to mental health care. The additional $1.2 million to the headspace centres in Dandenong, Narre Warren and Frankston, in the neighbouring electorates of Bruce and Dunkley, will ensure more young people benefit from additional access to mental health support. I am confident the Albanese Labor government will continue to improve access to mental health support, particularly for young people. This will help reduce youth disengagement and underemployment and will strengthen educational outcomes.
Hinkler Electorate: Bruce Highway
Mr PITT (Hinkler) (10:44): I rise to inform the Federation Chamber of a $103 million upgrade on the Bruce Highway that is underway right now in my electorate. It will be an 11-kilometre upgrade, including overtaking lanes, floodproofing two bridges, and a number of floodways that are required. For those who don't live in Queensland, who don't see the changes of the weather up there, the fact is we do get floods and cyclones, and the Bruce Highway is the lifeline for regional Queensland. This is how people receive their food, it's how they transport themselves when they need medical support and assistance and it's how they keep their businesses running.
This upgrade includes an upgrade of the Saltwater Creek bridge, which is actually right over the boundary between me and one of the parliament's most passionate advocates for road safety, the member for Wide Bay, Llew O'Brien. As a former senior police officer in the Wide Bay area, there is no-one, in my view, who has a stronger view or is a stronger supporter of road safety. The member for Wide Bay and I fought hard to make sure that this project was delivered. Of course, we do know that it is creating some angst amongst the community. Eleven kilometres is a very long way through roadworks when you're on one of the main highways for the country. But I'd urge all of my constituents and businesses and truck drivers who are using the road to please have patience; it will be completed, and the upgrade will be quite incredible.
However, we were very surprised that Premier Palaszczuk decided to open said bridge early, without inviting the two local members—I think the Premier mustn't have got the memo from the new Prime Minister, Prime Minister Albanese, about the kinder and gentler parliament!—which was quite inconvenient and upsetting. But our local constituents know who delivered this bridge, who delivered this upgrade, and it is $82.4 million from the former coalition government that's making it happen. This is how things happen. They get fought for here and they get delivered, and we see the local state members line up every single time! They love it, they get down there—anything to get themselves in the paper and other press.
But this is an important upgrade. It is a pinch point for the Bruce Highway. It is affected by flooding. It doesn't even have to be that serious to block the road, and I know the member for Wide Bay fought very hard to get the section D bypass as well. Not to be outdone, we've certainly improvised, adapted and overcome. The member for Wide Bay and I found a couple of bollards and some ribbon, and we had our own opening, which created some interest amongst the local press—no problems having Saltwater Creek bridge in the background!
I thank all those individuals who are out there working on this upgrade. It is hot and hard work—laying bitumen, doing upgrades, driving trucks. It is hot, it's dusty, it's difficult, but this will make the Bruce Highway faster, safer and less affected by flooding. That is what we all want. We have all seen the impacts, locally, of very bad accidents on the Bruce Highway. I in particular don't want to see any more, but we know that it continues to get blocked on a regular basis. So I support anything that can be done to improve road safety and to improve the quality of the road for the people of Queensland.
Jobs and Skills Summit
Mr BURNELL (Spence) (10:47): I rise today to speak about the recent jobs and skills roundtable I held in my electorate of Spence on 23 August, in the lead-up to the Prime Minister's Jobs and Skills Summit that was held on 1 and 2 September. It was fantastic to have over 40 representatives from across the northern suburbs, representing many different backgrounds, including state MPs, local government representatives, unions, NGOs, business groups and charities. I would like to thank my colleague Senator Marielle Smith for joining me and assisting as co-chair of the roundtable. Her assistance was invaluable and ensured we delivered a very productive session with all participants.
Our government took office at a time of rising inflation and interest rates, falling real wages and a trillion dollars in debt which is now more expensive to service. The Jobs and Skills Summit was an important step in helping to address some of these challenges. Our goal is to build a bigger, better trained and more productive workforce; to boost incomes and living standards; and to create more opportunities for more Australians to get ahead and to reach their aspirations.
The discussion at the Spence roundtable was free and frank, with the following prominent, key local issues taking centre stage after a long discussion across several subject areas: increased engagement between education institutions and industry; expanding technical skills through mentorship; creating tangible career pathways; creating competitive advantage through increased productivity by investing in education, innovation, and research and development; investing in wraparound services for our culturally and linguistically diverse communities, workers with a disability and also young and experienced workers entering or returning to the workforce; equal pay for women through transparency in the workplace, including access to affordable child care; and encouraging investment in large advanced manufacturing projects, with local employment requirements, focusing on industries such as defence and clean energy technologies.
I would like to thank the City of Salisbury, not only for providing the venue to host the Spence Jobs and Skills Roundtable but also for their participation throughout the process. I'd also like to thank my state parliamentary colleagues Rhiannon Pearce MP, John Fulbrook MP and Lee Odenwalder MP for attending, and the Hon. Zoe Bettison MP, the Hon. Nick Champion MP and Tony Piccolo MP for sending representatives. I'd also like to thank Trinity College, St Patrick's Technical College, the Northern Adelaide State Secondary Schools Alliance, TAFE SA, the Northern Area Community and Youth Services, along with the three main councils and their chosen representatives. It was a fantastic event and a valuable contribution.
Durack Electorate: Sporting Facilities
Ms PRICE (Durack—Opposition Whip) (10:50): If there was something everyone in my home town of Kalgoorlie knew about the Dellar family when I was growing up, it is that we were all sports mad. My siblings and I relished any opportunity that we got to kick a ball or to shoot some hoops. If it wasn't for my mother's own personal experience, hockey might have also been on the table. But it was not just the athletic component that drove our desire to be involved in sport. Community participation, creating new friendships and strengthening existing bonds are all a by-product of being involved in sports, and nowhere is this truer than in regional communities. And I know Madam Deputy Speaker Sharkie understands that as well.
Last week, together with the shire president, Anthony Middleton, I had the privilege to cut the ribbon at the grand reopening of the Pauline Mataka sports court in Newman. The redevelopment was jointly funded by the Shire of East Pilbara together with $1 million from the coalition government's Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, which was funding that we provided during COVID to our local councils. Talk about a very proud local member moment—watching the young athletes take to the courts after the official ceremony was such a delight. Young athletes, their families and the broader Newman community now have state-of-the-art netball courts, basketball courts and also tennis facilities. And, Madam Deputy Speaker, they deserve nothing less.
Growing up in a regional town, I understand that sporting facilities and other opportunities are not always on par with those that are available in the city. But the coalition will never accept such discrepancies as normal or acceptable, because we understand how vital sport is to our regional and our remote communities. I was so proud to witness a group of young female netballers train. They are currently training three times a week in the hope of representing Western Australia's state team. Newman is close to 1,200 kilometres away from Perth, so all their growing and all their training must be done on home soil. I think everyone would agree that these girls deserve a court that's not covered in cracks or uneven or unusable when it rains, and they now have something that is fit for purpose.
Last Tuesday was a moment of personal reflection for me as I watched these young athletes in Newman take to the court. Our regional and remote communities are overflowing with athletic talent, and the sad reality is that the dreams of many are never realised due to the disadvantage of growing up so far away from the city. This kind of inequity must become a thing of the past. I will never stop fighting for rural and regional Western Australians to make sure that they receive the same opportunities and access to quality facilities like those that we've recently supported in the beautiful town of Newman.
Newcastle Electorate: Stockton Beach
Port of Newcastle
Ms CLAYDON (Newcastle—Deputy Speaker) (10:53): I rise today to speak to two critical issues for my electorate of Newcastle, the first being the ongoing erosion of Stockton Beach and the second being the critical need for the diversification of the Port of Newcastle.
I've had many discussions with my constituents about the dire state of Stockton Beach and what this means for the health and wellbeing of that community. The ongoing erosion of Stockton Beach, made worse with every storm and extreme weather event, has been a source of great anxiety for residents in that community. Indeed, it has meant the loss of vital community assets, like the sudden closure and demolition of the Stockton Early Learning Centre—the only childcare facility in Stockton. The Stockton Surf Life Saving Club, the popular cafe Lexie's on the Beach and the nearby Stockton caravan park, all of which are publicly owned assets, are now in real danger of being lost too.
The continued erosion of Stockton Beach is having a devastating impact on residents, who are feeling more and more vulnerable to disasters now. Coastal communities like Stockton are already living with the shocking consequences of increased storms and extreme weather events on their beaches, public assets and way of life. We can't leave them stranded.
That's why I wrote to the New South Wales minister Paul Toole, strongly urging him to apply for the Commonwealth funding and to nominate Stockton Beach erosion as their No. 1 priority project for the state, which they have done. I have discussed this issue, the circumstances of the Stockton community and the funding application with the federal Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Murray Watt, and I know he understands how important this funding is for my community. I stand with the Stockton community and make the promise that I won't stop fighting every day to help secure that funding. This project will be the start of bringing sand back to Stockton Beach, but Stockton needs mass sand nourishment, and there is an issue around the mining licence that absolutely needs to be resolved. I look forward to the state and local government working on a solution for our community.
Another urgent issue is the diversification of the port of Newcastle. Newcastle and the Hunter have powered Australia for generations, and under Labor they will continue to power into the future. This Labor government sees the opportunity to transform Newcastle to a renewable energy superpower, and we'll be creating more jobs, cutting power prices and reducing emissions in doing so. That's why Labor will fund $182 million into the development of key infrastructure and prospects for the production and export of green hydrogen in the port of Newcastle.
Sturt Electorate: Norwood Football Club
Mr STEVENS (Sturt) (10:56): I rise to unashamedly brag about a fantastic win by the Norwood Redlegs at the SANFL Grand Final. For the many people here who are not from South Australia, I can simply make the reference that that win was the exact opposite of the AFL Grand Final two days ago. It was a one-point win by the Redlegs with the last goal of the game, just a couple of minutes before the siren. It was an absolute thrill.
I take the opportunity, firstly, to congratulate all members of the team. They had what turned out to be an unbelievable fairytale finish to a season. They were not the favourites in that game. They were not necessarily expected by some to even make the grand final. It was only four years ago that I was at a grand final with the same two teams—North Adelaide versus Norwood in 2018—which had a very different and very disappointing outcome compared to last Sunday. So there was a little bit of poetic justice in the win this year. I've now been to a couple of grand final wins by the Norwood Redlegs in the last 10 years. It's great to see how healthy and strong the club is.
It's a very important for me to point out as the member for Sturt that, despite the fact there is a club called Sturt in the SANFL, I absolutely do not support them. I am absolutely very proudly a Norwood Redlegs fan. In fact, my electorate office is just down the road from the home ground there on the parade. We had a fantastic time getting back there from Adelaide Oval after the game. It was an amazing celebration. Frankly, this is the great thing about SANFL football: it was a real community celebration. To all head back to the parade and be there at the fantastic redeveloped grandstand, which the former coalition government was able to put excellent financial support towards, meant we could really enjoy ourselves into the Sunday evening and celebrate a great club with a very long, proud history and tradition of being so central to the Norwood community and, more broadly, the eastern and north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide, which very happily overlap the boundaries of my electorate of Sturt.
The SANFL is a really important part of the sporting fabric of South Australia. Of course, with the football code, excellent work is being done in South Australia. There has been increasing female participation in football over the last few years. In particular, we've had some great investments in football infrastructure, particularly female change rooms to facilitate that participation. We have a game, really, where there is so much opportunity for everyone in our community to be a part of it, and the SANFL and clubs like Norwood are doing great work in the community, I'm so proud of them. Congratulations on their win. It was a thrill to be there.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Sharkie ): In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Research Commercialisation
Mr TUDGE (Aston) (11:00): I move:
That this House:
(1) notes that in Government, the Coalition invested significantly in research and development, including an estimated $4.3 billion in 2020-21 through the education portfolio;
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) Australia stands internationally as one of the highest performing contributors to foundational research, being responsible for 2.7 per cent of the world's scientific output, compared to being home to 0.34 per cent of the world's population; and
(b) in terms of research translation and commercialisation, Australian does not meet the same high performing reputation;
(3) further notes that the previous Government:
(a) agreed in February 2022 to a ten-year Research Commercialisation Action Plan to drive greater utilisation of research and collaboration with industry; and
(b) budgeted $2.2 billion to support its Research Commercialisation Action Plan to boost Australia's economic recovery, including:
(i) $1.6 billion for Australia's Economic Accelerator to establish a stage-gated program to support translation and commercialisation in the six National Manufacturing Priority Areas;
(ii) $243 million for the Trailblazer Universities Program to select universities to partner with industry to work on research; and
(iii) $296 million to support greater collaboration through 1,800 industry-focused PhDs and 800 industry fellowships over ten years; and
(4) calls on the Government to commit to implementing the Coalition's Research Commercialisation Action Plan in full and on-time, first with introducing legislation to establish Australia's Economic Accelerator.
Research commercialisation was a strong focus of the coalition government in our last term of governance. Why is that? In part it's because it goes to the heart of our economy, because when we do good research and we translate that into new products, new ways of doing things and new industries then we're growing the economy, we're creating new jobs and, ultimately, we're improving productivity. Indeed, it is one of the very few ways that you can improve productivity.
Australia produces excellent, world-class research. We punch above our weight in that regard. But we don't do as well in translating that research into commercial products. This was our main focus, which I was leading, in our last term of governance. For example, when you look at the number of papers written over the last 20 years, we've massively increased the number of publications. In 2000 there were 23,000 papers published by universities; by 2020 there were over 100,000 papers published. But when you look at the commercialisation metrics over the same 20 years, they had barely changed.
So what did we do? We took a very concerted effort to address this particular problem. We established an expert panel of 10 members—the most brilliant researchers, business minds and university leaders—who provided guidance to us on what ultimately became the package of measures which we introduced. That passage was called the Australian government's University Research Commercialisation Action Plan, released in February of this year. It lays out a comprehensive set of reforms to completely shift the dial in this area, unlike anything that had been done before. We backed the plan with money—$2.2 billion over the next decade—and we aligned the priorities around the six modern manufacturing strategy priorities, such that all of the initiatives and priorities of the government as a whole became those six modern manufacturing priorities.
The cornerstone of that plan was the $1.6 billion Australian Economic Accelerator. That's a 10-year investment in a competitive funding program where universities will, with their commercial partners, go through a series of stage gates. You start by applying for small amounts of money early on in the process, and gradually that amount of money increases as you get to stage 3. At stage 3 there can be contributions of up to $50 million made—they'll be done by CSIRO and they'll be done on an equity basis from them.
The second major element, which is already underway, is called the Trailblazer Universities Program. This was largely modelled off successful initiatives overseas, scaling up existing centres of expertise and industry collaboration. The aim was for these trailblazers to be world leaders in a particular area of focus—again, aligned with the modern manufacturing priorities—and that has taken off. We had so many fantastic applicants that we actually increased the number of trailblazer universities and the amount of money that we put in. Already, the results have been absolutely outstanding. Those six trailblazer universities that we supported have already established 170 industry partnerships, and more than 60 per cent of those partners are in small- and medium-sized enterprises. The trailblazers think they will create, through these initiatives, over 7,000 jobs.
On top of this, we supported more industry PhDs and more industry fellowships so that academics can make a whole career out of research commercialisation, just as they can make a career out of publishing pure research. We also reformed some of the other research programs to support this overall objective. We want our research to be terrific but we want it to be relevant for Australia and we want it to be translated into new products, new technologies and new industries. That's what this package will do. My call on the government is to get on with the job of putting the legislation through to implement the Economic Accelerator. I believe they support it. But just get on with it so that these universities can get on with the job.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Sharkie ): I thank the member. Is the motion seconded?
Mr Hamilton: Yes, the motion is seconded.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Do you reserve your right to speak?
Mr Hamilton: Yes.
Ms CLAYDON (Newcastle—Deputy Speaker) (11:05): It is without doubt that Australians are great innovators, and our research at Australian universities and research institutions has led to the discovery of some world-changing inventions. These include wi-fi, discovered by CSIRO researchers; the Cervarix cancer vaccine; polymer banknotes; and spray-on skin. The member for Aston's motion is, however, a brazen attempt to rewrite history about the former government's abysmal record of support for Australian universities.
Let's look at the facts. According to the Global Innovation Index, Australia has fallen six places, to No. 25, since 2013. Between 2018 and 2021, the Morrison government oversaw the steepest decline, from position 20 to No. 25. Similarly, in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index 4.0, Australia has fallen two places since 2018, to No. 16 overall but ranking as low as 29th in areas such as infrastructure and ICT adoption. Australia has fallen 10 spots in the past decade in Harvard University's Atlas of Economic Complexity. A 2019 International Institute for Management Development World Competitiveness Center study highlighted that Australia had slipped from ninth in the world in 2015 to 14th in 2019 for digital readiness.
And who can forget the coalition's abandonment of Australian universities during the pandemic? Forty thousand jobs were lost from higher education, and hundreds of courses were cut, including thousands of researchers. The coalition refused to support international students, telling them to go home instead during COVID-19. They politicised and interfered with research grants. This included significant delays when announcing outcomes and targeted cuts to the humanities, arts and social sciences disciplines.
The Albanese Labor government is supporting research, supporting innovation and supporting education. Labor made it clear before the election that we will support the University Research Commercialisation Action Plan, and that remains the case. Labor has also committed to 2,000 Startup Year loans to help support final-year students to bring their ideas to life. Working with higher education institutions, entrepreneurs and investors will be better placed to identify opportunities for commercialisation of university research. The $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund will turn science into jobs through co-investment, loans, equity and guarantees.
Labor has a strong record of investment in the University of Newcastle too. When Labor was last in government, we funded $30 million to the University of Newcastle's NUspace campus in the CBD; $212 million in research grants; $30 million to the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources; $20 million for a clean energy innovation centre; and $48.5 million for the Hunter Medical Research Institute. In 2022 Labor is partnering with the University of Newcastle again, to build a new facility to test and invent solutions to global challenges when it comes to the use of hydrogen and other new energy industries.
We are investing $16 million in the University of Newcastle to provide the enabling industrial-scale infrastructure that is needed to get a new energy skills hub off the ground and running. The skills, techniques and technologies developed by this project will enable local industry, including the new hydrogen investments that we have announced for Port of Newcastle, to grow to their fullest potential and to do that in a safe and speedy manner.
The Albanese Labor government supports research and education so that Australians will continue to be the great innovators of the future, as we always have been.
Mr HAMILTON (Groom) (11:10): I'm very happy to be speaking in support of this motion today in two facets. One is the commercialisation of Australian research is an important personal issue for me and is one of the reasons that I entered into this field, and the second, more importantly, is what this speaks to for our community in terms of the careers, livelihoods and fulfilment of future generations of Toowoomba region's youth. The previous government had a proud legacy of supporting education, research and development in this country. Over the last nine years we increased the funding to universities by 34 per cent to $19.5 billion and increased the number of government supported university places by 11 per cent to 640,000. We also invested heavily in research and development. In my electorate of Groom we were a major beneficiary of this estimated $4.3 billion of investment in the last financial year, through the education portfolio. Both the University of Southern Queensland and the University of Queensland received great support to embark on new research projects in the Toowoomba region. The biggest of these investments were two Trailblazer grants totalling $100 million across two universities and creating an estimated 2,400 jobs.
At UniSQ, the $50 million Trailblazer grant will be used for the establishment of the Innovation Launch, Automation, Novel Material, Communications and Hypersonics hub—which can be shortened to iLAuNCH, for the marketing people in the building. This will help the Toowoomba region's burgeoning space industry blast off, unlocking a whole new galaxy of jobs for our young people. UniSQ's research will be happening alongside 23 partners, including 17 small and medium enterprises, ensuring that the conversion of this work to commercial application remains front of mind. Along with that, we've seen Boeing's Loyal Wingman project set up shop at the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, a stone's throw from the university campus. Now Virgin Orbit have announced plans to launch its first Southern Hemisphere test flight from Toowoomba in 2024. The opportunities for collaboration are truly endless. In our region, when we see research into the space industry, we see how that can transmit across into defence—obviously at Oakey we have a proud tradition, as well as at Cabarlah, with our defence industry there—but there's an opportunity for us to tie these two together, as we see the coming innovations and the coming research that we'll need to drive our defence industry forward.
I pause to note just how much Toowoomba has changed. We have become, in a very short space of time, on the back of these significant government investments, a centre for space engineering and space research in Australia. This was a town that was once known for its dairy industry, for mining out at Oakey and for heavy agriculture. Now we're changing. We're becoming something more than we were, as we grow into a city that has more than just the things you need but has the things you want. Part of that is the opportunity for young people to have a completely different career path. They can learn, study and have a career in the Toowoomba region in this exciting new field. That's something that's fantastic in a regional centre like ours. It speaks to the success of the drive towards regionalisation that the previous government undertook.
The second $50 million Trailblazer grant was secured by UQ to accelerate our world-leading agritech industry and to capitalise on new opportunities for Australian products in food and beverage supply chains. One of the 14 industry partners involved in this project is the Toowoomba region's own Agtech and Logistics Hub. This hub, located at the innovative AATLIS precinct in Charlton, is all about providing a space for this blending of research and commercialisation to occur. When I was last there, it was great to see the traditional agriculture businesses, machinery manufacturers, and research and tech companies all sharing their ideas together. It was also great, during their time in government, to have the members for Hume and McPherson come and see firsthand how these investments are bringing together different technologies. I think that's one of the great learnings that we have: how, with this investment, we can help bridge the gap between research and industry, which is often referred to as the 'technology valley of death' and which is something that, in my time working for a CRC, we saw as very, very important. This is the one space in technology that government has a real role in: pulling collaboration together.
Technology without an application has no value. That's an old saying and I think it's so, so true. The investments that the previous government made were bringing value to technology that had been developed here in Australia and providing that commercialisation opportunity. I'm very, very glad to report that, for example, the Trailblazer funding for UniSQ announced in April has already seen support from industry come flooding into our region. This is a fantastic funding stream, and it must be continued.
Dr ANANDA-RAJAH (Higgins) (11:15): Innovation is absolutely central to our economic progress and our global competitiveness as a country. There is no dispute about that. But innovation is driven by innovators. So let's meet some innovators. I'm someone who has come from an academic background. I was an associate professor at a university and I led a medtech entity at one of those universities, so I do know something about innovation.
Let's meet some of those innovators. Sebastian is four years following his post doc, his PhD, and he's focused on developing a battery that does not rely on critical minerals. Sebastian has just learned that his professor has been denied funding after five attempts at writing a grant, and this means that the professor is going to have to lay off staff, including Sebastian. As I speak to Sebastian, he's googling job opportunities in the United States. Then we meet a woman with two children. Let's call her Michelle. Michelle did a PhD. She won lots of awards and then, once her children came, she really, really struggled to get back into that research pipeline. This was despite writing numerous grants in the middle of the night, on weekends and after hours. Each grant would take one month to write. She would hope that the reviewer looking at those grants would understand that being a working mother is not easy in the research space. Then, of course, we have Jim and Bruce, two entrepreneurs who have successfully got a startup, which has a proven, working prototype in wave energy. They've been given some funding by the government to take them to the next stage. However, they're now staring down the valley of death because business and venture capital investment in Australia has been declining and they just can't find takers. This is what it is like currently in Australia.
The coalition would have us believe that they have the answers: a new program with lots of money—throwing around the words 'accelerator', 'trailblazer', 'pioneer' or whatever you want to call it. The reality is that the coalition abandoned universities in their moment of need in the first couple of years of this pandemic. How much money did universities get from JobKeeper? They got nothing. As a result, we saw the departure of 41,000 jobs from the sector. Those job losses disproportionately affected women. Sixty-one per cent of those job losses affected women in a sector which already has very low representation of women academics. Less than one-third of the academic workforce in universities in STEM is women. Women comprise 13 per cent of employees in STEM related occupations in Australia. If we look at the metrics coming out soon, I'm sure that it will be lower as a result of this action. Despite not funding universities, the coalition still found $291 million to provide to a casino—we all know which casino that was—so there was no money for universities but plenty of money for gambling.
We then saw the coalition wave away the international students. They actually said to them, 'Go home.' That's what the former Prime Minister said: 'Go home.' Not only was that callous, it also sounded a little bit racist, to be honest, and it was an absolute violation of the values of common decency and care that we as Australians hold dear. The Global Innovation Index, which is a benchmark international ranking system, has shown that Australia ranks 25th out of 132 countries. Under the coalition, we have dropped another six spots—five under the Morrison government. Business investment in Australia has been declining, and that has really fallen in parallel with the decline of our manufacturing sector. And, in terms of our ranking in the OECD for business collaboration with industry, you can see that we are actually right there—right at the bottom.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Sh arkie ): It is not in order to use props.
Dr ANANDA-RAJAH: Thank you, Deputy Speaker. So we have a real issue in this country. We do absolutely want to increase business collaboration between industry and higher education, and we can look to the Global Innovation Index for answers, because it shows us that there are 81 indicators that feed into a multifaceted program that boosts innovation—things like human capital; focusing on education in the early years; focusing on child care so that women can go back to work; focusing on improving competency in maths, reading and science in our 15-year-olds; and looking at how we can access better skilled workers in the knowledge industry and how we can actually take those ideas and then diffuse them through the system.
So innovation is a lot more complex. It is multifaceted, and that is why we as a government are taking a multifaceted approach to actually boosting innovation. We are investing in the early years; we are investing in our teachers with a national action plan that will be delivered by the end of this year; and we're also setting up a university accord. This is how you tackle a complex problem: with complex, multifaceted solutions.
Ms WARE (Hughes) (11:21): I rise in support of the motion and call on the government to support the implementation of the coalition's University Research Commercialisation Action Plan in full and on time. If implemented, this plan will see Australia's universities and businesses partner together to release the currently untapped potential of the excellent Australian tertiary research that is undertaken in our universities. Research is critical to our nation's economic growth and productivity. Australia's research system is world class. Australian universities have established their reputation for research excellence. Despite these efforts, while Australia produces world-leading foundational research, we currently underperform in achieving commercialisation outcomes.
Nelson Mandela said that education is the most powerful weapon we have to change the world. Higher education, amongst other things, promotes and supports research that often leads to critical breakthroughs in science, technology, health and medicine. Australia has excellent tertiary institutions. In a rapidly changing, highly competitive global economy, Australia's future prosperity lies in leveraging the excellence of our research sector through commercialisation that benefits our economy and our society. The former coalition government led the way by promoting access to higher education, increasing funding to our nation's universities by 34 per cent, with total government funding levels increasing to $19.5 billion this year. Commonwealth supported places increased by 11 per cent, allowing 640,000 more students to gain access to some of the world's greatest tertiary education institutions.
The electorate of Hughes is home to the Southern Sydney campus of the University of Wollongong, where students can receive a world-class education in business and nursing without having to leave the Sutherland Shire. Close to the western boundary of the Hughes electorate in the Liverpool CBD, new campuses of Western Sydney University and the University of Wollongong provide options for undergraduates, including many students within the Hughes electorate, as an alternative to travelling to the more established universities which are located within Sydney's CBD. The proliferation and success of these outer Sydney campuses demonstrate the increasing wide-ranging diversity within our tertiary education sector. With Australia's population representing just 0.34 per cent of the total world population, our foundational scientific research output represents 2.7 per cent of the total global output. As a nation, Australia should be proud of the academic expertise held within our universities.
This side of the House knows that we cannot have a strong economy and a successful nation without robust support for education, which includes tertiary education. We invest in education to create a nation of smarter people with smarter ideas to boost productivity, create jobs and establish new industries. The previous government's University Research Commercialisation Action Plan would build upon our robust educational foundations and pay out dividends in the form of these jobs and industries.
Government support for the translation and commercialisation of our strong, foundational scientific research into a greater economic output will bring us in line with other leading nations, such as the United States, Germany, Israel and the United Kingdom. The former government's action plan includes four key reforms: prioritising national manufacturing, prioritising schemes to ramp up commercialisation activity, reforms to university research funding to provide for genuine collaboration with industry, and investing in people who are skilled in university-industry collaboration.
I call upon the government to implement the action plan developed under the former coalition government to fully capitalise on the potential of our tertiary research. This overarching strategy for research commercialisation will create the next generation of great Australian products and companies. If the reform priorities are implemented, it will supercharge the generation and translation of Australian research into new commercial products, providing the basis of the innovative new businesses and jobs of the future. The government must consider this not as a cost but as an innovative long-term investment in our nation's future.
Ms BYRNES (Cunningham) (11:26): The Illawarra is a powerhouse of innovation and research. We are a region that hosts a mighty manufacturing industry, with a thriving port at Port Kembla. We've got magnificent beaches and subtropical rainforests and, of course, a world-class university in the University of Wollongong. The University of Wollongong, and universities broadly, play such an important role in our society, not only as educational institutions but as incubators for innovation and research—solving problems, inventing new solutions, bringing economic opportunities and even saving lives.
Labor has always been the party that supports research. We understand the power of education to change lives. We support our schools, our universities and our TAFEs because we know that Australians are great innovators.
I can think of no greater example of the creativity, intelligence and passion that goes into innovation than our own local champion Professor Justin Yerbury AM. Justin is a professor of neurodegenerative diseases at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, at the University of Wollongong. Justin's family history of motor neurone disease and the loss of his mother, his grandmother and an aunt inspired him to learn more about the illness. He enrolled in science at the University of Wollongong and then pursued his doctorate.
However, while conducting his research, Justin was also diagnosed with the disease. But Justin persevered with his research, and now, six years later, he has been awarded the 2022 University of New South Wales Eureka Prize for scientific research. He will also be getting the keys to the City of Wollongong. While Justin works to overcome his progressively worsening condition, his research has challenged prevailing thought about the pathology of motor neurone disease and is driving new research into the causes of cell dysfunction.
Justin's story of innovation and research is just one of many to emerge from the University of Wollongong. With our government's commitment of $10 million to build an Energy Future Skills Centre at the university, as well as $2.5 million for a renewable energy training facility at Wollongong TAFE, I am sure there will be many more stories of innovation to come for our region.
Brilliant and innovative minds deserve the government's support, because research and development not only bring opportunities to improve lives and societies but also bring economic opportunities for our people. The universities that educate and nurture these minds also deserve support. Our universities suffered greatly during the pandemic: 40,000 jobs were lost in the sector, hundreds of courses were cut and we lost thousands of researchers. Similarly, international students were told to go home by the previous government. These losses have hurt real people and the communities where they live and work.
In addition to this, those opposite increasingly sought to politicise and interfere in research grants. There were significant delays in the announcement of outcomes, and the humanities, arts and social sciences were targeted. The coalition's interest in supporting Australian innovation has been patchy at best. Since 2013, Australia has fallen six places in the Global Innovation Index; we are now ranked 25. The steepest decline, from rank 20 to 25, was under the Morrison government. Since 2018, we have fallen two places in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitive Index 4.0, and Australia ranks 91 in Harvard University's Atlas of Economic Complexity.
But Labor is committed to education, we are committed to research and we are committed to innovation. Labor made it clear before the election that we support the University Research Commercialisation Action Plan, and nothing has changed—but we will do more. Labor has committed to 2,000 Startup Year loans. These loans will help final-year students to bring their ideas to life. Working with higher education institutions, entrepreneurs and investors will be better placed to identify opportunities for commercialisation of university research. Labor also has the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund. This fund will turn science into jobs through co-investment, loans, equity and guarantees. It's a nation-changing investment.
Under those opposite, our international rankings have slipped, but Labor knows that, with a government that actually cares about research and development, Australia can do great things. And with brilliant minds, like Professor Justin Yerbury's, and world-class institutions like the University of Wollongong supporting them, combined with Labor's policies and values, research and innovation in Australia will be well placed to solve the problems of today and tomorrow.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Sharkie ): The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Veterans
Mr NEUMANN (Blair) (11:31): I move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) many veterans struggle to find work when they transition to civilian life, which can lead to other problems, such as mental illness, homelessness, incarceration and even suicide; and
(b) some veterans can experience stigma and discrimination in the job market;
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) the Government will deliver a comprehensive $24 million veteran employment program to provide greater support to defence personnel as they transition to civilian life; and
(b) this will aim to help veterans into good quality jobs by doing more to boost recognition of their skills and experience, and provide support for further education and training for veterans wanting to move into the civilian workforce; and
(3) welcomes a number of outcomes from the recent Jobs and Skills Summit to support veteran employment and training, including:
(a) a one-off income credit so that veteran pensioners who want to work can earn an additional $4,000·over this financial year without losing any of their pension; and
(b) improved access to jobs and training pathways for veterans and other disadvantaged groups, through equity targets for training places, 1,000 digital apprenticeships in the Australian Public Service, and other measures to reduce barriers to employment.
We have about 600,000 veterans in Australia, and more than 5,000 separate from their employment in the Australian Defence Force every year. Defence personnel and veterans have highly transferable skills, with the ability to work under pressure, flexibility and adaptability, teamwork and leadership skills, which are all sought after in the workplace. Many employers have reaped the benefits of employing veterans, and we're seeing a lot of veterans setting up their own businesses and employing other veterans, particularly in defence industry.
But the sad fact is that veterans and their partners remain a relatively untapped workforce for the skills crisis we're currently experiencing across the country. Many are overlooked for jobs because of the stigma associated with the psychological impacts of service on some defence personnel or a lack of understanding of how their skills and experience translate to civilian roles or, indeed, a lack of recognition of qualification by certification or degree. Unfortunately, unemployment can lead to some other problems, such as mental health issues, homelessness, incarceration and even suicidal ideation and suicide.
That's why, as the then shadow minister for veterans' affairs, I was pleased to announce before the election that an Albanese Labor government would commit $24 million over four years to ensure that our veterans' skills and experience are valued and appreciated by the wider community as part of Labor's comprehensive veterans package. I know the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel, the member for Burt, is committed to delivering a strong veterans employment program to give our veterans and defence families more jobs and opportunities. This will involve a range of initiatives, including: educating businesses and raising awareness of the benefits of employing veterans; helping businesses to train veterans; more civilian-ready education and training programs; better translating the experience of veterans; and promoting veterans' businesses. This is why the Albanese Labor government wants to see more veterans and families earning or learning after they leave the ADF. Importantly, some of the assistance for veterans employment could be delivered through the 10 new veterans and families hubs that the government's rolling out across the country, in tandem with ex-service and community organisations like the Veteran Community Business Chamber and Veterans in Construction, just to name a few.
In my own electorate and in the wider community in Queensland, RSL Queensland and Mates4Mates are doing an outstanding job in helping veterans with career counselling, mentoring and job search skills and building connections with employers. In addition, the veterans charity Bootstraps in Gatton in the Lockyer Valley is delivering services in my electorate. They're currently running classes in leatherwork as a form of therapy in the Lockyer Valley and are also planning to run TAFE courses in leatherwork, hospitality and mechanics so that ex-service people can skill up for new careers. I'm encouraging them to relocate, specifically in Ipswich, and to have an outlet in the Somerset Region.
The Minister for Veterans' Affairs convened a series of round tables on veterans' employment in the lead-up to this month's Jobs and Skills Summit. There were a number of terrific outcomes from the summit that will specifically support veterans employment and training. First, the government announced a one-off income credit so that veterans who want to work can earn an additional $4,000 over this financial year without losing any of their service pension. It's a win-win for veterans and the country because it means older veterans over the retirement age will be able to earn more before their pension is reduced, and it will boost the supply of workers to help meet labour shortages. Secondly, the government will improve access to jobs and training for veterans and other disadvantaged groups through equity targets for training places and 1,000 digital apprenticeships in the Australian Public Service, as well as measures to reduce the barriers to employment. This will provide pathways for younger, working-age veterans to get jobs in the Public Service and to learn new skills.
It was pleasing, as well, to see last month's Veterans' Wellbeing Taskforce of federal, state and territory veterans ministers discussing the importance of veterans employment following on from the release of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide interim report. I note the minister will be making a ministerial statement in response to that interim report in the House today. It goes without saying that delivering a comprehensive veterans employment program will go a long way to address mental health issues and preventing suicides amongst our current and former defence personnel.
In conclusion, not only do we have a moral obligation as a nation to support our veterans as they transition to civilian life but it's also good for jobs and skills, and for our economy. I would encourage members to support this motion and speak in favour of it.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): Is the motion seconded?
Ms Stanley: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.
Mr PEARCE (Braddon) (11:36): In a momentary lapse of reason, I commend the speaker opposite on this motion and its content. I also recognise the service of the member for Solomon—and yours, Deputy Speaker. The other thing that I do agree with is the additional $4,000 this financial year as a one-off which covers veterans who still wish to study and claim that amount. I welcome that from those members opposite. What I don't welcome is the removal of the position of the minister for veterans' affairs and defence personnel from cabinet. I think that was a unique situation where we had veterans' voices around the cabinet table. I am saddened that that has been taken away by the Albanese government. Nevertheless, they are the government.
The coalition government, too, has a very keen eye on and a very sharp focus on looking after our veterans, to the point that we have invested over $11½ billion into supporting the wellbeing of around 340 veterans right around the country. Since 2017, all ADF members with at least one day of permanent service can access comprehensive support in those transition centres which are so valuable to defence personnel, and which help their transition from the big military life to the civilian life. They can do that for up to 24 months after they leave the ADF. Previously, this was based on a length-of-service criteria, but now it is simply on an as-needed basis. Since 2006, ADF personnel who have joined or transitioned from defence are automatically registered with DVA and provided with a veteran white card—another positive. The coalition government invested in several new programs and initiatives to improve the transition process, including the JTA—the Joint Transition Authority. They send their best officers and their best staff there, and I think that the work that they have done, particularly in the last few years, has been exemplary. Let the record show that I support their efforts.
The Veterans' Employment Program employs and promotes a wide range of skills of ADF personnel and employers, and rewards businesses for initiatives that support veterans' employment. Our veterans card gives Australian businesses and owners an opportunity to demonstrate their gratitude and respect for those who have served. There are a lot of businesses on board, and a lot more coming on every day. I would encourage every business out there to do so because this is a great program, and if you're employing people—and I know people are hard to get—then you can do no better than employ a veteran.
The coalition ensured that there are up to 10 hours of pre- and post-civilian-employment support. That's to cover things like the compilation of a resume and job interview practice to help veterans between that 12-month and five-year period post their service. We've invested and committed $414,000 in grant funding over the last three years through the Prince's Trust Australia to assist veterans and their families explore, start or grow a business—those startup businesses that we're all so trepidatious about starting. As well as that, our 2019-20 budget provided $6 million each to Soldier On and to the RSL, and $3 million to Disaster Relief Australia. That is an organisation which is aimed at getting veterans and emergency services together, and they're deployed and posted to various disaster sites around the country—fires, floods and the like. It's run by a bloke called Geoff Evans, a former serving member and an engineer. I have seen them firsthand in the devastation that happened near Sheffield in Tasmania. They run a first-class operation, and I commend their efforts.
In closing, the coalition put a very sharp eye and a very keen focus on looking after our veterans community and their families. I would welcome the re-engagement into cabinet forthwith of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel. (Time expired)
Ms TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (11:41): I want to thank the member for Blair for moving this motion. Just before COVID locked the world down, I had the privilege of travelling to the Middle East on the Defence Force Parliamentary Program. Over about 10 days, I got a unique peek into the world of Defence Force personnel serving overseas at AMAB, ADAB and Camp Taji in Iraq.
One of the things that struck me was the extraordinary skill set of serving defence personnel. Some told me about the range of positions they'd moved through during their years in the Defence Force. Others talked about the multiple qualifications they got as they moved through the ranks. Above all, what was clear to me was that this is a group of people who, to civilian employers, don't necessarily look good on paper but who can bring a whole lot of hard-to-define skills on top of their formal qualifications: the ability to work as part of a team or to be entirely self-sufficient; the ability to follow orders precisely or to think creatively to urgently problem-solve; the ability to commit wholly to a role and be clear about the outcomes—all incredible skills. In other words, there is a good fit within a range of civilian workforces for people who have served in our defence forces, and success stories abound.
But we know that there are challenges in transitioning to civilian life. I've explained to people that my time in the Middle East gave me an inkling of what that transition must be like for some people who have been in the Defence Force even for a short time. I could see how the Defence Force wrapped itself around you, to the exclusion of all else, and it became your whole focus. I could see that leaving it must be a wrench, even when it's your choice, and it's certainly an adjustment. We also know, thanks to this motion by my colleague, that many veterans struggle to find work when they transition and that that can lead to other really serious issues like mental illness, homelessness and even suicide. As the motion states, we know that veterans can experience stigma and discrimination in the job market.
That is why I'm pleased that the Albanese government will deliver a comprehensive $24 million employment package for veterans so we're giving greater support to defence personnel as they transition to civilian life. Part of this is about doing more to boost recognition of their skills and experience, and to provide support for further education and training for those wanting to move into the civilian workforce. It will also involve initiatives to raise awareness of the benefits of employing veterans, help businesses to train veterans and promote veterans' businesses.
I also welcome the outcomes from the recent Jobs and Skills Summit for veterans. There's the one-off income credit so that veteran pensioners who want to work can earn an additional $4,000 over this financial year without losing any of their pension. Veterans will also have improved access to jobs and training pathways under the Australian Public Service Digital Traineeship Program. The program's designed to build our national digital capability by increasing the pool of skilled digital professionals, especially in the Public Service, and it will help people establish a career in the APS. The employment opportunities for veterans will be flexible and available throughout the year in regional and metropolitan locations, starting in December. These are just two of the 36 urgent initiatives that came out of the Jobs and Skills Summit that we're immediately implementing, and I'm really pleased to see veterans will benefit from these.
What I'm also looking forward to discussing with my local defence and veteran community is how employment fits within the veterans and families hub that's coming to the electorate. The hubs connect veterans and families to a range of services, including support for transition, employment, health and social connections and a space for veterans services and advocacy organisations to co-exist alongside these government services. It's a one-stop shop. At this stage, no lead organisations have been determined for the new hub in the Hawkesbury area, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs expects to work closely with key stakeholders from the communities around the new location. I'll be working very closely with my stakeholders in the lead-up to make sure that the hubs have the focus on our veterans and what they and their families need. This is one of the things that can be a real change in assisting veterans in transitioning from their commitment and service into civilian life.
Mr VAN MANEN (Forde—Chief Opposition Whip) (11:46): Firstly, I thank the member for Blair for bringing this motion to the chamber. I also take the opportunity, Mr Deputy Speaker Wilkie, to acknowledge your service and also that of the member for Solomon.
Around half a million Australians have chosen to serve our country in the armed forces, whether that be on a full-time or a part-time basis or through the reserves, and I'm incredibly proud of those people who have taken that decision to serve our country in our armed services. I was disappointed that, as the member for Braddon previously touched on in his remarks, we see the Minister for Veterans' Affairs no longer in cabinet. I think that is a great disappointment, given the level of importance and the role that our veterans play. They deserve our respect and gratitude, and that they and their families no longer have a voice at the cabinet table, I think, is an enormous disappointment.
Each and every year, some 6,000 service men and women leave the ADF and return to civilian life. Many of those have a long civilian career and opportunity ahead of them. I also acknowledge that many of those struggle with mental health issues, in particular, but also other health issues as a result of injuries or other things that have occurred during their service.
I want to take this opportunity to reflect on some of the work that a gentleman by the name of Kyle Faram, a former Army sergeant, does in my electorate, specifically based on assisting people who have exited Defence but are struggling with PTSD and other mental health issues—and, importantly, also assisting first responders in other areas, such as police, fire and ambulance. Kyle has started a group called 2530 Tours, and this came out of his experience on leaving the Defence Force as a veteran with PTSD and also other health issues and injuries. He takes groups on long kayaking tours down our major rivers. He found, from his own personal experience, that the opportunity to get away from the everyday noise of life and the opportunity to talk to others and share their common experiences was instructive and beneficial to him and those that he took on these long journeys.
I want to use this opportunity to thank Kyle and his team for the work that they're doing to help our veterans and first responders who exit the rigours and structure of the Defence Force and struggle to adjust to life outside. This is just one of many examples I know of veterans and ex-service men and women right around our country seeking to help their fellow colleagues deal with the issues they have faced.
The other company I wish to speak to, because in part this motion is about employment for veterans, is one of my local companies, Guardtech. Guardtech was founded by three former tank commanders, and, interestingly, a lot of the lessons they're applying to their tech, whether it be robotic decoys or robotic vehicles for other purposes, were learnt on the battlefields of Afghanistan. These three gentlemen started this business from scratch several years ago, and it is now growing very rapidly. Not only are they employing a variety of other ex-servicemen but, at rate they're growing, they're seeking employees from all over the place; they have the same problems that many other businesses in our communities do.
I want to say that, whilst there are still things to be dealt with, there are many good stories in our community, such as what Kyle is doing, what Guardtech is doing and what many others are doing.
Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (11:51): I want to start by thanking the member for Blair for this excellent and timely motion, and I want to recognise your service as well, Deputy Speaker Wilkie. We dug into the same ground a couple of times in the past. I want to thank all MPs, including the member for Forde, who just spoke, and others here in the chamber, who really care about this issue. To my mind, it is one of the most important questions that we might consider in this place. And it is an issue where I am proud to say that I not only talk the talk in here but walk the walk in my electorate, where I have, in the past months, got three veterans into employment opportunities.
It is important that we assist our soldiers, sailors and aviators who have served Australia to integrate back into civilian life with supports and also, if possible, into meaningful work. It's about more than employment; it's about us living up to the social contract and ensuring that we, the citizens of Australia, fulfill our duty towards veterans, who have donned the uniform and been trained to serve and protect our country and our interests.
Far too many veterans struggle with the move into civilian life. Too many veterans sleep rough, find themselves incarcerated, have difficulties managing their own mental wellbeing and struggle to find a job. I always say that it is a minority, but it's way too many, and we need to do more. Because we campaigned hard on this based on the evidence of so many patriots—young men and women of this country who, having served, made the decision to take their own life—we know that the numbers of deaths by suicide that have been reported aren't the full picture.
I also look forward to hearing, later today, the ministerial statement on the interim report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. We know that there is a lot more that we can be doing, and I welcome the interim report to make sure that the royal commission is doing the best it can by our people in order to fix any systemic issues that we know are in the support scheme.
When they transition out of the Defence Force, many of our serving men and women end up, as the previous speaker mentioned, in our emergency services as our first responders—our police, firies and ambos. And aren't we lucky that they do, because they really underpin those emergency services with a lot of skill and knowledge and the attitudes that we need to get after it and to respond where those services are required.
However, we also know that many veterans have feelings of discrimination in the job market, where employers can't see the great employee in front of them when they're applying for jobs. It is outrageous, but it does happen. Some jobs have specific skill sets, but we know, from those who do employ veterans, that you'll find them to be the most eager, competent and thorough members of any corporate, not-for-profit or government team. It is those skills that the ADF training gives them, such as the military appreciation process and risk assessment. Just as a matter of course, every day, decisions that are made have good logic, common sense and that risk assessment process.
The mining industry is reaching out to employ more veterans for all those reasons, but we know that we need to do more. It will help our national productivity. It'll help our sovereignty. It'll help our industries across the board. We are committed to doing everything that we can do to make sure that veterans aren't left behind. I welcome the interim report from the minister later on, and I'm committed to ongoing work with him to improve the lot of our veterans when it comes to their employment.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): I give the call to the member for Riverina.
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (11:56): Thank you, Deputy Speaker and Member for Clark—a veteran. I also acknowledge the work and service that the member for Solomon has done for the veteran community. I thank you both for your service, and I thank other members for theirs as well. I quote:
Why employ a veteran?
Veterans come from diverse backgrounds and bring sought-after qualifications, skills, experience and an ability to work collaboratively under pressure
Those words are from an award-winning company, Executive Risk Solutions, founded by its executive chairman, Scott Houston, a former member of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment. Scott served in senior military and corporate roles across a diverse range of international environments. He's a former national winner of the Telstra Business Awards. He's doing his part to help veterans transition into civilian life, into civilian jobs—into highly paid, highly skilled jobs but also many jobs right across the spectrum. He says that there are many, many opportunities for veterans to fit back into civilian life. He says that his recruitment division provides clients with direct access to highly skilled and qualified ex-Australian Defence Force candidates, as well as 5,000 current serving members looking to transfer into civilian careers. Scott's doing his part, and we all should too. I commend the member for Blair for bringing this particular motion forward. Anything that the government can do to help our veterans, I'm sure, members on this side will support too, absolutely, because we need our veterans to know that there are many opportunities available for them.
I also need to point out that not all veterans are broken. There seems to be a perception, sometimes pushed by the media, that veterans come back—some from war engagements, some from peacekeeping arrangements and some who've never left the country but worked in canteens in various Army, Air Force and Navy bases around the country—suffering from PTSD and are of no use to society. Well, they are of use. Each and every one of them has a contribution to potentially make. Each and every one of them has untapped potential, and businesses should avail themselves of those opportunities to employ one of our marvellous veterans who have done their bit for our country. It's now our job, as a nation, to do our bit for them.
I commend the work being done by Bob Bak and his wife, Gladys, of Bethungra—both awarded OAMs—with their Integrated Servicepeople's Association, which is making the links between opportunities for veterans and the veterans themselves. I proudly come from Wagga Wagga. It's the home of the soldier. You know it well, Deputy Speaker Wilkie. Every recruit does their basic training for the Army at Kapooka. If you spend any time in the Royal Australian Air Force, you end up at Forest Hill at Wagga Wagga. And, of course, we even have a Navy base, even though we are a long way from the nearest drop of sea water. We are a proud garrison town. We are a proud military centre.
Five million dollars was offered by the coalition for a wellbeing centre for veterans, and I do worry that that centre may now, potentially, not be located at Wagga Wagga. If ever there was a centre in Australia that requires such a facility, it is Wagga Wagga, in the heart of the Riverina. I know the Wagga Wagga RSL sub-branch, along with the New South Wales RSL, have plans for an advocacy centre for our veterans. I know the work that Charlotte Webb and others have done in that space for the RSL. I am also well aware of the Pro Patria community-led initiative, where they have taken over the centre previously occupied by the Carmelite Sisters at 19 Morshead Street in north Ashmont, in Wagga Wagga. Their board, led by Lyle Salmon, is actively working to make sure that veterans have a future and have hope for a brighter, better future, and that they have employment opportunities.
I commend those two initiatives and urge the government to make sure that that facility is in Wagga Wagga.
Mr KHALIL (Wills) (12:02): The release of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide interim report in August was a poignant reminder of the toll that service can take on our veterans. Just a few days later, I joined returned service members in my electorate of Wills to commemorate Vietnam Veterans' Day. Our Vietnam veterans know all too well about the challenges and discrimination faced by veterans transitioning to civilian life. They were certainly not—at least, initially—met with the gratitude and ceremony we afford to the commemoration of service in other conflicts. Our returning soldiers from the Vietnam War were met, from segments of society, with criticism, anger, derision and disrespect, which only compounded the trauma they experienced in the conflict. This was the case not just at the end of the conflict but throughout. They copped the political flak for what were government decisions—the very governments that were supposed to look after them yet often fell well short in their own duty. Of course, this issue has endured across generations of veterans, where there have been failures by various governments, of different stripes, in providing the support that veterans require to transition to civilian life. I know a lot of veterans who found it very difficult to come back to their normal life, particularly in our more recent history, from the campaigns in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.
As part of the work I did in the Australian Department of Defence 20 years ago, I was posted to Iraq for almost a year, in 2003 to 2004, and I worked closely alongside Australian and other coalition forces. It afforded me the opportunity to work alongside our diggers on national security issues, such as rebuilding the Iraqi army, demobilising militias and negotiating with tribal forces to fight al-Qaeda in Iraq. A lot of those soldiers were often very young. Some of them were on their first trip overseas, even, and they had their own experiences. They had their own traumas from what they saw and experienced. Sometimes we call this the horrors of war or the trauma of war, and it affects people very differently. But I think those effects are compounded, certainly, if there is that lack of structural support to help veterans transition to civilian life. That really compounds those challenges that they face. Lack of support to find work, a job, in a market that's already difficult to enter, some discrimination and the lack of that structural support all compound those challenges. And we know, of course, some veterans experience PTSD, and they need those support systems across the board as well.
We see a higher-than-average incidence of unemployment as well as elements of mental illness, and an overrepresentation in homelessness, incarceration and, most tragically, suicide rates. More than 1,200 former and serving defence personnel have taken their lives since 2001. That's a shocking statistic. Those numbers don't really speak to all the individual human stories. Our men and women who served make enormous sacrifices—they really do—and they put their lives on the line for each of us and for our country. I think that puts the onus on us to honour that sacrifice more than in just a commemorative sense—to honour that service by doing what we need to do to ensure that when they return home they have the full support, services and resources that they need. That's a genuine honouring of their service. This is a priority of the Albanese Labor government.
As part of our $24 million employment package for veterans, we will provide veterans with support to return to civilian life. We will raise awareness of the benefits to be had in employing veterans, which we're talking about today, and it's great to see the bipartisan support for that. We will support veterans education and training. We will promote veterans business opportunities. We'll help train and provide educational opportunity opportunities to help veterans adapt their skills—and they are great skills—that they develop in service to transition to new forms of employment. It's a package that will also ensure we cut the wait times at the Department of Veterans' Affairs by funding 500 staff to speed up the processing of claims and so on. It will deliver 10 veterans hubs across the country that will provide important mental health, wellbeing, employment, housing and other services. It will increase the totally and permanently incapacitated veterans pension, recognise the increasing cost-of-living pressures on veterans, and implement a veterans homelessness plan. We are getting to work on this very, very important work that needs to be done to genuinely and substantively honour our veterans and work that they have done for us and for our nation.
Mr WALLACE (Fisher) (12:06): Mr Deputy Speaker Wilkie, I acknowledge your service and that of the member for Wills. There seems to be a growing cohort of veterans in this place, which is a great thing. I've never served in the military. I have a great deal of respect for those that have. When I think of veterans, I think of people like my political parents, Elizabeth and Ron Worthington, who served in the Royal Australian Air Force. I think of my next-door neighbour and friend Greg Keiley, who served as a navy clearance diver. I think of all the men and women that I have met in my role as the member for Fisher through organisations like the RSL and its various sub-branches in my electorate, Young Veterans, SMEAC, and all those veterans organisations which do terrific work.
Fisher is home to one of the largest veteran populations in the country. If you're going to retire, why not retire on the Sunshine Coast? That's pretty demonstrative of people in almost all lines of work—it appears everybody wants to end up on the Sunshine Coast, and why wouldn't they? But that brings certain challenges, and the challenges that veterans face are many and varied. I've often spoken in this place about those challenges, but it's worth while bringing them up again. Those challenges essentially arise out of transitioning into civilian life. One minute these men and women are flying, driving, sailing or being responsible for multimillion dollar or sometimes multibillion dollar equipment. They have the benefit of what we all long for, and that's a sense of mission—a sense of purpose, something to get us out of bed in the morning. They have that camaraderie that you would well know, Deputy Speaker. But when they leave the military they often lose that sense of purpose, that mission, that camaraderie—unless they replace it with something else. And many young men, particularly young men who leave the military involuntarily, either from a disciplinary perspective or a health perspective, find that transition extremely difficult. This is where it is vitally important that the government of Australia, no matter what political stripe it may wear, step in and support them.
The member for Riverina said something very poignant in his speech earlier. He said that not all men and women who leave the military are broken and busted, and I could not agree more. Our men and women who transition from the military are, by and large, successful, happy and go on to lead very fulfilling lives, and good on them. But a small number of them struggle. They struggle because of the lack of a sense of purpose or a sense of mission and because of the lack of the family connection that they enjoyed when they were in the military. They struggle because of not being wanted, not being needed and no longer being entrusted to use very expensive equipment.
This is where I think we've got a really great opening for governments of Australia. I have been to see every veterans' affairs minister and encouraged them to implement a similar concept to what the United States did after World War II, which they called the GI Bill. The GI Bill provided free tertiary education to US servicemen, essentially, because that's what it was after World War II—men and women. It provided free tertiary education to help re-integrate them and to help transition them into civilian life. It replaces that concept of mission or purpose. Studying for an undergraduate degree or even, perhaps, a postgraduate degree is a great opportunity to shift your focus from the military to civilian life.
I want to acknowledge the great work that's being done by the Australian Catholic University, Griffith University, and the University of the Sunshine Coast in this regard. All three universities are doing some tremendous work—without a lot of assistance from governments, I might add. They're doing this off their own bat. They should be acknowledged. It is so incredibly important that governments get behind these tertiary organisations and, more importantly, get behind their veterans.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Paid Parental Leave
Ms STEGGALL (Warringah) (12:12): I move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) there are around 2.5 million families with dependent children aged under 15 in Australia;
(b) Australia has one of the least generous paid parental leave schemes in the OECD;
(c) McKinsey & Company found that in Australia, participation in early childhood education is lower and costs over 40 percent more than the OECD average; and
(d) perinatal discrimination is the top discrimination complaint in Australian workplaces;
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) Australia lags developed countries in the provision of best practice, evidenced-based policies that support families and children;
(b) at the Jobs and Skills Summit there was broad agreement from trade unions to the Business Council of Australia, and advocacy groups that improving paid parental leave and childcare were essential to improving women's workforce participation; and
(c) there is significant economic benefit to Australia from increasing female workforce participation, gender equity and outcomes for children; and
(3) calls on the Government to:
(a) provide for at least 26 weeks of paid parental leave with a use it or lose it provision to incentivise shared use of leave where there are two carers;
(b) set 1 January 2023 as the start date for lower the cost of early childhood education for all families; and
(c) improve access to paid carers' leave for parents of sick children.
This motion outlines a very important need. We need a more generous, shared paid parental leave scheme of no less than 26 weeks, lowering the cost of early childhood education and improving access to paid carers leave for parents of sick children. In February 2021, I moved a similar motion and, disappointingly, despite a change of government, there has been a lack of progress on these key issues for young Australian families. Closing the gender pay gap and facilitating women's participation in the workforce must be a priority. At the recent Jobs and Skills Summit, there was broad agreement from unions to business councils of Australia and advocacy groups that, to increase women's participation in the workforce, we need to improve paid parental leave and make child care more affordable. We saw a lot of other policy move, but, in response to this very key ask, what we got from the Prime Minister was, 'We will think about it,' and 'Not now,' or 'Let's have an inquiry.' That is, with respect, not good enough. Women and parents are tired of waiting.
There is a strong economic case for these changes. Equity Economics has estimated that the cumulative impact of proposed changes, like those in this motion, could increase GDP by 4.1 per cent by 2050 or some $166 billion. If Australia were to lift female participation equivalent to that of men, it would increase GDP by 8.7 per cent or some $353 billion by 2050. We don't need to look only to migration to reduce skills shortages. We need to ensure that women in Australia have the ability to participate in the workforce. There's a health imperative as well in these measures. I presented a petition last week in relation to the World Health Organization's guidelines and the National Breastfeeding Strategy goals relating to children having the opportunity to be exclusively breast fed for six months, yet we don't have a paid parental leave scheme that facilitates that.
A fairer, more widely accessible paid parental leave scheme in tune with 21st century families—working families, working parents—is urgently needed. The current Paid Parental Leave scheme was introduced in 2009. The make-up of families has changed. A new scheme must take into account all families—double-income, stay-at-home dads, stay-at-home mums and a far greater proportion of single-parent families. We lag behind developed countries. At the moment, the average in OECD countries is 55 weeks, and yet we have 18 weeks for the primary carer and two weeks for the other parent.
Last Father's Day, the Grattan Institute released research showing that shared paid parental leave not only boosts mothers' earnings but it can boost our entire GDP. Increasing the entitlement to 26 weeks, shared between parents, would cost some $600 million per year but it would return $900 million per year, as well as boosting a mother's lifetime earnings by $30,000. Time and time again we come back to this place and we hear that the gender pay gap is not narrowing, and women are still behind. And yet here is the measure to start to narrow that pay gap. So don't put it on the shelf. Don't put it away for another inquiry. Actually act upon it.
At the moment, you have a system that has no incentive for sharing. We know men's participation in parental leave is incredibly low. That's because of the way the system is set up. It is income-tested on the woman's income, the mother's income. We need to make sure that it's not just a cap of $150,000 per year on the birth mother; it must be a joint household income, a couple's income. This will encourage fathers into caring roles, improve their long-term bond with children, increase their participation in unpaid work in households and give them an appreciation around the world of the carer but also provide primary carers with that opportunity to return to their career sooner and more sustainably. We know this is so incredibly important to facilitate women's participation in the workforce. We know childcare fees have increased some 41 per cent in recent years. The Productivity Commission last year found that the massive block is the cost of child care. The government is talking about improving that situation on 1 July 2023. I say: make it 1 January 2023. The changes are needed now.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): Is the motion seconded?
Ms Tink: I second the motion and reserve the right to speak.
Ms CHESTERS (Bendigo) (12:17): I welcome the spirit in which this motion has been brought before the chamber. It's great to be part of a debate about an issue that we know Australians, particularly parents of young children, really care about and are grappling with. There are lots of us on the Australian Labor Party side who are going through this right now, as we have recently had a baby or are expecting a baby. Our side really does reflect that demographic at this point in time. I disagree, however, with one of the comments that were made by the mover, saying that there has been a lack of progress on this issue, particularly in relation to child care. As we stand here this week, the make-up sitting week, one of the first sitting weeks of this parliament, we are introducing a bill to make child care cheaper. It was our election commitment. It will make child care cheaper for a majority—in fact, over 95 per cent—of Australian families. It will make child care cheaper. That was our election commitment, and we are doing it. We are making progress on this critical issue.
When we were in opposition, we saw childcare fees skyrocket, locking predominantly women out of accessing child care on that third or fourth day because of the cost of fees. The reason why it can't be done on 1 January 2023 is actually quite a practical reason. I chair the Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training, and, when this question was put to the department, they just said that it couldn't be done. It would be diabolical. We can't get all the mechanisms of government together in time to introduce it. The childcare subsidy system is actually performed largely by Services Australia. They said it took about 50 weeks to introduce the previous changes put forward by the government. Meeting the deadline of 1 July 2023 was going to be a challenge that they could meet, but they could not meet the deadline of January 2023. There are functions of government that mean that this couldn't be possible; it's not just a budgetary decision.
We have a very complex childcare system, which is why I welcome the government's plan to review the entire sector. I believe that running child care as a welfare subsidy is not what we should be doing. Child care should be universal. It should be treated as early childhood education, like primary school. There has to be a better way to deliver early learning to the children of Australia.
The other point that I want to pick up on in the second part of my speech is access to paid parental leave. It was a Labor government that first introduced a fully funded government paid parental leave scheme, back in 2011. Prior to that, we were one of two OECD countries that did not have a government funded paid parental leave scheme. It was a start, and I acknowledge that it was a start. It allowed the birth parent—predominantly mothers—or the parent who took on the primary caring role after an adoption to take 18 weeks of paid parental leave at the national minimum wage. It also allowed the primary carer to have that topped up if their employer offered paid parental leave for the birth of a child or for adoption. What we find right now is that most women take leave granted by their employer, then they take leave paid by the government at the national minimum wage, and then they might take some sick leave or annual leave to get them to either nine months or 12 months, or as much time as they can get.
It's a clunky system; it's not enough. What we need to do is work out a system which is fairer for all. I am very concerned that we still have dads and partners taking only two weeks of leave. In that first two weeks—having been through it with two children now—it is too crazy to be able to really focus on what's happening. If your partner requires a caesarean, the medical advice is that they don't drive for six weeks and don't lift for six weeks. Who's there to pick up the toddler in weeks 3, 4 and 5 if the dad or partner isn't there at home? We need to be doing more to help couples and to help families in those early months of life.
It is about gender equality, because, once you get to month 3 or month 4, the partner at home tends to be the one doing the housework whilst they're caring for children. It is currently entrenched. We do need to do more on paid parental leave, more than what this motion is suggesting, and that's why I welcome the review of the government. (Time expired)
Ms SPENDER (Wentworth) (12:22): This is an absolutely crucial issue for the people of Wentworth. This is not just about female gender equity in terms of wages, which is absolutely crucial, but also about quality of life for men and fathers, and child development. By increasing paid parental leave and changing the rules so that men, or the second parent, have a 'use it or lose it' level of paid parental leave, we have an opportunity to fundamentally shift how we look after children in this country.
Let's start, however, with gender equity. In this country, the latest data shows that there's a 14 per cent gap in male and female earnings. However, this is close to zero when it comes to early careers. In early careers there is not a gender pay gap, but it is through the child-bearing and child-rearing ages that the gender pay gap emerges. I saw this fundamentally within my own community in Wentworth. I saw it in people I went to school and uni with, who worked similarly to their partners—in similar sorts of job, in similar levels of jobs—but then, when it came to having and caring for children, there was such a gendered experience. With almost all the parents that I knew, women took a much more significant amount of time off and, in some cases, struggled to come back into the workforce or had real issues coming back into the workforce.
I don't believe this is about misogyny; this isn't about chauvinism. This is a cultural issue in Australia, where the expectation is that women will look after the kids. Increased paid parental leave could really address this issue. If we look at the statistics around paid parental leave and who takes it, only around two per cent of Australian men use primary carer paid parental leave, compared to an OECD average of 18 per cent. In countries like Sweden and Iceland, just over 40 per cent of primary carer paid parental leave is taken by men. This is a fundamental difference in how Australia experiences the world and how the rest of the world experiences the world. It's not surprising, therefore, to see that Australia has one of the most gendered distributions of careers and one of the biggest issues in terms of female economic empowerment. So I think this is a real opportunity for the government to take leadership.
I support an increase in paid parental leave because I think that's absolutely crucial to families. But it is crucial in this design that we get to at least 26 weeks paid parental leave, and six weeks of that must be used by a second parent—in most cases, a man—with a two-week element being 'use it or lose it'. The evidence shows that, if there's such a significant amount of parental leave available, men will change their cultures, and workplaces will actually change the expectation of what happens to men when there is a baby in the house, when they have a child. If we can fundamentally change the expectation of men's and women's involvement in child rearing, we are going to increase the economic empowerment of women and also achieve two other key results. Firstly, overseas evidence has shown that, if men are more involved in child rearing, they improve their connection to their children and they improve their own life satisfaction. When you see men's high suicide rates and rates of depression, you think, 'What can you do to actually improve the lot of men?' and this is absolutely a crucial part of it. A second piece of research has shown that the involvement of male partners in the lives of their children is increased by them taking more leave at the start, and, if they do that, that increases child development. So this is a piece that can increase child development, increase men's satisfaction and address gender equity.
This is something that costs $600 million. That's a lot of money, but, compared to so many different things that we do in this country, the economic outcomes and the social outcomes we could achieve through this sort of a scheme are absolutely crucial. So I think it's crucial that the government take leadership in this space. They have spoken about wanting to lead in really empowering women in the community. This is an easy opportunity for them to pursue and to at least put us on the path to this in this budget so that we can get to the stage of having 26 weeks of paid parental leave, six weeks of which must be used by the second parent and two weeks which is 'use it or lose it'. That will achieve outcomes on all bases.
Ms FERNANDO (Holt) (12:27): I rise to speak on the motion on paid parental leave, put forward by the member for Warringah. My duty as a member of the House of Representatives is to support families in ensuring a better future for their children. Putting families at the front and centre of policymaking is the guiding principle of the Albanese Labor government. It is the basis of the government's commitment to improving our country's Paid Parental Leave scheme to help parents to find a better balance between work and caring responsibilities.
The Rudd Labor government made notable strides in strengthening gender equality by introducing the first-ever government funded paid parental leave scheme in 2011. At the time Australia was one of just two OECD countries without a national statutory paid parental leave scheme, along with the United States. Since then, the former coalition government have argued that working mothers claiming their full parental leave entitlements are a rort and a fraud and have accused them of double-dipping. Such comments were hurtful to so many and showed the coalition's lack of ambition in encouraging more parents to participate in the workforce. The coalition fails to understand that workplace diversity and promoting parental workforce participation is not just good for families; it's good for the nation. Encouraging parents, particularly women, to take up work and leadership roles is a huge driver of economic growth. Matching women's workforce participation with that of men would increase Australia's GDP by a whopping $353 billion by 2050, or 8.7 per cent.
The Albanese government is considering specific amendments to the Paid Parental Leave scheme. Future changes will guarantee that the scheme will continue to meet the expectations of families across Australia and complement the parental leave scheme offered by several employers. These enhancements will be the result of carefully considering the various factors which influence the scheme's success. It is essential to make it better and it is important to get it right. While improving the paid parental leave scheme is a vital priority of this government, every good idea is only as good as the government's ability to provide for it within the context of the budget. It is impossible to ignore that the Albanese government inherited a $1 trillion debt left behind by those on the other side of this chamber. As a result, the government is forced to make sure that every measure aimed at improving gender equality can receive the appropriate funding needed for it to succeed. While this will take time, the government's investment of $5 billion in child care is an essential initial step. This measure will form a part of the October budget. It will do more to support female workforce participation than anything we have seen from those on the other side in the past decade.
Since its introduction, the Paid Parental Leave scheme has encouraged women to stay connected to their jobs, boosted workforce participation and allowed mothers to spend vital time with their newborn babies. It is crucial to women's economic security and the health and wellbeing of parents and their children. It continues to be an essential step in meeting an ageing Australian population's economic and social challenges. Treating parenting as an equal partnership helps gender equality and opens more choices for women to participate in the workforce. The Albanese Labor government is committed to strengthening the scheme to meet parenting demands and to improving flexibility to encourage families to share parenting responsibilities. It is aligned with the government's guiding principle to create a better Australia where no-one is held back or left behind.
Ms WATSON-BROWN (Ryan) (12:32): A robust, universal paid parental leave scheme with a minimum of 26 weeks leave would transform so many lives in this country. This is something we Greens have been pushing for for a long time. At the May election this year, we brought a policy of 26 weeks guaranteed paid parental leave. The Greens plan would provide six months of paid parental leave, paid at the parent's existing wage, capped at $100,000 per annum, and include super contributions. This would include six weeks for each parent, with 14 weeks to be taken in whichever combination the family decides. The package would complement, not replace, existing employer schemes. When I doorknocked in Ryan and spoke to people about this plan, they absolutely loved the idea. Since May, we've seen a growing number of groups calling for boosting paid parental leave. The ACTU wants the Albanese government to increase paid parental leave from 18 to 26 weeks and then map out a path to lifting it to 52 weeks by 2030—a fantastic idea. The Business Council of Australia laid out 26 weeks of paid parental leave as a core policy suggestion, ahead of the Jobs and Skills Summit. Chief Executive Women's submission to the jobs summit called for an expansion of the Commonwealth Paid Parental Leave scheme. Zali Steggall has now brought this motion to the House and I support it.
According to the economic experts, 26 weeks of shared paid parental leave will boost women's workforce participation. This is undoubtedly true and a very good thing. More importantly, I say, it will boost freedom for mums and for dads to spend these crucial, beautiful—but tiring—months with their newborns, while not worrying about whether they'll be able to pay the rent or the mortgage or whether they'll have a job to go back to once it's over. Coupled with another Greens policy—universal free child care—paid parental leave of 26 weeks will give families the freedom to decide the best arrangement for them. They can work out how much they work in paid employment, how much they spend doing the unpaid child-rearing work at home and, importantly, how they share those roles equitably between partners, and they can do that without fear of falling into poverty or falling behind in their careers.
In a wealthy country like Australia, we should be able to afford the freedom that comes with proper paid parental leave. In fact, we can. Boosting paid parental leave to 26 weeks and linking it to the parents' existing wage rather than the minimum wage would cost $6.4 billion over the next three years. That's a lot of money. That's $26.8 billion over 10 years. It does sound like a lot, except when you think that Labor's stage 3 tax cuts are going to cost the budget $244 billion over that time. If we scrapped those tax cuts, we'd fund a robust and fair paid parental leave plan, transform peoples' lives and still have $217 billion left to play with.
In fact, Australia currently has one of the worst parental leave schemes in the developed world. Shame! In Sweden, both parents are entitled to about nine months of parental leave; in Australia at the moment, 18 weeks for one parent only and on the minimum wage. Australia's current Paid Parental Leave scheme tends to lock mums into the role of primary carer and undermine their economic security, leading to a loss of work opportunities.
This motion and the Greens policy would begin to encourage both parents to share the parenting load and to normalise working arrangements that help families juggle work and caring responsibilities. It's high time we fixed paid parental leave in this country, and it's time that this government got on board with this plan. I support this bill.
Dr REID (Robertson) (12:36): Paid parental leave is an important and vital policy area for the new, Albanese Labor government and will remain a focus throughout our term of government. We understand the social and the economic benefits that paid parental leave provides to not only families in my electorate of Robertson but families right across the country. It was a Labor government in 2011 who introduced Australia's first, original government-funded Paid Parental Leave scheme, and it will be this Albanese Labor government that ensures that the scheme continues to put families at the centre of policymaking and that the scheme works for Australian families, moving into the future.
Coupled with this focus is the Albanese government's $5 billion investment in cheaper child care. Ensuring more families can access cheaper child care will mean parents, in particular women, can re-enter the workforce, increasing the nation's workforce participation and overall GDP. It is estimated that, if women's workforce participation matched that of men, we would increase GDP by 8.7 per cent, or $353 billion, by 2050.
An effective and strong paid parental leave scheme ensures Australian parents can nurture, care for and develop the incredibly important connections with their newborn babies in the early days of their lives. This is achieved by allowing mothers and fathers paid leave from their workplaces following the birth of a child. Up to 18 weeks leave is provided to the primary carer and up to two weeks for partners. During the 2021-22 period, around 121,000 people received the parental leave payment, and over 64,000 people received the dad and partner payment. These payments represent an investment in Australian families and an investment in the future of our workforce.
Paid parental leave also ensures that women are not disadvantaged in their employment if they choose to have a baby. The scheme helps maintain a committed and competitive workforce, supports the economic security of women, recognises women as essential and valued workers in the Australian skilled labour force, and promotes the health and welfare of mothers and newborn children. It ensures that both men and women can balance their work and parental responsibilities, and allows for couples to have children and not delay this decision due to economic reasons. And it allows our nation to address the declining national birth rate and safeguard our future economic base.
Disappointingly, those opposite in the former coalition government said that working mothers who claimed their full parental leave entitlements were double dipping and that this was some sort of rort. Those in the Albanese Labor government, including me, know that paid parental leave is not a rort and that Australian couples claiming their entitlements under the Paid Parental Leave scheme are not double dipping. The scheme was established to assist and help hardworking mothers and fathers with newborn children, and to ensure a fairer division of unpaid care and paid work, improving the family work-life balance.
I've spoken with parents in my electorate of Robertson who have told me that they would not have been able to have a child, secondary to financial barriers, if they had not been able to access the government's paid parental leave entitlements. As with any policy, any changes need to be considered within the context of the budget. In reality, we inherited a trillion dollars of Liberal Party debt from the former government, yet we will ensure paid parental leave continues to support families across Australia and complements the parental leave schemes many employers also provide.
The Albanese Labor government and I are committed to ensuring the nation's Paid Parental Leave scheme works for all Australians. I encourage those in opposition to see the Paid Parental Leave scheme as an investment in our nation and to work with the government in this policy area.
Ms TINK (North Sydney) (12:40): I thank the member for Warringah for her motion to acknowledge and address the inadequacies in Australia's paid parental leave and early childhood education systems, and I'm grateful to be able to speak on behalf of the people of North Sydney. Initially introduced in 2011, in its broadest context the Australian Paid Parental Leave scheme is one of the least adequate in the developed world. The Paid Parental Leave Bill 2010 offers families up to just 20 weeks of paid leave at a minimum wage. Of those 20 weeks, 18 are allocated to the primary carer, whilst the remaining two weeks are offered as dad and partner pay. Reflecting on that for just a moment: the mere fact that this pay is referred to as 'dad' or 'partner' pay immediately relegates the father in a parenting situation to the lesser of the two carers. This is unacceptable.
Comparing this scheme to those of our OECD peers, it's clear Australian families are missing out and our society is lagging as a consequence. On average, families in the OECD are typically entitled to over 50 weeks of paid leave. That's 2½ times more than we offer here in Australia. In Finland, new parents each have access to seven months paid leave. Policies such as these have been linked with better development outcomes for children and support a more balanced division of labour between two-parent families.
The reality is parental leave policy settings have a significant and wide-ranging impact on families, children, women, the economy and, ultimately, society as a whole. Significantly, they also reduce the employability gap between men and women in the workforce. If an employer is looking at either a male or a female candidate with the same expectation that they will, or could, take a significant amount of paid parental leave, the idea of employing one over the other to avoid this time out is ultimately removed. By encouraging both parents to share the responsibility of caring for young children, we can fundamentally shift a cultural paradigm which currently frequently forces women into the primary caring role, regardless of what a family may desire.
To be clear, I'm not saying that to be a primary carer is not the noblest of paths. Being a mother to my three children is undoubtedly the most incredible, rewarding and fundamental experience of my life. What I am saying is that paid parental leave offered here in Australia must allow families the maximum support and the ultimate choice of who the primary carer is and when. As the Grattan Institute noted in a report last year, greater sharing of child care is one of best ways to improve women's economic security.
Along with paid parental leave improvements, we need to ensure that families have access to quality and affordable care to allow those that either wish, or need, to return to work to do so. The most recent census data tells me there are 110,000 families living in my electorate of North Sydney and the electorate immediately to my north. There are almost 9,000 young children under the age of five and a further 9½ thousand children aged between five and 10 who need supervision when not at school. For this population there are only 140 childcare, day care and after-school care facilities. That's at least 65 children per centre. From my conversations with childcare operators, workers and parents, it's clear that more federal government leadership, coordination and support is needed.
A division having been called in the House of Representatives—
Sitting suspended from 12 : 44 to 12 : 58
Ms TINK: From my conversations with childcare operators across North Sydney and with workers and parents, it's clear that more federal government leadership, coordination and support is needed. Childcare centres are struggling with skills shortages, while existing workers are overwhelmed and underpaid. Meanwhile, families cannot find spaces and affordability is a massive issue, with some facing fees of up to $200 a day. As one North Sydney parent put it to me: 'I've worked extremely hard to work in a management position in the tech industry. My inability to get back to work due to my inability to gain child care is detrimental to myself and also to the perception of women and mothers in the workforce, something that needs to change.'
Despite very positive conversations in this chamber today, the reality is that our current government has no plans to address the inadequacy of our paid parental leave program. In fact, we heard earlier this morning from the member for Bendigo that one of the reasons that can't be addressed is that it would take at least 50 weeks to bring about significant changes. It takes 40 weeks to make a new human being and just $600 million to enable us to meet the desires of our community to have 26 weeks paid parental leave. I not only support this motion; I urge the government to heed it and step into what is an unacceptable situation here in Australia.
Ms SITOU (Reid) (13:00): For me the first year of my son's life was filled with awe and joy as well as sleep deprivation and anxiety, all in equal parts. I had prepared myself for the awe and joy, and many well-meaning parents had tried to prepare me for the sleep deprivation part of it. But what I hadn't realised was the constant hum of anxiety that would permeate that year. Was he feeding enough? Was he feeding too much? Why wasn't he crawling or talking or sleeping? It was a constant loop of questions and fears.
But in that first year there was one aspect of our ever-changing life that I didn't have to worry about, and that was our family's finances. A combination of paid parental leave schemes provided by my employer and the government meant that I could take a full year off to look after my son. It was a year that I loved and, as a new parent, it was a year that I needed. My son thrived. He grew from a wrinkly and crying newborn to a chubby and bubbling toddler. He continued not to be great on the sleep front, but that would come some years later. But it was a magical year.
It's been more than a decade since the Paid Parental Leave scheme was introduced in Australia. At the time of its introduction, along with the United States, we were one of only two countries in the OECD that didn't have a statutory paid parental leave scheme. It's now become so entrenched and important a social policy that you sometimes forget that we didn't have it at all. Forty years ago, when my mother had me, her decision to return to work was governed by our family's financial situation and not my parents' own wishes. So I was placed in child care full time at just a couple of months old, as soon as the centre would take me. My mum doesn't have regrets about that decision, because it wasn't a choice she had the luxury of making. It was simply a reality of the times.
Years of research have shown that paid parental leave improves the wellbeing of families and children, encourages women to remain connected with work and sends a message that children and parenting are important in our society. I think it's time to look at the Paid Parental Leave scheme again and examine where further improvements can be made.
For me, a critical area where we could strengthen what we have at the moment is to encourage both parents to access paid parental leave. Currently only two weeks of leave are available for non-primary caregivers, who are often fathers. Compare that to the 18 weeks provided to the primary caregiver, usually the mother. The difference is stark, and it played out in my experience in that first year of my son's life. The community healthcare workers valiantly tried to rename our mothers group a 'parenting group' and encouraged dads to attend, but, in the end, every week it was a gathering of a dozen mums with their kids. At a time when we as a society need to move towards greater gender balance when it comes to caring responsibilities, our policy settings are still entrenching the role of women as primary carers, and I think that needs to change. Treating parenting as an equal partnership helps to improve gender equality and encourage women to participate in the workforce. We should be offering families more choice and flexibility.
When the Paid Parental Leave scheme was introduced more than a decade ago, it was a game changer for many parents, including me. I want to thank two women who fought tirelessly to get the Paid Parental Leave scheme implemented: Professor Marian Baird from the University of Sydney Business School, who spent decades researching and advocating for paid parental leave; and Jenny Macklin, the minister responsible for bringing this policy idea to fruition. I thank them both.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Stevens ): The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order for the day for the next sitting.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
Ms STANLEY (Werriwa—Government Whip) (13:04): I move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is on 15 October 2022;
(b) this day is an opportunity for parents, families, friends and healthcare workers to mark their shared loss, whether through miscarriages, stillbirth, and infant death; and
(c) it is also a day that increases awareness about preventative measures to reduce perinatal mortality;
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) losing a baby at any time in pregnancy, birth or the neonatal period is devastating to families;
(b) each year, 20 to 30 percent of women who are pregnant experience a miscarriage;
(c) stillbirths and perinatal death rates are a combined 9.4 in every 1000 births, these figures have not changed for over 20 years;
(d) stillbirth occurrence is higher in Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities;
(e) these families go through further issues after experiencing such a tragic event, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, changes in relationships and anxiety that may be underestimated by healthcare providers, friends and family; and
(f) further research is required to support the creation of programs that help lower the overall mortality, and to provide support to those families that have experienced the loss of a baby as well as help them overcome their trauma in a healthy and meaningful manner;
(3) commends the Government for providing $6.8 million funding to assist families dealing with the grief of stillbirth;
(4) expresses sympathy to all families who have suffered a miscarriage, a stillbirth or infant death;
(5) further commends each and every person who has supported parents and families through the loss of a baby; and
(6) thanks support groups like Red Nose, Still Aware, SANDS, and Miracle Babies for the work they do to support families.
Earlier this month, my family marked what would have been my daughter Meaghan's 30th birthday; and, in January, my son Michael's 35th. As you can tell, the passing of time hasn't diminished their loss to me or our family, and I think of them every day. But especially at times of momentous occasions, like the weddings of their siblings, it is their absence that makes the loss more acute. In the last 12 months, another 3,000 families joined us on our journey of loss of a child. They joined a club that no-one wants to be a part of and one that there are no words to describe. Yesterday there were a further nine families who got the news that their baby would not survive.
This year an estimated 100,000 pregnancies will end in miscarriage. These startling figures have not really changed in more than in 20 years. The incidence of miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death are much worse for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and for women of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, when compared to other Australian women. Indigenous families lose their babies at a rate of up to 50 per cent higher than other Australian women, and that figure for CALD women is approximately 30 per cent.
The National Stillbirth Action and Implementation Plan recognises stillbirth as a public health issue. It was developed in response to the recommendations of the Senate Select Committee on Stillbirth Research and Education report. The plan includes short-, medium- and long-term actions with the aim to reduce stillbirth and ensure families affected by stillbirth receive respectful and supportive care. It recognised that some groups have higher rates of stillbirth and includes actions to address these equity gaps. The plan was a result of extensive consultation with relevant groups, including bereaved parents, state and territory governments, researchers, clinical experts and non-government organisations. The plan seeks to fund research and support services like Red Nose; Sands; Miracle Babies, in my community; and so many others.
Support services are vital for mum, dad, siblings and families to navigate the world after pregnancy loss and perhaps subsequent pregnancies. Talking to someone who knows what you're going through helps with healing and facing the new world beyond. When I lost my baby, I didn't know anyone else in the same position. I found Sands, and the support of volunteer counsellors did so much to help me navigate the world after the loss. Well-meaning comments like 'you'll have another baby' or 'at least you can get pregnant' did little to help how I was feeling, or my distress. What I really wanted to say was 'It was actually this baby I wanted, not another one.'
In our society, grief is difficult to talk about, especially when someone young dies. October marks International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and 15 October is recognised as International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. It aims to give those grieving a voice that is not always available. On 15 October, social media will be full of images of candles lit for beloved babies. This event every year gives families an important opportunity to publicly remember and reduce the stigma that often follows the loss of a baby. As with all awareness campaigns, there is encouragement to talk and recognise the loss of a baby by miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. By talking, we are raising awareness and raising money to instigate research to reduce the incidence of loss and find ways to prevent families' distress into the future. I would say to anyone seeking to support a family, 'Let them talk and remember their child—that's what helps.'
I encourage and acknowledge all of the researchers, doctors, nurses and families who are contributing every day to finding the answers that will reduce the rates of loss I've discussed today. I especially recognise all the families who share their stories to make sure that their special children are not forgotten and that other families do not suffer into the future. I acknowledge medical professionals but especially my friends and family who supported me.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Stevens ): Is the motion seconded?
Ms TEMPLEMAN: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.
Mr HOWARTH (Petrie) (13:09): I rise to support the motion by the member opposite and thank her for raising this very important issue. The news of a new pregnancy can be a time for joy and celebration for parents as they prepare to welcome new life into their world. Tragically, this is not the outcome of every pregnancy, and not all babies born get to come home. Tragically, every day in Australia, 282 women experience a miscarriage. Let's think about that for just a moment—282 women every day experience a miscarriage. Every day, six babies are stillborn and two die within the first 28 days of their birth. While these statistics provide little consolation for the loss of a child, it may help to know that couples and families are not alone in this experience. Despite these staggering statistics, 74 per cent of couples report feeling unsupported in their experience.
On 15 October we recognise Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day and acknowledge those that have lost a child through miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death. There are many organisations providing support for families, such as Red Nose, Still Aware, Sands and Miracle Babies, and I thank them for the work they do. I would also like to highlight some amazing people in my electorate of Petrie that are helping to support families in their loss journey. Karen Hollindale is a midwife who lives in North Lakes. She is the clinical director of My Midwives North Lakes, an award-winning private midwifery practice in Queensland and Victoria. Karen has been a midwife for 22 years and has worked with many expectant parents, providing midwifery continuity of care through pregnancy, birth and postnatal care, which sadly includes working with parents in their stillbirth/pregnancy loss journey. I asked Karen to describe the stillbirth and pregnancy loss journey from a practitioner's lens, and this is what she said:
Stillbirth and pregnancy is never easy. It's hard to find the words to support the families - how do you tell them that life is going to be ok when they are walking in the saddest days of their lives. We help them make choices to celebrate the life of their much-loved baby. We take on some of their sorrow - and wish we could give them back the life they have lost. We remember their baby's birthdays forever. We are always honoured to share that journey with them - despite the hurt that we share a small part of. I take a part of these families with me always - they forever hold a special place in my heart.
What an incredibly beautiful reflection of the shared story between bereaved parents and their healthcare providers.
Barbara Armstrong, from Mango Hill, is another incredible woman in the electorate of Petrie, who recently started a not-for-profit called Sweet Peanuts, after her own experience of miscarriage in 2019. Barbara found support from other bereaved parents helped her to deal with feelings of depression, grief and isolation, and she now donates care packages to local hospitals in the Moreton Bay region, to give other families the same support.
Up until recently, the local hospital in my electorate, Redcliffe Hospital, lacked dedicated private rooms for women labouring with a baby that has passed away in the womb. With the combined advocacy of the Redcliffe Hospital Auxiliary, Hand Heart Pocket and other local suppliers, a specialist care room, also known as the Jacaranda room, now provides families with a purpose-built room for stillbirth, a kitchenette with a fridge, dimmable light, darkened windows and a sofa bed to accommodate support people. The room is set to open officially at the end of October, but it has already been in use since June of this year.
In September last year the Morrison government introduced an amendment to the Fair Work Act, as part of the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Bill, stating that employees were to be provided with two days of paid bereavement leave for parents who experience a miscarriage. I'd like to thank my former colleague the member for Ryan at the time, Julian Simmonds, for his instrumental advocacy in helping get this bill through. Policy change creates cultural change, and anyone who experiences a miscarriage, regardless of gender, deserves dedicated time off.
Lastly, my deepest sympathies go out to all who have experienced this the loss of a child. We're with you.
M s TEMPLEMAN (Macquarie) (13:14): We're all going to be emotional in this one. I want to thank my friend the member for Werriwa for moving this motion. It is so often those who have experienced a loss who are brave enough to shine a light on it. As we near Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day on 15 October, I'm very pleased to be supporting this motion.
The day of 15 October is an opportunity for parents, families, friends and healthcare workers to mark their shared loss, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death. Losing a baby at any time in pregnancy, in birth or in the neonatal period is devastating for families, but each year 20 to 30 per cent of women who are pregnant experience a miscarriage. It's an enormous statistic. And stillbirths are higher in Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities. We have much work to do there. There's no doubt that further research is needed to help lower the overall mortality rate and to provide support to families who have experienced the loss of a child, as well as help them overcome their trauma in a healthy and meaningful manner.
That's why the $6.8 million of funding that the Albanese government is providing to assist families dealing with the grief of stillbirth is so important. More than $4 million of that money will go to Red Nose Australia for their Hospital to Home program, and a further $2.6 million is for stillbirth education and awareness initiatives. I want to speak a bit about Red Nose Australia and, in particular, to give a shout out to Richmond High School in my local area, who for decades have been raising significant funds on Red Nose Day.
Richmond High School students do something that isn't done anywhere else. They don red capes and red clothes, and those of us who go along put on our red clothes, and we stand side by side on the oval to create a shape. Now, when we're doing it, we don't know what the shape is. But above us is a police helicopter, and it's photographing the enormous shape that's being made. It's only when we see the photo that we know what we've helped create. This year it was a koala hanging on tightly to a big red nose. For a bit over a decade, I've been really proud to be part of this human shape being formed, standing side by side with students and teachers.
When I attended this year's event, Pat Pilgrim, who is one of the originators of the event, told me it was very much a team effort in coming up with the idea, and she talked about the very first year they decided to do it. It was all thanks to the dome-shaped assembly hall that they had; it was standing there until recently. The idea was to drape it in red to create a giant red nose to mark Red Nose Day and to fundraise. It took hundreds of red plastic strips three metres by one metre—as Pat recalls, 2,200 square metres in all—which were lifted onto the roof with cranes once it had all been heat-welded together. The plan was to just let it flow over the building. They would pull something and let it flow over the building, a bit like, as she describes it, strawberry topping. It almost went to plan. And I've been told not to talk about any of the safety rules that might have been broken in order to get that red plastic doing what it was meant to do! The event attracted attention, and in 1994 the first police flyover happened so that the image could be captured. It's become a real tradition for Richmond High. Despite a lull for COVID, it's back, with the next crop of senior students leading the way. They have raised a huge amount of money for Red Nose Australia, and we're very proud of what they do.
Also within my region I've been privileged to get to see some of the work of A Butterfly's Embrace. Naomi Smith, the president and founder of A Butterfly's Embrace, lost her son Lucas in April 2014. She wanted to help support other bereaved parents who have suffered pregnancy and infant loss. This is people who have had that experience helping other people. As the member for Werriwa said, talking can really help. Naomi wants to see change. She wants to change the little things that should not be the way they are—the things that someone who hasn't experienced a loss probably hasn't thought of. No grieving parent needs added trauma on top of the already heartbreaking situation they're forced to face. They run an informal parent group that I'd encourage anyone to go to, at Ropes Crossing.
Mrs ARCHER (Bass) (13:19): Beyond all the statistics of pregnancy and infant loss are parents, siblings, grandparents and other loved ones who are grieving the loss of a child. This heartbreak is often private and understandably so. But it's heartening to see the increasing number of parents who are willing to talk about their experiences, in the hopes that others do not feel so alone when navigating their way through a similar experience. Recently I was contacted by northern Tasmanian woman Collette Butler, who reached out to me seeking support for an event to be held in late October to raise funds and awareness of pregnancy loss. Collette's desire to support families going through pregnancy loss is a result of losing her own daughter, Amelia, in 2020. I have asked Collette for permission to share her story, in her own words, today because, as Collette has said, all babies have a birth story and deserve to be shared with the world. She says:
On May the 26th 2020 I woke at 2am in spontaneous labour at 38weeks gestation with my first pregnancy. A pregnancy that was uncomplicated and problem free.
After arriving at the hospital my baby was found to be in the breech position which was not detected throughout my pregnancy. An emergency caesarean was called. Moments later the fetal heart rate began to drop to an alarming level. A Code blue was called. I was rushed to the theatre - my husband was taken back to the maternity ward to wait as I was put under a general anaesthetic.
At 5.50am Amelia Maree Butler was born still.
What felt like moments later I woke in the recovery room, my husband at the end of the bed & hospital staff around me. I remember looking at a nurse - asking "where is my baby". The next words changed my life forever.. "She didn't make it".
Whilst under the anaesthetic an amazing team of obstetricians, nurses & paediatricians delivered my baby girl but it was already too late. Amelia was born with her umbilical cord around her neck. The very thing that fed her life during my pregnancy, took her life. Even with CPR & intervention, Amelia was gone.
Nathan & I returned to the maternity ward - a ward that I had previously worked on as a Midwife. We were taken into a birth room I knew very well was the baby loss room. A space that women were admitted to when their babies had not survived. Amelia was waiting for us. She was perfect. Beautiful. A head of dark brown soft, silk like hair. 10 fingers, 10 toes. A perfect baby that I held in my arms, was lifeless. Nathan & I were fortunate to have the beautiful Sheridan from Heartfelt photography capture a few precious moments that would be for a life time. With the support of the wonderful midwives, we bathed Amelia, dressed her, held her - knowing too well we would have to say goodbye & I would never hold her in my arms again.
The next few days followed as such.
Instead of learning how to breastfeed my baby, - my family & I planned a funeral.
Instead of leaving the hospital with Amelia, we left with empty arms to return home to an empty nursery.
A nursery full of baby clothes, nappies, toys that would never be used by Amelia.
A private funeral was held with just Nathan & I. We stood together, watching as a very tiny coffin was lowered into the ground.
The months to follow we were faced with running into people - seeing their faces, having to explain why our baby was gone. Nights I cried myself to sleep with an empty bassinet next to me.
I was faced with returning to the hospital not just as a patient but also as a nurse. I struggled for months (still do) any time I heard a code blue, walking down certain corridors, or collecting a patient from the recovery room.
Now two & half years on I still remember that day clearly. I still cry, I still feel an emptiness I don't think will ever leave me. I imagine each day what Amelia would be like & picture the little girl she would have grown into.
Since Amelia, my husband & I have tried to give Amelia a sibling. We have since experienced 3 miscarriages. We have undergone many investigations and tests.
4 babies keeping each other company while Nathan & I learn to live without them.
Prior to my own baby loss I worked on a surgical ward as a nurse & had a portfolio & a passion in Pregnancy Loss. In this ward we cared for many families experiencing early pregnancy loss. It was my passion to make their experience as supported as possible. I strived for changes at a ward level to improve their care.
Now having experienced multiple losses myself & connecting with many others that have I am beginning to realise how common baby loss is & how little we talk about it.
I love to talk about Amelia & my little ones. For me it is a way of keeping her spirit alive.
Dr ANANDA-RAJAH (Higgins) (13:24): I'd like, firstly, to thank the member for Werriwa and the other members for sharing their stories today. I must say I'm profoundly affected by this discussion, because it has dredged up, even in me, trauma from many years ago relating to pregnancy loss. What I would say is that all pregnancy losses are devastating. It is a hidden tragedy and a taboo associated with a stigma which we in this House are striving to dispel, and today it starts. The mental health effects are profound. They range from depression and anxiety to PTSD, relationship breakdown and strain, and a loss of productivity. The impacts are wide, and they reverberate through the ages. Even many years after my own pregnancy loss, I'm still so badly affected, because I remember how profoundly alone I was in that loss. I really felt that no-one could reach me.
Miscarriage is very common, as you all know. It affects at least one in five women with a known pregnancy. It is defined as occurring before 20 weeks gestation. Stillbirth, on the other hand occurs after 20 weeks. It's less common but affects six in 1,000 live births in Australia. That means that every day around six babies are stillborn. It's just devastating.
In many a case, we don't know what causes these terrible, terrible outcomes. We think that they may be due to genetic or congenital abnormalities or other types of maternal conditions—things that are known, like gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia or smoking. But, even for those 20 to 45 per cent of families who do not know what has caused this, it is absolutely devastating. They're left not knowing, absolutely bewildered, like deer in headlights in the aftermath of this grief, which can be all-encompassing and can engulf them.
Stillbirths—like many health conditions, as you know—track with disadvantage. In my maiden speech, I talked about the social determinants of health, something that I'm very familiar with as a doctor: poor education, social isolation, poverty, racism and unemployment. The rate of stillbirth in the general population is around six to seven per 1,000, but it is much higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, at nine per 1,000. For women from migrant or refugee groups, it's higher still. For women living in outer regional areas, it's 7.5 per 1,000. For women in remote Australia, it's 14 per 1,000. That's double the average rate. For women younger than 20 years, again it is 14 per 1,000. It's unacceptably high.
We know that up to a third of stillbirths can be prevented if optimal care is provided. I would like to commend the previous government for their National Stillbirth Action and Implementation Plan. We have accepted all of those findings, and I look forward to seeing this actually coming to fruition. I would say that there are certain interventions that do work, and it's important we talk about them, because we can all be ambassadors for these interventions: encouraging smoking cessation—very important; improving the detection and management of impaired fetal growth; encouraging women to understand babies' movements—fetal movement is a really important but subtle sign that can be missed; and avoiding sleeping on your back, particularly in the latter stages of pregnancy, mainly because it impairs blood flow. It squashes the big vessels in the back.
All of the above can, of course, be addressed with really good antenatal care, and we have excellent antenatal care in Australia, but it's poorly accessed in a lot of parts of Australia because we are a big, wide land. We know that this is a problem particularly for First Nations women. Only 63 per cent of them in 2017 accessed antenatal care. That just seems extraordinarily low for a First World country.
I would say also that education shouldn't just stop with women; it needs to be extended to health professionals like me. I'm not an obstetrician, and it was really this talk which gave me the opportunity to do a deep dive and try to fully understand some of the factors. But we need to multiply this across the whole medical profession so that everyone understands what's going on.
I would say, finally, that we need better research to understand the causes of stillbirth, because the trauma can persist for decades. This is why it is important that we have excellent grief counselling that is of high quality and timely so that we can mitigate the impacts on families and their loved ones for years to come.
Dr WEBSTER (Mallee) (13:29): I rise to speak on this private member's motion because it acknowledges the deep and profound impact of pregnancy loss. One in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage. I speak from personal experience when I say that it is devastating. In many respects, the sense of loss never leaves you. I'm conscious that this speech is going to be cut very short, so I'm going to try and wrap it up really quickly. I want to talk about pregnancy loss from the point of view of vulnerability because, when we have a pregnancy loss, we're in a state of vulnerability. I did a thesis on the dependency, the irreversibility and unpredictability we find ourselves in—a status that is very difficult to mitigate, to resolve or to come to terms with. My thesis actually speaks about adoption choice, which is a very similar subject with many of the same pieces of data. But I think, from a personal point of view, it is possible to put this sociological framework around pregnancy loss and to come up with solutions that are hopeful, that are interdependent and that can bring some resolution to the past.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Stevens ): The time allotted for the debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Sitting suspended from 13 : 3 1 to 16:0 1
STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS
Fowler Electorate: Moon Festival
Ms LE (Fowler) (16:01): After two long years of COVID lockdowns and restrictions in Western Sydney, it was an absolute delight to see my electorate of Fowler come to life again for the Moon Festival. More than 80,000 people travelled to Cabramatta to experience a cultural event like no other. However, for many residents in south-west Sydney, it is also a slice of home. In Fowler, over 32 per cent of the population speak Vietnamese or a Chinese language. The Moon Festival is a significant East Asian event around the world, marking the day when the moon is at its fullest and brightest for harvest. It's also a special day to spend with your loved ones and community.
I acknowledge the leadership of Fairfield Council for bringing everyone together to celebrate and witness line dancers and cultural performers entertaining the audience, a fantastic lantern parade, and the diversity of offerings from local shops and stallholders—from pho to sugarcane drinks and doughnuts. Local businesses and RSL clubs supported the day and our local New South Wales Police kept the community safe amongst the huge crowd. I also acknowledge my state and federal parliamentary colleagues who joined in on these activities, including the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, and New South Wales Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Coure. Premier Dominic Perrottet even brought along his seven children and his wife, Helen. To everyone who attended, worked or performed on the day—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Chesters ): I thank the member for her contribution and call the member for Spence.
Spence, Catherine Helen
Mr BURNELL (Spence) (16:03): I rise in this place just over 79 years to the day that Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney entered through the doors of Old Parliament House. I note the member for Tangney in the chamber today. These were two incredible women—Enid Lyons was the first woman elected to this place, and Dorothy Tangney was the first woman elected to the other place. I am speaking today in honour of another trailblazing woman, Catherine Helen Spence. Like Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons, Catherine Helen Spence has the auspicious honour of having one of the 151 electorates named after her, namely the division of Spence, which I have the privilege to represent in this place.
Born in Scotland 1825, she moved to South Australia in 1839 with her family. She was a governess, a novelist and an advocate of the suffrage movement. Her first passion was that of writing, with her novel Clara Morison the first novel set in Australia that was written by a woman.
She was a considerable advocate for women's education, playing a vital role in the establishment of the Advanced School for Girls in 1870. This school was at the time the only public academic school preparing women for entrance to the University of Adelaide. Later, she served as vice-president of the Women's Suffrage League from 1891 to 1894, the year that the South Australian colony granted women the right to vote. Unfortunately, in March 1897, she would be unsuccessful in her attempt to become Australia's first female political candidate.
Brisbane Electorate: Housing
Mr BATES (Brisbane) (16:05): The cost-of-living crisis is hitting hard and it is especially felt by renters. In my home electorate of Brisbane, 53.5 per cent of dwellings were rented at the time of the most recent census. In the June quarter of this year, the vacancy rate in Brisbane dropped to 0.7 per cent. That is a lot of renters with very, very few options on where to rent. Low vacancy rates have been coupled with massive increases in weekly rents. In the last 18 months, the average weekly rent for a two-bedroom home has increased by almost 20 per cent in Brisbane. A one-bedroom apartment is up 15.5 per cent.
These rental increases aren't just numbers, though; they're people. One of my constituents, Dominica, is facing an uncertain future for her and her daughter, as she must contend with unsustainable rent increases and a near-zero vacancy rate. Susie and Bella are two young workers in Brisbane who have had to offer far more than the listed rent price for every single rental application they have submitted, to even remotely be considered.
These are just two stories from the countless messages our office has received from renters and families in distress. It is time to freeze rents. This will provide immediate cost-of-living relief and economic security to millions of renters across the country, particularly people in my electorate of Brisbane. We cannot expect charities and community organisations to bear the entire brunt of the housing crisis. The government has a responsibility to step in and have people's backs.
Siddall, Ms Barbara
Mr HILL (Bruce) (16:06): I want to pay tribute to the inspirational Barbara Siddall. Thirty years ago, Barbara did something truly amazing: she founded Cornerstone, which is a much-loved community institution in Dandenong. It's a drop-in centre to welcome and care for people in crisis. I've visited it many times, and it provides much more than just a meal.
I was honoured to attend Cornerstone's 30-year gala celebrating the contribution of so many people: the volunteers, the partners, the Rotary Clubs, the Lions Clubs, the Australian tax office in the centre of Dandenong—which has a breakfast club which for decades has supported Cornerstone—the laundry providers and the shower providers. Barb Siddall was there with her family. The highlight was the unveiling of a plaque renaming the iconic Dandenong Centre—and I know that, as someone who went to school in Dandenong, my friend the member for Holt knows this place well. It's been renamed the Barb Siddall Drop-in Centre.
Typically, Barb was completely horrified by the attention. She confessed to me that she didn't actually want to come, because she didn't want to be the centre of attention. But then she got up and spoke absolutely beautifully to the gathering. She spoke of her Christian faith that moved her after she retired. She said she knew nothing about youth work and homeless people, but she felt moved to do something. She has tenacity and has built something really special. She'll probably hate the fact that I've got up now and mentioned this in the national parliament, but given the significance of Cornerstone to our community—it is loved and known right across the community—it's appropriate that I record our thanks and gratitude to Barb Siddall.
North Sydney Electorate: Tantallon Oval Pavilion
Ms TINK (North Sydney) (16:08): North Sydney is an electorate that cares deeply about our impact on the natural environment. We want to see the nation take action on climate change, and we're willing to walk the talk. The Tantallon Oval Pavilion in Lane Cove is one of the recent success stories in North Sydney's journey to becoming one of the first net-zero urban energy zones. The new facility is virtually off the grid, with 60 kilowatts of solar panels, two 101-kilowatt lithium ion batteries, energy-efficient lights and glass, and 20,000 litres of rainwater-harvesting tanks to irrigate the oval. It also features innovative green ceramic tiles that are created from waste materials, including old club jerseys.
The $2 million project is an example of collaboration done right. It is backed by all three levels of government—federal, state and local, spanning the political spectrum—as well as community clubs like the Lane Cove Junior Rugby Union, the Lane Cove Tigers Junior Rugby League Club, the Lane Cove Cricket Club and the Lane Cove Senior Rugby Union. By working together, the community has truly delivered a sustainable future focused sports facility that will serve many for years to come. This development thoughtfully addresses not only the needs of the community today but also the needs of future generations. We must see more of these projects in the future as we pursue our ambition of becoming one of the first net-zero urban energy zones in Australia.
Global Kids Clothes
Dr REID (Robertson) (16:09): I wish to commend Global Kids Clothes, which is an outstanding group of women in Robertson on the Central Coast who meet weekly to knit and sew clothes for girls, boys and babies in some of the world's most disadvantaged countries. Global Kids Clothes has been operating since 2015 on the Central Coast and was started by founder Denise McKnight who I recently had the pleasure of meeting at one of my mobile offices in the beautiful suburb of Bensville. Denise mentioned to me that, since the creation of Global Kids Clothes, members of the group have gone on to knit and sew almost 10,000 items of clothing. They distribute these to 31 countries across the globe. The group meets from 9 am to 1 pm every Wednesday during school terms in the Greenhouse at Coast Community Church. I encourage any Central Coast resident equipped with sewing or knitting skills and looking for a worthy cause to go along and contribute to one of the group's meetings and help make a difference to the lives of young children around the world.
My appreciation and thanks go to Denise McKnight and her husband, Peter McKnight, and all the ladies involved with Global Kids Clothes, in particular Doreen Warriner, Sueanne Rose, Brenda Briggs, Ellen Paul, Diane Merryful, Chrissy Crawley, Julie Garnsey, Patricia Manning, Enid Brew, Maree Dollin, Maree Gear, Diane Prosser, Colleen Jones, Glenda Edwards and Margaret Farmer—a small group making a big difference in the world.
Central West Charity Tractor Trek
Mr GEE (Calare) (16:11): It's not every day that motorists stumble across a procession of 17 tractors chugging along at 20 kilometres an hour on Central West roads, but, on the weekend, the slow, colourful parade of tractors clocked up almost 250 kilometres around the Blayney, Carcoar, Millthorpe, Neville and Barry areas all in the name of charity.
Today I rise to pay tribute to the organisers and drivers who donated their time and tractors to raise $80,000 for Little Wings, a charity that provides free transport to sick country children to access medical services. Eighty thousand dollars will cover the cost of 60 flights to Sydney, all thanks to the outstanding people behind the event, including the organising committee led by Malcolm Porter and comprising Denise Wilson, Debbie Porter, Nick Clancey, Barry Wilson, John Sharp and Kevin Porter, and also the tractor owners and drivers, including Cameron Dunstan, Graham Press, Roy White—my old mate—Dennis Coopes, Graham Eslick, Sam Sharp, Charlie Bartolo, John Cooley, Brian Tonkin and Pat Kilby. You all exemplify the spirit of Australia.
The funds raised on this year's trek brings to more than $350,000 the support raised for Little Wings to date. On behalf of this parliament, I formally recognise and thank everyone involved in this year's trek for their outstanding efforts. I certainly enjoyed catching up with all of the trekkers in Blayney on Saturday night. It was a great night and a great event for a very worthy cause.
Parliamentary Standards
Mr LIM (Tangney) (16:12): I'm a new member of this parliament. I was a police officer and became well known across my community for my police work. As my colleagues would know, a lot of this job is spent knocking on people's doors. I have done a lot of doorknocking as a police officer, but, in the lead-up to the election, I was knocking on doors in the hope of representing my community. Many people said to me: 'Sam, this is crazy. You are a police officer—highly respected. Why do you want to be a politician? What is wrong with you, Sam?'
I wouldn't use unparliamentary language here, Deputy Speaker, but I trust that you have a strong imagination and can understand what Australians may think of politicians, and I cannot blame them because, in the past decade, Australians have witnessed lots of wrongdoing of their government. It paints a terrible picture of what the public perceive about politicians. Australians at last have a government that believe in the role of government and this government believes deeply in integrity and accountability in politics. I'm looking forward to having a federal ICAC to ensure our politicians are engaged in the work of changing hearts and minds—and, at the centre of it all, our nation—for the better.
Kowanyama Softball Competition
Mr ENTSCH (Leichhardt) (16:14): I'm sure, Madam Deputy Speaker Chesters, you'll agree with me that it's important that we celebrate sporting events in our remote areas. Recently the remote Cape York community of Kowanyama held its Bob Sands Memorial Weekend. One of the significant events was the Kowanyama softball competition. For the second year running, it was coordinated by Tania Major, who was our 2007 Young Australian of the Year.
The first time it was held, I reached out to Liz Fresser of Cairns Softball, who generously provided the necessary second-hand equipment. With such a massive success in 2019, Tania was determined to do it again. This year's challenge was a shortage of umpires, so I reached out to Liz and she was able to help in this time of need. Without hesitation, local softball icons Effie Sania and son, Sampson, said yes. The next challenge was to get Effie and Sampson to Kowanyama. Skytrans CEO Alan Milne quickly mobilised his crew to book flights, and off they went for the weekend.
The event was a roaring success, with the team Ma-Japurr winning over the Top End Raiders 15-3. I want to congratulate Tania, Alan, Liz, Effie and Sampson for ensuring this special event occurred. I'm certainly looking forward to 2023, when the teams will be playing for the Federal Member for Leichhardt's Cup in the third softball competition in Kowanyama.
Human Rights
Mr JOSH WILSON (Fremantle) (16:15): Australia has a growing community of people from Iran and people with Iranian heritage, which includes people of the Baha'i faith. The 2016 census recorded approximately 60,000 Australians who were born in Iran, and that had increased 70 per cent from 2011. My own extended family encompasses Iranian heritage, and that's something we cherish. There has been an active Baha'i community group in East Fremantle for years, and I'm grateful for the way they've engaged with me on a range of humanitarian and human rights issues.
Sadly, persecution of the Baha'i minority in Iran has intensified in recent months, according to Amnesty International. The death of Mahsa Amini, who was assaulted and detained by police for infringing the hijab-wearing rules, is absolutely abhorrent. It has rightly horrified people in Iran and around the world. There can be no excuse under any religion or any system of government for that kind of senseless, ugly and violent conduct towards anyone. The courage being shown by citizens protesting in Iran, especially women, is incredible.
It will never be my approach to draw attention to human rights issues in other countries as though Australia doesn't also have these issues. The rate of incarceration of First Nations peoples in Australia is not acceptable nor are deaths in custody. Persecution is persecution wherever it occurs, and what's happening to citizens in Iran is wrong; it's unconscionable. It's not in keeping with the fundamental values or human rights of the Iranian people.
Parkes Electorate: Floods
Mr COULTON (Parkes—Chief Nationals Whip) (16:17): I'd like to bring to the attention of the chamber the status of the flooding in the Parkes electorate. As you all would be aware, with the La Nina spring that we're having, we've had above-average rainfall. Every river in the Parkes electorate, from the Lachlan River in the south to the Macintyre River on the Queensland border, is in a state of flood. Two of my communities, Wee Waa and Warren, are surrounded but at this stage protected by levees and, hopefully, should be safe.
The damage so far to community infrastructure such as roads, culverts and bridges is quite extensive, and we're now starting to see massive crop losses, particularly out in the Namoi and Gwydir valleys. Crops that were close to maturity are now under water, which is a tragedy in itself, when all that money has been spent in getting crops to that stage.
Sadly, we've seen, I think, over 30 rescues by the SES over the last couple of days. Tragically, we lost a five-year-old boy on the McGrane Way. The entire family was swept off the road, and the parents and the two siblings clung to trees for three hours before they were rescued. It's a terrible tragedy—again indicating that saying, 'If it's flooded, forget it.' We are ready for the next rainfall, and hopefully it won't be so bad.
Macnamara Electorate: The Torch
Mr BURNS (Macnamara) (16:18): Last week I had the privilege of visiting the Torch. The Torch is an organisation based in Macnamara that goes into our prison systems, works with Indigenous people who are incarcerated and helps them produce some of the most breathtaking art I have ever come across. All of the proceeds from the sale of those pieces of art go into programs and support for the artist to turn around their lives and to help support them as they come back into our community.
It is an incredible success. Not only is the art completely and utterly brilliant and awesome but also the program has been a success story for people like Thelma. Thelma Beeton is a Palawa woman living in St Kilda. She sold over 135 pieces through the Torch. She has built a sense of self-worth and has been out of incarceration for over four years. We're really proud of Thelma. We also, in my office, are so pleased to have a couple of works from the Torch on display, including a new one which will be done by the artist Coadz, and it was titled One Mob. I'll read out his description: '
This painting shows a strong, tall kangaroo who is looking back at his past and time spent in prison. He is ready to move forward with the support of all the brothers he met on his journey and family on the outside. He knows in his heart this time he will succeed!
It's for stories like that that the Torch is just remarkable.
Johnston, Mr Robert
Mr HOGAN (Page—Deputy Manager of Opposition Business) (16:20): I'd like to acknowledge the wonderful life of Robert Johnston, who, sadly, recently passed away. Born in Lismore, Robert was well known in the working-dog community. He won multiple titles at local, state and national levels. At the State of Origin Dog Trial he had the top dog for 13 years and won the Australian Working Dog Championship three times. He left school at 15 and worked full time with his father, droving and working dogs. He learnt from a young age how to work his dogs and would do this by horseback. At an older age, he switched to quad bikes.
He was always learning, looking for better ways to develop his craft. He sold his pups, which were highly valued, not just in Australia but around the world. He also set up a training arena at his Tatham property, where people would attend to get their dogs trained by him. Bus tours also visited the property to witness him training his dogs.
Robert's funeral service was held at Casino, where over 500 people attended to farewell him. Also in attendance, very importantly, were his 10 working dogs. I extend my thoughts and prayers to his wife, Narelle. Robert had three children, Kim and her husband, Rick; Elissa and her husband, Danny; and Robbie and his wife, Shan. He had seven grandchildren: Taylor, Grace, Mytch, Jack, Harry, Clay and Kirra. May he rest in peace.
Adelaide Bowling Club
Mr GEORGANAS (Adelaide) (16:21): Yesterday, Sunday 25 September, I attended the opening of the bowls season at the Adelaide Bowling Club. I was accompanied by Lucy Hood, the state member for Adelaide. We were honoured to put down the first bowl to start off the season. The Adelaide Bowling Club is one of the oldest lawn bowls clubs in South Australia; it was established in 1897. It also proudly hosted the nation's Masters Tournament in April this year, which was broadcast around the world. But this is also a wonderful community club that brings together people of all ages. That is why I was so happy to fight for this club to get some extra funding so that they could continue to provide such a vital service. I supported their application for the Stronger Communities Program. The club was successful in getting $15,000, and they also secured a further $16,000 to refurbish their kitchen.
It was a great day on Sunday. It highlighted just how popular the Adelaide Bowling Club is. I commend the club's president, Bob Burton; their committee; the staff; and the volunteers for the amazing work that they do. We all know in our electorates that clubs, such as the Adelaide Bowling Club, provide such an important social, community and recreational service. I sincerely thank them for everything that they do in the community and in my seat of Adelaide, providing people the opportunity to get together, play a bit of sport and just have fun.
Guilfoyle, Corporal Hayden
Mr BIRRELL (Nicholls—Deputy Nationals Whip) (16:23): I would like to place on the record my congratulations and appreciation for the incredibly brave actions of Corporal Hayden Guilfoyle from Shepparton in my electorate of Nicholls.
Corporal Guilfoyle was commended for brave conduct in August 2022 for his actions during the rescue of teenagers from floodwaters in Townsville, Queensland, on 4 February 2019. At approximately 2 pm Corporal Guilfoyle was responding to calls for emergency assistance with colleagues in an Australian light armoured vehicle throughout flood affected parts of Townsville, when they noticed four teenagers clinging to a street sign in fast-flowing, neck-high water. An officer parked the light armoured vehicle approximately 25 metres away from the stranded teenagers so as not to risk the vehicle being swept away in the water. Corporal Guilfoyle and a colleague left the vehicle and waded through the water, dragging a rope with a heavy shackle on the end towards the teenagers. Corporal Guilfoyle and the colleague fixed the rope to a speed sign, creating a handrail between it and the light armoured vehicle. Using the rope, Corporal Guilfoyle and the colleague took each teenager back through the water to safety.
Australian Bravery Decorations recognise acts of bravery where people selflessly put themselves in jeopardy to protect the lives and property of others, and I would like to personally acknowledge and celebrate Corporal Guilfoyle's deserved recognition. His bravery in this instance is also a shining example of the dedication and commitment of ADF personnel to serve others at home and abroad.
Australian Ambassador to the Holy See
Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (16:24): Earlier this year, Australian Ambassador to the Holy See Chiara Porro and her husband, Rien Schuurhuis, visited Australia. They came up to Darwin and spent time in Darwin, including a visit to the Nauiyu Aboriginal community. Yesterday the ambassador's husband, Rien, represented the Vatican, the Holy See, for the first time in history in the road cycling world championships that were held down in Wollongong. However, the purpose of the visit went well beyond cycling. Rien said that he was representing the Pope's belief in the symbolic parallels between sport and life. As we know, sport brings people together from all walks of life to cooperate and support one another to achieve shared goals With this in mind, last Friday the Vatican delegation visited Caritas Australia, which is a charitable branch of the Catholic Church, to learn about truth telling and reconciliation with First Nations Australians including Uncle Roger Jarrett, a survivor of the Kinchela Boys Home. Ambassador Porro has also said that she intends to use her appointment to bring a Pacific voice to the Vatican and to encourage Pope Francis to engage with and visit Australia and our region. We look forward to welcoming Pope Francis to Darwin.
Banks Electorate: St Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church
Banks Electorate: St George Academy of Performing Arts
Mr COLEMAN (Banks) (16:26): St Luke's Catholic church in Revesby is an absolute linchpin in the Banks community, and it was great to visit Father Dariusz Basiaga, the new priest, recently. St Luke's, which has been around for a very long time—more than 70 years—has an incredibly important role. People come from all around the area to be a part of the congregation and to participate in the many good community activities that St Luke's is involved in. I want to thank Father Basiaga for the time that he took on the day and also Pauline Sahyoun, the parish secretary; Ellina Nandan, the youth coordinator; and everyone who is involved in making St Luke's the remarkably important institution that it is in our community.
The St George Academy of Performing Arts teaches dance at the very highest level. The academy offers ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical dance and adult fitness classes. It's been doing so for a very long time. Students in the academy work with the Royal Academy of Dance examiners and teachers, demonstrating the very high level of dance that happens down at the St George Academy of Performing Arts. I want to thank Lucy Lu, the owner, who does a fantastic job. It was great recently to meet Olivia Gao, who has volunteered there for many years and gives a great deal back to our community and helps our young people learn the art of dance.
Sri Lanka
Ms FERNANDO (Holt) (16:27): I rise to speak about the situation in Sri Lanka and the Albanese Labor government's response. Sri Lanka, the country of my birth, is experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis that has resulted in a shortage of medicine, petrol and, most importantly, food. Last month I met with the acting Sri Lankan high commissioner, Chamari Rodrigo, to receive an update on the health and wellbeing of the Sri Lankan people. I also discussed Australia's $50 million in official development aid to assist Sri Lanka, which Australia has increased by $25 million since that meeting. This $75 million in support will help relieve urgent food and healthcare needs while supporting long-term solutions such as investments in social protection, nutrition and women's health. Australia is home to a large diaspora of Sri Lankan origin, many of whom call my seat of Holt their home. I commend the efforts of several Australian Sri Lankan organisations for their work in assisting Sri Lanka during these times of need, and I extend my thoughts and prayers to the Sri Lankan people. I thank the House.
Forrest Electorate: Augusta & Districts Community Childcare
Mr s MARINO (Forrest) (16:29): I rise to support the Augusta & Districts Community Childcare group. This is a wonderful group of local women who since 2019, led by Kylie Lucas and Jasmine Meagher, have been working their hearts out to secure a childcare service and a facility to house it in Augusta. In 2021, the Shire of Augusta Margaret River voted to support upgrading the Augusta Rec Centre to provide the venue for child care in Augusta. However, recently the shire voted against this project. Given the Augusta-Margaret River Council is unwilling to use council funding to upgrade the Augusta rec centre, I call on the federal government to fund the next round of local roads and community infrastructure grants, and I call on the council to dedicate this funding to upgrade the Augusta rec centre for the families, the community and the businesses in Augusta.
The Augusta childcare group's purpose is to provide a nurturing, enriching childcare service in our rural location, which increases the liveability and inclusivity of our community for the young, the old and the in-between. I can't think of a better purpose for funding than for the Augusta childcare group that has worked so hard for so long. I support them in their endeavours.
Corangamite Electorate: Climate Change
Ms COKER (Corangamite) (16:30): I'm running a schools climate project for students in my region for the second year in a row. The Corangamite Schools Climate Change Challenge is a project that started in 2021 to help schools to monitor and reduce their carbon emissions. I'm already impressed by the passionate enthusiasm of many primary and secondary students in this year's challenge, across some 15 schools. The challenge is also about raising awareness within the broader community about the impact excessive carbon emissions are having on our planet.
Recently, I visited Oberon High School in Armstrong Creek, where students are examining the environmental benefits of recycling clothing for the challenge. They're focusing on reducing the amount of clothing going into landfill. Among other ideas, they're running a second-hand clothing fashion parade to promote recycling. Students are also learning to collect data on energy use in their schools and communities, and to calculate how many tonnes of CO2 they can save if they implement simple measures like Oberon's clothing recycling project.
The climate challenge is a great way to integrate climate learning into subjects like maths, science, English, communications, art and design. Importantly, it gives students the opportunity to feel empowered to take action on climate change. It is something we want all in our community to do. I look forward to acknowledging the efforts at the upcoming awards celebration.
Dawson Electorate: Space Exploration
Mr WILLCOX (Dawson) (16:32): I bring great news from Dawson. Two brothers, Adam and James Gilmour, from Gilmour Space Technologies, are taking on the world's space race by building a orbital space port at Abbot Point, located 20 kilometres north of Bowen and 20 degrees south of the equator. This is the ideal place to launch small satellites into low-space orbits. Why small satellites? There's more technology in this phone than what was used to put man on the moon, so size does matter. These satellites will be able to be used for communications, for weather determination, for monitoring the health of the Great Barrier Reef, and for fire detection. Within a few minutes after a fire breaks out, a satellite can contact the authorities and then action can be taken. There is a sovereign risk if we do not get behind this project. We could be vulnerable and we could be left behind.
In 2023 the first small rocket, Eris, will be launched from this site, and there will be many, many more rockets. There are opportunities for tourism—for people to come to Dawson and watch these rockets go up, viewed from Mount Nuts, Flagstaff Hill and many other sites. There are also defence opportunities. To the stars, Gilmour Space!
Bendigo Electorate: Women's Football
Cashless Debit Card
Ms PRICE (Durack—Opposition Whip) (16:35): This morning the Albanese government's betrayal of the Australian people was put on display for all to see. The announcement of $50 million for alcohol and drug treatment services is an admission that the abolishment of the cashless debit card will see alcohol and drugs pour back into vulnerable communities. This is an admission from Labor that they are happy to pursue their twisted ideology, even if it risks plunging areas that have struggled with domestic violence and social dysfunction back into chaos. I can assure you it's no laughing matter.
Always happy to play political games, now Labor are rushing through amendments to the CDC legislation to save face, against the backlash they have received. But it is too little, too late. It is clear the Albanese government prioritises ideology above the needs of at-risk communities. There is no doubt that the cashless debit card has saved lives, helped individuals manage their income and put food back on the table. The minister says she consulted the affected communities prior to the decision to abolish the CDC. Please, Minister, do not disrespect my community of the East Kimberley and please do not take them as fools. It was a Labor Party election commitment in opposition to scrap the CDC. So any consultation was merely window dressing. I think we all can agree on that.
The inner-city Labor elite may not care about the effects of removing the cashless debit card, but we on this side care about the 17,000 people whose lives may be torn apart as a result of this reckless decision.
Wollongong: 2022 UCI Road World Championships
Ms BYRNES (Cunningham) (16:36): I speak today on a fantastic event that was hosted by Wollongong over the past week. The 2022 UCI Road World Championships brought over a thousand riders from 70 countries to compete. The UCI is one of three international cycling competitions that form the triple crown of cycling. The Tour de France is also a part of this. Against the beautiful backdrop of our coastal home, and over multiple courses, world-class cyclists raced towards the finish line to Wollongong City Beach. The event attracted people from all over the world to Wollongong and put our region on the map as an area of outstanding beauty.
This event could not have occurred without the hard work and dedication of those involved. Thank you to Stu Taggart and Dean Dalla Valle and your whole team for your vision and the experience you brought to the planning and execution of this event. To the amazing volunteers who helped make this event the success it was, you were all so friendly and helpful in assisting our visitors, and everyone was so complimentary about the work that you did. Thank you to the Wollongong City Council staff, who worked tirelessly in the lead-up to and during the event. Your work in planning, fixing roads and keeping our streets clean during the event was so important. Wollongong looked amazing. And thank you to the police and emergency services, who ensured a safe event. Finally, thank you to the people of Cunningham. There were inevitably some disruptions to our roads and schools and to business, but thank you for persevering and making our visitors feel so welcome.
Queensland: Roads
Mr BOYCE (Flynn) (16:38): I wish to raise my concern with the Queensland Labor government's Department of Transport and Main Roads, including lack of planning, funding shortfalls and delays. The former member for Flynn, Mr Ken O'Dowd, secured $100 million for access to the port of Gladstone project to provide an alternative route for heavy vehicles accessing the port of Gladstone. This has still not been done. With Gladstone being identified as a future renewables hub, is the government prepared? There are four bridges in the Gladstone area that have oversized load and weight restrictions on them. These bridges need to be repaired and present huge logistical problems for the proposed multibillion dollar alternative and renewable energy projects in Central Queensland.
On top of this, lack of funding for road infrastructure has already been clearly identified by the Auditor-General's report, with a projected $9 billion shortfall. Bridge and culvert refurbishment and road resheeting are operating at under 20 per cent of their budget need. We then have continual roadwork delays. Lawrie Street in Gracemere in my electorate of Flynn is a prime example, with this project taking over a year to date. Yet the government still has little regard for the businesses that are struggling to keep their doors open, denying them any form of compensation. It is quite evident that the Queensland Labor government are not interested in addressing the logistical problems associated with their renewable and alternative energy proposals.
COVID-19
Dr ANANDA-RAJAH (Higgins) (16:39): The sting in the tail of this pandemic is long COVID. We estimate that between five and 30 per cent of people will develop long COVID. As of July this year there may have been up to 400,000 people affected, but numbers are sketchy. The list of symptoms is as long as my arm, and they range from fatigue to brain fog, chest pain and tummy upset. This multitude of mischief relates to this virus invading our blood vessels, which incidentally are throughout our bodies. This makes it a multisystem disease. Who is at risk is not fully understood, but we know that women, people who experienced five or more symptoms during the acute illness and people with pre-existing problems are more at risk.
People living under a cloud of insecurity are particularly vulnerable. For too long, these have included essential workers, minorities, women and young people. Precarious people have a higher risk of exposure to the virus. They may be more vulnerable to poor outcomes because of health problems and often experience different impacts because they have fewer social protections like sick leave, family supports or money. Many people suffering from long COVID have felt unheard by the medical profession. Today we end this testimonial injustice. I am pleased to be part of a parliamentary committee, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport, that will take long COVID seriously. We want to hear from you. Make a submission. Your leaders are listening.
Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens
Ms BELL (Moncrieff) (16:41): On Tuesday 30 August I visited the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, where I had the pleasure of launching the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Avenue and Woodland Walk. This project wouldn't have been possible without $18,215 in funding under the Planting Trees for the Queen's Jubilee program, a coalition government initiative, and the dedicated work of the Friends of the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, or the friends, as they like to be called.
This project has created a lasting legacy of the late Queen Elizabeth II, whilst generating positive environmental impacts for our local community. I commend the friends' president, Alex Jakimoff; founder and project director, Kate Heffernan; secretary, Catherine Simpson; education coordinator, Rana Baguley; and all of the wonderful volunteers for spearheading this fantastic project. I was honoured to be asked to plant the first tree of the project, a Syzygium moorei, which will grow to be quite large.
It was great to see students and teachers from Benowa State School and St Kevin's Catholic School, beautiful schools in my electorate, who worked closely with the gardens at the event, planting some trees. Thanks to Kate for taking us on a walking tour, where we saw an amazing 300-year-old kauri pine. We ended at a magnificent gum tree, with all kinds of wildlife calling it home, for a lovely home-made morning tea. I can't wait to see the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Avenue and Woodland Walk once completed. The memory of Queen Elizabeth II will live on at the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens.
Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence
Mr KHALIL (Wills) (16:42): Last week my community marked a sombre date—10 years since 29-year-old Jill Meagher was raped and murdered in a Brunswick alleyway on her walk home. That night Jill was, as many people do, seeing off the week with after-work drinks alongside colleagues on Sydney Road. Sydney Road goes right through the heart of my electorate and is a popular place to head out for dinner and drinks, to spend time with family and friends. But, on that night, it was the site of a brutal crime that shocked not only my community but the nation.
Ten years on, I know just how frustrated people are that gendered violence remains the scourge it is in our community, that week after week a woman is killed in Australia at the hands of her partner, that year after year there are more vigils for women killed as they go about their daily life—just like Vicki Cleary, who in 1987 was murdered outside her workplace in Coburg, a story, like Jill's, that my community is all too familiar with. I particularly want to acknowledge Vicki's brother, Phil, a former member for Wills, who has been a dedicated advocate for victims and their families and for changes to the law.
The fact that many women still don't feel safe is just unacceptable. They are tired of bearing the responsibility of advocating for change, so we must remain committed to the necessary action that addresses gendered violence, such as programs that address the source of the problem through education, in addition to the 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave that the Albanese government recently legislated for, and more community sector workers and crisis housing, because, whether it's on Sydney Road, at work or at home, all Australian women deserve to be safe.
New South Wales Central West
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (16:44): Parkes is boom town in the Central West of New South Wales, and there are jobs, jobs and more jobs going there right at the moment, with GrainCorp. I'm so pleased that I, the Nationals and the coalition generally fought so hard to keep GrainCorp in local hands, in Australian hands, when there was the potential takeover by Archer-Daniels-Midland. We didn't want the grain price being determined by a boardroom in Illinois, in the United States of America, or anywhere else, and that's why we fought so hard to make sure that GrainCorp stayed in local hands.
At Parkes at the moment, they're adding 125,000 tonnes of storage capacity. This is what GrainCorp's doing. They are actually investing in infrastructure, and that is so important. But they need workers—180 positions in the Forbes-Parkes region, in the central west of New South Wales. But, if you look at the Riverina it is absolutely booming and blooming throughout at the moment, with canola, wheat and every other grain variety that we're growing there. In the Wyalong area, there are 200 positions with GrainCorp alone; Griffith-Barellan, 120 positions; Lockhart-Boree Creek, 130; Temora and surrounding districts, 250; and Junee, 150. So there are jobs there, and they are good, well-paying harvest jobs. Our farmers are looking at the third bumper harvest in a row, if it would just—believe it or not—stop raining so they can get their heavy harvest equipment into the paddocks. But it's boom time in the Riverina, as always.
Carpenter, Mr Alfred Clive (Alf), OAM
Ms CLAYDON (Newcastle—Deputy Speaker) (16:45): Today I want to honour the incredible life of a much-loved and highly respected Novocastrian, Alf Carpenter OAM. Alf served in the 2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion and undertook active service in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and New Guinea. At 105, Alf was one of the last living ANZAC veterans who fought in the battle of Crete in 1941. He will be sorely missed, especially by his fellow members of the Merewether Hamilton Adamstown RSL Sub-Branch, residents and carers at Maroba aged care, the Merewether Mackerels, and his family and friends.
Alf was larger than life. He lived his 105 years to the absolute fullest. Until recent years, Alf would swim in the Merewether baths every morning, regardless of the season, which he credited for his long life—that and Tooheys Old beer. Alf was recognised in the Queen's Birthday 2012 Honours List, when he was honoured with the award of a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to veterans and their families. He was also honoured by the Greek government in 2015 for his role in the battle of Crete. The former Labor Minister for Veterans' Affairs Warren Snowdon had the pleasure of accompanying Alf overseas for commemorative events in Crete and El Alamein, and he and everyone else shared a great fondness for Alf.
We will never forget Alf Carpenter and his remarkable service to our nation. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest we forget.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Chesters ): In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.
MOTIONS
1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
Mr THOMPSON (Herbert) (16:47): I move:
That this House:
(1) notes that on 16 August 2021 soldiers from the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, along with other military attachments, were deployed to Afghanistan to rescue Australian passport holders and those who supported our nation throughout the war on terror;
(2) acknowledges
(a) the brave soldiers who put themselves in harm's way to rescue more than 4,100 people from the chaos;
(b) that when the Taliban took back Kabul, the soldiers returned to the belly of the beast to evacuate thousands of civilian men, women and children; and
(c) that the Afghan people may have lost their city and country, but our Australian Defence Force heeded the call to ensure that they did not lose their lives;
(3) honours the brave, selfless actions of those deployed; and
(4) calls on the Government to honour the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment with the appropriate battle honours to highlight the unique operation that was conducted in the most hazardous, chaotic and challenging circumstances.
Today I honour the brave contingent of Australian Defence Force personnel for the evacuation operation conducted in Kabul. This was no ordinary deployment. In the face of extreme danger, brave soldiers from 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, along with other military attachments, put themselves in harm's way to rescue others. Despite the images of chaos that were beamed around the world—pictures of men, women and children clinging to aircraft, trying to escape the Taliban—and the ever-present threat of a terrorist attack, our men and women answered the call to serve, without question. The selfless actions of those deployed enabled the rescue of more than 4,100 people—Australian citizens and refugees—from a life of oppression at the hands of an illegitimate government. While the Afghan people may have lost their city and country, our ADF ensured that they did not lose their lives.
Today I call on the government to honour 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and military attachments with the appropriate battle honours to highlight the unique operation that was conducted in the most hazardous, chaotic and challenging circumstances.
I asked those brave soldiers to share some stories from on the ground. They are real and they are raw. They demonstrate why 1RAR deserves a commendation—battle honours. Here is a recollection from one member:
Being the first platoon in country, we had little to no idea what the situation was to look like on the ground despite orders given in as high detail as possible, but we'd all seen the mayhem on the news.
Once in country we learned immediately that it was the wild west with sounds of constant gunshots either being warning shots around the entrance points to the airport or contacts happening locally. My shifts at the North Gate were the most memorable. Looking out upon terrified suffering, helpless men, women and children, surrounded by gunfire, razor wire, Taliban, Death, newly made corpses, and the complete feeling of helplessness became common place.
On one of my section's shifts I had noticed a man standing in a crowd of crouched civilians waving at the gate's general direction, roughly 40 to 50 metres from the entrance point and where I was standing.
He was dressed in black body armour, had a heavily modified AK and no recognisable patches. It became obvious he was Taliban.
Almost as soon as I'd worked out who he was, he unloaded a burst point blank into the crowd he was standing over, hitting at least 3 men with rounds, one of those 3 men receiving a round directly to his head.
As there was an enormous crowd of people between me and him, there was little I could do and I was helpless to act.
These were the horrors our brave men and women faced. But in amongst the horrors were stories of success. Another member states:
As we were working on Abbey gate I remember pulling a family up from the canal. They were covered in whatever mess was in the water.
The mother and 3 girls were completely dehydrated, barely able to stand by themselves. When I checked their paperwork and accepted they were good to go, I walked them up from the gate to our Australian checkpoint about 300 metres away.
Carrying their bags and a child in each arm, while the third held my hand and kept kissing it saying 'thank you' over and over again, will be something I will remember for the rest of my life.
Another story states:
Myself and another guy found this girl, about 8 or 9, wandering around very close to the Taliban-run checkpoint down the side of the canal.
Once we asked where she was going, she replied in the most purely Australian accent that her and her mother were Australian and she needed help getting there.
She told us her mother was back at home so she had to phone her and tell her to make her way to the gate.
After several hours of waiting, the little girl was being so polite and patient, as she waited for her Mum.
Fast-forward, her mum made it to the gate, and we pulled her out about 12 hours later. I hope they are living their best life in Australia.
These are the acts of extremely brave men and women. These things happen on the battlefield, and more than 4,100 people out there owe their lives to the Australian Defence Force on this deployment. It is only fitting that we recognise their contribution and give them the recognition they deserve. For the brave men and women who deployed into the belly of the beast, there was no rule of law. We saw a country fall. There was no quick reaction force and no support close by such as was afforded to me and others when we were in combat in Afghanistan. These people didn't have that. They literally were standing side by side with the Australian flag on their shoulders, with a nation behind them, with no support. And I believe we should pay them the recognition they deserve. I commend this motion to the House.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Chesters ): Is the motion seconded?
Mr Pearce: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.
Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (16:53): I thank the member for Herbert for bringing forward this motion today. Let me say from the outset that those Australians who were engaged in the evacuation of Afghanistan at the Kabul airport should be acknowledged and should be commended for their meritorious service. I'm sure all members remember the chaos of last August as the allied troops withdrew from Afghanistan and Kabul fell to the Taliban. Who could forget the images we saw of the airport flooded with desperate Afghans fleeing the incoming regime and the panic as we raced against the clock to help as many people as possible?
This motion is important. It reflects on the efforts of not only soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment—the Big Blue One—but also many other attachments who worked to rescue Australian passport holders and some of those loyal Afghans who supported our nation over that 20 years—some of those. They worked heroically in a desperate situation to rescue as many men, women and children as they could. They worked tirelessly to save as many lives as they could. They were brave and they were selfless.
I'd like to share with you some reflections from some soldiers on the ground of what those rushed weeks were like. One said:
It was extremely mentally fatiguing operating within that environment.
Thousands of people shouting, babies getting crushed and young people getting injured, people getting shot.
It's a little known fact that our guys were involved in a contact when a suspected vehicle-borne improvised explosive device—
or IED—
rammed the North Gate.
He goes on to say:
Our combat medics were treating multiple casualties with everything from heat illness, gunshot wounds, respiratory injuries from the non-lethal ammunition fired by coalition partners, and crush injuries to name just a few.
We also had the heartbreak of having to tell family members that although some of them qualified to come to Australia, other family members did not.
Having to explain that and watch the families say their perhaps final goodbyes to loved ones.
Some of those family members begged us to shoot them then and there rather than go back outside the gates to the Taliban.
All of this has left a big hole in our hearts and a large moral injury on the young men and women that served in Kabul.
That soldier is completely correct. It is a truth, and we need to tell truth in this place. The former government inflicted a huge moral injury on our troops when, despite months and months of warnings from the United States, they failed to plan for our withdrawal. They failed to process visas for our loyal Afghan colleagues who saved so many Australian lives at great risk to their own lives. Their inaction and incompetence is what caused those scenes as I've just described them. It is not right and it is not fair that those brave Australians from the 1st Battalion and the attachments on the ground in Afghanistan should have to bear the weight of that moral injury for failed government policy.
It cannot be understated that the decade and neglect of the LEE visa program by the former government had left many loyal interpreters who assisted our soldiers in Afghanistan stranded. It has been heartening to see that some interpreters' families have been reunited, with some of the visas coming through in the last few months. But still that took a year to occur. The Albanese government is getting on with the program, and I commend the immigration minister for his efforts. I know it's appreciated by many Australian troops who served over there in Afghanistan.
There are many challenges ahead, but, returning to the motion, I commend, in the highest terms, the actions of those who were deployed from Australia in order to facilitate the withdrawal from Afghanistan at the Kabul airport. That battalion group plus conducted themselves in an incredibly meritorious way, and I commend them for those actions. But we should not be repeating history due to the failure of the former government to do it effectively.
Mr PEARCE (Braddon) (16:58): Prior to making comment, I would like to acknowledge the fact that the member for Herbert has always been steadfast in his resolve when standing up for veterans issues and when standing up for our ADF personnel. He is, and I think always will be, straight of eye and true of limb when it comes to that task, and the people of Herbert are well served in my opinion. You've got a fair dinkum bloke there who's doing the right thing for you and your electorate.
In speaking on this important motion, I would like to read to you now from the member for Herbert's press release:
As we remember the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, today we mark a year since the deployment of a brave contingent of Australian Defence Force personnel for the evacuation operation.
… … …
Despite the images of chaos being beamed around the world—pictures of men, women and children clinging to aircraft trying to escape the Taliban, and the ever-present threat of terrorist attack—our men and women answered the call to service without question.
The selfless actions of those who deployed enabled the rescue of 4100 people—Australian citizens and refugees—
and internally displaced people—
from a life of oppression at the hands of an illegitimate government. While the Afghan people may have lost their city and country, our ADF ensured that they did not lose their lives.
The press release stated:
This was no ordinary deployment. In the face of extreme danger, brave soldiers from Townsville's 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, along with other attachments, put themselves in harm's way to rescue others.
The 1st Battalion has a very esteemed history. The 1st Battalion—'Big Blue One'—of the Royal Australian Regiment was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Brigade in 1945 and since that time has seen active service in the Korean War, the Malayan emergency, the Vietnam War, the Unified Task Force in Somalia; and in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. The battalion has also been deployed on peacekeeping operations in Rifle Company Butterworth, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, Tonga, the Philippines and many more.
The 1st Battalion remains one of the Australian Army's most heavily deployed units, and that unit has contributed to domestic support on countless occasions. It has been a year since the 1st Battalion evacuated Kabul, and I recall two brave, young junior NCOs being awarded the Jonathan Church Good Soldiering Award. Their names were Corporal Quinn Jensen and Corporal Matt Reid. That award is annually awarded to junior soldiers and officers who personify compassionate and ethical soldiering. The Hassett trophy for outstanding junior leadership was also borne by these two, when they located a group of young female soccer players and evacuated them safely. Together, they were part of a team that facilitated the evacuation of more than 4,100 refugees and IDPs.
In affording this recognition, most would be aware that the Australian Active Service Medal has a 30-day qualifying criterion. Again, I would like to commend the member for Herbert's action and support in fighting for the Operational Service Medal which was awarded to that unit. But they deserve more. This was an operation like no other. We sit in this place often, and we listen to the speeches that are made but rarely—so rarely—do many understand what really goes on on the ground. I think this motion has merit. I think this motion personifies the effort that the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and those attachments displayed during that evacuation and the professionalism that that unit has always shown. It is no doubt deserving of, and has my highest support for, a higher award when it comes to unit recognition.
Finally, I want to thank the officers and the soldiers—all those deployed on that dangerous operation. I want to sincerely thank you for that from the bottom of my heart. You should be eternally proud of the job that you did for the people of Afghanistan and of Kabul. You should not resile from the fact that you belong to the finest battalion of the Australian Regular Army. (Time expired)
Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (17:03): I love the chance to talk about the very important work our Defence Force does in Australia and around the world. My electorate has a huge defence presence with HMAS Albatross and HMAS Cresswell based in Nowra and Jervis Bay, respectively. The Shoalhaven is Australia's centre for naval aviation. We train both Navy and Army helicopter crews, and our defence industry supports both Army and Navy, building Australia's defence capabilities locally. We've also got a fabulous and active veterans community who work every day to support each other, our community and those who are currently serving. Our veterans are nothing short of amazing—the things they do in our community! So it is no surprise that the fall of Kabul and Australia's efforts to evacuate Australians and Australian supporters hit local people hard. We know all too well what it means for our troops to be sent in during an operation like this. We know they are putting themselves on the line for us. We know it takes bravery and a selfless sense of duty, and we know the lasting impact it can have, both seen and unseen.
But we also know why they are doing it. After the fall of Kabul one year ago, I was contacted by many local people concerned for Australians left behind. Many were also worried about the Afghan interpreters and others who supported our Defence Force during our 20 years in Afghanistan. Local veterans called my office asking about those they knew—those they had worked with who had been left behind. Not-for-profits who had worked with Afghans doing great work asked for help. Local people had family members who couldn't get out. All were begging for the government to help get these people out. All were distressed at what the future might look like for those they cared about.
For our serving and veteran Defence Force personnel, this was a deeply traumatic experience. They genuinely care about those who helped and were devastated about those who were left behind. Some 39,000 Australians served in Afghanistan. On top of that were Australian diplomats, non-government organisations and aid organisations—so many Australian people undertook every effort over so many years to bring democracy to that country. Their work was invaluable. It was hugely important, and what happened when the Taliban re-took Kabul was nothing short of devastating for everyone. That's why I know that the members of the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, and all those who were deployed for the rescue operation in Afghanistan, did so selflessly and without hesitation. Their bravery saw more than 4,100 people rescued from a harrowing situation in the middle of all the chaos that was unfolding in this city and country that our troops had spent so long defending.
Sadly, this mission couldn't get everyone out. That's why we are continuing to prioritise the processing of visas for those who remain in Afghanistan. We saw a huge surge in those applications in the wake of this tragic event. I know the minister is committed to getting through those as quickly as possible. But this was one of the largest humanitarian airlift operations in our history, and every person involved deserves our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the actions they took. I thank soldiers, government officials and everyone who worked together to make this happen. We are indebted to you for your brave work.
I would also like to give a special shoutout to the fabulous defence industry in my electorate, supported by the Shoalhaven Defence Industry Group and many of its partners—Shoalhaven City Council, the University of Wollongong, the Shoalhaven Business Chamber, and all our defence industry organisations. Our Defence Force is supported to do what they do because of defence industry providing them with state-of-the-art capabilities and equipment. I recently attended the Shoalhaven Defence Industry Showcase at the University of Wollongong's Shoalhaven campus, which highlighted some of the amazing work that the local defence industry is doing. It was a truly fabulous event. I couldn't be prouder of the fact that my area is a major contributor to defence capabilities across Australia. I thank you for all you do.
Once again, I say to all of our defence personnel—not only those involved in this particular event but also everyone who serves and has served to protect Australia and our interest—thank you.
Mr VIOLI (Casey) (17:08): Like all Australians, I looked on in horror at the situation unfolding in Afghanistan a year ago, when 4,100 people were evacuated on 32 flights from Kabul. Anyone who saw the mobile phone footage of people holding onto planes as they took off, or of the crowds at the airport gates, will never forget those images. I don't think we can imagine the fear and desperation those people felt at that time in order to take those actions. The air evacuation in Kabul was one of the largest humanitarian airlift operations in Australia's history. The evacuation involved hundreds of Australian Defence Force personnel and government officials, working together on the ground in Afghanistan, in Canberra and in the United Arab Emirates. Each and every deployed Australian soldier put their own life on the line to save strangers. These soldiers saved people from another country, another language, another culture, another life. But these things did not matter, for our soldiers and those in Kabul shared one important thing: the innate human drive for freedom and safety.
After the evacuation, I had the opportunity to have a deep conversation with a gentleman who was evacuated from Kabul. When I heard his story, and saw his videos and those of others evacuated of what they had to endure to reach the airport, their determination and bravery was obvious. They were fighting for their lives and, in many cases, there was no alternative. I saw a report from the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Lieutenant General Colonel Scott Holmes, who said the efforts of his regiment resulted in getting more than 1,000 people out of the crowded airport choke points and onto the military aircraft. He said:
We were over there to help those who had helped us significantly – the work was really rewarding.
The same soldiers formed a unique bond with rescued Afghanistan refugees when they were deployed to ensure the temporary camps used to house evacuees were well run. It was at these camps where soldiers realised there were some familiar faces. Private Buntrock Roljic had pulled several people to safety from a vast crowd in a canal at the perimeter of the airport. During a shift at one of the camps back at the Middle East base, Private Roljic saw some evacuees he had helped to safety who were now healthy, rested and waiting for flights to Australia. He said:
They just came up to me, gave me a big hug and shook my hand.
Their stories also allow us to appreciate the amazing bravery of the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment—the soldiers who were committed to ensuring these vulnerable, innocent men, women and children had every chance to escape and to live. These Australian heroes must be honoured at the highest level for our country, and for that, battle honours must be awarded to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. Not only must we award these brave soldiers with battle honours but we also need to continue to support these soldiers with any mental health challenges they face post the evacuation, and particularly post their service.
I've been fortunate to be a member of the Lilydale RSL, and often spend time with local RSLs in Casey, hearing their stories of their support of veterans. They do such valuable work supporting our veterans. They provide not only the advocacy, access, services and support they need but also camaraderie, mateship, and the opportunity for veterans to bond through shared experiences. It is vital that governments also continue to support our veterans and implement the findings of the royal commission.
The war in Afghanistan has created a new generation of veterans, and we have a moral responsibility to learn the lessons of the past and ensure we are assisting them through any challenges they may face in the future. The last coalition government invested over $11.5 billion each year to support the wellbeing of around 340,000 veterans and their families, and it was great to see the announcement today from the new minister in regard to the interim royal commission. I join my colleagues in calling upon the government to honour the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, with the appropriate official public recognition of their extraordinary actions by awarding battle honours.
Mr ROB MITCHELL (McEwen) (17:13): This is a motion that I think all of us should be supportive of, and supportive without going through the faux patriotism and that. Let's be really honest and brutal about what this is about. Having spent time in Afghanistan along with the member for Riverina, who I hope got rid of those photos, we got to see firsthand what went on and what difficulties people faced. It's a very, very tense area. What we saw happen with the first airlift, and 1RAR and everyone involved, was something I don't think we've seen the likes of since the fall of Saigon, with photos of helicopters and aircraft removing people. It was chaotic, shambolic and badly organised, but what you do know is that when our defence personnel get given a job, they do it. They don't just do it; they do it well, they do it to their best ability, and they do this nation proud. That's why it's important that we have a look at these things. Today is the day that we had the ministerial statements on the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide, something that most of us fought long and hard to get happening because we know the challenges. We know what people face.
If you've been to Kabul, it's not a great spot. I can remember travelling through Kabul, where there were families in the streets, just sitting in bomb craters, begging for food and money as we were going past. It's fair to say that our apprehensions were high that day when we went into the city. But, after seeing this happening in real life, you just know why those images of people scrambling onto planes happened: because they wanted to get out of there for their safety. I fought very hard and feel very disappointed that I've never been able to achieve the ability to get our interpreters out of Afghanistan. I think it's almost shameful that we as a nation haven't been able to get out these people who fought with our soldiers and probably saved hundreds of lives that we didn't know about because of the work that they did.
That's why I think it is important that we recognise the work of 1RAR and what they did, because what they put themselves through, what they did, was very extraordinary. I can recall my friend former senator Kimberley Kitching and what she did at a time when there were people calling from Afghanistan, trying to get out, and she went and arranged and did all this amazing stuff to help get people out at a time when it was chaotic. I remember at her funeral listening to the story of what she did with the girl in the yellow scarf. You could almost make a movie out of what Kimberley did and what she went through to help just get that one person safe, let alone the number of people we were able to transport out of there on all the different flights that we had.
I know the trauma that the men and women of the ADF are going to face with those moments, especially when we go back and look at that footage. It's a horrid thing to see people fleeing for their lives, desperate to do anything they can to get themselves and their families out. We can all put ourselves in those same shoes, because without a doubt, if we were living in an area or a situation like that, not one of us would not want to do everything possible to try to get out and risk their life for safety. It's the ADF personnel who are at the front of that. They're right at the coalface as people are scrambling through canals, climbing over fences and doing everything they can to try to give themselves a chance at a life that we take for granted.
We have a responsibility to those people when they come back, to make sure that we give them every opportunity. Last week I talked about MC Labour and the great work they're doing with giving veterans opportunities and jobs when they come back. Not all scars are physical. I think they're the ones that we don't see enough of and that we don't recognise enough—just the pain that people go though with what they see and do. My pain in Afghanistan was spending two weeks sharing a bunk with the member for Riverina, but that was about it. It was a small price to pay.
When it comes to looking at where we give decorations, we know there's a process. It's always been the same process, and it is a slow process, absolutely. But we should make sure that, when we give out citations, we give them out properly and appropriately and give every opportunity to make sure that people who put themselves in harm's way—people that we ask to go and do these things—are given the recognition they deserve. So I support this motion, and I think that all of us could take a moment and reflect on what those men and women went through and think about what they're going to go through in the coming months. (Time expired)
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (17:18): At the outset, I would like to commend the member for Herbert for bringing this important motion to the chamber, to the house of democracy, to the federal parliament. Down the path from the opening doors of this place is the Australian War Memorial, that keepsake place where the memories are stored of battles won, conflicts lost, service given and sacrifice made—the supreme sacrifice in the name of democracy so that we can have free speech and a free parliament. Indeed, 103,010 names are etched into those bronze rolls of honour at the Australian War Memorial.
The member for Herbert did his recruit training at the Australian Army Recruit Training Centre at Kapooka, Wagga Wagga. It's the home of the soldier, Blamey Barracks, named after Thomas Blamey, who was born at Lake Albert, not far from Wagga Wagga. The bravest of the brave go through Kapooka. You know that, Deputy Speaker Wilkie. Others know it. I thank those members of parliament who have given service, but I thank all men and women who have proudly worn the Australian uniform. When others flee from danger, it's our uniformed men and women who charge to it—to save, to protect, to defend, to do what they can, whether it's in Afghanistan or elsewhere. I acknowledge the words of the member for McEwen. Yes, we went to Afghanistan together and, yes, they were apprehensive days. We were kitted up but obviously not with weaponry. But I can't even start to imagine how brave and nervous people like the member for Herbert must have been when they were going into those battle zones. We owe them a debt of gratitude. I note that the member for Herbert has called:
… on the Government to honour the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment with the appropriate battle honours to highlight the unique operation that was conducted in the most hazardous, chaotic and challenging circumstances.
He's right, of course. He's very, very right.
1RAR was founded in 1945, and it's in their DNA to protect, to serve, to sacrifice if need be. It's to those brave people we do owe a debt of gratitude. If it means a pin of medallic recognition on their chest, then so be it. That is a small price that we pay for what they put themselves through and what they, indeed, put their families through, because the worry of their loved ones back home must have been very hard to take at the time. There were 41 lives lost on duty for Australia in Afghanistan. It was a sacrifice that led to better outcomes for girls and women, particularly, who were given the opportunity for education and employment that they otherwise would not have had. But we've seen how things have gone awry with the Taliban retaking over that country. We see how disaster is impending, with famine about to be declared. This is an absolute tragedy given the sacrifice that Australians and Americans—nearly 2,500 lost—made in that conflict.
The brave soldiers put themselves in harm's way to rescue more than 4,100 people from the chaos at the time when there was the withdrawal. Whilst I appreciate there was great work done by our soldiers, great work done by our diplomats and bureaucrats, I would just like to make a special note of the work of the member for Mitchell and Senator Marise Payne—who probably haven't been recognised as well as they should be—to facilitate much of that activity in getting people out. They worked around the clock. I know that. Neither would ever seek credit, but they do deserve credit for the efforts that they went to, working around the clock with our diplomats, with our wonderful bureaucrats, to get those people out in that mad scramble that was evident at Kabul and other places.
I commend the member for Herbert. I commend this motion. Whatever we can do as a parliament, whatever the government can do, to ensure that these people are recognised has every credit and every commendation.
Mr KHALIL (Wills) (17:23): I thank my colleagues across the aisle, across the parliament, for their contributions on this motion, particularly those who have served our nation in uniform—the member for Herbert, the member for Solomon, the member for Braddon. Thank you. For many of us in this place, events that occurred in Afghanistan in August 2021 remain fresh in our memories. How could we forget the tragic photos and footage, the planes packed full of people, the victims of violence and the destruction at the hands of the Taliban, or the thousands upon thousands of emails, calls and representations from people to our electorate offices across the country? We all saw the tragedy unfolding before us. But, however tragic those scenes were for us here in Australia, one can't really imagine what it was like for the brave Australian men and women deployed during the evacuation—in particular, the members of the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment and more than 250 Australian Defence Force personnel who, along with military attachments, led one of Australia's largest humanitarian evacuations. That included not only Australian citizens but Afghan nationals who bravely put themselves and their families in harm's way to support our operational efforts.
In total, more than 4,100 people were evacuated by Australian service personnel. Whilst we were all watching from the safety of Australia, these people were going back into harm's way to rescue Australian citizens and passport holders, and other noncombatants from Kabul, in what truly was a rapidly evolving and perilous environment.
I've seen firsthand the chaos of a war zone, but I also saw, as we did in the evacuation of Afghanistan, the bravery and commitment of Australian service men and women amidst that chaos. In both Iraq and Afghanistan, I also saw the contribution of interpreters and of local staff who supported local operational efforts. Many of these interpreters and staff, of course, were let down by the previous government.
It's hard to do these motions without being bipartisan; that's important. But the fact is that many of us in this place were screaming for the actual evacuation and effort to start earlier—months earlier. That takes nothing away from the sterling effort of our Defence Force personnel and our people who conducted that evacuation. For many, the rescue was too late or didn't reach them at all, despite years of sounding the alarm about the danger both to them and to their families that they faced after aiding Australia's efforts.
This is personal for me. I will never forget the interpreters who supported our efforts in Iraq—people like Ali. He was so excited about rebuilding his country. He was half Sunni and half Shiite, and he wanted more than anything to bring his country together. Ali was found by the roadside, killed. He was beheaded by insurgents because he had been identified as having worked with us, with the coalition. For years I have thought—and I still do think—that, if he hadn't worked with us, he might still be alive. There are very similar stories that have come out of Afghanistan of the people left behind. And I know that it is equally personal for the defence personnel who worked with them and served alongside them. Some of those personnel have contacted me to share their grief.
Whilst we often can't agree across the political divide, I suppose we can agree on honouring the sacrifice of our defence personnel for their service. We can't forget the failings of the past and the need to do better. In the months after the fall of Kabul, the ADF continued to support the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in moving evacuees to safety, and they did a tremendous job. I join my colleagues from across the House, including the Deputy Prime Minister, the foreign minister and others, in thanking them for their honourable service. In doing so, I also pay tribute on behalf of my community of Wills to the 41 Australian soldiers who paid the ultimate price while serving in Afghanistan, and, of course, to their families; and to all the people who returned, who so often carry the lasting physical injuries and mental scars of their service.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Media Diversity
Ms DANIEL (Goldstein) (17:28): I move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) the Senate Environment and Communication References Committee with the support of the Labor Senators recommended to the 46th Parliament that the Commonwealth initiate a judicial inquiry, with the powers of a Royal Commission to investigate the concentration of media ownership in Australia;
(b) according to the Public Interest Journalism Initiative, 255 media outlets across the country closed down between the beginning of 2019 and March 2022, nearly 70 per cent in regional Australia;
(c) the transfer of ownership of APN led to 112 local print newspapers being shut down;
(d) according to a comprehensive international study of international media ownership and concentration by Columbia University, only Egypt and China have greater concentration of newspaper ownership of the countries studied;
(e) one company has a 59 per cent share of the metropolitan and national print media market by readership and the second 23 per cent;
(f) 3,000 journalists had lost their jobs in the decade to 2018 and more since then;
(g) unlike the United Kingdom there is no longer a 'fit and proper person' test in the Broadcasting Services Act 1992; and
(h) the public interest test does not apply to cross-media mergers; and
(2) supports and calls on the Government to:
(a) initiate a judicial inquiry, with the powers of a Royal Commission, to investigate and report on the state of media diversity in Australia with the following powers, to:
(i) call witnesses and require the production of documents and information equal to those afforded the Royal Commission into the banking system;
(ii) seek expert advice and make recommendations to broaden media diversity, especially in rural, regional and suburban Australia; and
(iii) seek expert advice and make recommendations on the state of self-regulation of media in generally available in Australia, in particular, whether the Australian Press Council and the Australian Communications and Media Authority are fit for purpose;
(b) commit to the long-term and adequate funding of Australia's only independent newswire, Australian Associated Press;
(c) establish an independent and permanent trust to assist emerging news ventures, especially in regional areas, including the funding of journalism traineeships; and
(d) abide by the independent process for appointments to the boards of the ABC and SBS.
The Senate committee on media diversity in Australia that reported last year, with the support of Labor senators, stated this in its report:
The committee recommends the establishment of a judicial inquiry, with the powers of a royal commission … It is clear that the current regulatory framework is not fit for purpose and significant changes are required.
To quote from the report again:
The committee heard significant evidence that Australia's system of media regulation is not effective … including lack of oversight for digital media. The committee heard extensive evidence that the complaints processes for traditional media are insufficient and slow. There was clear evidence that the self-regulation model for print media through the Australian Press Council is woefully inadequate. Equally, the Australian Communication and Media Authority's (ACMA) oversight of broadcast media is slow, complex, onerous for complainants and often inconclusive.
This was a majority report supported by Labor senators, and, yet, like the last government, this government refuses to face up to and tackle one of the biggest existential threats to our democracy. Information is power; disinformation, unfortunately, even more so. The contraction of media means that sources of conversations around the country are fewer and less diverse. There is less scrutiny, especially at the local level, with consequences for the quality of governance. In some parts of the country there are no local print outlets at all. In others, there are several, but they're all run by the same company. According to the Public Interest Journalism Initiative's Australian Newsroom Mapping Project, 31 LGAs have no local print or digital outlet at all. In just the last few weeks, for example, ACM closed the print editions of the Campbelltown Macarthur Advertiser, the Camden-Narellan Advertiser, the Fairfield City Champion, the Liverpool Champion and the Wollondilly Advertiser, leaving residents of much of Western Sydney and its southern outskirts less well informed.
In the United States, a study by Penn-America found that, as local newspapers closed, local government corruption costs and inefficiency rose, while spending and environmental checks went down. From my own observations, having reported extensively in the US, the lack of local media means that political debate is had at the national level, without reference to local community impact, cost or benefit. This is highly destructive and disconnects people from their government, and, in some cases, the void created sends people down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and makes them vulnerable to disinformation. The storming of the US Capitol in January 2021 was one example of this. In Australia, changes to the Broadcasting Services Act in 2017 have accelerated the trend to concentration and closure. The two out of three cross-media control rule was abolished, as well as the 75 per cent audience reach rule. Now, just two owners are responsible for 86 per cent of the circulation of all daily newspapers—an oligopoly, if not a monopoly.
My intention in proposing this motion is that this be the start, not the end, of a process. It will not come to a vote, but I appreciate those who are contributing to this important discussion. I'll conclude with a number of steps designed to give us the media framework to enhance our democracy. ACMA should, at the very least, be reformed so it has teeth, with the resources to initiate its own inquiries. This should equally apply to the Australian Press Council, including releasing regular updates on complaints received and resolved. There should be a framework to ensure truth in media reporting. A fit and proper person test should be restored to the Broadcasting Services Act. There should be adequate and long-term support for the Australian Associated Press. There should be support to restore broader reporting of affairs at the local, regional and rural levels, and tax-deductibility status for not-for-profit media organisations. As the Senate report articulates:
Public interest journalism is essential to a democracy. Active citizenship requires access to reliable information, and democracy cannot flourish without a diversity of media sources …
These are the facts, and they go to the stability of our country. We ignore them at our peril.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): Is the motion seconded?
Dr Ryan: It is.
Mr HILL (Bruce) (17:33): I want to thank the member for Goldstein for bringing this motion for debate. I know the member is very thoughtful and genuine in her concerns regarding media diversity and regulation and your motivations here. For those watching at home, I say the words 'debate' because private members' motions don't get voted on. So thank you for the emails and calls. We can hold the calls, but motions are an important way to bring issues for debate.
The health and diversity of Australia's media sector is critically important, as has been said, for our democracy and society. I'll quote from the Senate report, which aptly stated:
Public interest journalism is essential to a democracy. Active citizenship requires access to reliable information, and democracy cannot flourish without a diversity of media sources and a regulatory regime that protects consumers against the spread of misinformation.
The concentration of media ownership is inherently corrosive of democratic practice because it places control over the sources of information and opinion in far too few hands.
The problems in Australia are real and have been steadily growing under the previous government, and the motion summarises these well. I'll just highlight a few aspects: 255 media outlets across Australia closed down over the three years prior to March this year—255. One hundred and twelve local print newspapers shut down after ownership of APM was transferred. One company in Australia—and let's not be coy, it's uncle Rupert's News Ltd—has a 59 per cent share of the metropolitan and national print media market by readership, and the second largest has 23 per cent. What that means is that the majority of our nation's newspapers are controlled by one company, headed by a US citizen. The Senate report outlines deeply concerning examples of editorial coordination and bias. By global standards—I was shocked to read this in the motion—the Columbia University study which you cited indicates that only Egypt and China have a greater concentration of newspaper ownership, out of the countries studied.
The question, then, in front of us as a parliament, and certainly for the government, is what to do. The Senate report was in response to Kevin Rudd's petition signed by 500,000 Australians—the largest petition that parliament's ever received, which certainly demonstrates a degree of community concern. The Senate report, and this motion, called for a judicial inquiry to investigate the state of media diversity in Australia.
I'll just state my view on the notion of a judicial inquiry. It should be uncontroversial to accept that in the future, at whatever time a major inquiry into media diversity is called, it would make sense for it to be at arm's length from politicians. The vested interests are too powerful and the incentives are all wrong for politicians to undertake such a task. At that time, an independent examination of media diversity would seem to be an appropriate course of action. There are different forms. You've put one forward; the Senate report puts another forward. No doubt there are others. But I also accept that, for now, the government is right to focus on practical actions.
Frankly, we've had a decade of inaction by the previous government. It's actually worse than that. The few things that they actually did do in this space made the matter worse. Labor opposed the former government's repeal of the two-out-of-three cross-media rules in 2017, which has led to more concentration, and we fought at every step the Liberals' plans to boot community TV off the air—it is so important to give voice to local communities. Labor also opposed the Liberals' cuts to the ABC's budget. The former Prime Minister used a funny little trick when he got sick of that. He added about a dollar so he thought we couldn't say it's a cut. Well, it was a cut in real terms, and everyone knows that. I'm very pleased the government will introduce five-year funding terms for the national broadcasters.
Right now, though, the government is focused on acting to support the long-term viability and diversity of the sector; implementing a backlog of recommendations—and there is a backlog—from previous inquiries; and taking concrete action. These are things the previous government just didn't do. We're delivering a $29 million local news and broadcasting transition package, the news media assistance program, the review of the broadcasting services determination and the review of the anti-siphoning rules—it is so important to ensure working families can watch events of national and cultural significance for free. And we'll be legislating a prominence framework to ensure Australian TV can easily be found on smart TVs.
Importantly, the responses to media concentration and reform will be principles based, evidence informed and consultative. It's old-fashioned, I know—nerdy. Public policy based on evidence! The minister's committed to developing a meaningful framework to measure diversity, which is long overdue. We need to actually have an agreed measure, which should have been done a long time ago.
I'm healthily sceptical, let's say, that these actions will prove sufficient in the long run. But they're absolutely the right focus for now. I also acknowledge that the regulatory framework—the point you made—has to be updated to take account of the internet providers and the fact that we live in a digital age, which the current regulatory framework doesn't do. Right now, we're getting on with action, but I really thank you for bringing on an important debate. I'm sure it's not the last we'll hear of these matters from the member for Goldstein.
Mr BATES (Brisbane) (17:38): I rise today to strongly support the motion by the member for Goldstein, and I thank the member for bringing this critical issue to parliament. Media diversity—or, truly, the lack thereof—in Australia is a severe problem. It is a problem for our democracy, for our society and for the future of this country.
Just over a year ago, more than half a million Australians signed a petition started by the former Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. They called on the government to establish a royal commission into media diversity and specifically into the dominance of the Murdoch media in our country. The Greens successfully led the push to establish a Senate inquiry in response to this petition. We moved for the inquiry and have long advocated for public-interest journalism to be better protected.
During the course of this inquiry, as we've heard, the problems with the media landscape became increasingly apparent, with the dangerous rise and spread of misinformation through traditional media and new online platforms. We heard about the many Australian journalists who produce high-quality in-depth reporting with integrity and professionalism. It is those hardworking journalists that are being let down by a broken regulatory system and a corporate culture inside news organisations that allows poor behaviour to flourish. This simply cannot go on unchecked and unregulated. The health of our communities and our democracy is at stake.
After 13 months of public hearings and over 10,000 submissions from the public, news organisations and countless experts, the inquiry, chaired by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, produced a report that recommended the establishment of a judicial inquiry with the powers and weight of a royal commission into media diversity in Australia. The majority report, supported by the Greens and Labor senators, also recommended a number of measures the government of the day should get on with implementing immediately to maintain public-interest journalism and prevent a further decline of media diversity in Australia. Only an inquiry with the powers and weight of a royal commission can truly do this issue, so vital to our democracy, justice. I am glad to see the member for Goldstein move a motion to establish such an inquiry today. The Greens are proud to support the member's motion and will continue our long fight to demand a fairer and less centralised media landscape.
But why is a diverse media landscape so vital to a well-functioning democracy? The public's decision-making abilities rely on the free flow of information for people to make informed decisions on topics from health care to education to who they elect to send to this place. They need a full tapestry of information, because there are not always two sides to each story—a Liberal and a Labor take. Some stories have one side. Some stories may have three or four. The window of conversation is often so much broader than what Australia's monopolised media would imply.
We cannot rely on one single company to provide reliable and balanced reporting, because their goal is not always to hold the government of the day to account; it is to turn a profit—profits which are often driven by clickbait headlines or even headlines which are knowingly misleading and promote misinformation. This erodes trust in public journalism, public-interest journalism and journalism more broadly, and in flow our democratic institutions. The pre-election retreat by Labor on addressing this issue shows just how much power—and let's be real—News Corp wields in Australia and why we must take steps to undo the monopolisation of media in Australia.
If we want to live in a country with a vibrant democracy, we must ensure that we all have access to a wide range of diverse voices and views in our media. Supporting this motion is the first step in taking us there. It should not be up to one company to dictate the direction of our country. That power of decision-making should belong to the people.
Mr JOSH WILSON (Fremantle) (17:42): I'm glad to participate in this important conversation. I thank the member for Goldstein for bringing the motion forward. The member brings to this place very considerable experience and expertise from her time as one of Australia's leading journalists.
I'll make it clear at the outset that I think it's always worthwhile for us to give consideration to the health and good functioning of Australia's media—not least because a high-standard, fair and free press is an essential feature of our democracy. I think it's also entirely fair to ask whether a royal commission is needed. On balance, I don't think that's the case right now, and I'll come back to why that's my view.
A strong, independent, fair, principled media is not an optional extra in Australian society. Democracy does not only comprise a set of foundation documents, formal institutions and procedures. Democracy is, to an enormous degree, a matter of culture and convention. It's a matter of what we describe as checks and balances: oversight, scrutiny, assessment, analysis and judgement. We need high-quality journalists and media organisations to contribute to those essential elements of our democracy.
Without question, the Australian press, like the press in any country, can from time to time be more or less independent, fair, well resourced and diverse. Media concentration and control is a legitimate issue of concern in this country and has been for some time. There's no doubt that Australia's media has faced significant challenges in the last few decades, largely as a result of technological change. We've seen publishers or platforms like Facebook and Google emerge as significant and growing sources of news information, yet we know their model depends on operating largely as cavalier free riders who make use of and benefit from the content that media organisations fund and provide. Let's not forget that in 2021, when the Australian government considered the absolutely justified and relatively light-touch regulation of social media platforms, Facebook responded by switching off pages in Australia. That behaviour raised the question of how we allowed some of these companies to hold such a dominant and yet poorly regulated position in our communication world. But it's also true that aspects of our traditional media structure and culture need to be refreshed and substantially improved, and no-one should be especially defensive about that proposition.
We can't continue to have Australia's public broadcasters, especially the ABC, run down in terms of funding and reputation—and when there's a clear political element to those attacks. We also can't have Australian political journalism drift towards a sensationalist or trivially combative style of engagement reporting. We can't have a narrow set of media companies with outlets running what to any sensible person appears to be a coordinated and self-interested political agenda on some issues. As I said, culture, convention and principle are as critical to the best practice of the art of journalism as they are to the best practice of the art of politics. That observation has been made by some of the most experienced and respected of Australia's political journalists, and it's an observation that was made in relation to some of the conduct we saw in the course of the recent election campaign.
I agree entirely with the way in which the motion describes some of the unhealthy trends and outcomes that we've seen in the Australian media, noting that some of these are the result of technological change and regulatory neglect. I absolutely understand the Australian community's and people in my community's strong interest in seeing more diverse, more balanced and more independent journalism, and their supporting an inquiry to that end. But I don't think that holding a royal commission at this time is the way to make practical improvements. And I agree with the Minister for Communications that there are recommendations from previous reviews that have gone unaddressed. Indeed, the previous government still hasn't responded to the Senate inquiry concluded in December last year. I'm glad that the current minister has made it clear she's considering those recommendations and will respond in due course.
The Labor government has already committed funding to better support small, local and regional media organisations. We'll also deliver a news media assistance program to build the evidence base that informs longer-term policy, which we need. We'll increase funding certainty for our public broadcasters, and we will end the thin-skinned bullying that was a dangerous feature of the previous government's style.
In conclusion, this motion puts before us a critically important topic, and it identifies serious issues in relation to the loss of diversity, the loss of locally and regionally specific coverage, the loss of journalists within the Australian media, and the consequences of all three. We must do something about that. I'm glad to be part of a government that's begun the task, with a minister who's preparing the ground to do more. The Australian community is right to expect that to occur, and we need to see that for the health of our democracy.
Dr RYAN (Kooyong) (17:47): I'd like to support the motion moved by the member for Goldstein for action on media diversity. One of the basic tenets of the free market economy is that the provision of goods and services should not be concentrated in the hands of too few players. Concentration of ownership in any market inevitably leads to stifled innovation, erosion of working conditions, poorer outcomes for the customer and decline of an industry. That is the concern with media ownership in Australia. What populations consume as news determines what we believe to be true. It informs our views of the world and its issues, influences how we treat each other and guides how we vote. If we value democratic principles of accountability, transparency and free elections, then we have to guard those principles.
The peak of media pluralism in Australia was in the 1920s, when 21 independent media owners owned 26 capital-city daily newspapers. Now we have two media corporations controlling two daily newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne. Every other capital city in this country has only one daily paper. The media corporations have extended from the legacy media of print, television and radio into digital news and on-demand services. Australia's print media market is the most concentrated of any global democracy.
Over many decades, the hard work of reporters in this building has changed Australia's democracy for the better. Whether it's a decision made by a local council or the allocation of billions of dollars in the federal budget, the public's ability to trust in our decisions, knowing that they are fair and proper, depends on the media's capacity to investigate and hold leaders to account.
Australia's media landscape is dominated by three companies: Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment and News Corp. The concentration of the media into three main corporations has centralised information, it has eviscerated regional and specialty media outlets and it has cut thousands of jobs. Media empires can use their reach to make or break policy proposals and change the outcomes of elections. In the last few years, those three companies have been responsible, in this country, for climate denialism, for fostering racial hostility and for undermining our response to the COVID pandemic. They have never been held to account for disseminating misinformation.
The Press Council is almost entirely funded by News Corp, 9Media and Seven West. Last year it rejected 93 per cent of complaints made by the public about inaccuracies and bias in our media. To be clear: it didn't rule on those complaints in the publisher's favour; it declined to even consider those complaints. What recourse does the public have when it reads a story in the paper that contains false information or vilifies people based on their racial background? With three companies offering most jobs in the industry, reporters cannot report critically on their own patch. Last year the Senate heard News Corp employees confirm enforcement of a top-down editorial line from the company's executives. Last month 9Media journalists, in their enterprise bargaining efforts, demanded freedom from editorial interference. We have to critically review the Press Council and ACMA to prevent further erosion of the public's trust in our media.
Two recent former prime ministers, Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd, have come forward, after politics, to warn of the political influence exerted by these media empires. Our governments have shown repeatedly that they do not have the courage to take on Australia's media empires. The crossbench is doing that today because our electorates have told us that they want to see politics done differently, with truth, integrity and transparency. The concentration of media into the hands of fewer and fewer people should concern all Australians. In democracies, the media should serve the public's right to know. The media should not determine what the public is able to know. A free and fearless media is essential for a transparent, accountable democracy. That's why an inquiry with the resources and powers of a royal commission is needed to guide the way to reform of our media landscape, with restoration of diversity, balance and independence.
Ms ROBERTS (Pearce) (17:52): The concept of diversity is enduring and goes to the heart of our democracy. Diversity inspires new thoughts and ideas, while discouraging stagnation and increasing the possibilities of finding better ways to address various issues. Diversity enhances creativity. It encourages the search for broad perspectives and information, leading to better decision-making and problem-solving. If we are exposed to diversity, we get to experience different views and how those views arise. In democracies, the media is fundamental to political life. It provides facts to allow us to be better informed about the issues that matter to us. It provides criticism and debate to ensure that information is tested and examined from all points of view.
Media outlets have gained an incredibly powerful influence over the past 50 years. With the rise of technology, individuals are now able to share their stories and opinions as they are unfolding. As we face a growing tide of unregulated hate speech, the role of the media is crucial in normalising diversity. As a society, we place a tremendous level of trust on media sources to feed us the information that we need in order to make informed and accurate decisions every day. Along with our immediate surroundings, media also shapes our self-image and societal norms. Body image, self-confidence and mental health all stem from what we see or we hear on a daily basis. Consequently, it's imperative for inclusivity to be encouraged in common media and marketing strategies. Diversity in the media is no longer only about minorities; it is well and truly a mainstream concern. Streaming company Netflix has elected an executive to oversee its diversity and inclusion strategy. British media companies, like the Financial Times, the Telegraph and Sky, are following suit.
It is important to continue to monitor the status of media concentration to identify areas, particularly suburban and regional areas, that risk losing local news sources. The support and encouragement of local and regional news outlets is imperative to provide educated, concentrated opinion pieces and news articles from the people who are directly affected by events at hand. In July, the Albanese government announced $15 million in funding for local and regional newspaper publishers to help absorb newsprint price hikes which threatened to wipe out local newspaper titles for good.
I know my local community love their local media. They love hearing the stories about children, families and seniors—the good-news stories, the uplifting stories, the things that people want to read to escape from a world sometimes full of hatred. I often reflect back and remember the Willesee brothers and George Negus and the stories that used to come to us through them. They were real, but they were fun and compelling. They had their stories because people trusted them as journalists. Individual people had influence on how that material and their stories were being portrayed.
Know that Labor has also called for concrete, workable proposals to support Australia's media on the table, noting that we still don't have a meaningful framework in place to measure diversity, localism and the availability of local news throughout Australia. To support struggling regional, local and community media providers facing immediate challenges, Labor also committed to deliver a $29 million local news and community broadcasting transition package. This includes a $15 million Regional and Local Newspaper Publishers Program to support eligible publishers to absorb rising print costs.
In conclusion, the government supports a free, diverse and sustainable media sector. We believe this is critical to the health of Australia's democracy. Together, diversity and depiction bring about inclusion—the commitment to diversity where everyone is acknowledged, empowered and celebrated. Inclusion understands that everyone, no matter their identity, is worthy of being seen instead of merely tolerated for our differences. We need to embrace the extensive diversity within every individual. I will leave you with the wise words of Mahatma Gandhi, who said, 'Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilisation.'
Ms CHANEY (Curtin) (17:57): Our future-building system is made up of government, media, business and non-profits, and we need to be able to trust these institutions so that they can move us towards the country we want to become. Trust in government and media is very low in Australia. Government and media are both seen as being unethical and incompetent in this year's Edelman Trust Barometer. We're working towards improving trust in government with the introduction of the National Anti-Corruption Commission bill this week, but how do we build trust in the media?
The success of our democracy depends on free and open exchange of ideas and information. This requires diverse media made up of well-resourced journalists empowered to investigate fearlessly and report truthfully on those in power. There's a tension between media as business and media as a democratic institution. As well as being companies selling their content to deliver returns for shareholders, our media need to maintain their role as custodians of the public interest. We rely on media to expose corruption, hold authorities to account and provide a platform for debate. The ability of media to perform this role declines as media concentration increases.
According to the Centre for Advancing Journalism, Australia now has only three national-scale commercial media voices, and it will come as no surprise as to who they are: News Corp, Nine Entertainment and Seven West Media. A landmark study in 2016 showed that Australia had the most concentrated newspaper industry out of any country studied with the exception of China and Egypt. Yes, we rank third behind China and Egypt. Since that report, our media has become even more concentrated, with News Corp now controlling about two-thirds of metro dailies.
In my home state of Western Australia, Seven West Media controls WA's only locally edited daily metro paper, the West Australian; the state's only other metro paper, the Sunday Times; and Community Newspaper Group, which owns 23 local newspapers across Perth. It also owns 18 regional mastheads, as well as the Seven television network, Prime TV and related channels and streaming products. Radio and television across the country are little better, with the largest player in both holding a 25 to 30 per cent market share. And, while online news is more diverse, it is yet to replace the local reporting done by regional and community newspapers. Even in online news, News Corp still dominates.
The tension between commercial freedom and public duty is difficult to balance and so requires some regulation. Currently the industry is self-regulated through the Australian Press Council and the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Self-regulation of an industry always has risks, and it's timely to review whether this approach is actually working.
While there have been multiple reviews into media concentration over the past three decades, the scope of the problems has expanded during this time. The internet plays a very different role now, and recommendations need to be considered through this changing landscape. Concerningly, many of the inquiry's strongest recommendations have been abandoned over time, under pressure from a few large media companies, confirming the urgent need for reform. I note the government's response in this debate that the government is focusing on implementing a backlog of recommendations. I look forward to seeing these changes actually being made, and I hope that these include recommendations such as limits on cross-media and foreign ownership laws, including a minimum number of owners test; a restructured replacement of the Press Council; and an expansion of ACMA's few powers.
In the absence of an updated review, my concern is that recommendations of previous reviews are cherrypicked to suit the interests of the current government, with minimal offence to the large media companies. It's not in the interests of politicians to poke the bear. They have too much to lose. Taking any real action on the dire state of our media concentration will require community support and engagement. The most recent review completed recommended the establishment of a judicial inquiry with the powers of a royal commission to settle the heavily politicised policy discussion at arm's length from political and media interference. I back this call for a judicial inquiry in the interests of protecting the integrity of the institutions that our fragile democracy relies on.
I implore the government to continue its work on rebuilding trust and improving integrity of our institutions by considering this call for a judicial inquiry, for an updated perspective on how best to address this vital issue in 2022. In the absence of a further inquiry, my community will be watching carefully to see how much courage this government will muster in the face of powerful media voices.
Ms LAWRENCE (Hasluck) (18:02): I thank the member for Goldstein for bringing attention, through this motion, to the woeful state of our media landscape, and I thank the many constituents of Hasluck that wrote to me, sharing their concern and support for this debate. The motion calls for a judicial inquiry. A judicial inquiry is an option where there are objects that cannot be attained in any other way. They are serious inquiries with serious powers and occasion serious expense. A serious government is sometimes a better option.
If the Morrison government had won the May election and the then Prime Minister—by now also probably communications minister—was continuing to fail in this policy area, then perhaps an independent inquiry would be the only alternative. I'm still not sure what the novel objects of that sort of inquiry would be. Election results like we saw in Goldstein, and indeed in Hasluck, and in electorates across Australia indicate to me that the voters really do want a government that is committed to looking forward, to action, and not backwards at problems already well understood, and the voters have spoken, and we have such a government now.
Prior to the election, the now Prime Minister made it quite clear that a further inquiry was not part of this Labor Party's agenda. We went to the election on that basis. The then communications spokesperson and now minister, the member for Greenway, likewise made it clear that she did not see any point in an inquiry into an established fact. Minister Rowland identified the problem as one of a failure to act, not a failure to inquire.
We know there are pitfalls in self-regulation. We know the emergence of online platforms has destroyed the traditional business models underpinning the production of high-quality journalism from diverse perspectives. We know that the bargaining code initiated by the previous government to have social media platforms compensate news producers for the content only worked to further entrench the power of Australia's media moguls. We know that small mastheads are being squeezed out of the market. We also know the diabolical state of media literacy across the entire community. Media consumers—like you and me, my mum, my dad, their friends, the next generation of school students—all require the skills to discern fact from fiction and from spin. This is what most concerns me. A study in 2020 by the Australian Communications and Media Authority found:
It appears news literacy in Australia is quite low. One study—
by Park et al from 2018—
found that only 51% of Australian news consumers 'understood that the ABC is free of advertising and funded by taxpayers'. This study also suggested that 'news consumers with higher literacy can distinguish humour from other types of fake news such as poor journalism, political spin and advertising'.
We need an educated citizenry who are able to recognise what is real and what is not in a world where the virtual and the real are convergent, where deep fakes undermine faith in the media and where opinion masquerades as fact. We know the issues that plague Australia's media landscape and what we need is to deliver policy solutions to rectify them. Instead of spending millions re-establishing the facts, let's put that money to work in all the areas that have been raised here in this chamber by you and those that I've touched on, including media literacy.
A great example of our government already taking action, as the member for Pearce referred to, is the Regional and Local Newspaper Publishers Program. Small and diverse media organisations are facing rising printing and distribution costs. This is a major issue facing local, cultural and community press outlets across the country. Let there be no doubt about our appetite for action on media diversity in Australia. In my first speech only a few weeks ago, I made particular mention of my desire to see a cantankerous press void of influence from government and vested interests. A judicial inquiry or a judicial inquiry with the powers of a royal commission—or even a royal commission—would end up identifying the same issues. We would find ourselves in the same position, needing a government and a minister with the resolve to do the hard policy work and make a difference in relation to each of these issues that we are all aware of. The communications minister is on record as saying:
… it's time to implement a program of work that is principles-based, evidence-informed, expert-led and consultative—one which delivers.
I support that and I invite all members to contribute to that work. I'm sure the government will welcome the input of the crossbench in that work which will take many years and which has already started.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Sharkie ): The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Trade with the European Union
Mr HOGAN (Page—Deputy Manager of Opposition Business) (18:07): I move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) the European Union (EU) is Australia's second largest two-way trading partner of goods and services worth over $74 billion; and
(b) with a high-income population of almost 450 million people, the EU represents an incredibly significant market opportunity for Australian exporters;
(2) acknowledges the significant work undertaken by the former Government to pursue an ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU; and
(3) calls on the Government to:
(a) prioritise the negotiation and completion of the Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement; and
(b) deliver a commercially significant agreement with liberalised access that is in the national interest.
I will get to the European Union free trade agreement in a second, because this will be really the first test of this new Labor government in nailing a free trade agreement. They don't have a great record in that. Before I do get to that, the previous government—between 2013 and 2022, when we were in government—nailed so many free trade agreements. Deputy Speaker, I'm sure you're probably aware that goods and services covered by free trade agreements when we came into power were at around 25 per cent and, by the time we left government, that had got to all but 80 per cent. That's a great thing, obviously, for exporting companies. We're an open, transparent exporting nation—a trading nation—and having more access to more customers is obviously great for all those people and companies who are exporting.
So the first of the three immediate jobs the new government has to do is bring into force the UK free trade agreement. I would like to acknowledge the previous trade ministers: Andrew Robb, who I had the great pleasure of catching up with last week, Simon Birmingham and Dan Tehan. They all did a great job with the free trade agreements. Dan Tehan, the previous minister, did a great job with the UK-Australia free trade agreement. What now has to happen is for that to go through our Treaties Committee process to bring it into force before 1 January. We want it to happen before 1 January because we'll get the tariff reductions and other things like that when it comes into force, and then we'll get another tariff reduction on 1 January. So we encourage and are looking to work with the government to do this as quickly as possible. The India-Australia agreement also has to go through that same process, so we're encouraging and working with the government to get those done as quickly as we can.
That's those two jobs, but again, as I said, the big test for the new government and the new minister is: do they nail a deal, and what type of deal do they nail, with the European Union? This is an important free trade agreement. The European Union is a massive market. It has over 450 million people, with a GDP of almost $15 trillion, so this is no small market and no small deal for us. The EU at the moment—this is why this deal is especially important—runs a significant trade surplus with Australia. It's around a $23 billion surplus for goods and $14 billion for services. To give you an interesting stat that I think highlights this, we sell $4 of food per person to the EU. Now, you know we're a great food-exporting nation, but guess what? They export $200 of food to us. So it's very imbalanced, especially given that we are a great food exporter.
So what's going to be important? One of the tests for the new minister and the new government will be the type of deals, the type of access, they get for our agricultural sector. Historically, it has proven for other ministers that you have to play a hard game to get a good deal for our food exporters—the beef, the dairy, the rice, the sugar and the grain. So the new minister is going to have to play a tough game and be a tough negotiator to make sure he gets a good deal.
To give meat as an example—and this is one thing they're going to have to watch out for—we have never before done a free trade agreement where, at the end of transition, there are still quotas. You might start with quotas. You might start with getting increased quotas or increased access for meat into a free trade agreement. By the time the free trade agreement is fully transitioned, though, it's completely liberalised. It isn't limited to quotas then; it's just completely liberalised. So that's also going to be a test for the new minister: can he get a completely liberalised market for meat?
There are many other examples as well, but there is a precedent for this too. We have just done, as I said, a very good deal with the UK. The European Union themselves have just done a deal with the UK, and they are both good models. I think we'll be looking at this and measuring what the new government negotiates between Australia and the EU, compared to what the EU negotiated with the UK or, indeed, what we negotiated with the UK. They're bars that I think the minister and this new government need to meet to support our agricultural and other exporting sectors.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Sharkie ): Is the motion seconded?
Mr GEORGANAS (Adelaide) (18:13): I second the motion. I too rise to speak about the importance of this Australia-EU free trade agreement. There are a number of reasons why negotiations for this particular EU FTA got back on track with the change of government. No-one wants to do business with an unreliable partner, and with the previous government we looked unreliable. It's not a good start to negotiations.
I say that because, with the discussions that have been taking place, one of the most important factors was that this Albanese government has committed to seriously ambitious climate targets, and we know that the previous government's inability to deliver meaningful action on climate change was a real sticking point with the EU. It was mentioned last week when members of the EU parliament met here with some heads of our trade committees. They all mentioned it. We know that the inability to deliver on action on climate change was the sticking point.
There's no doubt that the Prime Minister's June visit to Europe marked a real turning point in negotiations and our position on climate change was welcomed by the EU. In the words of the outgoing EU ambassador, Michael Pulch, there is 'a renewed sense of priority' for the commission and member states. The former ambassador highlighted the Albanese government's ambitious climate change policy and said that it will help facilitate FTA negotiations in the EU. So I think it's clear that we have managed to get this deal back on track.
The government is committed to diversifying our trade, and this FTA is an important step in the process. for too long we've had too many eggs in one basket. We've seen what's happened just recently with China, and that's why we're delivering on our commitment to negotiate this trade agreement with the EU, giving Australian exporters new market opportunities. This will benefit businesses all around Australia, including in our home state of South Australia, Deputy Speaker Sharkie—companies like Almondco Australia, located in Adelaide's Southern Vales. The company's managing director has stated that the EU FTA would give the company the opportunity to expand their product range and compete on a level playing field with their competitors. Then there's Clean Seas Seafood, located on the Eyre Peninsula, who also stand to improve their competitiveness with respect to other producers exporting to the EU.
So we have a lot to gain from this agreement, and, as I said, we've significantly progressed these negotiations. Just last week, together with the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth—which I chair—I met with members of the EU parliament's trade committee who were visiting here in Canberra, and it was a very promising meeting. The EU is a massive high-income market of almost 450 million people. It generates a GDP of around $23 trillion. As a bloc, the EU is already our third-largest two-way trading partner in goods and services. An FTA with the EU would cover over nine per cent of Australia's entire world trade. So this FTA is in our mutual economic and strategic interests. Not only would it demonstrate our shared values and commitment to the rule based order, but it would also help diversify our trade, including in strategically important areas like energy and raw materials. It would also strengthen the EU's economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific.
We understand the importance of commitments to the European Parliament member states and stakeholders. Fundamentally, Australia and the EU are like-minded partners with high standards on environment and labour issues. The EU FTA is critical, and work is taking place to have an agreement finalised by mid-2023. The next round of negotiations will start on 17 October, and the trade agreement is a great opportunity to strengthen our ties and tackle the economic and geopolitical challenges and supply chain disruptions currently facing Europe, Australia and the world.
We can be part of that solution. We already have businesses that are trading with the EU. To give you just a very quick example: in my own electorate of Adelaide, we have San Remo, who's exporting pasta to Italy, and we have Omega Foods, who exports olive oil to Greece. So these things are happening, and we can build on them and create greater trade opportunities for all business.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Sharkie ): The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Aged Care
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That this House:
(1) notes the Government's commitment to fix the mess the former Government made of aged care and that this is a priority for the Government;
(2) acknowledges the Government's support for a pay rise for Australia's aged care workers as recommended by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety; and
(3) recommits to delivering a better standard of care for Australians in aged care.
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (18:18): I am genuinely pleased to stand and speak to this motion, and I'm pleased that Labor has, as a priority, made a commitment to the aged-care sector. I spoke about aged care in my maiden speech when I first came into this place in 2019. I told a story of how when I was a young child—the youngest of five kids—after church on a Sunday morning, my father, who was the local doctor, used to take us to do his rounds around the aged-care facilities to see his patients. It's no secret that I hated it. I disliked it immensely, not because it was Sunday morning and I was a child but because it was so confronting, and it was sad and depressing. Even as a six-or seven-year-old, I recognised that. It was almost a place that elderly people were sent to to hide away. I remember having conversations with them, and those conversations just brought joy to the residents of the aged-care home.
In my maiden speech, I spoke about the need for a royal commission. I indeed did support a royal commission, and I support the recommendations that have come out of the royal commission. But I should recognise and acknowledge that, despite the recommendations, despite some of the stories that came out of the royal commission, the vast majority of aged-care facilities or homes do a great job, and the people that work there—the nurses, the aged-care carers—do a fantastic job more often than not, and they do deserve our recognition. They're overwhelmed. COVID made their job even more difficult. So we should acknowledge the great work that they have done. There are problems, no doubt, and we acknowledge that there were problems with the aged-care system, but we should actually acknowledge the great work that the nurses and the carers do.
As I said, I'm pleased to hear that Labor is committed to making aged care a priority, and I look forward to seeing that commitment in the forthcoming budget. But if I could just not so much offer advice but an observation: there are a few areas that are above politics—things like veterans affairs, child protection and, of course, aged care. They should be above partisan politics. They're just a few examples whereby bipartisanship rather than divisive politics should be applied, and that is what I am happy to do in opposition. I am happy to work with the government to improve those services, to work with them and offer policy and ideas that may be able to better the lives of those who, let's face it, have built this country.
I also think it's also important that Labor, the Independents and the Greens recognise that, whilst those systems aren't perfect, whilst in government we didn't get everything right, there was a great deal of improvement over the past five to 10 years. Examples of that include the last budget delivering $522 million in funding for aged care, which brought the total investment in response to the final report from the royal commission to more than $19.1 billion, delivering record investment in aged care: $13.3 billion in 2012-13 and $30.1 billion in 2020-23. I appreciate there is an increase in the funding, but there's also an increase in the population. Over 28 per cent of people in my electorate are over the age of 65. So it is a problem that will be ongoing. We have to work together—bipartisan politics working together.
One of the recommendations in the royal commission is to pay our aged-care workers better, and I couldn't agree more. I've spoken to many of them, and the work they do is tremendous. The pay they get is woeful. I'm probably getting out of my lane here, but all levels of government should be looking at better pay for our nurses for the work that they do.
Mr GEORGANAS (Adelaide) (18:24): I too rise to speak on this important motion and thank the member for Corangamite for her continued tireless advocacy for older Australians. I know that you have been an advocate for a long time as well, Deputy Speaker Sharkie. But the whole aged-care system in the past has been a total mess, and, as governments of all persuasions, we'll be judged in the future on how we looked after our older Australians, who have paid their taxes, fought in wars and basically built the foundations that we stand on today—in some cases literally, through their hard labour.
Since coming to power, the Albanese government has made a commitment and a priority to address and act on the recommendations of the royal commission. Our commitment is to return security, dignity, quality and humanity to our aged-care system, and that is a priority. For example, we've heard the royal commission and are introducing the requirement to have a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This will save thousands of stressful, expensive and ultimately unnecessary trips to hospitals, to emergency departments. What happens now if there is no nurse on the premises after hours, if one of the residents needs medical attention and there is no-one there qualified to provide that medical attention? They call an ambulance and they're just taken to the public hospital. This will stop a lot of that. Of course, there will be a mechanism for smaller facilities in some of the regional and remote areas. We understand it could be difficult to implement these changes, but that will be taken into consideration as well. But this exemption will only be on a temporary basis. In time, all facilities will have to be able to facilitate a registered nurse 24 hours a day on the premises. This is really important, because all older Australians, regardless of where they live, have the right to the same quality of care, whether they're in a city, in a rural or regional town or in a remote area.
This brings us to another problem, and that's the workforce issues. The pandemic showed us how stretched aged-care workers are. They often have to work across multiple sites to make ends meet. They are undoubtedly dedicated and committed. I've met some absolutely committed people in aged-care facilities that work there because they love the job and they are committed to older Australians, but they're also overworked, underpaid and undervalued. This is why the government is backing a real pay rise for aged-care workers. We have to make a submission to the Fair Work Commission in support of increased wages for aged-care workers. Importantly, we have committed to funding the outcome. In addition, we have established a wide range of programs to attract staff and support retention, including those registered nurses. Addressing working conditions for aged-care staff is essential if we want a good aged-care system and we want the quality of care to improve.
We are also committed to capping administration costs and exit fees for people receiving home-care packages. One of the complaints I get in my office is that the money that's allocated for a particular home-care package isn't actually going into the home care; it's going into administration costs. It's really important that the money that's given for packages goes into care. The royal commission found that up to 50 per cent of some home-care packages was eaten up in admin and management fees. During the pandemic we saw that, with some of the home providers, people were actually dying and care wasn't being provided, but there were multimillion-dollar profits, and people had Maseratis and million-dollar homes. It's just not fair on our older Australians. It's disrespectful of older Australians who are trying to continue to live independently in their own homes.
Money should be going on aged care or care in the home. Unacceptably high fees lead to older Australians missing out on the care that they need to keep living at home. We want an aged-care system that puts the customer and their care first. As I said earlier—it is so important—we will be judged as a nation in generations to come on how we've looked after our older Australians. It is not fair for those people in their twilight years, when they are putting their hand out for a bit of help and assistance. As governments we should be doing absolutely everything we can to assist these people.
Dr GILLESPIE (Lyne) (18:29): Aged care is a huge industry and a very vital part of Australian life—caring for our nearest and dearest in their twilight years. It's a huge industry and it's under huge financial pressure. Many have seen reports in the aged-care literature that up to half of the aged-care facilities around the country are relying on their retained earnings from over 20 and 30 years to keep them in the black. That is very sad. But that's why we, in the coalition, when we were in government, made huge improvements in aged care. Everyone is on the unity ticket; we want the best for our older citizens. But I want to put some things on the record after I've made some comments about the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022.
Schedule 1, which is about having compulsory RNs onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is going to be very problematic. I see the sentiment, and the government in the last term supported the concept but saw that there is a huge shortage of RNs in country areas, let alone RNs to staff, onsite, 24 hours a day. There are many small facilities that are actually closing wards at the moment because they don't have RNs to be onsite, even intermittently. It will be a huge burden for many of my rural and remote providers—and even my larger providers that have 300 and 400 people. They just can't get nurses. But in the last budget, we put a whole lot of money in to retain the workforce and keep them in the industry—hundreds of millions of dollars. We've got workforce retention bonuses. We've got training in occupational therapy and aged-care nursing happening in rural and remote nursing homes—all those things and a 14-point plan to grow the aged-care workforce. But more about that later.
The other thing to talk about is the exemption for the registered nurse requirement. I would like to know more of the details. Is this going to be a get-out-of-jail card so that places don't close? I think you'll find, whatever the exemption is written up for, they'll be flooded with people requesting exemptions. I have got concerns about whether there'll be penalties, or will aged-care facilities actually close as a result of that? I'm not saying it's not a good idea; I'm just saying the practicalities of it will be very difficult.
The issue about capping fees in home care is a very welcome development. The former Minister for Senior Australians, Stephen Colbeck, and the former Minister for Aged Care, Greg Hunt, were aware of some of the problems with price-gouging in the home-care space. A lot of the regulations to cap fees are fully supported by us because they were going to be done as part of the work-up for the Australian National Aged Care Classification system—the AN-ACC system—that's coming in to replace the ACFI. Just to put in perspective what they achieved, aged care was on a $13.2 billion annual budget from the federal government in 2013 when we assumed responsibility on the Treasury benches and government. When we lost office, it was up to $30 billion—that's per year. There's an extra $18.9 billion plus another $200,000 for workforce supplements in the ACFI changeover to AN-ACC, the basic daily fee supplements, the homelessness supplement, the viability supplement, the loading for rural and the loading for remote. There was so much good work done, and I'm really pleased to see this coming in, but please don't let people think that none of this was done in the former government and that it just appeared miraculously at the change of government. This was worked up for several years. We delivered huge improvements, and there's a lot more to go because aged care is so important for our senior Australians.
Ms FERNANDO (Holt) (18:34): I rise to support the motion put forward by the member for Corangamite. Our older Australians worked hard their entire lives to ensure the generations that succeeded them benefited from their contribution to their communities and our nation. We have a duty to look after and care for them in their later years.
I am proud to support a government that began delivering on its election commitment to bring back security, dignity, quality and humanity into aged care the day after the 47th Parliament was sworn in. A decade of negligence towards our older Australians by the former coalition government led to the crisis in aged care. It resulted in a royal commission that should not have been needed, for a sector that should not have been left to decay, for people who should not have been neglected. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety showed us that we had to do better, and the Albanese Labor government's monumental legislation focused on delivering this promise.
I would particularly like to draw attention to the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022, which will implement several urgent aged-care reforms that complement the government's response to the aged-care royal commission. From July next year, the bill will lift care and quality standards by introducing a new responsibility for approved providers to ensure that a registered nurse is present on duty at each residential facility every single minute. This will reduce the numerous stressful, expensive and unnecessary emergency room trips and ensure that our older Australians living in residential care facilities have access to the nursing they deserve. A constituent mechanism will provide the framework for tightly targeted and time based exemptions only applicable in certain circumstances, such as smaller facilities in regional and remote areas. It will recognise the difficulties faced in rural and remote areas while ensuring providers do not utilise the framework to bypass the delivery of quality aged care. The government has established several programs to attract staff and support the retention needed to meet this new responsibility. This includes scholarships, support for clinical placements and new nurses, and nurse retention payments of up to $6,000 annually.
The bill will also put into effect the government's assurance to cap the amount chargeable as administration and management fees to those receiving home-care packages. This reform will enable the government to maximise the funding available to over 210,000 Australians receiving home care, with up to 50 per cent going towards administration and management.
Many of my family members work in aged care, and I grew up hearing stories about how little recognition they receive despite the incredibly challenging nature of their work. Their crucial importance to the health of every Australian was laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Albanese Labor government has prioritised the lives and livelihoods of working people since the beginning of its term, and it is not different with those in the aged care sector. Early this month, the government advocated a real pay rise for aged-care workers to the Fair Work Commission and committed to bearing the total costs of the increase. This is because the current government believe that everyone must receive the recognition and support they need and deserve.
It is essential to remember that the government's reforms are only the beginning of its work to solve the aged-care crisis. Significant consultation with a range of stakeholders is underway to inform robust and evidence based policymaking that will be enshrined in delegated legislation. This will be supplemented by new transparency and accountability measures in the bill, which will help older Australians, their families and policymakers make informed decisions about providing care. With this bill, the Albanese Labor government is taking the right steps in ensuring we leave no stone unturned and no person behind.
Mr BROADBENT (Monash) (18:39): Firstly, a shout-out to all the aged-care workers, staff, management, cleaners, nurses and other lines of aged-care providers—those people that right now, as we speak, are actually delivering services to our older Australians. I've spoken about ageing in place quite a bit. Ageing in place means that you can stay in your own community. It's important to every member of this parliament. Some of our facilities are tiny. Some are very large. But, from Moe to Trafalgar, to Drouin, to Warragul, to Leongatha and Korumburra, and from Phillip Island to Wonthaggi, to Foster and Neerim South—I just know that all of those facilities, right across my electorate, are providing the best service they possibly can and the best they can afford in the circumstances they're faced with tonight. So it's a big shout-out to all of those people, because they've been so disappointed in some of the things that have come out of the royal commission, particularly where they took it on board themselves. Everybody actually thought that they were the ones that were out of order, delivering the wrong service, and that wasn't the truth at all.
In regard to the royal commission, and listening to what has been said by members of the government today, the reason I have been very reticent on the royal commission recommendations is that I have to see how those recommendations actually affect the people in my electorate who are providing the services to older people. The full-time RNs are one issue. I don't even know yet who is going to be exempt from such a ruling. Is it going to be 12-bed facilities? I haven't got those in my electorate, but there are many electorates across Australia that have aged-care places with only 12 beds. Is it going to be because you're regional or remote, or have an inability to get particular staff at any given time—is that going to be a reason to get an exemption? And will my not-for-profit nursing homes feel that they're under threat if they can't get the nurses? What's going to happen?
When there is doubt and when there is uncertainty, you put uncertainty into the marketplace, especially for management groups that are volunteers. It would be the same in other members' electorates. You've got all these volunteers on boards. They're doing a wonderful job—a really hard job—making these facilities work in difficult times. The very large private organisations that have all their management and facilities in one spot, perhaps in one state, are totally different to what's happening at Lyrebird Village. Lyrebird Village in Drouin, though, have just amalgamated with a not-for-profit Tasmanian company, which is great. Because of the imposts that we as governments have put on these voluntary organisations, they looked into the future and said, 'I don't think our future looks very bright.' And they were very serious. They took it very seriously about projecting into the future and where they're going to be. So all their overheads have now been taken over by another organisation, which now frees them to just deliver the service and make sure that, in longevity, that facility is going to be there. They've also said that, if the new organisation decides to change and doesn't want to activate the Lyrebird Village anymore, if they sold the facility off, all the money would have to go back to the local community. That's not a bad deal.
I just want to take umbrage at the proposition that there was a decade of negligence. That's just not true, because I was very close to every decision the government made all the way through. A lot of the decisions that are coming through the new government today, the new Labor government, are things that have been worked on by a very special public service for a long time to bring them to this point, and now they're coming to fruition. I hope that the new arrangements will give some respite in some very difficult situations that we are facing, but I am afraid we are facing a very difficult time in aged care, as we have for a long time. It's changing all the time. The home-care facilities in my electorate are falling to bits, so we've got some difficult times ahead. I'm happy to work with the government of the day to make things better for all of our constituents.
Ms McBAIN (Eden-Monaro—Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) (18:45): I rise today to give an update to my communities on the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022. When I travel across my electorate, from Bombala to Yass, I'm listening to locals on the importance of aged-care reform and how much it's needed across regional Australia in particular. This bill implements three of our government's urgent election commitments that put security, dignity, quality and humanity back into aged care. These include supporting aged-care providers to get 24/7 registered nurses, capping home-care charges and greater transparency and accountability from aged-care providers and services.
My mum worked in aged care for the last 15 years of her career, and my nan spent her last years in an aged-care facility during the initial COVID outbreaks. I've heard firsthand from my mum about the importance of putting residents front and centre in any care plan. Mum talked about this part of her working life as being a privilege. For Mum, caring for, connecting with and protecting those who contributed to our communities was far more than just a job. But too many of her work colleagues just weren't making enough money and were required to work over multiple facilities.
This government made a submission to the Fair Work Commission in support of increased wages for aged-care workers and is committing to fund the outcome of the case. This government recognises that older Australians living in rural and remote areas deserve the same quality of care as those living in metropolitan Australia. This bill will introduce a new responsibility for approved providers of residential care and of specified kinds of flexible care to ensure they have a registered nurse on site and on duty at each residential facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This can only lead to better health outcomes for some of our country's most vulnerable residents. Importantly, rural and remote providers will be required to meet that particular standard of care. There are going to be exemptions because we need to demonstrate that there are appropriate arrangements in place to ensure the quality of care for and safety of residents. But, noting that there are particular challenges in the workforce at this point in time, we don't want our rural and remote providers to miss out.
More than 210,000 older Australians are currently receiving home-care packages, many in regional Australia. I've heard in Braidwood, in Tumut and in Eden the difficulty of accessing home care because administration costs have depleted the approved care package to the point where services cannot be provided. The bill reflects the government's commitment to capping the amount that can be charged for administration and management to people receiving home-care packages, and to removing exit amounts altogether. This measure will provide pricing transparency and enable the government to cap these charges. It also requires information from residential aged-care services and provider expenditure to be publicly available because we know clear information helps people make clear decisions. I support the transparency of information because it will help to level the playing field between community-based aged care and for-profit aged-care centres. We have seen the continual withdrawal of services from the regions, such as the closure of Roy Wotton Gardens in Eden and Currawarna in Bombala. Information will help us better understand the forces that are driving withdrawal across the regions.
We need to respect older Australians in care and receiving care at home, and I'm proud to be part of a government that is putting care and dignity back at the heart of aged care. A big thankyou to all of those aged-care workers—the nurses, the carers, the cleaners, the cooks, the administrators. It has been a particularly difficult few years across my electorate, from bushfires, where residents were being bussed out of particular areas, to floods to COVID. We appreciate the work you do. We thank you for the work you do in caring for our families. We are behind you, we support you and we want to get this right not only for you but for the residents of these centres.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Sharkie ): There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Building and Construction Industry
Mr PIKE (Bowman) (18:50): I move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) the increasing costs in the construction industry are creating significant strains on Australian building companies;
(b) rising costs are creating serious delays and further exacerbating substantial housing shortages in many communities across the country; and
(c) these shortages are perpetuating the current rental crisis;
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) union lawlessness is on the rise in the commercial construction sector following the Government's announcement to abolish the construction industry watchdog, the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC); and
(b) this lawlessness is further undermining the housing industry and compounding the strains felt across the sector; and
(3) calls on the Government to:
(a) implement measures to reign in rising costs, assisting businesses, renters and Australians who are building or have bought their own home;
(b) move to curtail the underhanded and illegal actions of the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union (CFMMEU) throughout the commercial construction sector; and
(c) reinstate the ABCC in its role as the construction industry watchdog.
It is hard to overstate the importance of the construction industry to Australia's economy. It is Australia's fifth-largest sector, contributing around eight per cent of our GDP and employing 1.1 million Australians. At this time, the industry is facing immense pressure. We've got significant labour shortages, significant supply disruption, and inflationary pressures forcing up the cost of materials to levels never seen before. This, of course, has flow-on impacts across the economy and across our society, perpetuating an undersupply of dwellings that has created our ongoing rental crisis. I've come out of the construction and property sector, and I know the challenges facing the industry and how important the sector is for Australia's economic growth.
I also know, from firsthand experience, that the Australian Building and Construction Commission has played a critical role in promoting integrity, safety, and lawfulness in the construction sector. The ABCC has achieved a successful outcome in 103 of 112 cases resolved. The courts have imposed $17.9 million in penalties against all respondents and the ABCC has recovered $5.53 million in wages for 8,921 employees. Against the CFMMEU, it has been successful in 84 of 92 cases since 2016, with courts imposing penalties of $16.1 million.
At such an acute time for the industry, it beggars belief that the Labor government will seek to abolish the ABCC and, in the interim, pull the powers back to a bare legal minimum. This is a purely ideological project. This is already having a significant impact on the construction sector. We've already seen growing lawlessness across commercial construction, and we've seen 200 CFMMEU members storm the Transport and Main Roads building in Brisbane. We've seen Master Builders staff in South Australia have their cars vandalised and CFMMEU stickers placed upon them, leading to the South Australian Premier to quite rightly order the return of CFMMEU donations. In the last fortnight, we've seen the mining and manufacturing divisions of the CFMMEU seeking to break away from the lawlessness of the construction division. Just this month, the ABCC has taken multiple actions against those engaged in lawlessness, both unions and builders. I quote from their recent media release headlines: 'ABCC alleges CFMMEU targeted workers with abuse and threats at Newcastle building site'; 'ABCC starts legal actions against employer over alleged non-payment of workers'; 'CFMMEU and representatives penalised $495,000 over work stoppages at Melbourne University … project site'; and, finally, 'ABCC takes CFMMEU, CEPU to court over alleged right of entry breaches at a Brisbane CBD project site'. And that's all just in the last couple of weeks. If the new government abolishes the ABCC, who's going to protect workers in the construction industry from this thuggish behaviour? Labor will leave this crucial industry and those who work in it unprotected and put Australia's economic growth at great risk at a very acute time for both the industry and the economy.
Because we know the fundamental importance of the construction industry to Australia's economy, we know the impact that drawing back the ABCC will have across this sector. Australia is already a high-cost country for construction, whether it be for infrastructure, or commercial or residential construction. We simply can't afford another additional non-productivity on top of the pressures the industry is already battling with. Don't just take my word for it. The Australian Industry Group, one of the groups that the Prime Minister lauded for attending the recent Jobs and Skills Summit in this building, said the decision to disempower the commission is 'a backwards step for the fight against bullying and intimidation'. EY's The costs of abolishing the Australian Building and Construction Commission report from April this year found that the abolition of the ABCC could lead to a total loss to our economy of about $47.5 billion in GDP by 2030 and that output in the construction industry alone could fall by $35 billion by 2030. The EY modelling suggests that up to 4,000 jobs could be put at risk by this move.
I call on the government to reinstate the ABCC to its full role and powers as the construction industry watchdog, and I call on members to support this motion.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Sharkie ): Is the motion seconded?
Mr Sukkar: I second the motion.
Mr PERRETT (Moreton) (18:55): I rise to speak on the member for Bowman's notion. Labor knows that too many Australians are struggling to pay their rent or buy a home and that too many Australians are homeless. But the Albanese government is playing its part. All levels of government need to come together to address these challenges. This is why we will develop a national housing and homelessness plan to drive action across governments and with industry. It is also why Labor's Minister for Housing has met with state and territory housing and homelessness ministers twice since the election—the first meetings in almost five years under the former government. There is a lot to do after almost 10 years of Liberal and National inaction when it comes to housing, but this government has a plan, and we're already delivering.
Labor abhors corruption and criminal activity in any industry, including the building and construction industry. But, as those opposite know, the ABCC is not designed to deal with breaches of the criminal law or with corruption of any kind. If a criminal matter happens, then due criminal processes should occur. This is just another attempt by the opposition to curate a myth that they should actually be embarrassed about. The ABCC was originally set up by the Howard government to enforce civil laws and industrial relations legislation. The Howard government originally established it to target workers for ideological reasons. It was set up to discredit and dismantle unions and undermine the pay, conditions and job security of ordinary Australians. Under the original Howard-era ABCC, they claimed that productivity in the building industry improved, which, of course, was not true.
To put some things into perspective, let's revisit the period after the ABCC was introduced in 2005. Productivity was mentioned by the member for Bowman. Building industry fatalities jumped 95 per cent between 2006 and 2008. Cases were brought against the CFMEU and other unions, resulting in over $5 million in fines and millions more in court costs, which, as you know, may be good for lawyers but is not actually good for the building industry. The ABCC was condemned eight times by the International Labour Organization for bias and for breaching conventions that Australia has signed. They were found to have unlawfully interviewed 203 people. So much for respect for the rule of law! When the Gillard and Rudd governments removed the majority of the ABCC's powers and implemented the Fair Work Australia model, we saw industrial disputes go down, we saw fatalities go down, and we saw productivity increase. I note that, during the period that the ABCC was in place, there were 330 deaths on construction sites. How many investigations were set in motion by the ABCC into those deaths?
A government member: Zero.
Mr PERRETT: Not one. Correct—zero. Unfortunately, the ABCC was reinstated in late 2016 by the Turnbull government who claimed that the re-establishment of the ABCC would lead to an increase in productivity—again. Bernard Keane from Crikey asked in an article recently: 'Productivity is the fundamental purpose of the ABCC. How has it performed?' Keane's research comes from the Productivity Commission's annual productivity report. Labour productivity between 2007 and 2016 in construction has seen annual 2.1 per cent growth. Keane points out that, while some of that period covers the last years of the Howard-era ABCC, most of it covers the period of time when Labor had made changes to the ABCC and, subsequently, abolished it. So now we have a bar. How has productivity performed since the coalition exhumed the ABCC? Bernard Keane's data says that construction sector labour productivity fell by 2.4 per cent. In 2018-19, it was down by 2.6 per cent. The next year, just before the health pandemic, productivity also fell by 2.6 per cent. So, really, what the figures show is that, under the ABCC, productivity in construction went into reverse.
What has the ABCC been doing? It certainly hasn't been increasing productivity in the construction sector. Since 2016, the ABCC has hit 252 individual workers with $530,800 in fines and penalties, which is substantially more than the $513,255 they've imposed on employers. Most of these workers were fined for attending stop-work meetings or participating in industrial action that would not see workers prosecuted in any other industry. The ABCC spent more than half a million dollars in pursuing the CFMMEU in the High Court over a dispute where union organisers demanded a women's toilet on a Melbourne worksite. As Bernard Keane rightly concludes:
… the Coalition presided over worsening labour productivity in construction, but re-establishing the ABCC accelerated the decline significantly.
We went to the last election with a commitment that we would abolish the ABCC and we intend to keep our promise and do exactly that.
Deputy Speaker, I suggest that the former speaker has already spoken on this matter.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): I am just about to make—
Honourable members interjecting—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! I remind everybody in this House that I really welcome listening to your arguments and contributions when you are standing on your feet to talk. The interjections are getting pretty loud, and I'm going to rule on them if you keep it up. Member for Deakin, are you seeking the call?
Mr Sukkar: Yes.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: What was your point of order?
Mr Perrett: That the member for Deakin has already spoken on this matter.
Mr Sukkar: No. As is customary, I—
Mr Perrett: You did not reserve your right to speak.
Mr Sukkar: Excuse me—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Excuse me! I rule that the member for Deakin can have the floor.
Mr SUKKAR (Deakin) (19:01): Thank you very much, Deputy Speaker Claydon. It's quite extraordinary, but unsurprising from members opposite. We know you can't bite the hand that feeds you, and it's very interesting to see how defensive members opposite get when defending the CFMMEU—people who abuse women on building sites and who threaten and intimidate many people, including women, on building sites. The member should be ashamed of that contribution.
I want to congratulate the member for Bowman for bringing forward this motion tonight because members opposite don't want to talk about the litany of crimes inflicted by the CFMMEU. Indeed, their Premier in South Australia got shamed into handing back money that they had taken on the eve of an election from the CFMMEU. We hope that that will lead to further members of parliament and leaders of the Labor Party around the country feeling similar shame for taking money from an organisation that is a criminal organisation. Judge after judge in the Federal Court, or the federal circuit court, have made the point that no amount of fines imposed on the CFMMEU will change their conduct. The conduct is not just little disturbances on worksites. The conduct includes the most serious and grievous threats to individuals—people who just want to go to work and just want to work. So for those opposite to defend the CFMMEU by abolishing the ABCC is quite extraordinary. Let's be frank. As I said at the beginning, it's very difficult for a political party like Labor to bite the hand that feeds it.
I want to touch on something that's related to this motion from the member for Bowman, and that is the crisis that we're now seeing in the residential construction industry, no doubt exacerbated by the rhetoric that Labor has utilised with the ABCC. Today we saw the most recent data from the Master Builders Association, that now shows projections which sees new starts reducing each year, all the way through to 2024. Indeed, by 2024, we will see 50,000 less homes built in that year than we saw in 2021, the year when the government put in place a suite of measures to support the residential construction industry—50,000 less homes by 2024. Yet what have we heard from the Labor government or the Labor housing minister? Nothing. We've heard absolutely nothing from the housing minister of this country to support the residential construction industry and the many hundreds of thousands of people who work with, and rely on, new home sales. We've seen new home sales fall off a cliff in the last two to three months. I'd say to members of the government—indeed, I'd say to the minister—being in government, you are confronted with problems that you may not necessarily expect, but it is your job to address those problems as they arise. Now we're seeing residential construction falling off a cliff. That's going to affect the entire supply chain of people working. We might not feel it now, because of the huge pipeline of work that was left to you by the former government, but it will eventually hit. It's going to affect the bricklayers, the plumbers, the electricians, those who sell the homes and the architects. There are nearly a million people employed in the residential construction industry.
The challenge for Labor and for the housing minister is: what is your plan? You have a budget in a matter of weeks. We want to see in the budget what the plan is to support residential construction. If we don't see a plan from this minister and this government then what we will be seeing is a government that accepts that housing starts will drop to 174,000 by 2024, down from the 230,000 that were delivered in 2021. These aren't just jobs for the people who are building the homes, but they are new homes and, in many cases, first homes for Australians. We saw first home buyers rise to their highest levels for nearly 15 years under the former coalition government. We saw in one year the first home buyers go from about 100,000 to nearly 170,000 people. That is a profound difference to those people, and if we don't see a plan from the Labor Party in the budget on how they support residential construction, and how they support first home buyers—who are typically the ones who purchase those new homes—then what Labor will be saying is that the Master Builders Association's forecasts are acceptable, and I think that would be a huge problem for our country.
Ms CHESTERS (Bendigo) (19:06): I've been here nine years, and I've had the opportunity to speak on a lot of motions, but I have to say that the motion moved by the member for Bowman is truly ridiculous. It's probably one of the most ridiculous that I have seen. To link the ABCC to the domestic construction sector and to the housing and rental crisis that we're currently seeing is so ridiculous that I suggest to the member for Bowman: when a shadow minister hands you a motion and says, 'Will you move this?'—read it first. Read it and ask questions. Because to link the two shows your complete lack of understanding of how public policy has worked in this country.
One of the reasons we have such a rental crisis right now is because of the previous government's decade of inaction. They did not build one new public housing, social housing or community housing project. Not one. That is what has exacerbated part of the rental problem that we have right now, and the crisis that we have with affordable social housing. The previous government also introduced the HomeBuilder program at the very worst time, when people already had disposable income, weren't travelling overseas and had the money for a deposit. All they did was speed up people buying first homes—building them in the ground. That all they did. Builders said to me that what they would have sold in 12 months, they sold in three months. And now we have a supply chain lag, trying to catch up.
The other point I make to the member for Bowman and those opposite is that I doubt the ABCC has ever walked onto a domestic home construction site. They're not wandering around Bendigo or the outer suburbs of Melbourne talking to the many subcontractors that work on those sites. The ABCC has targeted the big builds. The ABCC has targeted where the CFMMEU has a concentration of their members. They are not your independent, small-business owners that you have on domestic construction sites. This motion demonstrates how completely devoid of any real policy or focus the opposition have in trying to link the ABCC to what is going on in our housing and rental affordability crisis.
Let's just talk about the ABCC and how completely hopeless it has been in prosecuting the real criminals and fixing the real problems going on in the construction sector. Wage theft is out of control. Sham contracting is out of control. Yet instead of going after those issues and those unscrupulous employers who have unsafe workplaces, who put backpackers and labourers without the proper skills in harmful places, and who are presiding over gross underpayments, they are focused on prosecuting employers and unions for having Eureka stickers on their helmets, and for insisting that a women's toilet be on a workplace.
So many have cases have gone from the ABCC to the Federal Court and have collapsed in the Federal Court because of a lack of evidence. Despite all of the ranting of those opposite, the ABCC isn't a criminal court. It isn't. We in Labor say the rule of law should apply to all workplaces, and, if you do wrong, you should be held accountable. But it should be the same rules and the same laws for every workplace. If you're a construction worker or a cleaner, if you do the wrong thing you should be held accountable. Nobody tolerates violence in workplaces, regardless of the workplace. People should be held accountable.
But the ABCC didn't have the authority to do that. They referred it to the Federal Court or to the High Court, and in almost every instance they lost. Their most recent collapse of a case was two weeks ago. The prosecution against the CFMMEU was dismissed after the case collapsed. It wasn't the only one. There were many. Labour productivity in this sector, as a result of the ABCC, is down 2.4 per cent. It was down in 2017-18. It was down in 2018-19. It was down in 2019-20. During the period in which the ABCC existed under previous government, not only did we see a complete lack of focus on who the true criminals were in the sector; we saw productivity in the sector collapse. If the opposition were serious about getting construction back on track and about solving these issues that we have, it would stop trying to link old policy debates and old arguments into this parliament.
Mr STEVENS (Sturt) (19:11): I'd like to start by thanking the member for Bowman for moving this motion and getting all these on-the-record comments from members of the government—they're deeply supportive of the CFMMEU and the way in which they operate in society—which is very helpful.
The member for Lyne is going to chastise me for this because I'm slightly revealing something that happened in our party room, which we're not meant to do. But I remember, a couple of years ago, the then Attorney-General bringing a package of industrial relations reforms forward, and one of them involved changing the Fair Work Act to allow for a union to deamalgamate. We all thought the Labor Party would never support anything like this. We were told: 'No, no. Just on the quiet: the Labor Party absolutely will support this, because the mining division of the CFMMEU wants to deamalgamate from the CFMMEU.'
We changed the law, and the Labor Party supported it. The mining union was so embarrassed to be associated with the CFMMEU that they wanted to support a change to the law so that they could not have anything to do with that union going forward. Just recently, of course, we've seen the actions in the Federal Court where the mining division of the CFMMEU, in their application and attempt to not be associated with the CFMMEU, are having to make legal argument in court as to why they want deamalgamate. Their main reason is the way in which the CFMMEU continually breaks the law, and they themselves have submitted to the court an enormous number of examples of why being associated with the current iteration of the CFMMEU is something to be embarrassed and ashamed about. The mining division of the CFMMEU doesn't want to be a part of that bad behaviour, and good on them for that.
Another poor bloke that fell foul of the CFMMEU was someone by the name of Aaron Cartledge, who was the state secretary of the CFMMEU in my home state of South Australia. He wasn't big, bad and ugly enough for the CFMMEU, particularly the Victorian branch, and he was hounded out of that role. The South Australian division of the CFMMEU were made moribund, and, now, the Victorian chapter of the CFMMEU runs the CFMMEU in my home state of South Australia.
Aaron Cartledge didn't break the law enough. He didn't do the wrong thing enough. He wasn't acceptable to these people. He is a lifelong union man, a proud Labor man, someone that probably cared about things like the welfare of workers. Well, that wasn't what the CFMMEU, particularly the Victorian division of the CFMMEU, saw as being any form of high-value credential when it came to operating as the secretary of a union. So he's gone.
Now John Setka and co are running the CFMMEU not just in Victoria but also in my home state of South Australia. The Labor Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas, was so embarrassed and ashamed of having anything to do with that guy that he returned the donations from that union that were given to the South Australian Labor Party for the recent state election. That's who the CFMMEU are, particularly their construction division out of Victoria, and that's what they stand for. We've got a situation now where the head of the Master Builders Association in South Australia has had to hire a security firm because he fears for his own personal safety and that of his family. Vehicles owned by senior members of the Master Builders Association were vandalised in the car park with all kinds of slogans, and there was disgusting, despicable behaviour by people on the basis that the MBA doesn't toe the line in supporting the new regime that runs the CFMMEU in South Australia.
A Labor Premier is embarrassed to be associated with them and returns an enormous amount of money, which would hurt the coffers of the Labor Party; we know how much they rely on support from the union movement. When the South Australian Premier says, 'I can't accept six-figure sums from this union; it would be an embarrassment to be associated with them,' and when a guy like Aaron Cartledge is not welcomed to continue to lead the union in South Australia, something is seriously rotten with that bikie gang that they call a union, being the CFMMEU.
Those opposite would do themselves a favour to take a leaf out of Peter Malinauskas's book. Don't have anything to do with those people. Disavow them; disown them. Do what Bob Hawke did with the old BLU. Set a standard for the behaviour—even if it's in the union movement that gives you so much money—that you will not accept. That's why I commend this motion to the House.
Mr BURNELL (Spence) (19:16): I rise to speak against the motion moved by the member for Bowman. I feel that this is an opportune moment to make a contribution about an important area of policy, one that relates to one of Labor's election commitments that was made in the lead-up to the recent federal election—the abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, the ABCC. The abolition of the ABCC was a well-publicised policy of the Labor Party in the lead-up to this year's federal election. It should not come as a shock to anyone in this place, the media, the construction sector or even the ABCC itself that Labor intends to fulfil its election commitments in government. Far be it from me to say otherwise.
As we heard from Senator Hume on Insiders yesterday, the coalition doesn't have policies. But the ABCC, in punishing workers and their representatives, isn't a policy for those opposite; it's part of their DNA. Former prime minister Tony Abbott always made reference to returning the industrial relations pendulum back to the sensible centre. How a body that has such coercive powers to use against ordinary construction workers can ever be described as a return to the sensible centre is beyond me. Building and construction workers should be subject to the same laws and regulations as other workers. They aren't some special class of employees that require additional restrictions placed on them. They should, however, be afforded the same protections, especially when it comes to upholding safety standards on worksites—something the ABCC has been seemingly silent about. But, if a union logo were on a safety sign, you'd soon feel the weight of their office upon you.
Too often we have seen the ABCC used as a political weapon, only for the end result to be discredited in the courts and the media, again at the cost of millions of dollars by way of court costs and legal fees. The ABCC has spent, and continues to spend, millions of taxpayer dollars in prosecuting workers for wearing stickers on their hard hats, and does very little to improve any of the problems this motion pretends to say that the restoration of the ABCC will achieve.
Mr Wallace interjecting—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Fisher!
Mr BURNELL: Between October 2021 and March 2022—
Mr Wallace interjecting—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: You missed my warning, and I will throw you out if you don't heed it.
Mr BURNELL: the ABCC spent $2.15 million on external legal fees—$2.15 million. Very few active cases of the ABCC's involve the underpayment of workers or late payments of subcontractors. Instead we see cases such as a case where $488,562 was spent pursuing a building company over the Eureka flag being displayed on a worksite; a case where $495,203 was spent taking a case to the High Court unsuccessfully, where a union demanded a women's toilet on a worksite; and another failed case, costing $298,127, prosecuting two union officials for having a cup of tea with a mate.
Those opposite, when in government, did so little to increase the supply of housing stock, especially affordable housing and public housing. They will only raise these concerns when a vestige of their ideological hubris such as the ABCC comes under threat. Labour productivity under the years of the ABCC was nothing to write home about. This is despite many of the arguments of the coalition being centred around improving productivity. The name of the legislation itself was the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill, after all.
As the member for Bendigo recently mentioned, labour productivity went down 2.4 per cent in 2017-18. It went down 2.6 per cent in 2018-19 and went down again by 2.6 per cent in 2019-20. This Labor government has already made the first steps to fulfil this election commitment, whilst also consulting with employer and building industry groups and peak bodies, unions and state and territory ministers for workplace relations. It's about time that the coalition considered the Australian Building and Construction Commission to soon be 'dead, buried and cremated'.
Mr WALLACE (Fisher) (19:21): I was involved in the building industry for 30 years before I came into this place, as a builder, as a carpenter and joiner and then as a construction law barrister, and I have never heard so much tripe in my life—apart perhaps from when I was on building sites, but that's another point.
An honourable member interjecting—
Mr WALLACE: I won't make that mistake. I promise you I will not make that mistake a second time.
The Australian Building and Construction Commission performs a vitally important role in our industrial relations and construction sector landscape. I've heard those members opposite talk about how the ABCC doesn't do this and it doesn't do that. Of course, the CFMMEU are as pure as the driven snow—absolutely as pure as the driven snow! There's nothing to see here! Let's have a look at the CFMMEU. The mining and energy division are so impressed with their construction colleagues that they've just brought an application to the Fair Work Commission to seek to be deamalgamated from them, such is their disgust with the way that their colleagues in the construction division handle themselves. They in fact cite in their application 145 separate infractions, breaches of the Fair Work Act, as to why they want to be cut loose from this mob. That's the second lot. There is also the manufacturing division, which prior to that also brought an application to disassociate themselves from those fine, upstanding gentlemen in the construction sector.
Those members opposite can come in here and talk the big talk about how the ABCC are terrible and they haven't done this and they haven't done that. In case after case after case, the Federal Court has held that the CFMMEU are the most recidivist industrial organisation in this country, which continues to break laws in this country. That is very hard for those members opposite to hear. Why? Because they continue to receive significant funding from the CFMMEU. I understand it's somewhere around $10 million in donations to the Labor Party over the last 10 years. I can understand why that is a source of discomfort. Premier Malinauskas from South Australia was so discomforted that he actually ordered the return of those political donations to the CFMMEU. Yet the federal Labor Party continues to take donations from an organisation that, quite frankly, has made its bread and butter in breaking the law.
I have spoken with people I know personally who are involved. In fact, I have seen it in my old days as a chippie working on building sites in Melbourne, albeit in the BLF days. It is standard de rigueur practice and process for the CFMMEU to harass, to hunt down and in fact, through practices like third-line forcing, to deny businesses that do not employ CFMMEU labour the ability to set foot onto building sites. We have laws against that. John Howard introduced laws about freedom of association. Prior to those laws coming in, every building site in Victoria had a big sign on the front gate that said, 'No ticket, no start,' meaning that if you were not a member of the BLF, which was the precursor to the CFMEU, you could not get a job on that building site. We brought an end to that, and it was a good thing too. But what we are now seeing is the CFMMEU muscling up to small businesses and large businesses alike—but particularly small businesses—and saying, 'If you don't have a CFMMEU approved EBA or if you're not employing registered union labour, not only you will not get a job on this site but we will shut you down on every other site in Queensland. That is wrong, and that is what the ABCC is designed to fix.
Mr DAVID SMITH (Bean—Government Whip) (19:26): I rise to speak against this motion. I'm happy to put on the record that I didn't receive any money from the CFMMEU, but it's good to see it went to some good purposes.
The construction industry is one of the largest-employing industries, at around 8.7 per cent of the Australian workforce. This is over 1.17 million people, and this figure is projected to grow by over 66,000 workers over the five years to November 2026. Furthermore, the Reserve Bank of Australia forecasts the sector to be worth over $424 billion in revenue in 2021-22.
With such a sizeable workforce that contributes so significantly to the Australian economy, it is extraordinary how we currently undermine building workers with laws and regulations different from those in any other industry. They are the only industry with specific unfair-workplace-relations legislation, all under the guise of improving productivity. The previous government established yet again the Australian Building and Construction Commission and the accompanying Code for the Tendering and Performance of Building Work. The very name of the act that re-established the two is the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act. The stated aim of the act is:
… to provide an improved workplace relations framework for building work to ensure that building work is carried out fairly, efficiently and productively, without distinction between interests of building industry participants, and for the benefit of all building industry participants and for the benefit of the Australian economy as a whole.
If this is the act's aim, the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act is one of the least successful pieces of legislation in Australian history.
Incredibly, since its re-establishment in 2016, the ABCC has overseen a decline in productivity growth in construction. It has failed on the key performance indicator that it was apparently established for. But, in addition, critical issues such as poor work health and safety, noncompliance with wages and entitlements obligations, unpaid subcontractors and sham contracting continue to plague the industry. What we are seeing is a highly politicised and discredited ABCC targeting workers purely for ideological reasons. They have been more concerned with dismantling unions and harassing and punishing workers over trivial nonsense such as union logos on a helmet or a poster. It's proven that it's an unnecessary body and a waste of taxpayers' money.
The government went to the election with the promise to end the unfair treatment of building and construction workers, and we intend to achieve that. We understand that the best way to increase productivity in the industry is better cooperation between employers and employees—a relationship built on mutual trust and respect rather than conflict. Importantly, building workers should be subject to the same laws and regulations as all other workers. We have the Fair Work Act and the Fair Work Ombudsman to enforce it across all industries, and the construction industry should be no exception. There won't be a shortfall in workplace relations regulation within the industry.
Over the last couple of months, we've been fortunate to listen to some wonderful first speeches from across the chamber. However, there seems to be another rite of passage for some in our parliament: if they really want to be properly initiated, they need to have spoken about the CFMMEU, whether or not their day-to-day lives outside this place have anything to do with workplace relations or the construction industry.
This contrasts with the approach taken by the government at the recent Jobs and Skills Summit and by the industry itself. In recent months, in both national and regional forums, employers and unions have come together with government to address common challenges. The grown-ups in the room want to engage in constructive and cooperative politics. The time for the politics of polarisation is over.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:30